Mission Taken – Catch the Animal (C-Rank):

The squad meeting of the previous day had had to be cut short due to the arrival of a messenger, and yet Amaya’s instructions before she had dismissed everyone had been made clear all the same: everyone was to arrive at the North gate by nine o’clock in the morning, and they were to ensure that they had had a decent breakfast due to the fact that this task they had been assigned could very well last all day. The purpose for Amaya in choosing this particular mission was as a means to see where everyone stood when it came to being able to work together: who would take charge, who would fall in line, and would anyone prove to be too strong-willed to follow after the rest. It was perhaps a test in itself, though it was a non-combat situation that would ensure she could learn the valuable information she needed to while making sure that no harm came to those in her care. She wanted to see each of them succeed in their life goals after all, and there was no point in putting them through some dangerous paces that could potentially end up disastrous if they weren’t prepared for it.

In typical fashion for the albino Uchiha she had arrived nearly half an hour early and had simply chosen a spot near the gate where she had taken to leaning against the thing, one leg crossed in front of the other, and sipping pipping hot vanilla chai tea out of a disposable cup, the little tag at the end of the tea bag which stuck out billowing in the gentle breeze when it was inclined to pick up. She barely moved save for a friendly nod here and there when someone passed in or out of the gates that she knew. As per usual during mission situations her long white hair was pulled back in a ponytail which had been braided and rolled into a bun to further keep it out of her face and out of the way. Her attire was standard black: a turtle neck long sleeved shirt, pants which clung to her form while being of a material that allowed for freedom of movement, and standard shinobi sandals. Her Konoha flak jacket was in place, her headband dangling loosely around her neck, and her weapons pouch around her right leg, well within reach. As usual she wore two patches, one on each arm: the Konoha village symbol, and the medical symbol that marked her for what she was. She was dressed, perhaps, like any other hard-ass Jounin and yet there was a playful smile already on her face and a twinkle in her eye that spoke of mischief: she had gotten up in a very good mood after all, and she had even had a chance to collect a cup of one of her favorite teas.

As per the instructions she had given she too ensured she had had a well balanced breakfast, though she did have an apple hidden in one of the pouches on her person for later – or in case someone else hadn’t followed her instructions to the letter and needed a bit of a pick-me-up. She had no intentions of actually participating after all, but rather to watch and observe, to make note of her teams strengths as well as its weaknesses so that they could be fixed up into a well oiled machine. Oh yes, she had big plans for her squad, but like any squad they had to start from the very beginning before they could move on to greatness.

For now though she was left waiting, left to see who would arrive first, second, and third so that they could be on their way and get this task started. She was burning with curiosity to see how easy or hard they would make it, as well as how long it would take them to accomplish it after they were briefed and on their way. As the idea crossed her mind once more she glanced around with her red colored hues once more before taking another sip of the delicious hot drink in her grasp: she was definitely ready to get this mission underway.

Word Count: 803 / 1,500

”It feels surreal.”, the young Uchiha mused silently to herself. It had been two days since she was informed that she was going to be placed back on active duty, and have been assigned to a squad with a Jounin instructor and two genins. At the time, she was pissed at having been removed from inactive reserves and forced into duty again. She had zero desire in ever rejoining the military force, instead wanting to focus on her writing career and not something which was expected of her. Even at the team meeting, her sensei being her own mother, her anger and resentment towards the situation did not cease. She showed disrespect to her mother and teammates. Only when Amaya talked to her did such emotions ceased, ultimately disappearing after the private conversation with the said woman. Much was said within the conversation that gave Jinx some insight into why she was placed on the team at her mother’s behest. After the eye-opening conversation, Jinx had ventured home and thought about everything that was told. She - - -

The sound of sizzling bacon popping in the frying pan tossed Jinx out of her thoughts. Checking the five pieces of fatty goodness, seeing that they were nearly done, not too crispy nor soft, she moved to grab some eggs from the refrigerator. Four eggs were thoroughly washed, cracked open, whisk in a bowl, and poured into another preheating frying pan. As the eggs began to cook, Jinx checking on them regularly, she thought about her plans for today.

With nearly three hours before having to meet up with the rest of her team, Jinx had woken up four hours ago to prepare her clothing for today. She did not feel like having to pick out something to wear prior to leaving, therefore, all of her outfits for today was already picked out and separated from the rest. After having done that, she took some time to work on her calligraphy, having learned the art of fuuinjutsu last night that required her to have above average calligraphy skills. She was nowhere being the best, but she was getting a hang of the art, and soon would be able to use it in combat.


”Maybe by the time of our next meeting.”, she mused, flattening the omelet, making sure it was thoroughly cooked. The bacon had already been taking up and drain on some paper tiles. Getting a plate, Jinx went about preparing her breakfast: an omelet, bacon, toast, and a glass of orange juice. Sitting down at the table, Jinx enjoyed her breakfast at a leisure pace while also flipping through a ‘Fuuinjutsu for Beginner’ book written by Mito Uzumaki.

Time would go by rather quickly for the young woman, with forty minutes have passed by the time she looked up from the book; her breakfast having been consumed within the first fifteen minutes of sitting down. Putting the plate in the sink, Jinx closed up the book, leaving it on the table as she went to grab her weapon pouch and headband off the table in the living room. Wrapping the protector around her forehead, Jinx walked out of her apartment, locking the door and slipping the keys into one of the pockets on her shinobi style pants.

Her attire consisted of a black long-sleeved turtleneck shirt that fit somewhat snug on her form, dark green camouflage pants, the pant legs going all the way down to a pair of black Jika-tabi, and hiding her matching knee-high socks. She also wore a solid dark green flak jacket. Any jewelry she normally wore was non-existent. Her short hair was placed in a low ponytail.  

Making her way towards the Northern Gates, she occasionally nodded at those who she passed, either out of respect or knowing them. By the time she arrived at the gates, one hour her dark brown eyes spotted her sensei, her mother, leaning against the gates, sipping on something out of a cut. “Good morning, mothe - - -Sensei.”, she corrected herself, greeting the woman who was her sensei. Jinx found it funny to call her mother anything but that, something she voiced, “I am going to have to get used to calling you sensei while on duty. Or…” her eyes looked around to make sure no one else around, “When my teammates are around.”

A small smile, a far cry from the expression that was there yesterday, spread across her face as she moved to lean against a nearby tree. Waiting for teammates to show.

---

759

Hanza’s eyes peeled open, the surrounding temperature within his home feeling warm against his very cold skin, as usual. He has conquered the first meeting with his squad, only vomiting exactly twice that morning, prior to the engagement. He would shoot for one fewer today, as it was a mission he would be undertaking this time. Despite his many hopes and desires, Hanza knew it to be unlikely that he could lower the number of nervous heaving episodes when this day was more of a show of skill than yesterday was, by far. With a pouty expression he rolled out of bed and carried himself gently to the bathroom where he brushed his teeth standing inside the shower, moments before the very warm water began to barrage his cool skin.

His morning routine involved the slightest shave each day, otherwise he would likely grow a substantial white beard and look like a parody holiday icon of sorts. And that was not something he was interested in. He dawned a white tee shirt with a black jacket beneath, bracing his Kirigakure headband around his forehead securely, though his bangs fell over it unhindered. As a southpaw shinobi, all of Hanza’s important tools and weapons pouch were kept in an easily accessible position on his left leg, tightly clinging to the combat approved black pants he had chosen to wear. This outfit was much darker than his typical choice.

The cold man took the liberty of stretching in his own home before leaving, as to evade the embarrassment and pressure of doing so on front of his comrades’ eyes. Anything that could prevent further nervous illness was the best course of action for Hanza. He prepped himself for all types of physical activity to account for any sprains. He would not fail his team on the very first mission due to something as silly as bad preparation. He hoped they had all taken the same precautions, as he would hate to see any of them in unnecessary pain.

With almost everything accounted for and a good intake of cool water, along with a breakfast energy bar, which contained everything an individual needed to take on a day of hard work, Hanza made his way out of his home and toward the meeting place. He was running just ahead of schedule, by all accounts he was sure to arrive just five minutes early. For him, this was of course horrifying. He had always made a great effort to be more than an hour ahead of schedule for any matter of great importance.

He shook his head quietly and kept pace toward his destination, his mind slipping to the prior meeting. The sensei. A white haired, pale Uchiha woman. She was powerful and potent, one could gather that from the way she carried herself. She was also a medical professional, which served to benefit Hanza greatly. Seicho, the green haired Senju boy who had joined him previously in eating a massive amount of curry. He had quite a fixation in plants, much like Hanza had on ice and it’s effects on life. He would aspire to be a great medic, Hanza had a feeling of that. Lastly, Jinx. A fiery soul who served to question the very foundations of society as it stood. She was concerned with the “why” more than the “how” or “what”. She had a closer personal relationship with Amaya than the other two. It seemed with only a gentle amount of reassurance from her squad, she was able to calm down and brighten up though. Hanza was glad to have her on his team.

The Kōri clansman arrived to find the two Uchiha women of his squad waiting patiently. Ironically, they both were wearing a similar scheme of clothing. Mother and daughter, huh? Fortunately up to this point they would all be matching generally. Dark clothing was ideal for the work of shinobi, that was just simple logic.

“Good morning, everyone. I hope sleep treated you well and that your mornings have been pleasant.”

He looked more carefully now, realizing Seicho had yet to arrive. He would be the last once again, already developing his own niche on the team, wasn’t he?

“Now where on earth is that tree-lover?”

WC: 715

OOC: As I posted, I've been swamped and I am sorry it took so long.

Seicho was leaning over a flower, quietly studding the petals and sighing. It was early in the morning, and he had left his apartment much earlier than he expected to for his mission. The mission was to begin around nine in the morning and he'd left at five thirty to do a bit of research.  That was the problem with going to bed incredibly early in the night. You always woke up incredibly early in the morning. The senju was wearing his normal clothing, save for his jacket, which he expected he wouldn't exactly need for today. He had a few dirt stains upon his black tee shirt where he'd been mussing around in the dirt with his hands and had decided to wipe off the larger portions of it onto his shirt. Not for a lack of caring, but only so that he wouldn't contaminate the specimens of plants he was relocating. He was trying to find out if moving plants to different areas with more or less shade and a slightly colder area would affect their growing at all, and if so, how? He would also imbue a bit of his mokuton chakra into each plant to help them gather the nutrients from their new environment that they wouldn't get from their old after being moved. It was quite the process.

Seicho was still relatively early for his meeting up with his squad before they did their mission, and he was actually not even in the village at all. He was outside of the north gate they were asked to meet up at doing his research. His mind was that of a sponge that never seemed filled: he was always thirsting for more knowledge on the flora and fauna surrounding his home, he was always looking for new applications of the fungi, and he was always trying to work his findings into jutsu. So far, he'd been on the path of creating new and exciting jutsu  much like the village hidden in the leaves had never seen. The only one that bore fruit, metaphorically speaking sadly, was the jutsu that he developed to add an extra defensive layer of mokuton chakra to another jutsu that used the wood style, much like a defensive bark barrier around the previous jutsu. It would be an incredibly useful combination for his future work, especially if he could find a way to apply it to other techniques he would be trying to use to help out his team.

Seicho leaned back and rubbed a bit of sweat from his brow, looking up at the position of the sun to try and get a bearing on the time. Soon enough it would be that he needed to move along towards the gates to meet up with his squad for their mission. It was just as well, since this next specimen he would be digging up and moving around the gates. It would have less water, but much more sunlight, and if this affected his plants Seicho would be able to incorporate this in a jutsu he was working on. With that in mind, the young Senju quietly used a trowel he had nearby and carefully dug around the plant, pushing the trowel back to uproot it and place it into a flower pot he had next to him. He would have to use this very carefully, as the plant in question was an infamous wolf's bane flower. Not enough to kill him or cause permanent damage, but one flower was still nothing to scoff at. This particular strain could cause paralysis in the limb. Which is why he'd chosen it, the thorns on the side would poke into the skin and the plant's 'venom' would act quickly.

With his trowel and flower pot in tow, the Senju quietly stood and began his walk towards the northern gates. He'd arrive to see his squad already assembled, waiting on him. He waved the trowel to them and spoke cheerily, with a wide smile upon his face. "Hello! Good morning everyone. Sorry I'm the last one again, but I'm not exactly late this time! Let me just plant this and we can go!" He walked over to a secluded area near the outside of the gates in direct view of the sun and began to dig a small hole. With careful and surgical movements, the flower was put into the hole and the dirt taken out used to cover any cracks. The senju would then quietly focus his chakra into the earth to give the necessary nutrients to the wolf's bane and stand up, wiping the dirt from his hands on his shirt again, giving more of the dirt upon his clothing. With that done, he'd return to his squad, leaving the  trowel and pot for later, when he could continue his work. "Sorry to keep you waiting, so what are we doing?"

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It was with a bit of surprise that she watched Jinx approach the northern gate first, though she hid her surprise well. She had had no way of knowing what would happen after the conversation that she and the younger Uchiha had had the day prior, but it seemed to have had a lasting effect regardless – Jinx was here after all instead of skirting her duties. The discussion the pair had had was private, and yet it had been eye opening for the older Uchiha all the same: Jinx’s attitude the day prior having been explained in great enough detail for Amaya to have forgiven her and then some. Amaya had also explained to the younger Uchiha her reasoning for pulling her back onto active duty, as well as the reason she had placed her in her own squad. Regardless, she hadn’t expected Jinx first – not last, but definitely not first. But, it was onto the younger female her attention focused, offering up a nod of hello before taking a sip of her hot tea once more. ”Good morning, Jinx. I don’t think you actually ever get used to waking up early, it’s more like you learn how to deal with it… such as with me and my need to have a morning cup of tea.”, she would speak softly before chuckling.


Amaya was going to speak again, planning on adding more to her previous comment, when movement out of the corner of her eye caused her naturally red gaze to shift onto the second arrival: Hanza. Another polite nod of her head would occur, ”Good morning, Hanza.” A soft smile would dance across her face as she glanced about, curious as to where the Senju member of their team was as well. ”I’m sure Seicho will show up soon.”, she commented softly. Downing the rest of her tea she turned her attention to the nearby trashcan, tossing it in and watching the cup soar through the air and straight into its destination, adding to the clutter and garbage that filled the public can halfway up already.


Turning her attention she watched as her third student arrived, Seicho, her gaze darting to the plate he held and a spark of recognition filling her face: she didn’t bother dealing with plants often, but she knew them well enough – at least the dangerous, poisonous, or medically helpful ones. With slender white eyebrows raising she watched her student as he went about planting what he had been carrying, not bothering to make a comment: given he was a Senju she found herself a bit less worried than she would have been had the typical Genin been wondering around with something so dangerous. In fact, she wouldn’t comment at all until Seicho had returned to them with his plant having been planted. ”Good morning, Seicho.”


Turning her focus onto her squad as a whole she spoke clearly, ”As I said yesterday I have a mission picked out for the three of you to do which will test how well you can work together. It’s classified as a C-Rank due to its difficulty but I have faith it won’t be too much for you three to handle. A local farmer has approached us, one of his young horses has escaped and he’s desperate to get her back before nightfall tonight – roughly twelve hours from now. She won’t survive out in the forests on her own, not with the predators roaming the woods come nightfall. She was last spotted about a quarter mile north from here by a few farmers who spooked her and caused her to head off north east- they weren’t fast enough to follow. Our task, or rather yours, is to track and find her, catch her, and bring her back unharmed. I’m leaving this task entirely up to you three. I will be nearby should something happen, but otherwise I will only be observing and nothing else: you are of course free to use everything and anything at your disposals, as well as any knowledge you might have. It’ll be up to the three of you to communicate and coordinate yourselves, starting now.” It was simple really: she might have been throwing them to the proverbial wolves in a manner of speaking by having them police themselves so soon, but this was as close to a real world, real life, situation that they were going to get without some semblance of danger being involved. Considering it was only nine o’clock in the morning they had nearly twelve hours in which to locate, capture, and return the horse – she had faith they would accomplish their task.

Amaya took to leaning against the gate once more, arms folded over her chest as she simply watched her squad and waited to see who would take charge, who would start firing off ideas, and how they would proceed. She had total and complete faith in them that they would accomplish their task, she just wasn’t entirely sure how they would go about doing it.

Word Count: 879 | 1,682 / 1,500

Jinx had hoped to catch a look of surprise upon her sensei’s face upon her arrival to the designated area, but there was none, unless not clearly visible. She very much knew her sensei’s tendencies and persona well enough to know such emotions could very well be hidden behind a facade of others. So, even though Amaya did not show any signs of surprise about her arrival, Jinx took solace in the fact that, in her mind, that Amaya was indeed surprised about the young Uchiha arriving. More So after the conversation, the two shared, where information only privileges between them was shared, secrets that no one else deserved to know. It was eye-opening, to say the least, and Jinx’s views have been altered again by the woman’s words the day prior. With what is known and expected to come, Jinx had a lot to think about. Decisions to make which would benefit herself and those she deemed family. What would she do? Who knows, but right now wasn’t the time to think about such thoughts; they would do more harm than good.

Luckily, before her thoughts could take hold of the information received yesterday, her sensei provided the perfect distraction. Listening to her words, Jinx released an unladylike snort, chuckling softly. “Trust me, I am not. Even with my former editor.”, a frown marred herself at the thought of that man before she shook said thoughts away, “He tends to make our appointments around 7 or 8 in the morning. It was a bitch to deal with.”. Jinx did not bat an eyelash when she cursed; she has grown around people who cursed like a drunken sailor, and needless to say, it had rubbed off on her. Though, she only curses around the people who she respects and trust, similar to how kids were supposed to respect their elders? Jinx did so by using profanity and ribbing them. Nothing more fun, in her opinion, than a good ribbing with those who weren’t easily offended or sensitive. Speaking of ribbing, Jinx was about to make a comment regarding Amaya’s obsession with tea but stopped when one of her teammates arrived.

“Good morning, Hanza.”, she returned the greeting, shrugging, “I didn’t sleep much. Stayed up most of the night working on a book idea.” Indeed, she did stay up a good portion of the night to work on a  book idea that came about from her personal life that talked about a destiny. Oh, how she wanted to chuckle at her own joke but refrained from doing so. “My morning was okay. Hope yours was pleasant,” she spoke, slipping back into the mild-mannered persona showcased at the end of their last meet. It was easy to slip into the facade when dealing with people she did not trust, yet. It came naturally to the young woman; she been an actor for some time now.

And, just like last time, the third member of the group was the last one to arrive. A delicate eyebrow being the only thing Jinx raised as she watched him plant the flora. ”Must be a Senju thing.”, she thought, mentally shrugging, she acknowledged the Senju with a simple head nod. Her attention focused back on their sensei as she spoke. Listening to the details of the mission, Jinx’s mind was running through possible scenarios and variable that could mess up this mission. By the time Amaya had stopped speaking, Jinx would speak up, “Well, seeing how we don’t exactly know when the horse escape, nor a rough estimate of when the time between now and the last time the animal was seen. I am going to assume all of this occurred yesterday at the earliest.  Because, surely, it could not had happened this morning, it does take some time for a to be processed and approved - at least from my understanding.” Before she could ramble on more, “Anyway, without the lack of rain in the past few days, there surely will be some horse tracks near her last known location that we can follow. The woods should be easy for us to transverse. Maybe have two of us following the tracks on the ground level, and one of us moving through the treetops as a scout. The scout would be able to get a better view of the surrounding, spotting any location, like rivers or body of water, that animals might come to or the animal itself. To my knowledge, there are at least two bodies of water, but there could be more. As for how to detain the animal without causing harm. Do not appear as a threat or as something wishing to cause it harm. Animals have a sixth sense for such things, similar to shinobi. If the horse feels like they are being threatened? It will bolt. And that is the last thing we want.” she spoke, looking at the three people, “Hanza and Seicho, what do you say?” Though she had given an idea, she still wanted to hear from the other two. She was by no means wanting to lead, but could if necessary.

---

865[1624]

In what would be a standard fashion for them by this point, Seicho would arrive last, albeit not late. Hanza smiles as the young senju came trotting along with a plant in tow. Was there anything unexpected about Seicho at all? Perhaps not. It was not an unpleasant character trait though. Hanza knew very well about having a niche for something, or a great interest in the way the world worked. Curiosity was a great and wonderful beast. Jinx seemed to have started off on a much better foot this go around, which meant the air in general was very clear and light. Nothing too serious or strained at all about this meet up. It would be an extremely beneficial thing as well, considering today was team two’s debut mission.

Hanza looked at the flower Seicho had brought around as he finally drew in close enough for things to commence. He handled it with care, it’s beautiful purple form reaching up into a helm like shape. It was either unsafe or delicate, as the way Seicho treated the plant as he placed it in the ground was more careful than what some mothers treat their own infants. “Tell me some more about that wonderful specimen you planted over there after sensei finishes with us. I’d love to hear about it.”

Without another word Hanza would look forward to Amaya and tune his attention to her fully. Not a detail of this mission could go without being heard. It was each of their responsibility to ensure that the others completed their mutual goal without error, so that they may all impress Amaya and reap the rewards of the day.

The mission was extremely simple. A young horse had run away from his keeper. Such a creature was not equipped to face the untamed wilds of Konoha’s forests when night fell. And night would indeed fall. It was squad two who were responsible for the safe capture and return of one escaped horse. This sort of thing should have been an easy task for a shinobi to take on even alone, but that was not the point here and Hanza knew that. It was their ability to cooperate as a team which was to be tested here. Regardless of who rose to the top to take the reigns of the operation, Hanza would not object or resist. He was not one for taking a leadership role.

It appeared Jinx would suit up as the commander for this round. She recommended two stay on foot following tracks while another remain in the cover of the trees to get a better view on the surrounding area as they searched. She was correct, finding the tracks would be the only way to get a good start.

“I agree with your strategy. One of my primary methods of aiding in the subdue and capture of our runaway steed involves pumping liquid nitrogen into the ground and maneuvering it. As such, I think I’ll be the first to say I belong on the ground rather than the high ground.”

He looked around, considering the words he’d taken in and turning them over in his head to fully evaluate. “I actually hope you are incorrect, though. If this horse has been on the loose for an entire night already, chances of finding him in one piece, let alone alive, will be slender.

Hanza looked over at Amaya and spoke directly to her in hopes that it would not be considered a negative option, seeing as she was still available and they may as well utilize her while they had the chance. “Did this horse escape this morning or yesterday?

Regardless of her response, Hanza would turn back to his squad and nod, prepared to move forward with and cooperate when they were all decided it was time to move. Upon their decision to mobilize, Hanza would follow on the ground alongside whichever of the two remained there with him.

WC: 667
TWC: 1382

Seicho looked around quietly, nodding back to the young Uchiha girl that only acknowledged him with such. 'Must be an Uchiha thing.' When Hanza asked him to tell him about the wonderful specimen that Seicho had planted later, he nodded very enthusiastically. "Oh it's a wonderful breed of flora, studying it and others s really going to help my understanding of plant life and their incorporation into jutsu. Medical or otherwise! And good morning Sensei! It's good to see all of you again! I'm last again, but not exactly late. You see, I was out here since quite early in the morning doing my studies and working on planting flora or fungi in different places that they may not be used to! I must have lost track of time, but I think I've eaten enough to be fine for today's mission. After all, a hearty breakfast before high energy tasks is important, if nutritionists are anyone to trust." He chuckled a bit at the medical joke, as nutritionists were quite versed in the ways of keeping a healthy diet.

Still, the young Senju listened intently as their sensei went on to recant the details of a mission she'd set out for them. It seemed rather simple, a horse had gotten out over night and the owner was worried for its health and well being. They were to try and locate the horse, taking it back to the owner unharmed. They would be on their own, relatively, for this task and would have to decide amongst themselves how they would be bringing the horse back to her owner unharmed. They needed to communicate and coordinate themselves effectively to find the horse before it was too late for anything to be done. Guessing by how early in the morning it was, they would likely have quite a bit of time to find the horse, but Seicho was sure that they could do it within the hour or so, if not less. It all hinged on whether or not the two he was partnered with would be up to the task of working as a unit and not as one person telling the others what to do.

Seicho turned his head as he heard Jinx begin to speak up, outlining what she believed to be how the mission was set up. She would go on to say that they would likely find horse tracks near the last known location for the horse. She knew that horses, like most animals, had a sixth sense or something to that effect when it came to dangerous situations and they would need to approach this cautiously. It was when she recommended splitting up that the Senju tilted his head in confusion. They would work together better if they all came up wit ha plan that worked for everyone and covered all bases before simply acting. On the contrary, the Uchiha wanting to split up didn't sound right to the Senju and he was ready to speak up and tell her as much when Hanza had decided he would throw his proverbial hat into the ring.

He went on to say that he agreed with the plan Jinx laid out, citing his ability to use something called 'liquid nitrogen' to aid in the capture of the mare. From what Seicho studied of cryogenics since the day before, he knew it had something to do with freezing and he simply didn't know how well any of it would work out. During the two speaking and forming a plan, the Senju looked over to notice a cart pulling small, orange box sized bales of hay along. He quietly walked over to the owner of the cart, bowing to him before he spoke. "I'm searching for a runaway horse and I wonder if I could use this hay of if you have any alfalfa I could take to try and calm the mare down with it?" The owner smiled and bowed, nodding back to one of the bales that, upon closer inspection, was actually mixed with alfalfa, making a poor man's horse feed. Thanking the owner, the Senju grabbed a bale and hobbled back to his group, smiling at them as he held it up.

"I believe the easiest way for us to capture a runaway mare is with this. You catch more flies with honey than you do vinegar, after all. Instead of trying to take it by surprise and freeze it or jump on it, we can offer it food and lead it back to the farm that way. Your idea sounds great, but if nothing else, we can just try to incorporate both. What do you guys think?" Whatever would happen, when it was time to move the Senju would keep his hay and alfalfa mixed bale, in case it would come in handy for the mission they were on. He was incredibly excited to do something with a squad instead of on is own, as he was getting more used to being with others and appreciated it more than working alone.

854|1,686

Exit

Perception and Reaction Time: E-1 > D-Rank 1,350/1,350

Reaction Time: D > D-1 325/325 and 25 Ryo

Though she hid her surprise with the kind of practice that came from years of training and her status she felt it nonetheless when Jinx stepped up and took initiative of being first when it came to coming up with a plan. Jinx’s first order of business was to explain her assumption as to when the horse escaped – and she was right, getting missions processed and handed out was a time consuming business, so the idea that the horse escaped at the earliest some point yesterday wasn’t that far from the truth. She went on to mention the lack of rain, and how because of this there should be tracks they could follow, again another bonus in her thinking – one which made her wonder if it came from her own ideas or from how close they were with a particular Inuzuka pack: either way she wouldn’t comment. She suggested one of them moving through the trees and two more on the ground to make it easier to track the animal, again something that Amaya had to give her silent props for. She spoke of not frightening the animal and once more Amaya found herself hiding her response behind her carefully set neutral facial expression. When she indicated she was curious as to what the other two though her attention shifted to them, landing first on Hanza.


Hanza agreed with Jinx’s strategy, mentioning that he had methods of helping to contain the horse that would allow him to work better from the ground. As Hanza’s focus shifted to her she smiled, not minding the question – it was what she was here for after all, and the fact that they didn’t overlook this tid bit of information spoke volumes. ”He escaped last evening, and was chased down a specific path by a set of farmers while the third went and requested the help. That’s why I new the horse to have been spotted north of here before she was spooked by some of the farmers – they got a little too zealous in their attempt to catch her. They are no longer in the equation though, I made sure of it personally: they have returned home and will not interfere further. But this is also why the horse needs to be found by tonight – there is no one left guarding it and scaring off the larger predators that would claim it for dinner.”


Amaya’s gaze followed after the Senju as he made his way over to the cart. After a moment she watched as Seicho grabbed one of the bales of hay and brought it over: interesting, very interesting. He suggested a different method outside of the one Jinx and Hanza had spoken of, and she was curious to see how the others would handle a difference in opinion. Would they be able to work together? Or was this doomed to fail before it even started?

Amaya kept her distance, continuing to lean against the village gate and offering no further words: this was up to them after all, as she had said.

Word Count: 533 | 2,215 / 1,500

Yeah, this was not going to work.

Jinx never wanted to be in a squad anyway. She only stayed on the team because of her mother. She cared very little for the other teammates, and the rest of the village for that matter. Not like the former is known, such thoughts were kept to herself, and only truly known by Amaya. Nevertheless, listening to the others speak about what has to done regarding the horse. She found herself agreeing with the Senju. His option making sense in the grand scheme of themes. Yet, despite agreeing with the Senju, she simply could not find herself caring enough to perform this. And with that in mind, Jinx turned her attention to Amaya, her sensei, her mother, being able to see what others

“Sensei. I can not do this mission right now. I have other obligations that is far more important than wasting my time here. As you know, my cousin is in critical condition at the hospital, and she could die any moment. I am not like the rest of the villages tools who can cut off their emotions. I need to be there for my cousin, if the worse case scenario happens. I will not be doing a mission while my cousin could be dying. I am more human than that.” With her peace said, Jinx began walking away from the squad, only acknowledging her sensei and the senju.

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[Exit]
OOC: If Roy(hanza) did not threaten to kill Jinx in this thread within 24, despite it being an NK thread, (I got a screenshot), I would have gotten a post out sometime this week, after my exams. But, whatever, keep on being petty. . .I am done.

With the strategy they had all put forward different suggestions toward the construction of, with Jinx having suggested an approach of two tracking from below at the ground level while one utilized the view from the treetops, Hanza’s suggestion of stealthily capturing the creature in ice, and Seicho’s much more delicate approach of capturing the creature using food, the three genin would make short work of the simple task.

Although it seemed Jinx had other plans for the day, Seicho’s super direct plan had the most impact and within an hour the horse was secured and very safely returned to the man whom was it’s rightful owner. It was at this time that the looming anxiety of participating in the exams in Kumogakure no Sato would take hold of Hanza as he made his way home, a successful mission in the bag.

[Exit Thread]

TWC: 1528/1500

C-Rank Mission Complete