“And just who the hell do you think you are?!”

The man behind the door to the compound was three things – almost twice Kaoru’s height, more than twice his weight, and angry beyond belief.

He flushed, and stammered out, “I – I was wondering if – if you saw a black cat with an envelope around its collar?”

The door was shut in his face before Kaoru could even say anything else. So much for that idea.

Kaoru was just about to head to one of the other locations when a voice crackled in through the com set. He had almost forgotten about it, and jumped at the sudden noise.

“Following it from the market to the seven swordsmen’s compound. Need help.”

Ah, perfect! All was not lost – at least, not yet. Kaoru moved his hands into the practiced signals and created five clones – he was surprised that he wasn’t the least bit tired. When the bijuu slept, it was like he was an entirely different person. The clones scattered, running towards the marketplace to intercept the cat. Meanwhile, Kaoru was grinning ear to ear – he’d just done that! On a good day, it was a miracle if he could keep up one clone. But take away the bijuu and he was better than any genin at making clones.

Kaoru was just about to leave the compound when the door opened, and out came three towering men, all looking just as angry as the one that had answered the door.

A man with a scar running from his forehead to his chin yelled, “What the hell is some demon doing here? Get lost, kid!”

Kaoru was about to defend himself, to say that he was on an assignment, and it was his first one, and he was happy for once and he didn’t want them to ruin it – but of course, they would. The man who had answered the door scowled, yelling further insults.

Kaoru wiped the tears from his face, and did as they suggested. He didn’t want to get into any fights on his first day.

He was surprised he could still maintain the clones without the slightest bit of fatigue – the bijuu probably sapped quite a bit of energy from him. To make sure, he created a few more, and said into the microphone, “I’m coming and I sent some clones along the way. Where did you say the cat was going – “

His question was answered when the cat appeared out of the undergrowth, and darted straight past Kaoru. He and his clones followed quickly after, sprinting to keep up with the creature.

“It got past us! Still heading towards the seven swordsmen compound!”