Quick Ranking(Private)

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"What do you mean I'm starting to get some stomach pooch!?" Shouted the angry at the suggestion that he was getting fat.  He trained more than most and spent more time running around than anyone.  Sure he may have been eating more muffins lately but that doesn't mean he was getting fat.  Does it?  Still, today was leg day and it was getting late.  Might as well get some training done and have it count towards his total mission count.  That would look favorably on his promotion record.  Hopefully they look at the number of missions completed not the actual missions were.  And thus he suited up.  His normal attire.  First off was a darkly color, long-sleeved shirt that extended over his neck that could act as a mask if he needed to hide his identify quickly.  Over his dark shirt, Katsuro chose to wear a off-white, baggy, v-neck t-shirt to help him sweat off some more weight.  On his legs, Katsuro chose to wear the customary black shinobi pants, except for the fact these have a white stripe going down the seam and pockets for storage.  On his feet he wore his thick shinobi sandals.  This time, however, he only took the Kunai drop pouch on his leg.  To top off the outfit, he placed the forehead protector exactly where it belonged.  On his forehead.  Thus he set off.

At first he did a couple stretches to make sure he was limber and didn't accidentally tear a muscle.  One lap around the village wouldn't take too long.  Maybe an two hours at most.  He's done it plenty of times.  A few minutes later, his muscles were all stretched out and he was ready to begin.  He would start out at a normal walk.  Make sure his legs were completely stretched.  This would only take a couple blocks to accomplish.  Past the crazy cat lady's home.  The ramen shack.  One of the many gym's.  Another Ramen shack.  It didn't take long to cover those few blocks.  After he felt his legs warm up, he graduated to a jog.  This would last most of the time.  He would cover about half the village before he would step up his game.  He rounded the park and couldn't help ogle the female exercisers there as they bent at the waist showing off how flexible they were to the world.  That was nearly the young boy's downfall.  He merely missed a step when a particularly impressive specimen doubled over and touched her toes with great ease showing that she did indeed do a great deal of squats.  Which made the young man quite happy.  But he was able to tear his eyes from the magnificent sight and continue on.  Roughly half-way through the village he changed pace and started running at full speed.  He felt the familiar burn in his legs and his shirt stuck to his body as he sweated profusely.  He was used to this workout and he knew how to make it tougher on his body.  he would cover the next two thirds of the village before changing to a full tilt sprint.  His legs burned fiercely and his lungs fought for every breath as he covered the last ten meters of so before he slowed to a walk.  He would walk the last quarter mile to allow his body to slow down.  He took a drink from the water bottle he had placed in the pouch before walking back to the Admin building to report his success.

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Spoiler:

His next mission on his dossier was something that seemed pretty unnecessary but at least he would be getting paid for this one.  Apparently some workers had left their equipment at the top of the mountain to keep it flat and smooth and were too lazy to bring it back down.  Katsuro could honestly say he didn't give a shit if their tools rusted because of their negligence but he would take the pay check and mission for his dossier.  It would help when it came time to be promoted.  Of course he wasn't too worried about it.  He assumed his normal attire and this time was only bringing his tool pouch in case he needed weapons for anything.  His katana would sit where it was currently, in the corner of the room, between his mat and the wall.  Easily in reach when in bed but unnecessary for such a mundane task.  After tying his headband on, he set off towards the mountain that the tools were located.  He was already preparing a few choice set of words for the workers when he finally got back to them.

He was working his way to the top quicker than most would but that was because he was already tired of this mission.  Why couldn't the lazy workers bring their own tools home.  He liked the paycheck and all but he couldn't stand laziness in a group of people who were supposed to work harder than anyone.  Once he reached the top he saw the reason why the group didn't want to cart their tools back.  Hand tools were being used to flatten the top.  With an exasperated sigh, Katsuro waited until they were finally finish before shouldering the basket that was filled to the rim with tools.  And thus Katsuro set off at a rather fast pace, forcing the workers to keep up.  He felt slightly bad for forcing the workers to walk fast after smoothing the top of the mountain but he also wanted to get back home in time for dinner.  It was approaching that time.  Just before dusk, they arrived back at the main area of town and all were exhausted.  After exchanging pleasantries and goodbyes, Katsuro set off towards the Admin building.

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[1/3]

His next mission was one that he felt would be more difficult than the previous ones.  He had to cart food around without eating it or spilling it.  Both were not his forte.  Still it was a tidy sum he would earn if he were to complete the mission with no spillages.  This time, he simply wore his baggy, v-neck t-shirt instead of both.  Good thing he made it his personal duty to know every street in Kumogakure so as to make it easier to do his training and defend of the village.  After doing a couple stretches to make sure he was limber enough for the speed he ran his way to the Takoyaki shop to begin his job.  His first delivery was the admin building.  That wouldn't be too difficult for the young genin.  He knew the way there like the back of his hand.  Wait where did that spot come from?  After close inspection, and a taste test, he found out it was soy sauce.  Mmmm delicious.

And thus Katsuro set off towards the admin building.  It wouldn't take long to get there but it would require some maneuvering on the streets to make sure to get there on time.  He wasn't going to risk going on the building until he was sure he could manage it as deftly as he could on the ground where no jumping was ultimately required.  The brisk pace at which he set off was fast enough that it netted him a few extra minutes on the clock when he finally got to the courtyard of the Admin building.  Once there he slowed his pace to a fast walk so as to not intrude on any of the clerks inside.  Once passing through the main door, he walked up to the clerk sitting behind a desk.

"Delivery for Elder Takahashi."

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[2/3]

"Right this way."

The clerk stood and motioned for Katsuro to follow her towards the office.  Once there, Katsuro handed the food to the elderly man before taking the payment and putting it securely in the empty drop pouch on his leg.  He knew he brought it for a reason.  The shop had forgotten to give him a pouch to put the money in once he got it.  It was also a good thing he didn't have anything in it at the time.  A said the customary thank you and bowed before retreating back out the door and back towards the shop.  He made better time getting back to the shop than to the Admin building due to not worrying about dropping or spilling anything.  Once he got back, he barely had the time to even hand the money to the owner before another set of bags were placed in his hands and he was pushed out of the building.  He matched his previous brisk pace except this time, he made sure to jump to the roofs of the buildings.  He had further to go and he trusted himself now that he was familiar with the weight of several bags of takoyaki.

Of course jumping from building to building required a whole lot more precision than simply running.  But it bought him more than a few minutes than if he had stuck to the streets.  The house he was heading to was in the clan district.  One of the Hyuga compounds was the location it was just deciding on which one it was.  He was looking for a crescent moon sign outside of one.  It housed the bath house for the Hyuga and it's owners particularly enjoyed the taste of takoyaki,  A few minutes of searching set him back the most as he approached the man gate and knocked.  A young man opened a peephole and saw the bags of takoyaki immediately.

"Delivery for Tago Hyuga."

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Spoiler:

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"Come on in.  He's been expecting you."

The door opened and Katsuro was met with a group of experienced Hyuga Jonin who searched both Katsuro and the food for ways to kill their boss.  Of course, all the found on Katsuro was an empty weapon/money pouch and delicious smelling takoyaki.  Without a word more to him they quickly ushered him through the courtyard and into the decently built house across from the entrance.  It was rather plain on the outside but once he entered he could tell that the man was well off, even for a Hyuga.  Must be because he ran the bathhouse.  They generally made more money than the average bear.  A door was opened for the young Katsuro and the food was taken out of his possession before it was replaced with money before he was ushered out of the house.  Placing the money into the secured pouch he set off towards the shop.  Only one more delivery left.

Arriving back at the shop he was met with the same sense of urgency.  Yet another order was being sent to the Admin building.  This time is was to the Elder who issued the mission.  Katsuro could only guess that the man wanted his food nice and hot when it was delivered to him.  No better way to do that than pay a shinobi to do it.  And so Katsuro set off at his usual brisk pace.

Running through the streets was more hectic than the first time.  Businesses were closing and people were heading home.  Several times Katsuro had to vault over carts that moved too quickly to dodge to insure safe delivery of his package.  It took just a few minutes later than previously due to the increased traffic but he was still right on time when he repeated the delivery notice to the Clerk.  She smiled and took him to a different office this time.  Where he received his payment and the shop's payment which he promptly took back to the shop after the customary thank you.

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Spoiler:

Katsuro wasn't sure if he should fangirl over the fact one of his famous crushes would be in town and HE is the one that gets to guard her if he should be annoyed about being attached while his mates are all out having fun in town.  Well, at least he will get a chance to meet an actual starlet that wasn't some random guy who was lying about who they were.  Still, he was told that she was lacking the personality of a normal person but rather lacked any at all.  Some would call her Queen Bitch of the Universe.  But behind her back.  They didn't want to lose their jobs.

This time, Katsuro would be bringing his sword with him in case something happened and he needed to defend the woman from assailants.  He wore his normal combat attire as well as his headband.  The belt that wrapped around his waist was fitted with the normal set of pouches for a combat mission.  Kunai, shuriken, tag bombs, smoke bombs,  all loaded in it.  Of course he wasn't afraid of an attack.  Kumogakure shinobi weren't ones to be trifled with on their home turf.  And so he set off, like the young death dealing machine he was.

And then he met the girl.  God did he want to smash her face in.  Not only did she raise her snobby little noise at him, she criticized the functionality of his Katana.  Boy did he want to demonstrate the damage a piece of steel could inflict on a skull with non-lethal means were necessary.  Still, he had a mission to do.  They first took a tour around the Admin building but she quickly grew bored with the dullness of admin life and wanted to go buy common people things.  Boy did he wish she would fall into a puddle somewhere and drown once she was away from his care.  After spending a small fortune on things that she had no use for, and handing the bags to the guy that was supposed to protect her, the duo retreated back to her carriage where the goods were loaded into and he saw her off.  Apparently a starlet's schedule didn't allow for long visits.  Katsuro didn't know if he could be happier to see the Queen Bitch of the Universe leave his village.  Hopefully to never return.

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Spoiler:

Katsuro's next mission was one that would be rather repetitive.  He would required to chop down enough wood to ensure that artisans and firemakers would have enough wood to last them until Dennis's hand healed.  Of course this would require something more than his hand.  Katsuro may be strong but he wasn't strong enough to fell a tree with his bare hand.  Of course, he wasn't too concerned with that.  He was decent with all sorts of weaponry and that included axes.  He figured he could translate that training into the chopping wood and use it as a training exercise as well.  Of course this mission would require several days to accomplish so he packed accordingly.  Wearing his normal attire except for the battle pouches and the long-sleeved shirt, Katsuro set off towards the forest that was marked for the next set of lumber cutting.

His first day in the field was uneventful.  He took the time to insure his came was properly established and well away from where he was going to be cutting to insure no trees would fall on where he would be sleeping.  By about noon, he started his cutting.  Using a sharp axe he borrowed from the blacksmith, his father, he set to work chopping trees.  His skill with weapons as well as his strength ensured that the trees fell swiftly.  He didn't have anything mechanical such as chainsaws.  He worked every muscle in his body into the swing of the axe to insure deep cuts.  First a small cut on the back of the tree then a deeper, lower cut that would make the tree fall in the intended direction.  He repeated this until darkness crept over the land and he could no longer see.  That was when he retreated back to his camp for his dinner and his nightly rest.

The next morning he set out to chopping the rest of the trees assigned to him, careful not to accidentally chop one that wasn't meant to be chopped.  It repeated the same small notch in the back and the aiming chop in the front over the course of the next several days.  As trees fell, the rest of the workers would come and drag the trees from the area uses oxen.  The muscle bound bovine easily drug the massive pieces of wood from their old homes to the saw mills where they would be cut to specifications.  After the end of the week, Katsuro packed his camp and returned home, freshly sharpened axe in hand until he finally returned to the town.  After returning the axe to his father he went to the Admin building to get his reward.

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Spoiler:

The newest mission for the newly ranked Chunin was to guard a prospector on his latest attempt in finding valuables in the mountains of Kumogakure. Last several times the man tried to prospect had been very successful, even bringing much of the wealth back to Kumogakure for the village to share with its inhabitants. Katsuro wasn't exactly thrilled about having to babysit on such an inane task as this one but the money was supposed to be good and the possible combat experience he would gain from it was more than enough to entice the young man into at least contemplating the journey. Then he got around to talking to the elderly man and quickly decided to go along with it. The man was a hoot and half senile and was bound to make the journey entertaining enough to make it worth while, Good stories and the money. What more in life did one need.

They started the journey at the gates of the village at just before dawn. It would only take a few hours to get to the man's panning location but it was early enough that both travelers were grouchy. Katsuro didn't even time to eat his food sitting down before he was being ushered out the gate by the bearded man. He wasn't too impressed by the man as he tried to slurp his noodles down while trying to keep up with the man running with the cart behind him. Didn't the man's mother never tell him that running down hill with a cart behind him was dangerous. Then he saw it. Tipping back the cart tipped backwards just enough to pick the man off his feet and it took off down the hill.

Katsuro filled his mouth with the rest of the noodles before setting off at a sprint after the man. The wheeled vehicle going down hill was even faster than he was at a dead sprint. Slowly, though, the man slowed down enough so when he feet finally touched the ground, he was able to stop it no trouble. Katsuro, however, was running full tilt downhill and had no luck. Just as he passed the old man he felt his knees lock and he did three full front flips before he landed and slid the last ten feet down the hill. He wasn't impressed at all.

The last hour of the travel went along rather quickly. The senile man seemingly came to his senses as he told stories about the old days. They would interesting to listen to an old timers take on the days before the protection of the village walls. He even half believed them, the random fighting the bijuu bare-handed were clearly false. The site the man chose to pan was probably the most perfect spot to do it in. It was down hill from several mines and the river was filled with glittering objects whether they be gold or gemstones. Katsuro was curious how no one else knew about the spot when he remembered how troublesome it was to get down there. Single file, carrying the cart between the both of them while trying not to fall off the two feet wide stretch of ground they had to walk on. Katsuro really dreaded the walk back up.

Katsuro was quickly dismissed to build the campsite while the old man set to work panning. He quickly started producing results. Gemstones of all sizes and colors were thrown in one pile while objects that looked like gold were thrown in another. Curiously, every now and then he would throw sizable chunks of what appeared to be gold into a larger pile closer to camp. By night fall, the man's wealth tripled and both were completely tired. A pot of beans later, both laid down to rest. They wouldn't get to rest long however. The every so quiet sound of footsteps echoed through the chasm and both sat up quietly. Katsuro placed a hand on his sword and quietly pulled the steel blade form the scabbard, thanks to the thick cloth inside for insulating it against the steel scabbard.

Crouching low, the young Chunin disappeared out the back of the tent while the old man clamored loudly out the front, kicking over the pot of coffee and moving towards the pile of fool's gold drawing the bandits towards him. Katsuro moving quickly enough behind the three men sending a deep slash, slicing through the spinal column of the first man with the sharpened blade of his Katana. The man, effectively crippled, crumpled to the ground without so much of a scream, his lungs no longer knowing how to work. The upward slash that followed embedded itself firmly in the torso of the second bandit but before the Chunin could remove it, the last man was upon him. Using the metal scabbard to block the bandit's own sword, Katsuro stepped into the attack brought the butt of the into the man's throat as he let the blade slide over the surface, sparking the entire way. His next step brought him out of his opponents range while he scrapped the ground and pulled up, hefting a rock roughly the size of his palm. His familiarity with weapons made the next attack as easy as putting whipped cream on pumpkin pie. A quick throw at full power brought the rock smashing into the man's face, embedding itself perfectly where his eyes should have been, now leaking down his face. Combat experience indeed.

Then the thought of killing three human beings hit him and his dinner lifted from his stomach like Jesus was snatching his soul and flew out his mouth. The taste of bile and hour old beans filled his mouth as he tried to gain control of his senses. A few seconds that felt like minutes of upchucking resulted in his stomach empty and the shock of killing three people being passed from his body. The foul taste of vomit was quickly rinsed from his mouth with a drink of water which was spit out rather than swallowed. A few words to the elderly man who seemed quite concerned told the young Katsuro that they did indeed need to get rid of the bodies. They would only attract the local wildlife.

Katsuro reclaimed his Katana with a sickening crunch of the man's shattering rib-cage before he proceeded to clean the blade with the man's clothes. He thought about searching the bandit's pockets but he didn't feel the need to bring the wrath of the man's spirit for raiding his corpse. A hole was quickly dug, deep enough to stop any of the wildlife from digging him up, and the bodies were placed in them. Unmarked graves was the only reward these bandits received and the duo wearily went back to their camp and went back to sleep as best as they could. Katsuro's newly bloodstained Katana was kept clutched close to his chest as he waited for dawn.

The next two days went by without incident. The local animals seemed to shy away from the location after the battle and it took nearly the day for the stories to begin again. But once they started, the days seemed to pass by quicker. That is, until it was time to return home. The same dangerous trek back around the thin outcropping and up the mountain road until they finally ended at the gates. It took them longer to get home than it did to leave. Katsuro immediately set off towards the admin building to receive his payment.

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Spoiler:

After the bloodbath of the Prospector's River, as he came to call it, Katsuro needed a mission that would be easy but busy enough to take him mind off the killings.  He didn't know why it had effected him as much as it did but he couldn't shake the feeling that they could have avoided the fight if they tried.  But he didn't.  He wanted the experience of killing another man that he did.  He got three of them without taking a single hit.  He wasn't sure what he was more afraid of.  That he wasn't afraid to kill an unsuspecting opponent or if it was because he was so good at killing.  It was so easy that he wasn't afraid to do it again.

Still he had to keep his mind on the matter at hand.  He had been tasked with following the guy while performing a background check.  He didn't know how he was supposed to accomplish both things at once but he needed to do it.  Might as well follow the guy first.  Get some names of his associates and family.  Find out if they are above the board.  You can always tell a person's worth by the friends they keep as he always said.

First place the guy stopped was rather innocent.  A few minutes in a flower shop, he emerged with a bouquet of flowers that had a card on them.  The guy set off down the street with a smile on his face and a some pip in his step.  Katsuro followed some distance behind, staying in the shadows.  His lack of Katana was brought about because of the lack of need for such a deadly instrument, though one could argue that his was currently fighting himself about ever using the weapon again now that it was stained with blood.  Regardless, he was following a guy with a bouquet of flowers towards a park.  He could only assume he was bringing the flowers to his second girlfriend.

That idea was quickly squashed when he saw the daughter of the guy that had hired him standing around one of the trees of the park.  He didn't like spying on the young daughter but he had a job to do.  A brief make-out session as a thank you for the flowers, the duo set off towards one of the many restaurants in the area before finally deciding on a fine dining one.  This would really cut into his finances.  

He watched the duo take turns between eating and kissing before they finally finished their food and left.  The young man walked the daughter to her house before one final kiss, boy did this couple like to kiss a lot, before going their separate ways.  This time, however, the man was heading towards one of the seedier parts of town.  The part that had been destroyed and now being lived in by the criminal element.  He followed him in, careful to keep his distance and remain in hiding.  That was a whole lot easier in crumbling buildings than in wide open streets with no one on them.

A half hour of tailing the man through rubble he watched him smuggle himself into an abandoned building with no roof.  A few hours of watching and the disappearing of the sun forced Katsuro to call off the stakeout and head back to the Admin Building to finish the last part of his contract.  The background check.

After arriving at the Admin building, Katsuro was sure to make sure he had permission from the Kage before looking at the secret documents of the villagers.  After being placed in a sterile room with the documents relating to the boy, Katsuro set to reading them.  Parents killed by the Bijuu.  Left him and brother orphaned in a ramshackle house.  Brother was dragged into one of the gangs before they had been cleared up.  Lost an eye to the shinobi sent to arrest them.  No criminal record for him, petty larceny for his brothers.  No known contacts in the criminal underworld.  All in all the kid appeared to be living the life dealt to him as best as possible.

He continued to tail the young man for a few more days after that in the hopes of catching him doing something illegal but short of littering, he was squeaky clean.  The father would need to keep an eye on the guy's brother but nothing would stop the daughter form dating him.  Other than the kid's crippling poverty.  Katsuro brought the information to the man and was given his payment, plus cost of his expenses for the restaurant.

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Spoiler:

His newest mission was one that he didn't request. Apparently the manager of some teen idol had heard of his ability to quietly tale someone and learn about them. The manager just hoped instead of learning from the Teen Idol, that he would be able to hid in the shadows awaiting the chance to bring about the end of her stalker with the swift hand of justice. What he didn't realize was that justice in Kumogakure was generally either prison or death. Neither of those things were taken lightly by criminals, even those as small time as stalkers. As long as they didn't want to kill the one they once loved enough to follow around like a lost puppy.

His first day on the job, he found himself dressed in a suit that was tailored to him. No one in the Idol's entourage would be caught dead wearing shinobi gear. The red tie clashed really well with the black jacket and white shirt underneath. He was also prohibited from carrying his Katana with him. They didn't want to spook the stalker away before they could catch him red-handed, which was Katsuro's job. He would just need to accomplish this job without the backup of his weapon.

A few meet and greets here. A few hand shakes there. That was the first day on the job. It was all very tiring. Even so, when they managed to get back to the Idol's room, they found the customary gift of flowers and strange letters. This is exactly what Katsuro needed to actually begin the job. Except for the fact that the starlet was starting to freak out. Tears. Throwing things. Classic behavior of someone who was tired of your shit. Katsuro could understand how she was feeling. He wouldn't appreciate some stranger leaving love letters and flowers in his room after they broke into said room.

The second day on the job, Katsuro chose to hang closer to the Idol, a plan she agreed to. He would act like the new beau in the hopes of stirring the fire of the stalker's love into action. This time the two of them went to a restaurant and proceeded as if it was the most normal thing in the world. For two people who just met to act like they were in love with each other in a restaurant one of them, clearly Katsuro, could no afford to pay for, which he did regardless. He would ask for the money as compensation for services rendered. The second day passed rather easily. Strangely enough, no flowers had been left. Just a letter. The stalker was about to break. The third day proceeded just like the last, except for the new 'couple' held hands as they went shopping. Even a few cheek pecks were seen when they thought no one was looking. Katsuro guessed this was when the stalker actual broke mentally. His love had not returned it in kind and now he had been spurned. He would have his satisfaction.

After returning to the room on the day out they found no letter or flowers. Just a trashed room. Clearly whoever had access to the room was losing it. The next day, Katsuro would catch the stalker. While the idol held her concert, he would be feign sleep in the room after publicly going there. It was bound to draw suspicion from the stalker. Just in case he wanted to go for the girl first, he brought in some of his friends from the academy to help him protect her.

The night of the concert, he mentioned to quite a few of the hands that he was retiring to the idol's room for the night. To wait for the performance to be over. Half an hour later, Katsuro found himself being strangled by a beefy man who wore a shirt with the singer's face on it. He had never been good at close combat but there were plenty of substitute weapons about. Like the hardcover book was just about to drive into the man's esophagus.

The quick yet forceful strike which cause the man to start choking due to the quick stoppage of the air supply loosened the man's grip enough to allow Katsuro to pull himself free of the man's grip and roll onto the floor as he gasped for air. He wouldn't stop there. He could fight for his breath as he grabbed the floor lamp and crashed it over the man's face. Which he did. Several times. Until the massive body thudded to the floor with the same force of a small earthquake. Blood flowed freely from the man's face and head which allowed Katsuro enough time to grab the belt from the bathrobe that hung on the hook and tie the man's massive arms behind his back.

The quick call for help pulled the awaiting shinobi from their hiding places outside the room into play. The busted into the room and took the unconscious man into custody. instead of immediately returning to the Admin building, Katsuro went and watched the last of the concert to show that the danger was over. After two encores and an hour chat between the idol, Katsuro bid the girl adieu. With the possibility of a budding relationship between him and the girl he rescued, Katsuro left to report the success to the Admin building and to collect his payment.

[904/600]

Spoiler:

He was finally picking up his Katana again for something other than a walking stick after a particularly heavy day of training. His next mission would be beneficial to both the people of Kumogakure, the wildlife, and the people residing in the Lightning Country. He would be ridding the populace of a group of animals that has been driving the local populace crazy. Between the savage killings of the livestock and the farmers' fear of going into the fields, the country as a whole was suffering from the lack of food, especially the village who depended on the farmers even more than the country did. Without the farmers the village would starve and the Lightning Country would be defenseless.

It would take several hours to get to the coastal farms that the wolves were targeting. He was traveling alone this time. No senile old men to keep him company or to help him bury the bodies of the those that were killed by his hand. Just himself traveling to the coast. Most people would be excited for the beach but he wasn't. He knew that there would be blood shed one way or another. He just hoped he was doing the right thing in exterminating these dangerous, feral animals.

His first goal, upon arriving at the village, would be to begin searching the area for tracks. This would be the base of his investigation. If he could find where the wolves are taking shelter he could attempt to scare them off. If that didn't work, he knew where he could accomplish the last resort. Killing the wolves in their homes and leaving the bodies should work as a deterrent to those animals wishing to make their home in the den after the wolves have been dealt with. Still, Katsuro didn't know about slaughtering an entire family of wolves. Including the litter.

Regardless of later decisions he would need to make, Katsuro set off on the investigation. First thing he did was question the farmers about any possible sightings of the wolves. Very few had useful information but one farmer on the outskirts showed him where he spotted some of the wolves traveling through after a successful raid on their livestock. Lo and behold, Katsuro found several tracks that were fresh enough that offered a keen insight on the wolves location. The young chunin decided to follow the tracks into the woods.

Little did he know that wolves liked to travel to get their food, even when it was stable like a farmer's livestock. He followed the tracks for several hours, closer to dinner than lunch time, before he finally came upon the den. The wind shifted subtly until it was blowing his scent directly towards the group of wolves prowling at the entrance of the earth mound. Their noses instantly shot into the air as the scent of tasty Chunin wafted their way. Katsuro gritted his teeth as he yanked the sword free from its scabbard and wielded the sword in one hand while he held the scabbard in the other. He would need both weapons if he was to survive this encounter.

The wolves moved with ferocity that Katsuro didn't expect of things of their size. Splitting up, the wolves drew his attention to three different directions. He wouldn't able to defend from all three directions at once so he seized the opportunity. A quick dash towards the largest of the wolves resulted in the big one launching itself at Katsuro. Luckily for the Katsuro, he was faster. The sharp blade caught the wolf in the neck and went several inches before it slid free leaving the poor creature to drown in its own blood. What Katsuro didn't expect was to find one wolf latching onto his sword arm and the other onto his left leg. The bites were strong enough to bring a deep gash to the Chunin's flesh before the one on his leg felt the stinging bite of a piece of steel wrapping itself around its face. Hard enough to shatter teeth and crack the poor thing's skull. Whining, the wolf released his grip long enough for Katsuro to kick the wolf into a nearby tree, snapping its spine on the truck. As for the other wolf, it simply bit down harder on Katsuro's arm eliciting a painful groan from the shinobi before an earth shattering knee collided with its rib cage cracking the bones inside. Then Katsuro brought the steel scabbard across the wolf's rear leg breaking the bone instantly. It didn't take long for Katsuro to finish off the wolf after that.

After the fight was over, he gathered the bodies and placed them in a pile in front of the hole in the ground. He was just about to set the fur of the wolves ablaze when he heard whimpering inside the tunnel. He snaked an arm into the opening and pulled back immediately nursing a nipped finger. Reaching back in, he felt around until he found what he was looking for. Grasping it firmly he pulled it out by the nape of its neck. He thought about ending its suffering right there but he chose not to. Instead he placed it in the empty Kunai pouch and closed it in there as he set about burning the bodies of the dead wolves. The smoke would be enough to ward off other predators. He hoped. He then proceeded back to the village to tell them the good news before returning to the village and, ultimately, the admin building.

[925/600]

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