Yusuke, Jin, Miyuki, Katsuragi, and Michiki followed Kakashi up the steep paths of Mount Shumisen. The trail was too easy to track—almost suspiciously so.
Kakashi, still under the influence of the Puppet Curse, was oblivious to everything. He trudged forward in silence, eyes blank, heading steadily north.
As they moved deeper into the mountains, the forest thinned. Verdant greenery gave way to jagged rocks and icy winds. The temperature dropped with every step.
Yusuke narrowed his eyes. "This must be where Hiruko is hiding."
Jin nodded. "Then we need to stay alert."
"Alert?" Michiki scoffed. He rested a hand on his sword hilt. "I'm ready to cut that freak down the moment I see him."
Katsuragi, floating mid-air on his drone, cut in, eyes locked on the screen. "We might need to focus on the enemies headed our way first."
The drone's camera zoomed in on a black blur rushing through the snow.
Hiruko had noticed their approach.
And he wasn't about to let them crash his twisted little ritual.
From the shadows, three subordinates emerged.
"Incoming!" Katsuragi shouted. "Clear the area!"
San, Hiruko's lieutenant, leapt into the sky atop a monstrous eagle. The beast screeched as it unleashed a barrage of razor-sharp feathers.
Each feather sparked.
Each one was a detonator.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Explosions tore up the spot the group had just vacated. Though unscathed, their faces were now smeared with ash and smoke.
"Cute," Katsuragi muttered, brushing soot from his jacket.
He and Miyuki exchanged a glance and nodded.
"Transform."
Their bodies shimmered, reshaping with the whir of tech and chakra.
San's eyes widened from atop the eagle. "What kind of ninjutsu is that?! Are they using Chimera Technique too? Where did that armor come from?!"
But Miyuki didn't stop to answer. His armored boots hit the air as he launched into flight.
San's jaw dropped. "He can fly?! What kind of ninja is this?!"
He commanded his eagle to fire another volley of explosive feathers at the incoming warrior.
Miyuki twisted mid-air, dodging with fluid precision.
Then, blades drawn, he surged forward. "Outta the way!"
His dual swords slashed at the eagle. The beast screeched, flapping violently to dodge.
Whoosh!
A crossbow bolt from Katsuragi zipped upward, precise as ever.
The eagle avoided Miyuki's strike—but not Katsuragi's shot.
Thunk.
The bolt hit its mark.
The eagle cried out and vanished in a puff of chakra smoke, returning to the summon realm.
San plummeted.
Crashing through branches, he hit the forest floor with a groan.
Furious, he growled, "You cowards... attacking me together?!"
The ground shook.
He activated his technique.
Muscles expanded. Skin rippled and twisted. His body grotesquely morphed into a towering muscle-tree hybrid.
From his back, vine-like tendrils burst outward, lashing at Katsuragi and Miyuki.
The vines struck with devastating force, shattering boulders and slicing through trees.
The two dodged nimbly, Katsuragi loosing arrows between somersaults, Miyuki charging in with relentless strikes.
One arrow hit flesh.
San howled, flailing harder.
"This thing's tough!" Katsuragi called out.
Miyuki grinned. "So what? I'll chop him down one limb at a time!"
He danced through the vines, blades flashing, carving muscle like firewood. But Ichi's body regenerated, sprouting more vines, tougher and faster.
They tangled around Miyuki.
"Try harder, tough guy!" Katsuragi teased. "You're chopping meat, not solving the problem!"
He crouched, inspecting a hunk of flesh that had landed nearby.
Meanwhile, in the distance...
Kakashi trudged deeper into the mountain. He passed through a canyon, seemingly unnoticed.
Clang!
Iron gates slammed shut at the canyon's mouth, trapping him inside.
Jin scoffed. "Really? That's your plan?"
He stepped forward. "Transform."
In his hand appeared the Locust Longbow.
"Locust Blast!"
Arrows launched, midair splitting into a swarm of mechanical locusts that exploded on impact.
BOOM!
The iron gates were blown apart.
"Let's move!"
He, Yusuke, and Michiki pushed onward.
But before they could go far, a voice rang out.
"You're not going anywhere!"
Standing atop a massive lion-like summon beast was a new enemy—Ni, whip in hand, eyes sharp.
"A lion psychic beast?" Michiki raised an eyebrow, smirking. "And a lady rider? Nice. I'll handle this."
He turned to the others. "You go."
Without waiting for a reply, he charged.
"Transform!"
His armor formed in an instant as he unsheathed his glowing blade.
Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Well, he's got it handled. Let's move."
The mountain path twisted on ahead—and whatever waited at the top wasn't going to be easy.
Yusuke and Jin pressed forward, their steps steady, their eyes sharp with determination.
Meanwhile, a confrontation was brewing. Ni, a woman with an air of arrogance, faced off against their ally. With a sly grin, she flicked out a leather whip, her tongue running over its surface in an almost theatrical display.
"Hmph, I'll make sure you remember me," she sneered.
With a sharp crack of her whip, she summoned two massive beasts—lion-like creatures with fiery eyes and razor-sharp fangs—bursting from the canyon walls and lunging toward their target.
But their prey only scoffed, unfazed. "Tch, do you even know who you're messing with? I'm just passing through."
The words confused even the onlookers. "Passing through? What does that mean?"
A smirk played on his lips as he clarified, his voice dripping with mockery. "It means that to me, you're nothing but a footnote in my journey. Not even worth a glance."
Ni's composure faltered, her confidence shaken by his indifference. With a furious snap of her whip, she screamed, "Tear him apart!"
The beasts roared and lunged.
With a sigh, the lone warrior watched their sluggish movements, unimpressed. "Pathetic."
In an instant, he leaped into the air, his blade flashing. A single, decisive strike cleaved one beast in half, its body collapsing in two with a sickening thud. The second lunged, jaws clamping down on his armored leg.
Crunch.
The beast bit down with all its might, but the enchanted armor held firm, reducing its effort to a mere rattling sound. With one swift motion, the warrior decapitated it, its body crumpling at his feet.
Ni was livid.
Snarling, she summoned her most formidable creation—a monstrous fusion of lion, dragon, and tortoise. Towering over the canyon, its shell bristled with spikes, its presence suffocating.
Merging her body into the beast's neck, she cackled, her voice blending with the creature's guttural growl. "Let's see you handle this!"
Unfazed, the warrior chuckled, gripping his greatsword. "Now this... this might be fun."
With a powerful leap, he propelled himself off the canyon wall, sword raised high.
"Come at me!"
Elsewhere, high above the battlefield, San hovered atop her detonating eagle, scanning the landscape with an air of superiority. "Another round of fireworks? Why not?"
She unleashed a barrage of explosive feathers. The sky lit up with fiery destruction as the feathers struck the mountainside, triggering a cascade of violent eruptions.
Yusuke and Jin barely evaded the blasts, their armor shielding them from the shrapnel. Jin's gaze hardened as he reached for his longbow. "Yusuke, leave her to me."
"Fine, just don't slow us down," Yusuke shot back, already focused on their main objective.
Jin narrowed his eyes at the airborne foe, tracking her every movement. The third woman smirked, loosing another deadly rain of feathers. But Jin, moving with inhuman agility, weaved through the destruction, unharmed.
"You're wasting my time."
Meanwhile, at the mountain's peak, a cavern loomed—the ritual site for Hiruko's twisted ambition. Four lifeless bodies were bound to an altar, their sacrifices fueling the impending ceremony. And at the center of it all stood Hiruko, his face alight with anticipation.
His prize was approaching.
Kakashi, eyes void of emotion, trudged forward under Hiruko's control.
Hiruko shivered with excitement. "Finally... the moment has come! With this, I will surpass all, reshape the ninja world, and become its undisputed ruler!"
Suddenly, a voice cut through his delusions. "Kakashi!"
It was Yusuke.
But there was no response.
Kakashi kept walking, his will crushed beneath the weight of manipulation.
Yusuke clenched his fists. "Damn it! If you won't wake up... I'll drag you back myself!"
Hiruko sneered, weaving signs with practiced ease. "Storm Release: Thunder Cloud Inner Wave!"
Dark clouds materialized, swirling with volatile energy. Bolts of lightning crackled and rained down with blinding speed.
But Yusuke didn't flinch.
The natural energy within his core stirred, absorbing the incoming lightning into a swirling vortex.
The storm's power dissipated, swallowed whole by his aura.
Hiruko's eyes widened. "What?! How can you absorb ninjutsu?!"
Yusuke's expression was unreadable as he drew his staff, now humming with stolen lightning. "You talk too much."
With a single, devastating swing, he unleashed a thunderous strike.
Electricity surged through the battlefield, slamming into Hiruko with immense force.
The rogue ninja barely had time to react. Instinctively, he activated his Steel Release, his body hardening like tempered metal.
But it wasn't enough.
The impact sent him sprawling, his limbs trembling under the lingering charge. Gritting his teeth, he forced his hands into another seal.
"Dark Release: Inhaling Maw!"
A vortex of dark energy swirled in his palm, hungrily devouring the residual lightning.
Rising to his feet, he snarled. "You won't stop me!"
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Word count: 1522
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