This post marks the beginning of my mission using these storyboard elements:
Stomp out protest and/or dissent (3)
Convince a criminal to confess (3)
Summary: Having just kicked out a notorious gang out of the land, Ryuu learns that some people in the land are unhappy about Kaizen being allowed to occupy the place. A protest takes place in the marketplace, to which Ryuu swiftly and calmly puts an end to. He finds the perpetrator who ignited this protest, and makes him confess to everyone else that he was in league with the gang. When the untrusting villagers learn of this, they stop the protest and accept Kaizen warmly, realising that the clan's presence would actually be a good thing.
Ryuu awoke the next morning in a comfortable bed, confused for a few moments. Then he remembered how he had just driven the gang occupying this village in the previous night. The people who had woken up at night and had crowded around him, as well as the head of the village had welcomed him into the land. He was happy. Kaizen was spreading, and with it they brought kindness and their ninja expertise. He was sure that soon, many more small villages would hear of them and would be happy to welcome their influence.
Getting out of bed, Ryuu cautiously went to the main areas of the house, not wanting to intrude, but at the same time wanting to leave. The man who brought him in saw him and beamed at him. Good morning, you're up nice and early aren't you? Ryuu nodded politely. He wanted to leave soon to go to Kurikita. After eating some food, the man finally let him go, sending him his well wishes. Ryuu had just gone a few minutes out of the house when he noticed people were talking about his clan, for good and for bad. Some of the people were saying how nice Kaizen was for getting rid of the gang, and how good it was to have someone protecting them, whilst others were saying that Kaizen was evil and intended to use the land, only to betray them in the end. Ryuu listened curiously as he walked, wondering where people were getting all these ideas from. He also saw shaking heads; people sighing about an upcoming protest.
Ryuu listened in. A protest? He wondered what it was about, but he soon got his answer. Papers littered walls and poles everywhere. It appeared that some people's dislike for Kaizen was intense, as the forms read:
Come to the market place at 1PM! Ban the clan from the land!
A simple message, yet powerful in its meaning. The emotion in the words were likely to strike the hearts of many. Ryuu raised an eyebrow in amusement, then grimaced as he saw people reading them everywhere. They were becoming brainwashed, converting to the side of opposition. This had to stop before the entire village decided to turn on them. Ryuu was glad that his Byakugan was not activated at the moment; no one on the streets recognised him as a member of Kaizen right now. He really had to get to the bottom of this though. Who was posting all these papers? There had to be someone. Perhaps even more than one...
Analysing the papers, the boy tried to find a clue, any clues at all, as to the poster of these papers. They were just ordinary papers as far as he could see. There was no name, and nothing unusual stood out on any of them that he could see. This might prove to be difficult. Then he had an idea. Inconspicuously, the boy took a few papers off here and there, each one without anyone noticing him. He did not need everyone to know that he was from Kaizen right now; he didn't know if he would make it out of the village alive otherwise... With each paper that he took off, he let it flutter gently to the ground underneath where it had been, as if these papers had just fallen off naturally with the breeze's force. Good thing that it was slightly windy on this day.
After setting down a few papers here and there, Ryuu mingled with the crowd, pretending to walk with purpose, but all the while observing the fallen papers. Some blew around with the wind, whilst others just fluttered in their locations. Soon enough, he got what he wanted. A stout, short man with round glasses walked around, picking up the fallen papers and putting them back on their places, whilst looking in apparent innocent surprise that papers were falling everywhere. He basically made himself look like a good samaritan by pretending to fix things up. However, Ryuu knew with the way that the man looked around that he was nervous; a total giveaway to a culprit. Also the fact that he didn't just throw them away in the garbage, but opted to put negative information back out for the public to see. Truly crafty. It seemed that only Ryuu noticed this though, for others just went on their way, not even paying much attention to the man.
The man soon started walking away, heading down an alley with some people in it. Ryuu followed. Eventually, they arrived at the market place. Ryuu could see that the protest had started a little while ago. People were crowded all over the already usually busy market place, holding signs and posters, screaming words that got mixed up with everyone else's. The man he had been following then paused for a bit, smirking at the large crowd. Probably admiring his handiwork. People were shouting everywhere, and it seemed like utter chaos. Phrases like 'Kill the clan!' or 'Throw em out!' were being repeated, amongst many others. Not only that, but the people who wanted to sell their goods were unable to, making them angry at the protesters. Authorities stood at the edges as well as amongst the crowd, trying to calm people down, but to no avail. Overall, things looked very hectic, as citizens of opposing views even started fighting each other now.
Ryuu sighed internally. If he really wanted to, he could easily have subdued everyone here with his power, but that was not what he wanted. It would only reinforce their negative view of his clan. He wanted Kaizen to have a peaceful existence in the land, coexisting in harmony with everyone; not have everyone obey them out of fear. They were not tyrants at all. And so the boy did nothing in the crowd for now. He only watched the man that he followed. After some observation, he also noticed that the man did not interact with people, as if he did not even belong here. Maybe he was a traveller trying to cause disruption. The Hyūga could not really guess at his intentions. The strange man just watched things unfold, before moving off again, as if his job here was done.
Ryuu followed the man into quieter alleys now, before eventually entering a large building. It looked to be an office of sorts, however, it was completely deserted as far as Ryuu could tell. Everyone was probably at the protest right now. The man walked right in, and looked around for a bit. It was evident through these actions that he was not too familiar with the building. Eventually, he went over to a phone and dialed a number, still unaware of Ryuu watching him, now crouched behind a pile of strategically located cardboard boxes. They had probably held books in them before, but now they were empty.
Hello? Boss? Uh yeah it's all good here. Huh? No no, I haven't seen him, don't worry. He's probably left. Yeah, so I did what you asked. Basically, put a lot of posters around. I was quite surprised at the number of people that read them actually. Thank you! Yes, and now the protest is going on. Hopefully they'll be kicked out, and you guys can return soon. Alright. What was that? Ah okay. See you. See you then, bye!
The man rubbed the back of his head with a smile on his face. He had probably gotten a compliment from this 'boss' of his, and was probably a little happy/embarrassed now. Ryuu had no doubt that the man he had been talking to on the phone was the leader of the gang he had just kicked out last night. Although he could only hear this side of the phone conversation, Ryuu had understood what was going on. Basically, this man had been asked to stage this protest. As the man put the phone down, he turned around, before coming face to face with Ryuu. The boy, with his sneaky ways, had crept up behind the man as he was putting the phone down.
He almost jumped out of his skin upon seeing Ryuu. Aaaah, what the hell? What are you doing here kid? Ryuu just started back at him passively, clearly making the man nervous. Umm, err, why don't you go out and play like a good kid? He laughed nervously, probably wondering how long Ryuu had been there. Ryuu just took out his notebook then and wrote something in it, before showing the man:
So, I wonder how the 'boss' is doing eh?
It was an attempt to greatly unsettle the man, and it worked wonders. He jumped back in surprise. So you did hear me then? Oh well, sorry for you kiddo, but you ain't gonna talk. The man hastily lunged at Ryuu's throat with his hand. But the boy simply grabbed the larger person's arm, the hand an inch from his neck. He then twisted his body around, sending the man flying over his head. The man landed on the ground, visibly shocked at Ryuu's strength. His jaw was open as he pointed at Ryuu in recognition then. Wait, you- you're from that clan? When Ryuu gave a nod, the man looked as if he was going to be apologetic, but his expression quickly changed to an evil smirk, realising he could take down one of Kaizen's men right here. His boss was sure to be proud of him. Grabbing around himself on the floor, the man managed to grab a pocket knife laying on the ground near the empty boxes. It was probably what was used to open them. The man wasted no time in throwing it at his victim, but again Ryuu thwarted him. As the blade flew towards his face, Ryuu simply grabbed the handle of the blade before it could strike him. He then swiftly threw it back towards the man, where it whizzed right past his nose, cut a little piece of his hair, before landing behind him.
The man froze in shock, realising that he was so close to being hit, but that Ryuu had intentionally missed him. Sitting on the floor with his hands behind him to support his body, he tried backing away. But he still had a fight left in him. So what? Just cause you heard me, what are you gonna do about it anyways? Not like anyone would believe a kid like you from that clan. Especially now that I told them the rumours about you guys! The man sneered. But Ryuu was not fazed at all. Walking over to the man, he took something out of his pocket. It was a recording device. He played it:
'He's probably left. Yeah, so I did what you asked. Basically, put a lot of posters around. I was quite surprised at the number of people that read them actually. Thank you! Yes, and then, now the protest is going on. Hopefully they'll be kicked out, and you guys can return soon. Alright. What was that? Ah okay. See you. See you then, bye!'
It was a recording of the man's conversation on the phone. Ryuu had recorded it all, apart from the beginning greetings as he needed time to start the recording. But he had the most essential parts. This time, it appeared the man was finally broken. He did not look like he was going to rebel against Ryuu anymore. Silently looking at the ground, closing his hands which were on the ground slowly so that he now leaned on fists, the man broke down into tears, looking up at Ryuu. I'm so sorry! He started blurting out everything then. They made me do this! You don't know what they will do if I don't listen to them. They will take my family, and my little boy, he really looks up to me you know! So please, have mercy on me! Don't show this to anyone please... The man looked at Ryuu pleadingly, who in turn looked back expressionlessly. He thought for a bit, before writing something in his book again:
No one will have to listen to this recording if you just own up you know?
He showed the man, who looked down at the ground sideways then. That's not possible, I'm afraid... The gang will come back to haunt me, I'm sure of it... And even if they don't, the villagers themselves will hate me. I won't ever be forgiven! The man said this last sentence louder, looking directly at the boy as he did so, tearing up again. Ryuu felt for him, and wrote something again:
Do you really believe that you have no choice in this matter? So what if the gang finds out? So what if they threaten you? You have to be strong enough to stand up against them! Besides, have you no faith? With my clan protecting this place, did you really think you or your family could be attacked?
Upon reading this, the man looked down again, obviously ashamed at his powerlessness. But... I didn't think you guys would be strong enough to protect us you know. I've never seen anyone protect a place so well that no one attacks the place... Ryuu sighed internally. This man was rather stubborn in his beliefs. It appeared he had little trust in others. Ryuu wondered what had happened to him to make him feel this way. But he did not ask; he had to be fast in order to have this protest end before any real damage occurred. And he was also confident in his ability in protecting people. He wrote in his notebook again:
Look, I can promise you that if you cease to be allied with them, I will protect you. I swear. You don't have to worry about anything. You've already seen what I can do haven't you? Well let me tell you then, I'm not even the strongest amongst my clan. There are six others that are stronger than me! So you don't have to fear anymore... We will make this place safe for everyone.
The man looked like he wanted to protest again, but then Ryuu waved the recorder in front of him, reminding him again. The man did not have much of a choice really. Ryuu had made sure of that. The man reluctantly accepted. Fine, what do you want me to do then? Ryuu quickly wrote:
Something very simple. Just go to the protest and tell everyone that the rumours you spread were false.
The man grimaced. It would not be easy for him. But he would do it, he said. And so, Ryuu left with him back towards the market place. By this time, it was obvious that things had gotten way more chaotic. Village leaders and officials were all standing atop a balcony over looking the market place, looking rather distressed, whilst law enforcers were everywhere, trying to set order to the place. Some of the people on the ground shouted towards the balcony, furious, whilst others fought in between each other. The man besides Ryuu gulped, daunted by the sight. Evidently, he had not thought that the protest would turn out to be this big.
Ryuu led the man into the building with the balcony, emerging on top near the officials. They recognised him, and immediately asked him what they should do. They were still in support of the clan, luckily. Ryuu simply motioned to the man near him, also letting the officials know to give the perpetrator a microphone. The man took a deep breath before turning to face the crowd and spoke. He had to speak very loudly at first to get everyone to clam down a bit.
QUIET DOWN EVERYONE! WHAT IS ALL THIS FUSS YOU ARE MAKING? There, finally a bit quieter. Anyways, why are you guys resisting the clan's presence here? I know, someone has been spreading really bad rumours about them haven't they? That person must be really horrible, right?
The crowd was stunned, looking at each other in disbelief. Rumours? They had come to believe them as anything but rumours now. One person shouted out from the crowd, How do you know they're just rumours? The others in the large crowd shouted things such as, 'Yeah, how do you know huh?', or, 'Why should we believe you?' The man sighed, speaking again. Everyone quieted down again.
How do I know? Well, the answer to that is simple really. I am the one who spread these rumours, of course I would know... The crowd murmured in disbelief, as did the people on the balcony, but did not raise their voices as the man continued on. I know that you may not pardon me for this, but it's the truth. I am in league with the gang that this young man right here just drove out last night. They left it to me to see to their safe return here. I am so sorry guys, I really am.
But some people in the crowd were still a little skeptical, saying that he could be lying just to calm them down. They asked, that if this was true, why was he fessing up now then? It's the truth... To be honest, this young man here showed me that selling myself to another is not the only way to live... We can live however we want, isn't that right? We have the right to feel safe, don't we guys?! To this, the crowd cheered. He was quickly turning the crowd back in favour of the clan. He knew how to play on their emotions. Ryuu approved. Well, with Kaizen, you can feel safe guys! He promised. Anyways, haven't you heard how happy the people of Kurikita are? They used to be constantly attacked by pirates, but ever since Kaizen arrived there, there has been no such occurrence. He held his arms out to the crowd. So people, please believe me, and welcome them to this land! To this, the crowd finally appeared to have been swayed. They yelled out things like 'Long live Kaizen', amongst other phrases. They even seemed to forget that the man had to probably be held accountable for his deeds. But that was not for the villagers to deal with anyways.
As the protesters slowly dispersed, Ryuu and the village heads turned to look at the man. He was ashamed of himself, which was a relief. Ryuu let him know that he did a great speech. But he still had to have some kind of punishment. In return for living in a safe environment, the man was to do community service in the village for 2 months. He gladly accepted, grateful that it was nothing worse. Already, he was liking Kaizen's presence. If it were not for Ryuu, he could be in jail for such an offense. Once all these things were dealt with, Ryuu departed the building, finally having some peaceful time to himself again as he walked around.
Chakra: 1600