Capture the Pets (completed)

[The Heron]

Name: Capture the Pets
Rank: D
IIC Length: 1 day
Difficulty: Easy
Description: It seems that Mrs. Yamanagi’s pets have escaped again, and are roaming the village and country, causing trouble for civilians. Cats, dogs, birds and even a few rats are scattered about the area. Find them and return them to Mrs. Yamanagi.
Objective: Capture the animals and return them to Mrs. Yamanagi.
Reward: 700 Ryo
Can be repeated four times. (First attempt)

Mrs. Yamanagi

Hiromasa exited the Mizukage Tower with a bounce to his step, excited at the proposition of his first mission. There would likely be no fighting involved, but a mission was a mission - and besides, he’d be getting 700 ryo for finding Mrs. Yamanagi’s pets.

He idly hoped that she didn’t have many cats; he had a history with the feline creatures - a horrible, violent history, that included the premature death of a cat whose name he couldn’t recall. He had only been seven at the time, and going through his murderous faze (that he hadn’t grown out of).

The first thing on his mental “to do” list; find Mrs. Yamanagi and find out the exact number of species of pets missing. He didn’t know where she lived, but he did know she frequented the sushi bar in the eastern sector of the village. He headed there, ignoring the perpetual Mist that wrapped around him and chilled his skin. He rubbed his hand along his forearm, feeling goose-bumps rise; he glared at a leering man who probably thought he was a little girl, and his held temper when he saw another man drowning himself in sake.

“These civilians,” he said quietly, “are quite disgusting.”

Soon enough he stood before the sushi bar, “Ki Sakana” (Raw Fish), eyeing the patrons with narrowed eyes. Mrs. Yamanagi was a rather quiet, inconspicuous woman, with straggly brown hair and pale, wrinkled features… there! She was sitting next to another woman, who wore a robe of silk and had her dark hair tied up in a tight bun.

“Miss?” he uttered, stepping closer.

Mrs. Yamanagi turned around to face him, eyes lighting up as she noticed the mist band tied around his waist.

“Hello dear.” she greeted quietly, a soft smile on her thin lips. “You’re the poor soul they’ve enlisted to find my pets?” She sounded truly apologetic.

“Oh, no worries mam.” He said with a smile. “I’ll be just fine.” You should worry about your pets.

The robed woman sitting next to her turned around then, eyes narrowing with thinly veiled disgust. “Shinobi.” she spat.

He paid her no mind at all, not even a brief glance out his peripherals. Mrs. Yamanagi looked very uncomfortable at the woman’s outburst, glancing at her as she raised a hand to her lips.

“Mrs. Yamanagi?” Hiromasa ventured. “I just need to know how many pets you have, and when and where they got loose.”

“R-right.” she replied, appearing distracted. “I have four cats, two dogs, three birds, and two rats.” She stopped, and pulled a slip of paper from her pocket. A pen appeared in her other hand. She scribbled something on the paper, and handed it to Hiromasa. “That is my address. My eldest daughter should be there.”

Hiromasa was silent for a few moments, but she never elaborated. “Mrs. Yamanagi? When and where…”

“Oh! Right, right. Late yesterday, right after sundown.”

“Thank you Mrs. Yamanagi. I’ll have those pets back to you by tonight.”

He walked away without a backward glance, though he could hear the robed woman whispering violently.

”That’s the son of the b***h that killed my son!” He could just imagine the spittle flying from her mouth. Mrs. Yamanagi was pleasant enough, if a bit scatter-brained. He hoped the spit didn’t fall in her food.

[The Heron]

Kaori Yamanagi - Rats!

The walk to Mrs. Yamanagi’s house was rather short, spanning only a few minutes with his slow-paced, disinterested lope. He passed a few unimpressive shops, and one building still under-construction, before he reached a brief expanse of short, marsh grass. Mrs. Yamanagi’s home was built on the marsh grass; there was a dirt path leading up to her home, lined with bricks and exotic flowers.

The home only had a ground floor, but was wide, spanning many feet. He couldn’t tell what the house was made of, though he knew it wasn’t wood; in the moist conditions of Kirigakure, wood would survive longer than a year, at the most. There were two windows on either side of the door; there was a flash of a face in one of the window’s as he came up the path, and then the door opened, revealing Mrs. Yamanagi’s daughter.

“Hello.” She greeted. “May I help you?”

He looked around the yard before replying, his eyes catching a quick movement in the grass to his left. “Yes,” he answered distractedly, turning all his attention to the grass. “I’m here… about… the-” There! His hand darted out, curling around the squealing form of a plump rat. It tried to bite him, but he squeezed harder, and the struggling eventually stopped. The rats chest still rose with breath, so thankfully, he hadn’t killed it.

He turned back to the woman at the door, who looked at him oddly. “Pets.” He finished. “I’m here about the pets.”

Her eyes were blank for a second before they widened in recognition. “Oh! You’re a shinobi.” It was not a question. She glanced down at the Mist insignia engraved on his belt; the very built that housed his kunai.

“Yes.” He presented the dazed rat to her; she took it reverently, afraid to upset the poor creature, and slipped it into the pocket of her slacks, making a noticeable budge. “I need to see where the animals got loose.”

Now that there was nothing distracting him, he was able to take a good look Mrs. Yamanagi’s daughter. She wasn’t much taller than him, and had chin length brown hair cut in a bob. Her shirt was rather wrinkled, and a few sizes to big; more a makeshift pajama top than a true shirt. Her slacks stopped at mid-calf, and were so tight he was surprised the rat was able to fit in her pocket. She wore no shoes, and when his eyes drifted back up to her face, he noticed that one, she had a very nice chest, and two, she had a pretty, pleasant face. Her eyebrows were thin and dark, and her brown eyes large and expressive, showcasing her embarrassment.

“If you are quite finished!” She said, a slight red tint to her cheeks. Hiromasa only smiled. “I believe we should introduce ourselves before I let you in my home.” She looked at him expectantly.

“I am Hiromasa.” He said, giving a mocking bow.

“And I am Kaori. Now that that’s settled, follow me.” She turned around and entered the house. “Take off those shoes!” She yelled behind her.

He obliged.

[The Heron]

The Other Rat!

“This is where they got loose.” Kaori indicated a close in area of fencing just outside the back door. “Kaasan left the bird cage open,” she explained, nodding to the cage behind her in the corner, “and when she opened the door to let the dogs out, they bolted, and then everything else followed.”

“And the rats?” Hiromasa asked.

The back room of the Yamanagi home was sparsely furnished, and rather modest in size. The rest of the house, however, was very wide and open, with odd little knick-knacks here and there to give it a bit of flavor.

“I don’t know.” She replied, shrugging. “When I looked in their cage, they were gone. The door was open, of course. And I sure as hell didn’t leave it open.” She added in a whisper.

Hiromasa chuckles quietly, eyes scanning the expanse of the backyard. He doubted the animals were far; the birds and rats, at least. The cats, however, had probably wondered pretty far from their home. The dogs… the dogs were most likely still in the eastern sector of the village.

Kaori, just turned fifteen, as he’d heard, worked at a grocer’s down the street, helping her aging mother pay for utilities and such. Her father had been a merchant, but ditched them years ago. He didn’t know if she expected sympathy from him; not only did he not care, but she still had someone to care for he; he had no one. He didn’t mention it of course; he just nodded thoughtfully when she told him and continued surveying the home.

“Could you describe what they look like? The animals, I mean.” Hiromasa had looked away from the backyard, locking eyes with Kaori.

“You know, you look kinda’ like a girl.” She took three swift steps closer to him, leaning closer. “And your eyes… I’ve never seen violet eyes before. Is it some sort of ninja-technique.”

“No,” he answered, shaking his head.

“And how old are you, anyway?”

“Old enough to kill.” he replied, glaring at her.

She backed up abruptly, grinning nervously. “Right, sorry.” She looked away, seemingly haven forgotten about his question.

Are all civilians retarded? Hiromasa wondered. “Ah-em.” Kaori glanced at him, and he raised his eyebrows. “The pets?” Confusion. “What did they look like?” He asked slowly, as if talking to a small child.

Kaori didn’t take kindly to that, answering with anger in her voice. “Our dogs are both chocolate Labradors. They answer to whatever you call them, as long as the voice is familiar. One cat is a tabby, and orange, the other is a main coon, and she’s gray, and one is a little black cat with spotted eyes. Our birds are all male pheasants; big and colorful. And the other rat… looks exactly like the one you strangled!”

“So it looks dead?” He answered seriously.

“You… you…” Kaori was at a lost for words. This child was infuriating!

“I… I… have found your other rat.” He finished, his eyes catching a brown mass darting across the window seal. “Didn’t even leave the house.” he muttered, dashing forward and grabbing it before it could disappear. He didn’t squeeze this one, instead quickly tossing it to Kaori. The girl caught it out of reflex, glaring at Hiromasa as she petted and cooed at it.

"You're a little monster aren't you?" She asked him.

"Yes." He responded with a half-crazed grin.

It was fun being him.

[The Heron]

The Three Birds

Hiromasa walked deeper into the backyard; he had left Kaori at the house; she had somehow talked him into an apology, though it was insincere. The backyard bordered the edge of a small training area, consisting of a small bog surrounded by lush vegetation; not just trees, but thick bushes and weeds and vines that grew every which way, joining into a massive tangle of greenery.

The perfect place to find a pair of pheasants. It would be hard to transverse the thick jungle, so he instead opted to flush the animals out, if they did, in fact, venture into the training ground.

His hands flashed through three hand seals, tiger-dog-tiger, and breathed, "Raiu Karasu." Five ravens made of lightning phased into existence. They crackled with electricity, their caws reminiscent of loud sparks.

He directed them in a low swoop over the area, disrupting the wild-life and jolting the forest floor into life. Bushes rattled, frogs croaked, swamp water splashed and two pheasants came dashing from the undergrowth, trying to find and open expanse to fly from.

The five ravens converged on the two terrified pheasants, who squaked in fear. One dived into the ground behind the two birds, making them dart forward, closer to Hiromasa. The other four herded them in his direction. They saught refuge in the human, though he was unfamiliar, he smelled like one of their masters.

He scooped them up into his arms, contemplated "accidentally" killing one, but ultimately just returned them to Kaori.

Raiton – Raiu Karasu (Thunderstorm Raven)
Rank: "D" (only learned once)
Skill: Ninjutsu.
Effect: Creates ravens of lightning to attack your opponent.
Special: Tiger, Dog, Tiger
Drawback: Must be learned multiple times in order to truly master. The swallows dissolve if they pass out of forty meters of the user.
Description: The user forms the hand seals, creating ravens of lightning around them. The ravens are roughly two feet in wingspan. The ravens are comprised of pure electricity, and discharge into a shock of electricity when they strike an object. Each swallow discharges with a D rank shock. The user can control the motions of the swallows completely. When first learned, the user is only capable of creating up to five ravens at a time. Each time learned, the user can create an additional five ravens. When the user attains to capability of creating fifty ravens, the technique increases to a C rank technique, allowing for an additional five per training as usual. When the user reaches the capability of creating one hundred twenty swallows, the training becomes B rank. The user can create two hundred swallows, total, before they max out.
Limit: Must have Lightning Release.

[The Heron]

Here Doggy Doggy!

[/b]

Hiromasa only had to listen to the people he past to figure out where the dogs went. As he walked down the main street, he observed the civilians milling about, fussing and griping about two "damned-dogs" that were looting garbages and scaring children.

The people all faced the same direction he was walking, so he figured he was heading the right way.

He walked further along the road, leaving the eastern sector and reaching the southern district. The dogs had left a trail of pawprints in their wake, made from a collection of mud and crud that collected in garbage cans.

The smell was terrible.

He heard the first bark when he passed a tailor, and a quick succesion of yips when he stopped in front of an ice cream parlor. He gazed around the area, ignoring the civilians who were staring at him oddly, though some realized, after seeing his belt, that he was just searching for the wayward animals they had all seen.

He cut down an alley, the sound of barks growing louder.

[The Heron]

... continued

[/b]

He saw them, as he rounded the corner, huddled around a tipped over trash can, yipping and growling at each other as they argued over the food. He skidded to a stop, his sandals kicking up dust as he slid. The dogs glanced up, alarmed, and made to strike off, but he flashed through a couple of handseals and reappeared inbetween the two, latching a knot of ninja wire to easch of their collars.

Startled, the dogs just stared at him. He glared furiously, cowing them - they tucked their tails between their legs and started to whine.

Quickly, he led them back to Mrs. Yamanagi's house.

Shunshin no Jutsu, 瞬身の術, (Body Flicker Technique)
Rank: "C" Rank
Type: NinJutsu
Effect: This jutsu is a high-speed movement technique, allowing a ninja to move short distances at an almost untraceable speed. To an observer, it appears as if the user has teleported. This technique allows a user to move from one point to another at speeds double of their speed potential of up to ten meters.
Special: ---
Drawback The user is only capable of doing this three Times per day after learning it the first time. Each time learned the user is capable of going into this multiple times. Each time learned the user is capable using this technique an extra turn per day. If the user uses this technique more then stated, the user's muscles will cramp and render the user unable to run about and move period.
Description: This jutsu is a high-speed movement technique, allowing a ninja to move short distances at an almost untraceable speed. To an observer, it appears as if the user has teleported. A puff of smoke is occasionally used to disguise the user's movements. It is accomplished by using chakra to temporarily boost the user's reflexes. The amount of chakra required depends on the overall distance between the user and their intended destination.
Limit: User must have a Character.

[The Heron]

The Four Cats

[/b]

Hiromasa happened upon the first of the four cats as he lead the dogs back home, prowling silently along the top of a fence. He had the dogs "leash" in one hand, and since he didn't know one handed hand seals, he couldn't use a jutsu to goad the cat towards him.

The dogs were very reluctanct to follow him, so basically he was dragging them; circumstances not very conducive to him catching a cat... without killing it at least.

He'd just have to leave the cat behind and come back without the dogs; if he wanted the cat to still be there, he'd have to move fast.

"Come on you mutts." He growled, running towards the Yamanagi's home.

[The Heron]

...continued

He raced back to the fence, but alas, the cat was gone. He'd suspected it would happen; he'd always known the cats would be the hardest to catch.

He was turning away to head towards the outskirts of the village when a flash of tail alerted him that the cat was indeed not gone. It had only jumped down off of the fence.

"Bingo."

[The Heron]

The Last Hoorah

[/b]

Catching that first cat hadn't been all that hard; the little demon didn't even have the simple dignity to at least fake fright and run from Hiromasa. Instead, it had stared up into his face, meowed, and then slinked inbetween his legs, purring all the while.

When he returned it to Kaori, she had never seen a scowl fiercer.

Now Hiromasa was heading back towards the outskirts of the village, using his instincts, and the lack of birds landing on the ground, to find the other three felines.

He stumbled upon one just as accidentally as the first. It was standing in an alley between a butchers shop and an apartment complex. He approached it slowly, but just like the other cat, it didn't attempt to run. This one even leaped up into his arms!

He almost threw it to the ground in reflex, but he managed to stay his hand. However, instead of walking all the way back to Mrs. Yamanagi's home, he instead tucked the cat under one arm and used it's keening meow's to attract the rest of its brethren.

He had only been walking for ten minutes holding the purring sack of fur under his arm when two cats slinked from the shadows, purring and meowing equally as loud. He tucked one under his other arm, then nodded his head towards his shoulder. The last cat, the maine coon, jumped on his shoulder nearly toppling him. He stayed his ground, however, and when he dropped them off at Mrs. Yamanagi's, Kaori gave him a kiss on his cheek and sent him off.

The Mizukage would have his money.

[exit]