Corrupted Correspondence [ private ]

Mission:

Spoiler:

Sanji was awakened by a knock at his door and an immediate summons to the Hokage's chambers. He took just enough time to get dressed, quickly slipping on his pants, boots, and cloak, as well as securing his ninja tool pouch to his waist with his belt that bears his forehead protector. Then he followed the one who asked him to meet in the chamber to discuss what he could only imagine was a mission of the utmost importance. It made him wonder why he was being selected for it, seeing as he was still just a genin, but he didn't ask such questions upon arrival. Instead he was handed a file, a rather hastily assembled one at that. It seemed that at least the bird always followed a prescribed route as given by its trainer so that it was easy to check for anything that might've obstructed a carrier bird along the given route. He briefly studied the map that showed this route before he abruptly bounded through the open window and back down to street level. It seemed that he was accepting the mission.

Sanji's powerful legs propelled him with great haste toward the village gate." Mission!" he says in a one-word response to the guards on duty before racing out of the village and down the path he had been directed to take, though with the winding nature of it he'd take even longer to get to the bird. Time was vital as he needed to stop it, preferably before crossing any borders, otherwise he might be opening a whole other can of worms on himself. Soon Sanji took to the trees, and leaped from branch to branch, following the roughly hewn cardinal direction that the path was supposed to take him on. This chase gave Sanji time to think about how he should proceed once he finds the bird. Obviously killing it was the easiest way, but that wasn't something Sanji was fond of doing, that animal was only doing its job and the link between trainer and bird was what alerted the village to the forgery in the first place. He wouldn't end the life of a faithful servant to the interests of the village for anything, so he came up with another plan. It would be risky, and wet, but it was the only way he knew that gave him a chance of not killing the bird in the process of intercepting it, as it certainly wasn't going to heed his calls.

The flapping of wings and the glint of metal caught his eye about 15 minutes later. Sanji's sharp gaze tracked the bird's location even among the distraction of leaf-laden tree branches occasionally obscuring his vision. He hoped dearly that what he had planned would work and preserve the life of this bird, for he had no other idea how to proceed, and no manner of bait to use to lure the bird down, if it would even come down for food. Ninja animals are very dilligent in their work, and these birds that carried vital messages from village to village were no different. Specially trained birds were of extreme value to the village, and that did factor in to Sanji's decision-making, but he didn't base his final plan on that. Sanji just didn't like killing anything, much less if it didn't deserve it. So he would proceed with extreme caution in dealing with this matter.

His first plan involved using a mirror he had stored in his pouch to reflect sunlight at the bird, as if that would do anything. The bird seemed unfazed, but still he thought maybe there was some extra system in place to recall a carrier bird other than releasing a jutsu he didn't even know, and it seemed he made a poor guess at it. It was then that Sanji realized nothing would do but the plan he came up with, and since the plan accounted for a river up ahead, it would at least lessen the chances of the bird plummeting to its death once Sanji did what he needed to do, should he fail in catching it. His hands began forming seals while he focused his mind on kneading chakra quickly - Dragon, Tiger, Hare - "Water Release: Wild water wave" he thought after executing the prescribed seals to direct his chakra in such a way, that when using two fingers next to his mouth as a catalyst for the chakra, and exhaling outward, he was able to propel a powerful jet of water from his mouth at the bird just above him. The bird squawked and tried to fly higher, but the jet of water was too much and it threw the bird completely off its flight. Sanji quickly raced to where the bird was falling and made a powerful leap up above the treetops, grabbing the bird before it plummeted into the river. That didn't stop Sanji from nearly taking a dip himself. He grabbed onto a tree branch at the last minute and held on, it snapped but it was enough to allow him to land safely on the ground below. The bird squawked again but it didn't seem to see him as a threat." Mission cancelled, time to head home." he said.

He preferred to hold the bird as he bounded through the trees, even deciding to wrap it in his cloak to keep it warm, seeing as it was wet it appreciated it, perhaps a little too much. The bird even had the nerve to make content cooing noises as if to mock Sanji. He could only guess that that was the carrier bird's way of saying 'It's so nice to have someone else to do the traveling for once." The very thought of which made Sanji laugh, and he even responded to the bird's unspoken statement." I suppose this is the least I can do for you, after all you work hard for the village, you deserve a break." said Sanji, the bird only looking at him with a light squawk. The rest of the trip back was peaceful and uneventful, though Sanji knew it wouldn't be long before he'd have to embark on a new journey, this time to investigate how and why the message got changed, and by who. Sanji delivered the bird back to the hokage's office and the scroll it held was taken away to be safely checked and opened should it contain any booby trap mechanisms for unauthorized eyes to suffer should they try to peek at its contents.

[ Word count: 1094 ]

Approved.