A troubled Noble

Mission specs:

Stat page:

The smoke of a cigarette could be seen filling the air at the village gates of Hoshigakure. Responsible for this not so healthy behavior was none other than Land of Haven's most handsome redhead, Akaboshi Uzumaki. Still maintaining his habit of only smoking once a day the Jounin would stand there waiting for his companion to arrive. Unfortunately it didn't seem like they were going to be able and have a nice relaxing day considering the reason as to why he was summoned. Apparently a member of Hoshigakure's nobility had gone missing. They were supposed to have arrived days ago, returning from a trip out of country but since they didn't it became obvious something went wrong. From what he could gather their last known location was the border into Haven and now it would be up to them to locate the noble and bring them back to the village safely.

Throwing the cigarette on the ground before putting it out with the bottom of his boots Akaboshi wondered if the two of them would be enough or if they needed to gather a bigger search party. Perhaps his partner who still had to show up would be able to give his thoughts on the matter. The Jounin stared into the distance, looking for a sign of his good friend Loghain who should have been informed that his skills were needed in order to complete the mission. It wouldn't be the first time the two of them worked together, their most recent endeavor being taking care of a shinobi who had killed one of his own. It was safe to say both men possessed quite the teamwork indeed. 

(WC: 278)

Hiroshi's hands reached down and grabbed him by the collar. The Griffin felt like he was outside himself. He watched himself drag Rune into the bush and beat him down to the grass, the dirt, and the fallen tree branches. Rough fists cluttered his face and put a hole in his stomach.

The boy cried and begged for the Red Griffin to stop, his voice trembling. “Don’t kill me, don’t kill me….”

The former Grimma Captain saw his eyes and made sure not to meet them, and he put his fists onto his nose to eliminate any vision his old comrade might have had. He was hurt, but  Griff kept going. He needed to make sure that he couldn’t move when the Jugo had finished the job.

“I can smell how scared he is. It pours out of him. It reaches up and stuffs itself into my nose."

He saw his eyes and made sure not to meet them – he doesn’t want to be associated with this. He is doing it out of duty, for his own survival and Rune's good. It’s not something he takes pleasure in. Part of him was even ashamed.

Griff did not want to be doing this. The tone is evident throughout that this isn’t something enjoyable or validating. It’s business. Business to earn his freedom. Hunt down the raiders that were hiding within the City with new identities. His former brothers were in arms, the one he raized and pillaged with the same land that now held him prisoner.

The mark seal burned at his chest as he walked out of the shadow of trees in the morning light. 

“The seal is mixed with explosion release. Try to flee or act unruly, and you are dead.” The cruel bitch had told him while wearing that hideous smile. “You know I'll find out.” People said Shina had eyes and ears everywhere and used some dark sorcery to spy on people. He wasn't about to find out if the rumors were true. The Berserker had seen that advanced element blow his former crew members to pieces and did not mean to join them.

He found his handler at the gates of Hoshi. Coincidentally it was that red-haired dipshit who had arrested him in that place not so long ago. He called himself Akahoshi or something. 

"The job is done. The clean-up crew will pick him up. What now?"

WC: 400

Much to his surprise Akaboshi noticed it wasn't the young wolf who showed up but a different kind of beast. "Oh well, he behaves like an animal so he might as well act as a good substitute for Loghain" the Uzumaki muttered under his breath. Even though Griff making his appearance came unexpected the red haired Jounin figured the higher ups must have had a reason as to why they decided to have Hiroshi be the one accompanying Akaboshi on the mission. "What do we have here? If it isn't my twin", the redhead could already predict more trouble would arrive now that Griff had joined.

Reaching in one of his side pockets Akaboshi took out the report before handing it to his fellow red haired pal. "I assume you can read?". In case the misfit wasn't up to speed about what needed to be done he'd soon find out about the missing noble and the task of returning him safely. "I suppose you were chosen because you're familiar with the surroundings. The noble's last location is mentioned in there, I'm sure you'll lead us there, won't you buddy?". With no time to lose the Jounin would urge Griff to start moving before having the misfit be responsible for leading the way.

Once they were out of the village and assuming Hiroshi was on his best behavior the Jounin decided to annoy the man by engaging some small talk. "You've never told me how you met Shina, you two seemed pretty close last time I saw you" he would refer to his female clan member. Grimma were involved, that much was clear but Akaboshi couldn't help but wonder about the past those two shared. The Uzumaki remembered the kunoichi requested his help in dealing with the remaining members keeping themselves hidden within the village walls of Hoshigakure and perhaps Griff could be of use considering his ties with the group.

Some time had passed when the red haired Jounin began to wonder how far away they were from the location described in the mission report. Trying to find the answer to this question he then turned to Griff, hoping the man would be willing to cooperate. "Any idea how close we are?". While awaiting a reply the Uzumaki scanned his surroundings in case he could pick up on something or someone that could lead them into the direction and possibly the whereabouts of the missing noble.

(WC: 406, TWC: 684)

"Might be all a parchment of lies." Griff scratched under his Auburn stubble. "If I had me a nice goose quill and a pot of  ink, I could write down that my member was long and thick as my arm, but that wouldn't make it exactly true." Griff knew the Haunted Woods like the back of his hands. His tribe knew things these civilized people had forgotten. And they used that to their advantage when a greedy merchant tried to take shortcuts, or a spoiled noble took up hunting as an excuse to escape his wife at home.

“There is no warrior that isn’t familiar with your spymaster, Jonin. Shina killed my brother during the siege of Haven nearly a decade ago now. And the siblings of hundreds of others through the plan she crafted.” The memory still haunted Griff to this day. A hidden Hoshi force had appeared that day and took the Grimma army in the rear, trapping them against the jutsu wall. There were prominent figures in their vanguard: Shina, Kyousuke Snow, and Harold Graymane amongst them.

“When my people’s situation was seemingly hopeless, my friend Rikke managed to restore order to the ranks, and a third of the force managed to break free, led by Grigg the Goat.” In that battle, most of the Grimma war chiefs were captured or killed. The Grimma who escaped capture fled into this very Forest, making their bases on abandoned forts. Many followed a wood witch who led them to the Abyss Ruins in the Shadow country, while hundreds more followed a warrior to the North shore where they sought salvation across the sea and the Land of Snow. 

“We’re close now.” The duo had moved deep into the forest engulfed in the pale mist of the morning, Griff’s sable trimmed cloak moving softly behind him. Griff did not need a magic eye to notice the bestial print across the stream. The former outlaw moved on the opposite side of the bank to examine the print further. Most definitely a beast of his kind. Griff looked closer, scouring the hard-packed earth until a second small crater identified itself. The redhead stepped closer and continued until he had a solid trail to follow. 

Before long, they had reached what appeared to be a battle scene. Arrows bows and broken blades. One such blade still had an arm attached to it, as if the spirit of the mangled man was still clutching it from the afterlife. 

“A bigger boar than what your nobleman expected, heh. We should have brought a canon with us.”

"Heeeeeeeeelp! The Wolf King attacks me!" Someone screamed. A good ten meters away, a ball of fur and ugliness loomed over a balding man in the green garments of the noble. The monster's own eyes were cat-blue, open but too focused on its meal. Griff crept as close as he dared. The dirt seemed to soften upon contact with his boots; before his knees jerked upwards, a burst of chakra and Griff was flying at the wolfman. The eyes of the nobleman caught him, and the man stopped screaming. 

"I'm sorry, did I break your concentration??"

The flesh on Hiroshi's arm began to shift mid maneuver, his fist growing enormous, almost too heavy to lift, for anyone that wasn't Hiroshi Jugo anyway. He smacked the ugly furball in the back of the head, its blue eyes shifting to white from the impact and blood spouted out from its nozzle, steaming in the cold morning air. A massive claw swung back at Griffin exchange that the Jugo narrowly dodged with a leaping backstep, landing next to Akaboshi.

“King of the wolves? Heh, King o’ my hairy ass, more like. This one is a mutt of his pack.”

WC: 624

As Griff explained Akaboshi would listen. Stories of Grimma and Shina's involvement in his brother's death. "We've all lost someone". Not to make it lose value but more to let Hiroshi know everyone had to move on at some point. The Uzumaki knew well how it felt continuing to live in the past, unable to look ahead. But eventually he needed to break free from the shackles holding him back so he could take a step forward towards the future. By then his fellow redhead informed him of how close they were, the Jounin's senses increasing and his guard kept up high in case something was amiss.

With Griff leading the way Akaboshi followed behind. The duo would eventually arrive at what appeared to be a battle scene, remnants of arrows, bows and broken blades left behind. A sudden yell for help alarmed both men of a potential danger nearby, Hiroshi leaping forward upon the mention of The Wolf King, a name well known in the Land of Haven. With his companion in mind the Uzumaki ran into the direction of the cry, hoping they would get there in time. Upon their arrival they would notice the troubled noble in quite the predicament. Fortunately it was no wolf, but a boar. 

As Hiroshi engaged the animal for a battle of the beasts Akaboshi motioned the noble to come standing next to him in order to maintain a safer distance between all parties involved. After dealing a damaging blow to the boar Griff would join the Uzumaki's side bringing himself out of harm's way. "I suppose I can finish it off". A spear made out of explosive chakra would appear above his head which would then be released towards the raging animal only to hit it right between its eyes. "Looks like I got you dinner for tonight" the redhead voiced with a smirk after eliminating the threat.

Now that they had located the noble and secured his safety it was time for the three of them to return to the village. "You have my thanks, I'll make sure to put in a good word with Shina. Who knows, perhaps this could be the start of a beautiful friendship". Assuming nothing else happened Akaboshi would begin making their return with a smile.

(Exit)

(WC: 1065)
Claims:
- 694 to finish mastering Chakra Chains (using max stat discount, 694 and 674 previously trained here and here)
- Mission rewards (4000 + 500 Jounin bonus ryo, 20 AP)

Approved

Griff smiled at Akaboshi’s comment as the fellow redhead blew a hole through the skull of the bora whose tusks had almost pierced Griff a second later. A technique Griff had not seen before, despite his experience in ninjutsu. It did not start from Akaboshi’s body but thin air above him. The privileges of being a village shinobi, high in the command, no doubt.

“Friendship, heh, gift me the ability to magic up spears from the air, and I'll see if I'm up to it.” He said and then looked at the parchment Akaboshi handed to him earlier. The letter was an alien language to him, but the money at the bottom wasn’t.

“I suppose the reward will suffice for now.” He said with a grin, showing a flash of pearly white teeth.

He walked into the city after collecting his bounty from a handler.  He realized then that Akaboshi spoke the most real words Hitoshi had heard in a while. Everyone loses someone. He understood the sentiment; the people of Hoshi lost kin to him. And he had lost to them. They looked at him weirdly and muttered to each other about what monster he was. They saw his name, the color of his skin, and they judged him an invader the moment he had walked through the door. He had not come here to invade, unlike his father haggis, Griff the goat, Sidgeid, and the rest of them. He had come in Hoshi with the tail behind his legs to hide from a monster that knew no mercy.

“So this is what honest pay for honest work feels like,” Hiroshi said, feeling the money in his pockets. The first dash he made without robbing someone. Well, he still had to cause physical violence to get it, but then again, his hands were made for this. He had found a ramen stand and cook a meal. A meal was bought and paid for with his own hard-earned money. Hiroshi Jugo felt satisfied but not from the food.

[EXIT]

WC: 338
TWC: 1361

Claiming with 25% max stat discount
1,125 to Shark Bullet
236 to Water Prison [236/1125]

- Mission rewards (4000 ryo, 20 AP)

Approved