Mission Runaway Sloth!

[Chigokai Yuna]

Tsuchimikado Shizue would find herself alone in Sordid Avenue. She was picked for a very important mission, a search and rescue of the highest value. Her mission... Is to save a runaway sloth... The papers were given to her with a detailed report of the incident. Someone had the bright idea to try and take a sloth from the Ancient Forest. Originally, higher ranking ninja were dispatched to apprehend the perpetrator, however in the midst of a high-speed chase and a fight, the sloth was nowhere to be seen.

The secretary at Torre Empirea had talked to her about the species of sloth that is now on the loose. Apparently, it is an endangered species, but something more to note, is that it is from the Ancient Forest. The secretary spoke of this as if anyone would be able to figure out that a sloth from the Ancient Forest will not be any ordinary sloth.

As Shizue walks around Sordid Avenue, snow would lightly fall to the ground cold enough to stick, but not cold enough to stay for long. There were many shady characters, from a couple of men talking in hushed voices, to a woman doing 'magic' tricks using sleight of hand, to a dog seemingly trained to steal from vendors. This was the area where the sloth was last seen at. The question now is, what will Shizue do?

(231/500)
(hello and welcome to your first mission. Mission rules are simple, for modded missions, you only need to have a total word count of 500 words for an E ranked mission. Or x1.5 rewards for mission completion if you do double the word count. Along with that, this is a modded mission, and many times when you do something, interact with someone or do an action, that type of thing, the mission mod, ie me, will usually make some rolls on discord chat to see the outcome of your rolls. Because of this, the mission may or may not be longer than anticipated.)

 

[Tsuchimikado Shizue]

Tsuchimikado Shizue stood at the threshold of Sordid Avenue, the air crisp with the bite of impending snow. The first delicate flakes descended, melting upon contact with the cobblestone streets, leaving ephemeral dark spots that quickly vanished. Her iridescent eyes, ever-shifting hues reflecting the dim light, scanned the surroundings with a practiced vigilance. The avenue was aptly named; shadows clung to its narrow alleys, and the scent of dampness mingled with the faint aroma of street food from distant vendors. Shizue was a stranger in these parts, and not used to the undercity. She usually dressed in fineries, and seeing the rampant dog-eat-dog world of this part of Kumogakure made her more wary than usual.

Clad in attire that balanced practicality with the understated elegance befitting her lineage, Shizue's long hair cascaded down her back, a deliberate choice to accentuate her femininity in a world quick to misjudge appearances. Her lithe frame moved with a grace that belied the tension coiled within, each step deliberate, her senses attuned to the subtlest of cues. Her clothes were made of a strong linen which was both warm and practical in the dreary slurry that was descending in the avenue, pooling in grey splotches here and there where muddy puddles were absent. She pulled her woolen scarf tighter around her neck, fending off the cold, her running shoes making a soft squelching noise as she walked.

The mission details replayed in her mind: an audacious theft of a sloth from the Ancient Forest, culminating in a high-speed chase where the creature vanished amidst the chaos. The sloth, not just any specimen, but an endangered entity from a realm where ordinary classifications faltered. The secretary's cryptic emphasis on its origin hinted at complexities beyond the obvious, but didn't say anything explicitly.

As she ventured deeper into the avenue, the environment unfolded in a tableau of clandestine activities. Two men, cloaked in tattered garments, conversed in hushed tones, their eyes darting suspiciously. A woman nearby performed sleight-of-hand tricks, her nimble fingers manipulating objects with deceptive ease, while a mangy dog prowled the periphery, its keen eyes fixed on unattended vendor stalls, awaiting an opportune moment to pilfer. Shizue would steer clear of the men with hungry eyes and hidden hands and the dog that was clearly on a mission to steal some breakfast.

Shizue's analytical mind dissected the scene. The sloth's last known location was here, amidst this tapestry of subterfuge and poverty. A creature from the Ancient Forest would not behave as its mundane counterparts might. Its instincts, reactions, perhaps even its very nature, could be imbued with the rest of its kin. She looked for tracks lazily in the snow, her headband flashing brightly against the dull colors and muted lights of the avenue, not expecting to find any, but made a lazy line toward the woman who was performing slight-of-hand.

Drawing upon her medical training and knowledge of fauna, she considered the sloth's potential condition. Displaced from its habitat, it would likely seek environments that mimicked the dense canopy of the forest. The towering structures lining Sordid Avenue, with their labyrinthine network of fire escapes, balconies, and overhangs, could offer a semblance of the arboreal refuge it craved.

Her gaze shifted upwards, tracing the intricate metalwork and ledges that crisscrossed above. The gentle snowfall intensified, the flakes now accumulating in thin layers on the surfaces. A sudden movement caught her eye—a subtle shift, a shadow where there should be none. She tensed, but found it to be a pair of undergarments, left out overnight and now soaking, freexing in the weather and quite unwearable. It was a garish display of sexuality, the wind that blew through the alley like a sick and rattling cough moved the bare bit of fabric, rife with frills and lace. Shizue mentally noted that she wouldn't be caught dead wearing anything similar to that, not even with a knife to her throat.

She sidled up to the sleight of hand siren in the alley. "Excuse me, miss, how much for the show?" It was always better to lubricate the conversation with money, and nothing did that like lining the other person's hand with silver, or possibly gold if they gave the correct information. Shizue's rainbow colored eyes refracted the dull grey hardness of the alley, mixed with the scrutinizing red and purple hues of determination.

((WORDS 722/500 = 722/1000)

 

[Chigokai Yuna]

The woman was surprised that she had attracted any type of attention here of all places. "Just any amount will do. This is just a side gig for me right now." She pulled a coin seemingly from behind Shizue's ear, however, with her trained kunoichi eyes, was able to easily pick up on the sleight of hand trick. She had something else in her hand that had a small glint to it. It was quick, but she would be able to see that it is another coin, most likely used as the second part of her magic trick.

However, it would seem as the magic event would be cut short as Shizue would also be able to see a flash of.... fur? Along with other shiny things move past both of them. "Wha- Hey!" The would-be magician seemingly looked like she was pushed to the ground and even more surprised than she was when Shizue had approached her. Soon after she fell, the two shady men had started yelling and ran off in a random direction, something about someone stole their bling. Even more so, the alleyway dog ran off in another direction barking t something. Shizue would notice that the collar that was on it was now off and nowhere to be seen.

Shizue would be able to piece together what had happened and look in the direction that the dog is barking at to see a sloth wearing a lot of shiny bits on top of a power pole as it looked at its new bling that it now has.

 

[Hyuuga Himeko]

Himeko Hyuga
It had been a profitable day indeed! She had managed to pick up an assortment of meets and cheeses. A small voice tugged at the back of her mind that perhaps she didn't need three 5 pouund bags of rice, but they were buy two get one free, and she had a half off coupon, so she had still managed to profit mildly.

"And rice doesn't expire! You're such a good business woman Himeko Hyuga!" She thought to herself gleefully as her form moved through the streets of Kumogakure. Though it was concealed, the smile was evident as she trounced through the streets, pulling her small cart filled with goods behind her, her head turned upward as she gazed at the sky.

If she hurried, she might be able to make it across town, one of her favorite tool shops was selling scrolls and weapons at an amazing discount! She might be able to replenish some kunai that she had accidentally chucked into a lake water while training.While it might have been easy for her to retrieve them, she didn't relish the idea of explaining to her father why she smelled of lake water, and she wwas sure that none of the servants could swim. Also she didn't believe herself cruel enough to do so, and she had been spending carefully in preparation of an upcoming sale. "I'd have to pay someone to get them for me... I'd have to pay them handsomely...."

She shivered at the thought, for all throughout the Hyuga household, it was a known fact: Himeko Hyuga was a cheapskate.

In all her relishing over her various scores, she had gotten turned around, looking up suddenly to try and gather her bearings. She had accidentally already began her trek towards the weapon store in her stupor. She didn't want to waste time turning around! She might miss the sale if she did so! If she carried a bag of rice on her shoulder and tied the weapons in a canvas sack, she might be able to...


Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a dog barking loudly, and the clambering of people. She turned her gaze in that direction, and blissful resolution was upon her! Shizue was here! She could probably give her one of Himeko's Personalized Coupons!!! in exchange for her help! That would resolve all of her issues and she wouldn't be losing out on her profit today! She gathered her cart, rushing noisily at her fellow kunoichi. When she came to a stop in front of her, she paid no mind to the laying woman, her mask instead shaping out a heiroglyphic communication.

You, Rice, Carry, My House, REWARD!, not money...

Her wrist device also followed along in sound.

DING! WOOSH! *GRUNT*!, (a clip of her father angrily shouting her name), CHACHING!, BRAAAAP!

She would replay these noises and display these images repeatedly, incessantly trying to push her ally into this task. The noises only stopped when the dog resumed it's barking at a creature on top of the lightning pole. Himeko straightened, her head tilting curiously as she eyes the scenario, finally taking in the fallen woman, the shad men... and the sloth?

Her attention turned back to Shizue, the question apparent on her mask; a literal question mark.

[WC: 539/1000]​

 

[Tsuchimikado Shizue]

Shizue blinked at the sudden intrusion of Himeko’s visual and auditory chaos, her iridescent eyes flicking between the absurd display of symbols and the glitchy sound effects emanating from her device. She had encountered Himeko before—enough times to recognize that her fellow kunoichi was not above bartering in the strangest ways. She also knew that Himeko would not use actual words, but would use her mask and her bracelet to speak. She still had no idea what kinds of sounds actually came from the thing, but it seemed an innumerable amount.

“Himeko.” Shizue exhaled through her nose, ignoring the offer of whatever nonsensical ‘reward’ awaited. “Now is not the time.” She wasn’t interested in whatever reward she was offered because she already had whatever she wanted. She was here for the sloth, which was more a way to give back to the community of Kumogakure than anything that she particularly wanted.

The dog barked again, and she turned her attention back to the real problem at hand—the thieving sloth perched atop the power pole, glinting with its collection of stolen accessories. The shady men shouting about their missing "bling" confirmed that the creature had excellent taste, if not excellent morals. The magician woman was still on the ground, rubbing her elbow and looking utterly bewildered.

Shizue sighed. “That’s my target,” she muttered, nodding toward the sloth with the bling around its neck. It was apparently highly intelligent, not having stolen anything that was just shiny, but things of actual worth.
”I’ll give you half the reward for it, plus help you carry these things if you help me with this.” Shizue motioned to the sloth, but spoke quickly to Himeko. Then she took off, leaving a 200 yen note for the woman who had been knocked over and started to climb toward the sloth. She figured that it wouldn’t be ‘as’ fast as her, but would probably be faster than it looked. After all, strange creatures came out of that particular forest.

[OOC: wc=362+722=1084/500=2x word count. No more words required, only fun now]

 

[Chigokai Yuna]

Shizue was able to climb the power pole rather easily. She was even luckier that the sloth was preoccupied with all the shiny bits that it had collected. If she had figured that just grabbing the sloth and taking it back to the Ancient Forest was all there was to it, she had another thing coming. The sloth would jump off the power pole and seemingly grow in size as it would land surprisingly gracefully onto the ground with Shizue holding on for dear life.

Once it was on the ground, it would look over at Himeko, cocking its head to the side as it looked at a shiny thing on her wrist. it barrelled towards her at unreal speeds, not like a sloth at all, but more like a trained shinobi. Despite that, it was clumsy as it reached out but only met air when it tried to grab the shiny thing that was on her wrist. But instead of trying again, it would continue rushing past her, crashing into stalls and pushing people out of the way. Its speed is relative to that of a chunin ranked ninja, despite that, the sloth itself seems docile outside of the nature to steal shiny things on impulse.

As for Shizue, she would still be hanging on surprisingly well. She would be able to see as it is rushing that it seems to be stealing anything shiny as they go, almost oblivious to the fact that it has a hitchhiker. And of course, it smelled just like any other sloth.

(753/1000)

 

[Hyuuga Himeko]

Himeko Hyuga
"Himeko, now is not the time." The words washed over the young kunoichi, and slowly; as if she were displaying her true feelings her mask transitioned. Two large dots where her eyes were, and a long downward curved line. She remained utterly still, her posture slumping slumping just slightly, as if to emphasize her exxagerrated disappontment

Shizue explained her predicament, unaware of the emotions the younger girl was feeling, her mask unchanging. Still it seemed the girl was absorbing every word like a blank canvas. Then, in on smooth motion, the frown flipped upward. No sound, no dramatic gesgture- just a seemless transition, her expression now one of unwavering enthusiasm. Her attention returned to the sloth, her head tilting to the side, the smiley-face on her mask ever apparent as she observed their new target. This needed to wrap up qucikly: she had a sale to get to after all.

As the sloth charged and changed size, barreling towards her she mentally cursed Shizue for not telling her that it was not a normal sloth. She had thought this as easy mission; otherwise she would have haggled for more of the reward money. Still it seemed fascinated with her speaker, but clumsy, missing its chance to snag the device and crashing into the stalls behind her.

To downward lines formed over the dots, as she turned and began to give chase. It was fast- faster than her- and she had to cut corners in order to keep up even slightly. The young kunoichi waved her wrist device at Shizue, signalling that it might be something they could use to lure the sloth... wherever they needed it to be instead (she had not recieved a full mission brief), so now she was defaulting to the dangling Shizue.

(WC: 889/1000)​

 

[Tsuchimikado Shizue]

Shizue’s fingers burned with chakra as she focused, the sound of the sloth’s claws scraping against the cobblestones growing louder with each passing moment. The creature’s heavy body was closing in on Himeko, its beady eyes locked on the shiny speaker, its movements deceptively quick for such a lumbering creature. It was as if the beast was a living paradox, moving with a speed and precision that belied its lazy nature, and Shizue needed a way to stop it.

A wave of frustration bubbled in her chest, but she forced it down, steadying her breath. She didn’t have time for doubts. As her hand clenched into a fist, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a kunai, its weight familiar and reassuring. She flicked her wrist, and with a soft whoosh, the blade flew through the air, embedding itself deep into a nearby wooden post. The metal gleamed in the faint light, its polished surface flashing as it hit, the perfect bait for the sloth’s wandering eyes.

“Himeko, get to higher ground!” Shizue called, her voice sharp. She knew Himeko too well; the girl wouldn’t think twice about herself when her loot was in danger. But if the sloth’s attention could be diverted to the kunai, they might stand a chance of containing it.

But Shizue wasn’t done yet. She had one more card to play.

Her chakra flowed into the earth beneath her feet, sensing the pulse of stone and soil. She drew on the raw power of the land itself, gathering her chakra and shaping it into something else—something personal. The air around her shimmered as a small, smooth rock began to form in the shape of an otter, its body sleek and fluid. The otter’s tiny stone paws paddled through the air, its tail swishing in a playful arc as if it were swimming in the water.

Shizue’s fingers twitched, guiding the technique with precise control, her heart quickening as the otter flew into motion. The stone animal shot forward like an arrow, moving with grace and speed as it barreled toward the sloth. The very air seemed to ripple in its wake, the otter’s body a shining blur of gray as it aimed straight for the sloth's side.

Time slowed as Shizue watched. The otter’s form was unmistakable—a symbol of her connection to the world around her. It swerved midair, its body twisting in a fluid arc, and with a sharp, whistling sound, it collided with the sloth’s thick fur, just below its shoulder. The impact made a soft thud, the stone otter’s body bouncing off the sloth with barely any resistance. But the sloth didn’t falter; it kept charging forward, unfazed by the ambiguous hit.

Shizue’s eyes narrowed. She couldn’t tell if the attack had done anything at all—whether it had distracted the beast or simply grazed it. The sloth’s lumbering form continued toward Himeko with relentless determination, and she couldn’t risk assuming anything. It wasn’t a perfect shot, not by any means, but it was enough to create an opening.

She didn’t hesitate. “Now, Himeko!” she barked, her voice hard with urgency.

The sloth was already moving, its eyes glinting with unrelenting greed as it neared the kunai lodged in the post, or maybe it was going after Himeko, it was hard to tell. She could almost hear the creature’s thoughts—shiny—and that was all she needed.

Her body tensed as she prepared to take the next step. There was no time for hesitation. The otter might have missed—or it might have struck. Either way, their only hope was now in the hands of the kunai and the frantic moments ahead.

She thought, Now how do I get this big lunk back to the forest, so that it doesn't do any more damage?

 

[Chigokai Yuna]

As the kunai was thrown and embedded into the wooden post, it took the sloth's attention immediately. It simply pushed past carts and stalls as people yelped to get out of the way of the hulking giant of fur as it picked up some coins along the way. Once it got to the kunai, it simply grabbed the whole post and yanked it out of the ground, not knowing how to get the shiny thing out. It put the post in its mouth as it lumbered around.

Unaware of anything not shiny for the taking, it would get a glancing blow from an otter made of stone as it would turn. Not really a direct hit, but enough to startle the gentle, but mischievous giant sloth to get to running again. Shizue had a good hold of the sloth's mossy like fur, but who would know how long she will be able to hold on? Unfortunately, for the girls, the sloth will continue its run through the shady parts of Kumogakure, further away from the Ancient Forest. Himeko will be able to tell though, that how the otter had hit the sloth, that its movements had slowed, if only by a little bit. However, does she know the importance of this sloth? That it is, she is starting to remember a class about the ancient forest.

Himeko would be able to know that this particular sloth is known for stealing anything that is shiny. In actuality, it feeds on metals that have a particular shine to them. Doing so will fuel the sloths power to grow and shrink its size by will along with giving it speeds comparable to that of a chunin ranked ninja. Its natural habitat is in the deep areas of the Ancient forest where shiny metals are in an abundance, otherwise it has been known that they will wander out of the forest. Because of this, they are hunted down by poachers or people who want to make money off of the sloth stealing stuff, making its numbers as a species overall dwindle down to dangerous levels. Who knows how many are left, but one thing is certain. They will need to not only get the sloth back into the Ancient Forest, but back into the more deeper areas to save this endangered species.

(1141/1000)

 

[Hyuuga Himeko]

Himeko Hyuga
Himeko didn’t think—she just moved. As Shizue tackled the oversized sloth, wrestling for a grip on its thick fur, Himeko made a sharp detour. She veered toward a fishing store, skidding inside and emerging a second later with a fishing pole clutched in her hands. Without hesitation, she leapt onto the rooftops, sprinting ahead of the chaos below.

Why... did she have... a fishing pole? Did she pay for it... Likely not.

Himeko did not throw a glance back.

Instead, she focused on the frantic puzzle unfolding in her mind. This sloth doesn’t belong in the village. It eats metal. It must have wandered out of the Ancient Forest after running out of shiny things to snack on. If they wanted to get it back home, they’d have to trick it.

“Now, Himeko!” Shizue’s voice snapped her from her thoughts.

Himeko stalled. Now what?

Her mask flashed a cartoonish image of herself shrugging with a big, exaggerated ??? above her head. But she had to act fast, so she did what she did best—improvised.

With a flick of her fingers, she unfastened her mask—the silver surface catching the light in an unmistakable gleam. The mask was of exquisite make, metals with the ability to display images as she saw fit? Oh yeah, it would want this.

With a quick, fluid motion, she cast it, sending her mask flying toward the kunai Shizue had thrown into the post. The sloth, utterly entranced by the gleaming object, swerved, eyes locked onto its new target. Just as it reached out a massive claw to snag the prize, Himeko yanked the fishing line, sending the mask whipping back toward her. It was slower now, she had noted, and thus she would move with that speed in mind instead.

She caught it in one smooth motion, snapping it onto her face before anyone could get a clear look—just a blink of bare skin, wide eyes, and a mischievous smirk before the silver barrier was back in place.

The sloth, hopefully, would be engaged, and she tilted her head from side to side, letting her mask glint and gleam in the light, goading it into giving chased in whatever direction Himeko wanted: The Ancient Forest.​

---

(889+363=1252 WC)​