[Mugen Ikura]

Lately, Ikura was spending much of her time alongside Takara, or at least often nearby - and much of that time was delegated to boring stuff, to paperwork and the like. So, Ikura was excited for today - both to get out of that stuffy building, and maybe to take a break from the Tsuchikage. She was not an unkind woman, yet Ikura found herself usually tense around her.

None of that today. Waiting on the outskirts of the village with the gate guards, at the mouth of Iwagakure, the feline gets a few long stretches in alongside her massive black beast, Itsura. Downward dog with an arched back, both arms over the head, one leg out and then the other. Even her tail trembles a bit with the exertion of one, good stretch. Ripples of relief course through her tail, up her spine. She was feeling good! 

Ikura and Itsura had only just arrived, and the jounin can't imagine that the genin accompanying her today will take too long to join them. Regardless, Ikura goes over the details, and her arsenals, a few times over to be sure everything is set and ready. 

One of her duties as the assistant, it would seem, was eyeing the new shinobi, and even the old. Read them, survey them, take mental notes. Are they worthy? Are they dedicated to the village? Are they exceptional, or merely mediocre? 

Who is useful?

At least, that's what she assumed. Why else was she always paired up with random ninja for missions she could surely handle on her own? Something else must lurk beneath the surface of duty. What was Ikura's purpose?

Grateful for the distraction from that particular long-lived spiral, Ikura's ears perk up atop her head as Itsura stirs first. Her wide muzzle lifts to the air, and she stands. Greeting the genin. Ikura turns toward her approach as well, smiling and offering a small nod once Ena is alongside them. "Good morning, Yutakako Ena." A sharp huff falls from the beast's nose, standing as tall as the feline woman. Itsura's golden eyes gleam downward at the girl. "Don't mind her. Did anyone tell you what we're doing today?" She ushers the girl over to sign out, and then listens as they enter the countryside. Itsura trails at the jounin's opposite side.

SPOILER: Click to show

Poacher Hunting
Mission Rank: C
NPC Required: No
Random Mission Scenario: Disabled
Participants:
Ikura & Ena

Description:
A nature preserve in one of the few forested areas of Tsuchi no Kuni has seen a great deal of poaching and the land owners have asked that you weed out these hunters and bring them to justice, avoid killing them if you can, these nature preserves bring in a great deal of funds for tourists within the land and having poachers run amok is bad for business.

[Yutakako Ena]

Ena would not allow herself to be late to a mission, even if she was a bit air headed or careless on some occasions, she did know about her duty and besides that was already very dedicated for her age. The young Shinobi had barely wolfed down a rice ball when she was already out the door, wearing a regular looking training suit, so the only thing that was giving away that she was a Shinobi was the headband on her forehead and the sword on her back.

She was even a little early when she got to the gates, and since there wasn't too much going on right now, her focus quickly fell on the big panther more than the person calling out to her. As she was greeted, her eyes shifted between the two felines a few times, before resting on Ikura, although there was a gleam in her eyes that showed how excited she was. "Hello, Ikura-sensei!", Ena greeted a little louder than maybe necessary. "We have to stop some bad guys from hunting animals that are protected, yeah!" She put it in a really simplified way and while Ena wasn't stupid, she liked to keep things simple. "We have to see if there's anything wrong and stop the poachers, mhm." She walked next to the jounin as they left the village, but it was pretty quickly obvious that Ena had an urge to make the pace herself and go a little faster. She restrained herself though and had to be satisfied with shooting the large black panther a curious look or two at times, thinking she was doing it in a sneaky way.

"Sensei, do you think this is going to be a dangerous mission?" The genin asked it carefully, but instead of nervousness, a sense of excitement could be felt from her voice and eyes. The main reason was that she got to go out of the village again, and she also had a new partner that wasn't her team. Her question was kind of pointless, but she felt like she needed to say something, cause being in silence all mission long was going to be very depressing.

[Mugen Ikura]

Ikura is greeted by a loud, eager girl with long hair and a sword on her back. Ikura, face pleasant, eyes her up and down with utmost scrutiny. Itsura does the same. Yet the girl is ready, knowledgeable on the mission, and determined. More than the assistant could say for some of the younglings they'd met in the past few years.

The neko nods sidelong, smiling faintly as the girl marches alongside her with an antsy buzz in her step. Ikura's left ear flutters, and she looks back ahead again. Their destination was the lushest of Tsuchi no Kuni, but within sight was only mountain and crag and the endless morning sky.

"Sensei, do you think this is going to be a dangerous mission?" Ikura chuckles, then gives a little shake of her head. One hand comes up, preening at the tip of an ear as they give a reply. "Oh, I dunno. Probably not. Depends on how cooperative the hunters turn out to be."

Seemingly changing the subject, Ikura falls back a step, pointing a claw at Ena. Her expression is wide, warm, curious. "I can tell you're itchin' to move. You want to run? Fight?" Their head falls over a shoulder in an animalistic tilt. "What are you better at? Using your words, or your fists?"

[Yutakako Ena]

Ena's eyebrows moved up a little, as if she didn't trust her ears. This wasn't going to be a dangerous mission? She was curious why she was paired up with the two dangerous feeling cats if her sensei said that it likely wasn't going to be a big deal. Was she only here to gain some experience? The girl felt her back tense a little in disappointment, but she didn't show it on the outside. There wasn't even her usual teammates around, so she had to rely on Ikura to help her if she needed it. No, without her teammates around, she had even more opportunity to shine! Yes, that was how she'd have to view it. "Alright, if it gets dangerous, I will have sensei's back!" She exclaimed and snickered to herself innocently.

The young Shinobi looked up at Ikura at the question of her abilities. Clearly Ena was a bit naive and loud, but she also wasn't stupid. Her main problem with using her mouth before her fists was that she was a little impatient, her character was very literally fitting her chakra nature, she was often an explosion of life. "Hehe, I love going full steam ahead! If there's a bad guy, I prefer taking them out before anything bad happens!" She said, nodding and with a gleam in her eyes. "Well, I was taught to use my words when I can, but I still like to go head on into a fight more." Ena looked like she was thinking about something but didn't expand on it. "Does sensei not like to give her all? I think sometimes you need to shout a battle cry from the bottom of your heart! Also, I like the feeling of exhaustion after a long day of powering myself out." Ena had a big smile on her face, it seemed like she had a lot of energy to spare.

[Mugen Ikura]

Young Ena seems almost, disappointed? Ikura can understand; when she was that age, she wanted to taste what it meant to be a warrior. She wanted blood under her nails and rot between her teeth.

But she had been an angry, reckless child. She hoped Ena did not share those qualities too.

Ena professes dignity, claiming to have her sensei's back - Ikura grins a little. Not necessary, but appreciated. The enthusiasm in it almost makes the feline woman believe the girl. Itsura, on the other hand, huffs much like a human might when they hear something funny.

Nodding along, Ikura takes what the genin says into consideration without judgement. Everyone had their strengths, and the differences in those strengths made up an amalgamous force that was the village's militia. Still, Ikura finds herself almost offended at the notion. A twinkle of that wrath deep within her comes out in a sharp flick of her tail, but nothing more. Beyond the suggestion that Ikura does not go all out, or is somehow incapable, Ena was beaming, sunshine, excitement contained in a mighty spirit. Ikura didn't dislike her. "Sensei has had enough 'giving it her all' their whole life. Nowadays, I find the taste of violence is a bit below my preference."

She flashes a toothy, sideways grin before jumping deftly onto her steed, elevated five feet and beaming down at her temporary student. "So seems we will make a good team. I'll do most the talking, you can do the kicking the shit out of the ones who don't stand down. Now... Race us, Yutakako Ena!"

Then she is off, leaving the genin in the dust. Itsura's muscles glide beneath her taut skin and fur, heavy feet carrying Ikura at a dizzying speed. In just a moment, she would be over hundreds of feet ahead, nearly gapping a mile before she maintains speed.

At Itsura's impressive velocity, it would be impossible for Ena to close the distance - but Ikura steers her beast with heels to the flank, telling her wordlessly to stay close enough that the genin can keep almost up. They would run and run, for what felt like hours compared to the twenty minutes it truly takes for them to see green over the horizon. Ikura would come to a slow, pacing as she waits for Ena to catch up.

"Let's speak with the rangers briefly. We have half the day left til sundown, and I don't want to stay here longer than a few days, yeah?" Instead of racing ahead, this time Ikura takes a slow stride atop Itsura alongside Ena.