Hunting Prey

As the autumn wind swirled through the streets of Hoshigakure, a man and his wolven brethren lay relaxing atop the swooping roof of one of the stately manors. Okami, with his head rested between his front paws, looked out to the citizens of the village bustling through the marketplace below. Tōga however, was laying on his back, arms crossed behind his head and one leg crossed over the other, propped up in the air as his mind wandered, staring at the clouds that loomed high over their heads. They couldn’t ask for a better day, though they were yet to learn just how much this calm day would change in the coming moments. As Tōga let out a mighty yawn, enough to have him close his eyes for a short moment, a swooping shadow cascaded across his face. For a mere second he felt the coolness of shade cast down from the messenger hawk flew over, circling around and lowering until able to land between the two in their time of rest. Tōga sat up from his position of rest, Okami would do the same as his friend removed the small scroll from the pack on the back of the hawk. Upon removing the scroll, the hawk let out a screech as it took to the skies leaving the two there to read and learn of the task that had fallen into their lap. Tōga began reading the words in his head though able to be heard by his companion through their telekinetic link. It was a mission in regards to an attack on the village from within, an academy student was pinpointed as attempting to let out village secrets. On top of that they are accused of attacking other shinobi in the village, stealing rare artifacts, and attempting to steal documents from the administration building. Tōga sighed as it seemed the day was going to become quite the investigation in order to track down the individual, after a moment of discussion the two determined the first place to start was with the instructor who once taught the kid. They nodded to one another and darted off towards the Astral Point Academy, the two seemed to bound across the rooftops as they made their way only stopping as they touched down at the front door of the school. Tōga linked to Okami’s mind, he told him to wait at the door for a moment and keep an eye out for the kid encase he decided to pop in. Reluctant at first, Okami finally agreed as he perched himself in a proper seat position in the shadows of the overhang outside the entrance door. His eyes began scanning the street, he swept from left to right as his eyesight darted from the ground to the sky trying to hone in on any movement that may not make sense to the world around him. He felt like he had waited hours for his friend to return from his initial entry to the academy, but still he waited surveying the surroundings.

Tōga was greeted by the dean of the academy and walked to the classroom, he poked his head in and asked the instructor to the hallway. After a moment's delay from excusing himself from the class he was teaching, he stepped out in the hallway to converse with Tōga over his current investigation. As they chatted for a while in the hall, Tōga began to learn the kid was an adept learner and never showed mal intent at any point. He did note however, the kid seemed to have a desire to learn everything he could, never shy to ask a question and never did less than ask for elaborate explanations on whatever knowledge he was seeking. It was interesting to hear about a young one wanting that much knowledge, an intellectual it seemed was his target. Tōga thanked the instructor and before exiting the building requested knowledge on the kids home location. He received no restriction to his inquiry but was met with a discouraging attempt as the home had already been put under surveillance by the administrators of the village. Tōga walked from the main entrance, passing his four-legged companion with a slight wave from his right hand to signal that he should accompany him. Together they took to the rooftops again, with leaps and bounds they bounced across the tile until they landed upon the home of the prey they were seeking. As they landed 3 other, higher ranking shinobi landed surrounding them and asking by what authority did they have to intrude on the premises. Unfortunately it took nearly an hour to convince them of his mission and then gain access to enter the home, but they inevitably were permitted entry where he could begin investigating the side of the kid others may not have known. During his conversation with the others Tōga was informed they never entered the home as they feared spooking the kid, but he had been vacant for sometime now and it was in fact time to pursue the investigation starting with what Tōga could find. As the other shinobi began mindlessly ransacking the majority of the home, Tōga made his way up the stairs until he found the childish room that could only be owned by the kid he was hunting. After a large portion of time passed a discovery was made, documentation hidden under a floorboard beneath his bed. After pawing through them for a few minutes, he began to be both worried by the information the kid had acquired and slightly impressed by his talent. As Tōga and Okami started to leave the room they grabbed a glove that had shown the evidence of being worn regularly, as they approached the final door of the home to continue searching Tōga handed over the documentation and told the shinobi to send this information back to the administration for the village. It was slightly unorthodox for someone of his rank to listen to a Genin, but in this circumstance it couldn’t be helped and so the shinobi agreed disappearing as he darted off to the main office.

Standing in front of the forgotten home of the traitor, Tōga and Okami begin using the glove to memorize the scent and in time they both would begin honing in on the direction of the prey. As they both caught the scent of their prey on the wind, they looked to one another with confirmation and darted to their rooftop pathway that served them so well. As they moved at high speed across the rooftops there was a small debate from one to another, Okami believed only death befitted the traitorous child. Tōga however believed he had too much information to simply kill, but should be instead turned over to the interrogation corps so that all his intel both on Hoshigakure and his allies could be brought to the authorities of the village. This back and forth carried on for nearly the entire length of their travel, ending as abruptly as their feet landing on the final rooftop. The smell was close, but it made no sense to continue running around so hazardously. The two just crouched upon the rooftop as their noses wiggled from the two of them sniffing the air, it was true they were nearly right on top of the kid though his exact physical location was one they could not quite pinpoint. Okami’s eyes narrowed as he reached out to the mind of Tōga, he expressed he found the source of the scent and even slightly flicked his snout towards a shadowy little figure barely leaning from an alleyway. The two hunters remained quiet and observant, it was curious to know what their prey intended hiding here in the lower levels of the village. After an hour or so of stalking and watching, they were able to observe his movements. He had bartered, eaten, and maneuvered through the streets all without being recognized. After thinking on his ease of movement he realized, he linked over to Okami to let him know it was a transformation technique that he must have been concentrating on in order to slip around the village undetected. The two continued to tail the prey as it continued to slip off from the main sections of the village and into a section he didn’t even know existed, the old architecture slipped from being maintained to disarray as they went further beyond the heart of the village. The hunters stalked till the prey cornered itself into an old run down shed at the very edge of this district, they looked to one another as they descended to the building and began sneaking to the door and listening for any sound within. They linked their minds again, Tōga asked Okami to wait at the door while he went inside and confronted the prey. Okami hated the idea, but agreed just in case another enemy showed up he could keep Tōga safe.

Tōga walked through the hanging and tattered drapes that served as a door, the kid jumped to his feet as he exclaimed “Please sir, I have no money. I’m just an orphan trying to survive!” Tōga sniffed the air to confirm his prey was in fact standing in front of him, as the scent slithered into his sinuses he was satisfied to know he had cornered the traitor. “Prey will often pull many tricks to survive when faced with a predator.” Tōga spoke with a hint of anger to his voice, he hated the thought of anyone betraying their comrades regardless of conviction. “So reveal the serpent beneath the sheep’s skin you wear and surrender to the village.” His words were met with a look of surprise from the prey, who would now release the transformation revealing a rather lanky brown haired boy with glasses. “So, your choice. Fight or come quietly, I highly recommend the second option.” There was a pause as the air seemed to thicken from the intensity of their cold stares towards one another, the intensity enough to have Okami stick his head inside the curtain to check on the silence. “So refusal is met with force then?” The young boy’s response was stone and less a literal question and more a challenge to be accepted by Tōga, unless he wanted to turn and walk away abandoning his mission without consideration for what would come of his failure. A smirk crawled across Tōga’s face as he slowly crouched a bit as he prepared to unleash a devastating technique, the young man in front of him lifted his hands to his sternum preparing to begin signing hand seals to unleash a jutsu. Tōga began to think about the details he read this morning, this guy was proficient in ninjutsu. The implication was in a frontal fight he couldn’t be allowed to let loose the jutsu in his arsenal, regardless of his rank he would be a difficult adversary. His hands made contact with one another like a starting gun firing at a race, Tōga unleashed his technique darting towards his opponent as an aggressive vortex of fury crashed into his chest. The young man slammed to the wall behind him, his shirt shredded leaving a giant rip exposing his bleeding chest as he lay unconscious against the wall.

A short time passed and Tōga emerged from the shack, Okami standing guard turned to acknowledge his comrade. The enemy draped over his shoulder as the two took to the rooftops, darting across them as they had been all day to make it back to the authorities and turn over the captured prey. After some time passed Tōga and Okami touched down at the front door of the administration building of the village, a shinobi greeted them and accepted their paperwork for processing. As they awaited the return of their information, two more shinobi wearing plated armor came to collect the broken man that had been hanging from Tōga’s shoulder. They waited just a little longer before both their paperwork and payment were handed over to them. With the mission over, they took their leave to enjoy the remainder of their evening.

[EXIT]
(WC 2,033)

Inu no Taishō wrote:

Rogue Ninja

As the autumn wind swirled through the streets of Hoshigakure, a man and his wolven brethren lay relaxing atop the swooping roof of one of the stately manors. Okami, with his head rested between his front paws, looked out to the citizens of the village bustling through the marketplace below. Tōga however, was laying on his back, arms crossed behind his head and one leg crossed over the other, propped up in the air as his mind wandered, staring at the clouds that loomed high over their heads. They couldn’t ask for a better day, though they were yet to learn just how much this calm day would change in the coming moments. As Tōga let out a mighty yawn, enough to have him close his eyes for a short moment, a swooping shadow cascaded across his face. For a mere second he felt the coolness of shade cast down from the messenger hawk flew over, circling around and lowering until able to land between the two in their time of rest. Tōga sat up from his position of rest, Okami would do the same as his friend removed the small scroll from the pack on the back of the hawk. Upon removing the scroll, the hawk let out a screech as it took to the skies leaving the two there to read and learn of the task that had fallen into their lap. Tōga began reading the words in his head though able to be heard by his companion through their telekinetic link. It was a mission in regards to an attack on the village from within, an academy student was pinpointed as attempting to let out village secrets. On top of that they are accused of attacking other shinobi in the village, stealing rare artifacts, and attempting to steal documents from the administration building. Tōga sighed as it seemed the day was going to become quite the investigation in order to track down the individual, after a moment of discussion the two determined the first place to start was with the instructor who once taught the kid. They nodded to one another and darted off towards the Astral Point Academy, the two seemed to bound across the rooftops as they made their way only stopping as they touched down at the front door of the school. Tōga linked to Okami’s mind, he told him to wait at the door for a moment and keep an eye out for the kid encase he decided to pop in. Reluctant at first, Okami finally agreed as he perched himself in a proper seat position in the shadows of the overhang outside the entrance door. His eyes began scanning the street, he swept from left to right as his eyesight darted from the ground to the sky trying to hone in on any movement that may not make sense to the world around him. He felt like he had waited hours for his friend to return from his initial entry to the academy, but still he waited surveying the surroundings.

Tōga was greeted by the dean of the academy and walked to the classroom, he poked his head in and asked the instructor to the hallway. After a moment's delay from excusing himself from the class he was teaching, he stepped out in the hallway to converse with Tōga over his current investigation. As they chatted for a while in the hall, Tōga began to learn the kid was an adept learner and never showed mal intent at any point. He did note however, the kid seemed to have a desire to learn everything he could, never shy to ask a question and never did less than ask for elaborate explanations on whatever knowledge he was seeking. It was interesting to hear about a young one wanting that much knowledge, an intellectual it seemed was his target. Tōga thanked the instructor and before exiting the building requested knowledge on the kids home location. He received no restriction to his inquiry but was met with a discouraging attempt as the home had already been put under surveillance by the administrators of the village. Tōga walked from the main entrance, passing his four-legged companion with a slight wave from his right hand to signal that he should accompany him. Together they took to the rooftops again, with leaps and bounds they bounced across the tile until they landed upon the home of the prey they were seeking. As they landed 3 other, higher ranking shinobi landed surrounding them and asking by what authority did they have to intrude on the premises. Unfortunately it took nearly an hour to convince them of his mission and then gain access to enter the home, but they inevitably were permitted entry where he could begin investigating the side of the kid others may not have known. During his conversation with the others Tōga was informed they never entered the home as they feared spooking the kid, but he had been vacant for sometime now and it was in fact time to pursue the investigation starting with what Tōga could find. As the other shinobi began mindlessly ransacking the majority of the home, Tōga made his way up the stairs until he found the childish room that could only be owned by the kid he was hunting. After a large portion of time passed a discovery was made, documentation hidden under a floorboard beneath his bed. After pawing through them for a few minutes, he began to be both worried by the information the kid had acquired and slightly impressed by his talent. As Tōga and Okami started to leave the room they grabbed a glove that had shown the evidence of being worn regularly, as they approached the final door of the home to continue searching Tōga handed over the documentation and told the shinobi to send this information back to the administration for the village. It was slightly unorthodox for someone of his rank to listen to a Genin, but in this circumstance it couldn’t be helped and so the shinobi agreed disappearing as he darted off to the main office.

Standing in front of the forgotten home of the traitor, Tōga and Okami begin using the glove to memorize the scent and in time they both would begin honing in on the direction of the prey. As they both caught the scent of their prey on the wind, they looked to one another with confirmation and darted to their rooftop pathway that served them so well. As they moved at high speed across the rooftops there was a small debate from one to another, Okami believed only death befitted the traitorous child. Tōga however believed he had too much information to simply kill, but should be instead turned over to the interrogation corps so that all his intel both on Hoshigakure and his allies could be brought to the authorities of the village. This back and forth carried on for nearly the entire length of their travel, ending as abruptly as their feet landing on the final rooftop. The smell was close, but it made no sense to continue running around so hazardously. The two just crouched upon the rooftop as their noses wiggled from the two of them sniffing the air, it was true they were nearly right on top of the kid though his exact physical location was one they could not quite pinpoint. Okami’s eyes narrowed as he reached out to the mind of Tōga, he expressed he found the source of the scent and even slightly flicked his snout towards a shadowy little figure barely leaning from an alleyway. The two hunters remained quiet and observant, it was curious to know what their prey intended hiding here in the lower levels of the village. After an hour or so of stalking and watching, they were able to observe his movements. He had bartered, eaten, and maneuvered through the streets all without being recognized. After thinking on his ease of movement he realized, he linked over to Okami to let him know it was a transformation technique that he must have been concentrating on in order to slip around the village undetected. The two continued to tail the prey as it continued to slip off from the main sections of the village and into a section he didn’t even know existed, the old architecture slipped from being maintained to disarray as they went further beyond the heart of the village. The hunters stalked till the prey cornered itself into an old run down shed at the very edge of this district, they looked to one another as they descended to the building and began sneaking to the door and listening for any sound within. They linked their minds again, Tōga asked Okami to wait at the door while he went inside and confronted the prey. Okami hated the idea, but agreed just in case another enemy showed up he could keep Tōga safe.

Tōga walked through the hanging and tattered drapes that served as a door, the kid jumped to his feet as he exclaimed “Please sir, I have no money. I’m just an orphan trying to survive!” Tōga sniffed the air to confirm his prey was in fact standing in front of him, as the scent slithered into his sinuses he was satisfied to know he had cornered the traitor. “Prey will often pull many tricks to survive when faced with a predator.” Tōga spoke with a hint of anger to his voice, he hated the thought of anyone betraying their comrades regardless of conviction. “So reveal the serpent beneath the sheep’s skin you wear and surrender to the village.” His words were met with a look of surprise from the prey, who would now release the transformation revealing a rather lanky brown haired boy with glasses. “So, your choice. Fight or come quietly, I highly recommend the second option.” There was a pause as the air seemed to thicken from the intensity of their cold stares towards one another, the intensity enough to have Okami stick his head inside the curtain to check on the silence. “So refusal is met with force then?” The young boy’s response was stone and less a literal question and more a challenge to be accepted by Tōga, unless he wanted to turn and walk away abandoning his mission without consideration for what would come of his failure. A smirk crawled across Tōga’s face as he slowly crouched a bit as he prepared to unleash a devastating technique, the young man in front of him lifted his hands to his sternum preparing to begin signing hand seals to unleash a jutsu. Tōga began to think about the details he read this morning, this guy was proficient in ninjutsu. The implication was in a frontal fight he couldn’t be allowed to let loose the jutsu in his arsenal, regardless of his rank he would be a difficult adversary. His hands made contact with one another like a starting gun firing at a race, Tōga unleashed his technique darting towards his opponent as an aggressive vortex of fury crashed into his chest. The young man slammed to the wall behind him, his shirt shredded leaving a giant rip exposing his bleeding chest as he lay unconscious against the wall.

A short time passed and Tōga emerged from the shack, Okami standing guard turned to acknowledge his comrade. The enemy draped over his shoulder as the two took to the rooftops, darting across them as they had been all day to make it back to the authorities and turn over the captured prey. After some time passed Tōga and Okami touched down at the front door of the administration building of the village, a shinobi greeted them and accepted their paperwork for processing. As they awaited the return of their information, two more shinobi wearing plated armor came to collect the broken man that had been hanging from Tōga’s shoulder. They waited just a little longer before both their paperwork and payment were handed over to them. With the mission over, they took their leave to enjoy the remainder of their evening.

[EXIT]
(WC 2,033)

Mission Rewards: +4,000 Ryo | +20 AP
Jutsu/Skill Claims: Eight Inner Gates Skill (457/2,000) | Iron Wall (1,500/1,500) B-Rank
Stat Claims: Tōga + 5 Speed | Okami: +10 Speed + 5 Speed

Approved