Arumi was not in a good mood. Pet hunts were by far her least favorite thing to do, even when the target wasn't house-sized and identical to every single member of its species. How do you even lose something like that? It's not like a cat, shouldn't she have seen where it was? She held out the scrap of blanket she'd been given. It reeked, but that wouldn't be enough to track it normally. She'd have to give it a good sniff. Arumi found a nice, secluded spot outside the client's palatial home. Looking around to make sure nobody was nearby, she called upon her clan's power. The tattoo on her back burned, letting off a faint blue light as her nose flattened. Her sinuses pulled themselves apart and took a new shape, coming together into a much more powerful nose. She snarled the whole time, trying to hold back the pain.

When the pain subsided, Arumi shook her head clear before giving the rag a whiff. It was a thousand times worse with her new nose, but it gave her the scent she needed. Arumi dropped to all fours, sniffing at the ground for a trail. Sure enough, this thing had left traces that could probably be seen from the moon. The genin set off, following the scent of Poopsie. She cringed just thinking of the name. Who buys a battering ram and names it Poopsie? Come to think of it, who buys something like that as a pet? It's the size of some summon beasts, clawed, strong, a natural digger, and from a pretty mean species. Why in the Pits would anyone want it as a housepet? She grumbled to herself as she got farther and farther from the buildings.

A bit away from the town, the trail led her to a series of caves. "Oh come on!" she shouted at nobody in particular. There would be a lot of ground to cover under there, and probably more than a few badgermoles. She'd have to sniff around quite a bit, probably piss off a few of the critters in the process. Best to be prepared for trouble, just in case. Arumi started to growl again as her fingernails grew and hardened into two-inch claws. The genin stretched her fingers a bit, cracking her knuckles and taking a moment to get used to the change. With that done, she struck out into the caves, following Poopsie's trail.

Spoiler:

Arumi's luck didn't seem like it was going to improve any time soon. The trail had led her far into the tunnels, using the smell as her only guide. Finally, she found herself in a place where she could barely detect the smell through all the others wafting about. She looked up from the floor, flicking on a lighter she had brought with her and lighting a makeshift torch she had brought.

And here her troubles began.

Poopsie had apparently taken up residence with a trio of other badger moles. She could see even in this dim light that one had been groomed, with little ribbons in its fur. No wonder he ran away. I would too, gussied up like that. She didn't have much time to think, as the wild badger moles seemed to be sniffing the air. They must have smelled the treat she brought with her. This was going to get ugly fast. Arumi stuck the torch in the ground, running her hands across the backs of her claws. There was a whooshing sound, and the claws were surrounded by a blue aura as her chakra covered them. The auras sharpened to points covering the claws as she brushed her hands back and forth, focusing the jutsu. The three feral badger moles closed in around her as she frantically tried to finish the jutsu. They were almost on her by the time she finished. She braced herself for the coming fight, enhanced claws at the ready.

One of the creatures took a swipe at her, and all hell broke loose. With a puff of air, Arumi launched herself over the offending paw and at the badger mole's face. One hand latched onto its forehead, claws digging in. With the wind chakra boosting them, they dug deep enough to scratch the bone. With that stabilizing her, she lashed out at the beast. Her free hand swiped back and forth, clawing across the badger mole's eyes. It cried out in pain, rearing back as she kicked off towards one of its comrades. She landed crouched on its back, slashing wildly with both hands as it frantically tried to shake her off.

Looking behind her, Arumi saw that Poopsie was starting to make a break for the surface. She bolted across her current target's back, launching into another air-powered jump towards Poopsie. She landed on its back, ending the wind jutsu as she did. Couldn't risk hurting the merchandise, after all. "Run home, Poopsie!" She hated having to same that name, but it seemed to be working. She readied her kunai to fend off attackers, but they seemed more concerned with tending to the wounded than chasing their new friend. She put her weapons away and sat down, focusing on her form. With a long snarl of pain, her claws retracted and her nose grew back to its normal shape. Once she was herself again, she lay back on top of the badger mole. Shouldn't have tried reverting both at once. she thought, catching her breath. That had almost been too much, even for her. The rest of the trip back was a little hazy.

By the time she reached the mansion, she had recovered enough to play it cool.
Poopsie came to a halt in the lawn, and she hopped down and fed him a treat. "Hey old lady!" she shouted out, approaching the house. "I found your poopsie!" Lady Yamu came toddling out the door as fast as her old legs would carry her, ignoring the shouting girl by the door and opting to pet the badger mole and comfort it in baby talk instead. "Yeah, don't thank me or anything." Arumi muttered, heading out. She could pick up her pay when she reported in, but in the meantime she needed to wash up. People were starting to stare at the blood on her hands.

Spoiler:

Approved