Kakashi danced through the Kuroganebi's onslaught, his movements a blur as he dodged and weaved with newfound agility. His enhanced perception allowed him to anticipate each strike, his body reacting instinctively to every shift in the creatures' movements.
'I can see their attacks before they even happen. My foresight is greater now than it ever was, even with the Sharingan alone.'
He deflected a claw swipe with a kunai, then spun, his chakra flaring as he unleashed a Lightning Blade. The electrified blade sliced through one of the Kuroganebi's arms, cauterizing the wound instantly.
But even as the creature roared in pain, its severed limb began to regenerate at an alarming rate. Kakashi gritted his teeth, his eyes analyzing the rapid cellular reconstruction. 'Their adaptation is accelerating,' he realized grimly.
Another Kuroganebi lunged, its jaws snapping shut inches from his face. Kakashi twisted aside, narrowly avoiding the attack, but the beast's razor-sharp claws raked across his back, tearing through his flak jacket.
'Without this chakra around me, that would've been a fatal wound,' he thought, focusing the red aura on the injury. The torn flesh knitted itself back together, the pain subsiding almost instantly.
He turned to face the third Kuroganebi, its massive form bearing down on him. 'I can't keep this up forever,' Kakashi admitted to himself, his breath coming in ragged gasps. 'I need to find a way to end this...'
Suddenly, his eyes widened. Through the haze of battle, he noticed movement in the distance. A swirling vortex spiraled into existence near his fallen comrades. Guy, Itachi, and Rikuto were being dragged away, their limp bodies disappearing into the safety of the dimensional void.
"Guy... Itachi... Rikuto..." A warm reassurance washed over him. "Obito."
If Obito was taking them away, it meant they were safe. And it also meant something else.
Kakashi turned back to the Kuroganebi. He noticed how they lined up, their monstrous forms forming a menacing triangle around him. A spark of red electricity flared around his outstretched hand, his eyes narrowing with a newfound determination.
"With everyone else out of the way..." he murmured, his voice a low growl. "I can end this with a single strike!"
The air crackled with anticipation as Kakashi and the Kuroganebi charged toward each other, their energies converging in a clash of titanic proportions.
The earth trembled as their attacks collided, a blinding explosion engulfing the battlefield. A crater deeper than any before it formed at the point of impact, the shockwave radiating outward like a ripple in a pond.
Kakashi braced for the impact, certain he was caught in the crossfire of the clashing titans. But instead of pain, he felt a gentle lift, his body rising into the air. His eyes fluttered open, met by a familiar face wreathed in blue flames.
"Whoa there," a voice chuckled, both warm and teasing. "Something's different about you, huh?"
Kakashi looked up to see Ryuu holding him aloft with a single hand, his own body suspended in the air by a pair of fiery, skeletal wings that shimmered with an otherworldly light.
"Ryuu..." Kakashi sighed, a mixture of relief and exasperation in his voice. "Took you long enough."
"Hmph," Ryuu snorted, a playful smirk tugging at his lips. "Missed me, did you, brother?"
Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Can we focus, please?"
"You're eager." Ryuu chuckled. "You sure you can keep up with me?"
Kakashi bristled. "Just put me down. This is humiliating."
"Don't tell me what to do," Ryuu retorted, his smirk widening.
Their bickering was cut short by a deafening roar from the Kuroganebi, their anger echoing across the ravaged battlefield. In a blink, Ryuu and Kakashi were back on solid ground, their sudden arrival dispersing the dust cloud in a swirling vortex.
"This time," Kakashi declared, his voice steely with determination, "I won't be holding you back. We'll fight as one."
"As I recall," Ryuu countered, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes, "the last time you truly kept up with me, we weren't even Chunin."
A fleeting smile crossed Kakashi's face as he remembered their childhood sparring sessions, their rivalry pushing each other to greater heights.
"Alright," they said in unison, their gazes locking onto the monstrous figures before them. "Let's go."
The air crackled with chakra as the two brothers prepared to face the Kuroganebi with their combined power.
The first Kuroganebi lunged, its massive claws tearing through the air. Ryuu vanished, a flicker of blue flame marking his displacement. He reappeared behind the beast, a crimson katana materializing in his hand. With a graceful arc, he sliced through the Kuroganebi's leg, severing tendons and muscle in a single, clean cut.
The creature roared in pain, its momentum carrying it forward. Kakashi seized the opening, his Sharingan blazing as he appeared beside Ryuu.
"Raikiri!" he shouted, his hand crackling with concentrated lightning.
The beast never saw it coming. Kakashi's attack pierced its heart, the lightning coursing through its body, disrupting its dark chakra flow.
Ryuu glanced at Kakashi. "It's a nice attack, but we have to completely destroy these beasts with a single powerful strike."
Kakashi nodded, pulling his hand back. "I figured as much. Its core keeps regenerating."
The battle was far from over. The other two Kuroganebi, enraged by their fallen comrade, launched a coordinated assault. One unleashed a torrent of wind blades, while the other spat a glob of corrosive acid.
Ryuu, sensing the danger, grabbed Kakashi and vanished in a flicker of blue flame. They reappeared a safe distance away, Ryuu's Sharingan analyzing the Kuroganebi's movements.
"They're getting smarter and stronger; they can mimic some ninjutsu and are even coordinating," he observed, a predatory grin spreading across his face. "This is going to be fun."
Kakashi smirked, mirroring Ryuu's enthusiasm. "You read my mind."
With a synchronized nod, they sprang into action. Ryuu, a whirlwind of motion, teleported between the Kuroganebi, his katana flashing as he delivered a series of precise strikes, stabbing into joints to immobilize them. Kakashi followed up instantly, unleashing a barrage of lightning-infused attacks, each one aimed at disrupting the creatures' chakra networks.
Uzumaki sealing chains erupted from Ryuu's back, binding one Kuroganebi's limbs and yanking it off balance. Kakashi capitalized on the opening. "Raikiri!"
The coordinated attack left the battlefield swarming with red electricity.
The Kuroganebi in the back retaliated with a furious roar, its maw gaping wide as it unleashed a shockwave of pure, repulsive energy. The air itself seemed to recoil, a palpable pressure building and distorting the space around the creature.
"Phoenix Style: Rasengan!"
Ryuu, undeterred by the incoming wave of force, formed a swirling ball of flames, compressing chakra into it before diving straight into the blast. His body enveloped in a protective shield of swirling Phoenix Flame, his Rasengan led the charge. The shockwave slammed into him, pushing against the fiery barrier with a bone-jarring tremor. For a moment, it seemed as if the two forces were locked in an impossible stalemate, the very air between them crackling with tension.
Then— "Ahahaha!!"
With a triumphant laugh, Ryuu burst through the other side, Phoenix Flame flaring even brighter as it consumed the remnants of the repulsive energy.
"More!" he shouted, his eyes gleaming with battle lust as he emerged unscathed. "Show me what you've got!"
The battle raged with renewed intensity. Ryuu and Kakashi moved as a single entity, their attacks a whirlwind of fire and lightning. With each missed strike, Kakashi would appear to ensure his connected. The Kuroganebi, initially overwhelmed by their combined might, began to show signs of adaptation, their runes glowing brighter than before.
Noticing this, Ryuu went for a decisive strike, teleporting behind one beast and aiming his katana.
Suddenly, blood sprayed—spikes had erupted from the creature's back, tearing into Ryuu's chest!
Kakashi glanced at Ryuu in panic, but he was already occupied. He held back the fists of the other Kuroganebi with two kunai, his heels digging into the dirt. It kept pushing, wearing Kakashi down.
'I can't... hold...'
The ground beneath them split and cracked. Just as Kakashi's strength wavered, Ryuu reappeared behind him! Ignoring his own wounds, he sent a powerful kick into the beast's chest, sending the Kuroganebi tumbling backward.
He picked up Kakashi and jumped back to recover. "Are you okay?"
Kakashi nodded, breathless. "How do we stop these things if they adapt to everything?"
Ryuu, his breath heavy, remained focused as he plucked the spikes from his chest. "Look at that one in the middle."
The center beast stood apart, watching. Its figure was larger and more muscular than the others, its runes glowing with a blinding intensity. It seemed to be the focal point, absorbing the data from the fight and adapting to the brothers' techniques with alarming speed.
"They're buying time for that one," Ryuu realized, a spark of insight flashing through his mind. "They can't adapt to all of our simultaneous attacks if we separate them."
A grin spread across his face as a new strategy formed. "Keep an eye on that one. I'll handle the others."
'Always trying to show off, huh?' Without missing a beat, Kakashi nodded, his Sharingan locking onto the strongest kaiju.
As surmised, the other two Kuroganebi attacked in unison to defend their leader.
Ryuu teleported between them. A surge of dark ash erupted from his body, expanding rapidly into a gigantic sphere that captured both beasts.
'This won't hold for long.' He formed a hand seal, clutching his fist to reinforce the prison with multiple layers of hardened ash.
"Let's go!"
The ground trembled as Ryuu launched himself into the sky.
The air shifted as the Kuroganebi tried to break free. The sphere wasn't strong enough to seal them away permanently, but just enough to buy the second he needed.
A merciless grin crossed Ryuu's face as he had them in his sights. "I hope you infused enough nature energy for this. Let's go... Nobu!"
Inside him, the Phoenix opened his eyes, flooding Ryuu's system with power.
"Blackout Technique: Lightning Infusion." He whispered, drawing his hand out.