A haunting

"And now we investigate ghost stories....." Hayden said as he folded his hands behind his head. "Aren't we supposed to be stopping wear and making everything better?" He asked Tenno as they walked into the residential district of Konohagakure.

"everything must start somewhere, for now we need a name, a reputation. The more people recognize us as people who help the easier it will be to do bigger and bigger things." Tenno explained.

"Still feels a bit arbitrary that we are doing a sleep over to look for ghosts." Hayden said as he kicked a can off the street and into the gutter. He was wondering again about the girl... and how she was consumed by her revenge.

"Focus on the task at hand here..." Tenno chided him as they reached the address given. The house had a for sale sticker out front nearly two years old. They knocked on the door, waiting for whoever lived here to invite them in.

"just a minute.." Came a voice as someone from inside hurried to the door. As it opened a young girl stood there. "Are you the ninja we sent for? the one who is gonna get rid of the ghosts?" She asked them her eyes wide open. Hayden's heart melted in an instant. "Yes we are here to help.." He said as the little girl showed him in. It was late as it was and he had to settle in and wait. "Your room is right here, it's the one the ghost likes... I'm going to go to bed now..." She said heading to her own room.

The room had a chair, lamp and bed roll in it, though they looked like they had been placed recently. "I guess we are meant to stay the night here alone.." Hayden said, a bit unnerved that the girl's parents did not see him first. But he dismissed it and settled in.

It was midnight when Hayden Awoke with a start. A scratching sound seemed to be coming from everywhere within the room, as if something were trying to get out. A wailing now joined the scratching and he realized at once what had happened. Placing his ear to the wall he walked around until he found where the poor creature was stuck. Using his right arm he punched through the wall and pulled out a cat, trembling and cold from the wall. "Wonder how long you've been stuck there friend..." He said, opening the window and allowing the cat to leave. He probably knew the way home. Hayden went back to sleep assured that the problem was now fixed.

Early the next morning Hayden awoke and ventured downstairs, no one was up so he left a note on the table explaining the situation and locked the door behind him. As he was walking down the path to the road an older gentleman approached him. "Did you stay in that house last night? who let you in" He asked in a demanding tone. "The owner's left a request with the academy that a ninja come and stay at the house. The owner's daughter let me in." he explained, uneasy about the man's shocked expression. "Know one has lived in that house for over fifty years... it belonged to a friend of mine. the family was murdered in that home..." He said before walking away.

Hayden looked back at the house to see the young girl sitting in the window he had let the cat out of. Her throat was slit across and blood stained her shirt. Behind her were other shapes. "Come back anytime, we love visitors..." She said softly.

Hayden had never ran faster in all his life. He would later find out that it had been a practical joke.