After the fun Kyo had with the other mission hunting down the four thieves he decided that accepting jobs that didn’t seem as promising as he would have liked at first glance was not necessarily a bad thing. After all, if you got to have so much fun while getting paid was it really worth complaining over not gaining the recognition that you hoped for? Not in Kyo’s mind, at least not anymore! This time he had accepted a mission, another one that wasn’t too awfully dangerous, for the owner of a restaurant/shop that needed his meat to be restocked. He had been specific that the meat could only be gotten from the Ancient Forest, and that the animal was the notorious Devil Squirrel. This was a creature that Kyo had experience fighting, he had fought them alongside Miko when they had accompanied Doku after finding the ANBU wounded in the forest after having just killed a Giant Boar, the thing had been covered in the gore of the three genin it had wound up killing. The ANBU had been sent in to retrieve the bodies and to put an end to the beast’s rampage as the three man genin team had failed to do, and lost their life in the process. The mission they had been sent on had been misrepresented to the council so that the requester wouldn’t have to pay as much money, they had been punished very severely for their failure to abide by the rules set forth, as they should be. While Kyo felt their death would have been a better punishment, instead it had simply cost them their business, all of their holdings and they were exiled from the village never to return. Kyo wasn’t worried that this mission was of a similar caliber, mostly because of his knowledge of the animals he was hunting, he had improved his fighting technique, and besides this he knew how he was going to get the animals one by one, it wouldn’t take him long to fully meet the quota, or at least the actually killing wouldn’t take long, he would have to find them first.
Kyo headed for the Ancient forest, it wouldn’t take him long to reach the spot that he had been training that night, while he still used it on occasion he had moved his extracurricular activities to a random spot every night. Less likely to run into others that way, and less likely to get caught. He looked up at the tree that Hoshitsu had sat in as he passed it, he knew the direction he needed to head from there, he remembered that night clearly even after all this time. He had been caught training with weights that he had eventually dropped in the forest when he had to fight, Hoshitsu was the first one to find the boy while Miko had come looking for a great beast in the forest and found the two boys. It hadn’t taken long before the great noise that Doku had emitted interrupted them and sent them scurrying to see what it was. How naïve of them that had been, if Doku had not killed the beast and they had instead arrived to find not the wounded ANBU but the beast in his place it may very well have been more of them not coming home that morning than Hoshitsu. The ANBU had been surprised and angry that they were in the forest and had demanded that they accompany him into the forest to retrieve the last of the bodies of the genin team sent in to take care of the beast he had killed as he felt they would be safer that way. Hoshitsu had stupidly followed along with a lit cigarette, and then if that wasn’t bad enough he had dropped the thing when they had stopped upon finding the body. It had slowly fallen to the ground where it exploded into a shower of sparks alerting the nearby wildlife which happened to be the very same wildlife that Kyo was hunting this day. Kyo and Miko had fought off the attack while Doku had retrieved the body he had come for, as they had a small break in their battle Miko and Kyo had been snatched up and taken away at speeds that belayed a normal shinobi, he had moved faster than any other than Kyo had seen so far, and with his information collecting he did on others that was saying something. Doku had warned them after saving them, but then complimented them telling the two that ANBU could use more like them. This had sparked Kyo’s interest, though he hadn’t fully decided yet which branch he would enter upon becoming a genin even though the day of the exam was drawing closer and closer with every passing day.
Kyo came to halt in the clearing where the body of the boar had been,
he could still remember the smell and picture its corpse laying there. The body was gone, either snatched up by medical for research or eaten by other predators of the Ancient Forest he did not know. This time Kyo was more prepared, and he would move more carefully than they had before, though this time he would rely upon his newly developed skills that would aid him in this hunt. He had a special way of dealing with these monsters that he would be using, he just had to continue to head in the same direction he had been for the last few minutes before he would reach their territory and the other location that he remembered from that night in the forest with those two. Kyo was beginning to exercise more caution now and he took a moment to perform the handseals for what was fast becoming one of his favorite Ninjutsu, at least when stealth was required and he couldn’t simply fade due to needing to move. It had helped well enough during the other mission, and this one would be no exception. Kyo faded into the background after he finished and pulled a dark green hooded mask over his face to cover all but his eyes, it would help the Ninjutsu hide his presence. He then set off heading forward once more, this time in complete and utter silence, without even the fluttering of his clothing to give his presence away.
Kyo leaped and landed lightly from giant tree branch to giant tree branch, his sounds now masked completely, while he had thought he had been silent the last time he was here, at the time he had not known how much noise his clothing had made, nor the impacts that sent vibrations through the tree branches. He was much more experienced in such a short time, and he intended to keep gaining experience to the point when he would be able to do what he planned without worry of someone stopping him. His plan was high stakes, and it would not due to be caught or stopped when he eventually put it into motion, after all death was something he would rather avoid. Kyo slowed as he approached the last clearing, the one where he and the others had encountered the mass of strange, angry rodent like creatures that had flooded towards them with a clicking sound. While they had been shrouded in darkness he had recognized the description the man who wished for their meat had given, similar to a squirrel, twice the size with raven-black fur, large red eyes and a mouthful of sharp fangs. Kyo paused crouched on a branch as he watched the area around him, he listened and he felt, there were creatures there just out of sight, he could feel them, they could no longer hide from him.
It was time to put his hunting plan, completely separate from the plan he had been thinking of before, into action. He dismissed his camo and leapt from the tree, the fluttering of his clothes and sudden appearance catching the attention of the nearby forests denizens, it appeared that this was one of the devil squirrels nests, or at least near enough one that even after all this time they were still here in mass, waiting and watching. As soon as he had leapt from the tree branch headed for the ground they awoke, the clicking sound he remembered started up as they charged forth and leapt from higher tree branches to lower tree branches chasing the falling boy, he shook his head as he plummeted forming handseals all the way. By the time he should have impacted the ground he simply sunk into it disappearing all together, while this might be cause for concern with the beasts had any real intelligence they instead charged for the spot Kyo had previously been, clawing at the dirt for several seconds before standing and looking about themselves confused. It was then that the squirrels began to screech, one by one they let out what for them was a terrified bellow before disappearing into the earth struggling the whole way. It only took moments for the squirrels to realize that the ground was no longer safe and that they had become the hunted, by that time five of them had already sunk into the ground screaming terrified, at first they had tried to rush to their fellows aid, clawing and digging at the ground, but as those that helped where pulled under each time they quickly dispersed from the effected member, once they had fully realized they leapt back to the trees, angrily clicking and chattering at the ground, they stayed on the trees watching carefully for some time before one brave or foolish enough dropped one tentative paw to the ground, only to quickly be pulled under, this time a hand emerging from the ground to grasp the paw firmly could easily be seen. The other squirrels chittered frightened to one another for a moment before dashing away climbing the trees and disappearing into the foliage above.
Underneath the ground, if Kyo could be seen one would see him grinning to himself, the squirrels had lost consciousness underneath the ground where he had pulled them, they did not have the ability to breathe in the earth or to use chakra to sustain themselves as he did. It hadn’t taken long for them to lose consciousness as they had attempted to thrash about expending what little air they had with their frantic attempts at movement. Kyo on the other hand had in reality only grabbed two each time before he had to resurface and perform the Ninjutsu once more, of course he had utilized a combination of jutsu to remain unnoticed by the squirrels who were frantically attempting to attack him and rescue their compatriots, with their focus on other areas the active camo had allowed him the time needed to slip back into the ground and attack again and again. Kyo gathered the squirrels one by one, snapping their necks before putting them into the bag that hung from the back of his belt and tying them onto his belt with rope. He had ensured that there was no blood, so as not to attract the larger predators in the forest, while he had only been asked to bring in two to four pounds of meat, he would be bringing in nearly 15 pounds. All told it had been a successful and enjoyable little hunt for Kyo, and now it was time to return to the shop owner and provide him with the requested meat.
Kyo ensured that he was a ways away from the spot he had taken his prey before he resurfaced, he quickly set about camouflaging himself before he leapt and climbed his way to the top of the branches in the giant trees and set on his way back. It would take some time, but less than it had to get there as he was perhaps more excited than he had been previously, though one couldn’t tell by looking at the boy as his face was its Stoic self once again and his body did not betray him either. As Kyo wondered back into town he got plenty of stares from the citizens as he walked along the streets the large four to six pound trophies dangling from his belt. He would ask for the skins from the man, after all he hadn’t wanted them and Kyo intended to use their soft fur to line his Kunai holsters as well as to make a gift for his mother. Today’s mission while paying out less than he would have liked had gone well.
Kyo headed for the Ancient forest, it wouldn’t take him long to reach the spot that he had been training that night, while he still used it on occasion he had moved his extracurricular activities to a random spot every night. Less likely to run into others that way, and less likely to get caught. He looked up at the tree that Hoshitsu had sat in as he passed it, he knew the direction he needed to head from there, he remembered that night clearly even after all this time. He had been caught training with weights that he had eventually dropped in the forest when he had to fight, Hoshitsu was the first one to find the boy while Miko had come looking for a great beast in the forest and found the two boys. It hadn’t taken long before the great noise that Doku had emitted interrupted them and sent them scurrying to see what it was. How naïve of them that had been, if Doku had not killed the beast and they had instead arrived to find not the wounded ANBU but the beast in his place it may very well have been more of them not coming home that morning than Hoshitsu. The ANBU had been surprised and angry that they were in the forest and had demanded that they accompany him into the forest to retrieve the last of the bodies of the genin team sent in to take care of the beast he had killed as he felt they would be safer that way. Hoshitsu had stupidly followed along with a lit cigarette, and then if that wasn’t bad enough he had dropped the thing when they had stopped upon finding the body. It had slowly fallen to the ground where it exploded into a shower of sparks alerting the nearby wildlife which happened to be the very same wildlife that Kyo was hunting this day. Kyo and Miko had fought off the attack while Doku had retrieved the body he had come for, as they had a small break in their battle Miko and Kyo had been snatched up and taken away at speeds that belayed a normal shinobi, he had moved faster than any other than Kyo had seen so far, and with his information collecting he did on others that was saying something. Doku had warned them after saving them, but then complimented them telling the two that ANBU could use more like them. This had sparked Kyo’s interest, though he hadn’t fully decided yet which branch he would enter upon becoming a genin even though the day of the exam was drawing closer and closer with every passing day.
Kyo came to halt in the clearing where the body of the boar had been,
he could still remember the smell and picture its corpse laying there. The body was gone, either snatched up by medical for research or eaten by other predators of the Ancient Forest he did not know. This time Kyo was more prepared, and he would move more carefully than they had before, though this time he would rely upon his newly developed skills that would aid him in this hunt. He had a special way of dealing with these monsters that he would be using, he just had to continue to head in the same direction he had been for the last few minutes before he would reach their territory and the other location that he remembered from that night in the forest with those two. Kyo was beginning to exercise more caution now and he took a moment to perform the handseals for what was fast becoming one of his favorite Ninjutsu, at least when stealth was required and he couldn’t simply fade due to needing to move. It had helped well enough during the other mission, and this one would be no exception. Kyo faded into the background after he finished and pulled a dark green hooded mask over his face to cover all but his eyes, it would help the Ninjutsu hide his presence. He then set off heading forward once more, this time in complete and utter silence, without even the fluttering of his clothing to give his presence away.
Kyo leaped and landed lightly from giant tree branch to giant tree branch, his sounds now masked completely, while he had thought he had been silent the last time he was here, at the time he had not known how much noise his clothing had made, nor the impacts that sent vibrations through the tree branches. He was much more experienced in such a short time, and he intended to keep gaining experience to the point when he would be able to do what he planned without worry of someone stopping him. His plan was high stakes, and it would not due to be caught or stopped when he eventually put it into motion, after all death was something he would rather avoid. Kyo slowed as he approached the last clearing, the one where he and the others had encountered the mass of strange, angry rodent like creatures that had flooded towards them with a clicking sound. While they had been shrouded in darkness he had recognized the description the man who wished for their meat had given, similar to a squirrel, twice the size with raven-black fur, large red eyes and a mouthful of sharp fangs. Kyo paused crouched on a branch as he watched the area around him, he listened and he felt, there were creatures there just out of sight, he could feel them, they could no longer hide from him.
It was time to put his hunting plan, completely separate from the plan he had been thinking of before, into action. He dismissed his camo and leapt from the tree, the fluttering of his clothes and sudden appearance catching the attention of the nearby forests denizens, it appeared that this was one of the devil squirrels nests, or at least near enough one that even after all this time they were still here in mass, waiting and watching. As soon as he had leapt from the tree branch headed for the ground they awoke, the clicking sound he remembered started up as they charged forth and leapt from higher tree branches to lower tree branches chasing the falling boy, he shook his head as he plummeted forming handseals all the way. By the time he should have impacted the ground he simply sunk into it disappearing all together, while this might be cause for concern with the beasts had any real intelligence they instead charged for the spot Kyo had previously been, clawing at the dirt for several seconds before standing and looking about themselves confused. It was then that the squirrels began to screech, one by one they let out what for them was a terrified bellow before disappearing into the earth struggling the whole way. It only took moments for the squirrels to realize that the ground was no longer safe and that they had become the hunted, by that time five of them had already sunk into the ground screaming terrified, at first they had tried to rush to their fellows aid, clawing and digging at the ground, but as those that helped where pulled under each time they quickly dispersed from the effected member, once they had fully realized they leapt back to the trees, angrily clicking and chattering at the ground, they stayed on the trees watching carefully for some time before one brave or foolish enough dropped one tentative paw to the ground, only to quickly be pulled under, this time a hand emerging from the ground to grasp the paw firmly could easily be seen. The other squirrels chittered frightened to one another for a moment before dashing away climbing the trees and disappearing into the foliage above.
Underneath the ground, if Kyo could be seen one would see him grinning to himself, the squirrels had lost consciousness underneath the ground where he had pulled them, they did not have the ability to breathe in the earth or to use chakra to sustain themselves as he did. It hadn’t taken long for them to lose consciousness as they had attempted to thrash about expending what little air they had with their frantic attempts at movement. Kyo on the other hand had in reality only grabbed two each time before he had to resurface and perform the Ninjutsu once more, of course he had utilized a combination of jutsu to remain unnoticed by the squirrels who were frantically attempting to attack him and rescue their compatriots, with their focus on other areas the active camo had allowed him the time needed to slip back into the ground and attack again and again. Kyo gathered the squirrels one by one, snapping their necks before putting them into the bag that hung from the back of his belt and tying them onto his belt with rope. He had ensured that there was no blood, so as not to attract the larger predators in the forest, while he had only been asked to bring in two to four pounds of meat, he would be bringing in nearly 15 pounds. All told it had been a successful and enjoyable little hunt for Kyo, and now it was time to return to the shop owner and provide him with the requested meat.
Kyo ensured that he was a ways away from the spot he had taken his prey before he resurfaced, he quickly set about camouflaging himself before he leapt and climbed his way to the top of the branches in the giant trees and set on his way back. It would take some time, but less than it had to get there as he was perhaps more excited than he had been previously, though one couldn’t tell by looking at the boy as his face was its Stoic self once again and his body did not betray him either. As Kyo wondered back into town he got plenty of stares from the citizens as he walked along the streets the large four to six pound trophies dangling from his belt. He would ask for the skins from the man, after all he hadn’t wanted them and Kyo intended to use their soft fur to line his Kunai holsters as well as to make a gift for his mother. Today’s mission while paying out less than he would have liked had gone well.