A/N: Going through the ninja text book.

How does Detentionaire's ninja stay unpredicatable?


Rule #5: A ninja knows his Tools

On one mission The Serpent had completely cut himself off from any traceable contact. His target had a hideout somewhere in the wilderness where Cassandra was having a lot of trouble finding him. The Serpent couldn't bring his phone or any kind of communication since his target was suspected to have the technology to see him coming with those. The assassin was forced to rely on his more low-tech tools to find the man.

The retractable, bamboo staff was a must. The Serpent spent years studying how to use this weapon. With it he could defend whatever forces his target had prepared against him and if possible take the target out when he was found. The Serpent's orders weren't to kill this one though. Before leaving, he had ground together the necessary ingredients to make two of his special powders. One blurred the eyesight for three hours while the other temporarily paralyzed the body once breathed in, Serpent figured he would use them depending on how well his target put up a fight.

However, these were the only things which came from his home.

On the road he found a sharp stone. He was told not to carry a knife on him because it would be suspicious. He used the stone on trees and rocks to mark his path for both himself, or in the unlikely case he needed help. The marks needed to be in discreet places where he could find them later. It was the dead of winter, so there weren't leaves or many branches for him to hide them under. The marks would have to look like animal scratchings, yet The Serpent found it poetic to make them look like the mark on his own arm. It was good to know the way in, and as many ways out as possible.

He even bought a new set of clothes from a store in the last town he passed through so that he wouldn't be identified as an outsider. That would be key to lure in his target. The Serpent's existence was known by only a very few people, and his face wasn't known by anyone other than the Council members, but just the same a disguise was essential, as much a part of his mission as anything else.

He also had a second disguise inside a backpack that was part of his first disguise. This way he could change appearances and avoid suspicion be being two other people instead of one. The Serpent's plan was flawless, he just had to brave the storm of snow and sleet on his own for a few hours.


Rule#6: A Ninja knows Where to Ask Questions

The target was somewhere in this town, but there was no one by his name at any address. The Serpent was happy for this, it meant this wasn't just a small target to waist his time. He came into this town as a tired and weary (not even faking) mountain hiker. He had found a small motel and gotten a room, the owners had even given him a good deal for braving the mountain's storm. The Serpent told them he was looking for the home of a certain 'relative' of his, but they couldn't name someone with the description he gave them. So after resting, The Serpent went to work on the second part of his plan.

The motel owner had a lovely daughter who had breakfast with him, and was willing to answer questions about the town. She identified three major hotspots for local gatherings during their conversation. One, was a bar which frequented the town's population of males just about every night. Two, is the high school gym and outdoor court which is left open for both school and local event. Serpent figured it was the younger crowd who took advantage of that. And third, was the town church which hosted events for both men and woman annually. At the end of the meal, The Serpent thanked her without leaving a name and left. He smiled as he walked away, musing on how a little charm could go a long way.

The Serpent had kept his voice smooth and somewhat quiet at the beginning of their conversation, acting the part of the traveler who did not know the area. He also moved slowly so the girl would have the impression that he was very tired and in need of good insight if he did not want to spend the rest of the day completely exhausted in his search. He had also taken note as he was shown to his room earlier, and had noted that the daughter often appeared in pictures with a young man about her own age, but had no physical resemblance to her. The Serpent casually asked, and sadly, the daughter told that was her boyfriend was working far away in the city. The two of them had always been close, but his text messages where fewer and fewer now, and it had now been weeks since she had heard from him. So Serpent's target really was in this town, but it's his own method of hiding that has given him away.

Serpent assessed his next move. His target was male, middle aged, and had great skill with technology. He wouldn't be at the high school, that left the church and the bar as his places to start out. The man was also likely to see Serpent coming if he heard someone was asking questions around the small town. The Serpent would have to get another disguise, and possibly... some more makeshift weapons as well.


A/N:

I'm trying to make this interesting.

If anyone has some suggestions, I wouldn't mind at all.