[Netsu Souran]

This was a curious situation Souran had found himself in, one befitting his talents yet oddly dangerous at the same time. Worrying reports of crocodiles venturing from their usual swamps and watering holes and wandering into human settlements had increased over the last few weeks and people were understandably worried about what could happen should one cross paths with someone or something that couldn't fend it off, so a request had been put in for the village shinobi to push the creatures back to their usual spots. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on the perspective, since there were a sect of the animal that had formed a summoning contract with Taki it would have been a poor look to kill them and as such the order was given to not use lethal force. Souran wasn't too pleased as it made him feel like he was doing this with one arm tied behind his back, but a mission was a mission so he'd try to get it done all the same.

Furthermore, there was another person who had been assigned to this mission as well which the genin wasn't super happy about but losing an up and comer to this kind of accident wouldn't look good for the village so safety in numbers was the name of the game. It was another genin that Souran kinda only knew by name and had never really interacted with before which wasn't unheard of given the Netsu's uh... lack of sociability, but so long as the other kid didn't get in his way things would go smoothly.

Souran found himself waiting near the near the location of the latest incident which was a small butchers shop. Broken and disheveled belongings were strewn about the area that was blocked off with caution tape. The powers at be wanted the two genin to begin by trying to find any kind of clues that would help explain the animals behavior.


Oborozuki Zura

[Oborozuki Zura]

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Zura was buzzing with an energy, a rare excitement when it came to missions. Smacking some rogue crocs around sounded like a real good time, enough to actually invigorate him. He made sure to bring along his special croc-squashing bat, a bright yellow number that he slung over his shoulder. These crocs had been wreaking havoc lately, even snatching up a cat recently, which had really bummed Zura out having to see it in action. [break][break]

Catching sight of Souran in the distance, Zura called out, "Oi!" waving his bat in the air. He’d never brushed shoulders with Souran before today, and truth be told, he hadn’t even been aware of the guy’s existence until this mission cropped up. Zura’s only hope was that Souran wouldn’t suck the fun out of this for me. There was nothing more draining than someone who took this seriously. [break][break]



As he neared the butcher shop, their rendezvous point, the scene was a mess. It was as if a tornado had decided to have a go at the place, under the guise of a crocodile attack. Zura raised an eyebrow at the chaos. This was no regular crocodile mess; his metal bat suddenly felt a tad underwhelming for the job.[break][break]



Slipping under the caution tape, Zura surveyed the damage. "You reckon this thing's demented or something?" he asked, half-joking but genuinely curious about what they were up against.

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[Netsu Souran]

It wasn't long until a loud voice called out to the genin and there could have only been so many scenarios that required someone waving a bat at you, but the kid's smile leaned towards the side of him being Souran's mission partner. Taki was an interesting village full of characters all across the spectrum of morality but walking around with a gold baseball bat may have taken the cake. Did he actually use the thing in fights? How viable an option was it compared to a katana or some other traditional weapon? Well, if this shop was any indication of what kind of trouble they were about to get into then he'd find the answer to his question sooner rather than later.

Turning their attention to ransacked shop Zura would ask if the creature was crazed or something which certainly seemed the case, but was it really acting out if that was its true nature? They were predators and ran off of instinct so if there was food in the area then it only made sense that they would try and get their jaws on it; the only question was what pulled them from their natural food sources out in the wild and into the village proper?

"An animal trying to find food isn't anything new, but why they came all the way out here is weird unless something is up with their regular food sources." Souran replied. It was an interesting theory and one that made the scope of their mission a lot bigger than originally intended if that were the case, but the duo couldn't get ahead of themselves as they were only tasked with pushing the crocodiles back to their natural habitat. The Netsu's foot would tap up against the container that sat idly next to him. The higher ups had provided it to the genin to help their efforts and up until now Souran had completely forgotten about it. "I guess they wanted us to use this to help get them out of here." He'd speak opening the box up to reveal various pieces of raw meat and honestly the boy wasn't exactly sure what he was expecting to see. "...Hopefully we don't run out before we get them back home, so I guess it's waiting for them to show up now."

Oborozuki Zura

[Oborozuki Zura]

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"Yuck." Zura grimaced, his nose wrinkling in distaste as he peered into the container, the distinct pungent metallic smell of raw meat emanating from it. The thing was packed to the brim with unwanted cuts and organs, an unappetizing sight that made his stomach turn. The thought of using it as croc bait didn't thrill him one bit. Imagining those deceivingly speedy crocs mistaking him for a side dish sent a shiver down his spine.[break][break]
"Not much to glean from this mess," Zura commented as he scanned the disarray surrounding them. The takeaway was pretty clear: there was something majorly off with their crocodile vandal. Their best bet was to hit the road and track down the oversized lizard before they stumbled upon a whole squad of them gone rogue.[break][break]

Zura left the job of hauling the icky bait bucket to Souran, stepping clear of the wreckage. He was all set to play detective and hunt for any leads on the croc's escape route when he spotted an all-too-obvious trail. A line of discarded meat bits stretched out, ending a few meters away - a dead giveaway of the croc's path.[break][break]

"Thataway?” Zura said gesturing to the smear of meat on the pavement.

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[Netsu Souran]

The chances of these crocodiles coming back to the shop now that it was teeming with human presence --and devoid of food-- was slim so they'd have to figure out where the creatures were and hopefully before they showed up at someone else's home or place of business; the two genin had orders not to kill but the same couldn't be said for anyone else. Taking a look at the trail of left overs Zura pointed out they led away from the center of town but not completely away from civilization which meant the possibility of running into one terrorizing people was still high. "Seems like it's our best bet." Souran replied as he grabbed the container of raw meat.

The trail was a mixture of random meat droppings and the long print of a sizable tail dragging along the ground. Good news is it probably wouldn't be hard to find but that was the easy part. Souran had never had a hungry monster croc set its sights on him before and admittedly wasn't too fond of the idea, especially if the container of meat they had been given wasn't sufficient. "BACK, I SAID GET BACK!" The sound of yelling could be heard on the other side of a clearing. In it where a few buildings, mostly homes but some shops, and in front of one was a man with a broom trying to swat away a ten foot crocodile who wanted whatever was behind the man; the yipping sound making it known that a small dog was the object in question.

"Ah shit, I think we found it." Souran spoke as he picked up the pace, stopping about ten or so meters from the scene. Not that it was surprising but confirmation of the crocodile eating both living and dead creatures was something to behold. "We gotta get its attention before trying to lure it away." The boy spoke. The meat would do them no good if another meal was already in the croc's line of sight and just yelling at it probably wouldn't work either.

Oborozuki Zura

[Oborozuki Zura]

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Trailing the grim breadcrumbs left by the croc, the shinobi duo pushed forward until the trail ended, only to be replaced by distant clamours. The ruckus, unmistakably a frantic plea for help, set the boys into high gear. They burst into a clearing to find a shopkeeper cornered by the croc, using himself as a makeshift barrier between a mangy dog and the monstrous jaws of a ten-foot crocodile. [break][break]

"Holy hell!" Zura blurted out, skidding to a stop at the edge of the scene. Getting closer was off the table, especially not to save some ratty dog. "Ditch the ugly dog and leg it!" he shouted to the civilian, motioning wildly for him to take the safer route of retreat. [break][break]



At the mention of creating a distraction, Zura's fingers danced through a series of hand seals, conjuring an acidic mist that soon thickened into a humanoid form beside him. Within moments, the vapour sculpted itself into an exact, albeit intangible, replica of Zura. [break][break]



"He’s got it," Zura declared with a nod towards his newly created clone, who wasted no time springing into action. Darting towards the crocodile, the clone gave a kick at the reptile's ribs, its foot phasing through the flesh leaving behind a trail of boiled scales from its acidic touch. As the crocodile whirled around, the clone recoiled with a taunting gesture, sticking its tongue out.

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SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Futton: Suchīmukurōn [Boil Release: Steam Clone][break]
RANK: C[break]
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium[break]
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu, Kekkei Genkai[break]
ELEMENT: Futton (Boil Release)[break]
HANDSEALS: 3[break]
DESCRIPTION:[break]
Using Boil Release, the caster creates a clone of themselves made entirely of acidic vapor. The clone acts independently of the caster, but is not able to utilize its own jutsu. They are made entirely of the acidic vapor, but appear just like any regular, physical clone. However, because it is made of acidic vapor, if the opponent does make contact it can cause severe pain and burns or blisters. Because they are essentially just gas, they can only be hit with elemental or chakra-enhanced attacks like ninjutsu or enhanced ninja tools, but cannot physically hit their target either. Upon the caster releasing the jutsu or upon death of the clone, it will disperse into a cloud of boiling acidic steam that can cause severe pain, burns and blistered skin. The steam from the dispersed clone hit anything within three feet.

[Netsu Souran]

"Leave my prized pooch? Are you crazy!" The man shouted back at Zura nearly more upset at the genin for suggesting such a thing as he was with the crocodile standing in front of him trying to eat his dog. They were either going to get away together or go down swinging into the afterlife, but thankfully they'd be able to put that possibility on hold for another day as Zura jumped into action, or rather, his clone did as it gave a pass through kick to the creature that left its normally tough hide with burns and boils causing the crocodile to hiss loudly as it thrashed its tail and turned its attention away from the civilian and his dog to the Oborozuki doppelgänger.

While not able to understand what had just happened to it the animal knew the feeling of pain and instinctively to get away from it. It'd begin to scamper away towards another building in the area --whether to try and hide or find an easier meal was unknown-- but it was going to definitely going to cause problems regardless. "Ah shit we gotta get its attention before it tries to eat something else. I'll get the meat, just try and get it to look in my direction." Souran spoke as he began to move towards a different path that led from the settlement. If he remembered correctly it would take them back towards the swamp, but that'd do little good if they couldn't get the damned thing to follow them first.


Oborozuki Zura

[Oborozuki Zura]

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Zura's clone did the trick, steering the beast away from that ugly dog and its owner. But rather than retreating to its swamp, the crocodile took off deeper into the city. "Great," Zura cursed, his frustration spiking. This was not the plan. That oversized lizard was about to turn from a minor nuisance into a full-blown urban disaster. [break][break]

The swamp wasn't too far off, yet the challenge was in herding this prehistoric runaway back home. Netsu came up with a plan. Zura was on distraction duty while he prepped a meaty lure. Zura couldn't help but roll his eyes at the assignment, why was assigned the hard part? How exactly was he supposed to snag the attention of this deranged creature?[break][break]



Without a better plan, Zura dashed after the crocodile, catching up in time to grab its scaly tail in a desperate move. From this angle, the beast couldn't easily snap back, but its bulk laughed off any attempt at being dragged. Zura hoped a good tail shake and some wild arm-waving would do the trick.[break][break]



Sure enough, the crocodile whipped around, jaws clacking in annoyance. Zura had its attention, alright, but he hadn't anticipated the speed. For a behemoth, it moved with an unsettling agility.

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[Netsu Souran]

Souran knew he had to work quickly less someone or something else become a snack for the hungry creature or if things got too dire them being forced to take more finite measures. Whipping out a kunai and some wire the genin would stab a hole through whatever slab of meat the village had provided them and tied a knot giving him a big ole bait hook that he could pull back at will and hopefully be able to entice the crocodile long enough to get it back home.

Zura had indeed did enough to get the creature's attention --or his ire more like it-- by messing with its tail causing the croc to whip around in a frenzy. Anger had momentarily overtaken hunger though the kid would serve as a means to both ends if its jaws were able to clamp down on him. Making his way towards the path leading away from the settlement Souran would chuck the slab of meat in the direction of Zura and the croc putting it in the visual path of the animal and more importantly close enough for it to smell the potential meal. Stopping dead in its tracks the croc took a few moments, mouth agape, to pinpoint where the new tantalizing smell was coming from and slowly inched its way towards the new arrival.

Tugging on the string of wire Souran would work to retract the meat to get the croc to follow him and venture away from the city. "I think we got it hooked, just have to keep it focused on the bait." The genin spoke. It would be a good trek back to the swamps and he had no idea how long the crocodile would follow them before not getting its meal.


Oborozuki Zura

[Oborozuki Zura]

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Their haphazard strategy, surprisingly, began to pay off. As he kept a hold of the croc’s tail as it thrashed about angrily, trying to get the beast's attention fixed on the meat rather than the village, it almost felt like he was herding a giant, scaly sheep. Once the croc locked onto the meat Netsu dangled enticingly on a wire, Zura let go of the tail, ensuring no escape if the creature had any more thoughts of city-bound destruction. [break][break]



The mission felt like they were acting in a comedy show for an audience of none. With Netsu taking the lead, they coaxed the crocodile away, a slapstick duo baiting their prehistoric charge with just-out-of-reach promises of a feast.
[break][break]


Miraculously, their plan was working, albeit at the speed of a lazy river. The crocodile, lured by the prospect of a meal, was cooperating, but Zura could feel the minutes dragging. They were stuck at this snail pace until a better plan struck them.
[break][break]


"You think we can get this thing moving faster?” Zura yelled impatiently over the crocodile. The slow pace was grating on him. If they could somehow spur the crocodile into a sprint, they might wrap this up in time to catch the tail end of happy hour.[break][break]

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[Netsu Souran]

The plan was slow moving but it was at least moving. The allure of a seemingly easy meal was more than enough to get the simple creatures attention focused on them and away from the people living in the town, though how long it would last still remained to be seen. Granted, they still had a few other pieces of meat to entice the animal with should the need arise but ideally Souran would have liked to just dump them all out at the swamp to keep the croc occupied for as long as possible. Hearing Zura ask if there was any way to get things moving a bit quicker the Netsu honestly didn't know outside of maybe picking up his own pace.

"I guess I could start jogging or something, but if this thing gets moving too fast it might turn into a problem." The genin replied before a bevy of low growls echoed through the bushes around them. From the sides surrounding the genin aside from the direction they had been walking came several more crocodiles no doubt brought here by the smell of fresh meat along with the commotion. "Oh shit." Souran's eyes widened at the sight and he knew given the stipulations of the mission they were in trouble. If there had been enough meat to go around then maybe they could have weaseled their way out of this mess, but this was a problem.

"Why are they so far from the swamp? Whatever, we gotta book it, can't let them surround us." The Netsu wasted no time picking up the pace with the slab of meat still dangling behind him which in turn caused the crocs to go from an awkward waddle to a more menacing gallop as they chased their meal... or meals if Souran and Zura weren't able to stay ahead of them.


Oborozuki Zura

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Now caught in a parade of reptiles, Zura couldn't help but voice his concern as the crocodile fan club was all in attendance. "Oh boy, this isn’t good!" he yelped, his retreat swift, dodging away from the snap-happy newcomers. [break][break]

With their duo suddenly outnumbered and the stakes ramped up, Zura didn't hesitate. Pushing his chakra to its brink, he called forth three more clones, a move that left him teetering on the edge of total depletion. But desperate times called for desperate measures, and Zura was desperate to not become a meal.[break][break]

His clones sprang into action, a barricade between the genin and their toothy pursuers. Their acidic touch was a deterrent, a non-lethal but persuasive argument against getting too close. The idea was simple: if the promise of a meal didn't keep the crocodiles in line, a bit of acidic discomfort would surely send them packing.[break][break]

"Oh boy, this isn’t good!” Zura exclaimed, scrambling away from the new crocodiles. These things would be difficult to wrangle with only two of them and one clone in the mix. Zura quickly summoned three more clones into existence, effectively draining him of any chakra he had left. He was running on fumes, but had just enough to keep himself moving.[break][break]

"Keep runnin’! We're gonna herd these critters out!" Zura's yelled, urging Netsu forward. There was no room for slowing down now. Bathed in sweat and battling exhaustion, Zura was determined to keep going. They would edge closer to turning this reptilian rendezvous into a successful evacuation mission.

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[Netsu Souran]

The appearance of more bodies would halt the creatures momentarily though their need for food made them a lot more aggressive than normal and while the burning sensation of acid singing their skin and scales was enough to send a few scrambling back it wouldn't keep the crocs at bay for long. Souran was silently impressed at how many of those clones Zura had been able to produce but had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to keep it up for too much longer. They needed to reach the swamps before the situation got even worse. The barricade of clone presented just enough of a berth for the two genin to make a break for it and with the meat on a string still in hand the Netsu wouldn't waste the opportunity to get moving.

With one croc seeing their meal scamper off it would all but ignore the clone and resume its pursuit with the others not too far behind. A good bit of running later and the thicket of shrubs would give way to the least inviting beach in existence: a sandy outcrop teeming with more crocodiles than either of them would be able to count and beyond that water so murky that it was impossible to see the dozens more crocs that were wading just beneath the surface. "Well.. we got them home, but I don't know how we're gonna get out of here." Souran spoke as he could feel his about ready to jump out of his throat.

The rustling of greenery behind the genin meant that the initial batch of animals were closing in quickly and the wafting of raw meat in the air was drawing the attention of those that were already present. "What's this, then?" A low growl of a voice called out from a sandstone steppe a few meters away, resting a top a perhaps less than average sized crocodile but its glaring eyes made it known that it was dangerous all the same. "I thought I told you to bring me food, not... humans." Its eyes would shift between the two genin before settling on the large slab of meat idling behind Souran as well as the canister resting in his hand which he surmised contained more of the same. "Mmm, maybe you lot did follow my instructions after all. Tell me, children, why are you here?" Daichi inquired.

"There have been incidents of croco--er, you guys, causing trouble in the village so they sent us to get you back to the swamp." Souran couldn't believe he was actually having a conversation with an animal. He didn't even know they could talk! Was this why the village gave them instructions not to kill any they came across?

As the crocs who had been in chase finally came out of the brush Daichi could clearly see the singed scales and skin of his kin and a stench that stung the nostrils... the same stench that was coming off of the fatigued-looking boy. "... And you needed to attack them to achieve this result?" It was less of a question and more condemnation towards Zura, but there would be a single opportunity for the genin to explain himself.


Oborozuki Zura

SPOILER: Click to show

Croc in question is Daichi Summons

[Oborozuki Zura]

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Their plan was unfolding as perfectly as anything could. The two genin managed to shepherd the crocodiles back to their swampy abode, balancing just the right mix of tempting bait and the looming threat of pain. The swamp loomed ahead, murky waters full of the scaly menaces, and so dangerously close to the village. Should send them packing to some other country, Zura thought, half-serious. [break][break]

The moment they stepped into the swamp, a deep, growling voice cut through the air, startling Zura into jump. Scanning the area for the source, he found himself locking eyes with a talking crocodile. A laugh burst forth from him, unrestrained and filled with genuine amusement. Talking animals were stuff of summoning scrolls, not everyday pests lurking at the village's edge.[break][break]



"Yeah, quite the party you've been throwing," Zura retorted, arms crossed, as he shot a disdainful look at the crocodile, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Your friends have been out there, terrorizing the townsfolk, and trying to snack on their ugly little dogs!”
[break][break]

Rolling his eyes once again, Zura turned to Kaoru, sharing a look that oscillated between frustration and the sheer absurdity of negotiating with a crocodile. "Can you believe this guy?" he exclaimed, gesturing towards the croc with an erratic hand.

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