Find Ryu! [complete]

[The Heron]

Name: Ryu, the Animal Hunter
Rank: C
IIC Length: 2 Days
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Description: A young boy by the name of Ryu, Shingsuei has went outside of the village to look and search for some wold animals that may be roaming about. At first his mother thought it was funny but now finds that it troubles her. Especially after he has been gone for five days. She fears that some animals may have gotten to him. Let's hope that is not the case. Go find Ryu and bring him back safely. There is no telling where he could be.
Objective: Return Ryu safely.
Reward: 1,500 Ryo

Arc One: Miss Ryu, the Widow

Hiromasa exited the Mizukage tower with a pep in his step, head held high with pride. No substantial sunlight assaulted his pale face, blocked by the low lying clouds and mist that plagued Kirigakure. There was, however, a faint, cool breeze that started up every now and again, very irregular, but rather soothing. It blew softly against his thin white sleeveless tunic, causing goosebumps to break out over his uncovered arms.

He could hear civilians milling about, and without even looking, knew that whatever they were doing was worthless. They were civilians, after all. He had a mission today; to find and return Ryu Shingsuei, a little boy who'd wondered into the forest nearly a week prior and hadn't come back since. In his professional opinion, Hiromasa thought the child dead. the mother, however, was paying him fifteen hundred ryo to find her child; dead or alive, he would find him Failure was not an option. Not out of any true concern for the boy; quite the contrary. A failure would be a bleak, black stain upon his record, sullying whatever reputation he'd managed to build.

His feet found the path to the Ryu residence; a small, unobtrusive cottage on the outskirts of the village, it's backyard hugging the forest. Plastering a easy, polite expression on his face, Hiromasa knocked on the door, adjusting his collar at the faint, "Just a minute!"[/font][/blockquote]

[The Heron]

A woman answered the door, her hair disheveled, with thin, dried streaks of eyeliner running down her face. Some of the streaks were slightly smudged, as if she'd tried to hurriedly wipe them off. Her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy; she'd been crying.

"Can I help you?" She asked, voice wavering.

"Hello miss." Hiromasa spoke softly, his tone designed to ease the woman's raging emotions. "My name is Kawashima Hiromasa." He pointed a spindly finger towards the mist insignia on his built. "I'm here to find your son."

The woman's gaze grew hopeful. Tears leaked out of her eyes in rivets; with a sweeping gesture, she beckoned him into the house.

- - - -

"...And he hasn't returned." Ms. Ryu finished. Hiromasa handed her a tissue to wipe her nose; she turned thankful eyes up to him, grabbing the object and blotting her face. "It's been five days now... I... I don't know if..." She trailed off, unable to finish.

"Don't worry miss." Hiromasa assured, " I know these lands; I will find your son." He leaned close to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling in reassurance.

"Kami bless you," Ms. Ryu returned. She sniffed, regaining her composure, and looked about for something to do. "Are you hungry? You should eat befo-"

"No, no, no." Hiromasa cut her off, waving his hands in decline. "I'm fine." He stood up from the table he'd been sitting at, backing towards the door. "I'll be back with your son soon, Ms. Ryu. Don't you worry."

He stopped at the door, a thought flitting into his head. "Do you have anything with his scent on it?" he asked.

Ms. Ryu nodded, walking over to the couch and grabbing a piece of cloth. "It's his hankerchief," was all she said.

And with that, he was gone.

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[The Heron]

An hour had passed since the young lad had spoken to Mr. Ryu. Daylight had yet to wane, and as such, the usually menacing shadows of the forest were naught but mere annoyances. The trees grew tall all around him, looming high into the sky. The ground was littered with twigs and fallen leaves. The ground was moist, and extremely fertile; from the smell of it, a river or stream of some sort was nearby.

Hiromasa had spent many hours traveling throughout the forests of Mizu no Ki; as a child, younger even than the child he searched for now, he'd traversed these very lands day in and day out, walking from his family home to the village academy. He'd grown very familiar with the terrain; hopefully, that knowledge would assist him in his mission.

"Were could he be..."

He wandered aimlessly, refraining from using his summon to help him find the child; for now at least. He didn't want to bother with Kaniwakai, and he hadn't cultivated much of a relationship with Kanizurai. He supposed that she had to like him, at least a little, since her father had been so fond of his mother, and, as Kaniwakai had pointed out, they were very much alike.

Identical, was her word.

Shaking his head ruefully, Hiromasa got back on track, and focused on the task at hand. The boy could be anywhere! He paused for a moment, tilting his head in thought.

He would have to be in a secluded type of area, or else the shinobi patrols would've found him by now. The same goes for if he were dead... He's probably not on the path to Mashimuzu, for the same reason. Someone would've found him.

He sighed. It seems he would have to summon companion to help him.

[The Heron]

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Hiromasa exclaimed, slamming his palm down onto he ground. His chakra left him, drained from his body as a complex seal array spread out from the impact of his hand. There was a puff of smoke; it faded away to reveal a seven foot tall crab, smooth and streamlined with big blue pearls for eyes.

"Hello Hiromasa." Kanizurai greeted, her voice soft and melodius.

"Kanizurai." He returned, nodding respectfully. "I need your help with something." He held up the strip of cloth that held Shingsuei's scent. "I need to find a boy, and his scent is on this."

"Hold it by my nose." Kanizurai ordered.

Hiromasa acquiesced, holding the cloth up to her nose. She took a deep sniff, her stalked compound eyes swiveling around in every which direction.

"East." She said after a moment of deliberation. "Go east."

"Can I ride you?"

"... sure, why not?"

Hiromasa hopped atop her back, using chakra to retain his grip on her smooth shell.

"Your mother used to ride my father the same way," she began, trotting along, her spindly legs clattering hurriedly against the ground.

[/font]

[The Heron]

Summon and summoner came upon a swamp. It was thirty meters wide and long, set into a copse of thin, dying trees. Fist sized dragonfly's zipped to and fro above the infested water, just out of reach of the frogs sitting atop the lily pads. A scant hour had passed since Hiromasa set about his mission. Kanizurai had followed Shingseui's scent from the village to this point, where the scent disappeared. Hiromasa hoped the boy hadn't drown; he'd have to go in and get the body.

"What now, Hiro?"

Over the past hour, Kanizurai had taken to calling him Hiro, instead of his full name. He didn't mind; of the two crabs he could summon, Kanizurai was far more pleasant to be around. If Kaniwakai ever called him Hiro... he'd probably kick her.

"... The trail just ends?" The white haired genin questioned from his spot atop the her back.

"Yes... no. It... changes. Another scent is overpowering it."

"Do you recognize the scent?"

"... no." She finally admitted. "But it is amphibious. And big.."

"Bigger than you?"

"... possibly, but probably not."

"HEY!" A young voice screamed.

Hiromasa's head snapped up, and Kanizura's stalked pearls followed. A thirty feet above them, in the highest branches of one of the few healthy trees in the are was Shingsuei. From what they could see, he was covered in filth, and looked more than a little terrified.

"Help me! There's a giant frog!" The boy screamed.

"Hold on!" Hiromasa answered back. "I'll be up there to get you in a second." He turned his attention back to Kanizurai.

"Giant Frog?"

"A man eating bullfrog, most likely. Nothing that I can't handle. In fact, you could handle it on your own with your eyes closed, but that is the difference between shinobi and civilians."

"Aww, you're just buttering me up." He replied, sliding down off her shell. He walked to the tree, then proceeded to walk up it, reaching the frightened Shingseui in only a few seconds.

"Hold on tight." Was all he said before he grabbed the child and slid down the tree, allowing gravity to work its magic.

"Now that we are here," Kanizurai started as they landed, "the frog will most likely come back."

Hiromasa didn't reply, instead sliding the child upon Kanizurai's back.

"Let it come. We'll have frog for dinner."

And come it did. Leaping forth from the swamp it appeared, massive and menacing. Hiromasa wasted no time, coating the frog in highly flammable viscous oil.

"Burn." He said, shooting a small gout of flame from his mouth. The thinest of fire flickers attached itself to the frog, erupting into a great roast.

"Wow." Shingseui uttered tiredly.

"Come on kid, let's get you back home."

And they were off, back to the village.

||EXIT||

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