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"An interception mission?" Leo Nekozuki questioned the memo on the village assignment bulletin. He held the slip of paper in his hand-paw with utter confusion and curiosity.

"Yeah," said a feline clerk from behind the booth at the mission centre. "Not many of those popping up these days, but any and all ninja warriors may as well take what they can find or get. Well, if the bounty means that much to them, anyways."

That clerk wasn't kidding. Interception missions were among the many types of ninja assignments filed under "Rank A." Those missions in particular required high levels of caution; they're often considered dangerous as they revolved around fighting off potential threats seen around any villages or countries. They were often pleas for safety measures. Though difficult to accomplish, they did pay off a high reward.

Leo carried on reading the request.

"Let's see," he read to himself. "'Unidentified anthro figure practicing/performing deadly ninjutsu in vast plains. Often seen performing said actions during nocturnal periods. Last spotted near local village veiled in blue and donning a half-mask. Suspect opposing predatory involvement. Investigate and uncover any and all intentions behind said figure.'"

This started to sound serious the further he read on. If anything, this description was probably hinting at an invasion-in-the-making.

"'Use any force necessary,'" he continued to read. "'Reward: one hundred thousand gold.'"

Leo gripped the paper slip tightly in his hand-paw and grit his teeth. Though it was undetermined as to whether it was valid information - there appeared to be no signature or title of the individual who wrote the request - he could not ignore this. It wasn't even for the money. The ninja lion was afraid of letting this turn into something grave and dangerous. If a sudden invasion or ambush were to approach the village, it could mean its untimely end unless everyone was well-prepared. And yet it appeared as though it was only one anthro figure causing quite the stir.

Leo furrowed his eyebrows and gave the situation deeper thought. He considered informing the village's leader or its army so that they could issue out a warning, but he felt that it would send everyone into a panic. In fact, for all he knew, it could just be a false alarm; it was an occasional occurrence at the mission centre.

But for all he cared, he wanted to make sure of everything himself. Maybe it was just one creature. Maybe it was a false alarm. Maybe he could take him or her down himself. And it wouldn't even be just for the money. It was just his natural trait; Leo's always one to wear his heart on his sleeve.

He checked to see if all his ninja tools were present and accounted for; they were there. But he'd need a temporary mask as a safety net. Rumor had it that opposing forces might leave self-activated smoke bombs or poison talismans in wide open patches of land. Plus he felt like trying a new look, so why not?

So it would come to pass: Leo would accept the mission and set out on a search to track down and - if need be - take down any predatory threats.

*****

The glow of the full moon washed over the open, frail, grassy field. Benji Hinata adapted to his surroundings as he honed his fighting abilities on his own. Using rocks, trees, or even the ground itself as targets, the tiger worked hard to improve.

Somewhat exhausted but satisfied after a while, he momentarily paused for a brief respite. He looked down at the ground and then at the mystical battle staff he held in his right paw. He felt confident in his skills, but he knew he'd have to rally more friends behind him to carry out his goals.

Kentaro and Tara are right, he thought to himself. Perhaps I have come a long way in my training. But I mustn't overexert myself. Otherwise, I'll end up hurting myself. Or - worse yet - leave myself vulnerable for anything.

His stubby, fuzzy ears twitched in the faint but cool evening breeze.

He quickly readies himself for combat, flashing the staff in front of him for defense. He senses a presence. He didn't see anyone, but he knew he wasn't alone.

Is there someone here? Benji asked himself.

Before he could take another moment to critically survey the area around him, a golden figure showed up right before him landing flawlessly on his feet-paws, making himself look as though he was almost kneeling in place. Gradually raising himself up, Leo stands tall and looks towards his supposed enemy with cautious eyes.

"Well, isn't this interesting," mused the ninja lion through his protective mask. "A masked ninja tiger in an open field. With seemingly destructive tools, no doubt. And from the look of you, I'd say you're no hero."

Benji grew concerned of the lion's sudden presence but was taken aback by his analytical snide.

"You don't look so innocent yourself," the tiger retorted.

Touché, Leo thought whilst smiling wryly. It's a common concept that ninjas cannot often trust others unless they are of the same blood, clan, or village; these two are no exception as far as their differences were concerned.

"Name's Leo," he said aloud.

"Benji," the tiger replied.

The two combatants slowly walked forward not taking their eyes off of each other even as they begin to circle themselves.

"So what business do you have here?" the lion asked casually. "Or are you just looking for a fight?"

"That is not for you to know," Benji replied adamantly.

Leo shrugged off the tiger's defensive response.

"Fair enough," he said. "But I've been a ninja in this world for a long time, and I've never heard of a 'Benji' - let alone a ninja tiger - from my village."

"I am not from your village," Benji said. His hand-paw gripped tighter on his mystical staff with every step he took.

Both anthros slowed their tracks before coming to a stop. Leo reached into a pouch behind him and pulled out one of his kunai slowly twirling it on one of his fingers.

"Then that means you," said Leo, "are in enemy territory."

A cheeky, confident smile stretched beneath Benji's mask.

"And I assume you are the enemy?" the young tiger asks smugly, lowering himself into a fighting stance.

"Smart boy," the ninja lion replied softly as he, too, readied himself for battle. "But not smart enough."

Within seconds, the two fighters leap into each other for the first strike of what would be a long evening spar under the moonlight.

---

Out of nowhere, surprised me with this nice, cool drawing depicting a what-if scenario where my fursona encounters one of his characters, Benji Hinata.

Seriously, I had no idea this was planned! Awesome!

Good job with the stances on both parties. Way to get Leo's wardrobe down-pat. Interesting how he threw in a mask for Leo; I really like how it's designed with the flames to match those on his shirt! Nice going with the expression, making him look all battle-ready!

Oh, and nice Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe reference that he used in the description box for his original image. He said I was "more than welcome to add more dialogue and post it," so I gave it some slight tweaks. And by "slight tweaks," I mean "go incredibly insane and lose track of how much I'm actually adding to the story." Hope he doesn't mind.

This is an awesome gift, ! Thank you very kindly!

NOTE: Original image has been slightly edited to increase levels in brightness.

GO CHECK OUT TODAY, AND TELL HIM LEO SENT YOU!