Get that cat! Kuroda's first mission!

Spoiler:

Mitsu was bored one day and actually decided to do a mission. Sadly for him, it required at least one other person. Mitsu put up a notice that he was looking for another genin to take up the mission in the next two days. The day after, someone by the name of Kuroda Yukimura. He had then later looked up his public profile, not finding much on him as he was new and out of the academy and hadn't even been assigned a team yet, let alone go on any missions. Mitsu sighed, but this was apparently the only person he could go with. His opinion soon changed as Mitsu read the boy's profile. It just so turned out, he had ice manipulation, one of the rare bloodline abilities. Mitsu also had a rare bloodline, so perhaps they would be able to relate. The mission specs said that the cat can usually be found near a cherry blossom tree. He knew there were some around the hokage memorial, so he figured he would start the search there tomorrow. To finish up the day, he sent Kuroda a notice to meet him at the main memorial that following morning.

Mitsu then woke up the next day, early, of course. He then started walking to the memorial almost immediately. It may be a tiger they are after, but Mitsu could handle it. He had almost fought a lion before, and it was stronger then this tiger would be almost definitely. He had a good plan if the tiger attacked. He hoped the thing liked bones as much as flesh. He found himself at the big old rock shortly and stood in front of it. He bowed and paid respects then jumped into a nearby tree, out of direct sight. He closed his eyes and concentrated on hearing the things around him, waiting for this Kuroda kid to show up.

Today would serve to be an exciting day for Kuroda. At least, exciting in his view. One wouldn't necessarily be able to call a day catching a cat for someone to be exciting. But for Kuroda, it would be his first mission. He would be able to take his first steps to getting more well known in the ninja world. This day would also serve as a way for him to socialize, as he had been assigned to the mission with another gennin by the name of Mitsuhide Katsudo. He had no idea what this boy would be like, or what he could do, but hoped he would be able to find some connection and make friends with him.

Kuroda woke fairly early, so as to get to the agreed meeting spot, the Konoha Memorial, at a good time. He began to pack lightly for the mission, taking a bottle of water to drink, and 5 kunai and shuriken, just in case something should develop. However, as he began to gradually feel more awake, he deliberated more on the mission. Why would he need to be assigned with another gennin for the simple task of catching a cat? One would assume one person, let alone a ninja, would be enough. Then, it hit him; what exactly had they meant by a cat? This "cat" could be a lion or a tiger for all that he knew. Now seeing the possible risks of the situation, he grabbed 10 more shuriken and kunai and the other 4 water bottles, feeling an ice jutsu may possibly come in handy should he be catching something bigger than your everyday house cat.

After packing his gear, he began to set out for the Konoha Memorial. Within a few minutes, he had arrived. Upon approaching the monument, he decided out of respect to bow before it and show his respect to the fallen warriors who protected this village. He began to look around for Mitsu, but could not directly see him. "Mitsuhide, you there?" he asked out loud.

Kuroda now stood there, waiting to hear a response.

Mitsuhide was still sitting in the tree when Kuroda called out for him. This child was not like most of the ninja he had met before. He seemed to call out instead of waiting silently like most do. Mitsu breathed in and then slowly slid off the branch, falling to the ground. He landed next to Kuroda and then stood up straight. "Hello there, nice to meet you Kuroda. Lets get looking shall we? There are a few cherry blossom trees around the memorial, so this is a good place to start." Mitsu then started walking to the first tree he knew the location of, leaving Kuroda no suggestion if he wanted to split up or be followed. He didn't really care either way. He knew where a few trees were, so he would look carefully. He knew this would be simple, even if it was a large cat. He walked up to the tree slowly and quietly, completely serious. If he could find the cat without it noticing, this would be finished quickly. He slowly crept into full view, but there was no cat whatsoever. He sighed and started for a second tree.

"Hello there, nice to meet you Kuroda." Kuroda turned quickly to face the person beside him who had just jumped from the tree. Considering he knew his name, this had to be Mitsu. "And you must be Mitsuhide. Pleased to meet you as well." Mitsu then began to explain the plan to start the search around the memorial. This gave Kuroda the impression that he was a man that liked to get to the point and leave side conversation for later. Not that he had a problem with that. He wished to complete this mission soon as well, and possibly be able to speak more freely with him later. For now, he would have to focus on the task at hand.

At first, Kuroda considered following Mitsu, thinking he may possibly be able to squeeze at least some conversation out of it. He then thought about it, realizing that two pairs of eyes looking at the same trees would do no good, so he followed a path slightly more to the right of him and began slowly walking around the trees until he came to a cherry blossom tree. He quietly walked and then turned to look around the tree to the other side; nothing. Kuroda had no idea how long it may take them to find the cat, considering there were several cherry blossom trees throughout the village. For now, however, he decided to continue scanning the immediate area, looking for the next cherry blossom tree and approaching it.

Kuroda tried to be nice and greeting after Mitsu spoke. He also seemed to go with a splitting up kind of plan. Just before Kuroda left earshot, Mitsu told him something. "If you find the cat, and there is some way you can signal me without making noise or alerting the cat somehow, do so. I personally haven't figured out what I'm going to do yet, but it will be something noticeable to someone like you." Mitsu really did have no idea what he as going to do to signal Kuroda. Most likely he would try to capture the cat first, then signal him after it was done. He had checked his second pouch he had with him, making sure the net he packed with him was there and ready. The pouch was rather large, holding the entire net and the weights attached to them. Above all of that, the net had to be folded in such a way that it could unfold quickly without getting tangled. Mitsu had removed the net from the large pouch to figure out how to move with it without making noise. Removing it from the pouch was enough to make noticeable noise, so he was glad he did at least that. Mitsu soon found a good way to walk around quickly and quietly. He had checked another two trees without any luck at all, and walked to a third and then a fourth, also with no luck. But lucky for him, fifth time was the charm. He was a good 30 meters away from where the cat was laying down underneath the shade of a cherry blossom tree. He knew there was a possibility that Kuroda could show up, because he pretty much looped around in front of where he was last going. the direction Kuroda was going in had a good distance before the first and second trees he would run into. Mitsu had a map made out in his mind, and he was pretty sure this would be the second tree, or at least his fourth. He crept quietly to about 20 meters, not daring to go any close incase his partner showed up and he needed to make some sort of noise.

Kuroda kept in mind the advice that Mitsu had just given him about having some form of silent signal if need be. He would also try to keep aware for any sort of signal from Mitsu should he find the cat first. All of this ran through Kuroda's mind as he walked toward the second tree he would search. He decided to take a more wary approach with this tree, considering his last strategy for looking around the tree could have proven deadly had the cat been just around the edge, waiting for him. Kuroda looked around to see where the next closest cherry blossom tree was. It was a good distance away, so he should be able to do this effectively. Rather than heading straight for the next tree, he simply stopped moving forward roughly 15 meters away from the tree. He then began to slowly circle it, being sure to keep his distance and keep his senses tuned in on the tree for any signs of the cat. After going about 60 degrees around in a circle around the tree, he still saw no signs. All that proved was that there was no big cat there. He remembered that he could be over-thinking the matter, and it could very well be an ordinary house cat. However, after a few more seconds of circling, he was 90 degrees around the circle from the starting point. No signs of a cat whatsoever. Having seen nearly all the way around the tree, he decided it was time to search the next one.

Kuroda looked to the tree that caught his attention when he started circling the second tree. From his line of view, that was the next closest tree. Again he began the same process, stopping 15 meters from the tree and encircling it slowly. He continued to circle, but stopped abruptly as his feet slid through a pile of leaves. He had been so focused on the tree, he forgot to focus on himself and his surroundings. He had only just started to circle the tree when he stopped, so he could still not tell whether or not the cat would be there. He looked around quickly, planning to look back at the tree again, but something had caught his eye. Mitsu was standing still a few meters away, looking off toward another tree it seemed. He looked in the direction Mitsu seemed to be, and he saw it; the cat sat beneath a cherry blossom tree. As he had guessed, it was no house cat, but a large tiger of some sort. He then looked to Mitsu again. He had not made any signal yet, possibly waiting to see when he would show up. Kuroda then thought of how to make a signal, grabbing a water bottle from his belt. He opened the cap and took a swig of water, then formulated the idea for a quick, silent way to get his attention. He took another swig, then, as silently as he could, tried to make a mist of the water through spitting it out. Thankfully, he kept the process quiet. He then made a few hand signs, then, using that mist, froze it into a small, thin disk of ice. He held up the disk at an angle where the light passing through it would be focused like a lens in Mitsu's direction, and attract his attention so they could discuss a plan of attack.

Mitsu was about 18 meters from the cat before he noticed a light hitting his eyes. It was glittering about his face, so he looked over in that direction and saw Kuroda. He then quietly walked over to him, the two of them about 40 meters from the cat, far enough to discuss a plan. Mitsu slowly walked away from the cat and in the direction of Kuroda. Once he was next to Kuroda he noticed the floating thin disk that was near him. He studied it and notice a small drop of water fall from the underside. He knew that Kuroda could control ice and felt somewhat stupid for not thinking of this plan before. Mitsu spoke to Kuroda in a low and quiet tone, so the cat remained slumbering. "I read your profile, so I know that that disk is made of ice. What i want you to do is to use enough water to freeze the cat's legs, then I'll throw that netting over him. The weights on the ends should be enough to hold it down. Then we will have to find a way to carry it back."

After a few seconds of the light shining in Mitsu's face, he had finally turned and walked to Kuroda. Mitsu seemed to be studying the disk Kuroda made with some interest, and then he saw the expression on Mitsu's face, seeming to show an idea.

"I read your profile, so I know that that disk is made of ice. What i want you to do is to use enough water to freeze the cat's legs, then I'll throw that netting over him. The weights on the ends should be enough to hold it down. Then we will have to find a way to carry it back."

It was a sound plan, and one that Kuroda had somewhat considered using. However, he knew there was a slight drawback to this, one that he would need to make Mitsu aware of. "I like the sound of the idea. There is a slight problem though. I can't yet manipulate water on its own, so I will have to get in close to the cat, close enough to pour the water on its legs, then quickly freeze it. Also, when I freeze the water, we will only have a few seconds to get the net on the cat. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm not very proficient with my ice and can not keep it frozen for very long. I will need you close by so that the moment the ice freezes, you can catch the cat."

Kuroda began to slowly move toward the cat, opening the bottles of water slowly and taking off his belt, holding it taut in order to keep the bottles pointed upward and prevent spilling. Finally, after a few moments, Kuroda was only steps away from the cat, still sleeping thankfully. Now was the chance. The moment he would overturn the bottles, the cat would wake, and there would be no turning back. Kuroda took a deep breath, then, as quickly as he could, flipped the bottles upside-down, soaking the cat's legs. Now the cat's eyes opened wide, obviously startled by this. Kuroda had to act fast. He began to make hand signs, and just before the cat pounced, he allowed his chakra to flow into the water, freezing the legs of the cat. Being chakra reinforced, the cat would not be able to break free from the ice easily, but once melted, he would be free to go if the net was not on him.

Kuroda now contemplated the seriousness of this; his life was in Mitsu's hands, all dependent on how quickly he would react.

Mitsu followed Kuroda after he spoke himself. The situation had became harder since they would have to go in close. But Mitsu had the easier task. Mitsu was right next to the cat and Kuroda, he needed to be in order to make sure the net caught the cat. He has positioned himself just so, so that as soon as Kuroda did his job, all Mitsu had to do was drop the netKuroda seemed very nervous, and so Mitsu gave him a reassuring nod before he took a deep breath and poured on the water. Mitsu's eyes were first focused on Kuroda's hands, watching which signs were made in what order. It was at a good speed but Mitsu kept track of it. He then prepared the net and tossed it over the cat as soon as it's legs were frozen. the net came down upon the cat and it collapsed on top of it. The ice melted and the cat struggled, but the next was solidly in place. The cat wasn't going to move at all. Mitsu decided he and Kuroda would just drag the cat to the hokage's office. It would be funny to see the old man's reaction. There, it's not going to move. My only solution is to just drag it to the hokage's office. Well, I suppose we could give it a bone or something and try to walk it back. It will be more humane. Let's get going." Mitsu protruded a humerus from his right forearm and pushed it through the netting next to the cat's face. It sniffed the bone for a few seconds, then it realized what it was, and the cat seized it from Mitsu and began gnawing on it. Mitsu noticed a collar on it and he thought of an idea. He slowly removed the netting from it's head and pulled our some metal wire, and made a makeshift collar. With that, he coaxed the cat to walk with them, and it submitted. "Well, that was easier than I thought. We will be heading to the hokage's office now Kuroda. Feel free to talk with me if you want."

Kuroda watched as Mitsu took the net and threw it over the top of the cat, collapsing over and trapping it, just in time before the ice melted. Kuroda sighed with relief, knowing that this part was over. He watched the cat struggle a bit, then give up. At least he wouldn't put up much of a fight. "There, it's not going to move. My only solution is to just drag it to the Hokage's office." Kuroda shrugged slightly, not sure of how else to take the cat there. "Well, I suppose we could give it a bone or something and try to walk it back. It will be more humane. Let's get going."

Kuroda looked at Mitsu a bit curious, wondering where he would be keeping a bone. Would he have brought it with him for this mission? Then he saw Mitsu pushing a bone out from his forearm. His eyes widened slightly as he saw this. He had remembered hearing from his mother about a clan that could manipulate their bones. He remembered being told that their clan and his own clan were once mainly in the same village. Kuroda thought harder trying to remember the name of the clan.

It then popped into his mind. "So you're a Kaguya?" He said somewhat quietly. So he was also from a unique bloodline. Kuroda saw this as a possibility for something for them to talk about. After Mitsu gave the cat the bone and made the leash out of wire, Kuroda began to follow him.

"I've heard a bit about your clan, the Kaguya, but never actually seen what you can do. It seems like such an incredible ability. How exactly does it work?" Kuroda felt like learning as much as he could about this. It may lead to more conversation with Mitsu.

As Mitsu started walking the cat back with Kuroda, the boy mentioned his clan. This kid catches on quick. He walked a few steps before Kuroda asked his question. They were off to the second tree by now and Mitsu decided he would explain. "Well, my people are born with a surplus amount of the main component of bones: calcium. Our bodies also naturally produce much more calcium than the average person. But we also have the ability to manipulate that calcium, and make basically make any bones we want. It is usually natural for our bodies to automatically heal broken bones, it happens in an instant. but we can protrude bones from our body like i demonstrated earlier as well. I'm not missing my humerus, because my body immediately started forming a new one as I was removing the bone. Now my people can't just make their bones any shape they want...at least not without training...and I think I'm the only one who was smart enough to think of it too. Mitsu smirked and then winked. He was almost certain he was the only person who has thought of his technique. With it, he would be able to do so many things. But that right now didn't matter. What matters now is finishing this mission. By the time Mitsu had finished his story, they were in the village, about half way there to the hokage's office.

Kuroda was just entirely captivated by this. He had already heard some about this clan, but not in such detail, and never dreamed to see it in person. The ability to manipulate one's bones. It seemed like such a great feat and ability to have. And hearing that Mitsu had taught himself to freely change the shape of his bones was astounding. It sounded as though he could have some truly great potential.

"That sounds incredible, Mitsuhide. I've never seen such an ability before. Then again, my abilities are also quite rare as well, though I've never put much thought into it. To me, I always thought of it as a special quirk that was unique to my family. The ability to freeze water and manipulate the ice that it creates. I still have a long way to go before I'm truly adept at using our clan element. I don't truly have anyone to teach me anymore, since the only other person I knew that could manipulate ice was..." Kuroda paused for a second, feeling a bit of sadness, thinking of it, but then continued. "My mother. She passed away about 5 years ago. I have to learn and create my abilities on my own now."

Kuroda then looked up, seeing they were getting very close to the Hokage's Mansion. "So, are we actually going to bring the cat into the Hokage's office?" Kuroda asked with a smirk on his face. He felt somewhat eager to see what kind of reaction they would get from doing just that.

Kuroda began complimenting how awesome his clan was. Mitsu showed no emotion. He noticed Kuroda almost cringe at the thought of even mentioning his mother. Mitsu could easily understand, both of his parents were dead as well. [color=blue]"For once, I can actually relate to someone, both of my parents are dead. And yes, we really are going to take the cat to the hokage. Just stand outside and I'll handle everything. Mitsu then walked into the hokage's building and went to the receptionist, bringing the cat with him. This part was honestly done for Mitsu's entertainment. The receptionist was very surprised at the giant cat. "Hello, I have brought this cat as proof for the completion of my mission with Kuroda Yukimura and myself, Mitsuhide Katsudo. Just bring the cat up to him later. Also...don't pet it, it like human flesh. I'll have to give it another few bones before I leave." Mitsu then pulled out the mission paper, then three more bones one from his right and two from his left, and left them in front of the cat. Mitsu then slowly walked away with a smirk on his face, laughing on the inside. As he passed by Kuroda he spoke to him before juming onto a building and rushing home. "You know, you're alright kid, you're alright. I'll keep you in mind, you will most likely see me again someday." And with that, Mitsu was off.

Rough padded feet gingerly walked across the cool concrete as a black nose was firmly placed to the ground. The brisk wind of autumn gently guided dead leaves across this canines path before each shade of brown, red, and yellow blended together in a nice corner between two buildings. These various shades of death rested in the shadows now as the wind's chilly grip tried to rip them away from their hideout. Through the glossy brown hues came thoughts of peacefulness. The ever so watchful Belgian Tervuren simply stopped to gaze at these fragile beings as she lightly sniffed the air. This moment of easement was short lived though as her eyes soon darted to her right before she turned her head. From the alleyway where she lurked she spotted a young boy with snow white talking to another male around the same age; both appearing to be genin.

"I'll keep you in mind, you will most likely see me again someday."

With that the snow white haired male then turned away and began his stride to where ever he may go. The Belgian Tervuren lowered its head then and smelled the alley as though she were tracking something, her eyes remaining on the child though. Slowly but surely he drew closer and closer while she continued to hunt for an invisible meal. Closer...closer...

Once the boy had his back turned towards the dog's alley, she slowly began to walk out form behind. From her position she was roughly ten meters away from the boy; her eyes locked on her flesh and blood target. She lightly tip toed for a meter before suddenly breaking off into a room. She ran at a good speed, quickly separating the distance between animal and man to 3 meters before she let out a demonic snarl. Her teeth were bared, her fur was rose, and right as she made the sound she leaped straight for the boys back. Her teeth were aimed right for his right shoulder blade where she would soon bite; ripping the flesh off as she leaped over him and landed before him. She would spin around and face her as she bared fangs and snarled. This all depended how the boy reacted though.

Mitsu left Kuroda there as he started walking away. As he passed an ally, he looked back with the feeling of being watched. All he saw was a dog looking out and Mitsu thought nothing of it. As he started walking he listened to everything around him. There were only a few people and soon he was alone. It was very hard for him to hear, but he did hear steps behind him. He then heard the steping intervals decrease and obviously heard running before a snarl. Mitsu turned his head at the running dog and saw it jump, very close to him. Mitsu ducked as fast as he could, and the dog flew over him, turned and landed on the ground, snarling and gnashing it's teeth. Mitsu jumped back a bit to gain distance and pulled out a kunai from his pouch. He also secretly protruded a bone knife from his arm out of view, but left it there to extract later. He would see what the dog would do.

The dog leaped and the target ducked. This caused the dogs back legs to clip his shoulders instead due to how close she was to him. However this would not cause any damage whatsoever to either of them considering dog nails weren't entirely sharp; unlike a feline's maybe. Nonetheless, the dog still landed on the ground and slid to it's side to where it faced the genin. She snarled, baring her fangs as her ears fell to her head. The genin then jumped back, causing the dog to move a few paces forward but maintaining a good distance of four meters. She watched him very carefully as he pulled out a kunai from his pouch.

The dog snarled again as its fur rose up before she ran forward towards the genin. Her claws dug at the concrete, creating tick sounds as she ran, and then it may have been obvious that the dog was running a bit awkward unlike an actual dog. Once she was within one meter, she leaped towards the Genin with her fangs bared once more and prepared to make another assault. At the very second she made the motion to leap though, her form shuddered and she began to fade from the form of a dog into a full grown black haired woman. A woman's who's onyx black eyes stared right into the genin's while a kunai aimed for his stomach and the other ready to defend herself.

The question now was, how would he react to this sudden change and assault?

The dog started running again and Mitsu was way ahead of the dog. Suddenly the dog jumped and changed into a human. Mitsu followed through with his plan though and crouched and jumped sideways as far as he could. He narrowly dodged the attack then he didn't know what to do. Adrenelin was coursing through his body. He would normally flee, but he felt like he should actually stay and fight. Mitsu shot out a blade from his forearm and held it in front of him in defense. He was determined to dodge any possible attacks and to strike at the right time. He took out the bone knife in his arm and threw it at the woman, then secretly made another. He was also prepared to shoot finger bones as well, depending on what she would do. Mitsu knew she would dodge his attack, and decided to shoot he landing area right before she got there, so when she arrived she would be hit. At least, hopefully hit. "What do you want with me!? I want answers and I want them now. I have done nothing, yet you attack."

The moment she had changed into a human she was right up on him and considering he crouched, he would then receive a knee straight to the face. His timing was terribly off, he wouldn't have had time to evade and his choice to do so was bad. This knee kick would throw him onto his back with a bloody nose but no injury aside from pain and blood. Sanzen would then stop and stand before him as she waited for him to stand back up or make a move otherwise. It was he who decided how this fight persisted.

With crimson red eyes she stared straight into his own, making it seem as though she was trying to pierce through any veils he may have and read him like a book. Her kunai was still in hand as she waited for his next move.

When Mitsu crouched to jump, he regretted it, with a pleasant knee to the face. It was a bad move on his part, and luckily for his stronger bones he avoided a nose bleed. He felt and heard his nose crackle. It didn't hurt him nearly as much as he thought it did, but it was still enough to throw him off and knock him down. Mitsu then looked up and stared into the woman's eyes. She seemed to look right through him, and he was almost frozen in fear. But this was only the beginning, but Mitsu also wanted this to end quickly. He then got up and created a sword, just like he would have before, raising it in defense. "What do you want from me? What Why are you attacking me?" It was then Mitsu realized he didn't really feel so much pain in his nose. He actually shrugged it off. The benefit of being a kaguya I suppose... He also had his kunai raised in defense as well. He wanted to at least know why he was attacked. He would fight if he had to, but he really wanted to avoid doing so. But he was tired of running like he did when he was a kid. He had the potential to be greater than Kimimaru for crying out loud! How could he accomplish that if he kept running. Mitsu was determined to stay and defend himself. If he was going down, he would do everything he could before it happened.

"What do you want from me? What Why are you attacking me?"

Sanzen watched him with unemotional hues. Her features and everything were statue cold as she stood still. The young ninja's frequent quiver marked the fear which flowed through his veins. His eyes were frantic as he gazed back dead into her own hues; unable to break the barrier she had placed on them. Her wall was solid, she was well trained for this. Feeling the sense of an animal overpowering its prey, she plotted how easily she could attack the boy and send him into a world of torture. He was fragile in a sense and now her motherly side was kicking in. She wished to break this and rip away this state in order to draw out the true fighter within. She did it with Shihouin and hoped to do it with him as well. This made her wonder about the other genin as well. How was that boy compared to this one? Everyone was different of course. Maybe she would keep an eye out for that other one sometime in the near future.

There was a moment of silence as she watched him. She then allowed her kunai to drop from an assault position to her standing normally. There was a calm demeanor surrounding her and now this showed as she spoke with a calm and even tone.

"Why would I not?" she began, "you're a ninja, defender of Konoha. Is it not your job to protect these people?"

She put the kunai away and motioned for him to stand on his feet. It was obvious she had no interest in attacking again. Least, thats the front she put up anyway.

"If I had been an enemy ninja, do you truly believe I would have went as easy?"

She soon moved and began to circle him like she was examining a display.

"You're reactions are terribly slow... and I highly doubt you even know how to use that kunai well."

By then he should have stood up. If not then she would have probably lightly kicked him. But if he had, she would come up behind him with a kunai lightly placed to the center of his neck. Its cool tip would just barely cut the first light layer of his skin but would not cause any blood.

"Don't fight," she spoke coolly, waiting for him to settle a bit. "Remember, you never want to be in a situation like this. Once you're here, it's all over. My only reason for doing this is to prepare you for what lies ahead.... you're little friend may be next...but that shouldn't be any of your concern....."

She removed the kunai once more and formed seals.

"Remember to always watch your back for any sudden surprises"

And with that she faded through the concrete and beneath the earth.