Bringing the Fisherman Home (Mission: Wind + Hoda)

Posts : 730

Spoiler:

What a pain in the ass. This mission was so far beneath Isha she could hardly take it seriously. Some what if some man had fled for the hills at the prospect of marriage, it hardly concerned her. It didn’t seem important to the village in the least, but at least it wouldn’t be much a problem for her. Included with her mission instructions, Isha had requested something which would make this much easier. A bit of cloth, one of the man’s shirts would make this much easier. Gizmo was already ranging ahead in search of traces of the man’s smell. Isha still had the shirt and had studied the scent herself. From what she could determine the man was young, perhaps in his early 20s, and fit enough to both flee into the woods and survive there.

It could make this mission more of a pain because he can actually attempt to evade pursuit, but Isha reasoned that was just why she’d been tasked to this bothersome bit of work. He might run, but no simple human could ever evade the keen power of the Inuzuka nose. Her nose alone would have been enough to eventually find the man, but Isha had two. Her own nose was powerful, but paled in comparison to the puissant perfection of the nose nature had gifted Gizmo and his kind. Sure Isha might be able to track him, but sending Gizmo out to find the escaped fiancé was more efficient. He’d sniff the man out if he made the mistake of lingering in the land of fire at all. Even should the man think to keep moving, to escape to new lands, the trail of scent he left would still leave Isha and Gizmo hot on his heels.

Still, it seemed like such a bother. Even if the man went missing forever, it would have no impact on Konoha at all. Instead of working quite as actively as she might, she took the lower road and just whiled away some moments in anticipation of her partner’s arrival. Their predetermined meeting point was situated just outside of Konoha, the walls in sight but the main gate house a good mile away. Intelligence had suggested that gate guards had seen the man was last seen days ago, leaving with a bag and his fishing gear in hand. That’s where Isha was waiting now, resting on the branch of a tree with other things on her mind.

For some reason her stomach was rumbling and thoughts of lunch were drifting idly through her mind. A little roast pig could really brighten things up right now, but she was too busy with an assignment to go off hunting. This wayward fiancé had really put a damper on the fun she could be having right now. It was really such a bother, but that isn’t to say she was working. Instead she was growing hungry while she waited. Up in a tree there was little else for her to do. Her partner was a Hyuuga, and while he wasn't running late, Isha was always well early to arrive at any woodland location. Well versed in the paths through Konoha’s outlying forests, Isha preferred to get out of the city the moment she was permitted. She’d been out there for hours already, and could have likely solved the mission herself... but that wasn't her job.

With a yawn she continues to just lie there, half asleep as the sun rises in the distance and filters the first beams of sunlight through the dense fence of trees all around. Dawn was the determined meeting time, and it was only moments away. She’s up in the higher branches of an oak tree, the black sky turning towards blue at last. The leaders were smart to give her a partner for this mission; otherwise it wouldn't have been done. Isha would already be hunting, perhaps already building a good fire to cook over. She’d be far from this place, looking for a clear and quick moving stream to drink from or play in. She would really be doing anything except waiting here to go forth on the most pointless mission she can imagine. Really, it is such a bother.

Age : 39 Posts : 122

A slow moving ring of smoke floated up towards the ceiling as Hoda sat in a chair leaning back on the back two legs. The desk in front of the genin was occupied by experiment data, a manila folder, an ashtray, and a photo of the missing fiancé and his financial records. The first rays of sun light spread across the sky, with signaled the white eyed boy that it was time to depart. Taking a final deep pull of his smoke he exhaled and stamped the remainder, “Time to get moving then…” he spoke quietly to himself as he gathered the case files and put them away in his drawer, these were his copies; the set of files the administration office provided were in the manila folder and set to be delivered back to the office in the afternoon. After closing the drawer his hand moved along the underside of his desk until he found a button and pressed it which caused a small panel to open up on his wall. He took the ashtray and its contents and placed it inside after which he pulled out a half pack of cigarettes and a lighter and placed them in his pocket. After double checking his gear, Hoda grabbed the long black leather pouch which housed his weapon and headed out of the door. He wasn’t in danger of being late, so he took his time getting to the rendezvous point, going over the information he had gathered from the previous day.

He had received the assignment the day before from one of the aids to the Hokage; only higher ranking officials got there missions directly from the man himself. Hoda went to work immediately, starting by re-questioning the future wife of the missing man, upon learning that the man had a fishing boat but no real talent for fishing Hoda went digging through his financials. As it turned out, the missing man was the son of one of the wealthiest land barons in The Land of Fire and had no real reason to be a fisherman other than sport. This raised some red flags for the white eyed genin, but because they were so pressed for time, he couldn’t delve deeper into it, but he did however make it a point to keep in mind as they went searching for him.

He made his way past the gates, the chuunin at the post wishing him luck on his mission, and in a few minutes past dawn he made it to the waypoint. He came upon the girl resting lazily in the branch of the tree, and when he saw her he instantly recognized her, he had a workout with her not to long ago. He unpacked his sword from its leather carrier and placed it on his right hip and then folded the leather container and tucked it away in one of his pouches.
The Hyuuga looked up to the girl and spoke evenly, “Good morning…I assume that we will be working together today. It’s nice to see you again.” Hoda bowed slightly before speaking once more, “Wheres your dog?”

Posts : 730

“Oh, hey, it’s you. Nice to see you again.” She calls back as she stretches a little and finally stands up on the branch she’d been lounging on endlessly. “You sure we gotta get going now? I’ve really been sitting up there thinking about breakfast. Doesn't it sound like a lot more fun to just let the guy run away or whatever, and do a little hunting? I can cook us up something real good, promise you’ll enjoy it.” She notes as she peers down at him, though judging by his serious demeanor she did not expect the idea to go over well. Instead of just standing up there Isha dismounts from her tree with a bit of a yawn and some effortless use of chakra.

Her feet stick mostly to the tree while she falls forward, sliding around the branch until she’s standing upside down beneath it. She finishes her yawn and her feet release, dropping her down towards the ground before gravity can have its way with her dress. She flips over easily before she hits the ground, and lands without any real comment on her maneuver. It was just how she did things. “Yeah yeah, I know. Mission. Anyway, Gizmo is off ranging ahead. I got the guy’s shirt so I know what he smells like. This is going to be pretty simple, all we have to do is follow the scent and drag him back to his home. Not sure why it’s important but…” Isha drifts off into silence mid-sentence and looks towards the south. A low and long howl can be heard off in the distance, and it draws a sigh out of the Inuzka.

“Ugh, great. Looks like Gizmo’s already found his trail. I guess we should get to work. You have any plans for this mission, or do you just want to play it by ear?” she asks and peers over at Hoda. She had only given him a few moments to talk up till now, so she finally shuts up and spends a moment listening. As she does she reaches up and grabs the chin of her mask. She slides it down off the top of her head and positions it in place over her adorable face. She remains silent and just listens, though she does fetch a kunai out of her pouch and twirl it around her pinky for a moment. Action would start soon enough, and though Isha played lazy all those who had worked with her in the past knew she could get the job done when she needed too.

This seemed to be a moment in which she needed too, because with a partner she could not just blow the mission off and go do something else. Instead she gets somewhat serious, so that she can finish up quickly. Get this done, and breakfast might still be a viable option. The thought of missing a meal did not sit well with her, even if technically speaking she had already eaten. In her mind leftovers did not count as food and she wanted something she could kill, clean, cook and eat for her self. There was something much more thrilling about hunting than going through with these mostly meaningless missions; and there was something much more rewarding about a well cooked meal than the thanks and pay check given for a mission well done.

Age : 39 Posts : 122

Hoda produced a cigarette and sparked it as the girl suggested hunting and breakfast instead of starting right away with the mission. He thought about saying yes as he took the first pull of his smoke, he tried to remember the last time he had eaten, however his thoughts process was interrupted by the sound of his stomach growling. Damn, I think the last time I ate was … his thoughts cut short by a severe clenching of his abdomen.

“I would really like to eat now, but seeing as your dog is calling us, maybe we should wait until afterwards, that way we can make it a feast.” , he spoke while trying to muster up the best smile he possibly could. In truth this mission was an interruption from him trying to find out where his mother and father were, and he was anxious to return to investigating. Taking a few pulls of his cig, Hoda nods his head negatively in response to her question.

“No, no plans as of yet, but I did ask some questions just in case things got complicated. He is the son of a land baron and I don’t see the need for him to have a fishing boat other than sport, and if that is the case, then there is no telling what else he might do for fun. It wouldn't surprise me if he was a heavy drinker and a gambler, which are two things that don’t mix particularly well with one another, especially with the amount of money he has access to.”

Looking in the direction in which the dog’s call originated he took a long final drag of his cigarette before letting it fall to the ground and stamping it out.

“I think we should be cautious, if this were something simple, I am sure they wouldn’t have requested ninja to take on the assignment.”He nodded to signal that he was ready to leave as soon as she was and waited to follow her.

Posts : 730

“I doubt we’ll find any trouble, it’s just some guy. Unless he’s been kidnapped by enemies, I doubt I’ll even break a sweat”, she notes with a sure nod, then gives a slight stretch backwards of her spine. “Alright, lets go.”

The next moment Isha is off like a flash, leaping up into the tree branches and focusing a little chakra into her feet. She springs off the tree branches and is on her way, leaping nimbly from branch to branch off in the direction of the howl. Once the Hyuuga catches up she continues prattling on in the same confident and casual tone. “Might come down to dragging the guy back, but that’s our job. Only reason we’ll need to be careful is cause we can’t really hurt the guy. This would be too easy if we could just knock him and, tie him up, and haul him back to the city without questions. I figure, if needed, we skip knocking him out, and just go right to tying him up and hauling him home.”

The forest rushes past them on all sides as she skips forward quickly. This was second nature to most shinobi, about as complicated for most as jogging down a level path was. Of course, Isha’s approach to the long loved ability to move through trees was different than the average shinobi. Using all four limbs Isha leapt as a dog might, using hands and feet to get a better grip and move her briskly off towards the horizon. It wasn’t too close, but that said it was also not to far. They were maybe a mile from the dog, so it would take them a few minutes to catch up.

Gizmo, being a well trained and very cunning beast, was waiting for them in the same spot he’d howled from. Isha followed her ears most of the way, but once they’d gotten in the general area her keen sense of smell lead her right to her dog. Gizmo greets her with a bark, stands up, and stares off towards the south. He didn’t need to point, Isha could smell the lingering trail too. He’d been through here pretty recently. She assess her surroundings quietly and gives Gizmo a little shove. The dog leans his weight into Isha and pushes her back and the girl laughs a little.

“We’re pretty close now. What’s your plan?” she asks, looking back over at Hoda.