A peculiar request [mission]

Mission Name: Hunting Replenishment
Mission Type: Logistics
Mission Rank: C
Mission Goal: Hunt down a large quantity of game to help replenish food stores.
Description: The local market has suffered a loss due to moisture ruining the salted meat stocks. Go out and hunt down as many animals as you can and bring them back to the market so that a professional butcher can skin and break them down for proper salting and selling.
Payment: 15,000 Ryo
Requirements: 1 D-Class Ninja

With an expression usually reserved for the older generation raising their eyebrows to the high heavens in equal parts wonder and outrage, Nagato let the carefully penned missive drift from his fingers.
'Who thought it would be a good idea to expand into the dried meats, living next to the ocean? Not for the first time, Nagato felt an itching desire for an affinity towards the explosive and warm. He had routinely seen more experienced Chunin and Jonin channelling a spark of the fire that burned within them from their fingers when disposing of such disappointing letters. Alas, no matter his internal musings no such angel of the primordial had come to choose him for inclusion into their august body.
Coming to think of it, he was probably a rarity - it was nearly universal by this point in their career that a Shinobi would be at the very least cognizant, if not adept, in their affinity.

Leaving behind his musings and the rapidly softening paper sheet, Nagato went home before leaving for the Village Gates. Closest within the comfort of his own lodgings, Nagato acquired travelling garments as well as the documents he would need to secure himself legal transport through the gates. Donning simple black clothing with a grey and white vest, he looked appropriately like a civilian. Only the headband he stowed in his pocket, for the time being, would set him apart from their ilk.

As per the usual directives, he wasn't to leave the village without the proper escort and it seemed that he had been assigned an auspicious member of the high ranking community. Given names were hardly recognisable in the burgeoning swollen population of Kirigakure no Sato. However, family names? They permeated daily life and in many ways they were inescapable.
Even outside of the Shinobi life, the big family clans were towering monoliths of industry and economy. Not only on the grandiose scale of production and shipment but the little details which etched themselves at the back of your retina until you just acclimatised to their enduring permeance.  

A few months back, Nagato might have been a little anxious or even concerned to be in the presence of a Yuki. Slightly on the more majestic of the clans, less domestic than the Hozuki and far from the militaristic presence of the Kayuga - it was closer to meeting a relation of royalty than anything else.
But now, he'd had his hair cut by an in-law to the clan and daily life had homogenized otherwise exceptional events to a country bumpkin Genin. But his appreciation for some things would never really change. Standing, Nagato swept his gaze around him as he pushed down tinted glasses and felt the cold Kiri air pull at the piercings along his brow. Doffed in warm travelling gear, the chill didn't bother him as it used to but the powerful statues of modern progress and architecture? Those froze his blood to the bone.

It didn't seem so long ago that he had been playing at being penpals with a girl from a neighbouring hamlet. He had been waiting for weeks or even months at times for the mailman to complete his blue milk run from tip to tip of his region and then turn around again. Kirigakure now had radio towers, and communication was as trivial as a push of a dull plastic receiver and the appropriate code words to be granted broadcasting rights.

Nagato's idle thoughts consumed the beats of the clock and became ample distraction until his superior office arrived. Pulling his headband tight around his left arm, Nagato wore the colors and insignia high up on his garments - nearly cresting the shoulder, but only nearly.

Ann wasn't entirely sure why she had been assigned the responsibility of working with a Genin. In her current state the Yuki could barely make sure she could take care of herself, much less of someone else. She had only recently awakened from a second deep freeze which had once again affected her powers. She felt weaker but the control over her bloodline had also decreased, and Ann would often spawn rains of tiny snowflakes without actually meaning to do so.

But today they would be hunting animals. This put her mind at ease a bit, mostly because she knew even the lowest ranked of ninjas should be able to take on most animals. And she had started to hope this kid's abilities were above the average Genin. Whether that hope would be fulfilled or not remained to be seen, but.

She calmly walked towards the gates, with no hurries.After all, stress could easily cause her to lose control over he abilities and that always got her in trouble. Despite being part of the Yuki Clan, Ann could barely play the part of Kirigakure no Sato noble. She had the looks of a Yuki of course, pale skin and bright blue eyes. But she dressed differently, and walked differently. Instead of robes or a standard shinobi outfit she wore a a mix of black and red clothing padded at key points which gave her the look of a samurai although it she wasn't exactly full clad in armor. This allowed her to feel comfortable in her outfit while not restringing her movements too much. It wasn't exactly warm gear, but from the day she was born up until this point, Ann never knew what it felt like to be cold. If anything the chill in the air improved her mood, and the tiny clouds of white breath that occasionally left her lips reminded her of home.

Ann had been a bit lost in thought when she arrived at the gates, and there was a moment of staring while she examined the Genin standing nearby, not sure if he was the one she should be looking for. Eventually and when their eyes met, she would lightly wave at him. Shinobi customs were weird, and she preferred discreet gestures until she could be sure about what was and wasn't acceptable.

"Hm, H'llo. Are yo'here for tzeh huntzing mission?" Her accent was foreign. She had gotten a bit better at mimicking the shinobi way of wording, but her time spent in a hospital bed hadn't helped and suddenly she was back at where she started.

And just like that, contact was made. The scanning intent within his oracles locked onto hers and he waved back with an absent-minded nature guiding the motion. Other -more important-  portents demanded his attention.
Not unlike a bird of the higher intellectual echelons; Nagato cocked his head to one side - the curious tilt of the neck doing little to discomfort him. The Genin was well versed in accents - especially ones from around the countryside although his rough'n'tumble tongue had been long straightened out by Academy influences. It walked like a Yuki, it looked like a Yuki; however.

Her voice, intonation and dress code were nothing like what prior experience had taught the Genin to anticipate. It seemed that the Village still held some tricks up its sleeve. And for once, he felt more than a little wrong-footed. Something in her intonation brought him back to a much younger age. Confusion ran along his veins like small needles of doubt, and the crazy impulse to rub his face and drive the frenzy from his body washed ashore. Externally, things were much calmer.
"Grace be with you,' Nagato murmured, inclining his head deferentially but not as far to be accused of standing on ceremony. 'That I am. The memos probably had my introduction, but please call me Nagato. I'll be in your care for today, hopefully, supervision won't prove to be required."

He looked around, momentarily allowing a broader perception of the world to filter in. By no means was he the most perceptive of individuals, but he was still a touch above the general population. Not through innate talent or genetics. Rather it was a sensitivity he was just beginning to cultivate - and the one piece of advice he had been given was to spend as much time with his eyes open as he could manage. So to speak, anyway.

Closing his dull oculars for a moment, Nagato felt the now familiar stirring of a great tide within him. And without warning, his awareness of the world washed out past his skin and into the cold air: Kirigakure was awash with cold, and chakra. It wasn't home, but there was an assurance in rubbing up against the supernatural undercurrent of the metropolis like this.

Turning his attention to his partner, he raised an eyebrow to herald his question before the words departed his lips. Even though she didn't look much in the way of a Shinobi, Ann certainly registered as one. "I'm ready to leave whenever you are. Ladies first?" He motioned to the gait casually with his left hand - right akimbo on his hip.

Spoiler:

Ann would raise an eye brow at Nagato's first comment. "Who's Grace?" Shinobi were weird. But this was her world too now, she might as well make an effort to fit in. He had a good point tho, the mission memo did mention he was going to be his partner and as the senior member Ann had been given a report on the known abilities of this ninja and his general fighting style. She just hadn't realized it. Truth to be told she had very little experience when it came to doing actual shinobi world. In fact she had only ever completed a couple of missions before. This might seem odd for someone who had been ranked a Jonin before, but the village was going through some troubled times in that moment and her rank had been awarded to her solely based on her combat abilities.

Alas, she took out the scroll from the poach on her lower back and gave it a read while Nagato kept talking. She could see why it was a good idea to bring him along on this mission. Nagato was one of the rare sensor type shinobi, and that skill would make their task much easier. She'd put the scroll back where she took it from and nod at the boy. "Aight, we sho'ld get goin' then." The Yuki would take steps towards the gates and take care of bureaucracy. This much she knew how to do, since she had left the village the before. They wouldn't go far nor stay out for too long tho. She was sure their ability to carry whatever game they hunted was also limited.

"I'll be r'lying on yer ability to spot prey then." She'd smile as she casually walked through the gate. She was always curious to see what other ninjas could do, and while the Yuki could probably find prey on her own it was good to give responsibility to the younger generations. That's how the grew.

Already, an insurmountable hurdle. At least, it felt that way. Nagato reached for the words and was rewarded with asphyxiation as his brain entered the limits of its tether. Not for the first time, the Genin bumped up against the boundary of cultural difference - although never quite this badly. Grace, the means to live well and exert the influence on the world you desired. To live gracefully through life by overcoming obstacles. It was one word, but the invocation of it conjured up all species of memories for Nagato. And to question it?
Finally, the gears began to turn and a solution to the problem realized itself - bit by bit. Truth be told, he didn't quite know how to explain the entirety. And with a certain degree of sadness, wondered if he ever would be able to.
"Grace is a mindset, a greeting and a turn of phrase. Who she is?" The genin cast his optics skyward; as if to divine the answer from Kirigakure's sleepy cloudburst that trembled on aimlessly above. Those turbulent masses hid the sun from view, for the moment and the genin took the opportune moment to search for a sign. Perhaps from Grace herself.

"Grace is you at your very best for that day." He decided quietly. Although with enough conviction and verbal force so as to be heard clearly. Recognizing that this was one of the more peculiar subjects, Nagato tacked a wordless shrug onto the end - as if to say that this was just his opinion. A coward's defence, but a useful one - especially when he suspected that he had failed to communicate the abstract nature of grace properly.


Once the red tape of the administration had been satisfied, Nagato eagerly set out. In some respects, the safety nets of civilisation were chaffing and being outside of the village was a wonderful rush of the taboo. It mingled in with his memories of first arriving - and prompted his geographic foresight to rear its somewhat misaligned head. By his estimations, their travel would hardly take much time and given their departure date, it was possible to be back at the village before sunset. If everything went without a hitch.

At the Jonin's words, Nagato peered out of the corner of one eye, scanning her for deceit or falsehood. None of them surfaced on the ice princesses face, although the porcelain nature of her skin could have concealed many emotions. A test then, Nagato presumed. From the brief summary of Ann Yuki dispatch had laden him with, he was truly confident that she would have been able to conduct the mission with both eyes closed. As it was, she placed responsibility on his shoulders - for the time being. Straightening underneath both the metaphorical and physical loads, he responded chipperly: "Then I'll see to it that you have a nice stroll over to the fisheries and back, Yuki-san."

As they travelled, a pertinent topic of conversation arrived at the whimsical edges of Nagato's cognition - recognising the import of the analogous message in a bottle, he opened it up quickly before the next thought arrived to spirit it away. "I would lean on your expertise in the area. My pastoral background didn't involve much in the way of hunting - what game is good eating amongst these parts?'
Holding up his fingers, he rattled off a few names that sprung to mind which were likely to be found - although catching the creatures would prove to be another task entirely. One that he didn't know if his sensory would be able to handle. "There should be jackrabbits, badgers, pigs, and perhaps migrational animals. I don't fancy any luck my luck with tracking birds."

The Yuki listened attentively to what Nagato to say about this Grace person. But it was all very strange. There seemed to be a deeper meaning to the words he was trying to convey, but despite her best efforts Ann wasn't entirely sure she'd understood it. The boy shrugged tho, making her feel a little bad for not being able to handle that level of discussion. There was still much Ann neded to learn and while Nagato wasn't your average shinobi, the fact that she couldn't understand what he meant bothered her.

She watched him go through the gates while she followed behind. There was a sense of eagerness, a scent of adventure in the air and an aura about it she hadn't been able to project herself in many years. Was it the spirit of youth? Ann didn't feel old, but she did count on over half a millennia on her years now. It was hard to bring back the motivation she once had. That added to the fact that her body seemed to give up on her quite often, had very much killed her motivation. But seeing the way Nagato readily passed through the gates made her feel hopeful. It was a small, tiny thing. But the small things were everything she had during these trying times. For a moment she considered thanking him -but she didn't think he would understand.Very much like she didn't understand him earlier. They were worlds apart.

"Mhmm, I like nice strolls. " Simple a clean, she made a particular effort to better mimic the shinobi accent. Understanding each other had to start somewhere after all, right? They walked for a few minutes in silence. Ann unsure of what to say, and mostly wondering what kids these days thought about. Eventually, a question arose. One she wasn't quite sure how to answer.

"Well...I nev'r 'eally hunted 'round here before, if I'm bein'honest. But back't home we used to hunt boars'und..." She paused for a moment, not quite remembering the word she was looking for. Nagato had spoken it, but she had been distracted. She would place her hands above her ears and wiggle them a little. She looked a bit silly, but it was an effort to get her message across. "Y'know, white, big ears, fluffy, ad'rable 'ndelicious?" Rabbit. The word was rabbit. Back in the land of Iron they would often have white fur coats, making them hard to spot against the snow of the mountains.

With some surprise, Nagato tilted his head back as Ann spoke - her words seemed less harsh on the ear. But the lass lacked the individuality from before and there was little that roused Nagato was the unknown. However, how to go about telling someone that change was not always good. He assumed that this was the period of transition he had gone through not so long ago. But why not? Jonin were not so easily transferred between villages as they would have accumulated a wealth of information not only on the village they came from but international politics at large. This was to say nothing of the martial advantages a Jonin may have acquired over the course of their careers. Techniques, fighting styles, unique or unusual gifts that only putting your life on the line can confer.
But, the evidence spoke otherwise here. Ann's voice was coloured in a foreign accent, and there was something 'fae' to her. A distortion of the known world where she blended the line. In another person, this would have automatically roused Nagato's suspicions. Given their circumstances, however, he was less inclined to descend on a flight of fancy; rapidly spirally downwards at every shadow, he spotted in misty uncertainty.

"Strolls, huh.' Nagato parroted, half to buy himself a moment to think. 'Do you not get to leave the village often?" He imagined that the workload of a Jonin could be quite immense. Although he didn't see them with her, it was feasible that Ann had a Genin team that she would ordinarily be in charge of. Was it rude to ask about one's other commitments? Glancing around the glades they were passing through, Nagato chanced a look - the porcelain nature of Ann's face was unreadable as ever. And he was just as in the dark as he had been a few minutes ago.
'Nothing ventured, nothing gained,' he privately thought within the recesses of his mind and did exactly that.

As she spoke again, Nagato found himself unexpectedly pushed to the limits of his endurance. If anyone had told him that morning he'd be on a mission with a Jonin who communicated with mimes - he'd have laughed at them soundly. Now, it turned out he was the one who would be doing the laughing if he wasn't careful.

Alas, the grin was completely irrepressible.

"The jackrabbits? I wasn't too sure about hunting them, they're so fast and tricky to catch. But I think that with some ingenuity we'll be fine." It wasn't spotting that Nagato was too concerned about, at least in this field he would be more than capable. Turning away from Ann for a moment, he attempted to rearrange his features briefly: working his jaw and rubbing his face with surprisingly cold hands. More than anything else, it was their chilled touch which brought some semblance of professionalism back.

"Shall we deviate from the path? There are a few landmarks from here so we won't get lost and we'll be more than halfway to the fisheries with the bounty. Assuming we find anything."

"Ay, rabbits!" Ann's eyes would suddenly widen and get brighter as she realized she got her message across. She barely noticed Nagato's grin, much less any mocking attitude behind it. Perhaps that had been Nagato's lucky strike- not because she would have done anything to him, at all. But rather because she'd have been sad and would have likely proceeded to shut herself from the world once more. For all the Yuki and Tetsudashi power within her, Ann was still quite vulnerable to words and attitudes. Such happens when one is dropped upon a strange new world.

"Ye, they're fast. But'lso delicious. Ye'll get to train too! " Ann really was looking forward to to the hunt, so much that she replied about the rabbits before she replied to Nagato's other question. "Hmm? Don't be silly. I c'n le've tzeh village whenever I want, I'mma Joh-"she interrupted herself. Truth to be told, she had been demoted to the rank of Chuunin quite recently, due to her condition which had prevented her from completing missions or being an asset to the village. That was fair, she had supposed. But having been directly promoted to Jonin before, Ann had never went through the experience of being a Genin or a Chuunin. So this too was new to her.

She'd follow Nagato nodding as they turned away from the path. "What do ye mean "if" we f'nd anything? I told yoh I'm rely'ng on ye to find it, didn't I? Plus I'm all worked'p 'bout some rabbit stew now...If we dun find any, my this appointment will be...huh" she made a pause to try and think of the correct words again. Had it changed? Probably not. "immeasurable." She would nod while she spoke, reassurig herself. "I'm a bit curi'us tho. What're ye gonna hunt with?" This question might have seemed a bit odd, but Ann had been used to seeing hunt parties carrying bows and other small weapons to skin the game with. In this case, neither her nor Nagato were carrying any tool of the sort.

"Well - we could stick around after we've gotten the bodies to the butcher." Nagato theorised in thoughtful tones, contemplating supping at the fishery. It would be an interesting experience, and assuming they brought enough to the butcher, he might be amendable to offering a discount. And like many other Genin, Nagato was loathing itself to turn down a bargain.

Tilting his head to the side with a birdlike aspect to his bearing, Nagato's curiosity tic manifested again. Perhaps there was a small amount of powerplay within the upper echelons of the shinobi hierarchy - and despite her rank and privilege, Anna wasn't quite as free to move around as she might like. Slightly more ludicrous scenarios leered out at him from the edge of plausibility and fiction. Unlike before, he was not so hesitant to ask questions on these matters - but he knew that delicacy would be appreciated. It was a tricky balance to strike: interest with the peculiars of someone's life and respect for their dignity and privacy. It seemed like as good a time as any to attempt it: "Perhaps not all the time? Maybe only on a Tuesday?"

Self-analysis time: Nagato weighted up the prevalent details and then came to the self-assured decision (that only being young and ignorant brings) that he had nailed it without a doubt.

Her words brought up the notion of a plan -Nagato usually held that simple scheme were universally the best ones- and had equipped himself with a relatively basic number of shuriken in order to make the most of it. "Well," he began cautiously. Plans were always more solid and seamless within the confines of your own brain. Somewhere along the way of verbalising them, Nagato was worried that it would lose its cohesive structure and fade into the great beyond.  
"At the moment the plan is to scout with sensory and then I'll create some simple clones to spook the bunnies towards us and then." Nagato mimed throwing his shuriken with outstretched fingers. "I've got a little something in case they're off the mark. And if nothing else..." Nagato made a first and brought it down upon an imaginary rabbit temple. "This should be sufficient as well if a little messy."

"Speaking of," he murmured quietly as a vague rustling entering his peripheral awareness - like something scratching at his brain. Nagato had found this intrusive and painful the first time he had been introduced to it. Now, it was like a familiar greeting and he honed in on the sensation. Moving quietly forwards, he peeked through the trees. Visually, he saw nothing. It was much like anywhere else they had been. Below the surface, however, between the trees and foliage, he could feel something of a certain size moving.

Flicking his fingers with intent, soundless clones emerged from his body like confused shadows and began to circle the clearing. Ironically, they did not have to care so much for sound as they were incapable of producing it and could move at a much faster pace than Nagato himself. Once they were in position, they closed in on the creature - and the tickling of something not going quite to plan disquieted a satisfied mind.

"Don't you think that's making a bit much noise for a rabbit?" He asked Ann as one of the clones disappeared and a horned snout emerged from the bushes - aggrieved at being disrupted and keen to wet its appetite with a little more variety.

Nagato's questioning had started to make her worry a little. The Yuki had travelled all the way from the Land of Iron to the Land of Water in search of a new home, but she had never quite considered the possibility of not being able to leave the Hidden Mist Village whenever she wanted. Not that she want to leave, Ann felt comfortable here to an extent. But the lack of the option itself seemed to now haunt her thoughts a little. Nagato mentioned a specific week day, a line which made Ann blink twice. Why Tuesday? Did he know something she didn't? Maaaan she seriously needed to start paying more attention to the shinobi world around her. "Tuesday se'ms like a good day for a stroll outside. Und a rabbit stew. Oh! I know! I'll call eet Stewsday. We m'st have rabb't un Stewsday, Nagato." Her accent got slightly more aggressive as she let herself be driven by the prospective joy of a future stew.

She watched as Nagato imitated the throwing of shuriken. It seemed that her mimics had inspired the boy. It wasn't a rabbit imitation, but it was a start! Alas she couldn't help but feel a little disappointment in the boy's lack of originality. Shuriken and kunai seemed to be the shinobi answer for every hunt...and she had to admit they were effective, but they also lacked a certain...finesse. This opinion of Ann might change in the future once she sees a real bukijutsu master throwing weapons, but until then this was more of the same. She didn't comment on it tho, not wanting to hurt any sensitive spot Nagato might have regarding his methods. She didn't know him that well after all. The clones were far more interesting than and raised her expectations a bit higher, but she barely spent any time admiring the technique as a rustling behind a bush was picked up by her senses and got her attention.

Ann's gaze shifted towards it immediately and was carefully observing the area when Nagato made his question. That was clearly not a rabbit, but the Yuki didn't have time to reply. A large boar came out of the bush running towards Nagato since he had been walking in front. Boars were quite deadly creatures and even the samurai back in the land of iron treated boar hunts with respect. After charging and tackling down a man, these creature's husks could eviscerate the ordinary human in a matter of seconds. Something clicked inside her, and in an instant Ann too charged at the boar.

This might not have seemed a good decision at first and the creature surely wasn't afraid of a clash. She would lower her torso a little and get ready for impact. Then, a loud bang would be heard as one of the tusks clashed against Ann's belly, tearing part of the clothing covering it but halting as it clashed against a solid surface of metal. They would both stop in their tracks after the clash, Ann holding the boar by its sides.

A shattered tusk fell to the ground. The literal gears inside Ann's body began turning and she squeezed the creature with both her hands and elbows. "Time for a hug." A bit akwardly she would life the boar and hug it against her body. A bone 'Crack' was heard, and as she alleviated the pressure it fell to the ground, only immobile at first but soon also dead.

"Dat..was d'fin'tely not a rabb't." She'd sniff the air twice. "I think I smell like p'g now." Looking down, she noticed the hole in her clothes exposing an incredibly pure white metal that covered her stomach area now. Slowly, it peeled off her skin and fell to the ground. Ann's gaze shifted towards Nagato as she blinked twice.

"Yo'r sensory is..erm...terr'ble." She'd say bluntly, not meaning any real ofense but with a lack of filter Ann tended to have. She was much better after living in Kiri for a while, but not always evidently. "Th'se were brand new'too... Ah well. Ya owe me cloth'ng and a stew now. Honor dictates so." She'd nod assertively.

Stewsday? Nagato couldn't help but chuckle at the notion - but he knew it had taken root inside him. Ideas were dangerous things, and couldn't be simply cut down with conventional mortal tools. When opposed by overwhelming forces, humans were want to leverage ingenuity and common strength to topple it. This was true for much of their collective history. Even more so for shinobi who contained a destructive lifeblood within themselves; a potency that meant a collective could become a threat for anything that stalked the earth. It simply became a matter of how efficiently could they be put to use.
"I like the sound of Stewsday," murmured Nagato in appreciative tones.

Although the present moment was a very far removed pleasantry from the wafting vapours of fantasy and delicious oven-fried bowels containing overflowing portions of food. Instead, Nagato and Ann found themselves confronting a slightly more oversized 'rabbit'. The shuriken in his hand grew hot as Nagato few his intentions into them as an immaterial friend had instructed - not bothering within formulating his desires properly. Instead, he flung himself towards the reality he desired and knew with both the primal satisfaction of chakra releasing from his body and the accustomed weight of the shuriken multiplied many times over.

Taking a step backwards, Nagato cocked the weight using his own body as a counterpoint and the momentum of the backwards ste- but in that space of time, it was over. Instead of falling backwards, Ann had gained ground on the bore and remarked with her usual aplomb. And then hugged it. More intrigued than concern -after all, she was a Jonin/Chunin, he had the utmost confidence in Yuki's ability to handle a simple animal- as she felled it seemingly with a simple hug.

In the scant heartbeats after everything grew still and Nagato felt distinctly awkward holding two absurdly sized shurikens in his hand -and the ache in his shoulder that said he should really work on that a little more- dispelling the enhancement, he blinked back at Ann. Like two owls: one of them curious and the other one of them wise. 'Why don't you do it like that, little one?' her eyes seemed to say to him. Eyeing the spike that she had produced, Nagato decided that as far as tricks went, he would quite like to learn that one but wasn't game to accept any hugs from Ann until he knew how it worked.

"Hmm." Nagato wasn't quite game to daintily sniff the air - he was quite sure that Ann still smelt very much like an ice princess and sublime death, but there were things you simply didn't share. Although agreeing was hardly the embodiment of tact either. "It'll fade soon Ann. I can't smell it on your either, but perhaps my nose is as bad as my sensory."

Nagato was usually slightly more prickly about criticism when it was directed it himself, and although the automatic replies popped up in his head ('Chakra sensing is made for detecting other shinobi, not rabbits' and 'I thought I was going to be doing the killing') there was something about producing a giant white spike from your body at will that could instil a sense of awe if not fear in uppity Genin. "Erm, yes." Disagreeing with her assessment seemed to be quite the moot point although he wasn't so sure about buying someone else clothing. Let alone someone of the opposite gender. Asking for the specifics seemed to border on the irreverent. Although he didn't see a way around it either, and knowing Ann she wouldn't even think twice about it. Which struck Nagato as odd - it was almost as though she was completely disconnected from the norms of society entirely.
"Grace agrees with you, I think. I'll get you your soup and some clothes later on, just let me know which ones you take."

Looking about them, Nagato quickly spotted a sturdy branch that came from a sapling of yesteryear and set about stripping it of the old foliage until only the strong knotted beam remained. Using the branch as a support beam, he made about stringing up the boar and then hefted the weight.

"As a silver lining, with a few rabbits I think we'll have a good meal for the butcher when we arrive at the fisheries."

Ann sniffed the air again. "Ye think?" she hopefully asked,wondering if the boy was telling the truth or just being nice. She had enough difficulty meeting and befriending new people now, pig smell would only make everything worse. But alas,it seemed the universe simply didn't share her plans. She didn't take too long wondering tho, there was still work to be done. But hey at least Nagato seemed to volunteer to take the pig, that was something. Now they would both smell like pig, yaaay. "C'mon, we ought'go." She'd take a few steps and head in a random direction. Up until this point Nagato had been leading the duo, but Ann felt it was her turn to decide where they were headed to. Truth to be told she wasn't deciding a lot, she simply kept going in the direction they had already been moving in in. "W'll, maybe ya sho'ld ask Grace'bout my clothes. She seems to know everryyything." The talk about Grace being Ann on her best days long forgotten. This wasn't looking like the best day. But at least the mission was going fine and the silver lining Nagato mentioned was factually true.

The duo would reach a clearing, between the village and the fisheries. It seemed they were now half-way through, although there were still trees on the other side. Ann didn't quite recognize the place as usual, but it was more familiar than most. Why was that? She couldn't quite tell. But something told her what she needed to do. Out of habit, she placed two fingers to her lips and let out a sharp whistle, mimicking the sound of a hawk. Almost immediately, the grass showed signs of disturbance as two or three rabbits began running in opposite directions. Ann glanced at Nagato. Now she could remember why she whistled...that was how they spooked the rabbits into moving back in the Land of Iron. Seemed like the poor creatures hadn't evolved much since the land of iron.

"O'look, yer debt is running." She'd point at the general area from which the rabbits had begun their race.

Rolling his neck, Nagato wrinkled his nose as he thought about what Ann said. What would the hypothetical Grace advise for clothes? Consulting his now relatively consistent mental image of Ann - he idly flickered through various colours and shades of clothing. Ultimately, he found himself rubbing up against a mental barrier as he attempted to juggle and sort through too many moving parts. Like the top of his head bumped up against the upper limits of his intellectual capacity. Although he knew it was exercised like this that would slowly chip away at that boundary. So he persisted with it, a miner with a small needle for a pickaxe. Although he persisted regardless.

"Grace would ask how much you care about your clothes," he eventually asked. "Because if you don't care all that much then Grace would say that you should wear what you like and be comfortable." That seemed like an answer one of the local priests would have provided - although he was missing something from it. Conviction? Confidence? Grace herself?


Looking around, Nagato picked up various bits and pieces moving around them. His eyes were still open to the wider world, although his confidence had taken a small knock and he was less likely to leap upon the smallest tug of the line. This wasn't fishing after all - and last time he had been a touch overeager. But nonetheless, he felt things moving around them. As so did -it seemed- Ann.
Her whistle was loud and sharp - and surprisingly effective. From the grass before them four or so white shapes pelted off.

Her voice was what spurred him into action, the dry laughter he thought hidden behind her words churning up the dirt beneath his feet as he relinquished his burden and took off as quickly as he was able. Whilst not the fastest Shinobi by any means of the imagination but he was well and truly above the realm of the average and ranked amongst the athletes of the normal world. Rabbits were quick, but in comparison to a sprinter hailing from the higher echelons of competition? There was no doubt he would gain on them. Admittedly, they had a head start but Nagato had a small advantage.

Conjuring a clone in the path of one of them, the rabbit did a wild turn and from that momentary loss of acceleration, he was on top of it and scooped it up by the ruff of its neck. Dashing it against the ground - it went limp in his hand and he continued on, repeating the trick a few more times until he skidded to a halt and watched the last rabbit dart down its hole - a short distance between them.
During the chase, he had ample time to study the signature of a rabbit and when he felt a diminutive clustering of those hot little bodies - it didn't take him long to identify the role of the animal running back to them. Grace wouldn't approve of killing a mother.

Walking back to Ann, he collected the carcasses as he came and tied their limp bodies onto a stick as he had done with the boar and hoisted the load once again. Although it took him a little longer to return to a standing position; still slightly fatigued from the run.

"I think we have what we came for, and your stew. Let's find this butcher."

Ann did little more than watch how Nagato moved and used clones to deceive, manipulate and ultimately catch the rabbits. He was clever, she could admit that much. Ann would have probably tried a more offensive approach, likely she would simply run after the rabbits until she eventually caught them, or perhaps she would have frozen them in place and save herself the trouble of running. Regardless, Nagato's methods worked, and were probably classier too.

"H'mmm.. I do care'bout my clothes. But I'm c'rious t'see which ones y'u'll pick." Truth be told Ann's clothes were pretty old. Not nearly as old as she was, but she had picked them up on her way to Kirigakure from the Land of Iron, from a travelling merchant caravan who had been willing to trade them for protection along part of their journey. The Yuki had arrived in Kirigakure with a solid shipment of clothing, and hadn't bothered to check what they sold in Kirigakure. This proved to be a good opportunity for her to see what was the norm regarding the Hidden Mist's fashion. Perhaps she wasn't asking the best person, but it wasn't like she could just ask any stranger to pick clothes for her. It'd be awkward. But since Nagato owed her now, she'd take the opportunity.

The metal gears inside her body shifted and moved once again, giving her a temporary but solid boost of strength. The Yuki would take the stick with the rabbits from Nagato as he stood up. Rabbits didn't smell as bad as boars, was her reasoning. And she couldn't quite let him do all the work after all...it'd have been rude.

"Do ye'know how to make a stew?" Ann knew she could afford to trust him with hunting, because even if he had failed she had enough ability to cover up for him. Ultimately he proved to be a good hunter...but if he was a terrible cook, then all of these tasty rabbits would be wasted. Figuring it'd be better to be safe than sorry, she decided to as him and expect honesty. Regardless of his answer, the two of them would make their way towards the butcher who had been waiting at the Hozuki fisheries. Could there perhaps be time or will for conversation before they got there?