Fuyuki found himself walking amidst the thickets of trees and bushes that littered the Dense Forest, a forest outside Konoha that got its name due to the abundance of vegetation that seemed to take root there. There was no dirt path through it, unlike through the other grounds outside of Konoha to facilitate trade and movement. For that matter, there was no visible path through the jungle at all. Almost everywhere Fuyuki turned, he was greeted either by the rough trunk of a teak tree or a clump of bushes that refused to budge.

He had been tasked with retrieving a lost cat that belonged to a Madam Chiasa, a woman who, behind her facade of nobility, was condescending and arrogant due to her vast wealth. And it seemed that this wasn't the first time her cat had run away from her. Rumour had it that this mission was one of the most often ones placed in the mission registry, and Genin after Genin throughout the years had undergone the strenuous task of retrieving the cat. Many said that one try, one attempt was all it took to discourage Genin from a ninja career. Some ninja even used this as a test for their prospective Genin to see if they were ready to take on the somewhat real world.

Fuyuki honestly did not know what was so difficult about catching a cat. Granted, he was three years older than most ninja when they first undertook the assignment, but it was still difficult believing a creature that always landed on its feet could cause so much distress in the younger generation to be able to actively discourage them from active ninja duty. After all, it was only a cat.

He squinted his eyes from among the bushes, trying to find any hint of a cat having passed through the area, though in the end he figured it was only for cosmetics sake he did that. After all, what was he expecting to find? Claw marks on trees? A hairball? A piece of dung? No, all those signs would be irrelevant within a forest, where almost anything could've caused them. Heck, there could also have been other cats within this forest who could've made those signs.

Sighing, he went for his last resort. “Maybell!” he called out.

Madam Chiasa had informed him with delight that the cat responded to its name fairly affectionately, and he was hoping that the difference in tone of voice would not deter the cat from responding to its name. After all, Madam Chiasa's voice was inhumanely high pitched, if anyone asked him. He was only fortunate that, when he was briefed on the mission by the woman, her voice had caused no windows to shatter when it should've within a six mile radius.

He heard a hiss behind him and turned around in time to see a small, dark, feline figure jumping straight at his face. Listening to his instincts, he ducked immediately, allowing the figure to fly past his head behind him.

Fuyuki turned around, only to see that the figure was already mid-jump for his head, again. He reached up with one hand and caught the cat by its waist, only to be forced to relinquish the devilish cat when it clawed at his hands, leaving gash marks that got the boy cursing slightly.

With that, the cat seemed to grin at Fuyuki, relishing in its first victory, and jumped at Fuyuki again, confident that its win was in sight. However, it did not count on Fuyuki learning too quickly from his previous mistake, this time reaching out with both hands, one to grab the cat by its hind legs, and the other its forelegs. This left Maybell danging upside down from Fuyuki's hands, where it remained for the remainder of the journey back to Konoha.

Half an hour later found Fuyuki within the mission debriefing room, where Madam Chiasa was furiously hugging the cat and checking him over for injuries. Fuyuki thought the only injuries present would be from the owner's incessant hugging, but all was well for him, as he got his money, and the demon cat got what was coming for it.

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