The Elephant in the Room

Mission:

The assignment today was far from what the young wolf had expected. The mission briefing files made it clear that he was to make his way into the Tachibana Wildlife Reserve to not only subdue a large endangered animal but also to assist in the identification and healing of whatever it was that was ailing it. Loghain was far from what one would call a proper medical shinobi trained in the healing arts, but he knew a thing or two. 

His trip from his cabin to the village was uneventful, the walk giving him time to think about the monumental task he had to deal with. Killing the animal, that was far simpler a goal. Very few creatures had hides that could withstand an attack from the werebeast's razor tipped claws. Knocking the creature out might work, but all it would take is one miscalculated attack and the creature wouldn't need to worry about its fatal illness any longer. Hopefully one of the other shinobi had better methods to subdue the creature or trick it into being docile. 

The wolf would find himself waiting at the rendezvous point, continuing to ponder what would need to be done. Perhaps a Genjutsu? 


wc: 200

Youta would receive a message from his team leader, Sebastian, to meet him for a mission in the reserve.  He would read the description of the mission it was about saving some animal from his illness but we had to come up with a way of either making it docile or some sort of paralysis. He was not what Sebastian's plan would be.  Youta has some genjutsu that might help but he is not sure if it works on animals but this could be a good experiment for it.  He likes to try new things but he does not always know when or what to try.  He has a lot he still needs to learn and to experience and he hopes that his time with his team will prepare him for whatever comes next in his shinobi career.  He would prepare all of his things and get ready for the mission.  

He would walk with his father to his work and then head off to meet up with Sebastian.  He would arrive in no time.  “Hey Sebastian, how is it going? Do you have any ideas on what would be the best course of action for sedation or have something that causes paralysis?  Just curious what you think might work best for this and saving whatever it is we are helping again.”

WC 222

Oh no! One of the great beasts in the wildlife reserve had been hurt by some of the fencings that protected it and were now on a rampage. Jun had spent a lot of time in the reserve with meditation and training and had seen a lot of the beautiful animals that inhabit it. Her spiritual sister Tsubaki had also done a lot of protection missions there and single handly formed some of the wildlife with her own amazing powers. There were a lot of connections to Jun that reserve and all that reside in it. So she was happy to see that her team was put on to help out this creature. 

Jun would arrive on time with the other members of Team Spring. They were formulating a plan to stop the beast and then address its issue. Youta brought up temporary paralysis, Jun nodded to that idea of stopping. "We want to be able to stop them without harm. I think temporary paralysis would work best. But we also need to track it down and see what kind of damage it's done already. Since Sensei can heal, I think he should help the creature with anything hurting it. I can check to see the collateral damage while you two do that. What do you think, Loghain sensei?" Jun was in professional mode, with her mind focused on the task on hand. Sure, she was sometimes a goof off and prankster, but this mission was serious. Lives were at stake. 

WC: 251

The others had arrived at the meeting point, both of whom were members of Team Spring. It was always good to complete missions with your team, as you all had a feel for what the others were capable of. Plus, growing together as a team allowed the members to develop skills that helped amplify one another. A well formed and properly functioning team was far greater than the sum of its parts.

"Good to see you both." The wolf would offer with a nod before addressing their points. "I think that you guys are right. Paralyzing the beast would likely prove the safest method of incapacitating it." Loghain knew that he was capable of using the temporary paralysis technique, but this was a good time to see if the others also had such a capability. "Do either of you have access to any techniques that could handle this task?" He figured that Youta being more experienced would likely have the Temporary Paralysis technique in his arsenal, especially since he was a ninjutsu specialist. This wasn't to discredit, Jun, of course. The wolf simply had a better understanding of his longtime teammate and his capability. Jun was new to the team and still gave off the feeling of being a bit green. But who knows, maybe she has something in her repertoire that fills such a niche. 

"Tracking the beast should be a simple task," Loghain would say aloud, knowing that his keen nose could detect most things. Couple that with his aptitude for hunting and tracking and this 'prey' didn't stand a chance at avoiding detection. Jun offered to check for collateral damage, a task that the wolf hadn't fully considered. A rampaging animal likely would have caused damage, though he wasn't entirely sure what would have been damaged. Any type of fencing or barriers surrounding an animals habitat should be at least capable of withstanding violent attempts on it from whatever it houses. Or at least he hoped that was what the designers had in mind. Hopefully he wouldn't find out later that this place was designed by anyone by the name of John Hammond...

"Once we find the animal, Jun is right, I should have no difficulties healing it of any basic wounds it has. Jun will check for damages, and Youta will provide support to keep the beast under control." He would offer them the chance to speak up with any other suggestions that they might have had, "Does anyone have any objections to this plan of action? I am always open to suggestions." Once they were all ready for their respective tasks, they would head out and begin.

Loghain would follow large tracks left in the dirt, the creatures scent and a faint coppery smell of blood hanging in the air. Whatever had harmed the beast was causing it to bleed, or perhaps it hurt itself on something in its rampage. The pair would find themselves closing in on the beast, a massive figure could be seen at the edge of their vision. "Youta, are you ready? Once we spook this thing there is no telling what it will do. It might run off, or it might charge us intending to do us harm." 

wc:538
twc:738/1600

Jun would say something about how temporary paralysis would be the best way to get the beast the medical treatment that it needs. She seemed to be very focused on this mission and more on task then usual. This mission must have been more important to her than the others. “I have a weaker form of it but it should be ok for an animal it will not last long though. So be ready with your medical jutsu. I know your gunna be ready so I will be too. Do you think it has chakra if not my Meigan is useless but I know you can probably already smell them.” Sabastian would then lay out the plan Youta will paralyze and help control the animal while Jun checks for damages. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

A little further in we saw some canine paw prints but they were larger than the average wolf or coyote which were common to Haven. They would sneak up on a skinner canine which would suggest that it was a coyote. Youta would activate his Yuumei and a dark energy surrounded him. This would spook the coyote and it would start charging straight towards them. He would quickly make the hand signs Tiger- Rat- Tiger- Rat- Ox- Tiger- Rat- Ox- Dragon- Ram. Youta tried to time it so that it would be the most effective so he probably waited a little too long. It probably made Sabastian a little uncomfortable. But then the coyote would just fall paralyzed and Youta would say. “I can’t hold this very long, I would hurry up, boss!” He would hope that Sebastian would be able to heal him. The beast was definitely a coyote. The fur was reddish though which was not usual for a coyote. The auburn color was almost mystical in nature and was intrigueing to Youta. “Do you think he is going to be alright? Sebastian, do you have a plan for when this wears off so this beautiful animal doesn’t, you know, try to kill me? I would prefer not to kill it or disable it more so I can get away but you know I will do what I got to do!”

Youta would start to try to think of a plan that might scare the animal away when this technique wore off. “I don’t know if this animal will take kindly to me paralyzing it. Hope you come up with something because my plan is fire or Yuumei protection.”

WC 417

Jun was glad to see that her suggestions were being taken seriously by the group. They decided to go with her plan: Youta immobilizes, Sebastian heals while Jun makes sure casualties are accounted for. Jun wished she could help a bit more directly, but due to her inexperience, she worried that either she or the animal might get injured. That wasn't something Jun was going to play with. 

They quickly dispatched after the meeting to find the animal. Luckily for the group, it was easy to track down giant footprints in the fertilized dirt, which was much softer than the earth surrounding Hoshigakure. A path was made clear with vegetation and debris laying down in a clearing. Jun noticed something in the dirt too that was discolored crimson compared to the soil around it. It was blood. The creature they were hunting down was injured, so they had to act quickly. They followed the tracks down deeper into the reserve. 

They would find it in a clearing; a large coyote native to the area was growling and whining as it stomps around the forested area. As Jun was scoping the immediate area to see for collateral, she sensed dark energy that cause her to break into a cold sweat. The chakra felt bitter, like horseradish. What was that? Jun thought to herself as she turned to face the ill-feeling chakra. It was coming from Youta. Jun wasn't the only one to notice, the coyote turned to the group with aggression. "Shit, I think it knows." 

Jun hopped back into the trees behind them to get some distance and height. Youta didn't move though and went on with the plan. He weaved his hand signs and caught the coyote in a chakra bind, causing it to fall down. Jun knew now that they were immobilized, she could do her part and check for damages. She scanned the area that the coyote had left behind. Nothing immediate that Jun could see, but the path stretched back for a while that she would have to go check. Jun turned back to the group to see how their progress was doing and to see if they needed any help.

WC: 365
TWC: 616

There would be relatively large canine prints in the soft earth beneath their feet, allowing the tracking of the beast to come with relative ease to not only the wolf who had been adept at tracking, but also the others as well. It all seemed to be going fairly easily, almost too much so. Finding the beast standing before them, the group would suddenly spring an attack according to the plan of action they all agreed to. The dark energy of their Shinkou teammate would radiate out into the area, the sheer aura catching the wolf off guard. There was a pressure to it, as the Yuumei flooded the area and seemingly filled it to capacity. Loghain wasn't particularly adept at sensing chakra, but even he could feel this display. The large auburn coyote would turn and bare pearly white teeth, anticipating combat between itself and the trio of shinobi before ultimately deciding to rush towards them with surprising speed far faster than expected. Youta would rapidly weave the needed seals to halt the creature with the temporary paralysis technique, but would allow the beast to get closer than Loghain would have hoped. The beast was only seconds away from them before the jutsu would activate and bind it with invisible cables of chakra. 

Hearing Youta's question, the wolf had no real answer. He couldn't utilize any sort of jutsu to keep the creature from showing aggression and attacking them once it was treated. "I simply count on the beast understanding that we helped it and leaving in peace. If need be, I can try and scare the animal away. That will be a last resort though."

Loghain would begin to form seals for his medical arts when the creature would dissipate into nothingness in a simple "poof". It was far from expected, but perhaps there would be far more to this little task than first anticipated. "Did that thing just vanish like a shadow clone?" He would ask his teammates, trying to make certain that his eyes were not deceiving him and that this wasn't some sort of strange genjutsu placed on him or the like. The odds of all three of them being caught in the same illusion wasn't very high in the wolfs mind. "I thought that this whole thing was going a bit too smoothly... either that coyote just performed a shadow clone technique or we have a shinobi trained enemy trying to keep us off its trail." 

Loghain wouldn't let his frustration show, keeping his calm demeanor to try and help provide reassurance to his companions. "Any thoughts on what to do next?"


wc:438
twc:1176/1600

Youta would say to Jun “Sorry that was just me do not worry about it.  I got it under control I promise.” As the coyote goes down Youta would say “See told you I have it under control.” Youta would sit there trying to focus as hard as he could. He would start to strain and watch Sebastian start to get his medical jutsu ready when all of a sudden Youta would yell “Sebastian I lost control of it.” Then looking around he saw that there was not a coyote but a puff of smoke.  “So you did that right?  And not me? What did you do? I did not see any chakra in that thing which should have probably been a clue something was wrong.” He would yell “shit, Jun fall back, that was not the real thing. I do not know what is going on. I would fall back here with us if I was you.”  He would instinctively activate meigan and his eyes would glow a crimson red and he would start to look around.  “I do not see anything boss do you smell anything? I am looking but the only real chakra source I see is Jun. I am not sure where else to look but we should definitely stick together if at all possible.” You could tell Youta was a little frustrated with what happened but he was trying not to let it get to him like he has in the past. He would look to Sebastian and Jun “Do either of you see anything?”

WC 260

Jun would make her way to the Loghain and Youta, regrouping after finding out that the creature they had just tracked was nothing more than some sort of clone or other misdirection. Once their targets become someone (or something) with shinobi training capable of using such an advanced ninjutsu technique the severity and risk of this mission suddenly skyrocketed. Jun finally reached her comrades when she would quickly go down face first into the dirt as if she suddenly lost all control of her body. "Jun!" The wolf would almost shout, quickly picking her up and checking to ensure that there were no signs of injury. They were not separated for long, but perhaps that was enough time to allow the enemy to incapacitate a third of their team. "I don't see any signs of injury, meaning that this could be either some kind of toxin or a genjutsu or some sort. If it is a toxin, I don't have any effective antidotes... I would need to know what toxin it was... and I don't have any such jutsu to pull out toxins from the body." 

It would seem as though both Loghain and Youta were frustrated with the situation they found themselves in. "We could take her back to the village, but we might lose our targets. I'm no expert, but even I know that clones typically have a limit to how far they can be from their creator. Not to mention that the timing on that clone dispersing was too convenient. I bet they are watching us... just outside of range of my nose it would seem. And your eyes don't see any enemies?" He would ask, though he figured that Youta would have offered up such information if he had any to provide. 

"I have a way to enhance my senses. Perhaps it will allow me to catch wind of this elusive enemy. I need you to create a clone to either watch over Jun or carry her. I am unsure how far we will have to go for this hunt." With that said Loghain would hunch over, falling to his knees as his body and features quickly shift to that of a fairly typical wolf. With a sniff of the air he could now sense something. Unfortunately, he was unaccustomed to speaking in this form and wasn't even entirely sure that he could. Instead of straining, he would simple give a look to his comrade and motion of his head showing the direction he detects something. 

wc:420
twc: 1596/2092 (4800 [mission wc] - 616 [Jun's total wc before going afk] = 4184 wc needed; split evenly is 2092 wc each to complete)

Youta would hear his team leader yell “Jun” he would quickly turn around and see Jun facedown on the ground. “Jun! Jun! What is wrong with her Sebastian did you see anything?” Sebastian would talk about toxins and genjutsu but neither one of them saw what happened to her. They did not see any external injuries or signs of toxins. Youta would look at Sebastian and ask “what is the plan? I can make some clones and watch over her. And start heading for the city or to follow us. Whichever you think would be best?”

Youta would then make the seals for his clone and 2 clones of black smoke would pour out of his mouth. “I will have these two watch over her till we get back to the village and try to follow us the best they can. I will make sure nothing will happen to her.” He would then start looking around and activate meigan. “No Sebastian, I do not see anything for sure and see a few chakra sources but I cannot make anything out.” Sebastian would then transform and it would shock Youta for a little. “Woah, it is a lot different seeing it in person.” Then the wolf would just take off and start running so Youta would follow through the forest and eventually Youta would see a solid chakra sign. “Sebastian, I have a sign. I can see them they are a water user.”

WC 243
TWC 1142