Meanwhile in the southern region, Master Ansen's Alpha Squad crouched in the woods, their eyes fixed on the empty southern plains. The night air was thick with tension.
Rhett sighed, fidgeting with his sword. "How much longer? We've been stuck here for hours."
Levi yawned, stretching his arms. "Maybe we'll get lucky and nothing'll happen."
Elia paused her spear drills, eyes narrowed. "Ansen's right. We need to stay alert."
Nix tinkered with a contraption, a sly grin on her face. "Almost done..."
Ansen's gaze didn't waver from the horizon. "Shh. Incoming."
Sifu Mei's team approached, "Bravo Squad, Mei leading," she whispered.
Ansen nodded. "Report."
Mei briefed, "Zabuza sent us. Orders?"
Ansen's expression turned tactical. "Observe. Xaphan's forces expected to remain here in the south."
Lei's eyes locked on the darkness — "Lian... hold on. I'll be with you soon"
Ansen's eyes narrowed as Mei filled them in on the battle state: Xaphan fake-appeared west, warlords Kreal/Lyra active, Kaito's and Ryker's squad battling west.
Elia's face lit up — Lei was right there. "Lei! Lei!" She practically tackled Lei in a hug. "What are you—"
Lei smiled, hugging back. "Elia. Good to see you're ok. Missed you."
Mei continued, "New plan, we're now a search party for Hibiki and Lian. Zabuza wants updates."
Ansen nodded tactical. "Split zones. My team cover east parts."
Rhett groaned. "Why not me with Lei?"
Lei rolled her eyes — Elia grinned.
Ansen: "Focus Rhett."
Mei's team stayed together. Ansen took Elia, Levi, Rhett, Nix to scout east.
Mei's team approached the abandoned building in Sichuan. Ryou whispered, "Guys, there are marks here. It looks recent." Suddenly, Hibiki dropped from above. Lei's eyes widened. "Hibiki!"
Mei stepped forward, her voice trembling with emotion. "Hibiki!" But her eyes narrowed, noticing something off. Hibiki's smile seemed... off.
"Took you guys long enough... Lian's in trouble," Hibiki said, urgency in her voice.
Mei's grip on her sword tightened. "He really thinks he can fool us that easily." Her voice was cold, edgy.
Hibiki's gaze flicked, a hint of surprise. "What happened?" Mei asked, her tone dripping with intensity.
Hibiki's expression turned urgent. "Right now, I'm being chased by Xaphan's goons. And with the war as a diversion I managed to escape but I planned on grabbing Lian first. But I'm glad you guys came to rescue us."
"Where are they now?" Mei asked.
Hibiki continued, "I came here from the east, they should be—"
Lei cut in, her voice sharp. "The east? If so, then Ansen's team must be engaging with them as we speak."
Mei's eyes locked onto Hibiki.
"Ansen...?" Hibiki looked confused, and Mei noticed. "You didn't come alone." Hibiki asked
Hibiki's expression shifted, a sly smile spreading.
"Of course not." Mei drew her sword, her voice venomous. "You thought you could catch us off guard? Skip the act, and face me, Zirkyu."
The team tensed.
Lei caught on quick, sword flashing. "Wait, this isn't Hibiki?" Ryou stared, confused.
Zirkyu shifted, his true form rippling into view. "Well, I expected a dragon warrior. Might as well move on to the next plan…" He lifted a hand, and a cold voice whispered, "…Lian?"
Lei's breath hitched, eyes widening as the shadow deepened. A low chant cut through the air: "Bujutsu, Shadow Teleportation."
"Li—Lian?!!!" Lei shouted, but the mist swallowed her words. Dark, opaque vapor rolled over the courtyard, swallowing every shape. Mei lunged, but the shadow clung, sealing every exit.
In the center, Lian stood beside Zirkyu, eyes closed, hands forming the ancient seal. She didn't answer, her presence a silent conduit for the Jikōmichi bloodline's power. The mist thickened, and the world around them faded to black.
The shadowy mist swirled, thick as ink, and even Zirkyu and Lian were caught in its cold embrace.
"Hey Lian, where are you? It's too dark and creepy here—can I at least see your face?" Zirkyu's voice echoed, strained, as he tried to push through the opaque veil.
A monotone reply drifted from within the Bujutsu, unfeeling and distant: "I'm sorry, Zirkyu. I've split my other half—light—so I can't intertwine right now. You'll have to bear the dark sight a little longer."
Zirkyu scoffed, a bitter laugh barely audible over the whispers of the mist. "Great, just what I needed—."
Lian's presence remained a silent fulcrum, her Jikōmichi bloodline pulsing between light and shadow. Though her eyes were closed, the ancient balance of her clan thrummed beneath the surface, a hidden current that could bend reality itself. For now, the darkness held them all, and every breath felt like a step deeper into a void where only the echo of her power lingered.
Ansen's team was deep in the east sector of Sichuan, locked in a brutal fight against 25 of Xaphan's tyrants. Elia's sword danced, striking with precision. Levi's sword flashed, taking down enemies left and right. Rhett's blade sliced through armor, his smirk fading into focus. Ansen led with calm intensity, his eyes scanning for openings.
The sandy terrain swirled with dust as the battle raged on. Elia's eyes flashed dark-blue, already activating her Kairo Vision, allowing her to perceive the connections between her targets. Then she spotted one of them – massive ki energy twirling razor-sharp whips.
"Well, this guy seems different from the rest," she said.
WHOOSH! Elia lunged at him with her sword, but he countered by raising a dune, using it as a shield. CLANG!
"What the heck, that's hard!" she thought. "You almost broke my sword."
He replied, "Uh, too bad, girlie. You expect me to get knocked down like the rest of these idiots? You don't know who you're dealing with."
He yelled, his voice audible, "I'm Ryusei, the famous rogue from the Zino clan!"
"Famous huh, never heard that stupid name before," Elia said, her voice dripping with defiance. "I'm not here for chatter, time for you for a drop with the rest of your folks," she said, her sword stretching out.
Ryusei's expression darkened. "What a rude thing to say, now I guess I don't have to go soft on you.."
Elia darted forward once more, her thoughts racing. "I've got to end this quick and join the others," she thought, as she slashed a clean cut across his flank—just enough to make him stagger, but not enough to end it.
Ryusei's eyes narrowed, his reflexes allowing him to barely dodge the follow-up strike. "Not bad, Blue Eyes," he said, his voice laced with surprise. "But it's my turn now."
"No doubt she aimed for my vitals, I could already feel her sword going right through me before I dodged. Pesky Hanzo, I can't underestimate her one bit," he thought.
The air was tense, the two combatants sizing each other up, ready to clash again.
Meanwhile, Elia's comrades were locked in their own battles. Rhett and Levi moved in sync, taking down tyrants with ease, their rivalry simmering just beneath the surface.
WHOOSH! BAM! Rhett weaved through an onslaught of four tyrants, his taijutsu fluid as he cut them down. A smirk crept onto his face as he turned to Levi, who replied with a sarcastic clap.
"You don't have to look at me every time you take one of them down," Levi said casually, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
"Well, you had to be watching me the whole time to keep noticing that," Rhett shot back, his smirk unwavering.
Levi's expression remained indifferent as a tyrant approached him. In a swift motion, he swiped his foot through the man's stance, sending him crashing to the ground, unconscious. The move was almost casual.
"Hmm, such competence. As expected from my rival," Rhett said, his smirk still in place.
Levi's, expression didn't shift. "Who made this a competition?" he thought, his mind a calm pool.
A new enemy approached, a bulky figure with a strong tone. "Well, a set of strong folks we got here... Already getting ahead of yourselves I see," he said, his voice calm.
Both Levi and Rhetti raised an eyebrow, their expressions indifferent.
"So how about you do the honors and tell us nam—" Rhett began, but Levi cut him off.
"Or might as well I drop his ass right now," Levi said, his voice flat. He flung his ki-infused sword at the enemy, aiming to drop him in one strike. The sword flew with speed and precision.
CLANG!
"Earth shield," the enemy chanted, raising a compacted sand barrier. The sword struck, but the shield held.
Levi's eyes narrowed slightly. Rhett watched, interest piqued. "Hmm," he said, reading the enemy's intent. "Looks like we've got an earth-elemental."
Tetsuo smiled, his earth shield solid. "You won't break it that easily, I'm Tetsuo."
Master Ansen and Nix fought side by side, taking down tyrants. "I don't see the others anymore," Nix said, her voice tight.
"As stubborn as they are, they are also foolish. I told you guys to maintain discipline and fight together, but their ego wouldn't allow it," Ansen replied, his sword flashing.
A few tyrants left... "Enough," Ansen said, his eyes flashing Dark Purple. Anger fueled his Chronoception, slowing time. He moved through the timestream, his sword slicing through enemies in near-invisible arcs.
The tyrants fell, their bodies cut down before they could even react. Ansen's sword sheathed itself, his breathing calm.
"Wow," Nix said, "You can do that? So awesome."
Ansen sheathed his sword, calm. "Not to the full extent, that'd be foolish right now. With my unique eyes I can connect kairo threads quickly and thread walk through time... nevermind."
Nix looked lost. Ansen turned to her. "Let's check on the others."
Nix nodded, her contraptions already scanning the surroundings..
"Use your Kairo Vision to make things faster..." Ansen said.
Nix whispered, "But..." Ansen cut her off. "Hey, don't tell me you can't do it up till now."
"Yes I can," Nix replied hurriedly, her eyes flicking to Ansen.
Ansen tore a smile as Nix concentrated. "Now to focus, I can do this... " she whispered.
Nix's eyes flickered dark-blue, activating her Kairo Vision – the Hanzo clan's core ability, seeing threads of causality connecting people, actions, and outcomes. All Hanzo can use it, but differently: some track people across distances, sense danger and weak points midst combat, detect emotions, or see converging fates. Nix's special Kairo Vision was geared for tracking.
"I see so many threads everywhere. It's gonna be impossible to find theirs."
"Focus," Ansen said.
Moments later, Nix's gaze sharpened. "Alright, I got it."
Ansen's expression turned serious. "Let's move."
Both moved quickly as Ansen followed behind Nix.
"What's their status?" Ansen asked, eyes scanning.
"They're all still engaging, but—" Nix replied, her Kairo Vision tracking. But mid-sentence, a ferocious aura rippled through her threads. Her heart skipped in fear.
Ansen felt it too. "What is it?"
Nix's eyes darted, dark-blue threads twisting. "I...don't know. But someone very dangerous has approached."
They stopped, looking around. But the open sandy terrain was empty.
"...False alarm?" Nix whispered.
Ansen's jaw tightened. "No, there's someone here but let's keep moving."
They continued, urgency creeping in.
They reunited with Elia, Levi, and Rhett, surprise on Nix's face. "Master Ansen, we were just about to come look for you guys," Elia said.
Ansen whispered, "I thought you said they were engaging in battle."
Ansen turned to her. "I wasn't wrong. Both their threads were intertwisted with others – they were fighting, but not against enemies. They were breaking free of something." Nix Replied.
"Hmm," Ansen thought.
Elia cut in, eager. "We were in a fuss, but we took care of it no time though. Now we head into Xaphan's main quarters, right? Lei's team should be there right about now!"
Ansen halted his squad. "Wait a moment. Nix, use your Kairo Vision one more time and check the threads in this area."
Nix's eyes flickered dark-blue... but her face fell. "I...I can't detect anything. No threads."
Elia and the others caught on, feeling odd reactions to their ki. "What's going on?" Rhett asked, frowning.
Ansen whispered, "I see... It might have been too late now. We're trapped in a Bujutsu..."