[Contract Search] Now, where can I find you?

[Naru Hiroshi]

Hiroshi walked out of the village, his footfalls inaudible amidst the sounds of nature that surrounded him. He had been sent out on a seemingly insignificant quest, but one that he had happily accepted nonetheless: to find a good source of herbs for Suo’s restaurant. The owner had wanted to experiment with more local supplies, and so he had offered Hiroshi two days’ worth of free meals if he ventured outside the village gates to get some samples of the local flora. The offer had been gratefully taken, Hiroshi admitted to himself that he would have probably done the job for no pay whatsoever as it would mean that at the very least he would get some time to stretch his legs and get away from the boring reading that seemed to dominate his time recently.

I cannot wait to actually qualify from the academy, at least then I’ll be doing more interesting things than just reading and training.

Hiroshi had to admit that it wasn’t even that he disliked the book learning, he actually quite liked it, but he wanted it to be his choice rather than something he was forced to do. Bringing his mind back from the petulant ranting that was going on in his head, Hiroshi tried to keep his eyes peeled for some of the different types of herbs that Suo had mentioned. He had described a number of different specific plants that would be fairly easy to spot and collect, and Hiroshi had listened intently to the old man as he had given him the instructions. Looking about himself, the young Sunaku felt a thrill of victory as he spotted the slim stem and reddish petals of one of the herbs that Suo had mentioned, and the boy trotted over to the plant and plucked it from the ground. Bundling the herb into the pouch that he had been given, Hiroshi looked around once more, hoping to see more of the plants nearby.

”Come on, show yourselves and make this easier for both of us.”

The words were spoken aloud even though there was no one around to hear, as Hiroshi tried to will the plants he was looking for into existence around him. While he admittedly enjoyed doing something different, he had the sneaking suspicion that the task which he had taken on was going to take longer than he had initially anticipated. Petulant anger bubbled within the boys belly at his seeming inability to immediately find what it was he was looking for.

Come on now, you’ve been looking for the no more than five or ten minutes, you are just being unreasonable now.

The voice in his head spoke the truth, but the childish part of Hiroshi didn’t really care that he knew he was being unreasonable with his expectations. Maybe it was the fact that he knew the quicker he was finished, the quicker he would get his free food? Not to mention it would earn him some goodwill with Suo and, even more importantly, it would help the man who had been a welcome guiding presence for himself and his friends while they had used his restaurant as a home base of sorts. Either way, there was no point in carrying on with the wondering when there was work to be done, and so Hiroshi turned his attention back to the task at hand and carried on looking for the herbs in the ground.

WC - 575

 

[Uchiha Takeshi]

YOU FOUND THE SPIDER CONTRACT! DO YOU ACCEPT OR DECLINE? THE CHOICE IS YOURS!!​

 

[Naru Hiroshi]

I accept

 

[Uchiha Takeshi]

The tree’s rustled slightly, the sun was nice and the day was perfect. Everything a spider hated in this world. It was then that Kurai Arashi awoke from her rest. Most of the night she had stayed up and hunted. Leaving her home and her loved ones, it was clear that today would very much be another day of getting lost. It had become apparent during the previous night that she had no idea where she was. Who she was supposed to find, or what she was even doing out in the wilds. But alas the predator did not mind, her focus and abilities had seen her survive this long.

Then the words came, it seemed that someone below the hunter was making a fuss. As she moved her body clambering from the eight legs, she moved swiftly bringing herself to be hanging upside down as she looked towards the boy. He seemed unskilled to say the least, making such a noise would attract the predators and no-one wanted that. Slinking slightly further down the trunk of the tree its head keeping constant watch on the Shinobi. Before long it was close, though his paranoia seemed to have kicked in as he was looking around.

Suddenly she allowed the thin trail of web to come from her rear, slinking herself down the tree and onto the worst place for a spider. The floor of this place, though with all the noise he was making the only things that concerned her was all the food he was scaring away. Kurai allowed herself to gently walk across the floor, the size of a small cat and fully black it was clear that she was made to kill.

Approaching Hiroshi it was clear he had no idea what he was doing. Bumbling around she came up to him, inspecting what caused him to come out here. It seemed he was looking for something. Reaching out with one of her legs she gently tugged at the bottom of his trousers, sneaking was something she was good at. As she tugged his leg she looked up and decided to speak, wondering how he would take it.

“Excuse me young man, but you are scaring away my dinner. I am not normally an annoyed person, but when it comes to my food it does affect me. Tell me what you are looking for maybe I can give you some direction so I can actually eat tonight.”

 

[Naru Hiroshi]

Hiroshi was looking around for more herbs, working hard to keep his mind focused on the task he had begun when he felt a soft tugging at the bottom of his trousers and the young shinobi turned around, his hand quickly dropping towards his belt. He stopped his motion quickly however due to two things that he noticed; firstly that his trouser leg was being pulled at by a spider, and secondly that the spider was talking.

Huh.

“Excuse me young man, but you are scaring away my dinner. I am not normally an annoyed person, but when it comes to my food it does affect me. Tell me what you are looking for maybe I can give you some direction so I can actually eat tonight.”

The words were well spoken and easy to understand, and Hiroshi thanked whichever tutor it was at the academy who had insisted that the students study the phenomenon of contracts and the talking creatures who would sometimes deem ninja worthy of fighting with. Thinking fast, the Sunaku bowed slightly to the diminutive spider and replied, his words careful as he did so.

”I apologise, I had no idea what effect my searching might have on the locals. Maybe there is some way in which we could help each other out? I’m looking for three different herbs; long stem with red flowers, squat with wide leaves and white berries, and then a very pale, thick stemmed herb without flowers at all. Do you know where any of these might be? Also, if I am ruining your chance to catch dinner, is there some way I might be able to help you with that as thanks for helping me with my search?”

Hiroshi didn’t want to offend the predator, but he also felt compelled to offer his assistance, especially if it was because of his ill-thought trampling around that this small creature may have to go hungry. Whatever happened though, this trip was already turning out to be much more interesting than he had ever anticipated.

WC – 342
[MFT]

 

[Uchiha Takeshi]

For a second Arashi pondered if she would bother with the offer the young man had said. Safe to say that she had studied his moves for a while and found that he was slightly inept. Though that might have something to do with his age. While it was true that he managed to scare all the food away he was offering to help make up for it. In return, they would have to hunt down plants, all for him to gather in a simple form. She let her arm come from his trousers now she had his attention before pondering the task beforehand.

“Well I know where those plants can be found, but if you are capable is something I am doubting honestly. You look fresh out of school, that would be the correct assumption considering how many other Shinobi I have witnessed in this walk of life.”

The spider would look at the boy, it was clear she had knowledge of the world. In spider terms, she was ancient and wise to a long walk of life. But right now, she was with a kid, it was opposites in terms of knowledge and experience. Though while she looked at him she felt her mother instincts tugging at her, frowning slightly in frustration at herself more than anything else.

“Fine I will help you find these plants, the first one you spoke of, its south of here. I wouldn’t normally ask but you move quicker, pick me up and take me with you and I will direct you to the location, but food is in return. Think of it as an equivalent exchange young Shinobi. I suppose I should ask for a name as well?”

The female spider would wait to see fi the boy would react on the information that he provided. Each second, he waited she would note it, capturing every move and action he did with her eyes.

 

[Naru Hiroshi]

Hiroshi watched the spider react to his words, guessing at the thoughts that might be going through the creature’s mind. He didn’t begin to pretend that he might be a mind reader, but he assumed that, at the very least, the spider was a little bit miffed at Hiroshi driving away their food, as well as knowing how it must look to the arachnid.

Kid in the forest, seemingly too young to be remotely useful, I can imagine how it must look. But then again, like this spider my size isn’t what defines me or my abilities.

The thought brought the boy some measure of confidence, which was almost immediately dented by the spider’s next words.

“Well I know where those plants can be found, but if you are capable is something I am doubting honestly. You look fresh out of school, that would be the correct assumption considering how many other Shinobi I have witnessed in this walk of life.”

Hiroshi appreciated that the spider had a point, but he also knew that he wasn’t going to simply allow himself to be dismissed as incompetent quite so easily. However, before he could respond the spider spoke again, it’s voice almost begrudging as the words emerged.

“Fine I will help you find these plants, the first one you spoke of, its south of here. I wouldn’t normally ask but you move quicker, pick me up and take me with you and I will direct you to the location, but food is in return. Think of it as an equivalent exchange young Shinobi. I suppose I should ask for a name as well?”

Hiroshi grinned at the spider’s words, nodding to himself as he stooped down to pick up the spider and place it on his shoulder before taking off at a run in the direction he had been given.

”Oh food will definitely come in return, I can promise you that. Your help is very much appreciated by the way, I could have been out there for some time otherwise. My name is Naru Hiroshi, and I am a student at the village nearby. I know I don’t look like much, but I think I am stronger than I look. That said, I’ve only had one real fight and even though I won it, it’s not exactly a true reflection of my skills. What’s your name?”

Hiroshi would keep running as he waited for a response, hoping that he would reach the site of the first plants very soon while he and his new companion sped through the forest.

 

[Uchiha Takeshi]

It seemed that the boy did in fact have a name, as she noted this down for future use he was wondering into the right direction it would seem. Though of course he was going to be this a while, at least Arashi was going to have some company for this part, she honestly never minded about that one too much. It was much more important to make sure that everything was running smoothly. She looked at all the trees passing bye before deciding to make some more conversation with the boy that was called Hiroshi.

“The name is Kurai Arashi young man, I have been around here for a while. Of course, I have seen a lot here. For some reason, the Shinobi of the village forget that they do not control the forest, the creatures do. From the ants to the birds, we live here and you have your houses, isn’t that always the case with the world these days?”

The spider seemed to move slightly, crawling to the boy’s shoulder she perched herself onto it, her legs grabbing a hold of his clothes to make sure she was able to hold herself afloat on his shoulders without too many issues. As she looked around the predator was always keeping an eye out, though she was normally the top predator, it seemed that she was alert for something in this part of the forest to say the least.

“The plant you are looking for should be up ahead, it is only a few minutes away. While we go that way I have to ask, what experiences have you had with creatures like myself. I always want to know when I talk to people. What they know, what they feel, what they think. It’s better to weigh someone on what they know rather than how they look. So tell me Young man what do you know?”

It was clear that the first plant was nearly ahead, though scattered around there should be enough for the boy to get what he needed for this little shopping trip that he was currently on.

 

[Naru Hiroshi]

Hiroshi kept running, his feet padding softly on the ground as he swiftly made his way through the forest towards his first goal, according to his arachnid companion at least. On his shoulder, the spider spoke again, surprising him with it's soft voice beside his ear.

“The name is Kurai Arashi young man, I have been around here for a while. Of course, I have seen a lot here. For some reason, the Shinobi of the village forget that they do not control the forest, the creatures do. From the ants to the birds, we live here and you have your houses, isn’t that always the case with the world these days?”

Hiroshi felt the spider move slightly, placing herself in a more comfortable position on his shoulder as he weighed up the spider's words as they were spoken.

This spider is very well spoken, I'm guessing that they are definitely older than I am, with far more experience than I possess.

The words about the difference between the humans of the village and the creatures in their forest struck a chord with the young shinobi, as he rankled at the implication that he had come out here to steal something that belonged to someone else, or had somehow invaded territory he shouldn't have. He pushed the feelings down however, knowing that voicing his thoughts would probably make him seem foolish and stupid; something he definitely wanted to avoid with a predator such as the one on his shoulder.

“The plant you are looking for should be up ahead, it is only a few minutes away. While we go that way I have to ask, what experiences have you had with creatures like myself. I always want to know when I talk to people. What they know, what they feel, what they think. It’s better to weigh someone on what they know rather than how they look. So tell me Young man what do you know?”

The words came without the young student expecting them from beside him, and he tried to hurry his pace to reach the destination of the first set of herbs quicker. He could only suspect how annoying it was for his companion to have to babysit him as he went about his errands, and a large part of him wanted to get his task done as quickly as possible so he could help Arashi find the food that they would need...the food he had originally scared off. In the meantime, he began to speak an answer to the spider's questions, trying to keep any signs of being tired from his voice as he ran.

"Honestly, we weren't taught too much about the creatures of the forest in the academy, I found out what I know from my time in the library. My father told me a tale of him dealing with a foe who seemed to be able to call snakes into battle with ease, and it got me thinking about all the different groups that might be out there working with the shinobi. It's why I wasn't too surprised when you started talking to me, though I never thought I would be fortunate enough to work or talk to someone like you. Oh, is that the clearing with the herbs up ahead?"

Hiroshi had spotted a small clearing not too far in front of him and had a strong feeling that it would be the pair's first destination.

I just hope I didn't offend the spider, they seem kind and thoughtful, and I feel we could both learn from this whole experience.

 

[Uchiha Takeshi]

Arashi looked around for a few seconds scanning her environment, before the small boy began to talk, her fangs began to slowly click together in those few seconds without warning at the mention of a snake. She repositioned herself slightly allowing the younger man to finish his conversation, pausing slightly and wondering how the world would see him in the future. She has seen many great men brought down and others rise, it was the way the world spun so to speak.

“Yes, lots of creatures exist but we try to just keep ourselves to ourselves if we are being honest. That way it makes things a lot easier on our part. As a Spider, I know lots like myself so cannot say the world is empty that much is for sure. I also know that this is probably the weirdest experience you will have all day, but that cannot be helped. Unless you were a bit quieter with your searching to say the least”

As she allowed the boy to continue to talk about everything that he wanted to, she was patient that much was sure, as the opening approached he pointed it out and she nodded her head. Realising that probably wouldn’t have been seen she sighed to herself.

“Yes, it’s in that opening you are correct, also hurry up, once you pick those ones the next plant is north east of here. It’s about ten minutes away. While you pick I have a question for you though”

She wasn’t about to help him with the flowers, instead she watched each movement he made, each action and how each word was said. It was the best way to understand someone completely.

“Right while you pick and walk, I got to ask what has the academy taught you, you made friends. If you don’t want to answer young man that’s fine, I just feel I should try to understand you a bit better.”

She sat patiently and waited for an answer, wondering what would come of it at that moment. Of course, no-one was sure, but this conversation seemed to be heading in a nice friendly direction. No point in stopping it now.

 

[Tomomi]

Unfortunately, this search is now a failure. The searcher was unable to post in a month's time from his moderator's post and he did not contact his moderator to ask for an extension.​