Event What Goes Bump In The Night [Event Misson]

[Leaf Historian]

Location: Forest of Death

Mission Name: What Goes Bump In The Night

Nanjirou Soku and Nikku Haniki

Unit: Journeyman

---

Misson Prompt as delivered to Sennin Nanjirou Soku: As part of the Academy's ongoing Career Day initiative, Nikku Haniki has been assigned to shadow you to give them an understanding of the field of interest they have expressed an desire in joining, your task is to guide them and make them familiar with the duties and obligations of the unit. Please take caution in doing so as shinobi units have recieved intelliegnce of an abnormal creature operating in the area guarding a essential medical herb that is badly needed to help treat some of the surivors of the recent gate attack and should you encounter any problems, remember your duty is to the village and the student placed under your care.

---

Career Day was in full swing and everyone was off to to their respective assignment and locations. Some more eagerly than others, various senior Academy teachers escorted genin and students alike to their prospective senior shinobi who would have already read the prompt delivered to them and had been hand-delivered the file of the person to be shadowing them. The task was simple yet even on a crowded day like this, things were bound to go wrong.

The unit office housed just on the border of the Forest was a simple sight, most would pass it off as a simple farmer's house but in reality, it housed the various members of the misson group tasked with securing a rare medical herb but they had met resistance although no one would comprehend what had been killing their shinobi and the group's spirits were not lifted by having to take on an additonal burden in the form of a student.

"Lady Fifth must be losing her marbles, really, him?"

"As if that wasn't enough, now we have to babysit." Another grumbled shaking his head at the sheer fact. No one liked a new face, you didn't know their intentions, what they wree cpable of and unless that was figured out, all of them would recieve the same dismissive treatment. There were no favorites in joining one of the village's specialized units and the younger ones would do well to remember that.

Heads turned at the sound of footsteps coming, a senior shinobi leading the prospective academy student or genin. "Come on then." He would snap at the kid gruffly as if the man had more important things to do than escorting these rookies when they could have found their ways themselves as he knocked politely on the wooden door to the office that housed the unit members and the supervising officer before entering.

In this case though, it was the branch Sennin.

"Soku-san, here is the candidate that the Academy sent and one other thing, we've recieved intelligence reports that some sort of weird creation has been hoarding the herbs the medical branch needs badly so we've been asked to keep a more vigilant eye when we set out but that'll be all." With that, the assistant gave a nod and a curt look towards the prospective candidate before slipping out.

OOC Mission Outline for Reference: The senior shinobi recieves word that the Byoin is requesting an essential medical herb for an overnight surgery for some of the survivors of the gate attack and it can not be delayed any longer, it must be done before the sun rises. Having spent a tiresome day at the office with the candidate who seems overall bored by the paperwork, the senior shinobi decides this is a good chance to show them the lively part of being a Journeyman taking the candidate with them into the Forest of Death to scout for the plant. Unaware to them, they are being stalked by a kaiju, a monster-like creature who does not appreciate them intruding on it's habitat. As soon as they collect the plant, the kaiju attacks leaving the senior shinobi seriously injured requiring the candidate to act to save them while the senior shinobi instructs them on what to do having recgonized the creature from their experience as a Journeyman and knowing what it's flaws are.

 

[Mizushima Kita]

The whole concept of this "career" day the village was hosting was incredibly exciting. Haniki and her friends back at the academy had been talking amongst themselves trying to guess where they were being sent off to and with whom. What mission they would be partaking in and so on. She truly hoped that Yuki ended up somewhere she would enjoy and excel, maybe influence he families views a bit and allow her to remain in her studies for a bit longer past graduation. Haniki's thoughts were scattered as she came up with random scenarios, but she couldn't help the nerves that crept up to her as she noticed the destination she was being escorted to. The Forest of Death was no place for a mere student, although she would be accompanied by much higher rank shinobi. Things should turn out fine, right? The one who escorted her to the office outside of the gate did not seem as interested in today's activities as she was.

As he snapped at her, her eyes darted towards him in a subtle death glare. The young girl was beginning to hope he was an escort and escort only. This guy would end up letting her get eaten by something just so her could retire from the day early. Arriving an the office, the man promptly delivering her in the presence of the Main Branch Sennin, Santaru Soku. A wave of relief washed over Haniki as her escort left immediately; he wasn't actually a part of this. "Nikku Haniki, it's a pleasure." She greatly politely with a small bow of her head.

[MFT - 267/4000]

 

[Nanjirou Soku]

Soku had fought many things in her life but this. This was different, the Sennin thought to her smiling wryly at the though. She had only had the honor of battling a few weird creatures and that had been hard enough on it's own as she though back to an incident in Kumogakure where such a thing was present as she mulled over the file on her desk tapping at it. The file was just like any other, Soku hadn't actually had the liberty of meeting this girl but if looks could tell impressions, she seemed like an agreeable enough person although wandering into the Journeyman field required more than just a good head and with this assignment, she thought it would be the perfect agenda.

A knock came and Soku lifted her eyes as an assitant entered looking like the end of world upon them as he presented one Nikku Haniki to the Sennin and the woman nodded her head. "Thank you, Junho, I'll take it from here."

He always had been a grumpy type, Soku thought to herself but merely dismissng the thought as she turned her attention now to the girl in front of her letting out a thoughtful hum as she smiled to put the girl at ease. It was her first time most probably getting a taste of actual on the ground experience and that for some could certainly make or break them, better to bring them in slow than just pile a load of information all at once.

"And mine as well, Haniki. Do take a seat, we have much to do and I would rather you didn't spend all your energy all too quickly, time for that later." Soku said laughing at the comment gesturing to the open chair before her rolling up the map of the outskirts of the village she had been poring over for quite some time pushing it to the side and instead pulled out some other rather offical documents skimming over them for a moment before nodding.

"I must admit, I am curious to your unit choice. This division has probably the highest risk rate of being injured or worse in the line of duty given the Journeymen operate in a wide capacity depending on the assignment."

She wasn't one to question anyone's interest, the Sennin simply wanted to get the motivation behind someone and what was drving them, that helped her determine whether someone would be a good fit for a team or perhaps what sort of qualities or skills they could bring or perhaps she could redirect their interest elsewhere. Today was not about that however, today was about giving a grand tour of what they did.

She gestured around the little hut they found themselves in, old, rickety and the wood planks seemed to creak in protest every time you walked. "Not a life of comfort, we build our own shelters and learn to fend for ourselves off the land, something you may be required to do as typically, unit members are sent on ardous journeys outside the village and these may come in handy."

Today however, they weren't going on any grueling hike, well, not gruelling in the sense of physical tolerance but if the rumors were true, this operation that had been placed under Soku's command would have to wait under nightfall, time to show these Academy rookies that not everything about a ninja's life revovled around throwing kunai and casting jutsu as the woman placed a thick file folder bursting with papers in front of Haniki.

"I thought we could start with these, misson records. I want you dig through and find all logs in reference to Operation Delta Seven conducted by Unit J-9, it's part of what we're investiaging right now actually."

She paused and added with a wry smile. "It might take you a while but like all things, even ninja have to take a backseat to all the action sometimes but it is necessary grunt work for when we go into the field." Soku added glancing out the window as the sun sunk deeper down in the sky, not quite yet but the evening hours were slowly starting to creep in making i tan opputurne time to act.

"Which should be soon actually. It is vital you find those logs though or we'll be walking into this blind which would not be a good idea. First rule of this unit, a Journeyman prepares before undertaking their detail, we are the forefront of the village forces. We scout ahead, plan and estbalish needed village assets and resources to achieve the village's objectives and engage if necessary and this is part of that planning so might as well get used to it."

She said standing peeking out before coming to a conclusion. "You have until sunset then I'll fill you in on the fun stuff."

 

[Mizushima Kita]

Haniki followed, sitting herself neatly into the chair as she listened to Soku. She paused for a moment as Soku questioned her motivations. There were quiet a few different pathways available for up and coming ninja to choose from and put their time and effort towards. Personally, she had never had any interest in joining the Anbu, and the medical field wasn't really her forte. This in turn left the main branch; The Hokage Guard, Police Department, and Journeyman. "Versatility," She spoke in the middle of her thought process. "I want to be useful anywhere I'm needed, whether that be at our front gates, sister cities or it foreign territories. I want to be a first choice for missions of all kinds and not restricted to a specialty." Haniki wasn't sure she made a whole lot of sense, toying with the sleeve of her shirt as she spoke.

The stack of paper hit the table and Haniki had never felt like the better person fit for the job as she did now. She nodded in understanding and looked at the falling sun to gauge her timeline. This shouldn't be a problem at all. Once she was given the go ahead, that girl analyzed the first page compared to the second, looking to see that the operation names were stated in the same spot. Confirming the information was consistent, Haniki quickly flipped through the corners of each document, only pulling it back far enough to see that little entry for the operation name, pulling any that showed the "Delta 7" she was looking for. It took no time at all to sift through the stack, giving her a much better time frame for the actual work, reading through it. She made herself comfortable and got to work.

[562/4000]

 

[Nanjirou Soku]

Haniki much to her surprise took to the paperwork much like a bird did when taking flight and that was with considerable skill and a certain attention and detail while others would mumble and grumble at the sheer though of rifling through paperwork and whatnot, Haniki Nikku was not one of those and it made Soku raise an eyebrow considerably impressed with what she saw, perhaps there was still hope yet if Haniki wished to pursue this interest.

The sun slowly left them as the unit worked to prepare for the overnight misson, most of it resting on Haniki's shoulders and the assumption she would find enough information about the operation gone wrong so many months ago and now, the Journeyman Divison was venturing into the same forest where their predecessors had disappeared and the only thing that remained of them had been their bloody headbands.

Even the ANBU forces sent out to analyze the situation had come back pale as a sheet and whatever it was in those woods, it was something so great and something so terrifying that it had caused them to succumb to their injuries out of sheer stress and fear.

Before long, the girl had assembled in a rather impressive fashion a stack of sheets and files all pertaining to the stricken unit and the operation they were undertaking. Soku nodded her approval as she walked over to where the student was working thumbing through a few pamphlets, her brow furrrowing in thought as she looked through them as if something was bothering her about the entire misson they had been tasked with undertaking.

"Well, rest assured this wasn't some sort of test. The information I had you looking for is very pertinent to our detail today and could make the difference whether we walk out of the forest alive or not. " Soku said gravely. If the Academy wanted their students to have a field experience, that meant exposing them to the real thing and while the Sennin would priortize the safety of the girl, that did not mean there would not be risk.

"I will warn you that this assignment we are going to undertake is not for the faint-hearted so if you choose to walk away, do so now because once we're in there, there is no running away."

As she let Haniki dwell on this fact, Soku gathered the other members of the team who had surronuded them when the girl had shed light on information that been buried deep within the stacks and stacks of parchment perhaps overlooked or misplace as a result of the lack of organization in this office as the Sennin read out various excerpts from the logs she had been handed. "Operation Delta Seven was undertaken by Journeymen members of Unit J-9 to gather intel and compile a report on reported sightings of a beast-like creature having developed a habitat within the Forest of Death."

Her tone was platonic, dull even as she looked at them handing the sheet so everyone could read it."None of the shinobi who were sent made it back alive, their bodies were torn and shredded that it was near impossible to identify them and the question remains whether it is some monster who did this or some other foul evil."

Mutterings of discomfort ran around the group at this sentiment, no one liked to start off knowing they could be walking straight into the jaws of death but that was what shinobi did as Soku gestured for silence once again before talking once again. "Our mission however is not to find out whether there is indeed a horrible nightmare living in the forests of Konohagakure, the Medical Branch has requested our unit to deploy into the woods to secure a plant in a area deemed too dangerous for normal medical-nin to operate in"

As to why it was dangerous, it was anyone's guess but Soku could wager the same thought was running through everyone's head. "The likelihood we will run into such a creature as mentioned in these assignments could be true or it could be false. Nevertheless, it is best to be vigiliant so we will use the flag formation to head into the woods."

Heads nodded in understanding except for probably Haniki as Soku turned to her choosing to explain just exactly the formation was.

"Typically, Journeyman units work in small teams of two or three and multiple teams make up an unit. Our unit, A-1 is comprised of multiple teams all working in conjunction with one another from time to time on missons like this and this formation enables us to stay in communcation with each other while traveling spread out and not bunched up to draw attention."

Reaching into her pack, Soku pulled out four foldable brightly colored flags each roughly the size of a light pole, red, green, black and yellow in color.

She pointed at each one as she explained. "The green flag means message recieved or all clear. Red stands for threat spotted, yellow translates to all forces pull back or withdraw and the black.."Soku hesistated for a moment before continuing on. "The black..team in distress or possibly KIA and get your butts over there as quickly as possible. Each team has a desginated flag bearer in charge of relaying these flag messages so multiple teams can stay in touch with each other while working with one another on a single misson."

Silence followed as everyone waited for the Sennin to get to the main point. "You'll be my flag bearer, Haniki once we enter the woods."

That done, she turned to the circle of gruff men and women strapping on their weapons and flak jackets armed with new information and a strong desire to head into woods that were deemed certain death keen on finding this badly needed herb and bringing it back to help preserve the life of their allies. If it had not been their fellow ninja's life that hung in the balance, Soku would not have made the choice to enter the blasted forest.

"Let's go."

The door of the hut swung open to reveal blessed fresh air and a full moon shining down on them as Leaf shinobi strode out breaking out with their partners to take off into the foresst, some green flags already waving above the treeline as the assignment got underway as Soku glanced at Haniki patting her on the shoulder. "You ready? Don't be afraid to ask if something feels off, we're a team here."

 

[Mizushima Kita]

Haniki gladly collected and compiled all of the necessary data, going over all of the details with Soku. Despite the documented bloodshed and fatalities, she found the scenario involving the unknown creature to be very interesting. While she had never been to the Forest of Death herself, she had read plenty. An area that housed a plethora of fauna and flora and developed its own ecosystem independent of the village flanking it. The calls of birds and other smaller creatures could be heard from outside the shack they occupied, proving their residence.

Haniki listened as Soku addressed the group. Fighting fire with fire was a fairly common tactic among ninja, but her mind took her elsewhere. If going it with weapons drawn ended in imminent and unfortunate casualties, perhaps a different approach was needed, else they would simply join the statistic.

After absorbing all of the information provided and learning the flag system, Haniki spoke up. “Uhm, I do have a few questions. You said that the creature has adapted to the Forest; it has become its habitat of choice. If that is the case, are we not the intruders? Is it likely that the creature is defending its territory, just the same as our dogs would? Have there been any reports of diminishing numbers of other animals typically found here?” Her questions seemed unending, almost as though she were more have a conversation with herself. “If it’s able to co-exist with these other animals, it sounds like there should be evidence of territory that we can avoid until we can’t any longer; claw marking or obvious damage to surrounding trees, prints old and new, spraying. If we have any ninja dogs, they could probably find that boundary.” The was the Haniki spoke was far more kind and understanding in her selection of words. Until proven otherwise, the creature that threatened their mission did not belong to any alignment, good or evil. As far as she could tell, a bunch of strange beings came into its home and it defended itself, but that inference could change quickly based on any new information they learned within the Forest itself.

After their discussion, Haniki would follow along, as ready as she could be.

[930/4000]

 

[Nanjirou Soku]

Soku nodded her understanding, Haniki had questions and good questions they were still it brought forth questions that Soku had asked herself many times but yet, they had so little to go on and while she didn't exactly like going in blind, sometimes that was what was needed. They couldn't sit around all day and twiddle their thumbs hoping something new came to light when it never really was going to.

"The issue with that is that we have never heard of this creature's occurence beforehand. It is a recent development and there are many theories to why it is here, could it be a forgotten species or something else but one thing that our notes told us is that it is virtually non-aggressive to animals. It holds no interest towards them but when humans are sighted, it seems to go into a murderous rage."

The thought almost chilled her ducking a low-lying branch as the lasy rays of sunlight were shielded by the trees as they entered the treeline fully nestled within the forest now. From either side of them and ahead as well, they could see green flags waving above the bushery indicating the division was still in good hands and operational. "Wave our green flag." Soku instructed as she glanced around them.

They hadn't actually entered the heart of the forest, Soku knew, this was just the rookie area but once they truly got into the woods themselves, that was where the true test would begin.

"The herb we're looking for thrives only in dark areas and has a apparent glowish purplish color to it, the picture we brought with us should help."

Dark areas, she knew the forest had plenty of those although they were not often without risk as she continued to explain. "Since the Forest of Death is so large, any shinobi unit operating within it has found it easier to divide it into three sections so we don't get lost. Zone Alpha is the forest border where we are now just the woods and a couple of trees, nothing too big. Zone Bravo is just ahead of us, the actual forest where most operations are conducted and then you have Zone Charlie, the centermost of the forest and also the most dangerous, few who venture there return but I don't think we'll have to go that far."

Still, nothing was out of the question as sure enough, the density of the greenery and the amount of trees they began to sight grew thicker and thicker.

"Your theory is sound but we don't even know if this creature employs such techniques or even has a territory it calls home. The previous misson group utilized the use of tracking animals but even then, the results were none too great as you saw."

 

[Toshi]

Mod Post​

The sky began to tint a hue of dark blue, the stars and much of the moonlight blocked by the thick of the trees from the forest. The darkness of the forest was perfect for the creatures that operated under the shadows of the leaves. The teams of Shinobi that ventured into the depths of the forest would draw the attention of the creatures that lurked during the night if they were making a racket. The deeper they ventured into the forest, the closer they would get to the plant that they sought, but the herbs were guarded by mysterious creatures that were fond of the plant's taste. With intent on taking those out that treaded across their favorite snack, a few of them made territories near the plant's. It would be likely to spot one of these creatures if one were to dilly-dally around the plant's home. Located near the heart of the forest, and away from the entrance, these creatures were classified as dangerous by those that had a run into them and lived to tell about it.

The teams of Shinobi would find no signs of the herb near the entrance, though as they ventured deeper into the forest, they would begin to notice signs of the different wildlife that made the forest their home. Spider webs, old skins left behind by snakes, holes dug into the ground, even footprints and tracks of smaller animals. Running into these different species during the night were slim, but not impossible. Moving quickly would keep the team from running into any threats that lingered around. But moving slowly would give them a good idea of what was in the area. Depending on the path the Shinobi took to finding the plant, they could avoid most troubles completely.



A young deer moved from behind a set of bushes, stumbling upon Soku and Haniki's group. The pair of shinobi would notice what looked like a small deer not so far off in the distance. The deer would only stop for a moment, studying the duo, before continuing on down a dirt path cluttered with thick trees. Following the deer could lead to something of great surprise, but surprises weren't always a good thing. Maybe it was best to ignore the deer completely and just move on?

(( Any questions or concerns, pm me and let me know. Happy Camping ))

 

[Mizushima Kita]

Entering the forest, Haniki raised her green flag before replacing it back with the other colored flags she was given. Lack of solid information was definitely a hurdle they'd have to overcome during this mission. Dusk befell the forest, the auburn light casting shadows in every direction. While Haniki had no fear of the dark itself, unfamiliar creatures were a bit of a different case. The girl hoped that nothing would be able to sneak up on them enough to spook her.

As a fawn stumbled across their path, Haniki gently came to a stop as she watched the small creature explore its own pathways. "It's just a baby," Haniki muttered to herself, observing out loud. "It's mother will be close, and not so fond. Do you think we should go around or higher up?" She asked Soku, not wanting the added pressure of a protective doe on their hands.

[1080/4000]

 

[Nanjirou Soku]

There was an unspoken tension in the air. It wasn't hostile per say, just the feeling that something was there, it was something you grew to expereince among years and years of seeing the worst things as they ventured deeper inwards. For the most part, the division was still intact and one would question why it took an armada of ninja to collect some medical herbs but the truth being, it wasn't just any medical supplies they were collecting.

These herbs would prove vital in aiding those surivors of the gate attack, some of who were fighting for their very life and the village's standing forces held a very strong bond so they had flocked like herbs to do all they could for their fellow comrades but as to whether they would be successful or not was another question, they would certainly give it all their all for something that seemed relatively straighforward.

The evening sky began to pepper them with darkness, it was not full dark yet but you could still make out the outliens of the moon and soon, they would have rely on some other means of visiblitys to them. "I packed some lanterns before we set out, try not to lose them. Use them sparingly, they won't last us forever and I hope to be out of here by then."

Hope and what would actually happen was another thing altogether.

They stumbled upon a deer, a fawn at best as it stuided them for a moment or two before continuing on it's merry way, a herbivore this far in the forest? She knew deers and those more prone to getting snatched up usually typically stuck to the forest border having learned to stay well away from the depths for obvious reasons although occasionally, you had one daring bold one who hadn't learned it's lesson.

Still, it gauged Soku' interest as she tilited her head.

"We follow."

Soku said simply taking the green flag again from it's pouch waving it in a series of complicated patterns that she hadn't told Haniki yet, there had been too little time to take her through every single page of the flag formation manual the Journeyman unit had adopted and in response, the shimmering green flags responsed mimicking the patterns Soku had just waved.

She nodded in approval.

The message had been relayed to split the division in two, one half would break off to fan out and secure the area in which the deer was heading while the other was heading in their present direction. Soku just hoped it wouldn't lead to any unwelcome surprises as she tightened her grip on her blade.

"Come on then, but stay well back. We don't want to spook it.." She said leading the way, it came as second-nature for Soku having served much of her career in the ANBU, her footwear making practically no sound shimmering in and of existence as she ghosted between the trees pausing every now and then to look back at Haniki and making sure she wasn't straggling behind and offer helpful tips when she could.

"When you step, do so with the front portion of your feet. Your sole is heavier and will make more sound when you walk."

 

[Mizushima Kita]

Haniki was a little surprised with the direction Soku decided to take, but didn't question. She was well aware that they had a million times more experience than her and saw things that she simply couldn't yet. Slowing her pace to follow the faun, Haniki did her best to adjust her eyes to the fading light. The lantern would most definitely help, however as a finite resource it needed to be used sparingly if at all. Haniki did not want to be responsible for their lack of light when needed farther into the night. She didn't want to be responsible for anything that could hinder the operation despite the fact that her being there was a hinderance in itself.

Soku took the green flag, speaking in their own code via motions. The message itself was unclear, but Haniki could feel the obvious change in motion from the other parties. Trees passed them one by one as they essentially flew from branch to branch. It was remarkable the way that if Haniki hadn't been watching Soku so closely, she probably wouldn't even know they were there. Another shinobi to inspire hard work and training, the same as Daiji-sensei with her classmates. She wished so much that she had been a part of that exciting class, however she knew she wouldn't have the same sentiment if she actually were there to begin with.

Haniki listened to Soku's advice, giving a nod in response though it may not be clearly seen. She put her toes first. . . and immediately tripped over the next branch. She let herself push into the fall, catching hold of the large branch to hoist herself back up. A breath held too long escaped her, trying very hard to not make too much noise. "Maybe I'll practice that another time," She said in a strained whisper as she got back to her feet to continue following.

[MFT - 316][1396/4000]