~NRK~
Dealing with Kenju this early in the morning wasn't doing them any favors so they ignored him.
"Geez, talk about a killjoy," Oboro said as they fixed-up the Set. "Like, seriously, why's he gotta be a perv this early in the morning? Or, like, ever?" He groaned. "Is this a rich snob only-live-in-a-seat thing?"
"It's certainly showing who he is," Obito frowned as he sewed-up many costumes' small tears. "But I can ignore him for now, Ippan's with the others by the Temple and he's not allowed on the Set, anyway."
"Speaking of, we're gonna do a 'rerun' of the fights from yesterday and then move on to a cinematic scene, right?"
"Correct."
With the kids besides Tsuyoyoi and that Kamui Woods guy, Ippan focused on her positioning.
"From here, we'll be messing with the scene a bit-kon," Asuka said as she flexed a hand at the Set.
It began to slant from an outgrowth of roots that coiled around its foundation and cracked it.
The show of strength was terrifying and confusing.
"I know this seems a bit, well, hypocritical," Ippan began.
"You're wondering why I never became a Pro Hero, aren't you?"
"Yes."
"You're wrong about that, by the way, I do have a Hero License," Ippan's jaw dropped. "Young lady, I'm 87 with amazing youthful looks, skill, and time. I'm gonna do all kinds of stuff while I'm up and about-kon."
"Huh," she'd never seen that coming. "I'm surprised, ma'am, with how you talk about family matters I just considered you'd never do anything besides focus on it."
"Let me tell ya something, there was a 'third option'," Asuka explained as Flare and Ann came over while Natsuo was getting checked out by medical personnel in the background. "Become so strong that they're forced to take a stance of 'pyrrhic victory or shameful silence'."
"T-That strong?"
"Yes, I can feel it in you-kon."
Ippan was surprised as the woman's Sharingan spun.
"Your quirk has impossibly high potential in it. I'm sure I could truly nurture your abilities given the time to do so. Really think over my offer."
"I… I am."
"So, uh, problem?" Flare said, confusing them. "Natsuo's limbs might have taken a beating," her eyes went flat and to the shrugging Asuka. "They're not broken or anything but he's not gonna be doing any high movement scenes anymore. Thankfully, there are only ten scenes left but at least 2, maybe 3, will end up as fights."
"What's the plan?" Ippan asked, concerned, as Ann rubbed the back of her head.
"Do you remember when Shoda-san told us your boyfriend, uh, fit Natsuo's characteristics?" She asked sheepishly.
Ippan's jaw dropped.
"It's really that problematic," Natsuo sighed as Obito ran his hand down his face.
"Say that I do, what's the timeframe on my lines?"
"We can give you a couple days," Tsuyoyoi said nervously. "But most of these people have to be places, you understand. We can't push it back more than, maybe, three days?"
"..." The Uchiha cupped his chin with a frown. "How many lines is it?"
"Exactly 123."
"Give me a day to memorize them and then we'll practice."
"You thinkin' you can keep that up?" Oboro asked.
"I'll have to, whether I like it or not, I have people here and I'm not going to disappoint," Obito said. "Let me see the script."
That's how he'd ended up sitting in a large circle with Tsuyoyoi, Flare, Asuka, Ann, Natsuo, Ippan, Habami, Taira, and Asumi.
An hour of rehearsing lines showed surprising results.
"So, it's just emotions," Obito rubbed his throat.
"When could you change your voice like that?" Ippan asked in shock.
"For a while, I just don't do it often. All things considered, it's really been some time," he'd not altered his voice over an entire lifetime.
It wasn't surprising.
"You copied my voice perfectly!" Natsuo said with calculative eyes as Obito's eyebrow trembled.
"Please don't get any ideas. Not for future movies nor for body-doubles."
"... We'll see."
"Goddammit."
Wearing the Akagumi Head uniform once more, Obito nodded to the others as they looked up at the slanted temple.
"Actually, Shoda-san, I never considered it but how strong is this man?" The Uchiha asked. "From the earlier fight with Rose, it's clear Konji has decent skill if not an irresistible urge to rush attacks but how powerful is he?"
"Let's see, with the Ten Year War he was noticeably strong for an 'average man'. Being trained from a young age 20 years into the emergence of quirks, he likely had a good amount of genes in him already. Likely, his Hotblooded Quirk made him as strong as someone nowadays with a basic quirk but enhanced body."
"I understand. The base has grown powerfully over the years."
"That big of a difference is crazy," Keigo said. "I get that it's over 130 years ago but, still, if someone with a quirk back then was only as powerful as, say, me as a teen that discrepancy is big."
"Of course, it's like World Records being broken every other year," Sensoji explained. "It's just that the scale for those with quirks is typically pretty high but for them to only be as strong as the winged kid," Keigo's 'hey!' was ignored. "That's not impressive."
"To the world of 100 years ago, you'd be their closest 'All Might'," Tsuyoyoi said, amused, as Sensoji gawked at him. "Yes, it was that different. You should honestly look into history more," he chuckled. "It's a hell of a 'story' in and of itself."
"Hmph. For now, what's he doing? If this 'Konji' guy is only as strong as Keigo, that's really not that impressive."
"In strength, he'd be his superior but speed is Konji's weakness. It's why he has such heavy strikes and yet a stationary reaction style. Obito must chase the priestesses while realizing how much he failed to truly push his body and quirk, he fails because he literally didn't try hard enough but his passion makes him a true blue 'legend'."
"What exactly happened after this 'movie'?" Ippan asked.
"Nothing great."
"Understood," Shouta said immediately. "For now, this is what we've got for the next couple days, huh?"
~NRK~
The next five hours were tiring, exhilarating even for Obito in some regard, and curious.
"You've taken to this kind of acting like a fish to water, why didn't you decide to be an actor? We could have easily cornered the market on black-haired men with finesse," the feline man declared with fire in his eyes, his wrapped arms still good enough for a pose or three.
"Please stop getting ideas," Obito declared as they sat in a circle with the female stars, the Creatoria Idol group, Ippan, and Tsuyoyoi. "This is a one-time thing, don't get your hopes up."
"He's still gotta point, damn you can act," Hosoi said in shock as Obito shrugged.
"She's right, Obito-kun, y-you can do all of that stuff without worrying," Ippan said in awe as he grew a bit flustered.
"Be that as it may, those skills should hopefully not have to see the light of day for any occasions. I just hope this isn't an omen of things to come," he said flatly. "Lord knows he is already taken with me being a body-double," the swordsman gestured to the thoughtful cat. "God above."
"Hmmm but we can make that work," Habami said. 'I didn't think he could act,' this changed things!
And, if she was lucky, good things for her!
"Today went well, Obito-kun, I can tell ya that guy is probably real proud," Tsuyoyoi said in amusement. "Mastering skills has always been a pastime of his."
"If you say so, I know the reason but this still feels odd," Obito admitted as Nagabiko looked thoughtful before squeaking at a fist 'thunking' against her crown.
"Nope, ya little squeaker, he'll learn when he learns," Asuka told the whining mouse. "What's next up, Tsuyoi-kun?"
"For now? A break and then script-reading with some film stills which Natsuo can handle. Get some rest!" The producer announced. "We'll restart in an hour!"
Obito wiped down within the forest while Ippan sat outside and spoke with the children, Keigo, Asuka, and Nagabiko.
"So, ya know?" Keigo whispered. "Tonight, right?"
"Yes, hopefully, we'll go and come back quickly," Ippan told him quietly.
"W-We know the way back," Imai whispered.
"We'll try to be swift," Shouji nodded.
"Still, after that, it's purely focusing on this whole thing," Keigo said, voice returning to normal volume. "And, well, dealing with Kenju," he said with an annoyed face. "God, of course, your first month couldn't be any better, huh?"
"It's sadly not impossible," Ippan told them as her ears twitched up, nose twitching, as that smell of ozone reached her 'range'.
With some effort put towards showing off how well her quirk worked, Obito and her played 'games' where he'd hide and she'd have to determine how far away he was.
Such a Game was actually incredibly unfair, to him, seeing as her 'kitsune' quirk seemingly came with all the benefits of a normal 'fox' quirk.
Flexibility and a magnetism sense being the big things.
With their Games, she'd gotten more used to the idea and slightly 'broadened' it.
If she met someone, she could tell if they had a quirk, if they had metal on them, and what types of elemental quirk they had if they had one.
So, she knew what she was 'feeling for' when it came to minding her perimeter.
"He's coming this way," she told them as Keigo frowned while the kids grew nervous. "Calm down, I promise, you're alright," Ippan said kindly as a familiar male kitsune arrived.
"So, we finally meet," Kenju said confidently. "Your possessor hasn't been rather kind, Ippan-san."
"Obito-kun is always protective," Ippan smiled. "He does his best to always take care of me while helping me live out my dreams," with 'acting', she really couldn't be called 'good'.
But with the truth, how she felt, and the things Obito did for her? Ippan was quite 'fluent'.
Keigo cleared his throat, embarrassed, while Imai's eyes sparkled and Shou looked bashful.
Kenju's expression twitched a good bit. 'Troublesome,' it would seem that human had been working his way into this beauty's heart. "Yes, well, he's quite rude about it. It's a bit concerning."
'Is this guy serious?' Keigo thought flatly. 'Has he, like, never tried before in his life?' It seemed like it.
"Maybe but you've been rather rude as well, Arasaka-san."
The man flinched as Ippan looked bashful.
"I know you're a fan but you haven't been courteous to us nor Obito-kun," the female kitsune said. "We are all 'human', as he says, there's no difference between you, me, or him besides quirks on many levels."
Kenju's eyebrow twitched as Keigo smirked under his breath.
"Look, I'm going to be honest, you can do better," the clearly wealthy man began while adjusting his collar and crossing his arms. "He's not someone of note, he's quite sad," Kenju frowned deeply. "He's a man who'd try to defend you against powers no one could predict in this day and age, I mean, look at your shoulder. I'm sure that happened when he couldn't handle it."
"He knows," Ippan said with a tilt of the head.
"Then, you surely would be better protected by someone with more to offer."
"Hmm… But I'm happy," she said after a small pause with a smile, alarming Kenju. "You're not wrong, objectively, but I'd never be happy like that."
"You can be. Instead of standing by some failure who couldn't even protect you properly, you could be beside someone who can truly make your dreams come true, someone with ideas on how to properly push your best part, your quirk, to take the world stage!"
"My quirk, huh?" Ippan wore a strained smile. "I'm not really a fan of my quirk."
"W-What? My lady, your quirk is magnificent, it's truly who you are."
Her ears went flat as she wore a soft frown.
"And, like that, you've failed," Keigo said with a shake of the head as Shou rubbed the back of his head while Imai huffed as much as a little girl could.
Kenju frowned.
"You don't like her because of who she is, you just like her quirk!" Imai declared indignantly as the man grimaced. "You're the worst!"
He flinched back as Keigo chuckled while Ippan pouted a bit.
"If even a kid could figure that out, that definitely tells me you're hopeless," Keigo said. "That old lady's right about who you are, you're really just that much of an airhead."
"Excuse me?" The man growled.
"You're obsessed with quirks, you don't even care about the ladies holdin' 'em," the bird boy said as he flexed his wings. "It's no surprise you never courted anyone, your personality is crap."
"Keigo-kun, there's no need for such language," Ippan admonished gently as he wore a sheepish grin. "Arasaka-san, no offense, but I'm not interested in what you're offering."
"B-But think about this! I could offer you a world where your quirk is accepted no matter who whims against it," he declared.
"You mean 'forced to accept it', don't you? I don't want a world where people are forced to be kind to me. Because of money, because of punishment being hung over their heads," Ippan declared with a truly happy smile. "It's not always been great but Obito-kun was truly one of the special ones, he gave me his affection despite how different we are, he opened a path to other people who like me for who I am and not what I am. I think that's a perfect life for me to have."
"And it'll be so as long as I can keep that going," Obito declared, form appearing behind the group against a tree trunk. "Ippan-chan," he uttered softly as she beamed at him.
The Arasaka man's body bulged and quaked as he locked onto the Uchiha's fondness and the Josei woman's affectionate smile.
"You filthy human," the kitsune man hissed as his air grew wild and violent.
'He's a mutant-type with transformative abilities,' Keigo thought as the man's suit expanded along with his growing size. "Of course, he could pay for that," he said flatly as Ippan sweatdropped.
Obito blinked and his Sharingan spun to life as he eyed up the seemingly 10-foot-tall gray-furred kitsune who'd looked down at him, specifically, as six tails sprouted from his rear while crackling with electricity.
"W-Wait, his quirk's not just transformation?"
"Of course not, boy, you know nothing about Quirks and the 'potential' of their 'Classes'," Kenju declared, face transformed into an oddly 'stylized' kitsune rendition that seemed like it was made from sleek stone. "Kitsune Quirks are of a special variety, 'Mythological Quirks', that have special 'effects'," his eyes narrowed down at Obito as the Uchiha stood there in nothing but his borrowed costume's pants and his ninja sandals. "A power that shouldn't be tainted by your worthless blood."
"Save your breath you overgrown rat," Obito said flatly as the male kitsune's eyes narrowed.
Ippan frowned as she stood between them, alarming Kenju while getting an intrigued eye out of Obito as his tomoe spun.
'Her soul's shape is…' No, there was something else.
The female kitsune's quirk was slowly taking in the energy from Kenju, his quirk's power and yet untrained state clear as day to the Uchiha.
Obito smirked.
"Lady Ippan, I'd ask you to step down."
"No, no more fighting, I gave my answer, Arasaka-san."
He grimaced while looking past his fellow kitsune to see Obito standing up-
"Ippan-chan, it's fine," the Uchiha said, confusing her as Kenju's eyes narrowed once the quirkless stood at Ippan's side. "In fact, I'm sure he's up for a fight," Obito declared as Kenju's body twitched. 'Gotcha,' he smirked. "You're quite right, Kenju, you do hold a mythological quirk type. So, how about this? You win this little fight I'll propose and me & Ippan-chan will follow you around for a week this month."
Kenju's eyes snapped to his grin. "State your wager, boy," he grinned smugly down at the Uchiha.
"Ah, but that's not everything," Obito smiled knowingly, confusing the group. "After all, I won't be using my swords," he told the alarmed man who stepped back in suspicion. 'Oh? Now, you're suspicious?' How fortunate.
Manipulating him would go quite easily.
"Come now, Kenju-san, surely a quirkless man using only his body isn't going to be an impossible match for you."
"Excuse me?" The male kitsune growled.
"Yes, I'm sure I'll be more than enough of a challenge for you like this," Obito gestured to his attire. "Besides some bandages, this is all that'll be necessary," he shrugged. "Do you accept?"
A rumble filled Kenju's throat. "Agreed," he hissed.
Keigo's jaw dropped at this obvious ploy. 'H-He just agreed to anything?!' How the hell was this guy rich again?! 'He exploited his fetish and then made him angry,' picture-perfect exploitation.
"On my end, if I win, there's three objectives. Nothing obscene, make no mistake," Obito said while raising three fingers. "One, you leave us alone entirely for the last two weeks of the month," he ticked one, surprising the older male. "Two, you can't use any legalities against me and, make no mistake once more, I'm not planning on doing anything illegal to you, your property, or your likeness, it's just for safety."
Kenju kissed his teeth as he realized what had happened.
"Thirdly? You give me all the fur on your six tails."
That one surprised all of them.
"Mister?" Shou spoke up.
"Do you agree to these stipulations, Kenju-san?" Obito asked simply, arms crossed.
The businessman frowned before cupping his chin. "Hmph," he scoffed as Obito smirked. "Very well. When?"
"Let's see, we'll do it to tonight."
The kitsune returned to normal, transformation falling away to reveal a look of suspicion but also a grin.
"We'll see, boy, don't make any mistakes," Kenju smirked fully as he bowed to Ippan before taking his leave.
When Obito was sure he was out of earshot, he snorted. "That man can have as much 'business sense' as he wants, he's an idiot," he smirked.
"Obito? I don't understand?" Ippan asked.
"He manipulated him," Keigo told her, surprising the kitsune. "Oh yeah, think about it, why'd he agree without thinking? And then, when given a second chance, why'd he agree again?" His eyes went to Kenju and the man's chatter on his phone. "Those rules, in the end, seem fair but think of what Obito really promised him."
She looked down in thought before her ears flagged.
"Yep, but it's not just those few days."
"I didn't just give him guaranteed time but also leniency," Obito said. "I told him to leave us be at the end of the month all for the sake of a few days. Secondly, he's not a fighter and it shows, he thinks the moment I'm without my weapons that I'm no threat."
"He looked a bit weird about it, though," Shou said as Imai nodded.
"Of course, he did, he's still a businessman. He knows a crooked deal but he also knows there's no money on the line," Obito shrugged. "It's all social ability and if there's one thing a businessman will want more of, it's that. Also, he has an obvious temper, it all came together and I also guaranteed no bull when it comes to legality. This is gonna be a straightforward fight."
~NRK~
The next five hours saw them script reading, practicing, patching up costumes, and talking.
Which meant that, at 5 pm when they were done, everyone knew what was happening.
"Uh, that wise, man?" Oboro asked. "I mean, yeah, he's a businessman and he's clearly not a fighter."
"It's better to settle things like men," Asuka declared, leaning back in her seat in Taira's tank-like vehicle. "Besides, you got some sort of idea, didn't you," She said more than asked.
"Of course, obaa-san, it's also one that I'm curious about," Obito said. "Did you originally have that power of yours? Or did it come later on when it comes to being a kitsune?"
Asuka scoffed but didn't deny it. "I've got old family who can use plant-based quirks, yes."
"Which makes me curious about not just Ippan's quirk but also what that can all be made into."
"Right, your sword," Ippan remembered.
"Uh, explain?" Nemuri asked. "What's his sword gotta do with this?"
"I need to turn it from a 'Nameless Blade' into a 'Named One'," Obito explained.
"That sounds awesome!" Hosoi said with eyes full of wonder.
"Sounds complicated," Sensoji said.
"It likely is, for now, I'm gathering materials for its future and I think kitsune fur will help," Obito said as he shot Ippan a sheepish smile.
"I'll donate what I can," she beamed at him as he smiled appreciatively. "S-Still, your fight's first."
"I'm already aware of what I have to do," the Uchiha declared. "But I won't go in there without expecting at least some ingenuity. I'll be honest, I expect that much out of most people who've had their quirks for a long time."
"It should be the norm-kun," Asuka said as Nagabiko looked down with red cheeks. "But it's not. I'll be honest, the very fact that people just have power they don't train is confusing to me. Why are they not using your full potential?"
"I mean, not everyone can just think of fighting," Ippan said.
"It's not really about that, though-kon. It's your power, it's a great part of yourself, so why ignore that and not see where it'll take you? It could easily find you a job, hobby, or even lifestyle change. I picked up gardening because of my quirk, there are benefits to actually stressing your quirk."
Ippan tilted her head before looking down at her clawed hands, flexing those powerful slender digits of hers before Obito trailed a finger up one before tapping it in.
He did the same for each of the rest before nodding.
"We'll make you strong," he told her as she smiled. "Just let me handle this for now."
~NRK~
Reaching the recreational center came with a surprising amount of calm as Obito went about just exercising like normal with Ippan, Keigo, and the kids.
"A-Aren't you nervous, nii-chan?" Imai asked from atop his treadmill's computer.
"No, not really, Imai-kun," Obito said.
"Why?" Shou asked as Ippan smiled before him, running on her own treadmill. "That guy's body was all flicky-flicky, he looked super-strong, nii-chan," he said in concern.
"For one, Shou-kun, you're talking about electricity."
"Ele-ky?"
"E-lec-tri-ci-ty," Ippan sounded it out for the children, Imai's nose scrunching up as she tried to say the word. "It's… A-Actually, um, do you two know what electronics are?"
"Those are the doohickies," Imai said before looking unsure. "U-Um, the stuff with moving things on those boxes?"
"You're likely talking about TVs."
"Yeah, those things!"
"Do you not have many electronics in your village, Shou-kun?" Obito asked kindly.
"Not really, from what I've seen in other people's huts there's only the TVs with those feelers at the top," the six-armed boy said.
"You mean 'antenna'."
"Yeah! The things like the feelers on ants."
They exercised while speaking at length with the kids, an hour of enjoyable effort that saw them sitting on a bench with Nemuri and Ryuuki.
"It's about time for your match," the lizard idol said while checking her phone. "The guard switch is to happen soon."
"Understood," Obito said before there was movement out of the corner of his eye. "And there he is… What is he wearing?" He began to speak before staring in disbelief at Kenju coming up to him.
In a black samurai armor over a thick dark gray jumpsuit of all things…?
Obito's eyes narrowed in interest as Nemuri sweatdropped.
"Well, he's clearly taking this seriously," she said.
"Arasaka," Obito stood, surprising the others as he walked up to the 'prepared' kitsune. "Who made this armor?"
"Hmm?" Kenju looked smug as he stood proudly within his attire. "Of course, who else but the great Detnerat?!"
'That company…' Obito cupped his chin in thought while Geten perked up nearby. "The life support company?"
"Of course, they can make amazing items that don't pull on my fur."
Okay, now he needed to speak with Detnerat.
"Good to know, alright, we've got Room 1 reserved. Let's get this over with," Obito told him as he gestured to the door and walked ahead with Ippan and the others.
Kenju looked more assured of himself than he had been earlier.
Obito hummed.
Reaching their personal combat room, they walked in before the two combatants moved to the center of the arena.
"The rules are as such, Arasaka-san," Obito began as he stopped and turned to find his opponent holding out his arms as his form enlarged, his powerful black claws flexing in preparation. "The first person to tap out, to lose the will to fight, or to fall unconscious," he pulled a pair of white bandages out of his wrist brace before tying them on.
He took off his top before Kenju's eyes widened at something on the Uchiha's person.
That pinwheel-shaped black mark on the left side of his chest.
"And that is?" He asked, suspicious.
"Just some marker work," Obito said, finishing his bandages. "Now, could someone referee?"
"Alright," Keigo came forward, Asuka and Nagabiko slipping into the room before he did.
"Let's see how he works-kon," the redheaded grandma said. "Likely, he'll show what he's figured out since our talk yesterday."
"Wait, what?" Nemuri blinked. "Hold on, you guys had a super-secret training session!?"
"Hah! You think such a thing wouldn't be noticeable?" Asuka smirked.
"Ugh, dammit, why are you such a jerk and yet so cool!?"
"Why are you praising her?" Keigo sweatdropped as Obito snorted before crossing his arms.
'I'll finally see how much this changes,' Obito thought.
Last Night…
-About our quirks?- Hokei asked, surprised, as he hummed over the line. -I suppose this makes sense with everything you've told me but, now, I'm curious. Asuka offered to train you, no?-
"Yes," Obito said. "We'll likely make the move when we get back and go to Mustafu."
-That seems like the right idea. I didn't think such a worrying circumstance would come to a head like this- Hokei muttered. -Still, this can also be seen as 'good luck'. You've become aware of not just them but also your grandmother which will get you more training. Quite frankly, this is a net positive. Now, as for your paren-
"All of you, jii-chan."
-Hmm, we raised you right. You know my quirk, I can raise my spirit in bursts while also being able to form a field of minor defense around me. You know your grandmother's power. As for your father and mother? Itsuki had the power to release his limits which, I'm sure, has already manifested itself in you as a 'spirit trait' if you will. While you've shown yourself as being able to enhance your spirit, I'm not sure if that's from myself or your grandmother, after all, though different in several applications my brother and I share similar quirks-
Obito considered that. 'That doesn't tell me anything,' and it wasn't important right now.
If anything, he already had a 'ticket' to see his true grandfather, it'd just take time.
"Continue, please."
-And Asuka's quirk has three parts to it: The absorption of spiritual energy, the enhancement of her own spirit with said energy, and the empowerment of plants. She's scary because she using those three parts unanimously after she learned gardening. Think of this, the plants she raises all can be enhanced with her quirk-
Obito's eyes widened. "And they grow their own? Or, really, they passively absorb spiritual energy," he realized. 'Good God, she's actually terrifying,' what was he dealing with?
A potential Senju? This sounded like Hashirama and Tsunade combined.
-You got it right, it's the latter by natural growth, by the way. She used that to its highest limit a year ago, apparently, she got into it in a forest-
The event Habami had told them about with those kidnappers.
-She seriously caused some 'noise' that's been talked about in a lot of circles. I'm sure she had her company cover it up, she's rather secretive with her quirk outside of 'Family Business'- Hokei said. -And the potency of the plant life she pulls from is greater than her own power since she's also sucking in the life force of it as well. She's quite obviously a monster compared to most in the public eye save for Endeavor and All Might-
"We'll speak on 'that' bit another time," Obito said. "We got off-track even if this information is definitely necessary," he frowned.
-Indeed. Well, with four 'parts' established, the last is your mother. Hitomi Uchiha was her name and she was the one who gave you your name-
Obito's eyes softened, a twitch in his spirit going unaddressed.
-She came from a family outside of our business, a woman whose quirk allowed her to bring out the 'potential' of whatever she held- He sounded somber. -It's a power that was considered incredible but it only worked on things she had a connection to. Whether it was a toy, a doll, a sewing needle, a premature baby-
Obito's eyes widened before he grit his teeth.
-She had to truly love it with all her heart. I'm sure, one day, it'll manifest. You're a logical man… But, nephew, you love greatly-
Obito closed his eyes as he crossed his arms over his face, palms facing outward.
Asuka's eyes widened at something alarming. 'His spirit's rising?' But that wasn't all.
Her Sharingan spun as her view of the world shifted.
And she saw his spirit filling those bandages currently filled wit… Oh.
That's how it was.
Ippan rubbed her left arm in concern.
"Both fighters," Keigo began, arm raised. "On your mark!"
Kenju's stance widened as a helmet formed over his noggin.
"Get set!"
Obito widened his stance as his arms lowered at his sides, the sight of swirling teal on their white surface confusing Kenju.
"GO-!"
There was an eruption of stone as the combatants vanished.
Obito's form skipped back from the choking Kenju before he landed.
A thunderous kick punched the wealthy man further in as the Uchiha's foot touched the floor again.
His tomoe spun.
Keigo whistled as the older male battered the kitsune into the wall like he was a punching bag.
There was no hesitation in his blows, no worries given towards Kenju's 'health'.
No, Obito beat him as he deserved.
The quirkless man's form finally relented as he skipped back from that cloud of dust and stone, falling pebbles left in his wake.
"Geez, he didn't even wait!" Nemuri gawked. "T-Those bandages, are they special or something?"
"No, well, maybe not to anyone else but him-kon," Asuka smirked, confusing them save for a baffled Ippan.
"I-It has some of my fur in them," she told the others, confusing them. "Obito said he wanted to put some in before their fight but I thought it was purely for 'luck'."
"Aye, likely, it was partly for 'luck' but there's more to it. I'm guessing his mother's 'trait' is showing."
Keigo's eyes snapped to her sardonic amusement.
"Her quirk allowed her to resonate her spirit with things she had a close connection to," the old kitsune said, surprising them.
"So, wait, he's inheriting traits?" Ryuuki frowned. "How? This doesn't make sense."
"Wrong, it's actually very easy to understand. If he inherits manipulation of his soul, why would he not gain 'traits' of those in his blood? As he's said before, I'd bet, one's bloodline can truly determine a lot about them."
There was a choking figure who hit the ground on trembling limbs, Kenju's mask released a vile amount of blood.
'How?!' The male kitsune thought as he rigidly raised his head towards the apathetic Obito. "T-This doesn't KAUGH!" He choked on some that tasted like copper.
"I told you, I'd not do anything else besides face you as I am," Obito held out his arms at his sides. "No more, no less."
"Y-You harlot! This armor was made to defend against the blow of a reinforced sledgehammer!"
"I'm sure but last I checked, you're not fully-covered. I just have to keep hitting the parts you can't defend," the quirkless man declared. "Besides, you're also just leaking power I can use, anyway," Obito's arms dropped as his fists tightened.
They sparked like a raging falcon, alarming the kitsune.
"They're a prototype I've got in mind," Obito said as he walked towards the flinching kitsune. "The 'Ex. Enhance' sounds good, though," he declared as his right fist glowed bright while the left lost all its 'flare'.
He looked down at the kitsune and his quaking tails-
The six's stabs found themselves slapped away by the back of his glowing fist, its power increasing with each parry causing the noise to ring in Kenju's ears.
He paled as the Uchiha brought it down.
The explosion rocked the air and shot back into that wall once more, leaving behind a trail of smoke.
Obito's sparking fist fizzled out as he nodded to the unconscious man. "This really wasn't a great fight," he admitted flatly as Keigo snickered.
"Not surprising, even without the last-minute power-up," he said. "I guess 'neutral offense' to the guy but he's really not a fighter, the moment he showed up in that armor it became really clear, I'm just surprised by your first rush down on him."
"For the first time in a long time, I just wanted to hurt whoever I'm facing. There's nothing to add to that, Keigo-kun, it's literally just my limits being a good bit 'lighter'."
"Makes sense. So, watcha makin'?"
Obito smirked at the cheeky boy. "The future of my elemental-combative blade," he told him, surprising the teen before he smacked his fist into his palm.
"Wait, dude, that's perfect!" Keigo realized. "And it'd be Butsuri's 'sibling' in skills, too."
"Well done," Ryuuki said neutrally, eyes going to Obito's arms. 'Mother needs to know about this,' he was too unique.
"Indeed, you're developing," Asuka said. "So, you can just make them on the fly?"
"No, sadly, it fizzled out," Obito admitted, showing the burnt mark where Ippan's fur used to be. "To be fair, this was done last-minute so, perhaps, this will be different if it's properly made."
"We'll find out soon enough."
It was time to drop the kids off and get those smithing texts.
~NRK~
Obito nodded to the messenger as he took the man's delivery of a large bundle of fur into his and Ippan's room and closed the door.
He put all of that in one corner of the room before hearing the buzzing from the bathroom.
With Ippan's willingness, they got this done tonight with Asuka's help in shearing off her fur.
Obito did his best to not think about what 'places' needed the help of another woman's eye and sat down on his bed.
Looking down at his bandages, he flexed his hands.
'It was truly perfect,' and now he had more to work with. 'Best to concept a few ideas now.'
His mind went to the properties of all the fur he'd get from the kitsune.
"Ippan's can clearly passively absorb elements," Obito muttered. "Kenju's is likely going to provide some benefit to electricity," it'd been what the man's quirk seemingly did. "Actually, we should probably test Ippan's resilience to elements to see what 'sticks'," he kept muttering, thinking, and planning.
Obito lost himself within his plans, flopping onto his back as he closed his eyes.
Some time passed, he wasn't sure how much, before he found a weight at his side alongside a head of blonde hair.
"Obi-kun?" Ippan called, laying down on his arm before blushing as it found itself around her shoulder. "H-Hey," she beamed happily as his eyes opened.
"Yes, the sam-You cut your hair?" Obito made to say something before finding his girlfriend's hair sitting at around nape-length with a single long bang coming down over her right eye. "... It's cute," he admitted as her blush grew more vibrant alongside her smile. "Y-You know I mean that."
"Hm~ Yes, I do," she giggled.
"Are you two done?" Asuka asked with a raised brow as the couple sat u- "Actually, no, hurry it up. The 'romance' can come after me having grandchildren-kon," she declared after a bit of thought.
The pair blushed like tomatoes while Obito facepalmed.
"Baba."
"Bite me, brat."
Obito rolled his eyes while grasping the squeaking Ippan's side- "... Oh," he said as her entire face turned red, his hand resting on her shirt-covered side.
And noticing how smooth it was, his mind going to perverted places before he cleared his throat.
"I'm sorry," he let go immediately she fidgeted beside him.
"I-It's not a problem," she said quickly, her snout a powerful red. 'I'm so sensitive!' In the 'worst' of ways!
Sleeping was going to be really 'rough' for a week!
"God, kids these days are so slow," Asuka groaned as the couple blushed again.
"Good God, save it, woman! This isn't that simple!" Obito exclaimed.
"Yes it is-kon."
"Oh my God."
Ippan folded her hands in her lap.
Quite a few rough nights ahead.
~NRK~
It struck '12' when they made their move.
That's how the group, wearing all-black clothes, found themselves leaving the recreational center that night.
Keigo's cloak-covered body turned back and forth as they moved under the shade of trees.
"They're not near us, it's fine," Asuka told him as Obito nodded.
"Our senses put Shirou and Kim on the opposite side of the building, we're good to keep moving and we've closed all of our windows," the quirkless man said as he tugged on his hood as he and Ippan picked up the children. "Let's move."
They began running, senses open to the world around them as they kept pace with one another.
"You need to speed up your body," Asuka told Keigo and Nagabiko, looking absolutely unaffected by their current pace alongside Obito and Ippan. "The moment you get tired, we're gonna have to carry you."
Nagabiko winced while Keigo frowned.
"I know I can't fly but you're a real mean mistress," he said.
"You're damn right I am-kon."
They kept it up for maybe 30 minutes, the group passing their set and continuing on.
"You're all so fast," Shou said in Ippan's arms, Imai in Obito's.
"We have to be, Shou-kun," Ippan said as he nodded before looking bashful.
"U-Um, my name's Shouji, Mezou Shouji," he admitted.
"Pleased to meet you, again, Mezou-kun," she said kindly with a giggle as he burned before nodding.
"I'm 'Imai Tatsuki'," the girl told Obito as he raised a brow before nodding.
"It's a good name, Imai-kun," he told the pleased child.
They kept going, their run taking them to a large river.
Also where Nagabiko needed a break.
Sitting by the riverbank with the mouse idol, they looked up at the moon while checking their senses.
"I don't hear anything," Ippan said while Asuka nodded with a frown.
"You're right but the weird thing is that I can tell where Shirou is but not Kim," she declared.
"Shouldn't she be beside him, anyway?" Keigo said.
"Assumably," the kitsune woman said ominously. "We're moving to the tree line," she ordered as her feet glowed.
The floor beneath them swirled with glowing grass before she jabbed her thumb to the side.
They shuffled over to the river's far end before ducking into the forest as the grass returned to normal.
Nagabiko groaned within the cool grass beneath them as they all sat and waited.
A thirty-minute rest rewarded them with their 'answer'.
"Tch," Kim grimaced as she looked around with a frown. "Where the hell are they?!" She growled as she took off again.
Watching her go had the group growing uneasy.
"They're watching us that closely?" Asuka frowned as she widened her senses.
And found a confusing situation.
"She's the only one out here-kon."
"Wait, what?" Ippan blinked.
"Did she go out on her own?" Keigo considered. "I'll be honest, she always struck me as impatient and easy-to-anger. She really gave me the stink eye after our fight on the set and that really didn't end up with much, it's not like we could really hurt each other."
"So, she's gone on her own to solve things," Obito frowned deeply. "What does this mean for us?" He asked them. "It's been 90 minutes since we started and she came all the way out here."
"If she searches too far…" Asuka's eyes darkened. "No, right now, we're focusing on the kids. Kowamaru is definitely fine because he's in a safe hidden location," she whispered. "But this is a decision you four need to make," she told Obito, Ippan, Keigo, and Nagabiko.
"W-What?" Ippan flinched.
"B-Baa-chan?!" Nagabiko winced.
"..." Keigo frowned in thought. "I mean…"
"I know," Obito said to them. "Right now, though, it'd be bad, obaa-san. If we handle her, Shirou's going to know, he's going to know where we went, and he's going to either come this way or tell the Hoshi Clan about this area," the quirkless man grimaced. "We don't have that kind of time nor the resources."
"Hmph, do as you please," Asuka shrugged. "For now, though, we either wait her out and move around her. At present, we know she's here, where she is, and have the advantage."
"True but how do we know she won't stick it out? She's not as mixed in like senpai and Ippan-nee-san are," Keigo said warningly. "What if we lead her away?"
"Can you do that conspicuously?"
"Well, my feathers glow so probably not."
"And they've see the children-kon," Asuka cupped her chin. "For now, let's go at a slower pace, hide your hair, mind your feet, and do NOT speak."
Double-checking Kim's distance from them, they hurried out over the waters via several large stone platforms before reaching the other side and staying by the edge of the forest.
They trekked near the edge of a cliff as Kim's signature remained far away in a single location.
"The village is a mile from here," Mezou said. "We could go down and come back up," he offered.
"Is there a path down, Mezou-kun?" Obito asked.
"Yeah, um, I walk there a lot of the time to relax away from the village."
Taking the path of the 'unfortunate', the group slowly moved down the cliff towards a number of well-walked large outcroppings covered in beat-down grass.
They didn't comment on Mezou's well-regarded knowledge and just continued down as the waterfall/river behind them remained loud enough to cover their drops.
Reaching the bottom, they walked along the side of another river.
"So, we're just dropping them off and then we'll go find Kowamaru-san," Keigo considered. "They should be good from there but what's the idea with the Hoshi Clan?"
"Sadly, we simply can't stay alone," Obito said. "Right now, the best thing is to return as soon as we can. Following that, we stick in groups of two at a minimum," he declared. "Lead the way, Mezou-kun."
With the multi-armed boy doing as requested, they traveled at a moderate pace while minding the sounds surrounding them.
But, as they did, something odd filled their ears.
Explosions, far off ones, ones in the same direction Kim had gone.
"What's she doing?" Keigo frowned as they stopped inside a large cave.
"Whatever it is, we stay here and wait it out," Asuka said.
As seconds turned into minutes and said minutes turned into half an hour, something else became apparent.
The smell of… Smoke?
"Is she trying to smoke us out?" Keigo whispered as they all hurried down the tunnel, climbing a large number of clean crude steps and reaching one of the many exits.
The smell of fire and smoke became stronger, worrying the group as they hurried out underneath the waterfalls.
And looking to their right at the falling waters had them all freezing at a GLOW.
A powerful glow, one that even coated the sky as the smell of fire grew greater.
"She didn't," Keigo whispered in horror as Obito growled.
"We're speeding up!" He ordered without a care for his volume, grabbing the frozen Imai while Ippan picked up the horrified Mezou.
"M-Mom?!" Imai paled.
"D-Dad?!" Mezou whispered.
The group rushed down the waterfall-covered path before rushing up an incline that took them to the top of the cliff into a field.
Where they were front-and-center to the burning village as a lone figure stood at one of the four paths leading into it. Her form flickering within the great flames as she turned her head-
And found a pair of crossing legs slamming into her aura-covered forehead.
She slammed through three burning houses as Obito and Asuka landed.
"MOM!?" Imai tried to run in.
"Imai-chan, wait!" Ippan pulled back on her, holding her up in her arms as she and Mezou struggled. "Guys?!"
"Tsk!" Obito grit his teeth before Keigo took flight.
"I'm going up!" He told them while Nagabiko hit her bottom and scuttled back as the sight of burning bodies pushed down doors, dead, or sat outside of the crumbling homes. "What the hell's her problem?!"
"She's a zealot," Asuka realized as a hunt exploded. "She's got no care for anyone else besides her own Clan and that's created a monster."
Kim stalked out of the flames with narrowed eyes that shone like stars.
Ippan looked down at the heartbroken children and the flames…
"Keep her busy!" She shouted at them, alarming all three before Ippan held the children close.
And ran into the flames.
"IPPAN?!" Obito shouted in horror as the kitsune vanished from view. "W-What the hell is she doing?!"
"Using what you've taught her?" Asuka told him with a raised brow as Obito flinched.
'Is this what Nemuri meant?' The Uchiha grimaced. 'And it's because of me that she doesn't have all of her fur!'
His body tensed as Kim lunged after the trio before finding a leg snapping into view.
She barely brought her arms up to block it, flying off her heels as Obito landed before reappearing in front of her.
'He's too fast!' She swung out her arms.
And he was already up in the air as gravity tore through his previous spot.
'This is my fault!' Obito grit his teeth.
And came down on the short woman with all his might, body filled with 'bursts' of his spirit.
The floor beneath them erupted upward around them as Asuka stood at the ready while Nagabiko hid behind her.
~NRK~
Ippan winced as she ran through fire.
'Keep the kids close!' She thought as her nose, despite the fire, the burning, and the death, followed particular scents.
As she'd been taught by Obito, 'drown out' all the other noise, focus solely on your target while allowing the rest of your senses to handle everything else.
So, she found herself rushing into it all with her nose leading her to the last two half-burnt huts.
As they left the more clumped-together buildings, Ippan's run slowly came to a crawl as the children lowered their protective arms.
They jumped out of her grip as Ippan flinched.
"W-Wait, kids?!" She tried to stop them.
But they didn't listen, the two ran towards their homes in worry before Ippan's mind returned to her and she ran at them and snatched them up long before they could touch the doors.
"I-Ippan-nee?!" Imai looked horrified. "W-Why-"
"They're not in the houses," Ippan told them, confusing the two as she released a controlled breath and they jogged out into the forest behind the village. "They're back here with a bunch of other people."
The two grew more confused as they stopped by the treeline, Ippan putting them down.
"Mom?!" Imai called out.
"Dad?! Mom?!" Mezou exclaimed.
"I-Imai-chan?" Came the call of a woman who'd inched out of a bush while another bush held a standing-up man.
Both of them looked normal which just made Mezou's situation seem more concerning.
"W-Who's this?" The blonde woman asked, not looking Ippan in the eye.
"I'm Ippan, I'm working on a set nearby. Me and my boyfriend found these two a couple days ago due to, well, an accident that kept them with us," Ippan lied with a smile, surprising the children. "We wanted to get them back as soon as they could but could only do so now."
"W-What's happening?" The woman walked forward before hugging her child as Mezou rubbed one of his biceps as that man from before kept to his place.
"There's some crazy lady attacking the village for some reason-"
"It's because of you," the man at the back spoke as others appeared within the forest. "That murderer said she was searching for a quirkless man with a kitsune, winged boy, and our kids."
Ippan flinched.
"W-We have nothing with her, she's trying to cause trouble," Ippan lied weakly.
"She said you took our kids!" The man roared.
"D-Dad, stop, that lady's lying!" Mezou tried to explain.
"Quiet, Mezou!" The man exclaimed as the multi-armed boy flinched, going silent. "Of everything you've done, all you had to do was not mess with people like those outsiders, look at what happened!"
"..."
Ippan's hands clenched.
"This is why we say what we do, this? This entire situation? Is on your head!"
The boy's hands trembled.
The man opened his mouth again.
Only to flinch back at a snarling BARK that filled the air with heat, Ippan kneeling down to lifted Mezou up.
"You're disgusting," she hissed at the grimacing man. "You're blaming YOUR CHILD for this?! You just take the looks of some random murderer as a decider of the truth? What's wrong with you?"
Keigo came down beside them with a frown. "Yo, what's good?" He asked, noticing Ippan's posture before taking a defensive stance ahead of her. "Easy there, folks, don't make your lives more radical than they already are."
"Leave our village!"
"Monsters! Omens!"
"Take the boy with you,he ain't wanted here," Mezou's father hissed out as Ippan's eyes dilated in rage.
"Come on, nee-chan, it's seriously not worth it," Keigo told her with a deep frown of his own. "Right now, senpai is handling the one who actually did this but who knows where she'll end up."
Ippan grit her teeth, this feeling of anger so odd and consuming before she found her reason and followed Keigo's lead.
They left that area at high speeds, Mezou's tearful shaking eyes looking away from Imai's shocked, reaching, ones.
As they circled the burning homes and crackling wood, Ippan's heat faded as the horror of it all settled in.
'W-What's wrong with me?' She thought weakly as she held the heartbroken Mezou close to her chest. "Mezou-kun."
The boy tucked in against her chest, hands clenched tightly in his lap.
As they began to reach the other side, the sounds of combat filled the air along a series of explosive rumbles.
Reaching the source, they found Obito choking out Kim as the short woman's body emanated a more vicious glow that caused the floor to crack or crater as she flailed.
His eyes caught the trio before softening as Asuka kept Nagabiko protected within a coiling rose bud.
Considering his 'captive', the Uchiha tightened his hold as Kim scrambled for more and more breath before her movements died down and her heart slowed.
He kept it going for minutes before dropping the unconscious woman, her body still maintaining its impossibly dense black aura.
"You're alright," Obito said softly to Ippan who flinched before looking away, confusing him. "Ippan-chan?"
"W-We should go," she told them, baffling Obito more while Asuka nodded and dropped the protection around Nagabiko. "... I'll tell you when we're out of here," Ippan told him submissively, gaining his concern.
"Let's head this way," Asuka told them, leading the way out of there as helicopters began to appear on the horizon. "This has officially become a problem, I could care less what those townsfolk will do to her but the attention coming this way is going to be horrid."
"The helicopters are going to ask the people what happened," Obito frowned deeply as Ippan flinched. "They're going to know it's us."
"And the less said about people wondering what we're doing out here at this time of night?" Keigo kissed his teeth. "Just because of that crazy woman! What's her deal?! Her damn sensei is more controlled than she is!"
"She's been indoctrinated," Asuka told him. "She likely wasn't even part of the clan, her quirk's too different, she was probably a student they gained and trained in body and mind."
"But she's clearly not mentally capable! Who'd let her outside without giving her lessons?!"
"Yeah, that's definitely the concerning part," the old redhead frowned under her breath.
They vanished into the forest before following the brightly-colored tail of the kitsune woman.
As they did, Ippan chanced several looks back at the water streams coming out of the helicopters before focusing ahead with a thundering heart.
"S-Should we have left her there?" Nagabiko asked weakly.
"There's nothing else we could have done, she's an enemy and, if we're lucky, they'll deal with her for good for us," Asuka told her. "This entire situation is complicated now and we should hurry to Kowamaru and just tell him how urgent this is."
"I'm starting to think this Blade of Rites thing is more trouble than expected," Keigo frowned.
"You have to understand that she's an example of someone who'd not want this blood fight to end," Asuka declared. "And since she failed? More will come."
"Geez, senpai."
"I know," Obito's eyes narrowed. "Right now, we need to get this thing with Kowamaru done with and head back, this whole thing is getting out of hand."
"One problem to the next," Keigo shook his head.
~NRK~
Meanwhile, back at the recreational center, Oboro nodded to his trio of friends.
With Sensoji on Hosoi's guard duty, he couldn't be here.
"Yep, he told me ahead of time. They're taking the kids back," the cloud-user said.
"They could have told us," Nemuri cupped her chin.
"I mean, sure, but the kids do seem comfy with them. Maybe it's just that?"
"Still," Hizashi looked outside at the glow in the distance and then the news. "The news is saying a village caught on fire."
Shouta frowned. "I trust that they're fine, alive, but how did this happen?" He asked. "... There's something else," he revealed, confusing them. "That Kim woman? She rushed off into the forest two hours ago."
"Wait, what?" Nemuri's jaw dropped.
"I didn't think it was weird, maybe she's training, it's not like she's not here with her mentor but… But it's just convenient. She had some kinda bag with her and I did a personal patrol half an hour ago, she's still not here."
"You think she had something to do with that fire?" Oboro frowned.
"I don't know but Shirou seemed annoyed that she left."
"So, she went AWOL, assumably."
"Assumably," Shouta nodded before there was knocking on their door.
"Yo, it's me."
"It's open," Nemuri answered, the door doing as much to reveal Sensoji and Hosoi.
"So, did you know those guys left?" Sensoji asked.
"Yeah, Obi told me they were returning the kids," Oboro told him as the large man's shoulders relaxed somewhat before he grimaced off to the side as Hosoi grew nervous.
"Y-Ya see? Um, we went," she told them, confusing the four. "And who we found is going to cause problems."
"Oh no," Nemuri paled.
"Nope, not them," Sensoji growled. "We found Kim Hoshi unconscious out there."
The four's jaws dropped.
"She's been silent ever since she returned to consciousness while the villagers are pretty clear about it being her who put the place on fire," Hosoi said. "The 'rough' part is that they also blame… Well, our people," she looked disgusted.
"They're totally and completely against mutant quirks," the large bodyguard said. "And we're countryside old village distaste," he pinched the bridge of his nose as Hosoi's head dropped. "They didn't exactly show a 'good face' when they saw her and kept saying Ippan brought this upon them. The few people with sense, along with a familiar Imai, told us that Kim came here long before they arrived and lit the place up."
"W-What the hell is going on?!" Nemuri exclaimed.
"We don't know yet but there's certainly someone who's out to cause trouble. Kim's been detained in a nearby police station."
"Three days," Hizashi held his face. "Three days, all it took was this amount of time for something shitty to happen, God, what are those guys getting into?"
~NRK~
Their run came to a slow halt as they found themselves at the base of a mountain.
They took a moment to really understand what had happened, Asuka frowning with Nagabiko on her back.
"That damn brat," the old woman scoffed. "We're basically one mountain climb away," she told them, putting her granddaughter down. "Rest for 15 minutes, we're going up after that."
The group grew weary as they looked out behind them, the helicopters still flying around if not combing the area.
"Crap," Keigo realized they were looking for them.
"This way," Asuka waved them all over.
Doing so, a bud opened up from beneath their feet before covering them and feeling of 'sinking' hit them.
"We're underground right now, take this time to loosen up, we'll need it for the climb," Asuka said, shooting Keigo a look he sighed at.
"I know, old lady, I know," he told her as he hit his rear and pulled up his knees. "Damn, how'd this get so complicated? It's not even been a week!"
"That's our fault," Obito said, helping Ippan sit down before noticing her expression. "Ippan-chan," he kneeled beside her.
She shot him a weak smile that had him concerned, Obito looking down at Mezou to see the boy's rather unresponsive expression.
'What happened?' The boy might have usually been a bit shy but he was never so quiet.
Sitting beside the pair, Ippan quickly leaned on him and leaned against her just as fast, the young man wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her in close.
Sitting there in silence, Nagabiko and Asuka played 'surveillance'.
15 minutes passed pretty quickly.
"Alright," the old woman told them all as a side wall opened up into a Ippan-sized hole. "I think it's no good to go up, we'll stick to this tunnel."
"I'm guessing this is a last resort," Keigo said as they all got up and stretched.
"Yer right, this should never have been a problem. Sadly? Nothing changed, Kim would have been a pain regardless since we were coming out here no matter what," her eyes went to Mezou before focusing back on the hole.
'I guess even she's a 'heart' somewhere,' Keigo thought. "So, when he gets there, there's gonna be some 'test' of some sort."
"That's the main idea but I'm not sure if that's wise anymore," Obito said.
"You'll have to live with it, Kowamaru's pretty aware of things, he actually keeps a radio and small TV to keep up with news surrounding his home," Asuka said as they walked down the hole. "There might be a Guardian, though."
"What's his quirk?"
"That's confidential."
Okay, so they were going by those rules, then.
Hurrying down the closing-behind-them passage, the six reached more evidence of 'modernity' as they reached a mine shaft.
They took an 'Asuka-made' path straight up as their senses spread out.
They slowly popped out of a hole, looking around and in the sky for any sign of the helicopters before exiting.
"We're gonna have to answer some questions when we get back," Asuka shrugged.
"Unfortunately. Thankfully, I told Oboro already so he knows and we have a partial alibi," Obito said. "Now," his eyes went up the path ahead.
One that led towards a large cave entrance and a large bear at the entrance sporting metal arms, a visor, and several pieces of ornate armor that made its scar-covered form flow.
Its head turned to them with a growl.
~NRK Out~