Starring:
Date: May 30, 2015
Summary:
On his way back to Konoha, Kaido meets up with an interesting little creature.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"Turtles and Tanuki - Troubling Tanuki"
Land of Earth
Kaido had left behind Takeo and the turtles, making his way back to the village that he had stopped at with his cousin not so long ago. After restocking his supplies, he would get to make his way along back to Konoha. However… Who knows what's in store for him on the way home?
For Kaido however, he wasn't taking the straight path back to home. The straight path is boring, not to mention it's not like he has a time-frame or curfew anymore to be back. Since he no longer was forced to remain in Konoha as part of his punishment, he took shameless advantage of the fact that he left with Takeo to start to roam the Shinobi World. After all, with the war starting with the Recluse, who knows when he might get a chance to indulge his hobbies, that of mapmaking and foraging for new plants for his garden/greenhouse and his experiments in poisons, medicines and antidotes.
Notwithstanding that, it was also a chance to get in some training with Bolt and Bandit, in a setting that wasn't on the training grounds where everything is controlled and the targets were live. Bolt was glad for the adventure, as the days passed by he had slowly grown a bit, both mentally, emotionally and physically so that some of his silly puppiness had wore off and now he acted more like an adolescent than a child.
The group were heading through a trail in the forest of the Land of Earth heading in the general direction of the Land of Lightning, intending to visit Kumogakure on their way home to bring greetings and gifts to both the Raikage and his assistant for being willing to be witnesses at his trail (though it may have honestly done more harm to him than good). Bolt was stopping every so often to smell different plants and Kaido was pulling out his notebook and giving the nin-pup information on what it was and why it was important.
The conversation goes something like this: Bolt looks up at Kaido and says, having learned to speak human enough to be understood mostly by people, "What this do? It smell funny, make nose itch." Bandit just chuckled and said, "I told you not to get too close to it, that's dogweed." Kaido nods and reaches into his special Chuunin vest to pull out a salve that he puts on Bolt's nose, "Here, don't touch dogweed, it's poisonous to dogs and even though nin-ken aren't affected by it, it still can cause problems with your respitory system and make your body have an allergic reaction." Bolt sneezes and says, "Not fun! No smell dog-weed again!"
Dog weed may or may not be the least of Kaido's worries. Especially when something streaks right in front of their paths, between all three Inuzuka. A blur of brown? What? And then it's gone, disappeared into the bushes… Huh. Following that shortly after is … a group that's actually pretty loud… -.- It's no wonder that the creature that just passed by wasn't running! The men are loud, have nets, and seem to be scowling. "Rings blast it, where'd the varmint go?" grumbles one, looking back and forth. Then he notices Kaido. "HEY! YOU! You seen a brown critter pass this way?"
Kaido blinks, and that's all it took for it to be gone from sight. Bolt and Bandit literally jump back and stare in the direction of the brown blur. Bolt look at Bandit and then at Kaido and says, "Maybe dogweed… give hally-nations?" Bandit snorts slightly and says, "That's 'hallucinations' and no, because I didn't get touched by dogweed and I saw it too." Kaido nods, "It was there and I blinked and it was gone, that's a pretty darned fast creature."
When the men shout at him, asking if he saw the creature, his first instinct is to point them in the right direction, but upon further review, he is about to ask what do they want with it when Bolt speaks up, "He went thaddaway!" And Bolt, just like a pointer dog, points towards the forest in the wrong direction, and says, "You can catch if you go fast!" Bandit is about to yell at Bolt for lying before he looks at the men and their equipment and expressions and says, "Yeah, if you hurry you might be able to trap it that way, it just went past us a minute or so before you showed up."
Kaido then asks his question, "What is it and why are you after it?" He doesn't let on that his nin-ken just lied and are sending the men in the wrong direction, because he's more than a little curious as to why a group of loud men are chasing something and what it is.
The men don't seem to question the information, and their leader, the man who shouted at Kaido, gestures for the group to charge in the indicated direction. "Just a scalawag that likes to steal our stuff. Pay no mind. Thanks for the help." Then he disappears, chasing after the creature with his men. Well… That was interesting.
Kaido raises an eyebrow and when the men our out of sight and earshot, he glances down at Bandit and Bolt and says, "Well… shall we go investigate this? I think we can afford the time, who knows what we might encounter or find out. Did either you catch a scent?" He glances in the proper direction that the creature went and motions for his nin-ken to precede him into the forest. Being a shinobi, his steps are light and silent as the three pick their way slowly through the foliage.
Bolt trots first and sniffs the ground, "Hard to tell, smell like forest animal." Bandit nods, "Like a raccoon, but nothing like any raccoon I've ever smelled before." The two nin-ken cast their noses through the wind to try and keep track of the scent trail as Kaido uses his own tracking skills to find the trail if scent doesn't work or help.
The Tanuki, for that is what the brown blur was, is no longer running. It had heard the men running in the other direction and couldn't help but grin. It was safe! Safety~. Now, should he thank his saviors, or should he flee even further? But too late, Bolt and Bandit would come across the Tanuki. Yikes! Play dead! Henge! Do something to hide!
As Bolt and Bandit manage to pick up the trail and leads Kaido to the creature, revealed to be a Tanuki, he stops and raises an eyebrow. He stands there and looks at the creature and says, "I take it you're the one that they're after?" He says a bit dryly as he puts his hands in his pockets and cocks a hip casually.
Bolt is the first to walk up to the Tanuki and sniff him and sneezes, "What smell? This no smell I smell before!" Bandit says, "That's because you haven't been out enough."
Kaido carefully drops down to the level of the Tanuki and says, "I'm Inuzuka Kaido, and these are my nin-ken partners Bandit…" Bandit gives a paw wave, "And this is Bolt…" Bolt wags his tail and yips, "Hello!" Kaido then continues, "So… who are you and why were those men chasing you? We led them in the wrong direction because they didn't look like they were going to be very nice if they caught you."
The Tanuki peers at the dogs as they approach. Oh… friendly… Still, doubt shadows the creature's mind. "Dorobou," it replies curtly, considering the odd Inuzuka. Was it safe? He did save him… Well, a little truth never hurt… A grin crosses its face again, the Tanuki proud of its accomplishment. "I stole a pretty~. Many pretties~. They didn't know until they came home early. Drat, I say, but a sad truth. Chasin' me down, but I'm too quick~"
Kaido inclines his head gravely and says, "Hello Dorobou." Bandit and Bolt both move to make sure there's no one around and to protect Kaido while he talks to the Tanuki. Kaido raises an eyebrow, "Oh? You stole some things from the villagers? That's not very nice you know, it's no wonder why they're chasing you. You might be quick, but eventually they'll get smarter and instead of chasing you, they'll figure out how to trap you and THEN you'll be in BIG trouble."
Kaido tilts his head, "Do you really need those 'pretties'? I don't think those men would be quite as mad if you stole food… which reminds me…" He reaches into his pack and pulls out some beef jerky and offers some to Dorobou and says, "Here, it's dried meat, I also have some trail mix if that suits your taste more, Dorobou-san."
Dorobou's ears twitch lightly as he considers the food, grabbing one in his paws/claws and stuffing some in his mouth. He's not too picky right now. "They're nothing impressive, though. I think they juss don't like being out-witted." The tanuki winks and pulls from… seemingly nowhere… Well, actually from some bushes nearby. It's a half-rusted knife. Then another thing. An empty glass container. "See? Nothing too bad," he grumbles, sitting down and chewing on the jerky.
Kaido looks at the items and says, "Have you stolen other things from them?" Bandit and Bolt continue their patrol, making sure that they won't be disturbed. Kaido looks at the things he took and says, "If you brought them back and say you're sorry, you might even make some new friends." He offers, "Do you want to be chased all the time?" Kaido is starting to almost feel like a parent at this point, having to nursemaid Bolt and apparently a thieving tanuki.
Bandit snorts and says, "Ha! I think he enjoys it, he's just like a raccoon, he enjoys the thrill of the chase, and playing pranks on people." Bolt perks up and says, "Likes chase? Maybe play tag some?" Bolt trots over to where Kaido and Dorobou are and says to Dorobou, "Play tag? You it, me try to grab tail?" Kaido says, "Not now Bolt, not while those men are out there looking for him, since you pointed them in the wrong direction if they see you, they might try to hurt you."
Dorobou looks down. "Sounds boring. I don't wanna make rotten friends like 'em…" the Tanuki mutters, polishing off the jerky. Then it perks up a bit. "Tag? That sounds like fun! Ready?" It doesn't even bother to say 'go', dashing off almost immediately towards the south and east direction.
Kaido was about to say something, when Dorobou just takes off and Bolt blinks and says, "Fast raccoon!" and the yips and takes off after him. Kaido just sighs and says, "Do you smell those men nearby? We better go and make sure they don't get into any trouble." Bandit sniffs the ground and then says, "Can't scent them, but that doesn't mean they aren't nearby." Kaido sighs and nods and the two use a burst of chakra to put on some speed to try and catch up with Doborou and Bolt.
Bolt might not be quite as fast as the Tanuki, but he sure is persistant. He also has the added advantage of training in tactics and strategy and uses tricks like switch backs and attempts to herd Doborou into areas where it would be easier to catch him. Bolt calls out, "I get you soon Raccoon-san!"
The Tanuki thinks he's so clever, scenting the air and checking where Bolt is coming from. Doubling back and avoiding the trails. It's … a bit too late when he realizes that the pup's scent is everywhere. All around him… "Oh… <EXPLETIVE>" The tanuki rubs the back of his head, trying to figure out what to do… Oh! A tree! Dorobou scrambles up it, climbing and perching in the branches for safety.
Bolt grins, it's just what he wanted, on the ground it'd be difficult to catch someone faster than him. Guess Doborou didn't realize that nin-ken get trained like shinobi, including how to tree walk. Bolt quietly climbs a nearby tree out of sight of Doborou and gathers himself, a big doggie grin on his features.
Kaido and Bandit come running in and Kaido says quietly, "Bolt? Doborou-san? Where are you?" Bandit facepaws and says, "Kaido, do you really think they'll answer you? Or that calling out to them is a good idea when the tanuki's being hunted?" Kaido looks down and says, "Well? Can you scene where they are?" Bandit just LOOKS at Kaido and says, "What do you take me for, a moron? Of course I can… the Tanuki's in that tree over there." Bandit points at the tree Doborou's in, "Bolt's in the next tree about to tag him…"
Bolt waits for when Doborou's attention is distracted and then pounces, attempting to knock him down, and making sure that the poor tanuki doesn't get hurt, puts a paw on his chest and says, "Got you!"
Bolt grins, it's just what he wanted, on the ground it'd be difficult to catch someone faster than him. Guess Doborou didn't realize that nin-ken get trained like shinobi, including how to tree walk. Bolt quietly climbs a nearby tree out of sight of Doborou and gathers himself, a big doggie grin on his features.
Kaido and Bandit come running in and Kaido says quietly, "Bolt? Doborou-san? Where are you?" Bandit facepaws and says, "Kaido, do you really think they'll answer you? Or that calling out to them is a good idea when the tanuki's being hunted?" Kaido looks down and says, "Well? Can you scene where they are?" Bandit just LOOKS at Kaido and says, "What do you take me for, a moron? Of course I can… the Tanuki's in that tree over there." Bandit points at the tree Doborou's in, "Bolt's in the next tree about to tag him…"
Bolt waits for when Doborou's attention is distracted and then pounces, attempting to knock him down, and making sure that the poor tanuki doesn't get hurt, puts a paw on his chest and says, "Got you!" (re)
… Wait, what? The Tanuki's ears prick up upon hearing that Bolt is in the tree next to him. He turns, but it's already too late. Bolt is on him like a rocket, and he's falling … falling… falling. "OOMPH" he coughs, fortunately landing on a few branches and landing on his feet like a cat. "Don't pounce people outta trees!" he grumbles. "You know how dangerous that is??" Also, he didn't realize the branch was thinner than he thought… Curse trees…
Kaido and Bandit come running up and Kaido sighs, "Bolt, what have I told you about pouncing people?" Bandit just baps Bolt on the head and says, "Do I have to beat you on the head until you learn, pup?" Bolt yelps and holds his head and a tear falls out of his eye as he says, "So mean!" But Bolt turns to Doborou and bows his head and says quietly, "I sorry, I just playing…"
Dorobou rubs his head. Then considers for a moment before scrambling a bit so that he's perched on Kaido's back. "As payment, you gotta take me home. Kay? Kay!" He nods, and it doesn't seem to be wavering in this opinion. "Just head towards the Land of Grass. I can direct you from there~" Kaido would know from his map that the group was probably a day's worth of travel from the border, and it would take another three days to get to the heart of the Land.
Kaido blinks as he's somehow just been adopted by a Tanuki and even Bandit's taken quite aback and stares openmouthed at Doborou. Bolt on the other hand gives a doggie grin and wags his tail and says, "Yay! New friend! Big adventures! Someone to play with!" Bandit facepaws and then says, "Oh boy, I get fixed and suddenly they multiply."
Kaido glances back at Doborou and then says, "Land of Grass? Well… ok?" He says hesitantly and then checks his map to figure out the fastest route and then says to his nin-ken, "Let's go guys, looks like Bolt's right, we've got a new adventure to go on." And with that, the trio head towards the Land of Grass with their new friend.
