((OOC: Sorry Tekishi, but me and Sem will be doing this one alone. You skipped us over three times with your Bijuu training so we decided to move on, we'll do a different mission with you.))

Mission:

"Meet me on the Roth District's docks at sunset, be prepared for a stealth operation." Those were the last words Thaddeus spoke to Ren'ai before they went their separate ways from the Kage's office. Since it was just the two of them against roughly ten pirates it would be best for them to strike under the cover of night, and his family would be more than willing to lend him the necessary equipment for his mission, as well as guide the young Uchiha to Thaddeus's location when she arrived. After a quick wardrobe change Thaddeus spent the rest of the remaining daylight making sure they had everything they would need to make sure the mission went off without a hitch. He was wearing a pitch black body suit instead of his more formal collard shirt with slacks, and instead of his dress shoes a pair of black tabi. He was still wearing his ergonomic suspender/harness combination though, that was necessary to carry all of his utilities into battle.

Amidst the daily hustle and bustle of the Roth District in Ao Phalanx Harbor Thaddeus spent the hours before sunset acquiring the use of a small sailboat (size) with an unpainted hull, switching out the owner's white sail for a black one; securing an advanced first aid kit; and packing an emergency survival kit complete with food rations, fresh water, and signal flares should they wind up stranded somewhere. All that was left was to wait for sunset. He'd help out around his family's docks but he wanted to conserve his energy for the upcoming missions, so with energy conservation in mind Thaddeus would simply watch the day to day activities of those in Ao Phalanx harbor, switching back and forth between looking over the waters of the harbor and observing the workings of those on the docks. He couldn't help but wonder how his life would have turned out if he decided to follow in his mother's footsteps instead of forging his own path and becoming a shinobi.

[Word Count: 337/337]

So, she was to meet him at the Roth's district harbor... personally she hadn't been there before, so she wasn't sure what to expect. The only other time she had been at the docks was to help a merchant ship his goods to an island not too far away and she had been the security detail for that mission. This mission would be quite a bit more dramatic than that mission though, considering she hadn't run into any trouble except the sailors on the ship staring at her revealing cleavage as she had scrubbed the deck of the ship. f course, Captain Deckerd had berated them and forced them to do her work while she enjoyed an easy-going lookout spot atop the mass of the ship. She had gotten a good tan on the mission and a little ryo, but that was it.

That was the fundamental difference between that mission and this one, her and Thad were going up against 10 pirates; a good number pitted against them. She would have to bring her A-Game to show the Chuunin Thaddeus that as an Uchiha, she was just as capable as her surname preceded her. I wonder if I should bring anything for the mission... She looked down at her clothes, she could wear something stealthy.. but she liked her lewd flashy clothes- wearing something to make her hard to see would severely impede her ability to cast genjutsu on eye contact.

Then again, her clothes were already back, no need to go out of her way to look like an assassin or something: chances are, the stealth mission would only be halfway successful and she would have to show some of her skills with her clan's natural Katon affinity as well. Stealth wasn't exactly her style, but discreet and subtle manipulation were- hence the Genjutsu specialty... but she was really really good at causing mayhem and chaos as well, what a hard decision. Thad was the ranking shinobi on the mission and he had said a stealth mission... so she would comply until it was no longerpossible. Then she would have her way and show Thad just what an  Uchiha girl could do.

She wasn't intended to try to impress him or show him up, her desire to prove her clan's competence was all. If she could leave little room for people to doubt the Uchiha's battle prowess without all the negative stuff a few bad apples had given them, the respect and proper kind of fear for her clan would skyrocket. The glory of her clan was constantly on her mind, many of the elders in the clan had noted that she was much devoted to the clan... a good thing or a bad thing, they were not sure of yet. While she was passionate, she was not yet overzealous, but would she be in the future?

Ren decided to grab a few things, some homemade sweets she had made, mostly cookies and chocolate bars. She grabbed a few canned fruit juice as well and packed them in a small pouch she carried on her shoulder, her and Thaddeus would need a small snack before their operation.

She arrived at the docks an hour or so before sunset, immediately she was met by members of the Roth family, she had recognized them instantly, carrying features much akin to Thaddeus. She greeted them in a friendly manner and introduced herself as Thaddeus' partner for the mission; after being lead to where Thaddeus was, she waved at him as he was double-checking things on a small boat she assumed they would be using the sail near the pirates. It had a black sail and was very discreet, in the darkness, it would be very hard to see. Ahoy Thad! I finally made it here and I brought a small snack for us to eat while we wait for the sun to set!

She would side-step into the boat and sit on the edge as she sat the pack in her lap and unfolded it, revealing sweets and canned juices to share with him. She hoped he didn't dislike sweets, she hadn't brought anything savory.

---

Word count- 694

Maybe I should have waited a bit longer to get ready. Thaddeus sighed as he waited for the sun to set. A few cousins had come to chat and left to return to work over couple hours he had been waiting. Usually his habit of starting things early was a good thing, but overestimating the time it takes to get ready for something can lead to some boring afternoons. Normally he'd find something to do in order to occupy his time, even if he was reserving his energy. There were plenty of people he could visit in the area, after all it was his family's district in Ao Phalanx harbor, but he didn't want to visit someone and wind up leaving Ren'ai to wait for him should she arrive early. After lazily observing the various activities going on around the harbor for a couple hours Thaddeus decided to double check everything on his borrowed sailboat.

"Ahoy Thad! I finally made it here and I brought a small snack for us to eat while we wait for the sun to set!" Ren'ai's voice caught his attention as he finished rooting through the first aid kit to make sure it was fully stocked, greeting her with a friendly wave of his own as he slid the kit back under the rear bench. She was about an hour early, a continuation of her good punctuality and a sign of how highly she regarded her mission. They could also discuss their plan of action while they waited for sundown. "Ahoy. Oh? You didn't need to do that." Thaddeus said politely as Ren'ai stepped into the boat and sat on the edge, set a pack in her lap, and unwrapped it to reveal some sweets and fruit juice cans. Even if he was polite about it his stomach certainly liked the idea as it growled faintly, which he ignored for the time being.

She was still wearing her rather revealing outfit, which was black so it didn't really matter, but he couldn't help but notice a few of his cousins in the background high-fiveing and giving Thaddeus a thumbs up as they watched Ren'ai from behind. His family was always harping on him for prioritizing work and training over his personal life, hell his mom would probably be out there with them, but as far as Thaddeus was concerned a love life was nowhere near the top of his list. In response he shot a 'thousand yard stare' towards them, which they laughed off but went back to work all the same, before turning back to Ren'ai. "It might be a little boring while we wait, but those snack of yours should help pass the time." He flashed a smile, although personally he wasn't a big fan of sweets, Thaddeus was just too polite to turn them down. On the other hand those juice cans looked rather good after sitting out in the sun for a few hours.

"We can also discuss our course of action while we wait, I hope you wont mind setting some fires." Thaddeus joked, although only partially. Since Ren'ai was both a Katon and Fuuton practitioner her flames could be extremely deadly out on the sea, and he had a few ideas that involved smoking the pirates out while Ren'ai and him took them down in the panic. Nonetheless there were a couple different ways they could go about taking down a boat of pirates, it really just depended on what Ren'ai was comfortable with, it was best to form a plan around the particular skills and preferences of the team after all. "May I?" Thaddeus asked politely, pointing towards a can of juice and one of the cookies. He didn't want to be rude by reaching for them without permission, even if she did say they were for both of them. Not to mention the fact that they were on her lap and some women may think it to be rude or inappropriate to reach for something on a lady's lap.

[Word Count: 672/1009]

True enough, she didn't need to bring him a snack or anything, but he had struck her as the type of person to work a lot and forget to eat- no hard in bringing extra food just in case he had forgotten to eat. She noticed his clothes as she had sat down and was dividing the snacks, he was wearing all black and secretive clothing; totally apparent what his intended mission was. She tossed him a can of juice and set the pack of sweets on the bench in the center of the boat, to her right side, Thaddeus had been iffy about deciding whether or not to actually grab anything from her lap. She found that a bit amusing, it was sort of her fault for being so nonchalant about it all.

I small snack will help pass the time as we discuss our battle plan, so it's no trouble at all. She bit into a cookie and took a healthy swig of her juice before continuing once her mouth was empty. My preferred method of fighting is Genjutsu, that being said- I can employ Genjutsu in any of my Katon or Fuuton combinations. So if you have any set plan, I am comfortable with a strictly stealth operation, chaos or a bit of both.

She leaned over the side of the boat and cupped some water in her hands and looked at her reflection in it as she gave Thaddeus time to think and speak. Chances are, the best plan will involve stealth initially. We need to determine the position and possible escape methods of our targets before they are alerted of our presence. If we go full stealth, it will probably take too long to kill all of them and some will escape. In the opposite situation, if we go in blazing with glory, even more are likely to escape.

Ren had a large amount of Fuuton & katon jutsu at her disposal, she discussed a few jutsu ideas with Thaddeus, ate her sweets and drank the juice. She had forgotten to eat herself today from the excitement of the mission; she hadn't been careless though, she was certain to cover every area of the mission she could imagine. Luckily Thaddeus had arranged the water transportation and first aid kit, he was a competent ally.

---

Word count- 389

"Thank you." Thaddeus said politely as Ren'ai tossed him a can of fruit juice, apparently she understood why he was reluctant to grab them himself since she placed the rest of the snacks on the bench on her right side in the middle of the boat. Reaching for something in her lap isn't something that he particularly minded, but he wasn't sure how Ren'ai would have taken it so better to be polite about it. "A small snack will help pass the time as we discuss our battle plan, so it's no trouble at all." After nodding in agreement Thaddeus opened his can of juice and took a swig, it was pretty good, some sort of tropical blend that he couldn't quite place. "My preferred method of fighting is Genjutsu, that being said- I can employ Genjutsu in any of my Katon or Fuuton combinations. So if you have any set plan, I am comfortable with a strictly stealth operation, chaos or a bit of both." A nin-gen combination eh? That would be something Thaddeus would enjoy seeing, and would be quite useful in their operation.

It's a good thing she was comfortable with a variety of tactics, with them being outnumbered it was quite likely that they would have to change plans on the fly. "Nothing's set in stone. I find it best to strategize as a team, that way everyone can voice their opinion and as many people as possible are comfortable with the plan." Thaddeus grabbed one of the cookies and took another sip of juice after he spoke, wondering why Ren'ai was checking her reflection with a cupped handful of water. A means to occupy herself perhaps? "Did you have anything in mind?" He asked inquisitively, taking a bite of his cookie after he finished his question. It was a bit sweet for his preferences but good nonetheless, went well with the fruit juice. "Chances are, the best plan will involve stealth initially. We need to determine the position and possible escape methods of our targets before they are alerted of our presence. If we go full stealth, it will probably take too long to kill all of them and some will escape. In the opposite situation, if we go in blazing with glory, even more are likely to escape."

Yet again Thaddeus had to hand it to her, despite never dealing with pirates, or people in general for that matter, Ren'ai's assessment was spot on. This Genin had a good head on her shoulders. "That's right, and just what I had in mind." He spoke in a polite and impressed tone. "Most of my plans involved a bit of reconnaissance, which is why I'm dressed as I am, before we sabotage their methods of escape and start a panic amongst the crew with your katon techniques. If things go as planned we should be able to take out anyone patrolling the deck or watching from the crows nest before alerting the rest of the crew by setting fire to the base of the main mast. With any lifeboats sabotaged they'll only have two options, attempt to put the fire out or jump overboard." Thaddeus paused to take another bite of his cookie and a swig of juice. "Depending on the general design of the boat one of us should focus on taking out the pirates that try to extinguish the fire while the other takes out any that try to go overboard." Thaddeus paused once more, finishing his juice and giving Ren'ai a chance to take in his idea, setting his empty can of juice next to the sack of snacks.

"Of course that's if the reports are correct in indicating that this bunch of pirates aren't very experienced. If they turn out to be seasoned fighters then we need to stick together once we alert the crew. If the design allows we could even barricade any hatch or door after taking out any pirates on deck, I could then sabotage the hull from beneath the ship and sink it with the remainder of the crew trapped below deck." There were any number of ways they could go about this mission, but Thaddeus didn't want to talk Ren'ai's ears off going through the details. For the remainder of the time he would sit and listen to Ren'ai's jutsu ideas and discuss the rest of the details with her. With the sun setting on the horizon it was time to set sail for the fishing town with the last reported sighting of the ship they were after. First out of Ao Phalanx harbor, then down Onozuka River, and finally out onto the open sea. As the last bit of sunlight started to fade they arrived at their destination, and Thaddeus anchored their boat in the shadow of a large seastack.

The target was just visible around the side of the seastack in the scattered moonlight of a partially overcast sky, and as suspected a few pirates could be seen on deck accompanied by torchlight. It was a cutter style vessel anchored on their own just outside the area they usually patrolled. Thaddeus could see at least two pirates on deck chatting away with a bottle of something in their hands, there was another one on look out circling the deck with torch in hand. The rest seemed to be below deck, probably sorting their spoils and playing drinking games. "Alright, it looks like we could barricade the hatches and puncture the hull if we can take out the three on deck without alerting the others, or surprise them by setting fire to the deck. Any preferences?" Thaddeus turned to Ren'ai in the darkness after giving his analysis, their figures barely visible in the shadow of the seastack.

[Word Count: 832/1841]

Ren finished her snack in timely fashin, taking proper breaks to speak and reply with Thaddeus about several factors that could contribute to the success or failure of their mission. Thaddeus' voice told her that he was impressed with the level of depth she had put into her plans,it didn't really make her feel all that great, any shinobi should be expected to think carefully when the lives of their comrades are on the line. You're level of planning is just as good as mine, so I am sure that we'll be able to take them by surprise and take them down without having to fight the majority of them all at once.

To Ren, the biggest issue with sinking the ship with the pirates inside, was that they were likely to have a Suiton affinity and could survive underwater long enough to escape from the sunken ship. They had to make sure they were dead and verify al the corpses themselves for a full mission report. I think it's best of we personally see all their corpses and verify them, I don't want any of them to escape from a sunken ship. She knew he would understand her reasoning; coming from a sailor family, Thaddeus was likely instructed on procedures of what to do when a ship was sinking and you were under attack. There were surely several unknown factors that could lead to the majority of the pirates escaping, even underwater... especially if they were from the Hozuki clan.

Just as the sun began to set and the waters began to darken, Thaddeus and Ren set out in their little boat towards the known destination of the pirate ship. They arrived only just after it got dark and stopped their boat a bit away from the cutlass ship itself in order to keep the maximum amount of stealth. There were three pirates total topside of the ship, three carefree pirates; two were watching leisurely with their torches making them easy targets and the last one was nearly dozing off in the look out.

Ren stepped out of the boat and onto the water's surface as she looked at Thaddeus, I have a better plan, I will use a Genjutsu on the one in the lookout perch and make him see something noteworthy of calling all attention to deck. Beforehand, I will have set out a mist blaze jutsu in a gas form on the surface of the ship. This mist will make anyone standing in it light-headed and a bit disoriented. Once we get the majority of them above deck, you can sneak below deck, finish off any stragglers and puncture the hull. meanwhile, atop the ship, I will set off my blaze, exploding the top of the ship and setting fire to it.

She didn't really need to tell Thaddeus he would have to escape the ship before it burned down or sank, likely he could escape from a breach in the ship's hull and swim to the little boat back to where Ren would be waiting for him. It was an interesting plan, but she didn't really have a better plan as of yet. In the reverse situation, they could also just sneak past the three sentries and hope the pirates below deck were asleep and kill them silently, but that seemed less than likely. Or I could employ a massive Genjutsu on them as a whole and we could just slit the throats of everyone atop deck and then finish off the ones below deck and sing the ship.. that seems like the best plan.

---

Word count-601

"I have a better plan, I will use a Genjutsu on the one in the lookout perch and make him see something noteworthy of calling all attention to deck. Beforehand, I will have set out a mist blaze jutsu in a gas form on the surface of the ship. This mist will make anyone standing in it light-headed and a bit disoriented. Once we get the majority of them above deck, you can sneak below deck, finish off any stragglers and puncture the hull. meanwhile, atop the ship, I will set off my blaze, exploding the top of the ship and setting fire to it." Thaddeus listened to Ren'ai's plan attentively as he furled their sail, ensuring that any sudden gust of wind wouldn't break their boat free from the anchor or grab the pirates attention with the flapping of the sail. It was a good plan, but if that explosion wasn't regulated properly the deck could collapse on him, potentially knocking him out and/or pinning him in the sinking ship. He could probably escape in time without too much effort but it was an unnecessary amount of risk on his part.

She was right in her earlier statement of verifying all of the corpses though, his calculations were based upon the reports of an inexperienced crew. If just a few of them proved to be seasoned pirates with training in the shinobi arts, or even Hozuki, trapping them in a sinking ship wouldn't do much more than stall them. "Or I could employ a massive Genjutsu on them as a whole and we could just slit the throats of everyone atop deck and then finish off the ones below deck and sing the ship.. that seems like the best plan." "I agree, personally I'd rather avoid being below deck with an explosion overhead." Thaddeus said as he stepped out onto the lightly shifting water beside Ren'ai. "Depending on which technique you had in mind I could bolster its effects with one of my own, although it may be more effective if we waited to use the techniques after getting some of the crew below deck to come up first, that way we can maximize their effectiveness. I have an idea of how to do just that, but first..."

Thaddeus placed his left hand on Ren'ai's shoulder, transferring a small amount of chakra into the section of her brain that was active during speech, as well as doing the same with his brain at the same time. He was activating his Inner Monologue and Vocal Transference technique so they could communicate silently. "... You're going to feel a faint draw on the chakra in your head, I want you to feed that draw as if you were sustaining a jutsu of your own. As long as you do so anything you say or think about saying will be transferred to me, and vice versa. This will allow us to communicate telepathically as long as we stay within one-hundred feet of each other." Feel free to try it out a little before we move in. The last sentence of his explanation Thaddeus spoke without speaking, if you will, as he returned his hand to his side; telepathically transferring what he intended to say without physically opening his mouth to do so. Of course this technique also had its drawbacks, it isn't uncommon for someone new to the technique to accidentally transmit a thought they would have rather kept to themselves. He'd give Ren'ai a few moments to adjust to this jutsu before moving on.

I should be able to take out the man on lookout without alerting the others, killing him as I pull him overboard. With the noise of the splash the other two will likely believe he fell overboard after nodding off, I'll position the body face down in the water so they can't see the stab wound, hopefully making them believe he was unconscious and likely to drown. After that one would probably alert the crew below deck while the other jumps in to save their comrade, if one does so I'll take care of him in the water, but this is when I'd like you to get in position on the opposite side of the ship and prepare one of your techniques. With the disappearance of their other crew mate they'll likely start to panic and more will come up from below, a perfect opportunity for you to hit them with a jutsu of yours, whichever you believe to be best. As Thaddeus 'spoke' he gradually sank into the water, stopping as his shoulders slipped beneath the waves. He preffered to swim rather than risk being sighted walking on the surface of the water, even in this low light situation. However he was well versed in maneuvering underwater, it might be better for Ren'ai to stick to the surface. If that plan works for you we can move in.

[Word Count: 676/2517]
[Chakra: 145/150]

Jutsu Used:

Blowing up the top of the ship and letting the debris fall down on top of Thaddeus wasn't too smart- it had seemed like a good strategy, but she hadn't fully anticipated the dangers she would be subjecting Thaddeus to. His plan was a far more safe bet. She agreed to Thad's plan and began her slow and stealthy approach of the ship, she would wait until Thaddeus was in position before she made her move to find an advantageous position.

She would wait for her new friend to grab one of the sentries and pull him overboard, quickly killing him in the process with a kunai; just as planned, he left the body facedown in the water and he was not too far away, waiting for the next target to get close enough. Man overboard! Jenkins must have fallen asleep and stumbled off into the water! Ren tensed and listened intently as several footsteps could be heard below deck, some groggy stomping and some on high alert.

She had positioned herself higher in the ship's sails, she looked down as several pirates came from below deck and ran to the edge of the water and leaned over, looking for their fallen comrade. Ren reached into her cleavage and removed a small uchiwa fan that was folded up; she focused on what she wanted and then waves her fan, a slight gust of wind picked up and blew against the pirate crew's backs. A distinctive cherry aroma could be smelled by the pirates.

The wind carried with it, a course powder that she used as a medium to trap all of them in a Genjutsu- this Genjutsu played off their current fear of their friend drowning just out of their reach, they were forced to watch helplessly in the dark of night as their friend flailed about. They were seasoned sailors though, none of them were foolish enough to swim out after him: a panicked drowning person was likely to hurt and kill their "rescuers". He was a pirate after all.

As they would be affected by the Genjutsu, they would be oblivious to Ren and Thaddeus boarding the ship and walking up behind them swiftly and using kunais to slit their throats wide open. After they dealt with the survivors, Ren would retrieve the corpse in the water for a full proper body count for the mission report.

After the pirates on deck were taken care of, Ren would wait by the door below deck for Thaddeus, she would talk via the mind genjutsu. Let's be done with this, there should be three more pirates below deck...likely too lazy to get up from their sleep to help a drowning person, so they should be easy targets. I'll go up to the Captain's quarters and take care of him.

---

Word count-470
Chakra- 80

jutsu:

With Ren'ai onboard with the plan Thaddeus quietly slipped under the water and began his approach, pushing and pulling himself through the dimly moonlit sea as fast as some of the slower shinobi could run on land using the same technique others used to walk on the surface, maneuvering himself to the stern of the ship. In order to minimize any sound of his arrival Thaddeus slowly climbed the stern of the ship, sticking to the slippery wood with the technique used to climb vertical surfaces. I'm in position, get ready to move in. Pausing his ascent just below the railing Thaddeus silently notified his partner as he waited for the moon to disappear behind a cloud, slowly removing his tactical combat knife from its sheath on his left abdomen with his right hand in preparation for his attack while he stuck to the ship's hull with his left.

As the moon dipped behind a cloud Thaddeus briefly peaked over the railing before returning back to his previous position. The man he was after was leaning against the rail with his back to the sea three feet to Thaddeus's left, and he appeared to be nodding off. The other two were just out of sight on the lower deck, the light of their torches on the other side of the rail between the raised helmsman's deck and the lower deck. Quickly but quietly Thaddeus shifted to the left just below the sleepy lookout, making sure he still had plenty of time in the shadow of the overhead cloud before reversing his grip on his combat knife and pulling himself up behind the pirate. Before the poor sod even knew what was going on Thaddeus muffled him with his left hand while simultaneously reaching around with his right and plunging the combat knife into the man's left breast, slipping between the ribs and piercing the heart while pushing off the rail with his left foot, pulling the man with him headlong into the dark sea below.

The lookout was dead before they hit the water, creating a rather loud splash and alerting the other two on deck. Before the other two realized what happened Thaddeus positioned the lifeless body face down in the water, hiding the puncture wound on his chest, while he positioned himself next to the ship's rudder and out of sight. "Man overboard! Jenkins must have fallen asleep and stumbled off into the water!" He could hear one of the pirates yelling above him, alerting the ones down below, although he was slightly surprised that none of them jumped in to save their friend. "Dammit, he's flailing about!" "Snap out of it man!" "Do you think the sharks got em?" Their frantic tone said it all, not to mention the fact that their friend was nothing more than a floating corpse, Ren'ai must have successfully hit them with her Genjutsu without alerting them.

Now that her Genjutsu was in place it made it easy for him to slip around the port side of the ship and scale the hull, joining Ren'ai on deck to dispatch the genjutsu ensnared crew. Thaddeus shifted his combat knife to his left hand as they approached the charmed pirates, preferring to slip the blade between  the targets ribs and pierce their heart while he muffled their voice with his right hand rather than slitting their throats as Ren'ai did. He found a direct blow to the heart more efficient and less messy, then again he had been killing pirates for seven years now and it was Ren'ai's first time, nevertheless she was handling herself well. That made five dead on deck, one in the water, and four more to go. While Ren'ai went to gather the corpse in the water Thaddeus approached the hatch the crew had came up from, putting out the torches on deck as he did so. The hatch was left wide open in the panic and he could hear a few faint voices through it, they didn't seem to be in a panic but he couldn't quite make out what they were saying.

Let's be done with this, there should be three more pirates below deck...likely too lazy to get up from their sleep to help a drowning person, so they should be easy targets. I'll go up to the Captain's quarters and take care of him. Don't be too hasty, I'll take care of the rest down below but the captain is likely to be the most skilled fighter. Thaddeus replied via his telepathic genjutsu as he circled around the hatch, peering through in every direction to check if there was anyone with a direct line of sight to it, which there didn't seem to be. Just remember to be careful. Thaddeus was sure she could handle the captain, but if anyone was going to put up a fight it was going to be him, or her for that matter. He didn't have any intel on the captain, not even a gender, but to underestimate a pirate captain could spell disaster. Not all of them were skilled fighters, but most lead by examples of strength and ruthlessness.

On that last note Thaddeus slipped below deck, combat knife in hand. "Aces again?!" "Damn straight." The voices he heard earlier emanated from the other side of a stack of crates, bags, and chests. It sounded like they were too busy with their card game to care about the rest of their crew, but what of the third? "If I find out you're stacking the deck I'm gonna-" "Gonna what? Cut my balls off? Run me through? Quit yer yappin and cut the cards." "Oy, can't a man get a wink of sleep around 'ere!?" A third voice came from a cot only a couple of feet away from Thaddeus, causing Thaddeus to freeze in his tracks to avoid drawing attention to himself. Luckily the man didn't bother to look around after he yelled, well, unluckily for the pirate. It didn't take much effort to sneak up on him, shove his face down into his pillow, and puncture his heart from the back. Although he did manage to let out a muffled yelp of surprise before his life faded away."What was that?" "I don't know, go check it out." Sighing heavily one of the two playing cards got up and started to move towards the hatch from the other side of the pile of loot.

Meanwhile Thaddeus got into position on the other side of pile of crates, holding his combat knife in his left right hand with a reverse grip. "What the... the lights are out on de-" The pirate was cut off mid sentence as Thaddeus plunged his knife into the man's chest from the shadow of the crates, leaving him in a brief moment of disbelief as he looked from his chest to Thaddeus's shadowy figure before he collapsed. "You didn't trip again did you?" The remaining pirate laughed from the other side of the cargo, although he grew a little suspicious when there was no answer. "Dammit, bastard better not be out cold." The pirate grunted as he got out of his seat and went to check on his crewmate. "Get up you lazy ass-" The pirate moved to kick his downed comrade in order to wake him up but fell prey to the very same trap as Thaddeus once more plunged his knife into a pirates chest cavity. Three more down, all that was left was the captain. After checking the hold for any more stragglers Thaddeus ascended the ladder and returned to the deck. The hold is clear, how are things on your end?

[Word Count: 1235/3752]
[Chakra: 143/150]

Jutsu Sustained:

Hasty, right. Careless was not in her dictionary, but she did believe in being swift. One could be swift and effective rather than brash and jeopardize the mission, Ren always hoped she was not the latter of the two options. There was one thing that Thad had been right about, the Captain was likely the mot dangerous and alert of his crew. A sea hardened veteran who had likely know mutiny as well as nightly pirate attacks from other ships- he wouldn't be easy to sneak up on.

Honestly she didn't want to confront the captain, but she had no choice. She reached for the door knob to the captains quarters, but it was locked tight. Ha! You'll not get into my room that easily, I'm prepared to take you down should you try to breach the door. It was a gruff male's voice... and he was quite right, opening the door in such a narrow space would make her a fine target for a jutsu or weapon. She could see herself skewered on a nasty sword of the captain if she opened it too quickly.

Instead she did something else, something truly genius but also sneaky. She dropped to the floor on her belly and placed her lips to the crack below the door; she did some handseals right above the floor and began to slowly breathe into the rack of the door. What she released wasn't air, but rather a volatile compound which would explode violently once it was ignited by a source of heat. It wouldn't ignite right away and it wasn't so thick to be noticeable. Ren took several steps back and then a couple more steps until she was literally on the edge of the ship's rails as she stood up straight and performed a few more handseals.

Again she opened her mouth, but no invisible gas came out. Instead, a massive fireball came roaring out of her mouth and soared across the open expanse between the ship. It hissed at the moisture in the air and instantly caught the sails on fire as it passed beneath them. With precision and willpower, Ren had aimed the great fireball perfectly at the door.

Inside the cabin, the captain had prepared for the worst, or so he had thought. But his thought became mottled as the invisible gas made him light headed and unable to comprehend what was happening. A giant fireball slammed through his thick wooden door, smashing it to charred splinters and ignited with the now thick gas trapped in the small room. The ensuing explosion completely took off the upper portion of the deck along with the captain's quarters and the whole backside of the ship. Ren paused for a moment as she inspected what was left of the half of the ship & the below deck. Perhaps she really was a bit too over-doing it with fire... she had done something similar in a spar with her friend Tekishi & had nearly killed him. Luckily he was creative enough to only sustain 2nd degree burns.

Now with the ship on fire at the top and slowly making its way down to the hull of the ship, Ren glanced into the captain's quarters and made sure the captain was dead. He was in fact, quite dead. The fireball and explosion had completely burned up and obliterated his upper portion and his charred legs still remained stationary in front of the door. She nodded to the gruesome sight and then yelled below deck at Tekishi, she could practically see him through the burnt and cracked boards of the deck. Looks like you're finished down there as well! Captain is dead, we should get off the ship before we go down with it.

Even though she wasn't a sailor, it was common knowledge that a sinking ship could pull people under. Ren leapt off the rails of the ship and swam the short distance to their little boat and waited for Thaddeus. Once he was aboard the ship, they would compliment each other on the mission well done... and she would likely accept some kind of friendly advice on time and place for specific exploding jutsu. All of which she took to heart of course, she had come close to killing two allies with this very jutsu- she should be more careful. Good work tonight, Thad. I hope we can work together again sometime in the future.

After they docked on the pier in the Roth district, Ren would tell Thaddeus good night and make her way back to her home and into her bed. The mission report could wait till the morning at least.
{Exit}

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Word count- 779
Chakra-40

jutsu:

Thaddeus's return to the deck and question regarding Ren'ai's progress had been cut off by the sudden appearance of a fireball in the air over the hatch, which quickly passed by heading from bow to stern. It seemed Ren'ai had gone against his request to refrain from explosive techniques while he was below deck, probably to kill the captain off without having to face him in his own quarters, nonetheless Thaddeus only had a few moments to act before the stern end of the ship was incinerated. As soon as his brain could process what exactly he had seen flying over head Thaddeus leapt off of the ladder, jumping backwards towards the bow of the ship as the explosion tore through the stern half of the deck and beyond. Landing with his back against a pile of crates Thaddeus shielded his eyes by crossing his right arm in front of them while crossing the left over his chest at an angle, shielding his heart with his forearm and his neck with his left hand. As with just about any explosion shrapnel was a certainty. Luckily the bulk of the force and shrapnel was focused away from his location, but a few mildly large splinters managed to dig themselves into his extremities.

With Thaddeus's focus on the explosion and surviving it he chose not to sustain his communicative genjutsu, shifting all of his attention to assessing the damage he had taken and the condition of the ship. Over all he wasn't in bad shape; a large splinter was lodged in his left thigh, but not deep enough to cause any alarm; a slightly smaller splinter in his right forearm, yet again not deep enough to worry about; a hand full of small splinters in his torso that hardly penetrated over a quarter of an inch deep; and what would soon become a rather large bruise on his back. All in all he was lucky considering where he was, if he had still been climbing on the ladder things would probably be a lot different, but regardless of his health the ship took quite a bit more damage. Thaddeus could see the night sky from the smouldering chasm where the captain's cabin used to be, and it would only be a matter of minutes before this ship was under water. Quickly pushing himself to his feet Thaddeus ignored the pain from the impact zone on his back while he pulled the splinters from his left leg and right arm before brushing the smaller ones from his chest.

He didn't have time to focus on healing his wounds with the Mystical Palm Technique, he had to escape first. "Looks like you're finished down there as well! Captain is dead, we should get off the ship before we go down with it." Ren'ai's voice caught Thaddeus's attention. Looking up he could see her through the cracked and splintered boards of the deck, but he did not respond, only stare her down with a "you know what you did wrong" look in his eyes before moving on. Now wasn't the time for scolding reckless actions, first Thaddeus had to make it out of the now sinking ship. Sea water rished through the rather large hole in the stern of the ship, quickly reaching Thaddeus's position. It's a good thing he was trained to move atop and through water with great precision, it was easy enough to run across the surface of the oncoming water and dive into the sea beyond the gaping wound in the ship's hull, where he swiftly seared the wounds in his left thigh and right forearm shut using his "Salt the wound." technique. The technique itself was more painful than obtaining the actual wounds, but he didn't want to attract sharks before he could get back to their ship and heal himself.

It didn't take long for Thaddeus to return to their ship that was anchored in the shadow of a nearby sea stack, arriving within seconds of Ren'ai despite his wounds and less than ideal starting position. For the first few moments of being back on board their ship Thaddeus remained silent, focusing on attending to his wounds before having a chat with Ren'ai about her reckless fireball. As soon as he got settled in his seat Thaddeus reached down into the survival kit below the bench in the middle, pulling out a small battery powered emergency lamp and switching it on, providing himself with just enough light to work on his wounds. After turning the lamp on he proceeded to unfasten his the upper half of his suspender/harness combination, unzip his  full body stealth suit, and slip his right arm out of it's sleeve. Thaddeus then placed his left hand, accompanied by a light green glow, over the wound on his right arm and heal it while picking out small slivers of wood in his chest with his right hand. With the way he was sitting Ren'ai would be able to see just how much "friendly fire" her fireball caused, including a glimpse of the rather large bruise forming on his back.

Once the wound in his right arm was healed he would then move his left hand down to his left thigh while simultaneously using his right hand to heal the numerous "pin holes" in his torso, remaining silent the whole time. He figured the silent treatment accompanied with the rather somber look on his face in the dim light of the lamp would convey enough about his feeling towards her course of action, she was smart enough to understand these things without needing to be told. He didn't hate her for it, but he was disappointed in her lack of communication and judgement, as with most Genin she still had much to learn. Quietly Thaddeus slipped his right arm back into his body suit, zipping it back up before letting out a small sigh. "I'm sure you know why I'm disappointed. As long as you promise to work on self control then I have no reason to remain as such." With that said Thaddeus's stood up and stretched his back, bending side to side a little to make sure the only lasting part of his injury would be the bruise and not spinal damage.

"That aside, everything else went off without a hitch and our mission was a success." He said in a friendlier tone, turning to flash a faint smile at Ren'ai before unfurling the sail, weighing anchor, and setting their course for home. Due to the dangers of navigating at night their return trip took a little longer than their trip out, but they made it back to Ao Phalanx Harbor without issue. "Good work tonight, Thad. I hope we can work together again sometime in the future. "Aye, just try to at least warn me before you blow something up near me." Thaddeus joked, smiling faintly as he brought them back to dock they had left at sunset. He didn't want Ren'ai to think he resented her for her actions. Once they were securely moored on the Roth docks Thaddeus bid Ren'ai good night before setting off to restore the boat he had borrowed to its previous condition, putting the old sail back on and cleaning out their mission supplies. Only then would he be able to call it a night. As for the mission report that could wait for morning, it's not like Saizo was up around the clock to hear reports from the graveyard shift anyway.


[Word Count: 1254/5006]
[Chakra: 128/150]

Jutsu Used: