Round 'Em Up! D Rank Mission

[Shouyu Hoshi]

Botan, an elderly woman and her husband Furui-san were at the edge of the forest standing before a tipped over carriage that was still being picked apart by forest critters. It was originally attacked by a team of wild bears and the couple was lucky enough to survive. Botan was sobbing into her husbands chest who held her tightly. As he embraced her he placed his chin atop her head and stroked her hair gently. Not too long ago he sent out a message via carrier pigeons to find aide before all hope was lost for their families future.

Within the message would be a request and a detailed report of the incident. It would include in a precise location with longitude and latitude given as well as a landmark nearby. It would request the aide of shinobi in this form.

"Please help. At the ancient forest just at the borders our carriage full of supplies for our eatery was raided by forest animals and bears. There are hefty storing of expensive meats and liquids inside barrels, along with authentic and rare spices in square linen wrapped canisters. We only request aide to retrieve our main ingredients and salvage what we can. We are located at the borders of the ancient forest."

The two could only wait for a response, Botan still sobbing uncontrollably as Furui-san hobbled over to the carriage and began to shoo the rest of the small critters waving his walking staff. He waved as furious as an old geezer could with distorted and aged yelps of distress. Sure enough, the critters scattered in a hurry taking what little their tiny paws could manage. Furui began to rummage through what was left, and luckily they still had some hope. If only they could get back the precious cargo which would make up the heart and soul, plus the backbone behind their store's success.

"Shoo! Shoo you bitter animals! My supplies! Look what you have done, my dear! Oh my dear!"

In the distance, several bears were running away and gaining distance from the incident. They carried large barrels in their mouths until they stopped at an expanse in the forest. They tried to break the seals of the huge jars but they were made of a thick and solidly hardened which made it difficult for them. They would struggle for moments on. The small critters were nearby trying to undo the package as well and succeeded. But they found spices a horror and discarded them in plain sight scattering.

WC 422

 

[Kashino Yuu]

It has been a few years ever since his last mission. Sure, Yuri did took some of them in his place, but he never actually joined one ever since he obtained his contract and Rinnegan. Right now, he was heading to his destination alone. Yuri was helping Yasu on his training and he doubted they would stop anytime soon. Besides, he needed to see if he was able to adapt to his new Uchiha body after a few years of training.

As for their mission, he understood what those people had endured, though he was confused at the wild animals stealing their supplies. It reminded him a lot of the mountain cubs mission two years ago but comparing to this, he knew it may affect them severely if he ignores this. Eventually, he was the first one who arrived at the carriage and if his partner for this mission arrives, he turned around and waved at him. "Yo! Glad you could make it. Name's Kashino Yuu and I'm going to be your partner for this mission." If his partner took a closer look at him, he not only has spiral blue eyes with his short blue hair and a stitched scar on his right pale cheek. Though he did notice about his 18-years-old body as he added, "Oh. Just to make sure there is no misunderstanding, I'm actually 12 years old. I would explain, but we still need to head inside, fast."

Once he did with his hopes of his partner following him, he found the old couple broken down thanks to the events that were described from the letter. Just seeing them in this state was enough to make him sympathize at what they had to endure. Despite his current rank, he has some experience enough for him to approach the couple with a serious expression. "I'm sorry to intrude, but we might able to help you two out. We're shinobis from Kumogakure. Can you first explain to us what happened and where did you last saw those creatures?"

[MFT/WC: 340]

 

[Akimitsu Doi]

The walk to the mission location in the Ancient Forest wasn't too bad, but to Doi it felt like forever. He was asked to participate in a D-rank mission near the boundary of the tree-covered area. This would be Doi's first mission ever. It wouldn't be long before he graduated, but it was still a little strange for an academy student to take part in a mission. He figured that some higher up noticed his amazing potential and couldn't wait to get him started early. Even if his assumption may be wrong, it didn't diminish his happiness in the slightest. He'd get to brag about it to his classmates.

Doi eventually arrived at the carriage, only to notice that his partner was already there. He just hoped he wasn't late, as he admittedly wasn't walking very fast. He could've ran there, but decided to conserve some of his energy. The older looking shinobi turned to greet him, and Doi thought he'd do the same. "Hello, Yuu. My name's Doi and I look forward to completing this mission with you!" Doi was a little surprised that the boy who looked to be a few years older was actually his same age. He didn't express his surprise externally, though. After their brief introductions, the duo proceeded to walk towards the elderly couple that sent out the letter. Yuu made to address the elderly couple, and Doi watched patiently as he waited for the two to explain where they last saw the creatures that took their merchandise.

 

[Shouyu Hoshi]

"I'm sorry to intrude, but we might able to help you two out. We're shinobis from Kumogakure. Can you first explain to us what happened and where did you last saw those creatures?"

The elder man turned to look. He gasped at sight, he was astonished that Shinobi would respond to the call so fast. But, what else could the man expect but top notch and speedy help. Furui-San wobbled over to the duo, one looking a bit more seasoned than the latter. The elder wasted no time as his meek voice rang out from his sore throat.

“Young boys, please, my wife. My children. My shop. Three large bears bombarded our cargo just right here. They’ve ran off with all of our meat supply which is the heart of our restaurant back home! Even the small critters came and took their portion… my dear wife, she’s too exhausted to help me look! I don’t know what is happening. We run the same route for years and this has never happened. But but!”

The old man waved a finger in front of his face recalling something he noticed in the forest during his last trips. The same finger touched his pursed lips as he was in thought. The sobbing from his wife in the background clear as she rummaged through the mess. She gave long exaggerated sighs and scoffs. Furui then completed his thought.

“Lately I’ve been seeing trees! Well no, less trees… as if someone is cutting them down for whatever reasons. That could be the cause. But please young men, if you could retrieve the meat, that is the main thing. We can make do with the spices in the city.”

The bears in the forest continued to fuss with the packaging but still to no avail. All the animals who would normally be deeper in the forest were taking refuge nearer to its border. Birds, small critters, and even larger animals could be visible if either of the young Shinobi were keen to the forest inhabitants. Even around them currently if they were take note and have some sort of previous experience in the forest, they could see various birds and small forest animals that would normally be a rare sighting in Kumo.

Some distance away from the bears, the sound of some sort of construction in the distance. The sound of a sickening wrench, and a falling swoosh. The sound could be heard but very faint. The bears would raise their heads listening as did other forest animals, eventually they all returned to their normal antics. Poachers were in the area, and some were secretly surrounding the bears looking for a fresh no pelt or coat for their closet.

Wc 453

 

[Kashino Yuu]

"I should say the same to you, Doi." So far, he has no idea about him being a student so far, but he was confident about his current skills in the field. He then offered a handshake to the Academy Student before they were off to their destination.

Speaking of their mission, Yuu's face grew grim as he listened to the old man's story. He worked so hard to support his family and yet, nature somehow destroyed his only items to his eatery. Still, it was odd for some trees to disappear or cut down for some reason. Regardless, it might be connected to the animals' sudden interest in their supplies. "Alright, we understand. Until then, just make sure to secure your remaining supplies. If the animals planned to go back for more, then I doubt they would able to go down without a fight."

As he got out from the eatery, he made some few handseals, which three clones of himself appeared near him. "Okay, guys. Split up and survey the whole area. Return to me when you find something." His clones nodded in approval before they scattered as they gone deep into the woods. At this point, he turned to Doi and said, "We should move forward and follow the path without the trees. If we do, we might able to figure out the reason behind their raided supplies." With a reassuring nod to the couple, he headed off to follow the path with his hopes that Doi was following him.

But as he did so, he quickly noticed the strange sounds echoing through the forest. He knew that it didn't come from an animal, yet he wondered where it came from. Maybe his partner has some ideas as he looked at him for a few seconds before focusing back on the path.

[MFT/WC: 305]

 

[Akimitsu Doi]

"We should move forward and follow the path without the trees. If we do, we might able to figure out the reason behind their raided supplies."

"Alright, Yu. I'll follow your lead." Doi earnestly responded to Yuu, adding in a small nod at the end. The academy student then made to follow Yuu as the genin promptly took off down said treeless path.

Doi did find the strange mechanical sounds to be very out of place in the usually tranquil ancient forest. He'd been in the forest a couple of times, and hadn't heard anything like these sounds in the area before. The fewer amounts of trees that the elderly man mentioned in his explanation was also kind of weird in its own right. The two things were uncommon in the forest from Doi's understanding. They were most likely probably connected to one another for all Doi knew. Doi noticed Yuu turn to him as if expecting an explanation and thus decided to make his thoughts on the events clear to his partner.

"That sound is probably related to the lack of trees the old man spoke of."The one thing that Doi was sure of was that the strange sound was mechanical in nature. He doubted something could naturally give off a sound like that. Thus, he made sure to provide that extra information to his partner. "I'm pretty sure it's coming from some type of machinery, though."

Yuu then turned around to focus on the path once more after hearing Doi's explanation. Doi acknowledged that as Yuu understanding what he'd said and turned his focus on to the treeless path as well. The creatures probably hadn't gotten too far from the location of the fallen carriage. It was best to keep an open eye out for any sign of wild life close by. Bears would definitely leave some sort of sign that they were in the area. Things like paw prints or broken branches on the floor should be around them somewhere. Yuu's clones would probably pick up on something while surveying the area.

[WC:330]
[WC total: 584/3000]

 

[Shouyu Hoshi]

“Thank you thank you thank you.”

Bow after bow after bow, elder Furui-San thanked the youth as they took off. He hobbled over to his wife and began to pick up the scattered remains. A struggling smile was painted upon the man’s face as he seen the energetic young ones marching into the fray. He couldn’t be more thankful, his head wiggled as he peered into the forest. The old man sighed and continued to pick up his things informing his wife.

“Those young boys are going to save the day dear. You bet your bottom they will.”

The frivolous woman continued to shriek at critters and elongated sighs as she too cleaned up. Deep down in her heart, she was thankful too even if at the moment she would appear nothing more than an angered damsel in distress. Furui-San would smile at her exaggerated antics and only baited her more. The back and forth banter continued until the area was clean and they expanded their radius.

In the forest, the boys would begin to pick up the bear trails. Scarred trees, broken branches, ruffled leaves embedded with heavy footprints. If they looked close, they could see several sets of large prints, and several smaller ones, much the size of their own yet they haven’t traveled that far out, until now.

The clones dispersed by Kashino would first discover the bears and the men surrounding them attempting to poach. Upon closing in on the suspecting group a commotion would begin with a snap of large twig cracking branch the door of a clumsy poacher. This alertred the bears who stood up and gave out loud roars that almost sounded like the machinery near by. The roars of the bears would alert the men at camp site, as well as inflict fear into the nearby poachers who began to let out shots a debilitating poison upon the bears.

The bears than scattered running around frantic trying to find cover or gain some distance from the men. All of this would be in plain sight of the clones who would more than likely be discovered or attacked.

353 WC

 

[Kashino Yuu]

It was a good idea for him to sent his clones before he followed the path with Doi. Because of this, they found what it seemed to be several men attacking some bears with strange machines. They have no idea what they were doing, but all they knew that this was considered as poaching. In any case, the clones quickly rush out of the area to rendezvous with their original. What they didn't know is that one of them was caught up in the bears' escape, causing him to leave him behind.

Meanwhile, Yuu was still following the path alongside Doi. Moving his Rinnegan eyes left to right, he can tell how much damage they left in their wake. "Yeesh... Looks like they are very messy even when they walk. Though judging by the footprints, I feel that we might be facing off with a bear or similar creature like it." However, he started to wonder what would cause these strange raids to the eatery as well the strange machinery that Doi mentioned. "It might be. Maybe there might be an illegal logging operation in here. But I doubt we can guess that just by standing around here." But just before he can figure it out, his clones quickly came back and explained everything that they saw.

"WHAT?! You saw some poachers attacking some bears?!" Yuu quickly said in shock. As if the thugs he faced were enough, now he had to deal with people who will take advantage of some of the innocent animals in this forest. "I don't know if that is connected to the raids, but I guess we have a lead right now." But just as he turned to Doi, he realized something. "Hang on, I thought I made three clones." As he said this, they turned to stare each other in confusion. However, their confusion ended when they heard Yuu's voice screaming.

"Ugh... I had to ask. Come on, we might able to catch up with him if he doesn't poof away." With his clones by his side, Yuu quickly runs up to the source of the scream.

 

[Akimitsu Doi]

The sound of machinery was still abundant, but Doi was sure he managed to hear a foreign sound mixed in for a moment. It sounded like a large animal was roaring in the distance. Dare he say multiple large animals? It was hard for him to tell because the machinery overpowered the noise. Still, it was something to be noted. The large animal might not be too far away if he managed to hear their roar, albeit just a little.

Doi assumption that the large animal may be close by was supported by his partner's following comment. Yuu had noticed some sloppy footprints left on the ground through the use of his Rinnegan eyes. He believed the foot prints belonged to a bear.

Just then, two of the clones his partner's returned to them. It seemed like the clones Yuu had sent off before they started their own search had found something worth reporting. The clones explained that they'd seen what seemed to be poachers attacking a group of bears. Doi shook his head at the thought of the poachers Yuu's clones mentioned. He never did understand why people chose to hunt just for fun. Doi felt like there wasn't much to gain from hunting bears other than their fur.

Yuu's notion that the bears being attacked could be related to the raid on the carriage seemed like a very viable explanation.

"Yeah, we should check that out." He said preparing to set off in the direction the clone's came from.

Yuu pointed out that one of his clones was missing before Doi was able to take off. Doi hadn't given it much thought at first, but was now wondering where the third clone was as well. The pair then heard what sounded like Yuu's voice screaming in the distance. They then quickly took off towards the source of the scream with Doi running slightly behind Yuu and his clones.

Upon arriving, the group found Yuu's missing clone stuck in a bear trap. Doi visibly cringed upon noticing the situation the poor clone had gotten itself into.

"Ouch, I'd hate to have been in his position. Should we get him out of there or can you just dispel him?"

[WC: 380]
[WC Total: 964/3000]

 

[Shouyu Hoshi]

Some critters had come back for second but were met with a harsh broom. There she was just a thrashing about. The old lady had become some bitter with the forest critters for causing such a mayhem, she lost all patience. Old man Furui-San rolled up the sleeves to his shirt and pants and popped a squat. He was so low to the ground it make picking little things up so much easier. On and on he went, while his elder wife thrashed about creating a safe radius for him to operate.

In the forest the bears would start running as sounds of guns went off. They were light guns, silenced, and didn't fire the usual ammunition. The construction continued and soon the stampeding bears would become a problem for the elders and the town if they made it before they were gunned down and captured by the hunters. It would be up to the shinobi to find a way to deter all the madness. The bears could be seen now, even the hunters by the clones and shinobi as they were incoming and fast!

There would be little time to react but all of their suspicions would be answered immediately. Once the hunters saw the shinobi they would screech and look to locate each other. If they faces were seen, they would appear frantic and afraid of the ninja's presence, as if already knowing they were completely outclassed by them.

"Retreat! Get back to the camp site! We gotta warn the others!"

The hunters would attempt to make their escape. But the shinobi also had to deal with the frightened bears and recover whatever supplies they could salvage from bear raid. Time was running thin and decisions had to be made!

wc 292

 

[Kashino Yuu]

"You have no idea..." Just seeing his clone's troubles with the bear trap was enough to make him cringe a little. It's not just seeing the trap stuck on his leg, but just seeing his own face was enough to make him shivered at the thought if he was in that same situation. "For my clone's sake, let's remove the trap before I can dispel him. I don't want to do so if he's stuck like that."

But just before he can help him, they were greeted by frightened bears as well with hunters who saw the two shinobis. This infuriated the Genin as he was faced with helping his clone while trying to calm the bears and catching the hunters. However, his clone quickly spoke up, "Don't worry about me right now, Yuu! Just dispel me and take of them right now! I am a clone after all."

He could have protested this, but seeing that he has a point considering the time crunch, Yuu had to comply his request. "Alright. But I'm going to regret this if I leave you alone again." With that, he dispelled him with a single handseal before he and his other clones turned to the situation at hand. "Doi, help one of my clones with the bears," he said to his partner before turning to his remaining clone. "Try to salvage most of the supplies as you can. I'll take care of the hunters."

Once he gave out the orders, his clone quickly rushed to the camp in an attempt to salvage the remaining supplies while the other helped out with Doi on the bears. As for Yuu, quickly pulled out his Web Weaver kunai and threw it to the hunters' direction in an attempt to tie them up and pull them in his direction.

[MFT/WC: 302]

 

[Akimitsu Doi]

"Alright!"

With a sprint, Doi took off towards the frantic bears. The original mission was to get back the stolen supplies, but the bears running around franticly made doing that very difficult. Doi knew he needed to figure out a way to calm the large animals down before they hurt themselves or damaged anymore of the goods they stole. There weren't any jutsu in his arsenal that could be used for effectivly calming bears, so the use of jutsu was out of the question. A frantic bear wouldn't react very well if it suddenly got zapped with a bolt of lightning. He knew a fire jutsu too, but that certainly wasn't going to help either. Doi wished he had the strength required to physically restrain the bears. That would make his job a lot easier. He'd get overpowered easily in his current state, even with the assistance of Yuu's clone. The lack of viable options was frustrating. It was obvious that Doi lacked experience when it came to calming large wild animals, but he needed to make it work somehow.

'Maybe they'll eventually calm down if we lead them away...'

He knew Yuu's clone could effectively handle the task. It was just a construct of chakra so bodily harm wasn't an issue. "Hey, clone! Try to grab their attention with rocks or something, and lead them away. I'll salvage what's left of the goods they took from the carriage."

Having left Yuu's clone with the task of distracting the large animals, Doi prepared to salvage the goods. He needed to make sure to pick up the goods that were scattered all over quickly. Doi began to work on his task while the original Yuu took care of the poachers. The whitehaired boy piled up everything he'd found, and waited on Yuu to his tasks so they could all start taking the goods back to the fallen carriage.

[WC: 317]
[WC total: 1,281/3000]

 

[Shouyu Hoshi]

There was an intimate moment, between clone and Yuu. It appeared the shinobi was rather attached to a mere extension of himself and prolonged the inevitable with conversation. Meanwhile, the bears were still incoming and the poachers were beginning to escape. The bears now within close proximity made the ground before them rumble like the feel of an earthquake. FInally the executive decision was made by their leader, as his clone dispersed into smoke he jumped into action.

The bears were upon them! Yuu quickdrew a nifty kunai with sly binding wires that whistled past the fleeing hunters. They yelled at the sound, but for two of them it was too late. Their ankles were ensnared by the wire, gripping at pulling at them. The initial yank caused the men to toss up their guns falling to the floor helpless. Yuu then began to pull and drag them back. They attempted to fight, but it was to no avail and they screamed for help. Of course their comrades would be too selfish to even look back and help them. They would still attempt to escape back to the main camp and warn the others.

Doi was left the remaining clone of Yuu who has ordered to salvage whatever goods he could. When he turned to do so, he was already met by the bears and grunted his teeth. It was then Doi suggested the clone distract the bears and deter their direction, while Doi would retrieve the leftovers. The clone nodded, and threw himself into the fray to play a risky game of chicken. The bears saw the clone and at first paid no mind until he dome checked a bear with a stone who became infuriated. Immediately the clone took off in direction opposite of the machinery and successfully diverted the horde.

Doi would find at the camp, six large casings, two barely opened, and one shoulder bag to fit it all in. He'd have a limited time as the fleeing hunters would see him if he did not hurry. Once Doi had the bag secured, the weight itself would be enough to slightly hinder his mobility, potentially making him liability as he brought it back to the elder family. The hunters would be nearing their campsite, calling out for help and alerting the many others, the sound of their machines still disturbing the natural peace of the forest.

wc 400

 

[Kashino Yuu]

Considering that he used his clones many times now and his previous experiences with Yuri, he really treated them as the extension of himself. Just looking at his current appearance reminded him of the hardships he endured to help his former parasite and right now, he had to adapt this kind of mindset whenever he made some of his clones.

Of course, the first clone helped Doi on salvaging the supplies and followed him back to the eatery, the second was still busy on diverting the bears away from his original. As for Yuu, he managed to pull the hunters to him with his Web Weavers. Although, he had to deal with the screaming men trying to call for help. "I know this is not my style, but I better go with Yuri's method to shut them up." He then made a few handseals, which it hoped the Genjutsu he casted will immobolize them for a few seconds. "Hey you! You better tell me what you are planning to do in here and why are you disturb those bears in the first place!" He demanded as he pulled his sword from his sheath and pointed the blade to either one of the hunters' necks. "Otherwise, this will end up on one of your neck!"

Well, he didn't mean to literally plunge the blade into them, but it would be a good way to give out some answers. But whether if they comply or just straight up run away if they successfully escaped, Yuu quickly noticed the noise of the machines. "Terrific. And just when I think the bears weren't enough to give anyone some problems." He then ran up to Doi to tell him about the machine noises.

(Jutsu used: Stun)

[WC: 288]

 

[Akimitsu Doi]

"There, that's all of it."

Doi had just returned the supplies he'd found to the fallen carriage. The trip from the camp wasn't too difficult thanks to the help Yuu's clone provided. The two divided the supplies between them both and carried the supplies all the way back in that manner. Doi unquestionably had it easier than Yuu's clone because he'd found a shoulder bag amongst the scattered supplies. Yuu's clone had to carry back his share of the goods in his hands.

It wasn't much, but it seemed like the elderly couple was happy with how much they'd brought back. Doi put down his share of the supplies, and watched as Yuu's clone did the same. The whitehaired young man planned on going back to help the original Yuu with the hunters after he'd dropped off the supplies. It seemed like Yuu had another idea though, because he was now running straight towards Doi. The academy student was surprised by the sight of Yuu. Had his partner taken care of the hunters already?
Yuu breifly explained the relation between the hunters and the mechanical noises they'd been hearing.
"So the poachers have something to do with the machines, huh?"

The whitehaired boy wasn't surprised to find out that the two things were related to one another. He and Yuu could probably do something about the poachers in a combined effort, but that didn't fall under their original mission requirements.

The pair was just supposed to find the stolen goods and return them to the elderly couple. Doi and Yuu completed their task, but Doi knew he wouldn't feel right if he just left the hunters to do as they wished. He'd have to ask Yuu what he thought first either way.

"We completed our mission requirements already, Yuu. Should we really go back to take care of those hunters or just finish here?

WC: 330

 

[Shouyu Hoshi]

The hunters at the sight heard the call for distress. The sounds of machines powering down and the rumbling of conversations began. Their numbers were in the twenties, yet they were not shinobi, and completely incapable of battle against the two. The mass of them began to creep through the forest, growing closer to the distress calls. The same time from the river, another set of ten men were rounding up a catch from the river, a large portion of fish. Everything was coming into play, the real cause of the problem was not the bears or critters, but they greedy human beings causing illegal acts. The Genin and student would be left with a predicament. Either handle the situation now without retreating requesting help, or settle the incident here and now, which could prevent this event from ever happening again.

The men from the river carried a large bucket collectively, chanting a victory theme as they approached the madness they all let go of the large bin of flopping fish tied down by a tarp. The men gasped and pulled out their cross bows taking aim at the young shinobi. They were still some distances away but none could get a clear a shot and only indistinct shouting could be audible in the distant. The ten then split up, looking to surround the location, subsequently the main camp was now coming upon them.
The Genin Yuu, successfully stifled the men who grunted and stuttered before returning back to consciousness, screaming like young princess girls. They were grabbing at Yuu until he unsheathed a blade and placed the threat upon the hunter’s neck. He immediately hushed and began pleading for his life, his face twisted together in agony as snot fled from his nose, and tears poured out his eyes.

Hunter One: “Ohh geez man, get a hold of yourself!”
Hunter Two: “H-h-he… d-doesn’t have… a-a blade… t-t-to your neck. T-t-tell him.”
Hunter One: “Are you nuts?! Waru-…”
Hunter Two: “P-please… I-I have kids…”

The other hunter finally gave in after heaving a few deep breaths and taking his friend’s and family’s life in thought. He was breathing heavily as if very reluctant to do so. Finally he just burst out to the kid pleading with him.

Hunter One: “Okay okay okay!!! OKAY!!! OKAY!!! I’ll talk please! Please! Just, hear us out please… please.”

The clones and Doi would encounter the mod long before they reached Yuu and the two pleading individuals. Yuu would be able to hear the oncoming forces, as well as the two he had captured, but they seemed intent on cooperating with Yuu at the moment. The fire men would yell out to the clones and Doi.

“Hey there’s two look twins and a snow top! Get em!” FIRE!”

They’d begin shooting bows, the sound of the strings pulling and launching whistling through the air. There was a lot happening now, and still there were decisions that needed to be made. Luckily for Doi and the clones, the men shooting had horrid aim and nothing shot from the first few waves would directly threaten them, unless they were unbalanced or caught off guard.


WC 527

 

[Kashino Yuu]

Now that he got their attention, he knew it was time to get some quick-fired answers. "Then what's with those machines I heard then?! And why are you hunting these bears? For some sick coats or something?" He didn't know what will they use it for, but he knew they might hunt the bears more than just for them being exotic pets or using their fur as materials. "And if you try to lie, you know what happens if I let my blade into your throats."

After he got the answers, he and Doi were greeted by arrows, which caused him to run away from them. "Let's take care of the stolen goods first, then we'll worry about the hunters. The couple's goods might be our first priority, but those guys may have some ulterior motives if we leave them alone for too long." He felt that he was right. Their original objective was still in their hands, but he knew that those hunters will come back to hunt the wild creatures in this forest. "For now, let's report them to the higher-ups after this and we'll see if they allow us to capture them."

At any case, Yuu, Doi, and his clone rushed back to the eatery with the recovered goods in their hands. "Sorry for the wait! Here's most of your ingredients safe and sound."

[WC: 227]

 

[Akimitsu Doi]

"Good idea, I'll write up something for the higher ups while you talk with the couple."

Doi quickly went up to the couple and politely asked for pen and paper. With the utensils in hand, Doi moved away so Yuu could address the merchants. The academy student looked around in search of an adequate area to sit down and write. Once he'd found the perfect spot, Doi sat down and began to write the letter.

MISSION REPORT/REQUEST

Mission Rank: D
Mission Participants: Kashino Yuu and Akimitsu Doi
Mission Objective: Assist a pair of merchants in the ancient forest who've had their goods stolen.
Objective status: Complete.

*** We've completed our objective but have run into an illegal poaching operation along the way. We would like to request authorization to deal with the culprits ourselves. They seem to lack any proper combat training so we won't have any trouble dealing with them. Please reply as soon as possible.

His brief letter completed, Doi stood up from where he sat and walked up to Yuu. "Make a clone and send it towards the village with this. It'll save us the trip." The hunters would have plenty of time to run away if they actually went all the way back to the village themselves. A clone making the trip would be much faster.

WC: 217

 

[Shouyu Hoshi]

Hunter: “I-It’s a campsite. In the woods! We are just harvesting goods for sale.”

The hunter flinched at Yuu’s comment about his blade. He shivered and closed his eyes tightly. After the arrows gave the men time to flee, they took the chance dashing like lightning. The men al gathered together and staggered away back to their camp site. That had some choice decisions to hash out now that their operation was discovered by some brat shinobi. The leader rallied up his team and fortified their morale by reassuring them of victory.

Bandit Leader: “Don’t worry fellas. We got something for a pair of brats. Man your stations and GET BACK TO WORK!”

Back at the carriage, the couple nearly had everything back in place. They were almost ready to get going. That was when the boys had showed up coincidentally right on time. Yuu handed over a large portion of what they had loss. It would be just enough for them to scrape by before the next trade was available. They old man Furui-San bowed fervently, over and and over again to the youth.

Furui-San: “Thank you gentleman! Thank you! Now my wife can hush her little tail. She’s been hollering and wailing this whole time. Sheesh! An old man can take so much. That woman, I tell you, she can talk an ear right off your face. Here, come have a meal at our restaurant on us, juts for your troubles.”

Doi approached Yuu with a proposition of delivering the message. It would be a quick and easy way to inform the higher ranking shinobi of what they have found. Until then, Furui-San beckoned the boys to join inside the carriage. Although, inside was the raw sound of damsel shrieking in distress, patting her old wrinkly face with make-up. The shinobi could just as easily follow the carriage from the outside on foot.

wc 315

 

[Kashino Yuu]

He didn't care if they were harvesting 'goods'. All he knew was they were killing and capturing those bears for a profit and that made him very sick. Regardless, the sound's source was enough for him to sheath his sword, which he cut the wire to release them completely. "Alright, I believe you. But try to cross my path again and my blade should not be your only worry in the near future. Got it?!" He would send them to the higher ups, but he knew it wasn't enough to try to stop their operations. Right now, he needed to tend with the stolen goods as their original objective.

Thankfully, Doi already took care of that part as he gave the letter regarding on what they have encountered during their mission. If the higher-ups respond to this, he knew that he needed to be fully prepared for their next encounter with those bandits. Agreeing to his mission partner's suggestion, Yuu summoned another clone as he instructed him to send the letter to the village immediantly. He would try to deliver it by himself or his spider summons, but a clone would be a lot faster. Plus, he did need a reward for their hard work after all.

"Well, this mission did make me hungry a bit. A lunch would be great!" He said with a big grin before he climbed up into the carriage. It would take a while for his clone to reach to the higher ups, so a short rest and relaxation would be nice. "What about you, Doi? We do need a good meal for today. Besides, I'm starving."

[MFT/WC: 272]