Chapter 133: 132. Similar, Not The Same

MrProper

Kumogakure

A was sitting in his office, looking over some documents when heard a knock on the door. Permitting entry, the one in question was none other than Dodai, here to present his findings

"Well?"

"They should have boots on the island in fifteen. Tekkan-dono has already arrived safely and is resting in the Daimyō-sama's bureau, we no longer have to fear him getting taken prisoner"

"The fact they didn't even try to pursue suggests he was never the target to begin with. And considering the number of enemies reported, it's definitely not for an individual assassination"

It was blatantly obvious these terrorists were targeting the island's animals. Stealing potential summoning partners for the next generation of Kumo shinobi was akin to striking at the heart of the village

A in particular was frustrated. Though the village possessed Genbu, it didn't imply losing "Summoning Island" wouldn't be heavy loss. Not to mention the political backlash he'd receive, at a time when he couldn't be more hostile with the council majority

He was still outsourcing work to Mori Sp. while stripping government opposition of their resources. Dodai was also aware of this as both men heaved a heavy sigh

"Dodai. Do we still not know why Takigakure1Hidden Waterfall Villagehasn't gotten involved yet? I don't want to think they were in on this but-"

"I doubt it sir. All attempts to contact them have failed, and according to our scouts, it's very likely they're also under attack. Forgive me for not requesting permission prior but, I've already raised security in certain sections of the village for good measure"

"No, if you hadn't done it I'd be disappointed in you, good work. Haaaah...the hell is going on?"

Calling the past several years "disorderly" wouldn't do it justice. The "Hyuga affair", Yugito's near Tailed Beast extraction, loss of contractors and trust with other nations, the treachery of the defector Futoi, and the overall economic damage from the last war

These events picked up right after he replaced his late father as the Raikage. The more his "inner circle" learned, the more obvious it became some unknown enemy was orchestrating things to their disadvantage

But after several years of investigation, the only thing learned was branches of the Fuma and Chinoike clans respectively were at their beck and call. Along with employed enforcers of various origins who went under the aliases like "Supervisor" and/or "Employee"

So little information for a hostile enemy that could potentially wreak untold havoc. People began to suspect something was coming as strange activity around the village increased exponentially within the past year

A knew full well this was the "calm", and the village was unprepared for the inevitable "storm". He leaned forward and held his head with grief, accidently knocking some papers off his desk

"Ah! Damn it, I'm just out of it today. Dodai, could you give me a hand?" 

"Of course"

As they cleaned up, Dodai picked up a file that caught his attention. A familiar name was written on it, "Keido Sano"

"Um, sir? This is Kei's file. Were you looking for something in particular?"

"Ah, a little side project of mine. I wanted to learn more about him. More specifically, his wife. I never knew Keido myself, and I've been seeing his son a lot recently so..."

"You wanted to gain a better grasp on his background. Makes sense, considering his cousin is your assistant. But Moriko Sano? Why are you looking into her?"

"Information on her was incredibly vague, no matter how many files I went through. All I learned is Keido meeting her in the land now known as Ishigakure2Hidden Rock Village. He brought Moriko and her family here, marrying her later"

"And...that was a bad thing?"

"No, I just want to know why. I tried asking Mabui before sending her off with the reinforcements to the island, but she didn't know much either"

"Mabui's related to Kei by blood, but she was far too young at the time to remember much about Moriko-san now"

"For us to let strangers into our home so easily...that's something my father never would've done lightly"

Dodai chuckled as he recalled something, A growing curious at his reaction

"Something funny?"

"Nothing. It's just crazy how much you and your father are alike Raikage-sama. Always putting the village at the forefront of your thoughts"

"That's a requirement for this job"

"Heh! Lord 3rd allowed them entry for their heritage. We learned Moriko-san's ancestry originated further west of Ishigakure, near the infamous place of Kaenzan3The Flaming Mountains"

"A family living near that place?! Impossible! The area is famous for being uninhabitable to all forms of life!"

The place called "Kaenzan" was believed by many to be the hottest location in the world. With temperatures so high, even the fiercest of desert animals struggled to survive

Home to what is known as the "Eternally Burning Fire", splendid natural flames that seem to blaze all year long. Able to burn away anything they come into contact with

To hear that a human family managed to not only survive, but thrive there, was nothing short of unthinkable for A

"Your father and I thought the same thing, but after some investigation, we determined it was true. We theorized they had some special power, but we couldn't confirm it as there was little to no information on their ancestry"

"What caused them to migrate in the first place?"

"Moriko-san's ancestors were forced from their homes by invaders. The clan scattered throughout the world like the Chinoike, Kaguya, Uzumaki, or any other clan without proper backing from a shinobi nation. Their history lost to the point Moriko didn't even know her clan's surname"

"How unfortunate, no wonder you couldn't find anything"

"All we confirmed is they possess an abnormal affinity for elements like fire, wind or earth...fire in particular"

"It must be related to them being capable of surviving such a harsh environment like Kaenzan. Oh! Is that why Rei's so talented with Katon4Fire Style?"

"The jury's still out on that one, many of his deceased family hadn't displayed any special gifts. Hell, most of them weren't fit to be shinobi at all. Though Moriko-san was very special"

"Rei hasn't demonstrated the same level of talent? Really? A genius like him?"

"You can't measure it like that. Rei-kun is special, but he worked his ass off to get where he was. Moriko-san had something more akin to...natural talent"

"Rei's only ten Dodai. He's already closing in on his parents level, you can't really compare him to his mom, an adult. Overall, you're only talking in terms of affinities"

"Of course sir, I'm merely stating Moriko-san had more of a...biological advantage than Rei-kun. As for the one in question, it would appear her gifts skipped his generation...though it's still too early to tell"

"I get it...we're all at the mercy of our genes"

"...Quite so"

♦♦♦

Summoning Island

Rei and Etoro's fight had nearly reached its climax! The former doing his best to avoid the latter's corrosive attacks. Circling around Etoro, never in the same spot for more than a second!

"Cheh! He's really f**king fast!" (Etoro)

{Just a little more, I've almost kneaded the appropriate amount of chakra...} (Rei)

"Will you just die already?!" (Etoro)

SPUTTER!

Etoro increased the rate of magma rings he fired, eager to end the fight. Kekkai Genkai used a lot of energy, and his unique version of the Lava Style was far more chakra-taxing than the others

Rei had launched attacks from all angles, forcing him to continue playing this game of "cat & mouse". Tiring him out in the process, as he intended

FWIP!

{Shuriken this time!} "Ugh! Like that's gonna stop me!" (Etoro)

SIZZLE!

{He melted them into to nothing...what a pain. I'm running out of space to move, and this place is starting to look like the bottom of a volcano...I think enough time has passed} (Rei)

"Ngh!" {Damn...I'm really getting tired! How is he still moving so fast when I covered nearly this entire area with lava?!} (Etoro)

RUMBLE!

"Huh?" (Etoro)

Etoro started to feel tremors.

{Am I that tired already? No, that's not it...} (Etoro)

What he thought was his feet nearly giving out from exhaustion was in fact the ground shaking

CRACK!

"Hm?" (Etoro)

SPLOOSH!

"GAAAHH!!!!" (Etoro)

The ground beneath him split open! Revealing a torrent of water, blasting him upwards! Rei emerged from the ground short after

Etoro, suspended in the air, caught sight of him and realized the one he'd been fighting was a clone. The real Rei was hiding deep beneath the ground, patiently kneading chakra for this attack

{He used the clone to wear me down while preparing his final attack!} "A little water won't stop-!"(Etoro)

He tried to form another magma ring, but Rei wouldn't allow it

CLAP!

"Suiton: Suishōha5Water Style: Water Shockwave!" (Rei)

The vortex of water that emerged from ground suspending Etoro in the air exploded from the top. Forming of a wave, blasting him away, covering the entire field

In a matter of seconds, the area mirroring a volcano due to Etoro's actions, now resembled that of a large lake. Heat from the area struck by magma began to bubble, the hot steam trying to escape, forming unique black bubbles that when cooled, almost resembled glass

Rei had completely changed the terrain 

"Hah...haah...Now that's a sight to behold. I haven't observed to process of lava cooling and changing since my time in college" (Rei)

THUD!

Rei fell on his knee, spent from the jutsu he unleashed

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"Though it may resemble magma, it's nowhere close to the actual thing. In the first place, magma above the ground is called lava, idiot" (Rei) 

While lava can potentially be around 2200 °F, even certain flames can be much hotter. He also couldn't produce it in mass quantities

Rei picked up on this and realized Etoro's jutsu was just an imitation of real magma. Lava kept hot with his Katon, at the price of his chakra

It's overall temperature was also nowhere close to the actual thing. If it were, even with the crazy amount of water Rei produced, it still wouldn't be enough to stop it

The technique itself was more "style over substance". Without proper assistance from another like his brother Metoro, there's no way to bring out its full capabilities

"Come on, I can do this...!" (Rei)

Rei forced himself up and looked towards the opposite direction from where Etoro was blasted to. Expanding his senses to check on his team

"Hmmm...damn it" {They're at a stalemate...but Metoro's starting to press them. Makes sense, despite being the younger twin, he's the more troublesome one} (Rei)

RUSTLE!

"...Ugh!"

{Guess I have to clean up here before I can leave} (Rei)

"Huff...huff...!"

"Stay down you idiot. I don't have time to deal with the likes of you" (Rei)

"It's gonna take more than that...huff...to bring me down...hehe...!"

Emerging from the trees was Etoro. Soaked, battered, fatigued, and above all...furious. But Rei wasn't intimidated, only annoyed at his persistence

"In my entire life...except for Kajūra...no one has even beaten me this bad. He...hehehe...uhack!"

"It's amazing you're still standing" {His breathing...I think more that one rib was broken. A shame, I'd hoped with the sheer force of the water, and the debris he went through, he'd be down for the count} (Rei)

"Cough! Cough! I'm gonna end you brat!" (Etoro)

"Big words. You lost, accept it" (Rei)

"You think I can't...continue?! F**K YOU!!" (Etoro)

"You can't beat me. Your jutsu is strong, but flawed. Without proper support from your brother, you can't bring out its full killing potential" (Rei)

"...!" (Etoro) 

"Your charka is almost depleted, you're injured, hysterical, and very VERY stupid. Though that last one isn't my fault" (Rei)

"AAAGGGHHH!!! DIE!!!" (Etoro)

WEAVE!!

Etoro formed his hand seals and his "melting flames" started to gather, forming into massive makeshift pillar around him!

"You dumbass!" (Rei)

"RRRRGG!!!" (Etoro)

"Crazy bastard!" (Rei)

Rei tried to stop him when he stumbled to the ground

"Ooof! Damn!" {I've used too much chakra, can't even Shunshin6Body Flickernow!} (Rei)

"Hehe...looks like the one who's tired ain't me! Hahaha!" (Etoro)

"So you're just gonna destroy the island?! What about your mission?!" (Rei)

"F**K my mission! I don't give a shit, AS LONG AS I GET TO KILL YOU!!!" (Etoro)

{Shit! He's completely lost it! With my current chakra, I can't use Kisshōten7Auspicious Heaven!} "Have to...run!" (Rei)

Rei pulled himself up once more and was just about to leave when Etoro, who noticed this, spoke with ridicule

"Don't bother...you'll never be able to get away from this blast!" (Etoro)

"And your brother?!" (Rei)

"Metoro's Kōton8Steel Stylewill protect him, though the same can't be said for your friends. I would've done this sooner if my mission didn't have me so concerned with the merchandise on this island" (Etoro)

"Tsk!" (Rei)

"But now, I just don't give a shit. I'LL TURN YOU ALL TO ASH!" (Etoro)

"YAAAAHHH!!" (Rei)

DASH!

Knowing he couldn't evade, Rei tried to stop the user at the source. With all the strength he had left, he dashed towards Etoro,  grasping his wrists

Etoro struggled as he tried to free himself, the pair pushing their chakras to the brink!

"You little shit! Rgh! Let go!" (Etoro)

"Not...on your...worthless life! AGH!" (Rei)

"Guh! How can you even stand in this hot pillar?!" (Etoro)

"Rgh! RAAAAHHHH!" (Rei)

Though he wasn't burned, the heat from Etoro's jutsu started to hurt.

BWUURR!!

"?!" {What the?!} (Etoro)

Though Rei had yet to realize it, his chakra started to interact with Etoro's. The latter's "flames" became sporadic! Growing more and more unstable

"N-Ngh!" (Rei)

{This doesn't make any sense! As the jutsu caster, I have some level of protection but, he should've burned already! How can he be okay inside this pillar...and our chakras are-?!} "Shit! YOU LITTLE BITCH...LET GO ALREADY!" (Etoro)

"W-WOOOAAAAA!!!" (Rei)

Energy built up as the flames around them grew more and more violent!

{Is my chakra making his go out of control or something?!} (Etoro)

"AAAAAAHHHHH!!!" {W-What's...happening to me?! Is it...Kisshōten again?!} (Rei)

"DAAAMMMNNN IIITTTT!" (Etoro)

SCREECH!

The pressure between their chakra reached its peak, increasing the intensity between them until finally...

"?!" (Rei)

"NO!" (Etoro)

BOOM!

The explosion of conflicting energy blasted them away from one another, effectively ending Etoro's jutsu. The one in question picked himself off the ground, only to met with utter shock at the sight before him

"Y-You...impossible!" (Etoro)

"..." (Rei)

"Ha. Haha. Hahahaha! Well, that explains a lot! That familiar feeling I had at the start of our fight, how you could survive standing inside that pillar!" (Etoro)

"..." (Rei)

Much to his shock, Rei was emitting a strange fire around his body. Observing the phenomenon, a recollection of thoughts sprouted within his mind

[It would appear "Rei's" natural affinity is Fire, glad we tested it after your first body refinement. The "Black Scroll" is impressive]

'Out of all the elements to pick for my third...why did Kisshōten pick Earth?'

'Your Doton9Earth Stylehas improved at record pace'  'It's strange. I'm better with it than I am with my Suiton. It feels so natural to me'

'I only gained Suiton with intense training. But whether it's Katon or Doton, I always get this...funny feeling whenever I use them'

["Rei Sano" was nothing but an average ninja with unremarkable genes who died young. But now that we've altered your body, everything's changed]

[You're Neo-Ōtsutsuki body may cause the "recessive", to become the "dominant". But everything still depends on you]

'Rei's mom wasn't born in Kumogakure, she hails from that nation. Well, before it even was a nation anyway'

"Hahaha! I knew we were similar! Rei, you're just like me!" (Etoro)

{Earth and Fire...I understand now} "Wrong Etoro Konjiki. We're similar, not the same..." (Rei)

"Hehe! Now I get why Kajūra was so eager to combat Toroi, the thrill of fighting another gifted with the same powers!" (Etoro)

"Hmph!" (Rei)

The energy around Rei stabilized as he readied himself for his final confrontation with Etoro

"You're a Yōton10Lava Styleuser!"

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