Into the Hornet's Nest

[Niro]

Fukusha, Kinomichi was excited to finally be on the last leg of this campaign the Tsuchikage and Daimyo had entrusted to him. His mission was to lead the unifications of the western coast of the continent under Rock Country and the sole country still holding out was none other than Owl Country. It wouldn't have been surprising to any who knew the strength of the spirits within it and the strength of the Grand-level Spirit ruling it, the Owl King. For this mission, there would be no Maido to help him like the last time he had to tangle with spirits. His companion for the mission this time was a shinobi of the name Shizuo. The Fukusha had heard the shinobi's name floated from the lips of colleagues about how handy he was with spirits. Apparently, he even helped with the subjugation, containment, and sealing of the Genma and their hosts within the village.

Michi stood on the edge of a cliff face overlooking the border of Owl Country from what was once Spirit's Nest. The forest below the cliff was dark and covered in twisted trees that looked more like gigantic brambles of thorns. Even from here Michi could see owl sentries flying through the skies on patrol for any intruders to the forest. It only got thicker as the one looked towards the center of the country where the castle of the Owl King resided.

How Michi saw it, they had one option. Pose as emissaries and hope to be taken to the King. There were reports over the years of emissaries being sent into the forest only to never return with whispers they had been taken captive by the King as some form of play thing or entertainment. Banking of the fact he and Shizuo were no slouches, and anything Shizuo could do Michi could copy, the Fukusha wasn't too worried if it came down to a fight. His lime-green eyes were already taking note of just how dry and brittle the forest covering the country was. Even if they did go down, he'd be sure to take them all down too.

[Kao]

For nearly his entire career as a shinobi, Komiya Shizuo’s talents were usually best suited for work within the village. He was most known for his work with the genma and jinchuuriki, and he sometimes played a role in keeping the spirits within the Catacombs under control. His prowess in several subspecialties in ninjutsu led to him being well known in certain circles, and the man had garnered enough attention that he was eventually tapped by the Tsuchikage himself to take on a mission that was, evidently, crucial to the country’s quest for power.

Shizuo had expected to provide support as usual. He was, needless to say, gobsmacked when he was told he would instead serve a role that was essentially on the front lines. The jounin stood next to one Fukusha Kinomichi, a man he had only heard about in passing because he’d been promoted to bannin. Shizuo had skipped the man's induction ceremony, so he had never met Kinomichi before now. So far, he left a good impression. Strong, silent, and there was a fierceness behind his eyes that seemed to be characteristic of every bannin of Iwagakure. The silver haired jounin stood next to his superior, hands in his cloak pockets as his eyes followed the owl sentries patrolling below.

“I’ll be honest with you,” he began, his voice low and heavy with anticipation. He gathered chakra to his hand and then placed a palm on Kinomichi’s back. “ “I’m not at all confident that this’ll go smoothly. Plus we haven’t worked together before and I’m usually way in the back lines. This seal’ll let us communicate telepathically though.” He placed the same seal on his own body then paused for several seconds, appearing pensive. Finally he sighed and declared, “No sense in putting off the inevitable any longer.”

The jounin led the way down the cliffs, right up until they were a few dozen meters from the treeline. At that point he looked at Kinomichi expectantly. He of course expected to defer much of the tactical planning to the man who outranked him.

JutsuShow

Mind Communion
A-Ranked Augment Fuuinjutsu
The user will channel the needed chakra before they touch up to 3 allies and grant them a [Mind Communion] seal which forms between their shoulder blades. Those with the seal are able to communicate and share thoughts with each other.

[Niro]

Michi pulled aside his tunic to allow Shizuo unfettered access to his back to place the seal in a place it'd be hidden even while glowing and activated. Once satisfied and the seals purpose of allowing them to share thoughts explained to him, Michi began to descend down the cliff face with Shizuo and would go until he reached the bottom. "We'll keep to the ground so not to draw attention from any of the patrols. Might be slower but I'd rather not have to deal with the owls just yet." Keeping to the forest floor would hopefully let them remain undetected by any patrol and avoid any issues on the way to the residence of the nations rulers, King Yeritai. They would need any advantage, no matter how slight, against a Grand spirit in its home territory.

The Fukushas limegreen eyes scanned the relatively thin foliage filling the forest stretched out in front of them. Thankfully none of the owl patrols had noticed their descent. Michi would being to press forward through the forest and watching his step so as not to draw too much attention to any snapping twigs or other surprises lining the forest floor. The environment surrounding them began to quickly shift into a hot and humid swamp. Puddles of murky brown water covered the ground and forced them to watch their step lest they be splashed by the exploding bubbles floating atop them. Compared to the chilly weather of Rock Country, Michi found the humidity disgusting. His thoughts were broken by an approaching high pitched drone from deeper within the swamp. Michi quickly hid behind a tree and revealed to be produced by a fly the size of a small dog. The insect flew past them to wherever before the sound once more disappeared into the forest.

The size of the fly reminded Michi of the Catacombs as it disappeared and they were able to break cover. Michi continued to lead the pair forward there they were greeted by a large pond covered in a film of algae and a large, moss and algae covered rock centered in it. Five more of similar, if not larger, sized flies flew around the rock looking for food. Michi looked to Shizuo with a disgusted look on his face.

"Guess we should go around."

[Kao]

"Fine by me," the man muttered just loud enough for Kimonchi to hear. There was a faint feeling of dread forming in his gut. Perhaps it was the sight of the bugs with their disgusting wings buzzing loudly and drowning out a lot of the ambient noise of the forest. More likely though, it was the sense that he didn't know much about the landscape or the spirits and creatures that lurked within the shadows of the forest. He had done as much research as he could, but the reality of the situation was that very few humans had ever ventured into this country and survived. Shizuo devoured as much information about the Owl's Nest as he could, making him one of the most qualified people to explore its depths. But knowing this didn't assuage his worries much.

'We should really use the seal to talk,' he conveyed to Kinomichi through thought. 'We have to assume that the forest has ears everywhere.' As soon as he finished the thought, the pond in front of them began to bubble. When the bubbles popped, a sour, rancid smell filled the air. Shizuo wrinkled his nose and his hand shot up to cover his nose and mouth. He watched in alarm as the moss covered rock in the center of the pond began to tremble. 'Looks like we woke something up,' he conveyed to Kinomichi, managing to sound both on edge and exasperated. He preemptively formed hand seals and then focused raiton to the tips of two fingers on his left hand.

JutsuShow

*Raiton • Bright Bolt
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
After performing the correct hand seals the user will extend two fingers toward a target. A bolt of lightning will jump up to 10 meters from their fingers at [Control] Speed and Strength.

[Niro]

Michi scowled at Shizuo's words. They were true but that didn't mean he liked to admit it. 'Fine, through these for now.' The Fukusha replied over the communication link as his eyes locked onto the island in the middle of the lake the flies were swarming around. Something about the formation seemed off and it finally clicked as the murky swamp waters of the bog began to churn into waves. The island grew bigger for a second and the buzzing of the flies was overtaken by a deafening croak. The sound was so loud Michi felt like he had been physically struck by it and the smell following after it made him nearly hurl. The house-sized frog inhaled from its position beneath the mud and stone making up the island on its back as the water making up the bog sloshed about like it was in a blender to reveal the skeletons of large owls beneath the waves.

Michi scowled deepened into a pronounced grimace as his eyes took in the images of the owl skeletons swirling around like ingredients in a soup in the swamp. Whatever this thing was, it was strong enough to take down the local owls and create a safe haven they seemed not to trespass in. His attention was taken off the swamps contents as the deep croak ended and the sound of a whip being snapped in rapid succession filled the air instead. Once he looked up, the flies were nowhere in sight and the jaw of the frog was working the flies into a fine meal.

'Let's get out of here before we're ne-' Michi send over the line but was cut off as the gigantic amphibian took notice of them standing at the shoreline and send out its tongue, the whip-like sound being the sign Michi first picked up on to bring his gunbai down and over his shoulder as he jumped in front of Shizuo to block the blow. The impact of the boulder-sized muscle was enough to send shockwaves through Michi's body as he skid back in the muddy dirt of the swamp and into Shizuo before the tongue retracted and nearly took his weapon with it. The Fukusha had to put some serious force into wrestling it as the tongue retracted and the frog just stared at the prey who didn't easily get swept up by its tongue.

---

Meanwhile, overhead...

A pair of owls flew in a tight formation several dozen meters above the Owl Country treeline on patrol through the outer regions. It wasn't often people or other stragglers made their way into the country but still, orders were orders. The senior of the pair was tight lipped as they flew through the area and focused on making sure his keen eyesight kept the pathway ahead clear of any danger. The junior of the two was on edge; this section of the forest was rumored to have an owl-eating beast lurking within its depths and it was barely his first year as an active duty soldier for the Owl King. The very air in this sector felt heavier, like it was part of another plane. The junior eyed his senior who cursed as his eyes picked up something rather unfortunate for them.

The owl-eating frog was awake and in the middle of feeding on prey. They would have to be careful lest they end up like the others who were caught and drowned beneath its watery domain.

[Kao]

A rancid smell that could only be described as a thousand corpses festering in a monstrous asshole assaulted Shizuo's nostrils. He had smelled plenty of foul odors before - the Catacombs was not exactly a place where maids could be called in - but this one was...special. His stomach churched for a few seconds too long but he avoided openly gagging. His eyes wandered down to take in the owl skeletons that littered the bog. It was a testament to how formidable this frog was. Shizuo decided he had seen enough. He was mentally way ahead of Michi; he in no way wanted to stick around to find out just how powerful this thing was. But before he or his comrade could fully get into retreat mode, the frog had decided to take them out. Its tongue was wickedly fast. Luckily Kinomichi's reflexes were more than quick enough to intercept.

Shizuo grunted when his partner slammed into him, and he dug his feet into the mud as best as he could to try to serve as an anchor for them both. As soon as the beast snatched it tongue back, Shizuo pivoted around Kinomichi with his fingers extended. In the next instant a bolt of lightning erupted from his fingertips, the sound of its crackling energy piercing through the thick swampy air. It met its target with a thunderous crash, and there was a wet splurt as the jutsu pierced through...something. 'I think I just hit mucus,' Shizuo announced, sounding both disgusted and perturbed. The beast seemed only slightly fazed as it reared back to prepare for another attempt at snagging them with its tongue.

The two men could probably take on this beast. Probably. It took only a few seconds for Shizuo to decide engaging with the giant frog for to long would be bad for multiple reasons. For one, they could be injured. They could also vastly underestimate its strength and end up expending too much energy. But worst of all, they could give away their presence in the forest far too prematurely. 'Disengage, before we draw attention to ourselves! If we're unlucky, the sentries are already heading this way.' He peered skyward, and in the distance he could see what had to be the owl patrol. He cursed out loud and looked around the area for any possible path they could take to escape. There was one to their right a few dozen meters away, a narrow break in the trees that hopefully led them toward safety. The jounin got Kinomichi's attention with a backhanded tap to his shoulder, and he gestured with his other hand toward their escape route. Hopefully Kinomichi could provide physical coverage as they fled; but just in case, Shizuo formed seals and prepared another bolt at his fingertips.

[Niro]

Michi was glad the pale, stick looking shinobi was stronger than he let on as their momentum was halted by the jounin's efforts. He originally thought something like a strong wind would blow him over but he was glad to be proven wrong. The follow up bolt of lightning fired from his finger tips was also unexpected by Michi. Well, now he was feeling like an ass. The sound of the bolt striking the mucus was decidedly wet; like a disgusting amalgamation of fat sizzling in a frying pan and a pimple popping. Smoke rose from where the bolt impacted and, regretfully, the wind moving down wind brought the putrid stench to their noses once more.

More than anything else, Michi wanted to puke from the smell overload. Aware of the incoming tongue strike this time, he timed it so when he swung his gunbai upwards the slicing edge of it struck the tongue and deflected the blow with it towards the sky. The thick mucus covering the swamp frogs body also seemed to be covering its tongue dulling the cut from the weapon but not enough to fully prevent Michi's blow from drawing blood. The tongue shot back lightning fast in response as the toad began to once more emit a shrieking croak.

'I hate frogs!' Michi lamented as he reluctantly followed Shizuo's order to fall back lest they draw too much attention. Between the damn Frog Shogun and this thing, it seemed everywhere he went lately some frog was hellbent on ruining his day. The frog sank low into the water for a moment before soaring upwards with a powerful jump of its legs. Immediately Michi ditched his plan of firing off a jutsu to cover them and focused solely on retreating into the bush with Shizuo instead of being around when the frog landed.

---

The patrol was on high alert as they kept on course towards the Swamp. All chatter between the two had fallen silent as concentration took over only for it to be shattered in disbelief. The two immediately tried to bank to the left and to the right as the predatory swamp frog leapt from the recesses of the forest into the air. The massive creatures powerful legs propelled it high enough into the sky it had turned into a danger for the owls at their current altitude.

The swamp frogs attention switched from the prey which had hurt it far below to the easy to consume owls it was used to, high up in the sky. Its tongue once more shot out and with a wet thwap, the younger of the pair of owls was tagged the sticky muscle. With a screech of terror, the owl junior was reeled into the frogs mouth as it fell down towards the swampy waters below. With a thunderous crash, the frog impacted the lake and caused an explosion of muddy water to spray everywhere before receding back into the lake.

[Kao]

Shizuo almost retched when the smell hit him. It was akin to a sin against his nostrils. As soon as the frog leaped into the air he mentally let off a string of curses as he increased his speed tenfold, becoming a blur against the damp and dreary backdrop of the swamp. He was sure the bannin would have no trouble following him through the trees and brush, and he barely spared a backwards glance as they moved to be out of range from the frog's landing. He did glance up skyward to get some idea of where the frog was going to land. He was shocked to see the frog snatch up something from the air - no doubt an owl sentry - and then fall back to the earth. The impact rocked him, and he slipped into the mud with a yelp. But despite his demeanor and day job as as scientist, the jounin wasn't exactly physically inept, so he tucked and rolled and leapt back to his feet, still running.

The impact caused a wave of mud, corpses, and general gunk to roll out in all directions. The water took down a few trees, but most of them seemed to bend to the water and pop right back up as if used to the inconvenience. Once they were quite a ways away from the frog's turf, Shizuo doubled over trying to catch his breath. 'I hate it here!' he lamented to his partner while trying to not sound overly upset. He was used to spirits and large creatures trying to kill him, but being in a foreign county dealing with it didn't come with the same exhilaration that he experienced in the safety of his lab or the familiarity of his home country. He looked up at his partner and then at their surroundings, hoping they weren't thrown too much off track with this little side quest.

Luckily they had run in the general direction that they needed to go. He could only hope that the owl sentries would steer clear of the area around them, giving them more freedom to make their way to their destination. It was quieter here - and less smelly - but they were still in a heavily forested area. The ground was damp and mushy, but not quite swampy. Shizuo dispelled his unused jutsu and gave a hesitant sigh of relief. 'Alright. Alright, where to now? And can we please avoid any more creatures that will want to eat us?'

[Niro]

Tamotsu's mind went blank as Aki was plucked from the skies by the Ougama and shuffled into its maw like one would a mouse. The pair had tried to dodge the monster the moment they had recognize it approaching but their disbelief had made them too slow. The one who had paid the price was the younger of the pair and as Tamotsu came to term with what had happened, intense regret began to wash over him. Aki was barely older than an owlet and it was he who was to protect the boy. Instead, the last thing Tamotsu would remember would be the screech and crunch of his bones as the Ogama's monstrous maw swallowed him.

Tamotsu's eyes scanned over the landscape as the wave crashed over it in a vain hope somehow the boy had escaped and been carried away in the sludge. Instead, he spied something else. His brown eyes focused as best they could trying to peer through the canopy and see what was fleeing below but the forest was too thick, even for an owl of his caliber. He'd have to take a closer look.

---

The more athletically inclined of the two shinobi, Michi stumbled but was able to keep on his feet even as the impact of the house-sized amphibian against the lake bed had caused the ground to shake enough to affect their stride. In addition, the banks of the swampy lake swelled to the point of flooding over and chasing after the pair of shinobi who had dared to enter the domain of the frog. Thankfully, the two were faster than the waves carrying the disgusting mix of swamp water, remains, and waste and managed to stay ahead of it as it swept over the land bending trees under its might. Michi didn't spare whatever had been caught by the frog during its insane flight a second thought as they ran far enough away the swampy environment began to change it something more stable and solid beneath their feet. Michi couldn't help but to agree with the panicked thought coming from Shizuo.

He, too, hated it here.

'Well, I would assume the opposite direction of the flying frog. Let's just head this way until we find...something. Or something, hopefully intelligent, finds us.' Michi thought back to Shizuo as he began to crash his way through the denser underbrush of the area. Near immediately, Michi regret the thought as an owl the size of himself crashed through the canopy with a screech and a beat of its wings before landing on a sturdy tree branch 4 meters away from them. 'Fuck.

---

Humans!? Tamotsu screeched as he got closer and was able to see what had been running from the Ogama. Humans in Owl Country? Yeritai would not be pleased! His immediate thought was to kill the pair and present their bodies to his King but as he got closer, the symbol of Iwagakure made him second guess his actions. Rather than continue through with his surprise attack on the pair, the owl pulled up from its dive and found a perch on a sturdy yet low hanging tree branch as it stared down at the black and white haired pair with disdain in its eyes.

"Are you two fools the reason my junior has perished?" Tamotsu asked, his speech making it apparent he was no overgrown owl but rather one of the spirit owls ruling the land. The fierce look in his eye and the barely restrained anger in his voice made it clear what the frog had snatched out of the sky was the partner of the angry spirit in front of them.

[Kao]

Ah, shit.

Shizuo barely had time to think of a retort to Michi about intelligent life when the huge owl suddenly made its presence known. Even though they were in Owl Country and he knew of the beast that ruled the land, the jounin wasn't quite prepared to come face to face with a talking owl. A very upset, clearly armed talking owl. He decided to consider it a good thing that this overgrown bird was the 'ask questions first, fight later' kind of spirit.

“I’d like to say no,” he began, his voice steady and firm despite his racing heart, “but it seems we disturbed something dangerous as we traveled. We sincerely apologize for your loss.” The jounin then, in a show of respect and seemingly sincere regret, lowered his head and bent at the waist. It was a quick motion, with a purposeful message: showing his vulnerable neck to this creature would - hopefully - convey deference, and that they meant no harm.

“We’re travelers,” he continued after raising his head, “here as humble emissaries. If you’re amenable, would you be open to escorting us to the Owl King? That way we don’t inadvertently cause you and your kind any more trouble.”

[Niro]

Tamotsu's black and amber eyes blinked slowly at Shizuo as he processed the request of the man who did not even introduce himself, a look of incredulousness slowly but surely spreading across his face as he circled through his multiple eye lids trying to find where the audacity of this... foreigner came from. The owl stood back up to his full height before letting out a hiss at the bespectacled white haired man, his beak spreading as the noise emanated from deep within its chest. His brown and black feathered wings puffed up in annoyance as he began to pace along the branch he was using as a perch in annoyance while shaking his head.

"Insanity!" Tamotsu shrieked before finally settling on the branch once more and lowering his wings although his feathers were still quite puffed up. "Yeritai is a king! He is busy! He rules over these lands and we usually kill foreigners on sight. The only reason you've been spared is because of your damned allegiance. A war with Rock Country would be..." Tamotsu let the sentence trail off and his view wander to the ground for a moment before focusing once more on the duo.

"Besides that, your actions, whether purposeful or not, have led to the death of an Owl Country soldier. All the time and resources invested into him, gone on his first mission." A tinge of venom seeped into the owl's voice as he stared hard at the two, the owl equivalent of a grimace lining its face. "No, I think you'll assist me in finally ridding this region of that damnable frog as penance for Aki's death. It's stranglehold on this region has lasted long enough and the snakes seem to prefer to leave it alone...someone must take care of it."

'Wow, what did you get us roped into?' Michi teased Shizuo through the mental link as Tamotsu finished lecturing them. 'Out of the frying pan and into the fire. I guess getting a soldier killed is one way to get us in their good graces. I'd rather deal with an overgrown frog than overgrown snakes, so, let's do this and try not to blow negotiations before we even get to the palace.'

The faint chirping of birds that had returned with the arrival of Tamotsu once more fell deathly silent and the feeling of being watched emanated from the brush surrounding them all. The silence settled over them like a heavy blanket for a minute as both Michi and Tamotsu waited with bated breath. Tamotsu's head rotated as his ears picked up the sound of something heavy being dragged, or moving, through the underbrush in the distance.

"We should move, now." The owl pushed off from the branch with a flap of its wings and flew above and past the two back in the direction in which they had first came from. A 'tsk' escaped Michi's lips as he took to the tree branches and began to run after the owl in pursuit. While it didn't take them long to return back to the scene of the crime, the water had already begun to recede back into the lake while still keeping the water level high and just about to burst over the lip of the lake's edge once more. Michi's eyes scanned the body of water and saw nothing. Something wasn't right. Where there was previously the frog in the middle of the lake acting as a fake island was nothing.

"Where'd the frog go?" He asked, his hand slowly going to his weapon once more.