HIDDEN DREAM III - THUNDER LION
A woman chases after a man through a dense and winding forest, her knee length red hair tied up in a ponytail to minimize how much it gets in her way.
"Uncle Yaizu! Wait!" She calls out to him. "It's me!"
The man in front of her disappears from sight.
She halts her movements and looks around to find him, only to be startled when someone emerges from her peripheral.
Yaizu apprehensively steps out, clad in his full battle-ready armour. He brushes aside his long mane and looks at her with mild suspicion. "Kushina?"
Kushina stumbles back when she sees Yaizu, her heart racing from excitement. A smile on her face, she lunges forwards and embraces him in a tight hug. "I finally found you. Do you have any idea how long it took?!" She says with a cracking voice as her eyes begin to fog up with tears.
Yaizu returns the hug. "That was kind of the point, little one." His own voice begins to crack through tears. He breaks away from the hug and gives her a look-over, noting her Leaf flak jacket and headband and her much more grown frame. "I guess I shouldn't call you that anymore, huh? Even though you still have your dad's goofy face."
Kushina giggles in response. "You have the same face as him!" She cups his head and gives it a light squeeze. "It's been so long, uncle. I'd lost hope of finding anyone. Mom, dad..."
"I…" He lowers his head. "I think I'm the only one who made it. I'm sorry."
"Yeah. I thought as much." She tries her hardest not to break down in front of him. "But we still have each other! You can come back to the Leaf with me!"
Yaizu shakes his head and takes a step back. "You know I can't do that. There's still so much going on behind the scenes. I'm a wanted man, Kushina, there's multiple bounties on my head. If they heard the Hidden Leaf took in a refuge from the Hidden Whirlpool, it would put a major target on their backs."
"That's bullshit! If it'll be a problem, then I'll deal with it! I can't leave you alone, especially if you're being hunted."
Yaizu breaks into a fit of laughter. "You're still the same firecracker as always, huh? Listen, I'll join you when everything dies down, okay. I promise. Just for now, I need to keep a low profile. This lion's roaring days aren't over just yet."
Kushina steps toward him and presses her head against her chest. "Only you could say something so corny with a straight face."
He embraces her again, practically hiding her in his massive arms. "I'm so happy you're safe and sound." He kisses her on the top of the head. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
Another figure emerges from the shadows atop a nearby tree, keeping his distance from the two. A Leaf shinobi with wild blond hair. "Kushina, they're approaching. I count at least 20."
She turns to face the man with teary eyes. "Uncle, this is Minato. My fiancé."
Yaizu eyes the young man and smirks at the name. "The Yellow Flash of the Leaf, huh?"
"It's an honour to meet you, sir." Minato bows his head.
"If my pursuers are coming, you two need to go. I'll deal with them as I always do."
Kushina looks up to him with a more determined and fierce expression. "I'm not a little girl anymore. I can help you fight them off. If you won't come back with me, then at least let me help you this one time."
Minato drops down from the tree branch he'd been perched on and walks up to them. "I fear it may have been our search for you that aided them in finding you. If nothing else, it's our mess to clean up."
Yaizu's lips curl up in a proud smile. "Alright. For old times' sake."
"And once everything is quiet, you'll come back. That's a promise.
"That's a promise."
Yaizu Uzumaki vs. Mōkin Hōyoku
Mōkin flaps his pitch black wings and flies upward, not wanting to be anywhere near the raging electricity. He eyes Yaizu and the lightning lion attached to him.
"The Thunder Lion, Yaizu Uzumaki? You?" He bursts into laughter. "To think such a celebrity was hiding among us, disguised as an old fool."
Yaizu shakes his head. "It was no disguise; I am an old fool. But at least I now know just how big of a fool I've been."
"Bigger than you probably think."
The monstrous phoenix screeches, releasing a heatwave that evaporates the rain drops. The lion responds in kind with a mighty roar that electrifies the clearing.
Mōkin summons two large feathers to his hands, gripping them by the quill.
[Feather Blades]
"I've heard the stories." Mōkin speaks. "They said that the heavens themselves dare not move near you, lest you steal their power. You were a force of nature." He adds with mock admiration.
"I never did like those silly stories." Yaizu says.
"They also said you could summon an entire pack of lions to fight by your side yet here you are, with only one. Either you believe one is enough to defeat me, or you can no longer conjure more than one. Either way, your presence is an insult!"
With a simple hand gesture, the phoenix extends its neck and unleashes a stream of fire.
[Fire Style: Flame of Rebirth]
Yaizu stays his ground in front of the kids. They're not quite out of the range yet and they're now realizing that this battle is on a grand scale and they need to move far away.
He goes through his hand signs and takes a deep breath. When he breathes out, he releases a deafening roar that shakes the very ground. The space in front of his bends as the soundwaves travel through the air.
[Wind Style: Thunder Roar]
When the roar clashes with the flames, it creates a vortex that the fire cannot pass through. The flame is dispersed to the side where it can't reach Yaizu or the kids.
Before the fires even die down, the lightning lion jumps forward through the weakened flames and tries to latch onto Mōkin. Thanks to his flight, he manages to dodge in time, swinging his feather blades at the lion which isn't really affected as much as a flesh and bone target would be.
"Get back!' Yaizu calls to the kids to make use of the opening and Flickers toward Mōkin with his enhanced speed.
-x-
The kids run as far as they can to not get caught in the two's apparent wide range of attacks. They've come to realize that Naruto fighting against the giant Great Beasts isn't something that normal shinobi usually deal with, but seeing Yaizu and Mōkin duke it out, it seems that such large scale battles aren't entirely uncommon, either.
"He knew my name." Kotori whispers. "He knew me. He said… He said…"
"Hey!" Shoto kneels down and grabs her by the shoulder. "It doesn't matter what that asshole said, alright?"
"But he knows me! He can tell me where I came from, who my family is!" Kotori raises her voice.
"The only thing he'll do is try to kill you, weren't you paying attention?!" Shoto matches her tone.
"But…" Kotori's entire body slumps as she's sitting on the ground, unable to gather any strength.
Yokumaru walks over to her and hugs her. "I'm sorry, Kotori."
She grips onto his hoodie.
Shoto sits down and sighs. "That Yaizu… He said he's an Uzumaki, didn't he? I wasn't hearing things?"
Yokumaru shakes his head. "No, he definitely said it. He's sensei's family."
"Then why didn't he say anything…" Shoto wonders.
"He must have his reasons." Kotori wipes her eyes.
"This day keeps getting more difficult." Yokumaru says in a discouraging voice.
From their side, two figures slowly emerge from the forest, having approached them without being noticed. The kids jump in surprise, preparing for a fight just in case, as they observe two shinobi - one seemingly around their age clad in armour, and one older wearing loose robes.
"You don't know a thing about difficult days, Leaf." Taisa hisses.
Yomito slams his hand on the ground, prompting jutsu formula to spread from his palm. In a puff of smoke, two black ape-like beings emerge, unlike anything they've seen or heard of.
[Ninja Art Summoning: Nuiba]
The Nuiba ominously moan as they approach Team Nine.
Yokumaru and Shoto take their battle stance.
-x-
With his enhanced speed, Yaizu jumps at Mōking, leaving behind him only the faint light of the electricity that surrounds his body. He goes for a punch but it's blocked by Mōkin placing both his [Feather Blades] in front of him to act as a shield. The impact sends the Hōyoku back but thanks to his flight, he regains his bearings quickly enough.
The lion leaps at the opportunity, the split second where Mōkin is off his game, to try and shock him but the phoenix sends its massive claw crashing down to swat it away.
Yaizu pulls his [Thunder Lion] back using the chain and descends to the ground.
Mōkin readies his blades once more. 'He's not as strong as I thought. He may have been strong once but time does not forgive.'
Yaizu clenches his fist. 'Back in my prime that punch would've broken through and ended this. I can't afford to drag this out for too long. But that flight is annoying.'
The phoenix steps in front of Mōkin, a heavy claw digging into the ground, and breathes another sea of fire to blanket the whole area.
[Fire Style: Flame of Rebirth]
Yaizu manages to [Flicker] to the side just in time and evade its area of effect. The plan being to preserve chakra rather than using it to counter a jutsu he can instead avoid. Or so he thought.
At Mōkin's command, the phoenix raises its giant wings while still breathing fire, the sudden movement causing the rain to be blown away as if carried by a raging storm.
[Wind Style: Great Breakthrough]
With a single swift motion, the phoenix brings its wings down to create a massive vortex that increases the size of the fire jutsu threefold.
This, Yaizu doesn't have time to dodge so he instead braces himself.
When the flames die down, burning trees put out by the rain, Yaizu stands with his back against a tree and his arms crossed in front of him. He took some burns to his arms and legs but was otherwise spared thanks largely to the lightning cloak that surrounds his body.
His lion stands in front of him to defend from any further attacks.
'Well that backfired.' Yaizu grunts. 'I need to act but I have no idea how strong my jutsu will be after all these years.'
"You know," Mōkin chuckles, "For someone who was so adamant about protecting the kids, you're not doing a very good job of it." He motions to the far side of the clearing they're in, beyond the trees.
Yaizu turns to hear the very distinct sounds of battle and jutsu reforming the terrain. In a split second, his mind races through the possibilities. If they're being attacked, he has to go help them!
In this moment of distraction, a dozen feathers come flying in from the side.
[Feather Kunai Barrage]
Yaizu skids to the side, dodging all of them.
"Is this all the great Thunder Lion can do?" Mōkin mocks him. "I've seen kittens with more ferocity."
"You're right." Yaizu stomps on the ground. "Maybe it's time I stop doubting myself."
"A positive attitude isn't going to help you, old man."
"I can assume you, boy, there's nothing positive about this."
The lion takes a couple steps forward before its form becomes distorted, resembling more actual lightning than a lion. In a single blinding flash, the lion disappears and a lightning bolt flies directly at Mōkin at an intense speed.
[Lightning Style: Lightning Flash Leap]
Mōkin barely has enough time to twitch before his vision turns white from the sudden flash.
He feels himself falling even though that shouldn't be possible. He has his wings. There's no way he can fall.
As he regains his sight, he looks over his shoulder to see his right wing burned off and the lion latching onto the phoenix, which is violently thrashing and trying to get free while being electrocuted.
'That lion is bad news. It's not just chakra that's been modified to look and feel like lightning, this is actual lightning he's commanding.'
As he's falling and after recovering from the initial shock, Mōkin moulds his chakra to fix his wings as he tumbles through the air. He manages to flap his new set of wings to straighten himself out just before he collides with the earth.
His eyes immediately dart around to find where Yaizu is so he's not caught off guard finds him, already engaging the phoenix in a fight alongside his lion.
Yaizu delivers a flurry of punches that send the phoenix reeling, in addition to the [Thunder Lion] rending and biting it. The phoenix bats its wings and moves erratically to try and swat them away.
He uses the phoenix to jump high above it and get into position.
From the base of the chain manifesting from his body, several more appear and shoot out to surround the phoenix.
[Adamantine Sealing Chains]
The chains wrap around the phoenix' wings, talons, and beak to bind it to the ground. It tries to struggle free but it proves a fruitless effort under the Uzumaki clan's specialty sealing.
'I need to get this damn thing in check. I managed to get Mōkin only because my [Thunder Lion] was created with actual lightning so it was faster. I don't know if he'll be caught off guard again. I have to act fast.'
As the chains tighten, lightning coursing through them thanks to their connection to the [Thunder Lion], Yaizu stands on top of it, prepared for Mōkin to have already recovered and attack him.
However, no attack comes.
Instead, the phoenix disappears into a clump of giant, fiery feathers.
To the side, Mōkin is finishing a long set of hand signs.
[Lost Aviary: Phoenix]
The distinct feathers of a phoenix materialize around him and form a brand new bird to fight by his side.
"He can just make another one…" Yaizu's chains loosen and return back to his body, having nothing else to latch onto. "Damnit!" He begins visibly panting.
"Such is the nature of my jutsu. I can create whatever bird I want at any time." Mōkin clarifies. 'Although the Phoenix takes up a lot of my chakra and I can use any others while I have it out.'
Yaizu growls and runs forward. 'This is a last ditch effort, but it might just work.' He rummages through his pockets to take out a small ball of wrapped brown cloth.
When he gets close enough, he throws It to the ground, activating the Smoke Bomb and covering the area around him in smoke.
"Really?" Mōkin hisses in disappointment.
With a single flick of his wrist, the phoenix flaps its wings and easily disperses the smoke.
"You really have gone senile, haven't you?!" Mōkin lashes out and flies at Yaizu at top speed, wielding his [Feather Blades].
Yaizu runs at him, as well, his lion taking the lead to latch onto Mōkin, but the phoenix interjects. It sweeps the area in front of Mōkin with its giant talon, grabbing the lion and forcing Yaizu to move out of the way.
Mōkin runs after him and slashes away with his blades, but Yaizu manages to react accordingly and dodges the attacks.
Yaizu tugs at his chain to use it somewhat as a shield but he also seems intent on wrapping Mōkin with it, perhaps to temporarily seal him in place. Mōkin, however, has no desire to allow that to happen.
He lets go of his [Feather Blades] and commands them to fly into the links of the chain, before forming a single 'Bird' hand sign.
[Feather Kunai Barrage]
A dozen other smaller feathers appear and also dig into the chain.
With a simple command, the feathers fly upward, tugging on the chain and dragging it up with them. Yaizu tries to get a grip on it but the feathers prove stronger than anticipated. Yaizu and his lion are dragged to the sky by the feathers.
[Fire Style: Flames of Rebirth]
The phoenix turns to its prey and wastes no time attacking. Another large stream of fire covers the area and hits Yaizu head on. There's no way he can come out unscathed this time.
Or so the plan was.
There's no doubt that Yaizu was caught and lifted in the air. There's no doubt that he was still there when the phoenix breathed fire. And yet…
From the corner of his eye, Mōkin sees something that causes him to flinch. Another flash of bright light. A bolt of lightning coming right at him from the ground.
[Lightning Style: Lightning Flash Leap]
He's hit head on by the bolt which then continues to the phoenix.
This time, it's not just the wing that gets destroyed. With Mōkin struck directly, he loses his concentration and falls to the ground. With him no longer conscious, he loses control of his wings and phoenix, which become clumps of feathers that begin swaying to the ground.
Yaizu emerges from the ground, from one of the many uneven chunks of ground they'd created throughout their battle and runs toward Mōkin to catch him before he hits the ground.
Despite being enemies who just fought to the death, Mōkin has more value alive for now.
"It's been a while since I had to use a [Shadow Clone]. They're handier than I remember."
Yaizu drags Mōkin to a nearby tree and ties him up so he can be taken back to the village and be questioned.
"Hang on, kids. I'm on my way."
Meanwhile...
Shoto steps up front as Yomito summons his two Nuiba. "Wait! We're not your enemy."
"Your forehead protectors say otherwise." Yomito states with a cold tone.
"This is all a huge misunderstanding." Yokumaru tries to interject. "Sensei wasn't the one who attacked your village."
"That's right!" Kotori chimes in, still shaken up. "Dad would never do such a thing!"
Taisa winces. "... 'Dad'? So you're… the jinchūriki's daughter?" He glares at her with murderous intent.
Taisa doesn't bother listening to any more before he lunges directly for Kotori.
Yokumaru and Shoto prepare to intercept them, but they're pushed out of the way.
The two Nuiba jump at Yokumaru, punching with their massive fists, while Yomito Flickers right next to Shoto with a kick which gets blocked.
Taisa is given the opportunity to slip past and charge directly for Kotori.
-x-
Kotori Uzumaki vs. Taisa Amagiri
Kotori jumps back to avoid Taisa's swift kick and skids on the ground, stopping when her back hits a boulder.
"Listen to us!" She calls out to him.
"We already did that!" Taisa screams. "My dad, uncle Yomitatsu, and so many more paid for it with their lives!"
"That wasn't us! That guys from back then; the one with the wings. It was all his doing!"
Taisa grits his teeth and clenches his fist. "Now you're pinning it on Mōkin, like anyone here would believe something that stupid?! Don't think I'll go easy on you."
Taisa's body begins to twitch and convulse as it undergoes a seemingly sudden transformation. His arms become longer and more pincer-like, his back becomes bigger and hunched, and a horn grows from his forehead. By the end, Taisa bears the resemblance of a humanoid rhinoceros beetle.
[Human Beast Transformation: Horned Beetle]
The cloth he was wearing has snapped and ripped, but certain parts of his armour have remained attached to his body. Given the Amagiri clan's special transformation, accommodations have been made for their armour so they don't end up destroying their clothes every time they use their jutsu.
'He can transform?' Kotori silently curses. 'Why do we have to deal with this right now? After everything that happened, after what that guy said… Damn it.' She fights back the urge to break down again.
Taisa lunges forward with his horn, a light streak of lightning emanating from it.
[Lightning Tackle]
Kotori dodges out of the way so that only the boulder that was behind her falls victim to the charge as it splits in half like nothing.
'No… I can't think like that… I have to focus, I have to get back to dad…'
[Aviary: Ostrich]
The large bird appears next to her, stomping on the ground with its clawed legs.
"Such a jutsu…" Taisa stares with his mouth agape, "You, who are you?" He demands.
"I… I don't know anymore..."
"Then you're just wasting my time." Taisa screams as he runs forward.
Kotori sends her ostrich to intercept him.
[Lightning Tackle]
[Ninja Art: Crushing Impact]
The ostrich delivers a devastating kick, but Taisa meets it with his horn. Neither of them seems to be giving way to the other in terms of strength. They both push each other away and move back to get a better position.
Taisa tries to run past the obvious diversion but the ostrich leaps with its strong legs to where he is and delivers a kick that he doesn't even dodge. He allows it to impact with his strengthened back and he skids back unharmed.
"Hiding behind a bird... Come here and fight me, you coward!"
"You're the one hiding behind a transformation!" Kotori retorts. "If an outside attack isn't going to work, then this might."
[Aviary: Hoatzin]
The colourful ruffled bird screeches as it appears next to Kotori and flies above the battlefield. While the ostrich keeps Taisa at bay, the hoatzin gets into position.
[Ninja Art: Poison Mist]
A cloud of purple poison encompasses the area in front of the ostrich which jumps back to avoid being caught in the middle.
As the poison cloud envelops Taisa and his surroundings, Kotori lies in wait.
"Even if his body is hardened, his insides shouldn't be."
Contrary to her thinking, Taisa runs out of the poison. Not dazed, not staggering, but fully focused and charging right at her.
"Something like that," Taisa roars.
The ostrich tries to kick him but he grabs it by the leg and tosses it to the side.
"Won't work on me!"
[Poison Mist]
Taisa breathes out his own green cloud of poison.
'He's immune to it?' Kotori jumps back to give herself some distance from the poison and to allow herself some time to weave the hand signs.
[Wind Style: Breakthrough]
The green mist is dispersed by the gust of wind she's breathing out but that means she's momentarily indisposed.
Taisa rushes from her side and lands a solid punch to her gut. Kotori gasps in pain as she's flung away and falls on her back.
She barely has a moment to regain her senses before Taisa is once again on her. She ducks and weaves through some of the punches but is struck a few good times. However, any hits she lands don't seem to affect him as much as they shoulder. His body is definitely sturdier than average, most likely thanks to his transformation.
Thankfully, she manages to find a moment where she can command her birds in peace.
The ostrich runs and joins the fray, delivering a solid kick to Taisa's back. This time it seems to have more of an effect than before.
Taisa grubs. 'It's getting through my shell. I have to get rid of this big one.'
At this moment, the hoatzin also flies in but Taisa grabs it by the body and crushes it as it becomes a clump of falling feathers.
[Feather Kunai]
Before they can fall far, Kotori sends them flying right into his torso where they sink in deep, cracking his armoured body. The ostrich kicks him right in the chest and sends him flying away.
'I need to end this quick. If I use up all of my chakra, I'll be in a bind but it might be my best strategy. Let's finish this.'
[Aviary: Condor]
A much larger than average condor appears by her side, some errant black feathers scattering through the wind and battered by the rain.
The ostrich and condor get into position, presenting danger both on land and in the skies. When Kotori goes through the motions of a familiar jutsu that she used earlier; a Wind Style jutsu.
Not wanting to get blown away by it, Taisa moves away but is surprised when the jutsu comes not from Kotori, but from the condor above him.
[Wind Style: Breakthrough]
'She can do that, too?!'
As the gust of wind comes ramming him into the ground, he has to struggle a lot to move even a single arm. When the wind stops and he can finally move, he finds himself grabbed by the arm and back.
The condor, having flown down immediately after the Wind Style ended, flies up with Taisa in tow.
"Let go!" Taisa cries out.
Kotori pants and sweats from the focus required to keep up the condor. 'Having such a large bird is still so much of a strain. And I even had it use its jutsu. I can't hold it for much longer.'
Taisa channels his Lightning Style to his horn and thrashes around to hit the bird that's dragging him in the air. He thrusts his head back and lands a solid hit right in its chest.
The condor returns to feathers and he's left to freefall to the ground where the ostrich is waiting for him. He spins around mid-air to position himself so that he can charge the remaining bird with his [Lightning Tackle].
[Feather Kunai]
However, the oversized feathers he'd just created come back at him, digging into his back and cracking it even further. With his descent speed heightened and his falling position no longer under his control, there's little he can do.
When he reaches the ostrich's range, it lifts its foot high and kicks him in the ribcage.
[Ninja Art: Crushing Impact]
With that, Taisa's concentration is broken and he returns to normal as he slumps off the ostrich's talons and falls to the ground, completely knocked out.
-x-
Shoto Teshin vs. Yomito Hirasaka
With a new distraction to deal with, Shoto just has to trust that Kotori will snap out of her daze to deal with the short one.
In contrast, he has to deal with the annoying fast one. Their battle well under way, Shoto is having a hard time catching up with Yomito, who's proving to be annoying dextrous.
Shoto is trying to land a solid punch or kick with his [Earth Spear] but Yomito keeps moving out of the way. Equally, however, when Yomito moves to strike, Shoto swats him away with his hardened arms, making Yomito think twice about whether he wants to actually connect.
'He's as fast as Genzai. No, he might even be faster.'
"You Leaf will pay for mocking us. Sending mere children to attack us." Yomito hisses.
"You're not that older than us! And like we keep saying, we're not here to attack anyone."
"You'll tell your lies in front of the corpses of the people you killed! Lord Gensui, my father, everyone!" Yomito jumps high in the air and reaches into his pouch.
Shoto begins weaving hand signs. "Unfortunately for you, I'm fine with just hitting you until you stop."
"You'll fail."
Yomito throws kunai at Shoto, which are all dodged. However, the papers wrapped around their handles begin hissing. Shoto jumps just in time to avoid the blast from the Explosive Tags.
Just as Yomito comes falling in front of Shoto to continue their bout, the young boy slams his hands on the ground.
[Earth Style: Stone Bamboo Shoot]
Twin spikes jut out from the ground behind him to impale Yomito but he jumps over them just in Yomito closes the distance, Shoto resorts to using kicks while he weaves hands signs in close quarters combat, but his foe proves too fast to allow him that freedom.
The two exchange strikes, each hitting and misses in this intense taijutsu contest. Eventually, Shoto finds precious few seconds of freedom to mould his chakra.
[Earth Style: Moving Earth Core]
The ground directly under him shifts to create a square just big enough to surround him and moves downward at a great speed, taking him away from the action.
"How foolish." Yomito sneers. "Now you're trapped."
Yomito jumps after him, reading more kunai to throw.
"At least I didn't jump into an obvious trap." Shoto mocks him.
Shoto presses him arms against the wall of his new hole and a square of earth juts out from Yomito's side and slams into him with great force. Because of the tight space and him being mid-falling, he has no way of dodging.
Shoto scoffs as the pillar of earth squashes Yomito. "That was easy."
His victory is, unfortunately, not long-lived as the earthen pillar begins to crack and break.
Before, where stood a man dressed in lose robes, now stands a monster resembling the black creatures from before, the main distinguishing features being that the porcelain-like face is horned and the main of dark red hair.
[Ninja Art Possession Summoning: Nuiba]
"Oh, great."
In his new form, Yomito comes falling down prepared to strike Shoto with his massive hammer fists. Shoto thankfully is prepared for such occasions.
He once again presses his hands against the earth and this time he's the one moved aside with a pillar of earth. He finds himself back on the surface, carried by his [Moving Earth Core]. He has a few moments of rest before the very distinct sound of earth and rock being shattered fill the air. The ground beneath him shakes as an eruption of earth soon follows.
Yomito jumps out from the ground and approaches with a careful step before suddenly sprinting forward. The increased weight and force behind his fists is made obvious by the thudding sound he makes just by swinging them.
Shoto sees this as a sign to get on the defensive as best he can while trying to slither in to get a few punches himself. On his first attempt, he ducks under a punch and tries to hit Yomito in the stomach but the older boy barely flinches.
Before at least Shoto's punches were connecting and he could feel Yomito's hesitation, but now? It's like hitting a cliff.
Yomito swings again and lands a hit that sends Shoto flying despite an attempt to block it. Despite the increased size and mass, Yomito is every bit as fast as before and immediately follows Shoto. The two once again engage in taijutsu with a more clear winner this time.
Shoto has to do everything in his might to not get blown away. He tries to intercept one of Yomito's punches with a punc of his own, but that only results in his arm getting blown back.
Yomito slowly but surely gets the upper hand and leaves Shoto unable to gain any momentum.
With a well-placed strike, Shoto is sent flying.
"Surrender." Yomito demands in a deeper, altered voice. "If you do, we might find a use for your besides death."
"So dramatic." Shoto spits out blood and pushes himself off the ground with a pained groan. "I'm not surrendering and I'm not done just yet."
"You're no match for my Nuiba form, you experienced it for yourself."
"We'll see about that in a second." Shoto begins unwrapping the bandages around his left arm. 'Lee-shisho, Guy-shisho, please forgive me. I know I still have a lot of training to go through, but I believe if I don't do this, I won't win. I won't be able to protect Kotori and Yokumaru, or Naruto-shisho. That's why I have to end this as soon as I can, one way or another.'
Shoto stomps on the ground, creating a small crater.
He takes a deep breath and crosses his arms in front of his chest. His muscles tense, his breathing becomes even. The air around him seems to bend. The ground under his feet cracks from seemingly no stimulus.
He suddenly moves with arms to his side with a force great enough to create a small sonic boom.
[FIRST GATE, GATE OF OPENING: OPEN]
Shoto disappears from sight.
Yomito's eyes dart around but he doesn't see anything until it's too late.
Shoto strikes him with an elbow to the back and this time, it goes through.
With this, it becomes an even fight. Yomito with his enhanced strength and speed from his Nuiba form and Shoto with his enhanced strength and speed from opening the first of the Eight Gates.
In some ways, they return back to square one as both are equally able to give and take hits, except now the fight is happening at a much more intense speed. With every step they take, the ground shatters and with every punch thrown, the air rumbles.
'I have to finish this!' Shoto fights through the intense side-effects. 'With [Summoning], if the user falls, the summoned creatures falls, too. If I can help Yokumaru, we can then help Kotori.'
The main downside to Shoto's newfound strength is that he appears to be in pain and it's increasingly difficult to hide it. The more they engage, the more clear it becomes that Shoto is at his limit. The Gates are a powerful ally but a cruel one, as well.
Noticing this, Yomito becomes more determined to drag out combat as long as he can and wait for Shoto to ruin himself.
That is, until Shoto goes through the hand signs for [Stone Bamboo Shoots]. When he slams his hands on the ground, Yomito braces himself to dodge the spikes he knows are coming. Whatever Shoto did to himself made his taijutsu better and he doesn't want to know if it did the same to his ninjutsu.
However, nothing comes. In a moment of utter confusion, Yomito doesn't sense the danger approaching. Only in the very end, he sees from his peripheral vision, two [Stone Bamboo Shoots] flying right at him at great speeds.
'He made them behind me? No… They're the ones he made before!'
They hit him right in the back and send him flying off his feet forward. There, Shoto is ready to intercept him. With his right fist, Shoto aims for the chest with a standard punch- palm facing downward. With his left fist, Shoto aims for the stomach- palm facing upward.
[Two Handed Strike]
Yomito cries out in pain, feeling the force behind both of those simultaneous attacks.
He tries in a desperate attempt to grab Shoto but thanks to the jolt of pain in his chest and abdomen, it's easily dodged.
Shoto twists his body around the massive arm and delivers a kick to the chin with his back turned.
[Back Kick]
Yomito crumbles to the ground and reverts back to his human form.
Shoto quickly checks that the fight is truly over before turning to see Kotori just ending her own fight with the Taisa. He then quickly looks over to Yokumaru's fight.
-x-
Yokumaru Kigatsu vs. Nuiba
Yokumaru leaps back to avoid the continuous barrage of punches from both Nuiba.
'Why did I get stuck with these two? And I don't think they're even human…'
During his dodging, he does manage to weave his hand signs. While in the air, crystalized six-pointed discs appear next to his head and spn violently before shooting at the Nuiba.
[Crystal Style: Crystal Hexagonal Shuriken]
The shuriken impact their thick hides and they do reel back in pain when the crystals strike and shatter against their skin, but it doesn't halt their chase. Yokumaruo notes how none of their wounds bleed or exhibit any traits a living being usually would when they're injured.
'Does this mean they're not alive? They were summoned, but Naruto-sensei can summon toads and they're definitely alive… So are these different? If I use my Crystal Style to its fullest, will I end up regretting it?'
When the Nuiba move to attack again, Yokumaru ducks close to the ground and slams his hands on it.
[Crystal Style: Divine Pathway]
Usually, with this jutsu the crystals would usually spawn from Yokumaru's position and move forward as they continuously grow in size. This time, they grow next to him. They jut out from the ground and surround him in a protective dome of crystal needles.
The Nuiba slam their massive fists and end up destroying a couple of the crystals but they're only replaced by new ones. With each new crystal that appears, the Nuiba find themselves ensnared with increasingly little freedom. Their arms, then their legs, then their torso. Each moment a new spike appears to hold them in place.
Yokumaru steps back from the construct he just made using a little crawl space in the back he'd left open.
The Nuiba howl and screech, their voices resembling more ghosts than any living creature.
"I don't suppose this will be enough to stop you?" Yokumaru wonders if he's that lucky.
The Nuiba's struggling increases as they try to pull themselves free. In only a matter of moments, they shatter the crystals and free their arms, which allows them to then smash the crystals around their bodies and legs.
"No, I guess it wouldn't be that easy." Yokumaru sighs and jumps back to gain some distance.
The Nuiba continue their assault and prove to be a great challenge with their numbers and strength. Fending just one of these would be rought, but two? Shoto might be better suited in this kind of situation.
Still, Yokumaru fights on, making use of his smaller frame to dodge as many attacks as he can while trying to land a hit himself. When it becomes clear that he's out of his element, he tries to get some distance but one of the Nuiba manages to get in a hit as he dashes back.
He's able to react just in time to create a barrier to protect himself; a hexagonal crystal layer that covers his arms.
[Crystal Style: Crystal Hexagonal Shield]
It absorbs some of the damage, but the Nuiba's strength breaks it in pieces but it does manage to fulfill its purpose. Yokumaru flies back and catches himself on his feet.
'Sensei told us a bit about Summoning. They return to their home if they exhaust their chakra or take on too much damage, but I'm still too slow in making my Crystal Style as hardy as Guren's. For now, I'll focus on maneuverability.''
Yokumaru moves his hands over himself in a half-circular motion, crystalizing the air. A thin ring begins to form around him. When it circles under his feet, he steps on its inside and latches onto it with his chakra.
[Crystal Style: Crystal Wheel]
Yokumaru commands the wheel to spin, giving him a bit of speed but can also function as a weapon. He rides around the battlefield while chased by the Nuiba and every time they get close, he turns the wheel around to dodge and cut them with its high-speed rotation.
'With the [Divine Pathway], they broke it before I could harden it by adding more chakra, but with the [Crystal Wheel], I can continue adding my chakra to it while also keeping my distance. As long as they don't hit it directly, I can keep hardening it until it can match their strength. It's probably my most reliable weapon in my arsenal.'
Prolonging the battle is currently his most secure option and possibly the best way to end this fight. Not only does his [Crystal Wheel] grow stronger but he also gains more control over it and it becomes much easier to evade and fight back.
Whenever the Nuiba comes close to try and punch him, they're met by the whirling blade that surrounds him. Each time, they get cut more and screech out in pain.
This little game of catch all comes to one of the Nuiba eventually striking the wheel head-on, but it's already been hardened to such a degree that it no longer shatters on impact. Now it can be used as a weapon against them. The wheel spins at such a great velocity that it begins to dig into the Nuiba's arm as it continues to try and break through.
This results in the Nuiba's fist being split in half by the [Crystal Wheel].
As this is happening, the second Nuiba comes in from the side to punch Yokumaru away. He manages to spin the wheel just in time to avoid being struck but is flung away by the strength, not having been able to brace himself properly.
As he gets the wheel under control, he watches the first Nuiba screech in agony as it holds its damaged hand, covered in crystal flakes. It disappears in a puff of smoke.
"One down."
The remaining Nuiba rushes at him and he decides to return it in kind. As he gets closer with his spinning blade, the Nuiba extends both of its hands and instead of hitting it in the front, tries to grab it from the sides and stop its spinning that way.
Its hands suffer extensive cuts but it holds on with its huge fists as best as it can, and it seems to be working. Yokumaru's control of the spinning becomes more strained. If he doesn't do something to get it off, he just might lose his weapon.
[Crystal Style: Divine Pathway]
He slams his hands on the ground while steel within the wheel, opting for a method that can serve as a diversion at the very least.
The blue crystals appear from the ground to once again surround the Nuiba and trap it in place. As more of them appear, they get in the way of its grip and it's forced to lessen its hold on the [Crystal Wheel].
That's when Yokumaru takes advantage of a single thin strip of space he left when forming the [Divine Pathway], just big enough for the wheel to pass through. As the Nuiba is struck and cut, it screeches in pain and also disappears in a puff of smoke.
Yokumaru breathes deeply and allows himself to fall to the ground, the wheel clattering next to him. He looks over just in time to see both Kotori and Shoto nearly simultaneously finishing their own fights.
Yaizu runs into the clearing, no longer connected to his [Thunder Lion], but still covered in a cloak of lightning. He emerges from behind the trees, prepared to join any and every fight that's happening, but is surprised to see the kids standing with minor injuries while Taisa and Yomito are tied up nearby.
Yokumaru is currently tending to Shoto's injuries, running his chakra-enveloped hand over his injuries and sore spots.
"Are you okay?" Yaizu walks over to Team Nine.
"Yeah." Kotori nods. "Yokumaru's a really good medic." She gives a strained grin, obvious to anyone who knows her that it's not her usual bright and cheery grin.
"I'm surprised to see Taisa and Yomito here, although… I guess in hindsight I shouldn't be." Yaizu closes his eyes, taking in everything that this entails.
"You know them?" Shoto asks.
"Yeah, they're the sons of the former village heads. Although I guess with their fathers' passing, they're to be the new heads."
"They mentioned that." Kotori looks down to her feet.
"So what do we do now?" Yokumaru asks as he finishes up Shoto's treatment.
Yaizu looks to the two poor boys and then to the clearing where he just came from. "I promised to take you far away from this place but I can't just leave them here. I now know for certain that Mōkin was somehow involved in all this. If I can catch up to Naruto, I can help him convince Enzo."
"Then we'll just go back with you." Shoto states.
"Did you not hear that we're on the verge of a possible war? This isn't the place for Genin."
"Then what should we do? Run back to the Leaf on our own? We'll be safe around you and we can take care of ourselves as you can see." Shoto motions to the unconscious boys. "If we're on the verge of a war, then let's hurry up and stop it."
Yaizu growls as he considers his options. "Fine. Just stay close to me."
He walks over to Taisa and Yomito and grabs them under his arms to carry them away. When they leave for the clearing that Yaizu fought Mōkin in, they see the other man tied up against a tree.
Yaizu only now wonders to himself how he's going to carry three unconscious people all the way back to the village.
"This man…" Kotori slowly walks up to Mōkin. "This man knows me. He's been looking for me. Wanted to kill me…"
"You don't have to do this, Kotori." Yokumaru says in a gentler voice.
"I do." She answers back.
She reaches over to remove his tengu mask. As she does, his entire body crumbles and becomes a cluster of feathers that fall to the ground.
Kotori jumps back in surprise.
"A Clone?!" Yaizu immediately begins scanning the area. "When did the bastard switch… Shit, if he's going back to the village…"
"No…" Kotori grabs a fistful of feathers. "He had answers. He could've told me where I came from, who I am."
"What're you talking about?" Shoto walks over and stands beside her. "You're Kotori Uzumaki, what more do you need to know? Have these five years meant nothing to you?"
Kotori grits her teeth and throws the feathers at him as she stands up. "What would you know?! Waking up every day, asking yourself why you don't have parents, why you don't have a home like other kids. Wondering if you're ever going to have anyone who cares about you…"
"And now you have parents and a home." Shoto remains unphased. "So there's no need to wonder about that or about the past."
"Shoto…" Kotori clenches her fist.
Yokumaru takes an apprehensive step forward. "Guys, please stop."
"That'll be enough of that." Yaizu says in a much more authoritative voice. "If you want to argue, you can do that later; we don't have the time right now."
Before Yaizu can form a more coherent plan of action, set back a bit by the absence of Mōkin, their little gathering is interrupted by a sudden surge of chakra.
They feel a massive killing intent that sends all four of them to their knees, unable to think, barely able to breathe from fear.
"What… is this…" Yaizu tries to fight back whatever this feeling is, but is unable to. 'In all my years, I've never felt anything like this.'
A distant but loud howl fills the air.
It's not an usual sound in these parts, given that the Tenrō clan oftentimes use tamed wolves to fight alongside, akin to the Inuzuka's use of ninja hounds. However, this is so much more than that.
This howl fills you with a sense of dread. It awakens the most basic instinct a living creature has- survival. They immediately know that their lives are in danger. Every single ounce of their bodies is telling them to run away.
This is an apex predator.
When Yaizu regains his motor functions, he sets the boys down on the ground and immediately goes for a high tree to survey the area.
What he finds at the top sends a shock to his system.
Out in the distance is an unfamiliar humongous canine figure, possibly larger than Mōkin's phoenix or even the fake Nine Tails that attacked the Hidden Dream Village.
Suddenly appearing next to it is another more familiar figure, glowing orange, that swishes its nine tails through the air.
"What's happening…" Yaizu whispers to himself.