Akio was holding a mission scroll when the three students arrived for morning training. "Good news guys," he said cheerfully. We got a new mission."
The children all groaned internally. Akio seemed to enjoy it when they got difficult jobs, especially the disgusting slimy ones. The happy demeanor was not a good sign.
"Ah don't give me that," the man chirped, reading their blank expressions perfectly. "You'll enjoy this one."
The students didn't look convinced.
"It's a C-rank," the man tempted.
That got the genins' attention.
"Come sit down and we will do a mission briefing," the man said, smiling at their surprise. C- rank missions were usually located outside of the village. They were missions where you could face C-rank threats.
The students gathered around and sat down on the grass in a circle.
"Do you know what whisper cats are?" the man asked.
The students were quiet for a moment, then Itachi answered. "They are Ninnekos sensei. They are ninja cats with high speed and stealth capabilities."
Akio nodded. "That is correct Itachi. Whisper cats are one of the 5 major breeds of Ninnekos in the fire nation. They are one of the fastest and most stealthy.
"Whisper cats are also a breed of cat that is resistant to many types of poisons. It is because of this resistance that we are being called on this mission. Medical teams need whisper blood to make certain types of poison antidotes. The blood can be used for other things as well. Our job is to catch a whisper cat and extract this material."
Pausing, and seeing that his students understood Akio then continued.
"Whisper cats can be deadly. They used to hold great animosity towards Konoha for being hunted. But many years ago the Hokage and the Whisper Clan came to a peaceful arrangement.
"The Whisper Clan said that if a ninja was able to catch one of them, then the caught member would freely let two vials of blood be drawn. In exchange, a ninja could not kill or permanently harm a clan member and must let them go free afterward. If they did this, the whisper cat would not retaliate and would also show mercy.
"The Hokage agreed to this proposal. This arrangement gives both the cat clan and Konoha ninjas a chance to test their skills. It also gives us the chance to obtain the valuable blood without causing war and animosity."
Akio held out three pieces of paper. "Here is your packing list. We will be traveling to Soru-Ku. Plan for two weeks. Bring anything else you think you will need. We will meet at Konoha's gates in the morning.
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The following day the team headed out. Kioshi was both nervous and excited. Konoha was a place of security, but the desire to explore and see new places was strong.
Soru-ku was about two days away traveling at a jog. Team 2 could probably make it there faster, but Akio said it was best to take it slow. This mission wasn't urgent. It was best to keep their chakra levels high in case they met bandits or missing ninjas along the way.
They traveled in a defensive formation, each keeping an eye out for dangers and threats.
Kioshi and Itachi had recently learned scanning techniques. Itachi moved his spiritual chakra to left, and Kisohi moved his spiritual chakra to the right, covering different areas as a team so that they could scan the area around them in a bigger radius. They condensed their spiritual chakra mostly to the border of the scan range so that they could feel auras at a far distance. Only a little bit of energy was kept near them in case of an emergency. Ninjas with an expanded aura could pass through their scan bubble without being detected. They had to be prepared if that happened.
Spiritual chakra was needed to perform basic techniques. This included body enhancement. Because of this, Kioshi and Itachi also kept some of the energy near them for practical uses as well. Itachi was carrying quite a large pack on his shoulders. With the added weight, it would be hard to keep up their current jogging pace naturally.
Kioshi had offered to put everyone's packs in his dimensional realm at the gate, but Akio dissuaded against the action. It was a bad practice to give all the supplies to one team member, let alone someone who would store things in a place no one else could access. If Kioshi was killed or fell unconscious, then the rest of the team would be left stranded. It was best not to get into the habit.
Carrying large packs was also good exercise. Akio had said this with a raised brow, seeing that Kioshi only carried a small, almost unnoticeable pack, but Kioshi ignored the slight. He wasn't lazy. The man was just jealous.
It was common for Akio to be a little annoyed with Kioshi's Dojutsu now. The man liked putting the team in situations that caused improvisation and struggles, but Kioshi would often solve the problems by using his portals, using their unique aspect abilities and pulling the helpful things out of them.
For the past month, Kioshi had begun storing and compiling many things inside his golden realm. It was good to be prepared for any situation. He'd learned this the hard way. Having many different tools on hand often foiled Akio's plans, pushing the jonin to be more creative in his attacks.
Akio was strong. Even with Itachi, Kioshi, and Emi all working together, he was very hard to beat. The man always matched his student's speed, strength, and intellect perfectly, no matter how fast they improved.
The man's strength caused Kioshi to worry. Despite the competitive nature, it was obvious the man was holding back. Akio was an A-rank ninja. That was an achievement, but there were many A-ranked shinobi in the world. On top of that, there were S-rank ninjas. Kioshi had a long way to go to be able to defend himself properly. His team and current anonymity was the only thing that gave him the courage to currently go outside the village.
Kioshi pushed his sunglasses closer to his face as it started to rain. Lighting flashed and thunder rumbled as the water came down in sheets. Because of the miserable conditions, Akio had them make camp early in a mountain cave.
The cave seemed to be a common rest spot for those traveling on the road. It was decked out with log seats and a circular fire hole. The team put down their packs and changed into dry clothes.
The only person who didn't change was Akio. The man was a skilled water ninja. Shifting water away from himself was one of the man's many skills.
Because of this, their sensei was the one to go out in the harsh weather to gather some firewood. Setting down the freshly cut logs, Akio then sucked the moister out of them, causing the logs to crack and split with dryness.
"Don't want the cave to fill up with smoke," Akio shrugged at Kioshi's astonished expression.
Kioshi nodded, a bit wary. Akio had never shown this ability before. "Can you suck moister out of anything?"
Akio smirked. "Yes, but don't worry. I won't turn you into a prune, not unless you really annoy me."
Kioshi stayed serious, ignoring the teasing nature. "Is there a way to defend against it?" This technique might be something common among water ninjas. It could be deadly.
Akio scratched his chin in thought. "Water extraction is mostly performed with spiritual chakra, so physical barriers have little effect. It can also be performed at great distances, so running away is not an option. The best thing to do is to treat the technique like a genjutsu. Physical chakra trumps spiritual chakra. If you are able to recognize the technique for what it is, then you will be able to dispel it. The trick is not to panic and to react quickly."
Kioshi nodded.
"Remember," Akio said, getting into lecture mode, looking to Itachi and Emi as well who were also listening. "Techniques that have an invisible connection to the user almost always need large amounts of spiritual chakra to perform. If you destabilize this spiritual chakra, the technique will fail. This is why elemental clones are so easy to destroy. It was also why powerful attacks are usually straight and direct. The more powerful the attack, the more spiritual chakra you will need to move it around.
"The exception to this rule is if the technique is bloodline limit." Akio continued. "Bloodline abilities are all unique, which is why they are so feared and sought after. Sharingan illusions are very hard to break out of, and Kioshi's portals can not be stopped after they are formed. The Inuzuka clan can also track and smell things that no other ninja can, no matter how much they train or enhance their senses with chakra. This makes you all very powerful."
The three students looked at each other at this.
"The best thing to do if you face someone with a bloodline limit is to kill or disable the user quickly," Akio said. "Especially if the bloodline is dangerous and unknown. If you have a bloodline, expect this quick, direct aggression in return."
The three students nodded gravely.
They spent the rest of the evening in silence, staring into the warm mesmerizing flames of the campfire while the rain continued to fall outside.
They set up their bedrolls as it grew dark, and Itachi, Emi, and Akio heated up water by the fire to give heat and moister to their dehydrated meals. Kioshi in turn opened a red portal, dropping out a fresh salad, a hot roll and soup, and a side dish of ice cream.
Itachi, Emi, and Akio all rolled their eyes at this, going back to their meals with amused exasperation. Koru, however, immediately took this as his cue and hopped out of Emi's arms, sitting down in front of Kioshi and wagging his tail across the floor expectantly.
Kioshi sighed and dropped out some fresh raw meat for the puppy. Kioshi had once offered food to the puppy to get Koru to like him. Now Kioshi couldn't eat anything without the expectation of a treat. Shaking his head and smiling at the cute, ravaging actions, he was starting to regret bribing the animal. Now that he was a ninja, food had to be bought with his own money. Hopefully, they would continue to get C-ranked missions. Otherwise, he would go broke.
"You know, you won't always be able to do that," Akio said conversationally.
Kioshi opened his eyes from the bliss of cold ice cream dissolving in his mouth. "What do you mean," he asked the man, seeing that the statement was directed at him.
"Your portals emit large amounts of energy," Akio explained. "It is a strong beckon to anyone around. On more dangerous missions, you will need to be more stealthy."
Kioshi looked down at his ice cream, frowning. "I don't think I can do that," he said. "The cold heaven gods would not permit it."
Akio laughed. "If I can survive without coffee, then you can survive without ice cream for a few days."
Kioshi scowled at the mockery. "Coffee is easy to make on the road. You could have it if you wanted."
Akio shook his head. "Not the way I like it," he said. "We all need to make sacrifices."
Kioshi sighed. It was obvious that the man was right, but that didn't mean he had to like it. "Very well. I will do things traditionally when necessary," he grumbled. "And I'll carry soldier pills and water in my pack just in case."
Akio smiled. "That's my boy."
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The next two days were spent traveling. Nothing redirected them from their course, and they arrived at Soru-ku on schedule.
Soru-ku was a place full of black market dealers and criminals. The city was run down and was located out on a harsh desert plain. It didn't look enticing, even from a distance.
There was a mutual understanding between the Hokage and the city. The criminals inside would not harm those in the military unless they were directly attacked or their property was destroyed.
Kioshi was relieved at hearing this. It was said that many in Soru-ku were high-ranked. Almost all were unregistered ninjas.
Unregistered ninjas were those who could use chakra, but did not cooperate and list their abilities and actions in military accounts. This title went to missing ninjas, skilled bandits, and crime lords.
"Chakra citizen" was the title given to chakra civilians, retired ninjas, and active ninjas. They were the law-abiding chakra users of a country. To be law-abiding in the land of fire, you had to update Konoha's intelligence every year on your skills and actions if you were above D-rank.
This made it harder for enemy ninjas to infiltrate and pose as citizens. The Third Hokage kept an eye on those with ability. He did not demand service or force techniques to be shared, like many other Kages, but registering your abilities and being under the occasional watch was expected.
Chakra citizens carried a picture ID with them that would prove their identity and intentions. To infiltrate the fire nation as a citizen, it took time and dedication, or you had to be extremely good at hiding your chakra. There were many ways of exposing it if one was suspected.
The Hokage had little tolerance for things that affected security. The only reason why Soru-ku was still standing was the smuggled weapons and secrets the criminals inside offered from foreign lands in exchange for leniency. Also, the crime bosses of the city all agreed that if one of their members tried to steal from or attack a law-abiding citizen from the land of fire, then the military would be free to arrest or kill the perpetrator. They would not give aid.
Most fights came from power struggles between themselves anyway. They did the Hokage a favor by getting rid of competition.
Soru-ku's existence had benefits and downsides. It was a stain that the Hokage tolerated at the moment. It was also where many weak whisper cats resided. Which was why they were here. Powerful whisper cats usually did not lower themselves to interact with humans, let alone criminals. Only the lowest of the clan were curious or enticed enough to work as mercenary spies. This made Soru-ku a prime place for genin to hunt the creatures.
Akio told them all the politics and attributes of both Soru-ku and the whisper cats during breakfast. They would need this information to form a proper hunting strategy for the mission.
The hunt was going to be done entirely by Emi, Itachi, and Kioshi. It was a training exercise just as much as an assignment. Their sensei would only provide aid if a criminal decided to intervene or if the situation during the cat hunt became serious.
Kioshi was grateful for the backup support. Entering the city, many powerful flares of chakra were felt in every direction, indicating that strong techniques were being used throughout the city. Many criminals near them were also enhancing their bodies with chakra and stood large and menacing.
Thankfully, once they saw the group's headbands, most made themselves scarce.
Akio lead them to a more abandoned part of the city and set up base inside a rusted metal building. The building was tall and was missing its entire front side. Hopping up to the top floor, it gave them a clear vantage point of the city.
Buildings spread out to the distance in every direction.
One of the things that surprised Kioshi about the Naruto world was just how large cities and capital villages were. Back on Earth, the TV show usually only zoomed into bits and pieces, and when it did zoom out the animators must have been too lazy to draw all the buildings, because places never looked this expansive.
Why was Konoha called a village anyway? The term must have some sentimental value because it was even bigger than the city before him. That shouldn't be a surprise. It was said that thousands of shinobi fought each other during wars and many of those shinobi resided in their country's village. Add in all the civilians, training grounds, farms, and marketplaces... The capital military base was bound to be large.
"I turn this mission over to you, my dear students."
Akio's voice knocked Kioshi out of his thoughts. He could city gaze and think on settlements later.
"What supplies do we have to work with?" Kioshi asked the man. Akio was carrying a large pack. The boy suspected that the man had brought other things for this mission that were not on the packing list.
Akio smiled. "Observant are we? Yes, I brought some things that might help." The man set down his pack and began to pull out items.
"This is a gas grenade," Akio said, showing them a hand-sized metal container. "Pull this pin out and gas will release and cover a ten-yard radius after three seconds. The gas will make a whisper cat dizzy after a breath, and pass out after three.
"You only get one since this type of gas is expensive. It is one of the only poisons that a whisper cat is not completely immune to. It is deadly to anything else so don't breathe it in or release it near another human or animal. If you do, notify me immediately. I have the antidote."
The students nodded.
Akio then pulled out three green marbles. "These are sound pellets. This type of sound pellet will emit a high-frequency sound for ten seconds when stepped on. Whisper cats have sensitive ears. The sound will cause it great pain, but will not cause lasting damage.
"Remember, whatever you do, do not permanently hurt the whisper cat you hunt. This will cause problems."
"What if it's an accident?" Kioshi asked. He would be as careful as possible, but you couldn't predict and control everything. Especially since there were no dueling terms of surrender. Itachi had asked this at breakfast. It was explained that a whisper cat didn't need to surrender if they were hit with a dampened technique or any other type of hypothetical victory. You truly had to subdue the cat to win.
"Will it cause war?"
Akio shook his head. "No. Both sides understand that mistakes happen. Depending on the nature of the mistake, will determine what compensation is required. Just do your best, and don't be rash and brutal."
The students nodded.
"Good. The last thing I have is a charka sealing tag," Akio said, pulling it out. "This will seal a whisper cat's chakra if you manage to stick it on and activate it.
"When this seal is activated it will connect to the nearest chakra core and will weave the activator's chakra around it in such a way that it will hold up against the chakra three times its strength. If your opponent is C-rank then you will need to send a third of your chakra into the seal, half if you want to be safe. If you manage to catch a B-rank whisper cat then more than one of you will most likely be required to give proper strength."
The students nodded again in understanding.
Akio then sat down cross-legged and lean his pack against one of the pillars in the building. "I now leave the rest up to you," he said. "Feel free to ask any questions, but I will not provide physical aid."
The students looked at each other.
"Well, the first problem is finding a whisper cat," Kioshi said, stating the obvious. "We know what whisper cats look like, but we don't know the scent or aura signature."
Emi furrowed her brow. "True. Cats, in general, have a unique scent, but there are many varieties within the city. Koru and I can track and get on one of the trails, but there is no guarantee it will be a whisper. We have zero experience with them."
Itachi nodded as well. "Same for spiritual chakra. Cats have unique auras, but the exact species we will not be able to tell until we can compare them."
"It is a start though," Kioshi said, and his teammates nodded.
"Once we know the exact aura and scent of a whisper cat, we will be able to track down one with ease." Even if the Ninneko breed was known for stealth, it was almost impossible to mask spiritual chakra and your scent at the same time. Even S-rank ninjas were unable to do it.
Effective scent hiding techniques required spiritual chakra to either deceive the tracker or to keep your scent from escaping your body: If an enemy tried to hide their scent, then a sensor would be able to pick them out. And vise versa, if an enemy tried to hide from a sensor, then their scent would be exposed. Sensors and Inuzuka combined made an ultimate tracking and scouting team.
"Our main problem will be being strong and fast enough to catch a cat before it burrows into a place we cannot reach," Kioshi concluded.
They were not allowed to destroy anything in the city. It was another hindering restriction. Despite the state of some areas, criminals still viewed all the rundown real estate as their property. It was part of the deal to respect it.
Kioshi turned to Akio. "Do the whisper cats know that we are not allowed to break things here?" If so, then physically hiding in a place too small for humans to reach might be their main tactic of escape.
Akio smiled. "Yep. Why do you think I planned on staying here for an entire week? You can't solve your problems by brute force. It's going to take speed, stealth, and skill to succeed. Isn't it great?"
Kioshi rolled his eyes and then focused back on the planning group.
"We will need to catch a whisper cat by surprise and surround it, blocking off any escape," Itachi said.
Kioshi nodded. "And we need to capture it using passive attacks."
Itachi rubbed his chin. "Kioshi's portals and lighting bolt technique are perfect for this mission. If used right, they will be effective in stunning or trapping a whisper cat without permanent damage. I can use genjutsu as my main attack, and Emi can use her hands and body"
Kioshi and Emi nodded. A purple portal would freeze a cat in time, and lighting would physically seize up a creature's muscles, even at low levels. Genjutsu was simply illusions of pain or threats. And Emi was very skilled at body enhancement. If she could get her hands on a cat, she would probably be able to hold it long enough to put on a sealing tag.
"I don't know if we should plan more than this," Itachi said. "Since we don't know fully what to expect it might be best to leave the rest up to instinct and quick thinking. Keep an eye out for signals from each other and stay sharp."
Both Kioshi and Emi nodded again.
"Should we track a cat's scent or aura? Emi asked. "I think we should stay together."
Itachi and Kioshi nodded in agreement. This was a dangerous city.
"I think that scanning for auras would be best," Kioshi said. "With a scan bubble, Itachi and I can cover every direction at a large range. It will take less time."
Emi nodded, not offended. "We will need to be very quiet once we get close," she warned. "Whisper cats have excellent hearing, just like me and Koru. Which reminds me. We need a signal if we plan to use those sound pellets. Koru and I will need to know when to shield our ears. I really don't want to suffer the effects."
"Would shouting the word "Pellet" be enough?" Kioshi asked. "If we are in stealth, we can simply hold the pellet in front of you to see."
Emi nodded and Koru barked. Itachi nodded in agreement as well.
"Good," Kioshi said, grinning and rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "Let's go hunting."
