[Contract Search] A Long Way From Your Gates

[Hameru Ren]

“Shut up, you foolish man.” Natsu hissed, shooting a hard glance at the Kumo-Nin chasing him. Truthfully, the man had every right. After Zaku’s recent abandonment of the Gates, it was more than suspicious Natsu would follow him. Of course the circumstances differed immensely. There had no Golden Sage in front of him to mesmerize the Jonin into abandoning the Village. But if the Gate Captain could be so heavily swayed from his duties, who was to say the Spymaster could not have been affected as well? What if the ex-Kumogakurian with a golden body and silver tongue had masterfully enchanted all of Kumo’s high officers into following the man’s nefarious goals? Then by Raiden did we fuck up. Natsu thought sourly, rushing along.

“Sir! You have to return the Village! It is bad enough to lose one division captain, a second would likely render the Main Branch useless!” At those words, the Spymaster came to an abrupt halt. The pursuer, surprised that his words had the intended the effect but relieved nonetheless, was abruptly slammed to the ground. A sharp, bony blade rested at his neck in the following second. “Do not dare doubt our Lord Raikage or your Branch like that ever again, Shinobi. Loyalty is what makes Kumogakure stronger than the other Villages. I know. I have travelled and experienced. Loyalty to Hayata-Sama is the one thing keeping the Village and the Branches together.

They would do just fine even without me, even though I have every intention of returning. I need to find De.. ex-Death Watch Captain Zaku however, and find out why he left. Whether it was that damned Hoshikata’s doing or his own loyalty faltering. I do not mind you tailing me, but if you do you will not utter a single word more. Understood!?” The Shinobi on the ground awkwardly nodded his head, not wishing the blade to pierce flesh yet wanting to convey his comprehension as clearly as possible. With a curt nod of his own, Natsu released his grip on the man’s collar and withdrew the contorted ulna into his arm. “Apologies sir. I will return to the Village and convey your words to Masao-Sama.”

As the Shinobi turned, he hesitated a moment before speaking once again. “Please return quickly. The Village may not need you, but Masao-Sama did speak of his confidence in you. Do not disappoint him. Or us.” And the Shinobi was gone in a flicker of movement. Finally Natsu exhaled the long-held breath of relief. As skilled as his companion may have been, the Spymaster considered Zaku a personal friend. It felt as if somehow he was the only one entitled to do track him down, ridiculous as the notion might be.

Finally coming to a halt, the exhausted Jonin looked about. Solum de Asphodelus, plains upon fields, as far as the eye could see. And in this flatland that was pretty far, even in this darker night. Several shimmers of blue could be seen in the distance where the moonlight was reflected by thin streams of water. Natsu had little information at the ready to track the Sage and his missing friend with. It had only been a calculated guess that had brought the Spymaster here. Hoshikata had come in by boat, it was not unthinkable he’d leave in the same manner. It had been the only clue available to the Jonin as well. If it hadn’t been for the lucky eye-witness and suspiciously coincidental departure of the ex-Mist-Nin, who knows where Natsu could have ended up by now.

Ironically, it had also been the location of Zaku and his first encounter to really make the step towards a friendship. It wasn’t even so long ago, there amongst the ruins in the distance. It felt like centuries by now however. Entering the ruins, a cautious eye looking about for traces of other life, Natsu felt oddly out of place here. Perhaps it were the sentimental memories he’d brought up just moments ago, or perhaps something truly was lurking out in the dark. It had been petty bandits last time, so it wasn’t unthinkable someone or something else had made its home in the abandoned relics.

Yet finally he reached one of the more intact looking buildings and decided it would do for shelter. At least the few hours he’d spent resting the Jonin would prefer not risking downpours. He was in the land of the Santaru after all, it was not uncommon. A light was quickly lit, dead branches aplenty in the ruins and his matches aiding in getting the fire started. Running a hand through his hair, the Jonin could not help but reminisce the old days. His first meeting with Zaku. Hikari had been there too. Terrible misunderstandings had happened. Then they had gone on a mission. Then there had been the promotion, a surprise to all. And eventually they had grown to comrades. Maybe even friends. Natsu liked to think so anyway.

Up until the day he had allowed entrance to the Hoshikata and company. Even then Zaku had voiced his confidence in Natsu. Maybe that’s why he took it all so personal. Why the Spymaster had snapped at the Shinobi carrying out rational orders. The blond simply could not help but feel it was his fault in some way. Those dark thoughts occupied his mind as he tried getting some rest. Would it remain as calm a night as he could hope or would the ruins hold a surprise for him after all?

[Word Count: 919]
[Marked for Training]
[OoC: My two preferences are: Tiger and Monkey. I have a +1 bonus on account of >this< CSearch being voided.]

 

[Kari]

Congrats! You have found the Monkey!
Do you wish to do this contract search?​

 

[Hameru Ren]

OoC: I accept. Thank you for picking this up!

 

[Kari]

Spoiler

Natsu's paranoia that he was being watched was not without reason. From one of the ruintops, some lifeform -- specifically a primate in this case -- watched him in absolute silence, much like how a predator might stalk its prey. Of course, that much couldn't be expected of it, as monkeys were generally known to not eat people.

Whenever the Kumo Spymaster made his way past the particular building the monkey stood upon, it would begin crying incredibly loud noises. Howls from other creatures in the distance echoed with it.

The cacophonous noises continued until one particular moment, where the monkey fell off the building, and not by any intentions of its own. It fell, without any means to stop itself, onto its face. It laid there now, without moving whatsoever. In its hand was some kind of rock that could barely be seen. Perhaps it meant to throw it at Do Natsu, who knew?​

 

[Hameru Ren]

Awakening from the half-conscious state he’d spent most of the night in, Natsu stirred from under the coat. The night had been long. Thoughts of doubt and regret had kept spooking through his mind, the cold had bitten at all of the exposed skin and then there was that feeling he just couldn’t shake. Considering it hadn’t assaulted him in the moments of weakness, Natsu figured it either was an illusion or harmless. He wasn’t certain which he’d prefer. Rising to his feet and rubbing his sore back, the Spymaster quickly packed together what little belongs he had lying around and set on his way again.

“Raiden be fucked!” The Jonin cursed as an inhuman howl pierced the silence. Within moments, a white and spiky blade had been pulled from his arm and a defensive posture taken. The blonds eyes shifted around, hoping to pinpoint the source of the cries. He was certain no one had snuck up on him. Even in these large ruins, the Shinobi would’ve noticed traces of a pursuer. Besides, the sound didn’t quite seem to come from around him, rather from.. above? Just as Natsu raised his head, the noise stopped and a blur sped downwards.

Jumping backwards in case it was an explosive, the Spymaster watched as it smacked into the ground. No big boom followed, nor a cry of pain indicating it might be something alive. Moving slightly aside without averting his eyes, the Jonin kicked a pebble towards it. As it landed a few inches from the object without setting off a boom either, Natsu figured it likely wasn’t a proximity mine. “The hell is that?” He muttered, deciding a closer inspection would be required.

Enveloping most of his body in a layer of bone, Natsu inched closer. If it could be detonated from a distanced or still was alive and would suddenly lash out, at least he’d have some direct protection. Considering there had been no response when the Jonin had reached the.. thing, he crouched down. It could be identified as an animal now and turning it around, Natsu felt confident it was a monkey. Not because it looked an awful lot like Narashi Jo, but because he had seen a monkey in a zoo before.

Surveying the body, the Spymaster took note of the rock and quickly tried taking possession of it and tucking it away in a pocket. He was no veterinarian by a long shot, but the blond would try and see if the creature was wounded. Broken bones would be very likely after a fall from such a height. He knew from experience how painful that could be. Not even Kaguya were immune to such harms. “You okay?” The Shinobi muttered under his breath, not expecting a response but hey.. He hadn’t expected a monkey to fall out of the sky either.

[OoC: Apologies for the delay! Also, no offense towards Narashi Jo. 'T was a joke, I promise!]

 

[Kari]

The small primate didn't react in the slightest as Natsu approached it. It didn't even seem as though it were breathing. The monkey, no taller than two feet and thin enough to seem unnatural, or at the very least direly unhealthy, was presumably dead, which made the situation seem all the stranger. If it had fallen from atop the ruins, why would it jump? Did it jump? Animals generally did what they could the preserve themselves, and monkeys, as commonly known, had balance comparable to humans', so falling off on its own was unlikely.

The shinobi adding his exclamation to Raiden after the silence filled the area, echoing off of the local ruins and the non-distant lands, each repetition of the voice losing more of its clarity until it became nothing but a sound, and then nothing at all. No sounds made any movement, and whatever animals were stirred by the monkey seemed to be in hiding now. There was none else -- nothing else -- among the ruins. Do Natsu was alone.

Alone with his monkey. The night's darkness was coming in quickly; what distance was visible was decreasing every few minutes. Because of it, one might notice a dim, green light emanating from the monkey's paw: the stone it carried. What was it?