“So what do we do now?” Satomi inquired, her tail swaying slowly back and forth in a whip like manner.

“Now we wait,” Bokuden replied immediately peering out over the forested area from the tree they both sat in. He allowed his legs to hang off the end of the branch upon which he was sitting as he looked down to once again read the mission briefing he had been sent by the kage’s office. “I didn’t think I’d be doing this again.” Bokuden thought to himself as he glanced over the details of his assignment, “Another one of these damned monsters.” It hadn’t even been all that long since he was sent out here to take care of the last one of these beasts. The species of whatever he was sent out here to kill was a mystery, bearing no similarities to any known animal in Kumogakure’s bestiary. It did however apparently bare striking similarities to the creature he had been sent to kill a few weeks back, which was why he was sent to bring down this one as well. Something about having “Experience”, whatever, he still had no real interest in being here, not after what happened during his last mission out here.

They had arrived at the specified location and now all they had to do was wait for the partner he had been assigned to hunt down this beast with. Bokuden wasn’t usually one to take on partners, but given that during his run in with the first of these monsters it almost shattered his ribcage and this one was supposedly stronger than the last, it was probably a good idea. Reports had come back estimating the monster’s height at around ten feet this time, a decent amount taller than the last and the last was damn near a giant. This new creature had already killed several Kumogakure shinobi that were sent out in the first hunting parties, before the identity of the beast had been confirmed. They weren’t particularly powerful shinobi, chunnin at best, but even still they should have been capable of taking down the monster if it was only as powerful as the last one.

What was a bit more disconcerting was the manner in which the shinobi hunting party was killed. This was not just mindless savagery like it was with the previous beast, these were calculated attacks. Whatever was responsible for killing the hunting party was seemingly intelligent, capable of wielding weapons with enough skill and proficiency to aim for vital points. It didn’t sound like the work of the kind of mindless beast he had encountered, but if the kage’s office believes it to be the case, who is he to argue? In any case the partner whom he had been assigned for this mission remained a mystery to him, but hopefully he wouldn’t have to babysit them. If this new and improved creature was as dangerous as the mission briefing implied it was, Bokuden wouldn’t have the luxury of being able to try and protect someone else and fight. All he could do now however was wait for them to show up.

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Satomi’s ears perked up as she head the approach of what sounded like two people approaching their location. She immediately turned to face their direction, prompting Bokuden to take note of her behavior. He however did not turn completely around, but instead merely glanced from the corner of his eye in that direction and gripped his katana as the two people drew closer. Bokuden raised his right eyebrow as a man leapt from the ground below, landing in a crouched position just a few feet away from himself. He released his grip from his weapon upon immediately recognizing the man before him. Satomi however, not having been there the day that Binsu and Bokuden had sparred atop the High Battle Plateau, was far more cautious of the man and began bearing her teeth at him. “It’s alright, he’s not an enemy,” Bokuden said as he looked to Satomi. She was a natural skeptic, so she still didn’t trust Binsu, but if Bokuden said he was alright then she wouldn’t bother arguing the point. “Binsu, right?” Bokuden inquired, turning his head back to face their visitor, “I didn’t think I would be seeing you again this soon. Let alone have you assigned to work with me on this mission.”

Bokuden peered down from the tree branch towards the ground below to see what appeared to be a polar bear staring up into the tree. “Uhhhh…” Bokuden spoke confused for a moment before turning back to Binsu, “Someone you know?” Bokuden then turned his attention back down to the bear below, tilting his head slightly as he examined the animal. It wasn’t every day that one saw a polar bear running around in the Lightning Country. Bokuden had actually never seen one in person before today, usually that species inhabited the areas further north of Kaminari no Kuni, up above Yukigakure. Satomi’s breed of wolves also hailed from the Snow Country, but were generally isolated from human civilizations up in the desolate tundra. Neither he nor Satomi had ever actually ever been there, Satomi having been born here in Kumogakure and given to Bokuden as a companion when they were both still infants, but from what he had heard no sane humans ventured that far north without a death wish. According to his mother and Satomi’s there were far worse things lurking over the frozen horizon than wolves or bears. Despite that warning, both Bokuden and Satomi had every intention of visiting her ancestral home eventually. What are a few Yetis and Ice Drakes to a master shinobi…right?

Figuring he had let his thoughts wander for long enough, Bokuden decided that immediately after Binsu finished his introductions and responded to Bokuden that he would fill him in on the details of the mission so that they could get to work. “How much did they tell you about this beast before they sent you out here?” Bokuden asked, waiting a moment for Binsu’s response before continuing, “They seem to believe that this monster is related to another one I killed just a few weeks ago. This one however, is bigger and stronger than the last, as well as more intelligent and far more bold. The last one only participated in territorial killings, or when it needed to feed. This one has been mostly operating in the same area, but has slowly been attacking people further and further away from the den. It seems like this one is actively seeking out victims, even shinobi. It even seems capable of wielding weapons. Far cry from the mindless beast that I fought. This thing needs to die, and we need to bring back a sample for testing. Fair warning though, the last creature was absurdly strong. I was careless and it swatted me away effortlessly, cracking several of my ribs in the process. That was effortless strength, mind you. If this thing is stronger than the last one then we can’t afford to let it his us even once.”

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Binsu confirmed his name to the inquiring Bokuden before looking down at the bear beneath the tree and elaborating on its presence. "This here is Hades, my ah, companion. I've had him for years, but never thought about bringing him at the time we had our spar," Binsu explained, still peering down at Hades. That answered why Hades wasn’t present during Binsu and Bokuden’s sparring match at the High Battle Plateau, well … partially at least. “Never thought about bringing him at the time” was far from a detailed explanation, but it wasn’t Bokuden’s business and he was glad the bear wasn’t there anyway. It took a great deal of effort for both he and Kenji together just to not lose as badly as they probably should have against Binsu alone. He couldn’t imagine any scenario in which having that bear there would have made it any easier on them.

Binsu seemingly turned his gaze over to Satomi, looking at her with inquisitive eyes. "Guessing he's a friend of yours too," Binsu noted. Bokuden surprisingly shot a glance over to Satomi, sure that she would be annoyed by Binsu’s assumption that she was a male. Here we go, Bokuden thought to himself as he braced himself for what he was expecting to be a wave of verbal lashings directed at everyone involved, just what we needed before this mission started. “She!,” Satomi interjected, “My name is Satomi and I’m his partner.” That was it? No attitude, no verbal assault? It was weird, Satomi was usually quick to at least sass people… or it was just him.

Now that introductions were taken care of and Bokuden had given Binsu a slightly more detailed overview on what was going on, it was time to get to work. "Shall we go searching for it, or will it come to us?" Binsu inquired to which Bokuden smirked, motioning with his head to tell Binsu to look in that direction. “It seems like our target has decided to take up residence in that cave just past the clearing,” Bokuden answered, “Same cave where I killed the last one.  Who knows why, but that cave just seems to be a magnet for problems. I guess that is to be expected though. What else is a large deserted cave in the middle of nowhere going to be used for? Now let’s go.”

Bokuden leapt to the next tree top, Satomi following closely behind him, before turning his body back to face Binsu and holding his index finger up against his lips, signaling for them to approach quietly. He then immediately took off once again, making a beeline for the cave entrance. In the interest of stealth Bokuden was refraining from moving at full speed, but the cave was so close that the two would likely be there within minutes regardless. When arriving at the final tree before the clearing where the cave was located Bokuden motioned with his hand for the party to stop before turning to Binsu. “How do you want to do this?” Bokuden asked, “There is a large cavern within the cave that the beast is most likely dwelling in. That cavern provides us more than enough space to maneuver around and fight it. However, the actual tunnels in the cave are relatively small. If it engages us in one of the tunnels we won’t have anywhere to run but out. We can try to sneak up on it and catch it inside the cave or we can lure it out here, you’re call.”  

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After a moment of deliberation Binsu spoke up to answer Bokuden’s question. "Although it'd be faster to fight the beast inside, it's much safer to lure it outside. I'd still rather fight the beast inside, and if anything did happen whilst inside the cave, my ability to manipulate earth would come in handy." Bokuden had no particular preference for where the fight would take place, but he needed Binsu to be comfortable in whatever environment they found themselves in. Binsu was correct, it would be safer to lure the beast out into the open where visibility would be higher and the two of them could fall back and escape into the forest if need be. Engaging the monster in the cave would enable them to corner it, preventing it from fleeing if it came to that, and would make it easier to collect the sample that they needed to bring back for analysis. Bokuden was already well aware of Binsu’s earth manipulation jutsu, having experienced the effects of it first hand during their match atop the High Battle Plateau. If Binsu was able to manipulate all earth, including the walls and ceiling of the cave itself, then taking out this monster might be easier than Bokuden originally anticipated it would be.

"I'll enter in like this, in order to try and land a surprise attack on the beast once inside. I'm not sure what you and Satomi are best at, whether it be long ranged combat, short ranged combat or a mixture of both, but I'm hoping for the first few seconds we arrive at the beast's location you'll be able to fend for yourself, as I position myself in a spot where the beast would least suspect an attack." Binsu explained after using the silhouette jutsu to hide in Hades’ shadow.  If Binsu’s sneak attack was going to work Hades couldn’t be the beast’s first target, his jutsu hid him, but wouldn’t protect him from damage. Bokuden rushed out in front of Hades and proceeded to walk in front of the, traversing the tunnels until the entrance to the central cavern became visible.

Bokuden stopped for a moment signaling to the group that the beast would be up ahead. After making sure the rest of the group saw his signal he silently proceeded forward into the cavern. Immediately upon stepping into the cavern Bokuden was greeted by the hulking beast chewing on bones across the cavern. The beast stopped chewing suddenly, letting the bones drop from its mouth while turning its head towards Bokuden. He assumed an athletic stance as he prepared to dodge, watching the beast for any signs of movement. The monster then let out a ferocious roar which seemed to shake the cave itself and charged at the group.

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Word Count: 2299/2500

Bokuden and Satomi darted off in opposite directions as the beast charged at their party, aiming to surround the beast and attack from multiple fronts. Bokuden threw a glance over to Hades and Binsu, wanting to make sure that his evasive actions did not leave his associate in a vulnerable position. Binsu exited from the bear’s shadow and instead buried himself into the ground, effectively putting himself out of harm’s way for the moment. “Hiding like a Mole, huh?” Bokuden thought to himself as he took note of Binsu’s jutsu, “But what about Hades?” Binsu emerged from the ground several meters behind the monster, further aiding Bokuden’s unspoken plan of attacking the beast from multiple angles. Bokuden returned his gaze to Hades who was now confronting the beast head on. Hades was comparable to the beast in size when he stood on his hind legs and delivered a powerful slash across the monster’s face, causing it to gush out blood and let out another earth shaking roar.

Bokuden’s eyes widened as he saw the beast reach its arm back to retaliate against Hades. There was no time for Bokuden to prepare a wire trap to ensnare the beast, so instead decided that it was it was time for Satomi’s new jutsu to see live combat for the first time. He signaled over to Satomi with one of the many hand signs that they have practiced to communicate with each other silently, notifying her that it was time to break it out. She complied immediately and extended forth long clusters of hair to constrict each of the beast’s limbs, stopping the attack aimed at Hades. Using her Wils Lion’s Mane jutsu she lifted the monster up into the air and extended a fifth cluster of hair which took the shape of a lion’s jaw and aimed it at the beast’s head, using the jaws to clamp down on its head. A loud crunch was heard as the jaws no doubt began crushing the monster’s head, leaving Satomi with a feeling of smug satisfaction. That feeling was short lived as the beast began moving once again and started ripping its hair bindings. “What the hell is it going to take to kill this damn thing?” Bokuden said in an annoyed tone, “Binsu! End this damn thing’s life so we can get the hell on with ours.”

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Word Count: 2707/2500

Bokuden watched in silence as he awaited Binsu to take action and finish off the beast while they had it restrained. Binsu sat for a moment in contemplation before calling out for Hades to make a move instead. Hades stood up on his hand legs once again and plunged his claw into the monster’s hear. It convulsed and struggled for a moment afterward before the life finally left its body. Hades walked over the fallen beast, standing on its limbs to ensure that it wouldn’t move as they made sure it was really dead. With the beast confirmed as dead Binsu walked over to the corpse and pulled out a scroll, placing some kind of fuiinjustu on the parchment. He then decapitated the beast and sealed its head in the scroll. Binsu informed them that he would be taking the head back as the sample that was requested. “Fair enough,” Bokuden thought as Binsu took his leave before turning back to face Satomi. Just by looking at her Bokuden could tell she was exhausted, which wasn’t surprising given the jutsu she had just used. Bokuden walked over to her and threw her up over his shoulder and began carrying her home. “You did good today.”

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Word Count: 2915/2500