Ukiyo sits quietly on top a tree in the dense forest. She had been meditating since sunrise, though her thoughts were more disturbed than usual. She sits cross-legged with a scroll held in her tiger hand sign. A mission... The scroll contains a request by the Senju, saying the village has asked her to come in for a mission today. Asked, what a joke. She was told that as a genin she would begin receiving missions on a regular basis. She knew the day would come, but her mind was still troubled. After finishing her prayers, Ukiyo stands up on top the tree and looks at the sun on the horizon. She knows it’s inevitable. After a few moments of telling herself it would be different, that she wouldn’t succumb to the same tainted will as her parents, Ukiyo slides down the trunk of the tree and lands in sand-turned dirt bellow it. She lifts her head in the direction of the village and forces a grin. Only one way to find out.

Ukiyo catches looks every which way she goes; a 14-year old girl mostly covered in dirt that few have seen before is a bit unsettling to some. She tries to smile, but the knot in her gut is painfully loud. It screams of what the mission will be. You’ll be slaughtering the innocent! They’ll sacrifice you for research! Every step you take is another step alongside their plans. You should have never left your home. Ukiyo scrunches her face and grabs her stomach, she feels overwhelmingly sick. For a moment she dry heaves, and not surprisingly, a crowd forms around the strange girl. Upon realizing the scene she’s making, Ukiyo lifts her head up and runs through them towards the mission hall. She slows down, and surprisingly the knot inside her stomach dissipates. Ukiyo pays no mind to the man standing outside the building and proceeds to enter the mission hall.

OOC: I think that's reasonable size haha. Sorry for the delay, I just did a bunch of errands+ate dinner.
IC:

Ukiyo looked at the man before her, unable to tell if he was coming off as nervous because of his fatigue or if he genuinely was. It doesn't matter. Ukiyo initially thought. But then she realized that this man would be going on a mission with her. A mission that for all she knew could be... She didn't want to think about it, the possible outcomes didn't matter. What did matter were two things: what this man's will was and what's in that scroll. Ukiyo wanted to learn as much about him as possible, so she mustered what little self control she had not to snatch the scroll from his hands. She looked him over, but all it really took was the relatively classy clothing and smell of soap to turn her off. What did I expect. She already didn't trust him, but her mind wasn't set in stone yet. She closed her eyes, grew a smile, and asked as dainfully as she could,
"I am Senju Ukiyo. May I have that scroll please?" Ukiyo held her arm behind her back with her other arm as it trembled. It all came down to this. This scroll. It was the only thing she could think about and it was mere inches from her face. As she reached her hand out in anticipation to accept it, she drummed up several questions she'd ask him. The moment that scroll was in her Ukiyo planned on interrogating this man to the core. Her nails dug into the back of her shirt, sweat formed at the top of her brow.

Ukiyo snagged the scroll out of the man's hands as fast as she could. She nearly tore it apart unraveling it and her eyes instantly began scanning (completely oblivious of Kichirou's bowing). It didn't take long for her to read the description, it was short and sweet; retrieve the cat without harming it. Cat... The word was so hsocking she almost thought she had forgotten what it meant. My first mission....is to catch a cat? Ukiyo felt weak. Her knot in her stomach was replaced by a void. She had no clue what to feel. The news was an incredible relief and yet bothered her immensely, simply because of how different it was than what she had been expecting. She reread the scroll, sure that she must have misunderstood. That's when Kichirou asked her if she was ready to start, and commented about the cat, its owner, and something about a collar. It was exactly as she had read it. Ukiyo's face lit up, her smile went from petite and completely for show to cheek-to-cheek and genuine in an instant. She giggled and hugged Kichirou, then looked up at him "LET'S FIND THAT CAT!" She grabbed Kichirou by the wrist and began running out the building.

When the two got outside, Ukiyo remembered her original desire to learn more about her partner. It wasn't nearly as important now, but none the less it was a matter that should be attended to. The two of them began heading in the direction of the dense forest at a steady pace. "Please tell me about yourself. I know you're a gambler. Oh and that you cheat. And if I had to guess you probably drink too. You only started showing up around the forest's 'hotspots' recently. Why is that? What do you hope to get out of your life as a shinobi?" It was now that Ukiyo remembered seeing him bow to her out of the corner of her eye earlier. "You are older than me and we are of the same rank. Why did you bow to me before?"

“I assumed because you win a lot and that’s the word going around; you seem to be growing quite the reputation. I’d be careful if I were you. Or not I guess, who cares.” Ukiyo gave a devilish smile and winked.

”I meditate to calm my mind if I’m troubled. Alcohol is a poison, for both mind and spirit. It suppresses feelings you should address. But I guess I wouldn’t know, seeing as I haven’t been in true combat yet..“ Ukiyo smiled, a little embarrassed at her inexperience. Her eyes drifted off to the left at the sight of Kichirou’s troubled look; the usual concerns arising in the back of her mind. True combat… It really is that bad isn’t it.

Not from Konoha? Ukiyo’s curiosity had finally been provoked. She’d never met anyone from outside the village before, and as such didn’t know what to think. Her initial impression was distrust, but upon reflection realized that for all she knew (and thought) Konohagakure could be evil and everywhere else good. An outsider.. Ukiyo’s eyes widened as her bright green eyes took in as much of this man as possible. Before she could ask where he was from, Kichirou began answering her next question.

Ukiyo was very distraught by this answer. A shinobi with no will? But why? He could so easily be used for some other’s objectives. I guess that could be good, but the evil in this world is so eager to find tools for its goals. He could play into anyone’s hand and not even notice. Or worse yet, not even care… The thought then occurred to Ukiyo that he could just be covering the truth from her. This upset her a great deal more, and led to a feeling of great distrust. Ukiyo planned to interrogate him later about this, but for now, he was still talking.

At the sound of the name Senju, Ukiyo’s gaze turned dead ahead. Her eyes dimmed to a green-pale yellow, devoid of light. It is as if the name of the very ninja who killed her parents had been spoken. She spoke in a brittle, low tone of voice. ”The Senju founded this village after years of violence. To this day they preach of peace and love while slaughtering droves of foreign shinobi. To accomplish this they knowingly send ninja to their deaths. Having an Uchiha for hokage is no better either. The two clans have always been out for blood, and I do not think anything has changed.” Ukiyo’s grim expression displayed no hate for the clan(s), in fact she sounded as if she had no concern for them at all. She spoke of them as if she didn’t care whether they lived or died, a feeling Ukiyo reserved for those she deems to be less than scum.

Meow. Meow Meow

At the sight of a cat on her new acquaintance’s shoulder, Ukiyo’s eyes lit up again. They returned to their usual emerald and her smile stretched wide again too. It was as if she had completely forgotten what she was just a moment ago talking about. ”Kiiiiiiiitttttyyyyyyy-“ Ukiyo squealed excitedly. Her thoughts went wild, she loved cats (all animals for that matter). She began thinking about how cute it was, how cuddly it looked on Kichirou’s shoulder, how incredible it’d be if the little guy would lick his face, and began giggling at the thought of Kichirou’s blush. She grinned excitedly as she went to pet it, but was cut off by the cat’s sudden attack. Ukiyo’s expression switched to one of innocent curiosity, oh?. She could tell the man was embarrassed by the surprised attack, be it by his expression or his words. Either way, Ukiyo found the turn of events hilarious. She couldn’t help but burst out laughing, catching herself as she leaned forwards and emptied her lungs of all the laughter they could bare. She began standing straight, but upon seeing his expression again, couldn’t help but begin the hysteria anew. Before she knew it, Kichirou took off after the cat, and when she opened her eyes again to discover she was alone, the look of innocent curiosity returned. Kichirou? Ukiyo turned around to see he had begun chasing the cat, and immediately began running after the two of them. ”Wait up cat toy! Scratching post! Mr. Mew!” Ukiyo giggled as the two of them sank deeper into the forest.

The chase let on for quite a while without much results. The beast was nimble and dodged their lunges effectively. It wove in and out of trees and bushes, its size proving to have the advantage as the terrain began to narrow. Ukiyo knew where they were and had had enough of the chase. ”Keep after it.” She told Kichirou as she jumped up into the canopy of branches. The fork leading to the stream is just up ahead. If I can get there before they do, I should be able to cut off the left path with my jutsu, leaving the stream as the cat’s only option. Ukiyo haven’t had much experience catching cats before, but she had seen strays come through the forest quite often. Water was not their strong suit. She sprang forward through the trees, heading towards the fork and making her hand signs.

880/600 lol

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349+666 = 1015 out of 100

Ukiyo saw the two approaching the fork and was well prepared for it. She sprang up off a branch and threw some seeds down onto left-ward path. Right as the cat made its turn, Ukiyo activated her jutsu, and a wall of bamboo sprouted up from the ground. The cat was actually quite close to the wall when it began growing, and attempted to jump over it. The feline made its two front paws over the wall, but the speed at which the bamboo sprouted made it too difficult to simply pull itself up and launch past the obstacle. The cat insteda planted its hein legs on the face of the wall and sprang off, spinning a 180 in the process. It hit the ground running in the opposite direction, towards the river. Ukiyo dropped down to Kichirou and the two of them gave chase.

Soon, the cat was trapped between them, thick brush, and the raoring water it so feared. Kichirou began walking towards the freightened/hostile beast, but Ukiyo placed her hand on his shoulder and stopped him. She threw a few more seeds on the ground towards the cat, then positioned herself about 10 meters away from it. Ukyio spoke in a high pitched voice, “Mew? Mew, mew! Mmmmeewww..” She slowly lowered herself to the ground and, when low enough, fell over onto her back. She lifted her legs into the air and began a peddling motion, along with using her hands to “paw” the air. Ukiyo closed her eyes and gave a wide yawn, displaying her teeth in all their “ferocity”. When she finished, she closed her mouth in a smile and kept her eyes closed.

“Mew?”  Ukiyo’s experience with all types of animals has led her to understand the body language involved, and how to convey trust. The cat stood at attention still, though its tail began rising and its back lowered a bit. Its relaxing, this might just work. In all its curiousity, the cat began very cautiously moving towards the two of them. A little bit further fella, come on. When the cat was in range, Ukiyo made her hand sign and activated the seeds she had placed. Gotcha. Suddenly two vines sprouted from the ground and entangled the unsuspecting victim. The cat thrashed, digging its teeth and claws into the vines with all its might, but it was no use. The cat had been secured, whether it liked it or not.