Spoiler:

"Not this again." The time was early morning. Dewdrops still clung to the grass and a thin haze of fog lie low against the forest floor. "No, this time it's different," Kaiji repeated, traversing the overgrown terrain. He was trying his damnedest to not trip over an errant vine or stone, but the going was tough and Kaiji knew that if he stopped now, he'd lose his way and more importantly, lose sight of his quarry. "A pet deer?" he huffed, "Why, I ask? Just... why?" Talking while sprinting was a mistake, one that Kaiji Kyudoka was learning the hard way in doing just that. The small ungulate was on the move, and it was having a much easier time than Kaiji making its way through the wilderness. Ahhh! What am I going to do!? he thought, keeping the speaking to a minimum in order to reserve the last remnants of breath he had remaining. Gotta think, but I also have to run, oh man! The thought crossed his mind that maybe, just maybe, this mission would not be as successful as the last two. His pace was slowing, partly from running out of stamina, but mostly due to the fact that self-doubt had taken hold in his mind, its impugnable tentacles coiling this way and that through the cracks and crevices of his brain. Kaiji paused, resolve run dry. He bent over, close to retching from the strain of running for so long. His breaths were shallow and quick. An arid tongue escaped the confines of his oral cavity and drew itself across cracked, desiccated lips. "I... no... no, it can't.. it can't be... not like this." The young Kyudoka, with his golden eyes, dark pink hair, and useless glasses, felt horrible, and most likely looked it too at the current moment. It seemed an eternity before he stood at his full height of 175 centimeters again, breaths coming more slowly and less frantically, sweat evaporating on his pale flesh, though his clothes were irrevocably soaked through. Fanning his hand in front of his face to generate some semblance of cool air, Kaiji figured that it was possible not all was lost, not yet. "New game plan," he said thoughtfully, second wind gained. "H'okay," Kaiji Kyudoka sighed, "So the pet deer got away, that's bad. Also worth noting, I'm sort of lost out here. That's two bad things. Huh, where was I going with this again?" He considered his options for a second. "Oh yeah, weighing the bad and the good, duh. Well," he formed a mock set of scales with his hands, the left side, designated 'bad', higher than the right side, designated 'good'. "On the other hand," he punned without noticing or showing indication of humorous intent, "It is safe to assume that the deer left tracks as it escaped my clutches, so following those shouldn't be too much trouble, hopefully." He raised his right hand slightly. "Then there's my eyes. I could always try the trick I used to find that lost family, climbing the highest tree I can find and straight up scope it out." Kaiji's hand were at an equal level now. "Those odds are good enough for me," he shrugged, readying himself for the journey ahead. "Pet deer, prepare to be mine, well, not mine as in ownership, mine like, oh whatever."

Kaiji's suspicions were proven correct; the deer had in fact left fairly clear tracks, among other signs of the path it had taken in fleeing. Along with cloven imprints in the mud and soil, broken twigs, half-eaten leaves, and various other signs of recent trampling. "Perfect," the teen archer said, following the markers while jogging, the way through the underbrush getting easier as Kaiji became more and more familiar with the locale, having had experiences with it more frequently as of late. The trees began to part and soon, a rocky stream with a deep spring swam into view. Kaiji Kyudoka approached with caution, for at the water's edge, the deer stood stationary, lapping at the cool reservoir with fervor. The animal must have been worn out from its rebellious run, as it's delicate legs quivered as it struggled to stand and hydrate itself. "Here's my chance, don't screw it up again," Kaiji chastised himself, muscles tensing and Dōjutsu activating to give him an edge whenever the creature inevitably reacted. The bowman sprung from the underbrush like an arrow piercing the air as it sailed towards its target. Without a moment's notice, the animal only had time for a split-second of panic before it was scooped up in the shinobi's wiry-muscled arms. It didn't even bother to struggle, really, all of the fight was gone from it and the chase from earlier had drained it of stamina. Kaiji Kyudoka had rarely ever interacted with humans, let alone animals, and was unsure how to act towards the beast. "Shhh," he awkwardly assured it, using a free hand to stroke the deer's incredibly soft fur. It did little more than grunt lightly in response, swiveling its head this way and that.

"Mmm you're definitely cuter than I'd expected, that's for sure," Kaiji said in a hushed tone, walking along through the trees and bushes of the Hidden Leaf's immense forest. "Heh, maybe I should get a pet of some sort, though, on second thought, I'm not really well versed in that sort of thing, you know?" The ninja was speaking to the deer as it were his own species, and he was finding out that he actually had an easier time conversing with the lost pet than he did with other people. "So why'd you run away, little thing? Don't like your home? Or was it the call of the wild that led you all the way out here? Well, whatever your reason may be, I can't say I blame you that much. I think I like it out here as well. Nature is not... so bad. The trees are good listeners, and... no one can judge you here. No one. No one..." Kaiji trailed off, features dropping. "I like you, deer. Wish I knew your name, I bet it's a good name, a name befitting such a nice creature. I'm Kaiji by the way, Kaiji Kyudoka." As Kaiji spoke, the deer would occasionally snort or bray softly, and to Kaiji, this meant that it was listening and comprehending him. "This village isn't my home, well, not my real home. I left that place a while back, for... personal reasons," he paused. "Okay yeah, I'll tell you, you seem trustworthy, and I doubt you'd tell anyone if you even could. You see, before I left, my mom packed up her things and deserted Dad and me, and, I-I don't exactly know why, but Dad didn't appear to mind, so I pushed it to the back of my mind and just went on with life, like normal, except not. And not long after that, Dad told me that I was to leave as well, that my purpose was elsewhere. To me, he seemed sorta crazy when he told me. He went on and on about my destiny and the potential I possessed, or rather, that my eyes possessed. I didn't truly understand everything he was saying then, I still don't to be honest, but I accepted his words and left my home... my real home." The deer was drifting off in Kaiji's arms, but he went on speaking regardless. "Now I'm here, living in this not-home. I train whenever I can, but, I haven't made any friends. Humans, my kind... they don't feel like my kind. I may be an alien, o-or a deer like you, but in human form. Wouldn't that be something, heh." The village was in view now, and Kaiji had lulled the little animal to sleep. In a couple minutes time, he had entered the village with the target of the mission he had taken previously in the day. Its owners were ecstatic to see their pet, nearly yanking it from Kaiji's grasp and waking it from the rest it had been enjoying. The Kyudoka teen said nothing to them, exiting their property and heading in the direction of the administrative buildings to claim his pay for a successful mission. If he didn't know any better, he could have sworn that atop his head he felt the presence of phantom antlers. Kaiji grinned at this, stopping in the street and turning his head to gaze back in the direction of the great forest.

[EXIT]

WC: 1475 - 1000[C-Rank Mission] = 475 words remaining.

Stat upgrades from remaining words:
Reaction Time: E-0 ~> E-3 [75 + 150 +225 words = 450 words and 0 ryo]
475 - 450 = 25 words remaining.