[Spirit Invasion] Rodent's Attack!

[King of Cats]

It had been a few weeks since the team had met for the first time. Kohaku was paired with Hanzou and Nikkou. Both were unique individuals, and Kohaku was certainly the most laid back of the group. Kohaku had recently been struggling with a new hunger, an Akari hunger, and the distraction from his obsessions was welcomed; it gave him the chance to be a normal teenager. When the squad first got together Kohaku had mentioned the Spirit Invasion of Iwagakure, and that was what brought the group together today.

Feeling unusually chipper, Kohaku was sitting in his bedroom reading one of his romance novels. The hunger had left him alone today. Kohaku was a unique case among the Akari. During gestation, when Kohaku's spirit was formed, the soul failed to properly manifest. Kohaku was born with an incomplete soul, and he didn't know it but that fact was bothering him quite a bit recently. Until he understood the hunger he would be lost and confused in its throes, but tonight was not one such night. It was a cold night in Iwagakure and there was snow on the ground. Perfect scenery for a quiet book reading session. Kohaku was absorbed into his book when his team radio buzzed.

The team Kohaku had been assigned to was given four special short wave radios to communicate with each other outside of work. It was a handy device, but Kohaku didn't use it much. He wasn't one to check up on his team mates, even if one of them, Hanzou, was a good friend of his. Kohaku believed that to live in peace, one had to let others be. He did learn how to use the radio though, and when it buzzed he immediately set his book down and rushed over to the desk where it was sitting. "Copy HQ. This is Reach Around. Reading." Reach Around, or RA, was Kohaku's code name in the team, named for the long phasmashiin that was connected to his right arm. He didn't like the name but it came from the higher ups, he didn't have a choice.

As soon as Kohaku released the button on the radio he was greeted with someone from the kage's office. "This is Megumi from HQ. RA, glad you were available tonight. Your team is being called on for a high profile, D-Rank mission. You put your name in the hat for the Spirit Invasion, and we are calling on you. Do you accept?" Megumi beeped over, waiting for Kohaku's response. Of course everyone on the team, who was around their radio, could hear everything going on. Megumi was talking to them too.

Kohaku confirmed his attendance for the mission, formally, by giving his military ID number. Megumi waited a moment for everyone on the team to do the same, and then she continued on. "Alright folks, here's the scoop. We had a patrol team going through the streets of Iwagakure, and they found some strange spirit readings in the Ougonjidai Restaurant, underground. We suspect a spirit has taken residence in the larder, based on this fact and the undeniable rat infestiation that the restaurant is currently battling. For the last week the rats have been multiplying, to the point the restaurant has closed down. Investigate the source of these rats, and if it is a spirit, like we suspect, we want you to call in a higher ranked sealing team to subdue the spirit. Understood?" Megumi cut back out and waited for the team to confirm their understanding of the mission.

Once the briefing was over Kohaku got dressed in his ninja gear. He loaded all of his weapons into his utility belt and zipped up his hoodie. It was a cold night, but he didn't live far from the restaurant. Kohaku dashed through the late evening night, and toward Ougonjidai Restaurant.

[HotelBravo]

After learning about the mission, Nikkou pulled out a blackboard and used chalk to make some geometric calculations. She was calculating how much strength and speed she would need to be thrown at to safely arrive at the Restraunt from the Enkouten compound. The Enkouten compound was a place of forges and machinery. After she was satisfied with her results she found a heavy pitson that was part of a large engine and disconnected it from its original purpose and with some rigging she was about she had transformed the massive piston into a makeshift catapult. She sat in the cradle of the catapult and looked back over at the contraption before a voice called out.

”NIKKOU! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!” A voice called the Enkouten Foreman. She looked back over her shoulders, gave a sheepish grin and yanked the chain that pulled the level that activated the engine which moved the piston, which gave power to her catapult GearBox which in turn swung the arm of the catapult and launched Nikkou in a wide arc through the air. ”WOO-HOO!!!!” She cheered as she flew through the air, she clutched to the strap that held her skateboard on her back. She was aiming for a nearby water drainage ditch that made for a convenient halfpipe. She pulled the skateboard from her back in anticipation and placed it under her feet. She landed on the slope of the halfpipe going down and then shooting up to the other side she did a handstand at the peak of the half pipe before riding back down and launching herself into the air again and flying over to a nearby roof. She landed on the trucks of her skateboard and slid the board across the edge of the roof and finally she rode the wall down to the ground, doing a flip kick at the last moment and landing safely. The board rolled to a stop in front of the restaurant.

”Kohaku-san! You got here early before even me! You’re getting fast huh? Alrighty! Lets get this ghost! Wha-pow Bam bam Punch punch Punch! No rats are going to be able to escape me!” Nikkou stood confidently kicking her skateboard up to her hands and tucked it under her arm.

[Drak]

"Alright folks, here's the scoop. We had a patrol team going through the streets of Iwagakure, and they found some strange spirit readings in the Ougonjidai Restaurant, underground. We suspect a spirit has taken residence in the larder, based on this fact and the undeniable rat infestiation that the restaurant is currently battling. For the last week the rats have been multiplying, to the point the restaurant has closed down. Investigate the source of these rats, and if it is a spirit, like we suspect, we want you to call in a higher ranked sealing team to subdue the spirit. Understood?"

Hanzou jolted upright in bed. He had been laying there, staring up at the ceiling like some sort of shounen protagonist and must have fallen asleep. Blearily, he stumbled over to the shortwave and slammed his hand down on the talk button.

“This is Salad,” he grumbled over the horn. He had wanted “Salamander,” but someone at HQ had a sense of humor and gave him “Saladmander,” which Nikkou and Kohaku had promptly shortened to “Salad.” “Copy HQ. I’ll be on my way soon, ETA…” Hanzou trailed off, looking down at his shirtless torso and unpainted nails.

“Are you there Salad? Over.”

“Yeah yeah I’m here. Give me 30 minutes.”

He reached for a shirt, then realized that he had forgotten something. He reached back over to the radio and hit the talk button again.

“Over and out.”

Hanzou threw on his usual all-black ensemble, hitai-ate, gear pouch, and kunai holster. Not that the kunai were liable to be much use against spirits, but his whole getup just felt incomplete without it. As soon as he left the warmth of his house, he was assailed by the cold, dry night air of Iwa. A thin layer of snow crunched under Hanzou’s boots as he trudged his way to the restaurant. He lit a cigarette.

Looks like I’m the last one here. Hanzou thought as he approached the restaurant, where he could already see Nikkou and Kohaku gathered. Nikkou was making a ton of noise. Describing how she’s gonna take out the spirits? No, not even that really. Just making punching noises.

“Yo,” he said, walking up. “Whatever she’s on I could sure as hell use some. Get me some of that energy.” He looked over at Kohaku. “Actually, nevermind. You probably need some of that before I do, Reacharound.” He spoke Kohaku’s nickname with a certain malicious emphasis.

“Anyway, what’s the situation? Should we just head in and uh… punch a ghost or is there a plan?”

[Kabu]

Meanwhile while the other three were engaging in their bout of silliness Maho had been busy making her own preparations. She had been training hard since her failure at the Chuunin Exams and this was really her first opportunity to show off the fruits of her labor. Admittedly the failure had hurt her pride and shaken her confidence but while she hadn't fully recovered she had been gradually bouncing back and now she was simply eager to prove herself.

With that in mind she smoothed out the skirts of her new dress and slung her bow and quiver over her back before dashing out the door. As she headed towards the restaurant she recalled her last encounter with spirits. She and Hikari had gone down into the catacombs and had an encounter with a family of spiders. She counted her lucky stars that the group would be dealing with rats this time. She had grown a lot since but her fear of spiders was still as petrifying as ever, though she could deal with rats no problem.

By the time she arrived the other three were all gathered around the entrance, she was the last one there. Grinning to herself she ran over towards Hanzou's side, sidling up against him. "Hey hey cousin! Surprised to see me?" she chirped, looking up at him a moment with a bright smile.

That only lasted for a brief moment however, the girl turning towards Nikkou and Kohaku. "I'm Maho, Fukusha Maho!" she cheerfully introduced herself. "I was also assigned to this mission!"

[King of Cats]

Standing with his team mates Kohaku watched Nikkou do her thing. She was a boisterous young lady, and certainly respectable as a woman, but it remained to be seen if she was in fact strong. A good shinobi possessed intuition and wisdom, a long with might. Kohaku was curious if the kunoichi was capable of attaining the title of "Strongest Woman on the Team."

When Hanzou arrived to the scene he was smoking a cigarette. Kohaku was reminded of when he had smoked at their first meeting as a team. He had coughed something terribly, but he did enjoy the harsh inhale of smoke. He was thinking of asking Hanzou for another cigarette, when Hanzou spoke up and asked about the mission. Kohaku had some ideas, but he definitely wanted to hear from the group about what they thought of a plan of attack.

Before Kohaku could answer his teammate someone new arrived in front of Ougonjidai Restaurant. The young girl seemed to know Hanzou well, and nudged into him affectionately. Kohaku wondered how he knew the girl, but she quickly answered that when she declared she was Hanzou's cousin. Kohaku smiled to Maho, delighted that someone else was joining them on the mission. "Alright Maho, welcome to the team. Team, uh, we don't have a name yet." Kohaku stuck his fist out for the young girl to bump with. She was considerably young than the rest of them, Kohaku figured she must be pretty powerful for her age. He wanted to show her respect and forced a smile onto his face. It looked out of place, but still natural enough to be friendly.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable with his gesture of friendliness, Kohaku awkwardly pulled his fist back and stuck it in his pocket quickly. It looked kind of weird, so he tried to recover and started talking fast. "Alright. I was thinking we enter the restaurant through the roof. There's a terrace for us to break into. That should be farthest we can go from the larder, the source of the rats, most likely. With a smooth entrance and the element of surprise, we track the rats and find out what they are doing. Then we kill them. All of them. I was thinking I could scatter explosive chalk powder on them and take out a big chunk of them. Once we got enough of them killed to where it's safe to investigate the larder, we do. And then we will need to have one ninja to send for help, whoever wants to volunteer for that. Once we figure out if there is a spirit in the larder, we will need to call in a higher ranked ninja to seal it. That role is critical, so whoever wants it, speak up." Kohaku took a deep breath in, he had barely breathed while speaking. "Does anyone have any other suggestions? Or want to be the runner?"

Kohaku was done talking and listened to what his team mates would have to say. He didn't expect this mission to be as easy as it sounded. He had studied enough about spirits to know that crazy things happened when devils were involved.

---

While the team was deciding on a plan of attack there was something brewing deep under the Ougonjidai. A spirit known as Dokuun was finally getting the big break he was looking for.

The evil spirit of turnips had been unleashed some time ago now. He had searched and searched the village of Iwagakure for a suitable host body to possess. Dokuun's original form was of a gaseous type, not fit for wrong doing, so he sought a figure able to kill and maime. Following his gut instinct the spirit had floated into Ougonjidai about a week ago, looking for a weak human to bewitch. At first he was hoping to possess one of the people eating supper, but he just wasn't strong enough. The D-Ranked spirit felt defeated and floated down into the larder of the restaurant.

As Dokuun sat in the larder, crying over the absolute crushing defeat he had just endured, someone who worked in the restaurant came down to the larder with a crate full of turnips. The person dropped the crate in a corner and left, unaware of the dejected spirit lurking in the larder.

As the days pressed on Dokuun examined the turnips, hopeful he could possess them. It would take some time, but Dokuun was certain that he could do it. The spirit floated over the turnips, sweating over the vegetables and producing an ectoplasm that showered below the spirit. This excrement was delicious actually, and it didn't take the rats long to figure it out. Within just days the restaurant was overwhelmed with rats, and it was shut down.

The rats in the restaurant were supercharged on ectoplasmic goop. They were stoned out of their minds on a salty snack, and amped up on etheric energy. The ninja would certainly have a hard time fighting them off, but the spirit cooking up a body in the larder would prove to be a much more formidable foe.

[HotelBravo]

“Yo,” Hanzou said, his stride seeming very casual to Nikkou. “Whatever she’s on I could sure as hell use some. Get me some of that energy.Actually, nevermind. You probably need some of that before I do, Reacharound.” Hanzou seemed to add emphasis onto Kohaku’s code name. ”Oh hell yeah, does that mean that you want to go skateboarding with me?” Nikkou considered that his response to her energy was that he wanted to join her and get the same positivity. The answer was naturally just skateboarding.

“Anyway, what’s the situation? Should we just head in and uh… punch a ghost or is there a plan?” Hanzou would follow up. Nikkou nodded. ”What do you mean, I thought punch the ghost was the plan?” She questioned following his inquiry about the plan. As they were talking another person arrived, a girl! She was small and petite, was she even a shinobi. What the hell was she doing here? Nikkou really didn’t feel like baby sitting.
"Hey hey cousin! Surprised to see me?" The way the girl slid up to Hanzou’s side and laid the sweetness thick in her voice made Nikkou make a bit of a sour face. Whatever, Nikkou quickly changed her mind. The more the merrier. "I'm Maho, Fukusha Maho!I was also assigned to this mission!" She introduced herself. Nikkou gave a cheer. ”Hell yeah! Lets kick some Ghast!” Nikkou pumped her fist in the air. ”Good to have you on board Maho-san! Just leave it all to me, you can even call me Big Sis if you want!” Nikkou thumped her chest proudly.

"Alright Maho, welcome to the team. Team, uh, we don't have a name yet." Kohaku stuck out his fist for a fist bump and Nikkou realized what a good idea this was. ”Oh! Hell Yeah! Me too!” Nikkou wanted a fist bump as well and held out her fist so Maho could bump her fist as well. "My name's Enkouten Nik- Shit forgot we were supposed to be using code names... You can call me Code Name: Twin Mangos with Chilli on Top got it memorized?" Nikkou switched a more mature and sultry sounding voice for just a moment.

"Alright. I was thinking we enter the restaurant through the roof. There's a terrace for us to break into. That should be farthest we can go from the larder, the source of the rats, most likely. With a smooth entrance and the element of surprise, we track the rats and find out what they are doing. Then we kill them. All of them. I was thinking I could scatter explosive chalk powder on them and take out a big chunk of them. Once we got enough of them killed to where it's safe to investigate the larder, we do. And then we will need to have one ninja to send for help, whoever wants to volunteer for that. Once we figure out if there is a spirit in the larder, we will need to call in a higher ranked ninja to seal it. That role is critical, so whoever wants it, speak up." Nikkou had raised her hand mid speech but she hadn’t received the opportunity to speak because Kohaku didn’t even pause for a breath until he was done. "Does anyone have any other suggestions? Or want to be the runner?"

”Ooh! Pick me! Pick me! I have a question! ” Nikkou was bouncing in place. ”Our Team Name should be the NIKKOU NIKKOU TEAM! Or how about the Mango Brigade?! Why are we breaking in through the top? We can just literally walk into the front door. Why do we need a runner? We can just use the radio to contact the mission office! Why do we need to fight the rats in the first place? We can just use conventional rodent smoke bombs to eliminate the population. After that, we can reinforce the building and seal up any entrances to prevent the rat population from returning EE ZEE PEE ZEE with some Youton Style Jutsu! Then all we gotta do is remove the bodies! With no rats we can focus on punching the ghosts! Like this WHA-POW! HeeeeEEEEEYYYAAAA!” Even if we you don’t use poison, we can just use regular smoke instead.” Nikkou demonstrated with a karate chop and then did a spinning kick in the air for emphasis, she then dropped her skateboard on the ground and did a kickflip for the hell of it.

[Drak]

“Shit shit shit,” Hanzou muttered under his breath as Maho approached, throwing his cigarette to the ground and stomping it into the dust of the gutter. Remembering Nikkou’s reaction the last time someone had left a cigarette on the ground, Hanzou shot her a stern look and put his hand to his lips. “Shhhh!” Divested of his cigarette, Hanzou smiled at Maho.

“Hey cuz,” he said to Maho when she sidled up to him, raising a hand up dramatically and patting it down on the crown of her head. “Didn’t know they were letting babies on missions now!”
As he ruffled her hair, Hanzou saw Nikkou giving the pair a sour look. In response, he sent a quick, subtle wink Nikkou’s way. Soon, introductions gave way to discussions of codenames and strategy. Hanzou listened as Nikkou and Kohaku went back and forth. He rolled his eyes at a few of the suggestions that were trotted out – mainly Nikkou’s – and began to formulate a plan.

“So first of all,” Hanzou eyed Nikkou. “How the heck are we gonna be Team Nikkou Nikkou if your code name is gonna be ‘Code Name: Twin Mangos with Chilli on Top’?” Putting a moment of thought into that code name placed a mental image in Hanzou’s brain which he decided not to articulate based on Maho’s presence. “Second: we can use each other’s names. The callsigns are just for the radio. Third, if I have to be Salad, maybe you should be Mango. Fourth…”

Hanzou trailed off and adopted a pensive pose, tapping his foot a few times as he digested the last few minutes of planning.

“Fourth,” he finally continued. “As much as I hate to say it, I agree with Mango Nikkou on this one. They told us the rats are coming from the larder. If we can get rid of whatever is making them flock they’ll screw right off. No reason to sweep the place from the top. Less cleanup too. I say we head in the front door taking rats out as we go. Smoking them out as a first resort and hitting them with chalk or fire as a second. When we get to the basement we can poke around and see if we need backup.”

[Kabu]

At first Maho smiled and narrowed her eyes in contentment, being one to actually enjoy having her head patted. And then her older cousin opened his mouth... "Mrrrr, I'm 11 years old now and I've gotten really strong. I'm not a baby anymore!" Her joyful expression made way for a pout, cheeks puffed out as she rebuked Hanzou's teasing. However with that said she nonetheless continued to let him ruffle her hair.

As her was being ruffled she reached out her tiny fist to bump Kohaku's own, all the while watching and listening to the other three interact with each other. She couldn't quite tell if they were getting along or not but at the very least they had welcomed her with open arms. Hanzou she knew came off as a jerk but he was really quite a softie at heart. Nikkou appeared to be very energetic and Kohaku... she couldn't quite get a read on Kohaku. Nonetheless the three seemed to compliment each other quite well even if there did seem to be some tension between them.

With all that out of the way it was time to get down to business, Maho tilting her head and crossing her arms in thought as she quietly listened to the others' opinions on how to approach this mission. Kohaku's plan was certainly sound and Nikkou/Hanzou's was a good deal more risky but... "Firstly, let's please just use our names okay? Secondly while I have some hesitations in just running in, it may be our best option. With an infestation like this it's probably best to just go on the attack. If we take too long to snuff out the source we could easily find ourselves fighting battle." she spoke once able, her words and shift in attitude not quite matching her age.

[King of Cats]

Listening to Nikkou gave Kohaku a brief headache. She was supposed to be a ninja, and here she was acting like an exterminator. Kohaku was extremely exasperated with his team mate when she started asking all of her questions. As she asked on, Kohaku made mental notes of what he was going to reply with. He didn't want to sound frustrated, but honestly Nikkou was testing his patience.

Looking at Nikkou, Kohaku spoke calmly to her. In fact he spoke too calmly, almost like he was hiding something. "Alright Twin Mango's, here's the scoop. First of all, spirits interfere with radio's. By the time we can see the spirit in the larder, we will be unable to use our radios. So someone will have to head out of the restaurant and get help." Kohaku closed his eyes briefly and rubbed his thumb and index finger across his nose as a stress tick. "And we need to fight the rats because there is a lot of them. We can't just leave them here. Now if you have a rat poison bomb in your inventory, that would be great. Otherwise we are going to have to stick to Ninjutsu and stabbing." Kohaku looked at Nikkou directly in the eyes. "We're Ninja Team 21, let's operate like a ninja team. But if you insist on going through the front door, so be it. We can muscle through the rats I guess, but I think that's stupid." Kohaku scoffed and looked at the rest of the team.

Talking to the entire group now Kohaku spoke again. "Alright, it looks like we got a plan. Sweep the ground floor and then head to the larder. I guess I will be the runner. Nikkou, lead us into the restaurant." Kohaku extended his arm and channeled chakra into his phasmashiin. From his wrist a slender, fleshy organ emerged and crawled around his hand. It extended further into the air and hardened. The white bone sword was quite impressive. Kohaku slung it over his back and followed behind Nikkou.

---

On the other side of the door were thirty, large dog sized rats waiting to tear into the first person they saw. They were clawing at the door, gnashing their sharp rodent teeth and trying to bite a hole into the door. Fortunately the metal doors were solid, but once the ninjas opened up the gates the rats would flood the streets and attack the group.

[HotelBravo]

OOC: I know Nikkou is hot headed in this post, but I just wanted to make sure King of Cats was aware it is not personal, it is purely in character. If anything bothers you or makes you uncomfortable about it let me know and I will dial it back or even edit this post.

IC:

Nikkou had mostly forgotten about her grudge against Kohaku but when he was saying things to try to make her look stupid it set her ablaze again. She gritted her teeth and balled her fists, a sneer crossing her lips as she began to see everything in a shade of red. Look at him rubbing his nose like he was some kind of saint showing how much patience he had. Then he scoffed. He fucking scoffed. That did it. That was it. Nikkou despite her good spirits and energy was also very quick and easy to anger. She knew she needed to control her temper better, but how was she supposed to control it when she was being talked down to by the biggest normie she had ever seen in her entire life. She half expected him to wear a blue shirt with a high collar and to steep his fingers while dreaming of killing his brother and taking revenge for the destruction of his clan. She was so mad that she practically could see it even though the delusion was far from reality.

”Man! You know just what to say to piss me off? Fuck the mission why don’t we have round two instead? I don’t care if you think you’re the leader. I don’t have any respect for someone that sneak attacks a teammate. If its any condolence you’re right about one thing;; we’re shinobi. So, Maybe, instead of butchering them brainlessly we should approach things with guile and cunning. Like Shinobi. Ah wait, maybe you just want to cut them up with that jizz sword of yours? ” Nikkou still had not forgiven him for his sneak attack against her. It wasn’t that it was unshinobi like, but it wasn’t very team like, and it had made her angry. She wanted to punch him and beat the shit out of him, and the whole act just reminded her how much she really wanted to.

”You don’t need rat bombs to suffocate them out, you can use any kind of smoke.” she further complained. She formed a series of hand seals and sealed the front door with a doton wall. ”Seal off anything around the building that will let air escape. Then we will suffocate them with smoke. After that we can make our approach. Remove the bodies, put down the stragglers, down.” Nikkou turned to look sharply at the others. ”Am I wrong though? Am I?”

She wondered internally why she even bothered with this fucking village. Nobody liked her here, and despite her efforts to make the world a more high energy and positive place she was constantly rejected here in Iwagakure. IT was a place where the dour came and she was sick of strict clan policy and village rules. Living a civilian life was never a possibility for someone with the power of Youton. Nikkou thought to herself that the next time she left the village on a mission, she just might not come back. She knew that if she expressed her thoughts about her clan or village she’d never be given the opportunity but right now with her head so full of anger she secretly swore to herself that she had enough of this whole fucking town. ”Since I’m sure we can’t see eye to eye on this - Hanzou tell me what you want to do and I’ll back you up.”

[Drak]

Hanzou clapped his hands over his cousin’s ears.

“Not that it matters other than for the success of our first ever mission, but chill the fuck out, both of you,” he shouted in frustration. “Save it for the rats. Goddamn. You two can fight it out or whatever you gotta do later.”

He uncupped Maho’s ears and ran a hand over his slicked back hair. He could hear the rats at the door even through Nikkou’s barrier. With two obstacles in their way they wouldn’t be getting out any time soon, nor would Team 21 (and Maho) be getting in. The way he saw it, their noise had attracted the rats to the door.

“Listen to that. The rats know we’re here now, so no more going in the front. Kohaku’s plan to go through the balcony might make sense. Maho-chan, I think you’re gonna have the easiest time getting up there. Once we’re in, Kohaku should take point. We can deal with any rats on the upper floor, then toss a smoke bomb down on the rats below. I can keep them confused with genjutsu to make some loud noises and we can wait them out at the top of the stairs. When the first storey is cleared we can toss another smoke bomb down the stairs to the larder and deal with them the same way. Worst case we deal with the rats one by one on the stairs, or Kohaku sprinkles some of his chalk on ‘em and we can blow the rats up if they try to come up. Kohaku’s our frontliner so he shouldn’t be the runner. Nikkou with your skateboard I think that’d be a better job for you. If you don’t want it I’ll take it: I don’t think my genjutsu will be great against a spirit anyway, although Ankou might be.”

Hanzou had hardly taken time to breathe while getting all that out, so he took a large, gasping breath in and sighed it out. “Is that a plan we weirdos and Maho can agree on?”

[Kabu]

Were the rats sentient enough to have known of their plan or were they just mindlessly swarming? There was really no telling but in either case it quickly became evident just by the sounds alone that they weren't going to be going in through the front. And her allies were aware of that as well.

She wouldn't have to think on a plan for long as Hanzou spoke, her head tilting to the side as she listened to him speak. Something about this plan really didn't sit too well with her but it wasn't like she could think of much better sooo... "It doesn't seem like we have many other options. Alrighty, let's go show these rats that we mean business!" she cheered, almost like a battle cry. She was honestly really excited for this. However as she channeled chakra to her feet and began to walk up the side of the building she frowned, her enthusiasm waning just a little.

"I hope there aren't any spiders up here... Upper stories in my books are usually known to be home to a few cobwebs..." she quietly murmured as she reached her destination, cautiously glancing around as she climbed up onto the balcony. She didn't mind rats but she had always been absolutely petrified by spiders, her adventure in the catacombs with Hikari having served to amplify those fears.

For now though she could only hope that there were only rats up here... And once they came into view then she would strike.

[King of Cats]

While Nikkou gave her long monologue and insulted him, Kohaku stuck up his two middle fingers at her. He didn't give a fuck what she had to say. As far as Kohaku saw it, Nikkou was a tool to be used by the village. She did hold a vital role in Team 21 however, she was the pawn. Nikkou would be the sacrificial lamb. As She told Kohaku off he decided in his mind that she would be the one to take the brunt of the rats attack. She was the slowest and weakest. If she was going to serve a purpose on this mission she would have to be the one to take the most damage. Kohaku knew she could take a hit. Of course when she took the strike from his fishbone blade Nikkou couldn't even sturdy her body to protect herself from the attack. She was a novice by all means, but she had talent. She could spit fireballs, but Kohaku doubted that would be incredibly useful in the Ougonjidai Resturant. They were expected to leave the place standing after all.

With all that in mind, Kohaku listened to Hanzou. He was always a respectable speaker. He knew how to get the point across, and it seemed he was geared toward the same things that Kohaku was. That being to finish the mission safe and sound. Kohaku hoped that the four of them could solve this problem sufficiently, but it seemed Nikkou and her errant emotions would get in the way. With Hanzou's plan set out, Kohaku gave a thumbs up to the idea of Maho entering the building first. Despite being the youngest, Kohaku could tell by her cadence that Maho was comfortable with the role of a shinobi. He followed up the wall behind her, his fish bone sword menacingly hung on his shoulder.

Behind Maho, Kohaku squeezed into the window on the wall of the restaurant. It was dark, and there were a bunch of spider webs littering the windowsill, but they both fit in, Kohaku being noticeably more snug a fit than Maho. "What do you see Maho?" Kohaku whispered to his companion, unable to see as his eyes were still adjusting to the darkness.

---

Inside the Resturant was covered in rat shit, and noticeably it was glowing green. The smell was absolutely horrid, but with the light emanating off the poop it was relatively easy for Maho and Kohaku to see once their eyes adjusted.

In the corner of the room a 30 pound rat was feasting on metal silverware that had been left behind. The rat chewed on the metal fork, making a loud scrunching noise that would surely scare both Maho and Kohaku. If any sudden noises were made, like Maho responding to Kohaku nonchalantly, the rat would surely attack. It looked rabid, and it's eyes glowed blue. The rat was hopped up on spiritual juice from the radish spirit below. There was not telling what kind of danger it posed.

[HotelBravo]

“Not that it matters other than for the success of our first ever mission, but chill the fuck out, both of you,” Hanzou shouted at Kohaku, but the words were probably more at Nikkou who had allowed herself to get riled up.. “Save it for the rats. Goddamn. You two can fight it out or whatever you gotta do later.” Nikkou was ready to quit. She would have quit this stupid team earlier if she had been in the position to. She couldn’t though. It wasn’t that she was bound by the threat that was hanging over her head from her own clan. She looked over at Kohaku and he seemed as cool as an ice cube. That only infuriated her even more. Was this guy even human? Did he even have human thoughts or a heart? It was clear that Nikkou was very much fire and Kohaku was just Oil. How the fuck was she supposed to work with this team. She didn’t trust Kohaku in the least. Hanzou laid out the plan which turned out to just be Kohaku’s plan - and that annoyed Nikkou to no end. So Hanzou took Kohaku’s side in the end. Nikkou didn’t expect that she could count on Maho to take her side considering her relation to Hanzou, so this meant that she was alone. That was fine though, because Nikkou was always alone in Iwagakure.

”Fine.” The venom in her tone was sickly sweet. She had expected Hanzou to come up with a new plan, not just take the one from that asshole. It wasn’t fair to expect that of him though, because she had dumped the responsibility onto him. He seemed to have taken her side before though. She had almost thought that he was someone reasonable. Maho seemed to agree with the plan as well and she was already climbing upon the balcony and entering from the higher floor. Kohaku was soon behind her. Nikkou crossed her arms and dropped her skateboard to the ground, she rested a single foot ontop of it waiting for when she was supposed to start running.

[Drak]

Hanzou followed Kohaku and Maho up to the balcony. He didn’t like the approach of having to clear the floors sequentially, but maybe Kohaku had a point. Kohaku was a weird guy, but like Hanzou he was clever, so there may have been a good reason. As he walked up the building’s façade, he noticed that Nikkou was staying put.

“Hey, Mango Girl, Nikkou, you coming? You’re gonna be on runner duty when we find the spirit but you’re coming in with us. Or are you going to leave me alone with Babyface and Kohaku with his Smells-Like-You-Know-What sword?” Hanzou briefly turned his head and blew an exaggerated kiss at Kohaku and Maho. “I know you’re salty about the spar, but we gotta get along if we’re gonna be anything more than the,” Hanzou lowered his voice “fuck-up old-ass genin.”

“Come on, we’re in this together,” he continued, back at his regular volume.

Hanzou continued his way up the building and vaulted over the rough-hewn railing of the balcony. Weaving in between tables, he made his way to the door and peeked in over Maho’s head. The smell was the first thing to hit him, and it elicited a strong grimace from Hanzou.

Ugh is that glowing shit? Fucking gross. Damn, I’m sorry Maho is gonna have to deal with that.

By the light of the ectoplasmic feces, Hanzou could make out the huge rat. He turned to Kohaku.

“Hey man, I found your brother in there. He smells a bit better too,” he said with a mean grin. “Here, let me try something. The second I snap my fingers you’re all gonna hear a loud explosion. It’s just a genjutsu to freak out the rat and any others that are hiding. The second I do that you two pull open the doors, rush in, and take it out.”

With that, Hanzou wove a few hand seals and stuck his right hand through the cracked door. The moment he snapped his fingers a loud boom – almost like distant thunder – echoed through the restaurant. Any rats within earshot of the snap heard it too, and scrambled around the room seeking shelter from whatever had made the noise.

Jutsu UsedShow

*[Genjutsu • Boom!]
D-Ranked Illusion Genjutsu
The user will do a series of hand seals, then within the next post, snap their fingers. Anyone who hears the snapping will hear an explosion in the distance behind them. This works as an effective distraction, or a scare tactic, if properly utilized.

[Kabu]

If there was anything Maho had never wanted to see it was a giant rat accompanied by green glowing feces... She had never been particularly afraid of them, even finding them cute, but this case was much different... "That is the largest rat I've ever seen... It's almost as big as a spider I once saw." she very quietly whispered, hoping that the slight fear she felt wasn't evident in her tone. In all honesty some part of her was tempted in that moment to just abandon the mission and go home but no, she had to steel herself. If she ever wanted her promotion she would have to be able to handle at least this much.

Wordlessly she looked over towards Hanzou as he spoke and nodded, performing a series of hand seals as she did. Once the explosion sounded she pushed open the door and let loose her jutsu, a shower of pellets pouring from her outstretched hands at 20 Speed and Strength, firing in a cone 40 meters away from her and 35 meters in total width. Her primary target was the big boy but she would be happy if she could hit any other enemies in her path.

She didn't move far from the door as she did this, keeping a close eye on the rats as they scrambled. This was no time to be making risky moves, if they wanted to take this thing out it would surely take more than this and she needed to be prepared for anything...

With all that said... she was still afraid and wanted to vomit and really could only hope that this would be over with sooner rather than later. For now though she had to hold strong. She could do this... she had to believe that, this was no time to be having doubts.

JutsuShow

*Kouton • Pellet Storm
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
After performing the required hand seals, the user will expel a cloud of metallic pebbles in a cone reaching 10m from themselves and expanding to 5m wide at [Control] speed. The pellets strike with [Control] strength and have spiked edges for maximum damage.

[King of Cats]

The smell of rat shitw as strong and it rushed out of the window that Maho and Kohaku had opened. The smell hit the ninja's in the face like a ton of bricks. the chakra active excrement smelling something like a mix between an unwiped ass and rotten eggs. Kohaku didn't have too much of a weak stomach, but the smell was extra potent and he gagged a little.

After composing himself, Kohaku stood inside of the restaurant with Maho. Hanzou used his explosion Genjutsu, get the attention of many rats. At least forty of them came charging up the stairway in the restaurant, searching for the cause of the loud noise.

As the very large rats busted into the door, Maho unleashed her powerful Kouton technique. The pullets first blasted the giant rat, ripping holes through it's flesh and killing it on the spot. By watching the rat get decimated, it was clear to see that the fragile flesh of the rats was weak to damage. The giant rat fell into a pile of green, glowing muck. Kohaku wondered what kind of source had turned this rat into such a monster, but he didn't have much time to ponder.

As Maho killed most of the rats, the noise of pellets hitting the ground attracted the rest of the rats. Maho managed to kill a dozen of the smaller rats with her jutsu, but of the forty that had first been attracted by the Genjutsu, there were still over two dozen. To make things worse, 150 large, radioactive rats were charging up the stairwell.

Alerted by the rushing of paws, Kohaku put together a series of hand seals. After the chakra was molded, Kohaku snapped his fingers. Where the door opening stood, a thick crust of diamonds began to form. The diamonds were brilliant and shimmered in the dark moonlight passing through the open window. "Okay guys, that should held them for a minute. But we need to think of a way to get through them. I could scatter exploding chalk on some of them, but that'll only take out about 50 of those bastards. Maybe if we all combine our powers we can kill these rats out at the choke point. Maho, use more pellets. I'll blow em up. Hanzou, hit em with a fireball. We should be able to kill em all if we work together." Kohaku looked around the room at who he was talking too. He paused for a moment, catching each of his team mates eyes. "Where the fuck is Nikkou?"

The rats were chewing on the diamon wall, but their force was being reflected back a them. It wasn't much, but the passive nature of Hosekiton would fight back. There wasn't much time though, the team had to act fast. "Alright guys, now!" Kohaku said as the rats finally broke down the wall. The genin quickly weaved together his hand seals, the Fish-Bone Blade stabbed into the ground next to Kohaku.

[HotelBravo]

Because Nikkou’s roleplayer didn’t want to read the thread to get context on what was happening, Nikkou followed behind the game and when Kohaku asked where Nikkou was, she rolled her eyes and raised her hand to show him where she was, which was right behind him with the others that had followed him, having followed after Hanzou had clarified that she wasn’t supposed to just go get help but actually help deal with the rats. He had asked for a fireball so Nikkou formed the handseals for a Fireball. At present her control and chakra power was actually the strongest skills of hers and was as of yet the better of the team, however she didn’t have much utility in technique like Kohaku seemed to have. It seemed like a smart idea to reinforce the insides with his technique and she had to begrudgingly appreciate his quick thinking. ”Come on Hanzou, at the same time.” She inhaled deeply and held her fireball technique and waited for Hanzou to release his technique - hopefully it would be soon so that she wouldn’t have to hold her technique very long.

Once she saw him prepare his technique, she would make eye contact to confirm the timing and would use her own fireball technique to supplement his and the other jutsu that had been released upon the rats. The intensity of the heat began to peel the paint off the walls. The smell of burned rat meat, rat hair, and burning shit filled up the attic in a thick toxic smoke which made Nikkou begin to choke on it. ”We’re going to die if we stay up here, we need to get down or else we’ll suffocate.” she said through coughs. She pulled her shirt over her face.

[Drak]

The plan was going as well as any plan that required contact with thousands of spirit-possessed, feces-covered rats could said to be going. Of course that meant blood, viscera, and ball bearings everywhere, and more rats than Hanzou could count pounding down Kohaku's crystalline wall. He nodded at Nikkou and formed hand seals to match hers. The moment that the rats came through the barrier, he and Nikkou hit them with twin gouts of flame. The heat pushed all of the air out of the room through the door along with all its accompanying odors. To make things worse, the flames added the smells of burning hair, flesh, and paint into the mixture. A moment later though, even that smell was masked by the thick, acrid smoke filling the room.

"Quick, everyone down the stairs," Hanzou barked between bouts of coughing. "Maho-chan, can you lob something down the stairs to clear the way?"

SpoilerShow

*Katon • Flame Jet
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the correct hand seals the user draws in a deep breath before exhaling out a cone that is up to five meters long and three meters wide at it's base. The cone travels at a speed equal to [Control] and impacts with a strength equal to [Control].

[Kabu]

Well she had done her part and while there had beens some noteable impact things were quickly going from relatively fine to bad to somehow still worse... There were too many rats and even she was growing nauseous from all the accumulating scents, each being less pleasant than the last. Who knew that fire and rats didn't mix well? If it hadn't been obvious before it would certainly be so now. "I feel bad for whoever has to clean this mess up..." she muttered, finding it within herself to feel sorry for others even as she turned to run with her teammates.

"I think I can." she responded to Hanzou's questioning, channeling chakra as she began to charge down the stairs. A ball of metal formed in her hands to then be lobbed down the stairs at a speed of 15, aiming directly towards the centerpoint of the mass of rats. It was a risky technique to use in such an enclosed space but if there was ever a good time, it was now.

"This should clear the way but probably not for long! Okay let's go!" she shouted as the makeshift grenade exploded with 15 strength, skewering the surrounding rats with shrapnel. "We can't let our guard down, if the rest of you have any useful jutsu for our escape I would love to have the help."

With that she ran down the stairs, activating her doujutsu as she did. It wouldn't be of much use for the copy ability but it did provide a nice boost to her overall strength... even if she wasn't quite sure how that worked. It was very useful however so she wasn't about to begin to question it.

Jutsu and NotesShow

Third Stage Shogozumi Activated: Speed +4: 15->19, Strength +3: 17->20, Willpower +3: 10->13, lasts for 5 posts

*Kouton • Shrapnel Bomb
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
After performing the required hand seals, the user will create a hollow ball of steel about the size of a soccer ball. They will then fire this ball at [Control] speed in a single direction for up to 10 meters. Upon contact or reaching its maximum range, the ball will detonate with [Control] Strength, showering the effected area in metal shards.

[King of Cats]

The combined flamethrowers of Hanzou and Nikkou roasted at least a hundred rats at the exit to the room. The two genin were perfectly in sync and worked together with astounding grade. Kohaku held his Fish-Bone blade and looked on, impressed with his team mates. Unfortunately, the longer that Kohaku watched the stronger the smell of burning rats filled the air. It was truly putrid. Kohaku could stand it though, and he kept his eye one the door. There were at least two hundred rats left tin the restaurant, it would be a tough battle.

Maho led the assault with a sort of Kouton grenade, killing a good portion of the swarming rats, maybe twenty five, and allowing an entrance into the stairway for the group.

With Maho in the lead, Kohaku prepared to help the team out. Running ahead to meet with Maho on the front line, Kohaku put together a series of hand seals. As he met Maho, Kohaku looked forward and sprayed a wide arcing mouthful of chalk all over the rats, about fifty of them. As the chalk settled on the rats, they were quickly approaching Maho and Kohaku, but Kohau held a hand seal and channeled his chakra into the chalk. The white powder exploded, sending rat bits all over the small stairway. It was quite efficient, but there were over a hundred big rats at the bottom of the stairs left. It would be tough to deal with them all at once, but Kohaku trusted his team.

---

As the rats were being exploded, the Turnip spirit arose from it's rest with a curious sort of temper. The ugly turnip spirit crawled up the stairway to the cellar slowly, flopping back and forth. It wasn't a very agile turnip spirit, but it was dangerous. The turnip had a horrible stench of a breath, it was like a miasma exuding from the spirit. The dangerous turnip spirit opened up the cellar door, and the first thing it noticed was that all the rats were gone. Passively, the turnip spirit meandered through the restaurant's hallway, looking for it's friends.

[HotelBravo]

"Quick, everyone down the stairs," Hanzou barked between bouts of coughing. "Maho-chan, can you lob something down the stairs to clear the way?"

"I think I can." Maho answered by summoning a ball of iron which she lobbed down the stairs. The metal ball shattered as if it was made of so much glass and metal shards danced explosively into the rats and into the building’s walls.

"This should clear the way but probably not for long! Okay let's go!" she shouted!"We can't let our guard down, if the rest of you have any useful jutsu for our escape I would love to have the help." Nikkou clicked her tongue at that. She only knew the fireball and doton wall jutsu - and neither were particularly great for escape attempts. Maho was already making her way down the stairs and Nikkou was right behind her, but Kohaku slipped in front of her and made his down the stairs. He formed a quick series of handseals and released a jutsu that coated the rat with chalk and then exploded sending bits of rats here and there. There was still an unreasonable number of rats in this place. Just how the fuck did all these rats fit in this place? Nikkou wiped rat guts off of her face from the previous explosion and assessed the situation. They were now completely surrounded - the remaining rats upstairs and the hundred downstairs - not to mention that growing stench that smelled like something rotten.

They had JUST cleared space to get down here and already there were surrounded again, and this time with less maneuverability. Nikkou tapped into something that she really didn’t want to. The reason was that she hated the Enkouten and didn’t want anything to do with them, even if that meant that she wouldn’t ever bother learning their techniques. The powerful lava style jutsu was not a joke - and there was a reason the Enkouten had earned their power and fame in Iwagakure no Sato. If there was any chance to survive, it would be up to Nikkou to overcome this personal barrier within herself. She felt the bile in the back of her throat as she came to terms with what she was about to do.

”Alright, everyone stand really close to me - like you better be physically touching me close.” She entered the small clearance made by Kohaku at the bottom of the stairs and took a deep inhale as she resisted the urge to just give up. Her hands came together - the Enkouten style that she had forbidden herself from ever learning - but the potential was in her blood. It had run through her family through generations and all this time it had waited for her to tap into it. Her left hand channeled katon chakra and her right channeled doton.As her hands formed a series of handseals unique to her family and clan for the sole use for the Youton style - the two chakra’s mixed and the emergent Youton chakra came to life. She had nearly no time to let her friends get into position. It was only half a heartbeat that she waited, but the swarm of rats were already threatening to drown them with just the sheer volume.

Nikkou scowled as she held the final seal and focused her chakra from her hands and core down into her feet and into the floor. As her chakra seeped into the floor it began to warp and bubble. The cellar basement roiled as cold stone melted into hot lava for 25 meters, with the only safe spot being where Nikkou was standing. Surrounding herself and her allies was a circle of lava that would splash and violently burst the moment any of the rats began to enter it. The area was the biggest jutsu she had ever performed in her entire life - and her technique eagerly devoured the hordes of rats as the poured into the circle - only to meet their death as so many of the enemies of the Enkouten had in the past.

The smell of the Enkouten forges…. Thats what this lava smelled like to Nikkou, and for a brief moment it even overpowered the foul miasma that was slowly pooling and filling up the air. Rats screamed and squealed in pain and agony as they continued to charge into the circle of lava - and to their own demise. It was an unreal nightmare as the torrents of rats charged into the lava and killed themselves until there were no rats left - only the bubbling of the ground turned to lava and the stench of burned corpses. Seeing the danger here was clear Nikkou dropped her jutsu and let herself fall to her knees in exhaustion. The former lava had already cooled and had become solid ground once more and was safe to cross, though the half burned bodies remained.

”Th-that was everything I had left…” Nikkou panted - her chakra pool reserves were well and truely spent dealing with the horde of rats, and at this point she was on the verge of passing out. Even now the curtains of darkness seemed to be threatening to close in on her, and her eyes were losing focus. She was trying to keep herself awake anyway that she could - she was searching wildly for something to focus or latch on to, but even her own allies seemed to slip out of her vision just as easily as anything else.

”Oh, I think I’m about to pass out.” She answered. She grabbed onto Hanzou without thinking much about it as she attempted to keep what little balance was left to her after eating up all of her chakra for such a flashy show. And the smell…ugh… burned flesh and hair was not a good smell. The nausea was hitting her as well and making her want to puke - she was half tempted to let herself faint right now so that she didn’t have to deal with the growing discomfort in her stomach at the stench - but no - to faint at this point in time would be death.

It was a miracle that she even maintained that much of her rationality. She used Hanzou to pull herself back up to her feet, although she was still as yet unsteady. She slapped her face multiple times as she forced awareness into herself. It wasn’t working. Nikkou pulled out a kunai and clumsily cut her arm. The fresh cut and pain sent a jolt and sharpness began to immediately return to her. She took a deep breath as the world became clearer and the blackness began to withdraw back to the corners of her mind. She was no longer in danger in drowning in that deep sleep.

”Alright - I’m good.” The situation seemed to have changed at this time - she tried to consolidate what she had seen before she had used her technique from what she was looking at now. She glanced around looking for her other teammates hoping to check on them and that they were okay - only….

”Does anyone else smell that? Not the dead rats that…” Nikkou looked up at the ceiling of the cellar where she could see the miasma of the turnip ghost physically manifesting and congealing. ”Well shit… this can’t be good.” She thought aloud as she followed the trail of miasma to the Turnip Devil as it made its entrance into the part of the cellar nearest to where the team had gathered. ”I hope you guys have some ideas, because I’m all out of juice.” Nikkou flicked the kunai and held an unsteady defensive position.


1300/1300
Learned


[color=#800000]*Youton • Lava Trap[/color]
C-Ranked Ninjutsu
After performing a string of hand seals, the user will focus chakra into the ground through their feet. This infuses the ground with Youton chakra, creating a circular trap with a radius of 25 meters with the user at the center. If someone aside from the user were to step within the range, lava would burst upwards with a speed and strength equal to the user’s control stat, causing first degree burns.

[Drak]

Sweating with exertion and nauseous from the scents of rotting poop, burning rats, and exploding rats, Hanzou took up the rear of the party, coming to a stop behind Nikkou. At her insistence, Hanzou pushed himself against Nikkou as she surrounded the group with lava. As soon as she completed her hand seals, Hanzou felt Nikkou go from unsteady to falling.

“Are you okay?” he shouted down to her. Then a new scent hit Hanzou’s nose: viler and more odious than the cocktail of feces, burning fur, and flesh that surrounded them. This one had a corporeal miasma to it. This was a horrifying scene straight out of one of the genjutsus that he used. He felt Nikkou grab ahold of the hem of his jacket. Idly reaching an arm down, he lent her a hand to get back up.

“Alright, you’re ok-” Nikkou produced a kunai and dug it into her arm. “What the fuck?”

It crossed Hanzou’s mind that he was, in fact, trapped in a genjutsu. That the spirit had been toying with their minds this whole time. He hated that Maho was seeing all of this. She was becoming quite the kunoichi, but to Hanzou she was still the little girl who would scream until he swatted any spiders that were terrorizing her.

The turnip spirit turned a corner, heralded by a thick, green, odorous cloud. It was a tuberous thing, like a corpulent, man-shaped turnip. When it saw the four of them and the horde of dead and dying rats, it flew into a rage. The spirit floated several inches off the ground and began to vibrate. Small objects around the room started to slowly float off their surfaces. Hanzou furiously wove hand seals and held his hand out, palm facing the thing. A maroon chain shot out, wrapping itself around the spirit with 15 Strength.

“That might pacify the thing, but better to have an actual Exorcist here. Nikkou, you still good to be our runner?”

As he spoke, Hanzou formed yet more hand seals, and cast his arm out again, this time sending a 15 Strength push of gravity towards the spirit, trying to push it back and distract it from whatever it was planning on doing next.

SpoilerShow

WC: 1671 + 375 = 2046 - 1210 = 836

Jutsu Learned
*Spirit Binding • [Seishin Kanri]
C-rank Tenkujutsu
After preforming the necessary hand seals, the user shoots out a chain of Maroon Chakra at [Control] Speed & Strength that wraps around a spirit. If the spirit stays sealed within this chain for 4 posts, the spirit is subjected to the control of the user of the technique, regardless of contracts up to 4 posts. If the spirit has more Strength than the chain, it can be easily broken free of. This jutsu can only be used on similar and lower-ranked spirits.

Jutsu Used
*Spirit Binding • [Seishin Kanri]
C-rank Tenkujutsu
After preforming the necessary hand seals, the user shoots out a chain of Maroon Chakra at [Control] Speed & Strength that wraps around a spirit. If the spirit stays sealed within this chain for 4 posts, the spirit is subjected to the control of the user of the technique, regardless of contracts up to 4 posts. If the spirit has more Strength than the chain, it can be easily broken free of. This jutsu can only be used on similar and lower-ranked spirits.

*Kuuton • Heavenly Push
C-Ranked Kuuton Jutsu
After performing the necessary hand seals, the user selects a single object within 25 metres of themselves. They are then able to cause it to be pushed away from them using gravity with [Control] strength.

[Kabu]

The longer this went on the worse it got. The smells were getting more intense, the sight of rats burning making it worse still. She couldn't help but feel as if she was going to need a long bath when she got home. She still wasn't quite afraid of rats, that honor absolutely belonged to spiders, but she was certain that this experience was going to lead to her being much less fond of them.

In any case she stuck close to Nikkou and Kohaku as the rats had been engulfed by lava, the trio rapidly descending the stairs. Soon the... mastermind? of the operation came into sight. It was a turnip spirit, the girl rapidly blinking and tilting her head as if to clarify what she was looking at. Honestly as far as vegetables went turninps were fairly cute but this one... somehow managed to be ugly and very smelly.... As if she needed more of that today.

In any case they needed to at least distract it from doing more harm. Their job wasn't to kill it but rather to keep it at bay while one of them went to grab someone more qualified for the task at hand. Unfortunately Nikkou was down for the count, apparently having used up of most of her chakra for that flashy jutsu a moment before. Which meant they were down to three for this fight and she wasn't exactly full on chakra either. She had always been told to have some restraint in her casting but she never listened. Her pride hadn't allowed it and now it was coming back to bite her.

Luckily Hanzou was here to save the day, Maho's eyes widening at the sight of the jutsu that he was using. "I want to learn how to do that!" she exclaimed, eyes sparkling as she turned towards her cousin. She had picked up some cool tricks herself but she wanted to learn how to manipulate gravity, that was such a cool power!

For now though she shook her head and slapped her cheeks, mentally urging herself to focus on the task at hand. With her mind focused she performed a series of hand seals, a stone spike appearing just in front of her. Once the spirit was either successfully restrained or somehow managed to escape she would fire it towards its general location at a speed and strength of 20, attempting to skewer it and deal some damage even if she couldn't quite kill it.

Jutsu UsedShow

*Doton • Spike Shot
C-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the correct hand seals the user will form a stone spike directly in front of them roughly 1.5 meter long and 1/2 meter in diameter at it's thickest point before launching the spike forward up to 25 meters away at [Control] strength and speed.

[King of Cats]

Watching Nikkou put her best foot forward was certainly impressive. Kohaku stood shoulder to shoulder with her as she summoned a deluge of lava to burn up the rest of the swarming rats. The smell was cursed, in fact Kohaku expected that everyone of the ninja present would remember this smell for their entire lifetimes, but nevertheless, Kohaku endured the rank stench and prepared to press on with the mission. Everything had gone pretty well so far, Nikkou had really delivered. Kohaku could easily see her place on the team with skills like that.

Holding his great sword, Kohaku ran forward and leapt across the lava that Nikkou had summoned. As he crossed the distance, the turnip spirit turned the corner and met Kohaku eye to eye. It started throwing books and tables and chairs at the ninja, but Hanzou was quick to chain it up. Kohaku didn't even have the chance to swing Fish-Bone at the spirit, it was a perfectly timed strike by Hanzou.

The flying objects ceased as the spirit became chained up, and Kohaku turned his back on the spirit to wave at the team. They had done a good job, and the turnip spirit was temporarily subdued. It was hard work to say the least, but all of the ninja definitely a celebratory smoke after this. Except Maho, she could drink a cup of warm milk.

"Let's give Nikkou a break guys, she really put her best foot forward. I'll go get someone to seal this spirit." Kohaku stuck his free hands thumb up at the group, then walked to the front door of the restaurant. If no one stopped him, he would go find someone to seal the evil turnip spirit and this mission would be finished.