Haru would be walking through a beautiful forest filled with a ton of life. She had one of her squad members with her; Minx. She was a young girl, who seemed to favor cats in a big way. Haru herself was a cat person, but she also loved dogs as well. So this didn't bother her at all.

The forest was alive with noise as they moved; birds cawing and sunlight beams hitting the trees here and there. Stepping over logs, with one elbow rested on her sword she would look back at Minx with a small grin. "Don't get all girly on me now that we're outside...." she would taunt her a bet with a sway of her hair as she turned and kept her eyes forward.

"They say this guy is set up in camp somewhere in this area......can't believe he ditched on the whole village....why did they have to pick Team 1 for this I wonder...." she thought out loud as she didn't talk to only Minx, but posed this question to herself. Was the village trying to see what Minx could do now that she was a party of a squad? A family? Haru was like an Aunt or Big Sister to all of them, she tried to shy away from to much caregiving as she wanted to avoid any mother complexes with any of them due to her own distance from her own family.

"When we get there...he's likely to fight back, it could be dangerous....if you see blood don't freak out being a ninja is a violent life right?" she this time spoke to Minx directly. When she finally crossed out of a treeline there was a huge lake in front of them. "Oh my god..........we have to fish here......" she whispered this to herself, Minx might've barely heard her as this was one of the only things than could cause Haru to break character...the thought of fishing somewhere nice.

Across the lake however, there seemed to be some kind of a hut set up. With smoke billowing from the inside, it seemed someone was there. Or holed up there. They'd been traveling for an entire 24 hours and seen the sun rise; so they were deep within the Land of Fire by now.

"Seems our intel might've been correct....how do you think we should approach the house...if we even should?"

Every single day Matatabi remained quiet was another day that Minx became more fond of felines and feline related things. On the inside of her head the silence was becoming physically painful! However, right now she had to focus on the older ninja in front of her. "I believe that I'll be fine Haru." The teenager commented as they walked through the forest. Right now, she had something that had always been a desire but without Matatabi's side commentary it just felt empty. Sorrow shone briefly in her eyes as inside of herself she waited for something that just wasn't going to happen yet.

At the mention of fishing joy seemed to leak in form nowhere a bright grin covering her mouth. "I Can-" Just as quickly the smile faded as Minx remembered that she couldn't really fish without Matatabi's guidance, at least not any bit good. "Fish about well as a mouse." laughing it off slightly internally she flinched again as the comment brought forth no return within her head. Why was Matatabi this mad about this? Didn't the two-tail's get it!

Thinking at the prompting of Haru the young girl took a small step further looking at the hut. "We shouldn't approach, yet." While the smoke did speak volumes, it spoke so much that it would be difficult to tell exactly what it said from a brief blink. "First we have to figure out if the smoke means he's home, or out with some reason to have wanted the fire burning." However, she really just wanted to see that fire right now, it would be so calming.
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"That's Haru SENSEI, to you young lady. Don't forget that." Haru was very strict on rules herself, somewhat of a know it all. When she gave her opinion on the situation, Haru was impressed with the Genin as she figured out it wouldn't be best to just rush in headlong.

"Well...I can show you a thing or two." she commented on her statement about fishing, it sounded like she was about to say something different. Haru noted that quickly. She was hiding something about her fishing skill...or just something in general. Maybe she had a bad experience awhile ago or something. Pursing her lips a little and then into a small dissatisfied smirk she would acknowledge her plan.

"Agreed.....let's wait for now." Haru would still have one elbow rested on her sheathed sword as she would turn around and step back from the lake. Finding a nearby tree that couldn't be seen from the house, yet still allowing sight of the house from it; she would lean up against it on the opposite side. When her student approached, she would question her. "So....you seem distant. More even so than me.....I want you to know that while we all may be different, everyone on Team 1 would do their best to help you; protect you even. We are a family." she would have her eyes closed as she leaned against the tree. "You have to be able to trust the people who have your life in their hands....as teammates on a squad of shinobi your life will be on the line not only with me, but with them as well....have your secrets for now, but remember they can get others hurt in the end." she looked up and gave a rare soft smile before closing her eyes again, and listening on a supernatural level.

For awhile, she would just wait in silence; opening her eyes every now and then to get a look at the house. Eventually someone came back to it as a figure was seen walking up, and into the house. Closing the door and not being able to be seen from a distance like this. She could probably look closer with her Sharingan; but what was the point in that when they were about to crash his little AWOL attempt in the first place.

"What now, I'll follow your lead....a quick water run across? Or do we take the long way and walk around." she would motion to the lake itself and not to the side. Suggesting they loop around on foot toward the house if they didn't make a dash for it across the water. She wanted to see how Minx reacted when the situation was both dangerous AND in her hands.

Oh crap! She was late. Damnit damnit damnit. Freaking brother had to keep her up all night. "Are you going to be a real ninja now. I bet they'll all call you granny since you are so old! You bribed them into letting on the team huh that's why you didn't have any money for mom and dad the other day." She wanted to tear him apart and feed him to wolves.

Rushing through the village she made her way to the meeting location. On the way she realized she'd forgotten her ninja tools. Oh well no time for that. Forgetting her tools was far more forgivable than being late. 'Quit whining and just use my chakra to go faster.'

"Ha and risk outing myself as a bijuu host. Fat chance" Celestia replied before noticing the funny looks she was getting. 'I said that out loud didn't I?' Kurama didn't respond but could hear him laughing from the irony.

Celestia made it to the meeting location but nobody was there. Damn! She started going around asking any of the ninja she recognized if any has seen her sensei anywhere. She got a tip they went out the gates and rushed there to ask the gate guards. "Have you guys *huff* seen my sensei *huff*"

"Who are you speaking about?" The guards asked.

"Karu sensei *huff*"

"Oh her and a genin went out that way on a mission."

"Awesome. Thanks." Regathering her resolve for a moment she sprinted in the direction they had pointed. She hadn't known them long enough to recognize their scent well enough to follow. Eventually by sheer luck she managed to catch up to them. They seemed to be discussing something in somewhat hushed voices for some reason. Too distracted by being late she didn't take enough time to read the situation and ran right up to them announcing proudly "Made it!"

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Haru gave something near the response that she'd secretly been trying to bait out of two-tails, it was irritating she didn't want to be scolded for being rude by this ninja when her Bijuu should be the one doing it. What was it going to take in order to get that stupid cat speaking to her again?! Minx didn't even understand why Matatabi had gone off than went silent when she actually took the test and got approved as a Genin. "Yeah, lets go fishing sometime." Perhaps it would lure Matatabi out of the silenced void of darkness that she was slowly crumbling under.

Thinking for a second as she leaned against the other side of the tree, wishing to climb it, Minx decided to say something. "Its.. It's not me I want to protect." While she didn't wish to go back to the life she'd led before. "I already would be dead anyway if I hadn't been treated" She had already dealt with the phantom of death most people struggled with and found things that she cared about more. "But this person I want to protect." because even though she knew it was a cat, the two-tails had treated her more human than any of the villagers after the sealing. "Right now, they're so much stronger than me and being able to stand against powerful ninja is the only way I'm ever going to be strong enough." She needed to be stronger than anyone who would try to take her friend away and make it be a weapon against it's will. Minx didn't want to be a Jin, she just wanted to protect the Bijuu inside of her, and let it be free as it could at the same time. "I understand danger, If I can't get strong enough to protect her. It could be more than her that gets hurt." because if someone killed her to take the two-tails they would for sure use it as a weapon of destruction. While she never asked directly? Minx was fairly sure the cat was female due to how motherly it could behave sometimes. Briefly she gripped at her chest, she had to protect it because if she couldn't even if she survived she'd be dead inside.

She was thinking for a moment on what to do next, but Celestia arrived in the middle of her thought train. "Keep it down." Minx really wished she could have heard the two-tails say that. "Encase he heard her, you should go straight across, while one of us each take a side. He may try to run." and running straight out the back would just be stupid, she'd like to think a teacher wasn't stupid so he'd take one of the three other paths.

As she leaned against the tree, a cool scene with Minx leaning on the other side of it would be shown. Minx would go on about someone she needed to protect...no matter what. Haru understood these feelings; it was why she was so determined to rise up in the ranks after her brother had been killed. He was an ANBU member, and a Black Ops mission had turned sour. Since then she'd been determined to become powerful; to protect anyone she felt she needed too. Like him. She'd distanced herself from her family because of her sheer ambition; so as not to have any distractions.

Before she could respond; she heard someone coming. Opening her eyes and looking up, but retaining a calm visage she relaxed when she saw it was Celestia. When she said something loudly her eyes widened in shock briefly as she looked across the lake to see if he'd heard her. No movement at the house. But even that could mean he'd heard her.

When Minx quickly listed out her plan, Haru was impressed.

"Yes, Celestia. This is a retrieval mission and our target is right there." she'd nod to the left showing the house or hut across the lake. "Hopefully he didn't hear you." Haru said giving her a grim look, but then a small smile. "Alright, you two circle the lake on foot in opposite directions...I'll go straight across. We need to do this quickly and converge on it all at once." Haru would nod to the girls. "Work together if he tries to fight back. Don't kill him, but hurting him should be O.K we don't want to mess him up to bad. He may be AWOL but he's still one of us."

With that, Haru would take a kneeling position at the edge of the lake; before rocketing off at high speeds across it in a full shinobi run; water kicking up behind her a little. Hopefully her students would get to the house at decent speeds themselves.

Celestia slammed her hand against her mouth in shock at her own blunder. She messed up. Haru didn't seem too upset about it though as she grinned a little while telling the two of them to essentially help take on a jounin! Celestia was pretty sure Haru was crazy putting genin up to this task. As soon as Haru told them to go Celestia took off as fast as she could. She needed to get there first to use her one of her proximity based genjutsu that was her only chance and standing a chance. But if her allies were closer to her than her intended target then it could backfire. She could pour more chakra into it and just effect everyone but Celestia wasn't even sure what too much chakra was anymore. Her strength was so synonymous with Karuma she didn't what was considered normal anymore and the last thing she wanted was gain attention for an unusually large amount of chakra use. I mean Haru already knew but Minx didn't nor this teacher they were retrieving. Wait this was a group effort she was over thinking this. She'd only need to activate that jutsu if he tried escaping in her direction.

Just in case Celestia preformed the hand seals. All she needed to do now was whistle and the genjutsu would paralyze the closest person as she'd only use enough chakra for one person. Celestia got into position and was ready to proceed with her plan if needed.

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Inwardly it was saddening once more because she'd done her best to put up an impressive plan that two-tails normally would have praised her for albeit point out flaws in. Minx was used to fading back out after having a relevant moment but right now she just felt as if neither of the females looking at her even saw her in the first place. Something was going to need to break eventually because the genin was beginning to doubt her ability to continue withstanding the silence.

"I'll go quickly as I can at this time." Without the guidance of her Bijuu the pale girl knew that her speed was nothing particularly impressive unlike the grown woman's. However, this was exactly why she was out here! Minx knew that she couldn't rely on Two-tails guidance forever because it was her job, her purpose, to protect the cat. Sure, everyone else had only intended her as a vessel for hiding while everyone else protected it but she wasn't letting things be that way. Two-tails was hers and she was its, even after it inevitably outlived her. "Lets do this." Quicker they got started than done, the swifter she grew in strength and got closer to the goal.

Minx carefully and quickly made her way through the forest, sneaking and stalking much like a feline ready to pounce if she needed to.

When she got across, she would look to the left; and the right, confirming Celestia and Minx had taken up their positions. Once she had; she would nod to them both. Noticing up above however; that the smoke had stopped rising from the chimney and nodding upward to let the girls know what she saw from their hiding spots. Deciding it was too risky; she would perform a quick 'Shadow Clone Jutsu' as in a pop of smoke a clone appeared.

With a serious expression the clone of Haru would step up to the stairs. Looking around it to make sure nothing was rigged. They seemed safe enough, having passed Haru's own visual test. Stepping up them, she would watch her step carefully before something came flying out and took off a foot or a leg. She would reach the door with no problems.

Deciding that the door was probably rigged; she would with a serious expression instead, raise a foot and plant it into the door sending it flying off the hinges and into the house. As would leap inside with a hop and it's hand on it's sword, it would look around as the entire house was rigged with explosive tags; here, there, everywhere. From the outside, the house would literally; explode in a huge firestorm like explosion that sent some debris flying directly at the real Haru. She would simply use her sword to actually cut things in half with seemingly no effort at the flick of her wrist.

Suddenly; through the smoke and flames; three shuriken came flying out. Haru would activate her Sharingan and literally parry shuriken with minimal effort; turning her body only once for a swing.

"They actually sent you, Haru! Well...those kids can kiss my ass I'm not going back you'll have to kill me!" a middle aged ninja would be seen, wearing his chuunin green jacket as he would step forward. He was slightly grayed in the hair with black hair and a gray streak running through it.

"Don't tempt me." Haru would say seriously, making the guy wonder if she was serious or not about that. She would stare him down with her Sharingan active, half tempted to genjutsu him into oblivion; however, she decided this was a good chance for the girls to take him down themselves. Even though he was clearly dangerous, she was sure the girls would be able to handle him. Although Celestia acted timid sometimes, she knew she was tough deep down. Minx seemed strong enough mentally to handle just about anything; so she wasn't worried.

The guy would then charge Haru as she would furrow her brow seriously. A Taijutsu battle ensued at high speeds; but it looked like Haru was barely even trying as she parried and blocked; even blocking a few strikes with flipping kicks. She hadn't even struck the guy yet as the red glow of her Sharingan left trails in the air as she moved here and there. On a certain spin; she would face Celestia's position, giving her a wink. A signal to attack; and as she spun to dodge another strike; she would wink in Minx' direction. All while continuing to block the enemies strikes with loud thuds going off as hands and elbows connected.

He was getting desperate as he realized even hitting her was going to be a hard thing to pull off. His swings and moves were getting sloppy; even within 30 seconds. They were still apparently laced with killing intent. Just how much of an asshole was the kid who drove him to this....maybe they should be the one being punished.

Haru would continue to parry his attacks until she saw an opening to good to pass up. A high kick, she would duck it and sweep the guy off of his feet with a whirling sweep before with amazing speed; whirling and kicking him before he even hit the ground. Tossing him backward toward some still burning wood. She would then flick out a shuriken at impressive speeds and fling it right at the guys foot; it went right through and pinned into the ground like a nail as he howled out in pain.

He stood to his feet, and winced in pain as he still looked ready to fight even if he was pinned to the ground.

"Really...you have a shuriken through your foot and you still won't surrender." the guy would kneel down keeping his eyes on Haru and pull the shuriken out with a crunchy sound; throwing it back at Haru who would actually catch it. Looking at it with her Sharingan briefly; annoyed by this guy. "Girls, knock him out." she said this while staring at him so as not to give away the direction of their strikes, even though he now knew she wasn't alone.

"Girls knock him out." Haru had commanded. Really? He was at her mercy and she wanted them to take care of him. Haru would be able to do it with hardly any effort. Still orders were orders she supposed. Celestia ran up behind the man making sure he was between herself and Haru and also checking real quick to make sure Minx was far enough away. Everything looked good. Celestia let out a simple whistle the last component to her jutsu and put only enough chakra in it to capture one person which in this situation was the AWOL teacher. It wasn't flashy or anything he just became incredibly still as her jutsu rendered him completely immobile. Celestia then closed the rest of the distance at a leisurely pace and gave him a hand chop at the back of the neck knocking him out.

"I vote Haru sensei gets to carry him since she could have easily taken care of this herself." Celestia said with a cheeky smile.

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