[Yamatsu]

SPOILER: Click to show

HUNTING SERVICE
MISSION RANK: C
NPC REQUIREMENT: Optional
PARTICIPANTS: 1-4
DESCRIPTION:
The woodsmen of Nagiso are calling for shinobi assistance: an unnaturally massive animal has disrupted the usual flow of their ecosystem, obliterating the local flora and ruining the villagers’ hunting schedules. It will take a few days to track the creature; once found, kill it, and help the woodsmen to butcher it for meat. The animal might be a giant boar, a rabid stag, a rodent of unusual size, or something in that vein.

The Young Pup

Yamatsu walked down the street to the main gate of Kumogakure looking at the letter in his hand. "By decree of Raikage Kizumi I assign Genin Ikinokoru Yamatsu and Kyuumu Risi, to head out of the village and find the small farming community to the east in the mountains surrounding the village. Said community has been plagued by the appearance of a large animal terrorizing their farmers. The team of two genin should suffice in taking down this beast bringing peace to the ones living there. Please return with a token of the beast as proof of its demise." The rest was standard directions to the community in question. Yamatsu had never met this Kyuumu Risi and wondered what their personality would be like. He adjusted the plate of metal strapped across his left arm with the Cloud symbol engraved upon it. He looked back down at the note rubbing the back of his neck. This was a request straight from Lady Kizumi, he knew he had no other recourse but to accept. He smiled remembering the meeting between them, how she was so kind to him like his own mother used to be. He shook his head letting the memories go from his mind. Now was the time for focus not reminiscence. As he approached the gate he looked around not even knowing who he was supposed to be looking for. "Maybe I'm early? I can wait here for a little i guess no worries." He kept his voice low as to not look crazy.

Risi -- 258

LAIKA OF THQ

[risi]

Risi smiles as he walks with his hips swaying slightly, partially because he doesn't mind that his hips sway as he walks, and partially because he's also carrying his scythe cradled in his right arm, giving the impression that the young man is skilled in the use of the scythe as a weapon. In reality, Risi just considers the scythe a mere tool for him to make use of either as a tool for finishing off an opponent overcome with Genjutsu, which is his real specialty, or as a tool to use for entrapping an opponent with Genjutsu. The black top hat on his head bears the Kumogakure headband, with his straight black hair flowing down on either side of his face underneath the hat. With the long hair and the surprisingly feminine face, one might mistake Risi as a woman, though that is not the case. For a top, he wears a black sleeveless top with a white cravat at his neck with a black mantle attached to his forearms, leading down to fingerless gloves on each hand. His skirt, which is open all the way up to his hip, could be buttoned all the way up, but he currently has it wide open for ease of movement, with one pale right leg fully visible and leading down to black boots on his feet.

As he approaches the tan genin at the gate, his red eyes light up and he gives the other boy a big wave with his left hand, although internally, Risi is somewhat dreading this mission. Hunting a beast? He'd much rather stay home and drink tea from his fine china. But he knew the Inshi family would have likely thrown him out on his own if he was ever seen denying any missions, particularly ones put forward by the Raikage herself, so he really had no choice. At least the man was cute. Regardless, he stops the waving as he reaches the other boy, feeling a bit curious. They would have likely met at least in passing in the Academy, though that time was a blur for the young man, as he'd been getting training from two ends, so names and faces would have often eluded him. For all he knows, he and this Yamatsu fellow might have even been good friends when they were in the Academy.

"Lemme guess! Yooooou're my hunting partner!"

He beams at Yamatsu, certainly a very odd reaction from a member of the Kyuumu clan.

[Yamatsu]

The Young Pup

Yamatsu saw the other person wave to him as they walked up. Whoever this was was gorgeous, their long black hair and red eyes were piercing. They carried a large scythe in their right hand making Yamatsu a bit nervous. He wondered how easy it must have been to travel and use such a weapon. He looked down quickly to avoid eye contact as the other walked up greeting him warmly. "Uh yes my name is Yamatsu Ikinokoru, it is nice to meet you ma'am." His voice was a little shaky since beautiful people made him nervous. He shifted awkwardly back and forth on his feet. He was not nervous for what they were about to face. He had lived in these mountains for years and knew how to track. Seeing this new player in the game wielding such a weapon also put him at ease. He feared however with someone so stunning he would get distracted, it had already happened with Raika. "I shouldn't take long to get to the farming community from here if we leave now." He turned to make his way out of the village before stopping suddenly spinning back on his heels. "I apologize I did not get your name."

Risi -- 205

LAIKA OF THQ

[risi]

Risi tilts his head a bit in confusion, not at Yamatsu calling him "ma'am", as he was actually accustomed to that, since he chose to look and dress the way that he does, but more because his voice was a bit shaky, and he leans over, holding the scythe over the small of his back in a fairly cute and feminine gesture, the same way a schoolgirl might hold her lunchbox behind her as she bends down to look at something. The young man notices the somewhat awkward shifting of the other, more dark-skinned individual, and instantly realizes that he's somewhat flustered, and he sits back up with an attempt to hide a giggle, as this was a pretty cute moment, especially with the confusion that his somewhat androgynous appearance has on others.

"Perhaps it's better to actually introduce myself before I go making assumptions about you so this confusion doesn't happen more often! I'm Risi, Kyuumu Risi, at your service!~ And despite my appearance, I'm actually a man..."

Risi smiles somewhat wryly at the expected reaction to this revelation before the man saunters past Yamatsu out of the village, with the scythe back in its cradled position in his right arm so that the curved blade of the scythe hangs down, the point directed to the ground while Risi walks smoothly and silkily towards the farming community that was having some sort of trouble with an animal of some kind. It's actually somewhat interesting for him, as he's not even certain that his Genjutsu would work on a wild animal the same way that it would for a human, and it's important to know these things when Genjutsu is really his greatest asset. Being a spy gave him some capability as a shinobi already, but being a spy and being a hunter were not at all similar.

[Yamatsu]

The Young Pup

Yamatsu stiffened as the other leaned in close to him before hearing their confession. There was no way Risi was a man, he was to beautiful. Yamatsu's face turned a bright red as his eyes moved up and down the form before him. He took in a deep breath to regain his composure and not get distracted by Risi. "It... It is very nice to meet you Risi." He bowed and turned away as fast as he could to hide his embarrassment. "We should head off now i think." His hand reached up scratching the back of his head nervously before he started walking. This was going to be a challenge of the highest degree. He would need to focus on the mission at hand while traveling with Risi. First Raika, now Risi, was the Raikage messing with him? It did not matter he was to do his duty no matter what. He turned back once before heading out of the gate to take one last look at the man behind him. He told himself it was to make sure he was still there, he knew otherwise. When this mission was over he planned to personally talk to Kizumi and see what was going on. First he needed to get back into the mindset he wished he did not need anymore, he needed to be the hunter. He started off at a brisk jog before picking up his pace. The trails of the mountains rushed back into his mind from the years in the wilds. The shortest was would be to the east down the old goat trail. He took a quick left looking behind him again, if Risi noticed he would have see the look of a predator not normally on the face of the shy young man.

Risi -- 299

LAIKA OF THQ

[risi]

Risi notices the embarrassment despite Yamatsu's attempts to hide the emotions running through him, but instead of teasing him about it for now, he follows after the tan young man. Risi continues pretending to be in his own little world and acting as though he's not noticing the hungry, almost wishful looks he's being given, though the red raven eyes catch every fleeting glance thrown his way. He's somewhat surprised at himself that he's actually enjoying it, and he doesn't have to pretend to like it. That's certainly interesting, and might be something he has to do some self-reflection about later, but this Yamatsu boy feels just a bit too young for him to court, which is a shame.

Well, perhaps when he's older...

Risi momentarily sets aside such thoughts, reminding himself that they'll be something to think about later, preferably after the mission is over and he's back in the cozy little room in his own home where he can drink his warm tea and relax as himself. The brisk jog is somewhat harder to keep up with for Risi, since he's wearing boots, but he manages to do so. Although the glances from the shorter young man are somewhat wolfish, it feels as though Risi is chasing after him along the goat path, trudging along and having to grip the haft of his scythe with both hands in order to keep it from bouncing and jouncing out of his previous cradled grip. At least they quickly make it to the small, quaint village, nestled in one of the few mountain forests that crop up in the Lightning Country, with this one cradled in the loving arms of a lush valley, no doubt so fertile thanks to ancient volcanic soil fed by water running off the mountains into the basin.

"Hmmmm... Where's this beast we've got to hunt?"

[Yamatsu]

The Young Pup

Yamatsu was glad Risi was keeping up, it helped make their travel time a lot shorter than he had expected. He still could not help but glance back occasionally during their trip. He had hoped they were as good with that weapon as he thought. His pace began to decrease as they approached the small village. He stopped about a hundred meters from the place keeping his head low as he looked about. He did not feel comfortable going any further, the size and scope of Kumogakure was one thing. However small villages like this had posed a threat to Yamatsu and the pack he lad lived with. "Lets scout around the edge and look for any signs." His reply to Risi's question was quick as he tried to put his focus back to the task at hand. He motioned for Risi to move to the right near the edge of the sparse thicket of trees. "I'll go this way." He pointed ahead to the left. "If we find anything meet back up here and give a signal of some sort." He began to move, back in the mode of the hunter. He kept himself low as he scouted the are around him. His eyes focused and ears trained for anything that might get to close. If the beast they were looking for was as large as it was said to be tracks or some sign should be easy to find. He was having a hard time finding anything and hoped Risi was doing better. It must not travel this side of the village for some reason. Yamatsu turned heading back to the spot they had started hoping Risi had better luck.

Risi -- 282

LAIKA OF THQ

[risi]

Risi keeps his head on a swivel as he peers all around the village, but doesn't see much movement. Maybe the people were scared inside by the rampage, but they probably wouldn't be coming out to check if the coast is clear for a while. From what he could see, there was no smoke coming from the homes with chimneys, but that didn't mean much, since the houses were also small enough that just a small fire would be enough to warm the entire space for most of them. Being in a mountain valley also meant that some resources, like wood, were slightly more scarce, and so space would likely have to be decreased to make more efficient use of the wood they had reasonable access to.

Risi's red eyes turn to look at Yamatsu when he suggests that they should split up to look for clues of the beast's passing, and he nods once, feeling somewhat serious. Joking was probably done for now, and it was mostly business, at least until the threat is gone. As it is, he waits until Yamatsu leaves to search on his own for clues on the other end before he coos down a small unkindness of ravens, who were originally looking down at the two shinobi with some amount of disdain, at least in Risi's view. However, with the Genin now speaking directly to them and in their own tongue, the ravens seem much more interested in and curious about this stranger. Although their vocabulary is simple, the Genjutsu specialist is able to ascertain that the kind of beast that went through the village was some kind of massive four-legged thing, with black fur who was strong enough that it sharpened its great front claws on trees that would sometimes fall over from its size.

At least from this, Risi can determine that it's a black bear they're looking for, and that it had eaten some goats before they arrived, and then barreled through the woods to the south. With that knowledge gained, Risi offers them some dried fruits that he'd been saving as a snack before shooing them off before Yamatsu can come back.

"Yamatsuuu! Here, boy!"

With the Genin making such loud sounds, it would likely keep the black bear from being drawn to him, but just in case, Risi kept his scythe prepared, gripping its haft with both hands and ready to swing it at the bushes.

[Yamatsu]

The Young Pup

As Yamatsu made his way back to their meeting spot he heard Risi call out to him. He stopped for a moment in shock, was this man treating him like a dog? Frustration welled up inside him, he might have lived in the wilderness for a time but he was no animal. He took a moment to gather himself before heading over to Risi, he did not want to go over there upset. After a few deep breaths to steady himself he made his way over to his companion. He would look to the trees for any sign of danger but figured with how loud Risi had been even something large would have been a little startled. "What is it? What did you find?" His voice had quickly become excited. The prospect of the hunt he could not hide, the thrill of wondering if the prey was able to fight back. Was strong enough to take him out, he had not feared death in years. His face was red again, but not from the proximity of the handsome male. No this time the hunter had full hold of Yamatsu and he was ready for the chase. "By the way, please to not treat me like a dog again." His voice was stern followed by a low growl.

Risi -- 217

LAIKA OF THQ

[risi]

Risi smiles when Yamatsu approaches him, leaning against his scythe a little with the curved head resting on the ground while the tanned young man asks after what he's found. With one deft movement, he combs his long black hair back over one ear, with the motion looking even more feminine than the Kumo ninja already seemed, as though he's a bit shy that the other Genin seems so excited. After this very little grooming session, orchestrated to make him sub-consciously appear to be worrisome of his own appearance when Yamatsu is around, he points towards an opening in the tree line, with scratch marks dug into the earth by some heavy animal with five clearly defined claws.

"Looks like a black bear. Not quite large enough to be a brown bear, but still more than big enough to put a man underground."

When Yamatsu seems to put on a much more stern response to Risi playfully calling on the other Genin like a pet dog, he gives the young man a pout, putting on a teasing voice as he makes another flirty pass.

"That's a shame, you'd look cute in a collar."

Immediately afterwards, before Yamatsu can become too incensed by this good-natured ribbing, Risi makes sure to interject with a more clear statement.

"Fine, fine, I won't treat you like a dog again. But now, let's take this thing down! I've always heard that bears make great coats..."

At this last statement, Risi grabs hold of his scythe with both hands and lifts it up, holding it behind his back with his right hand gripping it firmly over the same shoulder, and the left steadying it near his waist, with the head low to the ground and the tip of the blade pointing upwards. With the scythe steady, but ready, the older Genin begins running through the thicket, avoiding getting caught on twigs or bushes as best he can.

[Yamatsu]

The Young Pup

Yamatsu stepped forward getting into a low crouch to survey the tracks on the ground. Risi said it was a black bear, but it was a little larger than any he had seen before. At least that is what the tracks and claw markings suggested. This could be a difficult hunt for sure, they needed to be prepared. He heard Risi's quip about a collar and lowered his head, this would be a long day but he knew if he turned around now the other young man would see his cheeks red in embarrassment. "Depends on if the bear has been in a lot of fights." He spoke with experience having seen many bears come across the pack. Some you could tell were young males their fur still flowing. The older more dominant ones covered in scars were who the pack needed to worry about most. He huffed fearing what lay ahead and how casual Risi was taking the whole ordeal. The time for games was over this was a hunt and he needed a strong pack to take down a bear. He needed to know what Risi could actually do in a fight, without saying a word he stood turning to face the more feminine man. In a few quick steps he was just inches away looking up into the fabled eyes of the Kyuumu Clan. His bluster faded instantly as he was now so close to this... being of beauty. Yamatsu turned around again silently cursing to himself. "Risi, what are your specialties? With that scythe i can assume Taijutsu or Bukijutsu? I am a Ninjutsu specialist myself, specifically Katon release." As he spoke he took the time to gather himself turning back again with a smile.

Risi -- 292

LAIKA OF THQ

[risi]

Risi seems quite excited to get to the hunt, but he's not quite quick enough to actually outrun Yamatsu; after all, the Genjutsu master was somewhat less focused on improving his run time or lifting the greatest weight, so it was really quite easy for the other Genin to catch up to him and then find himself looking down at the shorter young man. Risi's cold red eyes seem to catch Yamatsu off-guard, as well as his elegant appearance, and the older Genin takes note of the other man turning away with some small amount of internal interest, even though his outward personality is usually just an act. He's at least agile enough to pull back on his run so that he doesn't run straight into Yamatsu's back, although he considers it with at least a little bit of roguish delight. Instead, he stops a few inches behind the other man, blinking a bit in surprise before Yamatsu asks him what his specialties are, and Risi considers how he should answer.

Not telling the truth would certainly potentially cause issues, especially in this mission, since the black bear was apparently "big-big", if the ravens he'd spoken to were really impressed by its size. So, with a sigh, Risi decides to be truthful, and he sets the scythe back down so he can lean against it, acting as though just talking about his specialties when they could be out hunting the bear was boring him.

"Well, if you must know...~ I'm dog-water at any physical style of combat, both Taijutsu and Bukijutsu. Don't know the first thing about actually hitting someone with a scythe, but I can use it effectively enough to be dangerous. My specialties lie in Genjutsu, in illusion and misdirection... Hence the scythe.~"

He gives the other boy another cheeky little smirk, then shrugs nonchalantly.

"So you're only good at Ninjutsu? Or are you better at something else?~ Other than looking cute, I mean."

[Yamatsu]

The Young Pup

Yamatsu would have been lying to himself if Risi's words did not surprise him. He would have bet his family home that with the size of the weapon Risi wielded they would be a deadly force to come to blows with. It did not matter, even with what little genjutsu knowledge Yamatsu possessed he knew it was a dangerous force on its own. He was in mid thought coming up with a plan of attack when Risi called him cute. His train of thought now derailed all he could do was stare back up at the older genin. "I.. I can uh... I am a good tracker.. and um..." Why was get getting so flustered? He waved Risi away trying to gather his thought again. He took a deep breath imagining himself back with the pack. They were on the hunt, a large predator had made its way into their territory. He exhaled opening his eyes gathering himself. "We won't be able to attack it like a pack." He spoke out loud but more to himself. "Normally we could have a pair attack each shoulder with another nipping the nose. We'd have the strongest go for its back legs. Distract it from all sides..." He was lost in complete thought now. He was not sure what Risi could do but knew if they had any chance it would be to use him as a distraction. "Risi I have a plan but it will rest on what you can do to this beasts mind." He nodded sure of what they would need to do.

Risi -- 263

LAIKA OF THQ

[risi]

Risi can see that his teasing his definitely having its intended effect on Yamatsu, that being a distraction in order to hide away his own real emotions and thoughts in a flurry of flustering. Despite this being his usual reason for doing so to others, it somehow meant something more this time, but why? It was a conundrum, one he would need to work out on his own some other time. At least Yamatsu seems to have a very intriguing way of thinking about things, speaking about "packs" like he is an animal, and a pack-hunting kind of animal, too. Now that he thinks back on it, his eyes were the eyes of an animal just as much as Risi's own were, just in a different kind of way. Finally, Yamatsu seems to decide on a plan of action, which Risi simply allows for him to do. After all, the Kyuumu ninja doesn't really need to be the on leading this mission, so he's fine with taking a backseat to someone else's plan, especially as he's not going to be able to be the one with the actual physical assault.

That said, Risi can see one minor hiccup with this plan already...

"I could be a pretty good distraction. I just don't know if my tricks will work on a bear. Their minds are very simple, which can sometimes make illusions extremely effective, or not effective in the least. It's something of a gamble, but I can try to hang back and use a smaller Genjutsu technique outside of any dangerous range of the bear, and see if that illusion takes effect. If it does, then I can definitely help with Genjutsu distractions. If it doesn't... Well, I hope you're fast enough to protect me.~"

With that plan set in motion as well, Risi takes off towards the last known location of the black bear, approaching a small meadowed open field, where he can see the bear sharpening its claws on a rapidly weakening tree. He stops and drops instantly, even laying the scythe down. When the bear doesn't seem to react, Risi pulls his scythe back up, angling the blade so that the sharp edge catches the sun's light, and using that flash of brilliant light to try and catch the bear in a Genjutsu, one that's fairly simple, but quite useful for trying to see if he can even put an animal like this under an illusion.

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Yuganda Shiroku no Jutsu [Distorted Vision Technique]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: To Use: Low | To Maintain: Low
CLASSIFICATION: Genjutsu
ELEMENT: -
HANDSEALS: 0
TRIGGER: Visual
DESCRIPTION:

This technique is triggered by reflecting light off a metallic surface into the target's eyes. It is a simple Genjutsu which slightly alters the opponent's field of vision. The user will appear to be slightly displaced than reality, much like looking at a fish through water. This will cause the target to believe the user is in a slightly different position , approximately half a foot different than reality. The user is able to choose in the moment what direction they seemed to be shifted. This technique is useful for hand-to-hand combat as the opponent is likely to dodge into your attack.

[Yamatsu]

The Young Pup

Yamatsu nodded as Risi began to head off, he followed close by not wanting to overtake him. The Kyuumu knew where he was going better that Yamatsu did. He wondered if it had to do with the birds he saw earlier. Risi slowed and dropped into a crouch as Yamatsu moved off to the left without a word. The bear was indeed larger than he had expected and doubted that just the two of them could take it out. At least not alone and unscathed, a wrinkle to his plan. He had to think fast on a way to even the odds. He bit both his thumbs pressing his palms to the ground. The bear looked to shake it great head as if a ray of light had caught its eyes. Two twin puffs of smoke emerged with an audible pop. The bear would be alerted now, before him as the smoke dissipated stood the twin wolves Oki and Ino. "We don't have much time, i need you two to spread out and take the beast by the haunches after i attack." He spoke as quickly as possible without stumbling over his words. He heard the bear roar knowing it saw or at least smelled the two wolves. Oki and Ino both turned their heads regarding the huge animal before them. With quick nods they ran off in opposite directions. The bear turned its head left then right following the two summons before returning its gaze to Yamatsu. His breath was shaky, it was not the first time he had stared down a bear, but he had the pack with him then. It did not matter now, either they stopped the beast or it would hurt more animals and maybe even villagers. What if it hurt Risi? Yamatsu snarled back at the bear waiting for it to charge. He did not wait long before the great beast roared forth like a great black boulder ready to crush all in its path. "Shunshin no Jutsu." He made the seal fast disappearing before the bear reached him. The bear slowed a bit looking around the area for the boy who had just been in front of it. A sharp howl from its right snapped its head to see Yamatsu across the field. He was crouched low, his knees bent almost to being on all fours. The only difference from him and the wolves was his hand held in front of him already forming the seals for his next jutsu. "Housenka no Jutsu!" A series of small fireballs flew from his lips scattering around the bear. As the small flames nipped and singed the bears fur and flesh it roared again. It was followed by twin howls from either side of it as Oki and Ino rushed in biting at the bag legs of the bear.

Risi -- 473

LAIKA OF THQ

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Kuchiyose no Jutsu [Summoning Technique] x2
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu [General]
ELEMENT: None
HANDSEALS: 5
DESCRIPTION:
One of the most common and beneficial techniques in the known shinobi world. Simply drawing blood and releasing a mass of chakra from one's extended hand is capable of calling an animal or otherwise to one's location. As a Space-Time Ninjutsu, this technique is capable of instantly displacing an intended summon from wherever they may be to the requested location, though there are obstacles that can prevent this. To use this jutsu, one must first make a contract with whatever they are summoning, living creature or not. Both the size and the stamina of what a shinobi calls upon increases the demand of chakra they must spend to perform the jutsu.

x2 Low costs for Oki and Ino

Name: Housenka no Jutsu [Phoenix Sage Fire Technique]
Rank: C
Chakra Usage: Low
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Katon
HANDSEALS: 3
Description: After performing the necessary handseals, the user expels a series of small fireballs, each one about the size of a kunai. This are fired in succession and in such numbers that it makes it difficult to dodge by simple means. They are light in form and so they can even be used to hide shuriken within them without being disturbed.