The Cabbage Merchant Pt 2

Mission Info:

Apparently the group of hooligans were at it again. The same green capped old man with a goatee like a rabbit's tail had requested a shinobi to help protect his cabbage stall. A new shipment of fresh cabbages had arrived and given how well Kannagi had handled him the last time, she had been sent once more. Kannagi wore shorts, a long flowing blue skirt, and a tight top for this mission. Her forehead protector rested around her waist in a perfect place to be observed and seen by all. Nobody would doubt that she was an 'on duty' shinobi out here in the business district and it helped a lot to not have the other merchants trying to sell her their wares while she was just trying to do her job. Hours went by and customers came and went from the stall. The young woman from last week was especially excited and bought up about half of the cabbages on her own and several families and restaurateurs came by to make large purchases as well. This time, the old merchant hardly had a chance to talk to Kannagi at all; there were no stories to be shared on this busy shop day. His stall was the busiest out on the street this morning and as afternoon came, he had to close up his stall to get more cabbages. Kannagi had watched the vendor's shop for him while he had made his way down the street, returning with a wheelbarrow of cabbage heads.

That was when it happened. Kannagi couldn't even believe it herself. All the old man's stories about the group of kids were true! A short bald boy with an orange pair of pants raced along the street shouting, "You can't catch me!" Another pair of kids chased after him: a girl with thick black hair and a yellow dress and a boy with a boomerang in his grip. "Stop cheating with your wind jutsu and we would stand a chance!" "Yeah, twinkletoes! Get back here and face me if you're so good!" The children's banter went back and forth and the old cabbage merchant quaked with fear. He looked to Kannagi desperately, "Please, don't let them... please save my cabbages!" The blue haired woman stared intently as the kids ran about the district, dodging between carts and carefully assuring they caused no damage. Perhaps today it would be different. She stood beside the poor old man and patted him on the shoulder, "Go on, set them up on your stall. I'm right here."

With a gulp and a tremble, the old man who looked suddenly ten years older, stretched his lanky arms out and began filling his stall from the wheelbarrow by his side. Kannagi kept her blue eyes on the group of kids. They sat down inside a shop for awhile, filling their hands with pot stickers and the air with laughter. It was hard to keep seeing them as villains, but she knew what she was assigned to do. After a little while, the kids walked out, the boy with the boomerang rubbing his stomach thoughtfully and the girl moving with her hands clasped behind her head. They seemed delighted with their meal until the girl said something Kannagi could not hear. It caused the other two boys to look at her and clearly an argument was heating up. This was just what she was waiting for; as a shinobi she preferred preventing situations that she could and not just reacting to her surroundings.

Kannagi approached the group sternly and all three looked abruptly afraid. She asked them to stop causing problems in the business district and take their play elsewhere. She suggested that they focus on their studies or their training at the academy instead of harassing the poor merchants around here. The group of kids appeased her with promises and vanished out of the district as fast as their little feet would carry them. When she turned around, the cabbage merchant was practically weeping with joy.

WC: 673