It was early Tuesday morning, and Hiruko was wearing his usual oversized, high-collared coat via the Garb-Garb Fruit.
Beside him stood Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya, and in front of them stood Hiruzen Sarutobi; whether this was the real deal or a clone, none knew.
"Good, you all seem ready; this will be your first mission." Hiruzen said enthusiastically, holding up a small brown paper.
{D-Rank Mission: Locate missing cat and return it to owner, Mission Issued by Hana Shijimi, Konoha District 41}
'You've got to be kidding me.' Hiruko thought as he recognized this mission and the last name Shijimi.
'The future wife of the Daimyo and a serial cat loser—actually, more like the cat doesn't like her and runs away.'
Jiraiya, on the other hand, started yelling, "Oh, come on, our first mission should be action-packed and dangerous, not catching a runaway cat."
Tsunade and Orochimaru, though not saying anything, thought the same; this mission was somewhat beneath them.
Hiruzen, seeing this, simply sighed, "It's not about whether this mission is easy or not for you; it's about you guys learning teamwork that can be used on missions. Being able to coordinate and use each other's strengths. That's why I'll be making this a bit harder on you guys. And by you guys I mean mainly Hiruko," Hiruzen said with a slightly sheepish smile.
'Of course, just like the bell test, they always limit me just because I have abilities uniquely situated for these things.' Hiruko thought, slightly frowning.
"Sorry, Hiuko, but no use of your Kekei Genkai whatsoever, and I want you guys to coordinate and work together, not be individuals. Now let's meet with our client," Hiruzen said before remembering something else.
"Also, this mission isn't as bad as it seems. Ms. Shijimi is the current arranged betrothed of the Daimyo's second son, even taking his last name already."
Hiruzen said, slightly smiling, before using his Body Flicker to head towards the client's house, though he kept his speed just enough for the kids to follow.
—
Hiruko sat in a lavish house in front of an 11-year-old girl who was crying tears.
She wore a simple pink dress and had a corpulent figure. Her hair was dark brown and kept in a bun.
Next to her was Tsunade, who tried her best to console her even though it was evident she didn't care.
Due to this being an important future influential figure and not wanting Jiraiya to say anything perverted and get executed, Hiruko had him and Orochimaru do a 'preliminary search' for the cat.
Orochimaru, quick on the uptake, quickly dragged away a crying Jiraiya complaining he wanted to see her 'size.'
And Hiruzen, well, he disappeared. Who knows where, though? Hiruko could sense his presence, or more like emotions, somewhere in the vicinity.
'She's about to burst.' Hiruko thought Tsunade looked as if she was about to punch the crying girl. Tsunade hated annoying people and crybabies.
Sighing, Hiruko decided to step in. "Um, Ms. Shijimi, it would help if you could tell us your cat's name and the places he liked to visit often when he disappeared before." Hiruko said, putting on his kindest voice.
Hana, looking at Hiruko and speaking through tears, said, "Her name is Tora, and she likes to wander around the past ninjas; however, they say they usually find her in high places like rooftops," Hana said before bursting into tears again at the thought of her precious Tora.
Hiruko, slightly annoyed, grabbed Tsunade, bowing slightly before leaving under the context of getting the cat back for her.
Hiruko and Tsunade, now walking down the streets, began to brainstorm.
"So how do we find her stupid cat?" Tsunade posed, turning to Hiruko.
"All we can do is look. None of us have specific sensing techniques, nor do we have an idea as to where she is. All we know is she likes high places, so I guess that helps narrow it down."
Hiruko said, shrugging, it's times like this he wished Sakumo and Duy were here, but both were on missions with their teams.
"Okay, it's annoying, but I guess it's our fault for not asking Grandma for a sensing technique anyway. Are we searching together?" Tsunade asked.
Hiruko, taking a moment to think, simply shook his head. "No, it's better if we split up. I'll go west; you go east. If you run into Orochimaru or Jiraiya, tell them to go north and south, respectively. We'll meet up back here in about 30 min and compare our findings." Hiruko said before checking if Tsunade understood, and both disappeared in a Body Flicker.
—
Hiruko was running across rooftops, following a little brown cat with a big red bow on its right ear that was jumping from roof to roof.
In order to make himself more agile and fast, he brought his weight down to 5 kg with the Kilo-Kilo fruit.
'I could probably catch it right now if I employ my body flicker, but that would destroy the whole point of the mission.' Hiruko thought he could still sense the presence of his sensei watching from the shadows.
It was due to these factors that Hiruko was attempting to force the cat towards Tsunade's direction in hope she and possibly the others could then work together and catch the cat.
As Hiruko was jumping to the next building following the cat, his eyes happened to drift to a young figure in the alleyway between buildings lying motionless, blood pooling under him.
The boy's pale lavender eyes looked at Hiruko with the intensity of a person who accepted their death but also wished to live.
His face was cold and emotionless, but his eyes conveyed everything his face wouldn't.
The boy, who couldn't be less than 4, wore a ripped and dirty blue kimono shirt with long sleeves and matching pants with a white apron over them.
His entire forehead was bandaged, and his raven-colored hair was matted with dirt.
Hiruko, landing on the building he was jumping to, gnashed his teeth slightly as he looked at the departing brown cat for a few moments.
Before jumping down into the alley and dropping in front of the dying boy, Hiruko noted internally.
'He doesn't have much time; he won't get to a hospital in time.' Hiruko thought slightly sadly.
He turned to the shadows where his sensei was watching and lightly shook his head. Turning his back, planning to leave the cleanup to Anbu.
But as Hiruko heard the sound of blood gurgling from the boy's mouth, his thoughts couldn't help but drift to his past life and … his death.
Clenching his fist, Hiruko turned abruptly, gnashing his teeth even harder.
'What's one more ability getting disclosed?' Hiruko thought he could heal this boy, but at first he did not plan to.
Due to Him, Ken, and Mito all deciding it was for the best if this ability didn't get out.
But sadly, Hiruko wasn't as personally focused as he thought.
Squatting down next to the dying boy, Hiruko, looking at his body, noted that there were no outward injuries.
The boy looking at Hiruko, his face still expressionless, couldn't help but mouth a few words, thinking this ninja couldn't or wouldn't save him.
"This was only my fate." The boy mouthed to Hiruko, closing his eyes, prepared to die.
Hiruko watching this could only frown. "I can tell you don't believe that, and now I'm giving you a chance to prove it. Don't waste it." Hiruko said, biting his thumb, his blood trickling onto the boy's face.
As it did, a yellowish pulse of energy extended outward from the boy's body as his unseen injuries began to heal.
As he did, Hiruko felt a slight tug on his energy; though it wasn't as much as Ken or Duys, it was still a noticeable drop.
Hiruko, standing up slightly tired, sensed a small presence behind him. Taking one last look at the now unconscious boy, Hiruko turned to see Hiruzen standing behind him.
"How did you do that, Hiruko?" Hiruzen asked with a slight frown on his face as he was confused.
Sighing, Hiruko looked at Hiruzen straight in his eye.
"Sensei, I have a mission to complete, and as a shinobi of this village, I think this topic can wait until it's completed. However, if you really wish to know, you can ask my mother," Hiruko said, playing the one card he knew not even Hiruzen, the Hokage, could refute.
Even Hiruzen had to be careful when it came to matters concerning Lady Mito, and since this matter includes her son, he couldn't be rash even if he was Hiruko's sensei.
After pondering for a few minutes, Hiruzen could only sigh, "Fine, go. I'll take this boy to the hospital just to make sure he's in the clear, but we'll talk about this later."
"Yes, sensei, and oh, that boy is under my protection, so please make sure he gets the best care." Hiruko said, smiling slightly, he had already leveraged his position once today; what's another?
And not knowing what or who, rather, in the shadows was watching, he'd rather leverage it again so his actions didn't go to waste.
Hiruzen, understanding this, could only sigh, 'I knew this child would be difficult.' Hiruzen said as Hiruko disappeared with a Body Flicker.