Kawakita Town lies at the foot of a small mountain and is just as Mokgetsu had imagined: remote and impoverished. Most of the houses here look as though they're from a different era compared to those in the Main Konoha District.
"The scenery is quite nice," Obito said as he went up to the rooftop, placing his hand across his forehead to survey the area.
"Esteemed Ninja, Dahei usually stays at the highest point of the mountain. If possible, please try not to kill it — just chase it away," Hamajiro pleaded with a hopeful expression.
Hamajiro's words instantly soured the mood of Obito, who had initially been pleased with the view.
Just thinking about helping that annoying Town Mayor left Obito feeling disgruntled.
"I understand, but that giant eagle is still a bird capable of flight. We'll need to prepare a bit more time and let you know once we've completed the task," Mokgetsu nodded in response.
Having said that, Mokgetsu led the disciples out of Hamajiro's house.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, we're not seriously going to help that Town Mayor, are we?" Obito couldn't help but ask as he saw Mokgetsu leading them toward the mountain's summit.
"If not, then what? A ninja is nothing without completing a mission," Kakashi answered first.
Although he was also displeased with the so-called Town Mayor, he would choose to drive the giant eagle away to complete the mission.
"First, let's investigate thoroughly to see what the real situation is. Don't just take someone's word for it," Mokgetsu shook his head and said.
While being enthusiastic is good, one must not blindly follow someone's words. If the giant eagle truly harassed the residents and the Town Mayor is not a bad person, then reckless actions would lead to well-intentioned mistakes.
"Kakashi, you narcissist, I wasn't asking you," Obito retorted, mildly happy upon seeing that Mokgetsu wasn't inclined to help the Town Mayor, and took a jab at Kakashi.
With the powerful sight of the Byakugan and the ninja's agility, Mokgetsu quickly found the giant eagle described in the mission.
Perhaps due to its massive size, this giant eagle hadn't built its nest on trees or cliff edges like typical eagles but rather resided in a cave.
Mokgetsu roughly estimated the giant eagle's height and wingspan, feeling that the eagle's body length was about four meters, and its wingspan possibly exceeded ten meters.
Upon seeing the black eagle in person, Mokgetsu was sure this was a ninja beast, as a normal eagle could never grow to this size.
"Dahei, Dahei."
Without Mokgetsu's Byakugan's extraordinary vision and x-ray ability, Obito and the others hadn't yet discovered the giant eagle's location. Obito even tried calling out the name to entice the black eagle out.
As it was his own student, Mokgetsu couldn't reveal the Byakugan ability for now, so he didn't say anything directly, instead choosing to continue the search with them, gradually approaching the cave where the giant eagle resided.
Suddenly, a sharp and shrill eagle screech pierced the air.
A shadow flashed by, and a giant black eagle appeared at the cave entrance, its piercing eyes fixed intently on Mokgetsu and his group.
"What a huge bird," Obito exclaimed, eyes wide with surprise.
Seeing a several-meters-tall giant eagle in person was a vastly different experience than merely reading a mission description.
Kakashi's muscles tensed; his hand stealthily reached into his ninja pouch to draw two kunai.
Unlike Obito, Kakashi's first instinct upon seeing the giant eagle was to be wary of its powerful talons capable of crushing a person.
"It really is huge," Might Guy pondered, wondering what to do if such a massive bird took to the skies during combat.
Whoosh!!
The giant eagle suddenly spread its massive black wings, screeching terrifyingly while its powerful wingbeats stirred up strong winds, sending leaves and sand swirling from the ground.
Kakashi assumed the giant eagle was about to attack and prepared to hurl the sharp kunai in his hand.
Mokgetsu pressed down the hand Kakashi was about to use to throw the kunai.
Kakashi looked at Mokgetsu with a puzzled gaze. Though he had promised the client not to kill the giant eagle, its vast size meant that without striking vital areas, significant damage couldn't be inflicted.
"Don't be hasty. Look over there," Mokgetsu shook his head and pointed to a charred wound on the giant eagle's right wing.
Given the eagle's black feathers and massive size, Kakashi hadn't noticed this detail at first.
"This wound… are there other ninjas in the village?" Kakashi speculated while cautiously watching the giant eagle.
Having mastered Lighting Release Ninjutsu, he immediately recognized the wound on the eagle's wing was caused by a Lighting Release.
"Could it be that the Town Mayor hired other ninjas to take revenge on Dahei?" Obito speculated after some thought.
At this time, Mokgetsu was mostly sure that the giant eagle's temper was rather gentle; even in its injured state, it merely threatened instead of launching a direct attack upon seeing strangers.
Mokgetsu walked forward with a smile, and the giant eagle was startled by Mokgetsu's actions, flapping its wings rapidly again.
"Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you; I just want to help heal you." Mokgetsu said as he continued forward unafraid. If it were a Ninja Beast, it might understand his words.
The black giant eagle either didn't understand or didn't believe Mokgetsu's words. Seeing Mokgetsu ignoring the warning and continuing to approach, it swung its massive left wing towards him.
Whoosh!
Mokgetsu disappeared from the giant eagle's sight, and just as the eagle was puzzled about where the little figure had gone, it suddenly felt a heavy blow to its head, resulting in dizziness and directly slumping to the ground.
"So Teacher Mokgetsu was being gentle when he knocked me." Obito saw Mokgetsu use his fingers to knock the giant eagle down and subconsciously touched his own forehead where he often got knocked.
After making the unruly giant eagle a bit more compliant, Mokgetsu extended his hand to the eagle's injured area using Mystical Palm Jutsu.
The green healing light enveloped the eagle's wounds, causing them to heal rapidly.
"Coo~" With the pain suddenly gone, the giant eagle couldn't help but make a sound of comfort.
Though it didn't quite understand what had happened, the eagle realized one thing: the little stranger before it was not one to mess with and held no malice towards it.
The giant eagle folded its wings, lowered its head, and nuzzled against Mokgetsu to show friendliness.
Obito looked at the thick fur on the giant eagle's big head, thinking it would surely feel nice to touch, so he moved next to Mokgetsu intending to pat the giant eagle's big head.
As Obito reached out, the giant eagle quickly dodged, glaring at him with vigilance.
"Don't worry; they're all my disciples and won't harm you," Mokgetsu reassured.
Next, Mokgetsu and his disciples set up tents nearby.
Though there were dwellings at the foot of the mountain, Mokgetsu chose to stay on the mountain to strengthen future bonds with the Summoning Beast.
By noon, as if in gratitude, the giant eagle brought a wounded wild boar near Mokgetsu's tent.
Without hesitation, Mokgetsu slaughtered the wild boar and roasted it.
After repaying Mokgetsu's kindness, the giant eagle returned to its cave to rest, but it was soon attracted by an unfamiliar aroma.
The eagle quickly exited the cave, following the scent to lock onto the spot where Mokgetsu and others were eating.
Sniffing that irresistible aroma, the eagle stared intently at the roasted boar on the rack, not daring to make any noise.
It wanted to eat, but the little one had treated it and was not to be trifled with.
"No way, does the eagle actually like barbeque?" Obito couldn't help but tease, watching the eagle stare at the roast pork.
"Indeed, the chef skills are powerful," Mokgetsu thought, regarding this life skill as godly for gaining favor, even the Ninja Beast couldn't resist its lure.
The giant eagle pondered for a few minutes in front of the roast, then suddenly flew away. After a while, it returned carrying various prey and placed them beside Mokgetsu.
"Coo coo~" The eagle made a gentle sound, pointed its wing at the prey, then at the roast pork, and eagerly looked at Mokgetsu, again nuzzling him.
Mokgetsu sliced off two-thirds of the roast pork with a kunai, smiling at the giant eagle:
"I can't give it all to you; my disciples and I need to eat too."
Finally able to taste the enticing food, the eagle ignored Obito, who was sneaking up to touch its head, and started devouring the meat voraciously.
With the first bite, the eagle's eyes gleamed; it hadn't expected the delicious smell to taste even better—it had never eaten anything so tasty.
"Wow, Teacher Mokgetsu, Big Black seems to really like your roast," Obito exclaimed excitedly as he finally managed to stroke the eagle's soft fur.
Obito felt he had learned something new, realizing birds actually like roast meat.
Mokgetsu smiled without saying a word, sensing he didn't need to do much—after a few more days, this black giant eagle might just follow him willingly.
"After lunch, we'll scout Kawakita Town. Be cautious, as there may be hostile ninjas here," Mokgetsu addressed the more pressing matters.
With Hidden Cloud and Hidden Sand in war and Land of Rivers neighboring Land of Wind, it's not surprising to encounter Hidden Cloud Ninja, and since the eagle's wounds seemed like Lighting Release attacks, it's likely caused by them.
However, Mokgetsu guessed their opponent wasn't strong; if they were, the eagle wouldn't have escaped even if it could fly.
Kakashi was at a loss for words; Obito's jinx had hit again—encountering ninjas unexpectedly.
Before joining Mokgetsu Squad, Kakashi had completed many C-Class Missions without encountering a single ninja, but since joining Mokgetsu, he had seen two C-Class Missions with unexpected happenings.