On The Hunt
Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 11:09 am
Several days had passed since Team Hayashi Gosei began their mission, leaving behind the safety and comfort of their homes in Konohagakure as they disappeared into the forests surrounding the village. Those first few hours flying through the treetops away from their home might have been fun to the group of genin but, as their jounin mentor pushed them harder and longer, the day would undoubtedly have turned painful for even the toughest among them.
That first night, Hayashi had given them no rest at all. A full day of forced running and jumping through undergrowth and rough terrain would have tired ninja years their senior, but he didn’t relent. Once darkness fully set in he’d intentionally moved too quickly for the group to keep up, and allowed them to continue blindly, without him, while he circled back and tailed them from a distance - just to put them on edge and to see how they reacted without his figure ahead to guide them. At dawn he allowed them a break to refill their water canteens from a small brook, then hurried them onwards.
On the second night, when they were reaching their utter limit, he relented a little and showed them how to pick out suitable places to rest. He taught them what made for good cover, when a good vantage was necessary, and how to conceal their presence. He led them to forage, showing a number of common roots and berries that could be eaten - and those that could not - and how to set simple snares to catch, or kill, small animals. Then he’d left them in the dark again, challenging them to retrace their own steps back to their camp. Only then did he allow them to rest.
For a while. Before dawn they were up again, moving further and further away from home. They left the great forests behind and ran through open grassland, hills and valleys, bearing ever westward until eventually descending towards the lowlands in the east of Hi no Kuni that contained the Kyoya Swamplands.
Soon their pace slowed, hindered by bogs deep enough to swallow them without a trace and thick, overgrown walls of tough flora. Large trees formed a heavy canopy overhead, and the ever-pressed buzzing of insects was joined by a constant trickling of water. Strong earthy smells and pungent aromas of both life and decay filled the heavy air, and before long every one of them was sweating while already damp from both the humid air and countless streams and mud. It was, in all, a miserable place to travel - but it was here their journey led.
Eventually Hayashi drew them to a halt in a small clearing, where the waterlogged ground seemed a little less waterlogged than everywhere else. He held up a hand to quiet their chatter and set his pack down on a partially-rotten log.
”All right, guys. This is our mission area - consider yourselves behind enemy lines from now on, so watch your footing, keep an eye on each other, and keep the noise to a minimum.” He looked at Michio in particular as he said the last part, then nodded when he was satisfied they understood his seriousness. While it was unlikely there was much to worry about during their particular task, this would nevertheless be excellent field training for all of them.
He pulled a tightly-rolled scroll from a pocket and spread it out over the top of his pack so they could all see. ”This is a rough map of the Kyoya Swamplands. We’re about here-” he pointed to a spot about half way between the centre and the eastern border of the swamps where they’d entered, ”- and our objective is within five miles of our current location. Remember, we are hunting for an abandoned hideout, somewhere that a missing ninja holed up to avoid discovery from people like us.” He looked up and watched each of the genin in turn, then added: ”I’m going to leave finding the place to you. Five miles might not sound like much, but around here, it’s a huge area to scour. So use your heads - where do you think is the best place to begin our search?”
He stepped back and left the map with the team, allowing them time to pore over it. Though it didn’t contain every detail, it was plenty for their task - it showed the height of the terrain, which would tell them were the swamp was deepest and most wild, as well as the higher, drier areas where building a base might be easier. Before setting out on their mission he had personally annotated some parts himself, showing where the swamp was particularly dangerous - be it from wild animals or noxious plants - as well as the safer areas that could be traveled quickest. Some parts gave a great staging point towards roads heading to the western border of fire country, while others offered unparalleled privacy and secrecy; but to where would the genins’ instincts guide them?
That first night, Hayashi had given them no rest at all. A full day of forced running and jumping through undergrowth and rough terrain would have tired ninja years their senior, but he didn’t relent. Once darkness fully set in he’d intentionally moved too quickly for the group to keep up, and allowed them to continue blindly, without him, while he circled back and tailed them from a distance - just to put them on edge and to see how they reacted without his figure ahead to guide them. At dawn he allowed them a break to refill their water canteens from a small brook, then hurried them onwards.
On the second night, when they were reaching their utter limit, he relented a little and showed them how to pick out suitable places to rest. He taught them what made for good cover, when a good vantage was necessary, and how to conceal their presence. He led them to forage, showing a number of common roots and berries that could be eaten - and those that could not - and how to set simple snares to catch, or kill, small animals. Then he’d left them in the dark again, challenging them to retrace their own steps back to their camp. Only then did he allow them to rest.
For a while. Before dawn they were up again, moving further and further away from home. They left the great forests behind and ran through open grassland, hills and valleys, bearing ever westward until eventually descending towards the lowlands in the east of Hi no Kuni that contained the Kyoya Swamplands.
Soon their pace slowed, hindered by bogs deep enough to swallow them without a trace and thick, overgrown walls of tough flora. Large trees formed a heavy canopy overhead, and the ever-pressed buzzing of insects was joined by a constant trickling of water. Strong earthy smells and pungent aromas of both life and decay filled the heavy air, and before long every one of them was sweating while already damp from both the humid air and countless streams and mud. It was, in all, a miserable place to travel - but it was here their journey led.
Eventually Hayashi drew them to a halt in a small clearing, where the waterlogged ground seemed a little less waterlogged than everywhere else. He held up a hand to quiet their chatter and set his pack down on a partially-rotten log.
”All right, guys. This is our mission area - consider yourselves behind enemy lines from now on, so watch your footing, keep an eye on each other, and keep the noise to a minimum.” He looked at Michio in particular as he said the last part, then nodded when he was satisfied they understood his seriousness. While it was unlikely there was much to worry about during their particular task, this would nevertheless be excellent field training for all of them.
He pulled a tightly-rolled scroll from a pocket and spread it out over the top of his pack so they could all see. ”This is a rough map of the Kyoya Swamplands. We’re about here-” he pointed to a spot about half way between the centre and the eastern border of the swamps where they’d entered, ”- and our objective is within five miles of our current location. Remember, we are hunting for an abandoned hideout, somewhere that a missing ninja holed up to avoid discovery from people like us.” He looked up and watched each of the genin in turn, then added: ”I’m going to leave finding the place to you. Five miles might not sound like much, but around here, it’s a huge area to scour. So use your heads - where do you think is the best place to begin our search?”
He stepped back and left the map with the team, allowing them time to pore over it. Though it didn’t contain every detail, it was plenty for their task - it showed the height of the terrain, which would tell them were the swamp was deepest and most wild, as well as the higher, drier areas where building a base might be easier. Before setting out on their mission he had personally annotated some parts himself, showing where the swamp was particularly dangerous - be it from wild animals or noxious plants - as well as the safer areas that could be traveled quickest. Some parts gave a great staging point towards roads heading to the western border of fire country, while others offered unparalleled privacy and secrecy; but to where would the genins’ instincts guide them?