The Wild Hunt [A Rank Mission]

[Senju Kazuki]

Kurusu would show up at the gates precisely at the time had specified for Yatamaru. He was dressed just like had been once the mission had been explained to the ANBU officer. In a complete standard garb used by any other Chuunin of Sunagakure. Unlike the other shinobi, though, his own lack any insignias or sufficient distinction to allow anyone to discern his actual rank within Sand's military hierarchy. In truth he was part of neither, but there was no doubt his real allegiance was to the Kazekage and the village itself. Where his office stood though, was part of another story that was yet to be unveiled. The dark haired man stood there, silently and patiently, waiting for his new companion. One had a ton of trouble to convince that help was needed. A village, two days worth of traveling away from Sunagakure, had been the targeted, rather recently, by a series of brutal murders. All that had left in each incident, was bits of mangled humans. In both times, since there had been two attacks, one in the last week to boot, had left very gory painted walls. Coincidentally, both victims lived alone and, actually, not very far from each other.

Regardless of the necessary amount of time, Kurusu would wait until Yatamaru arrived. He had accepted the mission offer and he would leave without the guy. He was going to the see this through no matter how hard it would be. He could handle this case alone, but he had been ordered to not do so. He had been instructed to tag along with someone else and so he did. Once the ANBU were to arrive, Kurusu would greet him with a single and simple nod. After checking if the guy was packed, given he had a small backpack with everything he knew to be necessary, he would immediately storm off. They were going into the desert but, luckily, to a area that was mild compared to the extreme regions known within the Wind Country. The area they were going to had never shown the extreme ranges of temperature usually common in some other places. There was also plenty of green, given the village of 100 had been built near an oasis. Okoshin was not a very big place, it had never been bigger than 60 buildings at one time. Precisely the count it had nowadays.

They would reach the village at the end of the second day of their journey. The sun was already setting and the previous night had been pleasant, given they had camped on the outdoors with little protection or shelter. "I suggest we camp outside this hamlet and get to the local governor tomorrow. A fresh mind will do wonders for us to have a talk with the guy." Kurusu would suggest. He was totally ready to camp outside and forgot the possible comfort of a linen sheet bed and fluffy pillows. But if the ANBU could really not forsake such commodities, they would enter the hamlet and search for a inn among the buildings.

OC:
You need 6000 words, minimum to be eligible for the rewards, so keep showing your current and total word count in each post, for the sake of papertrail.

 

[Kazu]

[current: 444]
[total: 444]​

The exact contents of Yatamaru's pack consisted of: a handle of vodka, a dozen packs of cigarettes, a single spare set of clothes, and an erotic fan-fiction that he'd really been looking forward to reading. What more could a man want?

This was not an official ANBU mission, so Yatamaru had left his mask at home. The once white button down he wore, frayed and aged from use, looked unkempt and sloppy. Dark brown cloth pants, and open toed sandals, completed the homeless hippy vibe. If only his attitude was more aligned with his looks. "Sour Jack, long time no see. Still gloomy and serious?" This guy needs to open up fast, or I swear to Mother Suna herself... He looked over at his companion, dubbed Sour Jack until given a better name, and wondered whether he could really trust him. The lack of markings made him anxious. But really, there was no doubt, at all, that Sour Jack's allegiance was to the Kazekage and the village. None whatsoever. Load of crap if you ask me.

Yatamaru's instinct was to doubt everything — it's how he survived in his line of work. I can't get a read on him at all. Stone cold poker face on that one. Regardless of his feelings, the two would still travel together. Yatamaru needed to know what this was all about, and he wasn't about to let a little suspicion stop him. He could handle danger as it came.

Over the course of their trip, his flask and lighter were the subjects of much adoration from Yatamaru; though, nothing could be said of how Jack took to Yatamaru's flippant dis-functionality. The weather was of little concern to Yatamaru, though Jack didn't know that. His partner might have noticed it already, but Yatamaru never fell asleep the previous night. It's just a part of the deal. More time, is all. The man's mechanical body was, for now, a secret.

When the duo reached the outskirts of the village, Yatamaru was excited to spot taverns and bars in this tiny village. I'll get along just fine with these people. When offered the choice of camping here or forging on, Yatamaru chose both. "We should camp here, but I want to scout ahead at their tavern. I'm a bit restless, and loose lips always have something interesting to say." It's better than sitting here doing nothing, anyways. Jack would be able to get a good nights sleep, and Yatamaru wouldn't have to be bored senseless for a second night in a row. Plus, it helped the mission.

"I'll be back before anyone wonders who I am. It's a win-win." For everyone involved.

 

[Senju Kazuki]

Kurusu was a very perceptive man by nature. He had seen Yatamaru’s tiny backpack and on their journey he had only seen tobacco and alcohol coming out of it. He had not seen the ANBU ingesting any liquid beside liquor and certainly not any food. In fact, despite being only one night out in the field, the former shady individual did not fail to spot how the ANBU officer did not sleep. Anxiety much? Or was it something else? If he were to combine no need for food, water and sleep, he could guess Yatamaru to be a robot of some kind. But given such technology was unheard of in their world, it could only mean this guy’s body was that of a puppet. Was that true? Would someone forsake a living human body for one made of wood? Kurusu knew he wouldn’t, but there were others that would make such trade in the blink of an eye. Of course, he did not know if the ANBU was a Human Puppet or not, it was just a conjecture on his part.

Eventually they would reach the outskirts of the village they were traveling into. Kurusu would suggest passing a second night on the field before entering village. He had a goal in mind. He wanted to observe the hamlet, see anything he could with moonlight, perhaps a glimpse of the possible aggressor that had attacked this village at least twice now. And also wanted to check the populace’s behavior before making his presence known to the place’s rightful governor. Of course he did not lay out this plan of observation to his companion because to his mind it seemed obvious. And given his teammate was an ANBU, he expected the same pattern from him. Yatamaru, however, had a different plan. ”We should camp here, but I want to scout ahead at their tavern. I’m a bit restless, and loose lips always have something interesting to say.” Did that kill the Sunan shinobi’s plan? Indeed, but he also wanted to see how that would play out. ”Suit yourself.” he would answer. Their presence would eventually be known anyway. ”I’ll be back before anyone wonders who I am. It’s a win-win.” the ANBU would reassure. A nod was the only response he would get. Kurusu would watch as Yatamaru would leave a nascent camp to enter a place where murder was becoming second nature.

As the ANBU descended a not so steep hill, he would realize out of the 60 buildings, most of them had no light inside. Either the inhabitants were already sleeping, or did not lit a candle or two. There was a third option in vacant houses. He would also be able to quickly conclude there were only two big houses. One of them was the hamlet leader’s home and the other was the town’s tavern. The former being a three story building, while the latter was a two story construction. All the buildings were made of wood and their ceilings made of straw. There were a few of them with roof tiles, two of them being the leader’s house and the tavern. On his way down, the night would fully set and the a big, full, very bright moon would rise from the horizon. Given the lack of light sources on the streets, moonlight was all he had to navigate around. It was a mesmerizing view, if one were prone for such things.

The tavern was one of those buildings that still had light inside and as the ANBU would traverse the place, he would hear little to no sounds coming from the houses. Eventually he would reach the tavern and find the door closed. There was a sign beside it, showing 08:00 as the opening hour and 24:00 for closing time. The time would be around 21:00 and the tavern was already close. A howl in the distance would be heard, probably a lone coyote was out there. The howl would soon be traded by sounds of a struggle. Sounds coming from inside the tavern. There was someone fighting inside and by the look of it, it was a very violent struggle.

What will you do?

OC:
By the way, I have a very specific way of modding things (at least I think I do lol), D&D/Fighting Fantasy style, if you don’t like it, I’ll try to accommodate.

 

[Kazu]

[current: 351]
[total: 795]​

I feel like a wild hound, just let off my leash. Yatamaru breathed in the crisp night air, a bodily idiosyncrasy that he'd yet to over come, as he descended the cliff side. Now, where's my quarry?

For tonight, he was a hunter. Not of werewolves, but of information. The time to strike was later; the time to watch was now. Chakra surging, he darted into the shadow of a flourishing palm tree for cover. Only, he never came out. It didn't look like it, anyways. Cloaked in darkness itself, he proceeded unnoticed. Costly, but incredibly useful. The shadows continually demanded his life force to survive, and he knew that prolonging this would not be wise. A quick look around, then.

He hurried through the village, silently moving between hiding spots. As he traveled he looked: for clues, for secrets, for mistakes, for hasty coverups, and most importantly at that giant full moon in the sky. There's no way it's a real werewolf, right? If it were, tonight is when it would strike. He shook off the thought, and continued toward the tavern.

The light was on, the door was locked, and the tavern wasn't supposed to be closed for three more hours. Interesting. He'd caught the scent of his prey. Now all he had to do was sneak up on it. Nimble as an acrobat, the drunken wonder jumped into the air and landed silently on the second story roof. He would try to find a window, or an entry way through the roof, in which to quietly sneak in. He could hear a fight inside, though he was not concerned by it. He was, however, curious to find out who was fighting, and why.

If he managed to make it inside, he would say nothing, do nothing, and interact with no one. He stood by the edge, wanting only to listen. He was, for now, a ghost among men.

If he failed to find a proper entrance, he would wait for a little while to see if they might take their fight outside. He'd consider his next move then.

Actions:
Cast Shadow Garb. Entering Stealth.

 

[Senju Kazuki]

Yatamaru’s travel between the buildings was uneventful. The lack of lighting on the streets was a bit disorientating, but with such strong moonlight it wouldn’t be that hard to navigate around the buildings. Of course, smaller details would elude until there was a proper light source. Given his inability to spot anything relevant or odd about the hamlet, except for, the most part, the majority of houses being already blacked out, the ANBU reached the tavern in a short amount of time with no significant detours. There was light inside and the tavern should only be closed at midnight, but the entrance door was already closed, which was odd given it was only 21:00. Curiosity would immediately drive Yatamaru to find an entrance into the building. Despite his tendency to overdrink and contrarily to his mechanical body, the ANBU was still quite nimble. With a single leap, he would reach the second story roof and he would land without producing a sound. The sounds of the struggle were quite clear now. They came from the base floor, while it was peaceful on the second floor.

All the doors on the higher story were closed shut, most of them with wooden covers as well. Although there were a few with them still open. There were no lights on in that floor, the only exception being where the fight was going on. A female scream would echo through the night, quickly followed by a growl and a whipping sound. There would be a small bump against the door below, as if something, or someone, had been thrown against it. If the ANBU were to take a peek at the only window without closed wooden covers, he would see nothing but darkness inside. The lock on the window was quite simple, something he should easily be able to open up. This was going to be his only entrance into the building that would cause the less noise among the other choices he had. Unless there were people inside that room. He had to make a choice.

OC:
You have three options.

• Try to lockpick a window
• Go back to the camp
• Wait it out

 

[Kazu]

[current: 245]
[total: 1040]​

"Damn it," he cursed under his breath. They're not going to make this one easy for me.

Breaking into an "open" tavern was not what he'd had in mind for tonight. While he had no doubt that he could do so, there were too many unknowns right now. He'd come here for easy information, not a full on infiltration. Realistically, now was the time to retreat. And yet...

Yatamaru felt he was onto something. Trust your instincts. This seemed important, and he didn't want to waste an opportunity, so the operative decided he'd do a stake out. Just for a little bit, until they come out of the building. Can't be long now. Positioning himself in a corner, his back to a wall, he waited, listened, and watched. Yatamaru had literally the whole night ahead of him, he could spare an hour or two on these fools. He'd dispelled the cloak of shadows, temporarily, since he didn't need them as he simply waited.

Escape routes. That was also on the fore front of his mind. At least a dozen solutions presented themselves to him, whereas he selected a few of the most likely ones to keep in mind. Is there anything I'm forgetting? Of yes, the recording! A quick handseal or two, and the operative was recording everything. He figured something like this might come in handy later.

So, to recap: wait, watch, listen, record. Flee if there's any problems. And, most important, don't get caught.

Actions:
Dispel Shadow Garb, staying in Stealth.
Activate Snapshot.

 

[Senju Kazuki]

"Damn it," Yatamaru would curse open realizing there was no way to enter the inn without forcing his way into it. There was no doubt the ANBU would have been able to pick such a simple lock without much trouble, but without knowing if the room was empty, it was a risky move on his part. Furthermore, with the tavern still open, even though the door was closed and there was, apparently, going some sort of fight in the main room, breaching into it could cause him more harm and actually damage their goal there, than do him any good. Dropping from the roof, the Human Puppet would lean against a wall, taking cover in the nearest corner. He would also drop his shadowy cover garb, thus rendering him visible to the naked eye again. He had decided to wait it out, see what was going to happen inside the tavern and he began recording everything his eyes could see.

A second, stronger bump into the entrance door would be heard and sensed by Yatamaru, no longer than fifteen minutes later. If had been paying close attention, he would heard a faint screech coming from the hinges of the door. A second painful cry would reach his ears and a more powerful growl would also be heard from the inside the tavern. A second whipping sound would also be heard. Moments later, a crack, clearly from a wooden surface breaking would echo through the night. A second sound, produced by a body hitting the ground, a thud, would be heard. The sound of steps would also be heard, coupled with an eerie laughter that would send chills down the spine of most men. "It is time for you to learn your place. If I say bend, you bend. If I say open your legs, you will do as commanded. You are my property and I will not be defied by my woman." someone would say. Despicable words in such modern times, but not so far out given where they were. Another whipping sound would be heard, quickly followed by another cry.

If the ANBU were to turn around the corner, he would say a woman prostrated on the ground, multiples bruises all over her body, several on the face alone. Blood dripped from the right corner of her mouth and left eye was already swollen. Her dress was partially ripped at the chest as if someone had tried to forcefully take it out. A river of tears dropped down her face and she had both hands raised up, feebly trying to defend herself from the relentless assault moved by the other individual. The other was a guy, the one that had spoken the threat. Dark, messy hair on a head, whose face was covered in bladders. Both cheeks were more red than normal, a possible indication the man was under the effects of alcohol. He was dressed in a common vestment found in common folk. He had a multi tailed whip on his hand.

OC:
You have two options:

• Stay and not get involved;
• Get yourself involved in this.

 

[Kazu]

[current: 425]
[total: 1465]​

What had he just said was most important? Don't get caught. So why do I feel like blowing my cover already?!

Unfolding before Yatamaru's eyes was a truly despicable scene. He grits his teeth, fighting back his urge to run out and deck this drunk fuck for being so despicable. Stay focused on the mission. Right now he needed to find evidence, and getting caught was only going to hinder the whole operation. Ruminating on this predicament, Yatamaru knew that he absolutely couldn't be caught; however, he also knew that he could not simply leave this woman's fate to chance. He had to do something.

He would give her an opportunity to escape. That was all he could afford, and it would have to be enough. Summoning his chakra, he cast a spell on the drunk assailant from within the shadows — no one would know anyone had done anything. The result of his trick? The drunk assailant, if fully effected, would begin to laugh uncontrollably, eventually succumbing into cackling that would put a kinky sadist mistress to shame. Hopefully that comparison wasn't out of taste, given the scenario...

The woman would have her chance to run, and Yatamaru would stay quietly where he was. This mission was far too important to blow his cover, and he had yet to determine if something else interesting might happen. He'd give it a little while longer, until 1:00 in the morning, to see if anything else noteworthy happened. If nothing did, he would recast his cloak of darkness and make his way back to the camp. He and his partner, Sour Jack, had a lot of work to do tomorrow as well, after all.

Still, Yatamaru was apprehensive. In my line of work, you have to distrust everything. For some, that kind of job would drive you mad. That's exactly why it's perfectly suited for me: I've been inescapably mad from the start. He suspected everyone, including this woman he'd just saved. He couldn't help it. What if she was the culprit, and I just helped her escape? This existential roller coaster was the status quo, and it didn't seem to be changing any time soon. He'd learned to accept it, It's all part of the job. That's what he told himself.

He hoped he'd hear something interesting, though he suspected he'd run out of entertainment karma. He was prepared for either outcome, which meant it was now only a matter of time. He was calm, calculated, and collected. I'll be just fine. Whatever happens, I'll be prepared.

Actions:
Use Tickling on the drunk assailant. Because of my Stalker ability, I can stay in stealth after attacking.
Stick around until 1:00, to see if anything else interesting happens.
If nothing else happens, he recasts Shadow Garb and heads back to camp.

 

[Senju Kazuki]

The scene unfolding in front of Yatamaru was utterly despicable, few individuals would not be able to take action and immediately stop what they were witnessing first hand. Of course, although he felt the urge to rush in and teach a very valuable lesson to that guy, he also understood he could not, let his cover would be blown. Was it that very important if his presence was made known? No, it was not, but given they were only expected tomorrow and considering the nature of their mission, the ANBU felt important to not be caught up and have his identity revealed so soon. And that is why he opted to stay in the shadows and target the oppressive man with a genjutsu. An illusionary attack whose main goal was to disrupt an opponent via an incontrollable itch that could not be washed away. After doing the necessary handseals, Yatamaru would launch his spell. Ordinary ninja have a natural resistance to genjutsus, normal people usually do not have such natural resistances. The tavern owner fell prey to the ANBU's illusion, almost immediately feeling an itch that he could not scratch. Laughter would escape from his lips, his multi headed whip eventually falling from his grip. Taking advantage from this window of opportunity, the woman would hastily get up and she would ran away into the night, trying to clear his face as she did so, Cursing his bad luck, the man would reenter the tavern, between fits of laugher and he would slam the remnants of the door as he went inside.

Yatamaru would be able to listen some random curses coming from the inside the building, mixed with uncontrollable laughter,but nothing else would actually happen. If it weren't for some lights on, the ANBU could have guessed there was no one living in this town, given the lack of sound coming from the rest of the buildings. Eventually all the lights would be turned off as midnight would be reached. Around 01:00 the tavern would go dark as well, leaving Yatamaru the sole awakened individual in the entire hamlet, at least, judging from the look of things. There would be another howl in the distance reaching his hears, but that would be the only thing extraordinary he could hear there. Unless he were to count the eerie silence present there. Given nothing else would happen, the Human Puppet would decide to return back to the camp and call it a night. He would be able to traverse the town without a single incident, despite the lack of light and he would quickly and safely reach the camp.

Upon reaching it, he would notice Kurusu was still awake and he was actually observing the sleeping hamlet. He would immediately divert his gaze toward his companion as the ANBU reached the campsite. "So what did you learn down there?" he would question.

 

[Kazu]

[current: 406]
[total: 1871]​

The night came and went, without a single incident of note. Odd.

At the very least, Yatamaru had learned many valuable things. To him, that made this a successful excursion. As the night reached its crescendo and the lull of silence had fully descended on the curiously uneventful town, Yatamaru moved from shadow to shadow out and away from the hamlet. It didn't take him long to reach their campsite, where he was slightly surprised to find Sour Jack awake, alert, and asking questions. For some reason, he had to chuckle it off. Yatamaru sat opposite Jack, pulling out the vodka to drink a little more.

"Quite a few things, actually." Calmly gazing into the tiny flames as they leaped and licked, he organize his thoughts. "Firstly, almost every single house was already blacked out by the time I got there. They could have been evacuating from the werewolf, but I'm not so sure. Either way, we'll probably find out more on that tomorrow morning."

"Secondly, there was something going on at the tavern." Yatamaru formed a few hand seals, and reached out his hand towards Jack. "Here, I managed to get a snapshot of the encounter in case you wanted to see." If Jack obliged, Yatamaru would transfer over his memory to his partner's mind through touch. A simple touch of the hand was all it took. "They closed earlier than they should have, and there were clearly many voices insides. It looked really suspicious, especially given the circumstances, though I wasn't able to get any better intel of the conversations happening inside. They were beating a woman, for reasons I couldn't figure out." That last detail left a sour taste on the tip of Yatamaru's tongue, causing him to take another sip of vodka to wash it away.

"Thirdly, I'm pretty sure the people involved last night were not shinobi. When one of them began drunkenly attacking the woman, a weak genjutsu was enough to effect and incapacitate him." The more he thought about it, the less sense this mission seemed to be making. Or more, depending on who that woman was.

Yatamaru watched Jack's response carefully. He still didn't know much about this man, and had yet to grow any sort of trust for him. He also had few reasons to doubt him, though that was more due to a general lack of knowledge on him. The man was a mystery. For now.

 

[Senju Kazuki]

Yatamaru would reach the camp and he would find Kurusu awake and vigilant. In fact, right after the ANBU reached the camp, he would find himself being questioned about his findings. Seating opposite to the other man, the Human Puppet would grab his trustworthy flask of vodka taking a sip before answering. ”Quite a few things, actually.” Yatamaru would make a momentary pause as he gazed the lit fire, watching the flaming dance. ”Firstly, almost every single house was already blacked out by the time I got there. They could have been evacuating from the werewolf, but I’m not so sure. Either way, we’ll probably find more on that tomorrow morning. Secondly, there was something going on at the tavern.” The ANBU would do a few handseals before reaching his companion. ”They closed earlier than they should have, and there were clearly many voices inside. It looked really suspicious, especially given the circumstances, though I wasn’t able to get any better intel of the conversation happening inside. They were beating a woman, for reasons I couldn’t figure out.”

Kurusu was not an ANBU, but he knew the jutsu Snapshot, which was what the ANBU in front of him had done. He knew he was being offered a memory of the event the Human Puppet was talking about, but he would not accept it yet, only after the other guy had stopped his tale. ”Thirdly, I’m pretty sure the people involved last night were not shinobi. When one of them began drunkenly attacking the woman, a weak genjutsu was enough to effect and incapacitate him.” Yatamaru would conclude. That was the sum of the guy’s observations. There were several things Kurusu could point out to correct the other one, but before he went for that, he would watch the memory instead. Accepting the extended hand, the leader of this mission would touch the flesh, initiating the memory transfer. He would close his eyes as he watched the recorded event. He would visibly grit his teeth as a despicable thing unfolded in his eyes. He understood such backwater places were under different rules, but to think there were still places that treated the female gender as an object, or property, made him burn with anger.

After watching the memory Kurusu would open his eyes but he would say a word for a while. He was not even eyeing his companion, preferring to stick to the horizon. In fact, he was gazing the hamlet, trying to pierce the dark veil of night and discover the truth about the mission that had sent them there. ”There has been no evacuation efforts in this town because all attacks have been credited to a wild pack of coyotes. Something the governor would convey tomorrow morning when we meet with him. Thus, either the houses are empty or the occupants were already sleeping by the time you reached the hamlet. Which is not that uncommon in these parts of the country where there is no night life unlike in Sunagakure, where there are shops open 24/7.” Kurusu would explain. ”I have no idea why they were beating her, but I suspect these are common occurrences among this kind of folk.” he would address Yatamaru’s second point, going to the third. ”You’re correct in your assumption, there is little to none shinobi activity here. Unless they are breaking the law, we are the only two in a very wide radius. You are, however, incorrect in assuming they are non shinobi because your genjutsu affected him. There are shinobi that are weak to genjutsu just like that man is. Consider the following scenario. The guy you cast that illusion was actually a shinobi and he chose to be affected to play along. Now he knows there is someone out there with shinobi skills that is in the hamlet with unknown motives. Maybe your presence is no longer unnoticed. Did you consider that?” Maybe the ANBU did or maybe the ANBU didn’t. It was quite irrelevant because Kurusu was fairly certain there were no shinobi on that hamlet.

With that said, the shady man would decide to call it a night. The morning would come a few hours later and Kurusu would immediately wake up at sun rise. He would bid his companion a good morning, after which, he would initiate a series of exercises whose sole purpose was to warm his muscles for the day ahead. After finishing he would take a frugal, but very nutritious breakfast and, after checking if Yatamaru was ready he would descend the hill to enter the hamlet. One thing would immediately stand out, the population would be out of their homes already and it was quite sizable. It would seem there had been no evacuations at all and most of the inhabitants had been sleeping last night. There were three houses that had a strange mark on the door and, ironically, they passed through those three on their way toward the governor’s manor. Upon reaching the larger house, they would be greeted by the man himself. ”Welcome, welcome. I have prepared two rooms in the tavern for such esteemed dignitaries such as you. I will be holding a dinner, in my manor, later today in your honor.” The man’s voice was unctuous, reeked of superficiality as if the guy was showing off. The man’s mannerisms did not present a trustworthy individual. His face was cleanly shaven and he had dark skin, but was morbidly obese. ”Unfortunately we suffered three attacks by a pack of ravenous coyotes in recent weeks, which we have been unable to scare away, but I am certain you will deal with the threat appropriately. We have marked the three houses with a red cross on the door and they are not habited. Feel free to check them.”

OC:
We can either check each houses or simply wait for the dinner.

• House to the South
• House to the East
• House to the West

 

[Kazu]

[current: 493]
[total: 2364]​

Well I'll be damned. This guy knows more than he's letting on.

Yatamaru said nothing to his partner's words, merely listening and digesting their meaning. Government contacts, a keen sense of logic, an unnaturally calm demeanor, and a strong sense of justice. Who even is this guy? One thing was for sure, Sour Jack considered his interpretation of events to be better than Yatamaru's. The ANBU wasn't one to compete, except when it came to puppetry. Preferring to go by the beat of his own drum, he would slowly nod his head in agreement — he would let Jack have his moment.

"Valid points. It's been a while since I've been out to the countryside." That was a lie, but Jack didn't need to know that.

The night grew long, and soon the alluring lullaby of sleep had Jack in its clutches. Not Yatamaru. He hadn't slept in years, nor would he ever again. He was used to it by now, passing the time by taking in the serene beauty of it all. Yeah right. Really, he spent his time obsessing over theories, speculations, hunches, and premonitions. The thought crossed his mind, multiple times, of rifling through Jack's belongings. No, he'll notice. There would be other chances to learn more about his mysterious compatriot.

The deep blues and regal purples of the night sky gave way to rosy streaks of golden orange light. Morning already? Yatamaru watched, wordlessly, as his partner prepared for the day. When he was finally ready, the pair would descend the hill. Much to Yatamaru's chagrin, as it indicated that Jack's deductions had probably been right, they found crowds of commoners up and active before they'd even arrived. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary as the duo made their way towards the governor's house, except for the red crosses that marked three houses. Must be the crime scenes.

And then they met the governor. Mother Suna, please help me. Make me deaf and spare me his drivel. Seriously, this guy was as superficial as it got. Yatamaru put on his fakest smile, hating the frivolities of politics. He'd leave the talking to Jack, wanting to hear what sort of story had been fabricated to explain why they were here. As far as the civilians know, we're just dignitaries from another land. But why would they come here, the most ordinary of places, if not for something extraordinary? Yatamaru wondered whether appearing in broad daylight like this had been the wisest move.

"No sense in wasting time," he would mutter quietly to his partner, when given the option to simply wait for their feast of honor. "Let's use this time to check out the houses. We've got enough time for all of them." Since Yatamaru had acted on his own last night, he felt it more pertinent to stick close to Jack today. He didn't care which they went to first, as they were all basically the same. "Lead the way."

 

[Senju Kazuki]

"No sense in wasting time. Let's use this time to check out the houses. We've got enough time for all of them. Lead the way." Yatamaru would note after they were greeted by the local governor and were given free reign to do what they pleased until the so called welcoming dinner party commenced. There had been three attacks, three different houses and all of them were clearly marked with a red x. The ANBU seemed eager to check the three buildings and try to obtain any clues to what really had happened. Simply waiting out for nightfall was very inefficient so Kurusu obliged. Unwilling to select one house out of his own, the former shady guy would select the one to the West first. Coincidentally, the simpler house out of the three. Straw roof, a two rooms building with a single glass window and a single wooden door. At the right side of the wooden entrance they found the reddish X which seemed to have been marked with fresh paint, given the dripping that had occurred, giving a very eerie sensation to viewers, as if it was blood instead of paint. "If I were a merciless killer I would say this was quite a nice touch. But given I am not, I'll declare this quite morbid." Kurusu would speak upon noticing the dripped paint. There was little they could do to correct that. The government contact would open the door and he would enter the premises. Inside he would find himself a room that was kitchen and living room at the same time. The other division would be the bedroom and bathroom. The main room, where they stood, was virtually unscathed although dust was already pilling itself on top of each furniture piece. This house had been the first one to have its occupants, a single mother of one and her boy, attacked by whatever had targeted the hamlet.

The room's furniture consisted of a poor looking sofa, a single armoire, a wooden table near the right uppermost corner with two chairs, plus the normal stuff for the kitchen side. Mother and son had been found dead in their bedroom, well what whatever had been left of them. Giving there seemed to be no clues in the main division, they had to go to the bedroom next. There was but a thin veil separating the main room from the other division. Upon entering it, the gore was all in plain sight. Blood still painted the walls, there was a tiny pool filling the bed, though it had long dried out, leaving partially decomposed bits and pieces lying around on top of the linen sheets. There was a foul stench in the room, much more apparent than in the other room, as if magically, the odor had staid relatively contained inside. Several flies flew around those human pieces that once belonged to two human individuals. There was a small cabinet, with a single mirror on top of it, leaning against the leftmost wall. The mirror was broken into multiple shards that littered the top of the cabinet. The mobile timber had its surface extensively scratched and the bed was clearly broken. A closer inspection to the floor and the sheets would allow them to find out several fur. "So what do you take from this?" Kurusu would question the ANBU.

 

[Kazu]

[current: 543]
[total: 2907]​

While the front of the house certainly looked disturbing, the gruesomeness of it all was of minimal concern to Yatamaru. Years of service as a covert agent, specifically under Mikaboshi's command, had ensured that.

"It's certainly flashy." Sour Jack's words bothered him, though. Didn't the chief just say that this village put the X's there themselves? Maybe Jack was still tired from the long day of traveling, and had misspoken? Or maybe, he knew something that he wasn't sharing? Yatamaru held his tongue, keeping such accusations to himself until real evidence surfaced.

Stepping into the house, the two would find a normal looking interior. Not a single scratch, mark, or even a ding in anything. Whoever, or whatever, had caused this seemed to leave no trace that they'd even entered. There weren't even signs of a forced entry! How peculiar, given there's only one entrance. Had the victims willingly let in the attacker? Perhaps the attacker was someone the victims knew, and thus they felt comfortable letting them in? He only had theories at this point; additional evidence was clearly needed. Continuing into the bedroom, he found the struggle he'd been looking for: broken furniture, gashes and slashes, and a sickening amount of gore painted a terrible picture in the mind's eye. He could almost hear the mother's pained screams in his head as he imagined the scene that must have taken place.

"Do we know anything about the victims, like whether someone would want them dead? What about where they were last seen alive?" The real breadwinner, though, was the tufts of fur scattered all around the floor. Jackpot. Plucking a few strands, Yatamaru sealed them within a forensics bag as evidence. As he began labeling this find, his partner would ask what he thought. There was a pause, in which Yatamaru collected his thoughts.

"I think this doesn't make much sense, honestly." Bold words, but what possible reason would he have for saying such a thing? "Don't you think it's weird that all this blood and gore stayed so neatly in this room? Whoever did this," his hands swept across the bloodied walls, the bed, and even the broken mirror, "should have been absolutely drenched in blood. And yet there's not a single drop anywhere out in the main room, despite having to walk through there to get in or out of the building." He would stroll over towards the bed, leaning down closer to get a good look at the blood soaked sheets. "The sheets have the most blood on them, which I'd usually say indicates that the victims were killed in their sleep. However," the Sunan puppeteer continued towards the cabinetry, "there's clearly signs of a struggle. They couldn't fight back if they were sleeping. Either the attacker dragged them into the bed after killing them, or they damaged everything afterwards to try and throw us off."

He had another theory, but he'd need to take a look at the other houses to see if the crime scenes were consistent. One attack was a tragedy. Two attacks was a pattern. But three? That was like reading an autobiography of the killer.

"Anything you want to add, go for it. Otherwise, let's check out the site of the second attack."

 

[Senju Kazuki]

”It’s certainly flashy.” Yatamaru would note upon seeing the marked X and after hearing Kurusu’s comments about it. ”My point is quite simple. The Governor declared they marked the attacked houses themselves, yet this paint is either very fresh and dripped as it did or this is not paint at all. Or they made look like it was made with blood.” he would answer a question not vocalized, but that he felt needed a response anyway. After seeing everything they could, the former shady guy and current leader of the mission would ask the ANBU for his assessment of what they had just seen. ”Do we know anything about the victims, like whether someone would want them dead? What about where they were last seen alive?” the Puppeteer would question. Kurusu would think for a few moments, recalling the dossier he had read before exiting Sunagakure. ”No known enemies The occupants of this house were a single mother and an infant boy. Single mothers is not a common occurrence, especially not in these parts of the country, but I don’t think that would attract any kind of enemies to her. They were last seen entering this very house. In the next morning, three hours after the rise of the sun, given there was no movement from inside the house, the neighbors went investigate and found this little show waiting for them.” he would explain. Yatamaru had made a couple of very valid questions, unfortunately, the answers would provide no real clues to what really had happened on that night.

Kurusu would silently watch as the ANBU picked up a few furs from the floor, bagging them for analysis later. ”I think this doesn’t make sense, honestly.” he would state after that action. ”Don’t you think it’s weird that all this blood and gore stayed so neatly in this room? Whoever did this should have been absolutely drenched in blood. And yet there’s not a single drop anywhere out in the main room, despite having to walk through there to get in our out of the building.” the Puppeteer would comment, receiving a silent nod in return. He was making valid points and there was no point in interrupting his thought process before it was finished. ”The sheets have the most blood on them, which I’d usually say indicates tat the victims were killed in their sleep. However, there’s clearly signs of a struggle. They couldn’t fight back if they were sleeping. Either the attacker dragged them into the bed after killing them, or they damaged everything afterwards to try and throw us off.” he would finish his reasoning before adding one final piece. ”Anything you want to add, go for it. Otherwise, let’s check out the site of the second attack.”

”I have a couple of theories here. You’re correct in assuming there should have been a trail of blood going out of the building, but all of the vital liquid was contained to this room. If it really were coyotes attacking as they suggested, such a thing would be impossible. Wild animals have no way to clean blood or not leave any trail beyond. I’ve seen attacks such as those before, I know how messy things become. To me, that indicates this was a human, or at least, a humanoid doing it. Given there are signs of forced entrance, I would say the attacker was willingly accepted inside, thus he was known to the victims. The lack of blood prints and other traces like those could mean whoever did this has the ability to manipulate blood. There is no known animal with such abilities.” Kurusu would share his theory with him. Was that plausible? Indeed it was, but was that the right answer? He did not know.

Given they were done with that house, they went for another. This one was slightly bigger than the previous one, having three different rooms. A main room, where the entrance was located. Just like last time, the door was in perfect conditions and the X marked had dripped as well. The main division was quite clean and tidy. The other room was the kitchen, this time being separate from the living room and the third, and last, was the bedroom. The kitchen was a mess, glass shards on the floor, the sink completely destroyed, all the furniture shred to pieces. There was no blood, only destruction there. As they passed into the bedroom, there was another gory spectacle waiting for them. The bed had been turned into a pool of blood and guts. The room's armoire and cabinet were mangled and had blood over them. The walls had been painted with blood as well. There would be more fur lying on the floor and on the soaked sheets. This bedroom, however, had a single window, presenting a means to enter and escape, unlike the other. "Thoughts?"

OC:
The end was a bit rushed, sorry for that.

 

[Kazu]

[current: 520]
[total: 3427]​

”Ah! In that case, let's take a sample to test. Won’t hurt, right?” The little mix-up with the painted markings was cleared up, much to Yatamaru’s pleasure. A miscommunication, nothing more or less. That certainly made things easier.

Jack recalled the details of the first two victims, revealing a tale that Yatamaru was all but certain of already. They must either have been sleeping, or were lured into the room by the killer. Furthermore, Jack would add another theory to the mix: the killer was proficient with Blood Jutsu, which they used to mask their presence. An interesting idea, for sure.

"I don't think so." Interesting? Yes. Likely? No way. "If someone was trying to hide their involvement, why do a half-assed job? They could have easily disposed of all the blood, so why leave clues for us to follow? I suppose it's possible the killer is doing it on purpose, either to show off or lure us into a trap, but I think we need more evidence before considering that possibility." If the samples from the door came back as blood, though, there might be something to this. A marking of blood certainly fits the theme of 'showing off.' Come on, you little monster. Make a mistake. Get cocky. Be careless. I'll be there when you do.

For the moment, though, it seemed the duo had gotten all they could from this house. Moving on, the scene in the second house was much like the one in the first — an immaculately clean foyer, no traces of a struggle, and a crime scene so bloody that it would even impress a Chigokai. This time, however, there were two extra factors: the damage was no longer limited to just the bedroom, and there was a plausible second entrance and exit through the bedroom window. Before he jumped to conclusions, Yatamaru had some questions.

"Alright, what do we know about the residents of this house. Same deal as before?" Something in the pit of his stomach told him this would be another common family, though the odds of both houses being occupied by another single mother and child seemed low to him. As he waited for answers, he would go around collecting more samples: fur from the ground, blood samples in the bedroom, and carnage all through out. He was particularly interested in any gashes that they could find on furniture — were they all consistent? Or, did they have two different sources of impact on their hands? He was also interested in the bedroom window. Was it opened, or shut? Did it have any damage? This information was critical.

Still so much to look through, but I'm getting more and more certain. I just need proof. Yatamaru conducted his investigations very methodically. Gather the data, see what it all says, and make a rational decision from there. While he held onto theories, he never gave them any credence, or spoke of them, until he had some solid evidence to point to.

We've still got one more house to go, plus interviews with the town mayor. We're not even close to done here.

 

[Senju Kazuki]

”Ah! In that case, let’s take a sample to test. Won’t hurt, right?” Yatamaru would note as he grabbed a sample of the creepy paint. ”I don’t think so.” the ANBU would declare after hearing Kurusu’s theory about the first murder and how, perhaps, the killer had been proficient with blood jutsu. ”if someone was trying to hide their involvement, why do a half-assed job? They could have easily disposed of all the blood, so why leave clues for us to follow? I suppose it’s possible the killer is doing it on purpose, either to show off or lure us into a trap, but I think we need more evidence before considering that possibility.” The older guy would shake his head. ”The basis for a good investigation is to consider any and all possibilities and after eliminating the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be true. We may, however, be making a capital mistake here. We should never theorize before acquiring date because we will begin twisting facts to fit the theory, instead of theories to fit with the facts.” he would alert the Puppet Master before leaving the first house for good.

The walk toward the second one was short and silent. The gore spectacle they were offered horrendous to the sight. ”Alright, what do we know about the residents of this house. Same deal as before?” the ANBU would question after a brief inspection to the whole scene. It would only take a moment before Kurusu would answer back. ”No, 3 inhabitants. Infant boy, around 3 years, Caucasian. 25 year old female, red hair and slim figure. 26 year old male, black skinned and out of shape.” he would recite the knowledge he had been given before their departure from Sunagakure. A closer inspection to the gashes on the furniture would allow them to deduce the source was singular, even though they all came from different angles. The size of each gash was very similar just like the penetration of the claw into the furniture. Given they were remarkably similar to the last house, it would be safe to conclude the perpetrator was the same. A light breeze would care the follicles on their arms, pointing them the window was open. In fact, it couldn’t be closed given it had been completely destroyed or removed. Kurusu would approach the hole that was once a window and he would find shards of glass on the ground. Although most of them weren’t that sizable, there were a couple with blood on them. Imitating the ANBU with him, he would collect them and stored them on plastic bags. ”Here. More evidence”. he would note as he tried to give it to Yatamaru.

 

[Kazu]

[current: 341]
[total: 3768]​

"You are quite right," he would note in response to Jack's warning on investigative methodology, and then said nothing more. We don't really see eye to eye; we're cut from a different cloth. That's fine, so long as there's no conflict between us. He barely knew anything about his partner, including his name or who within the government had contracted him — suffice to say, he was holding the man at arm's reach.

More information, more samples, and more questions. Jack passed Yatamaru some evidence, which was gladly accepted. The more the merrier. Surveying the damage, it was clearly very similar to the previous house. The window was broken, but inwards. Did the assailant come in, or leave, through the window? Or both? The broken glass, spread all over the floor near the window, told them someone had at least entered into the house from this window. He quickly checked to see if there was any glass splayed about on the outside; if there was, it was a good indication that the assailant had exited out that way too. Unless, perhaps, they didn't leave?

"I just don't get it. Where's the motive? Was anything of value stolen from them? Or could they have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time?" The first step to catching this killer is to think like them. Why did they kill these civilians? For what reason? Yatamaru lit himself a cigarette. What makes you think you can go around killing innocent civilians?

Despite the thrilling anticipation of the investigation, Yatamaru couldn't help but feel like he wasn't getting the full story — a distant memory, from early on in his ANBU training, came to him. Some things can be hidden, but they can never be erased. Focusing his energy, he cast his mind outwards; searching for any trailing remnants of chakra. If a shinobi had been involved, Yatamaru would sense it. More specifically, if the being that had shed this fur was using chakra, he'd sense it.

"This case just keeps getting weirder..."

Actions:
Cast Chakra Sense.

 

[Senju Kazuki]

”You are quite right.” Yatamaru would admit upon hearing Kurusu’s reasoning about investigative methodology. After tossing some glass shards back to the ANBU, the leader of this mission would bent forward trying to check if there were broken glass on the outside. Finding several pieces resting over the grass below, the shady man would reach out to pick one of the larger ones. Unfortunately, he would cut himself in the effort of picking it up. Cursing under his breath, Kurusu would finally grab it and after placing it inside a plastic bag he would toss it over as well. ”There are shards on the outside too. I am guessing the assailant used the window to enter and to get out as well.” he would not as he grabbed a small roll of linen cloth that he used to create a makeshift bandage around his right hand.

After storing everything, the Puppeteer would make every doubt he had quite clear. ”I just don’t get it. Where’s the motive? Was anything of value stolen from them? Or could they have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time?” Kurusu would shrug his shoulders. ”The reports I was given indicated no stolen values in all three houses. All three crime scenes were identical, a gory mess, scratched or destroyed furniture, blood generally remained inside the bedrooms. There are no apparent relations between the victims, except for living in the same place of this world. They have no known enemies, especially no known related enemies. Maybe this was just all due to misfortune and there is no causality or motive. Maybe there is something going on that we have yet to discover.”

”This case just keeps getting weirder…” the ANBU would comment. ”Indeed. Remember my question about what you knew about lycanthropy? Well that this is my guess here. Those born with affinity for blood jutsus have a very rare chance of developing a disease known as lycanthropy. They develop, over time, a strange addiction to consuming human flesh and their bodies slowly mutate into a feral state where they are entirely covered with fur and their mind becomes animalistic and instinctive. Eventually they learn how to shape back into human form, but must, regularly, go back and consume flesh again. Is this the ultimate explanation for our crime? No, it is not. But it still does explain some of the most quirky things we have going on here and may reveal itself to be the actual explanation. If so, we have a lycanthrope in this town. It would explain why the victims have no relation to each other because the beast is simply targeting weaker prey. It explains the gory mess and the scratches on the furniture and why there is little signs of struggle because the attacks were ferocious and swift.” he would note as he walked toward the exit of the house. Once outside, the government contract found the sun was already setting. They had taken too much time inside the second house and the day was already reaching its end. ”It seems we won’t have time to search the last house. Might as well go the tavern for a bit and then go the Governor’s Manor for that celebratory dinner.” Kurusu would conclude as he began walking toward the place’s single tavern. They would immediately witness that most of the inhabitants were already inside their houses. ”This is strange. We are so accustomed to the night life of bigger cities that seeing everyone already at home makes me feel uneasy.” the contractor would note.

OC:
Using chakra sense allows you to detect minor usages of chakra.

 

[Kazu]

[current: 518]
[total: 4,286]​

This is absolutely maddening. The puppeteer ran a stiff, hollow hand over his face and through his hair. He’d had tough cases before, but not like this. Not ones where he’d had to accept the unacceptable. To think, we’re actually chalking this up to the supernatural, the mystical arts, the things of fairy tales and legends — HA! And yet, it made sense.

With every step, Jack’s theory made more and more sense. Yatamaru had never seen, heard about, read about, or been privy to any piece of evidence, whatsoever, that would even come close to insinuating that werewolves walked among the living. And yet, here it is! He was right to question his own sanity on this, right? There had to be another explanation, right? Right?

"You know what we have to do here, right?" Yatamaru looked at Jack expectantly, as if he should already know the answer. Even if he did know it, which he probably didn't, Yatamaru didn't give him time to properly answer. "We're going to have to catch it in the act. If we had time, I could develop a puppet to help us track this thing down; unfortunately, time isn't a luxury right now." It was a solemn acknowledgement of the truth at hand: unless Jack had a better plan, or a better opportunity presented itself, they would be going on a monster hunt.

The duo made their exit, having gathered as much evidence as they could already. There was no time for the last house; the descent of night had crept up much faster than expected. There was still time to spare before the dinner being held in their honor, so Jack suggested that they hit the tavern. Nothing like ripping open fresh wounds, huh? Despite his feelings towards the denizens of the establishment, he knew that they would probably get some good intel there. Who knows, maybe we'll even find out what those sick fucks thought they were doing last night? Fighting monsters was one thing. But scumbag drunks? Yeah, I could get behind that.

"Let's look out for an hints as to what happened last night, too. Something tells me the villagers might be conducting their own monster hunt around here." There were still so many mysteries surrounding this case, and they'd barely found any answers. There was still so much more evidence to sift through, stories to reconcile, and first hand accounts to review. To Yatamaru, the silence of the night was nothing compared to the silence of this case. Give me the former, any day.

"Maybe it's a blessing in disguise? If the werewolf shows up, and they were all gathered in one open place..." A thought clicked in his head. The feast! "...it would be really hard to defend everyone." But, there was no way, right? He was just being paranoid, right? Right?

Was he losing his mind? Everywhere he looked, new theories and crackpot possibilities popped up. This case was making him question himself, and he was afraid he might lose himself in the process.

Relax. It's not like we can lose something we don't have.