Starring:
Date: Unknown (log received December 29, 2010)
Summary:
Team Tosai makes there move in trying to find the missing koala, of Nabekama! However, there is big change in plans, when the village elder suddenly goes missing!
"Trouble in Nabekama!!!! Part 2: The Missing Elder"
Hananosei Forest [Fort Kyuusen]
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The tall hardwood trees rise up from the cool forest floor. The broad leaves in the canopy, shading the fern covered ground where the wildlife is active. Squirrels, chipmunks, and other critters scurry about, collecting nuts and fruits among the lower bushes and ferns. In some of the shadows of the forest, more hostile creatures lurk. With careful searching, you may find yourself face to face with the yellow eyes of a wolf ready to strike.
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Day One of Operation: Communicate To Nabekama, ended quite well for this team. The situation indeed had been to find out, and now Konoha could at least know what its next step would be. Tosai, would send a messenger bird out, just as the two Genin had slept. The next day, even before the sun had risen, his orders would be one's which would declare both the official ranking of this mission as per talks with the client, as well as a detailed scope of time for which the group was ordered to report back to Konoha. Otherwise, Tosai, would be given full reigns to handle things as he saw fit.
The Akimichi, after a few hours of rest within the hotel, would wake up refreshed in body. His mind, seemed a little less distracted than back in the Valley of Grass, however, it didn't mean he still didn't have his own thoughts. Setsiro still ran through his mind. He would tap both of his Genin teammates on the shoulder, before the sun had even risen, his own gear already packed and being carried. "You will both meet me in twenty, at the front gates.. I will expect you to be packed for tracking, trapping, and reconnaissance. See you then." Meanwhile, the first place he himself would go, is back to the shrine. .
The most of his walk through the town would be spent with slight disgust. He was consumed with thoughts. He had his own misconceptions about this all, and with the limited time he had been given from the village to find and finish the mission, more clues were needed. Surely this, along with the way Kuma Ainu had been treating them, were causing him to want to care less about this mission. The complication of it all would have helped him put his feeling aside very easily however. After all, some things about the whole situation, just had not added up.
Theft of this magnitude, certainly had been linked to a variety of causes. Money was always at the top. A rare animal like a koala could be sold of course to a high bidder. Pranks were also common, for almost the same reason, though by the look of the shrine, it seemed that neither one of these could stick. Pranks usually had a simpler mode of working. These weren’t the ideas that would stick in his mind however. The one that stuck in Tosai’s mind enough, because of how extreme it had been included sabotage. This festival, had been very dependant of its representative Bear Spirit. This had been information from Ainu herself, the daughter of the main elder. This still led to one truth that Tosai would expect. Anyone who did not want this village to not prosper, had enough motivation to take this bear. Therefore, thefirst question that came in his mind, would be muttered out loud.
"Who would be an enemy of this place?"
"No one..", would be muttered by a female voice. Tosai would turn around, and smile, bowing deeply. The woman of the Nabekama, would bow as well, asking, "Did you sleep well, Akimichi-san?" Tosai would give a cheerful nod, before, "Though I must say.. There have been some recent questions that have been popping up, with every passing minute.. This is an interesting case indeed." Tosai would say this with a nervous scratch to the back of his neck. “So… Does your father do well? He seemed quite agitated last night.” "…", would only seem to detail a large bit negativity that Ainu would outwardly display. She would sigh deeply, and say, "I have never been a believer in my fathers ramblings… These dumb traditions, and fairy tales, were good for back when I was a child, and even better for the days when this village prospered.. But ever since the Great Ninja Villages were formed!! Ugh!!!” Tosai‘s eyes would widen as the woman would seem to anger almost immediately. Ainu would continue her rant, rather calmly. “I remember days when ninja who roamed these lands, were easier to hire for protection!! They were dependable, and we didn’t have any trouble in those days!! But now.. Now.. No where in Kyuusen can be traveled in safety, without the worry of some kind of harm or danger. No one dares to travel, and thus no one tends to come in town for trade."
Tosai would listen on, thinking a moment. Well, it seemed he could eliminate Kuma Ainu, as a suspect. Sure, she hated the traditions, and she was even more bitter about her father’s belief, she seemed to hate ninja probably a whole lot more. Tosai would say nothing for a while, only because he hadn‘t wanted to anger the woman further. However, he still had questions. "Just what about this folklore that you speak of, makes it all seem so unbelievable?" Ainu would seem to freeze. The question would widen her eyes, before she would grab her left arm, her face descending into what had been nostalgia, and a slight sadness. "…As a kid, the festivals of this place were believed to be made as a way for the entire village to make offerings to Kumashin.. The divine spirit who was believed to live among us and serve as a protector." Her fist would ball up, and she would then shout out, "Ugh!~ I can't believe I was so /naive/!! I believed that we were safe!! But when people start to die, how in the hell can a /spirit/ do anything!!!!" Tosai's would quirk a brow. He would then nod, and say, "I can see how such a thing can change your thinking."
Kuma Ainu, quite, yet irritatedm would then sigh, and say, "I apologize, but.. I must get going.. I will have to… attend to the village guard.. All four of the dolts." Tosai would nod, and say, "We will do our best to bring the koala back..", before he would flicker back to the fence to meet his team.
Tsukiko would have gotten up early. She never really unpacked, just enough to change and freshen herself and was, really, ready to go as soon as Tosai gave her the time to be ready. She was at the meeting spot before Tosai even. Her network of mirrors in place, she watched the entire town for a few moments, scanning every street. She asks Tosai when he arrives, "Did she have any new information for us to work off of?"
"I don't think so." Ketsuki's familiar voice came from the side of a building backpack resting on the ground. He pushed off the wall with his right foot and grabbed his bag throwing it over his shoulder. "You know she doesn't seem to be too keen on helping much." He yawned a bit and held his arm in front of his eyes to block the sun, "Any ideas where we should start today?"
Looking to the two upon his return, Tosai would sigh. Tsukiko's and Ketsuki's questioning and comments were not that surprising. If she had been using Mirror Sight, Tsukiko would have seen that they had met. Not to mention that the Kikaichu on Tosai's back would have probably understand english well. "Well, Tsuki-san… I can only say that question has a yes and no answer that I do not care to explain. It would be rather.. time consuming. She is a woman and like many women, I am finding her quite complicated." And to Ketsuki? "Wise kid. However, one thing you will both learn about words when you get older, is that many messages can lie between the lines." He would then call the two forward, as he would then smile and say, "As for the way we need to start.. I have no earthly idea..", before he would chuckle.
Before long, he would say, "I do believe however, that we need to go off what we go off what we know now, as well as remember the priority of this mission." He would then look to Ketsuki and say, "I need a beat on where that Koala is. Its fur /won’t/ disappear, so I am confident that we will find clues. Your Kikaichu with help cover a large area. I expect you to report your findings every hour, on the hour." He would then look to Tsukiko, and say, "Meanwhile.. I am expecting you to simple remain as an outlying patrol of this village. Stay hidden, and keep an eye out on anything or anyone that leaves and arrives. That includes whatever can be seen in the bangles me and Ketsuki wear."
Tosai would then come to a full stand, and look around as he would say, "I will be giving this village another once around for clues, before I then proceed in my own tracking of the bear." Tosai would look to his wrist watch, and say, "I will notify you both after a few. Until then.. Scatter on my signal. 5… 4… 3… 2…-" "/Wait/!!!!!"
Turning, Tosai would face what would be stumbling and tripping Kuma Ainu, out of breath, and in tears.. She would be panting and swallowing, and even now, wearing a loose fitting kimono..
"My father!! He's gone! Missing!!"
Tsukiko listens carefully to her assignment. She looks out over the outlying area, trying to decide how to outlay her network of mirror bangles even before they leave. She blinks and looks over to the shouting, "wh..what?" She turns and immediately focuses her mirror sight to the elder's home.
His orders had been given and were understood. Ketsuki gave a solemn nod in response, and felt it was now crunch time now. If the koala was missing for more then 72 hours there was a good chance they would not find it. Kikaichu would swarm about almost seeming to dissipate as they would scatter in random, they would scour the surrounding forests his intent was to find an animal that may be responsible for a coarse black hair.
As Ketsuki prepared to ask questions about the village, his priority being the guards, a scream would break his focus. "Missing?" His head turned towards the source. It was the Kuma Ainu. ‘How could the village elder go missing with out anyone noticing?’, Ketsuki thought to himself. Had he gone in search of the koala himself?
As Tsukiko would tap into her sight to see investigate, she would find herself having to strain a tad too much. The distance from the gate, to the Bear Spirit's temple, the old Elder's home, would have been quite a distance away. She would first see snap shots of the room, that would appear inconsistently all because the fuzzy link between her sense and the nearest bangle she had to the area. Even those snapshots, would show nothing that could give her an idea of forced entry, or even the condition of the room. None of the images would make any sense.
However, Ketsuki's search would prove to be a lot more interesting. The bugs, would not only find more of the black coarse fur that had been found nearby the shrine, but, they would also make two other discoveries as well. The bugs that would return to him, would in fact, be the same three that had been glowing at the shrine last night.
Each would have found a different clue altogether. Two of the clues, would be what had been found last night. Coarse black fur, laced with residual chakra, would make one of the Kikaichu, glow on contact, due to the sheer amount of it that was found where it searched. The only difference between the same Kikaichu, in comparison between last night and now, was that each of them seemed to not be feeling well. In fact, those that glowed would seem to be behaving as if it had been poisoned! The sick Kikaichu, along with another, would mention to Ketsuki (through some means), finding gray fur of peculiar length, in the same place. The third Kikaichu, much smaller than the rest, would mention that there was a human presence in the completely opposite direction.
Meanwhile, Tosai had his own questions. "When did you last see him?? Did you have contact anytime today?" "I sat with him most of the night, but had to leave a few hours early for duty at the guard." "Did he seem to act funny to you in anyway?" "He cried alot, like usual, over Omochu, but otherwise, nothing.. He seemed to go right to sleep." Tosai would look to the kids, and see them each concentration and performing there own searches. "Did you both find anything?"
Tsukiko frowns as she breaks her concentration finally. She shakes her head, "Nothing." She looks up to Tosai, "I'm afraid my mirrors aren't as useful for knowing what happened before." she looks out to the surrounding forest, Should I go ahead and run patrol, maybe I can find clues out there better."
The kikaichu lay on Ketsuki's hand as they would report, their message delivered he would shove them up his sleeve hoping the others would be able to help the poisoned Kikaichu. Of course there would be more to replace those that would die. "Sempai!" He said interrupting rather abruptly as a large swarm of fresh Kikaichu would take flight in the direction provided by the others. "There is a man nearby!! He’s west of here!! Also the Kikaichu found more of those black hairs as well as grey fur that may be from the koala. The most was found just north of the village!!" His attention was diverted to the direction of his Kikaichu, he hoped they could avoid detection and keep a track on the man. "Time is of the essence! If he realizes that he has been located, he will move and I may lose track of him!" His gut told him to take off in the direction on his own, but his training kept him there awaiting the order that was sure to come from Tosai.
The Akimichi team leader would emit a deep grunt at hearing this all. He would look to Tsukiko, patting her on the shoulder and smiling. “It fine. We have to keep optimistic. Besides, I have a hunch that this wasn’t a kidnapping. That old man. He just don’t seem normal to me.” Ketsuki’s news, would however, be just the break they all needed it seemed. “Awesome!!! You are right too! We don’t know who is out there, but apparently, this person maybe out only lead as to this whole mystery. I just can’t understand why this would be a kidnapping any more.“ Tosai thought about it further. That man, could have been the village elder, if it had not been a kidnapper. The possibility to him was strong.
As this all was going on, the woman of Nabekama, looked on in shock. She tried to figure out herself why her father had left. Also, just what could have been in the north that could-”Huh?!”, would said with a deep breath, and before long, she would have begun running back into the village! Tosai, would see her running, just as he would move to ask her more. “Wait! Ms Ain-Ugh!”, would be said with a sweat drop, before Tosai would turn to his team. “That woman!!! Man.. Well, in any case, there is going to be a change in plans. Looks like you both will be working together. You will be the one’s to investigate to the west. Work together and track that guy down! I have a hunch that who ever he is, he will know where the village elder went to! Meanwhile, I will go north and try and see if I can track down Omochu!”
“Not by yourself though, Tosai-san!!”, would be shouted from behind. It was Kuma Ainu!! And by the look of things, it seemed she had been prepared to come along. Dressed in light armor, she would say to Tosai, “I know this area like the back of my hand! Also, I have a hunch on where the Koala may be!” Tosai would snort before saying, “…Fine!”, after looking at the preparation the woman had made with a sharp eye. What she wore, would be analyzed, from the paper sutra’s she had wrapped in rope, all the way down to the naginata she strapped to her back. “But, you will listen to me, and I won’t have you stepping into a dangerous situation!” The woman would grimace before nodding, as Tosai would then say to Ketsuki and Tsukiko, “You two.. Be careful, and remember, this is a neutral territory. Stay in eyesight of one another. Now.. Scatter!!!”
