Hunting Party (C-Rank Mission)

Aristocrat Off Track (C-rank Mission)

Zeo was finally back on his feet and insisted to do a mission. After the events of the Chunin exam, he was determined to do better and become stronger-- now that he had awakened the hidden power of his family heritage. The mystical and mysterious Uchugan, or so he heard it called. While still discovering it, now that he was aware of what he was and what he had, he was able to arrest a degree of control over his abilities, instead of using them on instinct.

For now, he was to investigate something serious. A missing member of the Haven royal family, a diplomat it seemed. He was supposed to report in but never showed. Something happened to him, and he was on point to help find him. Still, Zeo wasn't sure how he would go about it. His abilities had no ground in 'sensing' targets. He had yet to learn any major sensory jutsu yet, and that was something to consider, but someone with that kind of ability would be helpful.

For now he had left the gate and was investigating the area where he was last seen-- a travel town on the border. He was welcomed and entered, and looked for the place the missing diplomat had been. If he was lucky, he could find a clue, or someone would have seen him. Zeo asked around in general of the populace but no one had seen him. Then again, the man might of been in disguise with some guards.

Either way he needed an extra hand to discover a way to find this missing person.

WC: 269

Loghain was sitting in his cabin eating a plate of eggs when a knocking on his door disturbed his meal. Such felt like a normal occurrence, the village making use of his skillset on more and more official missions beyond just removing undesirables from the borders. The wolf would open the door, the messenger handing him an envelope and vanishing with immense speed. Shaking his head, the wolf would laugh to himself. He had to figure out how they managed to do that so quickly. Loghain would tear open the letter, scanning it for his objective. There was another noble found themselves lost in the borders. He would simply rub his temples, questioning why he was doing this. If these nobles couldn’t survive out here on their own... no, best not to go down that train of thought.
 
The young wolf would get dressed, wearing a pair of baggy dark breeches and a loose fitting grey shirt. He would tie his cloak to his waist, knowing it was best to have it just in case the weather took a turn for the worse. He was not a fan of having to travel in the rain, not in the slightest. He would make his way to the rendezvous point, looking for the other village shinobi assigned this task. It was a young man by the name of Zeo Kamigawa, which made Sebastian wonder if there was any relation to Ishi Kamigawa. He was fond of Ishi, so if this Zeo was a kindred spirit they would get along just fine.
 
The small town they were to meet at was… well, it wasn’t the greatest place to call home. Bandits seemed to regularly wind up here, shaking down those unable to protect themselves from such treatments. Paying for shinobi to come and remove the bandits would be the smart choice, but most of these people would never see that much money at one time in their lives, and even if they pooled funds together it seemed like a new band of brigands would quickly take the formers place. It was truly an unfortunate cycle for these poor souls.
 
There was a young man, asking townsfolk about something that was making them shake their heads and walk away. Blue hair? Check. Unfamiliar symbol on the back of his jacket? Check. Looking very out of place here? Check. The wolf would approach, hailing his comrade. “Greetings. Zeo, I presume? I’m Loghain” The wolf would offer a hand, letting the teen shake it if he so chose. If not, Loghain would simply shrug it off. After introductions were out of the way, his deep voice would shift to a subtler tone. “Few basic questions. Have you found any leads yet? And did they give you anything of the nobles? Anything of his that might carry his scent?” It may have been an odd request, but his keen nose may be able to track just where the man of high birth but low sense might have gone in this small town. Places like this didn’t often attract those sort of people, unless they were here with bad intentions to do some questionable things. The why of course didn’t matter much, as they had their orders. Maybe the wolf was judging the highborn too harshly. Perhaps he was kidnapped on the road and dragged here against his will. Only time would tell.

WC:565

It was dead ends so far as Zeo was asking people questions, and had no real clues where to find the target, or his kidnappers. Despite awakening to new powers, he had limits. Even with chakra sensory skills, it was limited since he never met the target or knew how to find him. He likely was abducted by shinobi, who knew what they were doing for the most part in how to cover up their tracks. A heavy sigh escaped Zeo as he tried to clear his head and think how he was going to find the kidnapped noble.

A voice soon struck his nerve as he turned, calling him by name! He blinked and turned, seeing a rather tall, darkly shaded man approach him. He seemed... scary by initial appearance but direct. Had he not had a Hoshigakure headband like he did, he would of suspected him. He introduced himself as Loghain, and somewhat, Zeo;'s concern for him dropped. "Um... Hi there, Zeo replied, seeming on guard as he met the new shinobi. "Nice to meet you. Um, no, I haven't been able to find any trace or hint of him. If we did, I could help find him too. But sadly, no trace and no witnesses. " Zeo replied, unsure what the next step would be.

The hotel, the path they took, still was unclear if they could find them. "If we can't find the trace of the target, we would need a hint of the kidnappers... but they seemed to be shinobi too. NOt likely to leave anything behind either."

A grunt of frustration came from Zeo as he realized few people would know of the noble's whereabouts. But what of his guards? Didn't he have any security at all?

WC: 296

After the introductions were out of the way, Zeo would inform the wolf of the unfortunate lack of leads. The wolf would simply shake his head. "No trace at all, nobody saw or heard anything... I'll be honest, this seems suspicious." He would follow the young shinobi, curious as to the situation he found himself in. Either this young shinobi was a great deal more advanced than the wolf expected, or he was currently without a proper handler. The village allowed the wolf to do this mission without a leash? Or perhaps it was a test, aiming to see how he handled knowing that the only person here to keep himself in check was... well, himself. 

"This place isn't very large, we might be able to simply search the whole area top to bottom." It probably wasn't a great suggestion, especially if the noble was being held against his will. Such a task would take time, which honestly didn't seem like something they had an abundance of if they wanted to ensure the safety of this man. "Nah.. that might take too long." Pondering for a moment, the wolf would try and figure out a game plan, "He had to have had an escort of some sort, right? No noble worth his salt would venture into the border villages without some sort of protection." Loghain would glance around, looking to see who all may have been around them. Most were giving a wide berth, having little to no desire to interfere or get caught up in their investigation. "If he was taken forcefully, there would have to be signs of a fight somewhere. Of course, if his hired guards handed him over willingly that rules that out, but then I would imagine they would still be around. If I had to guess, they would be spending their recently earned coin at the local tavern." 

The wolf would glance over at the Kamigawa, asking a simple question. "What are your thoughts?"

wc: 330

The boy was at a loss, but one thing did come to mind. They were wandering around while the original guards, the loyal people who had joined the noble to begin with must of been around. He should have checked there first. Telling his companion about the original request, they headed for the inn where the guards would have been stationed.

***

Upon their arrival, they soon found them-- the original guards who called the emergency request. They were grateful and respectful to the two shinobi, identifying them immediately from their headbands. After the formal greetings were done, Zeo spoke up. "From what I understand, the ones who took the noble knew what they were doing. Where and when was the last place you saw him? Did anything out of place happen beforehand that would suggest any dangers or threats?" Zeo asked, figuring the guards could piece together the events of last night.

"I'm afraid not. The thing is we took shifts, due to the late hour. For the most part, he went into his room, and never left. We had been keeping watch from the door as well as outside. No one got passed us. We only realized the next morning."

Zeo realized the room was the only clue. They had to inspect it. "Can we see the hotel room please? With any luck we can catch a trail in there."

Their arrival up to the hotel room seemed normal as was the general hallway. No sign of a break in or struggle. Things were just not adding up. The room-- room 126, didn't look out of the ordinary.

"The cleaning staff has not come in yet. We kept them out till you would arrive but still... nothing seemed out of place." one of t he guards said.

"If shinobi were involved, they may of masked their trail to make nothing stand out." Zeo mused as he looked around.

WC: 321

Loghain would listen to the guards, going over their story in his head over and over. Nothing was out of place? And they watched the door all night in shifts? The noble had to get out somehow, either escaping by the window or by the door they were supposedly protecting. "Were there any windows of time where there was not a guard stationed outside of the door?" He would ask, trying to rule out possibilities. If there was opportunity for someone to slip by during shift change or the like, it would help build a case in his head as to why these guards had nothing to do with it. Of course, if no such event could happen then it meant that if the front door was used, one of these guards was in on it. Of course, their mission was not to solve some sort of mystery about who did this. They were here to find the noble and get him to safety. Loghain would have to keep his suspicions to himself, especially since he could feel the fury building within him. If anything escalated it would be very bad for all parties involved, not to mention this whole town.

The cleaners hadn't come, which meant there was opportunity to catch the scent of the noble on something here. Used sheets, or a left behind item of clothing. Anything that he had contact with enough to rub his scent on. As the wolf entered the room he would immediately begin to sniff at the air, looking for any lingering scents, particularly that of blood. There was nothing, meaning that a struggle was very unlikely. The guards were right, nothing was out of place. It was clean... almost too clean. The noble seemed to leave nothing behind, so the young wolf would have to resort to finding the scent on the bedding. He would lift the pillow up to his nose, inhaling deeply. There was something there for certain, almost a sweet scent like that of flowers or... or perfume? Loghain would sniff again, making sure that he was getting this right. "I think I got it." He would say quietly to his Kamigawa companion. His suspicion of those sworn to protect the man didn't waiver, so he would avoid tipping them off just in case. "Nobles often mask their natural scent with oils and perfumes. I caught a bit of it, and I imagine that I can follow it to wherever he may be. And if he was taken, some of that scent might have also rubbed off on the culprits as well, should you desire to bring them to justice." He had gotten what he needed, and so as long as Zeo was on board he would begin his trek to follow the scent. 

The scent led them to a warehouse, and the noble's wasn't the only one there. He could pick up at least two other scents beyond what he suspected to be the noble. If it was time for a fight, the wolf was ready. He would look to Zeo waiting for the go ahead to make their move on the building. "Fast or quiet?" He would whisper.

wc:532

Zeo realized that this man was skilled in sensory of some sort, as he caught the scent of the noble himself from what remained in the room. Zeo was about to touch something when he turned to him and he whispered.

Something about this was troubling him, as the bodyguard was one to accompany them to see to the noble's safety. Something didn't seem right. How did the noble get taken anyway? Finding him seemed too easy. He would only hope they could get answers. At Loghein's whisper, Zeo came out of the clouds of his thoughts for "Fast or quiet"?

Zeo composed himself and focused on the mission. He had to put his own worries aside, but still... "We go in quiet. We have no idea what the enemy is capable of. For all we know the noble is in great risk. We need to assess things first before we take any action. Don't make any moves unless your 100% certain you can recapture the target without incident, got it?" Zeo asked. His t one was a bit more... authoritarian than intended, but he was right. It was too quiet for a warehouse that was inhabited by kidnappers.

"I will cover the rear. Give me a signal to let me know to enter when its safe to enter" . the most eager of the guards said.

Zeo felt a bit uneased by the guy. Something was a bit out of place. With a deep breath, Zeo separated from Sebastian so they could enter separately and meet inside.

As the guards stood watch on the north end, they soon saw bubbles floating in around them. At first, they were concerned about the stray bubbles, but the irredentist color and slight pop of some made t hem look at them with enjoyment. They became entranced by the pleasing bubbles, but it was more than just bubbles. From hidden by a tree, Zeo cast the bubbles-- in truth a genjutsu that made them all giddy by looking at the bubbles. With the bubble pipe in hand, and the guards easily under hypnosis from the bubbles, he was able to stroll through. A few minutes and they would be fast asleep.

The rest of the guards in the hall were easy to subdue as well, putting them into bubble sleep as well as he walked by. Zeo was proud of his use of genjutsu, allowing him to do anything he could put his imagination to without harming anyone.

He soon entered the chamber cautiously, using "Silent Footsteps" jutsu to be soundless as he reached the chamber and opened it-- to find a man tied up and seemingly asleep.

Wherever Sebastian was, he probably had his own way in, but Zeo soon approached the man. "Sir? Sir?" Zeo whispered harshly to try and rouse the noble, but he wouldn't budge. Zeo explained him but he didn't seemed drugged... however, he did recognized something. He was out of it...

... he too was under a genjutsu as well. Damn... he is under a genjutsu too? Someone among t he bandits must be skilled at genjutsu too but whom? he thought.

Reaching to the Duke, he kept a hand on his mouth to keep him quiet and soon ran his chakra into him-- snapping him out of it. "Release."

The duke soon blinked and went to move, but Zeo held him fast with his hand over his mouth to keep him quiet. "Sir, i need you to calm down. We're shinobi from Hoshigakure and we're here to rescue you. Please be quiet and work with us." Zeo said as he removed the hand from his mouth-- and took out a kunai to start cutting the noble free.

WC: 624

Loghain would accept the stealthy direction that his companion wanted to go. Zeo might have been younger than Loghain was, but in reality the kid was probably the more experienced of the two... at least as far as shinobi training went. Nodding, the wolf had agreed and split with Zeo so that they could each try to gain entry from different points. This would allow the pair to capitalize on the situation should the other person alert the culprits and trigger the alarms. 

The wolf would sniff, aiming to detect targets relative locations prior to finding himself in the warehouse. He couldn't detect any more scents, meaning that either the targets could hide from his nose or there weren't any others in the vicinity. The wolf would try a side door, finding it surprisingly unlocked. Opening it, there would be a small sounds as the hinge squeaked and the flooring bent under his weight. Not exactly stealthy, but he didn't think anyone was around to capitalize on his misstep. 

The warehouse was big, and relatively empty. Zeo could be seen entering into a room, and Loghain would keep watch as lookout. A whiff of something unusual hinted at his nostrils. The scent of... apples? The wolf would quickly look around, finding a target sitting in the rafters of the building eating a delicious looking red apple. The person had no scent? No, they were somehow masking it. That means they had to be shinobi trained. No common thug could hide their scent from the wolf. His suspicions were confirmed when the figure formed a hand seal. 

Loghain expected an attack, but instead the shadowy figure would vanish. Perhaps they already completed their objective. 

If Zeo exited safely with the noble Loghain would assist however he could, even if it meant carrying the pampered Duke. It would be a long trek back to Hoshi, but their task was completed. What was more concerning was that figure that vanished. Who were they, and what did they want? Perhaps an investigation for another day. 

Once at the gates of Hoshi, Loghain would make his leave. "It was a pleasure working with you, Zeo. Should you find yourself in need of a tracker in the future, feel free to request my aid." And with that said the wolf would head towards his cabin. 

---Possible exit unless interrupted---

wc:389
TWC: 1816

Mission Complete

Mission Claims:
4,000 Ryo / 20 AP

1000 wc towards Temp. Paralysis C rank
500 wc towards Throat Chop
250 wc towards mastering Gen Release
36 AP

The recapturing of the noble was simple, but too easy for Zeo. Something wasn't right? By the time they both entered, the guard who had joined them ran in as well. "Thank god, you're both alright. I'm glad that you're both alright. " He said as he brought in the rear as Sebastian joined them. Zeo tried to sense of anything was going on, but luckily he didn't detect any other shinobi around. Even as he helped the noble get up, he couldn't sense any distrust. He gave the follower a good look. He half expected the man himself to be the traitor, the one who had helped kidnap the noble himself. However he showed nothing but sincerity and was glad to get the noble back. ALl things the mission was as good as finished. They moved the noble out of the house in which he cooperated and was well enough to continue on foot. He was not harmed and needed no medical attention. Zeo would have figured he would have been in worse shape, but the Genjutsu he fell under kept him from experiencing most of the abduction.

But where was the one who put it upon him? The only option was that the perp had in fact fled the moment they arrived. In which case, the kidnapper may still be at large. But right now, the priority was the safety of the noble. With that in mind, Zeo just kept a sharp eye out and escorted them all back to town.  They were able to return him and now under safe care, but Zeo would have to report the kidnappers were still at large, or at least their ringleader while the rest was incapacitated.

As they collected their reward and such, Zeo had his goodbyes to the stranger of a shinobi. He didn't know much about him but he did learn he had the trait to use the sense of smell to find his prey. He must of been a taijutsu specialist-- those who can harness their senses to the fullest to detect targets and enemies. It was a useful talent to possess.

TO Zeo the day felt lackluster. Perhaps his motivation was a bit low, but he was glad he could complete the mission and serve as a star shinobi. With a deep breath, Zeo let go of the fact the threat was still out there , and returned to the village. There he would report his findings and another team would help cover guard duty to the noble. At least for now the threat was gone and they could focus on what matter most-- keeping him safe.

It was an odd feeling, but Zeo felt he would find that sneaky ninja soon...

As he returned to the village, a shinobi hid in the shadows. His cover was blown but he got to see the skills of two shinobi in action from the village. While his plans to capture the noble were thwarted, he now had a new curiosity for the blue-haired ninja and the others of the village. WHat took him of interest was the technique he saw Zeo perform, a bubble jutsu that was able to hypnotize his minions. He made his rescue bloodless and the werewolf ninja didn't perform badly either. But he took interest in Zeo, for being smart so young. He would keep an eye of things, now he was in the vacinity of Haven country.

ENd of mission:

WC: 575
TWC: 2085

Rewards: 4k Ryo, 20 AP (if i can get any more with new cap rules)

Unlearning : 2062 WC to unlearn Cero A rank (discount for max stats) and learn in place of Rasengan Rank A 2750 WC > 2062 (discount for max stats)

Approved