"Almost at HQ, but that still doesn't mean you should drop your guard!"
"Right...!"
Rei and his team ran through the village, eager to get back to headquarters and determine the source of the massive explosion they witnessed earlier. In spite of their haste, they still moved with caution, maintaining a watchful eye on the surroundings. Many Chinoike infiltrators still wreaked havoc inside the village with "Exploding Humans"
Due to the collapse of several buildings, the team had to find another around the debris and head through a neighborhood that'd yet to be cleared, hampering their progress
Along the way, Rei had second thoughts once discerning their location, the now unrecognizable area reminded him of something important
STUP!
"!"
"Rei? Why are you stopping?"
"...Guys, let's go this way" Rei said as he pointed towards an eerie looking path
"You wanna go that way? Are you for real right now? We're almost at our-!"
"Okay, let's go"
"Suzu?!"
"Even if when we make it to HQ, we'll just be dispatched to another area again. There's no point in fretting over it Tai"
ZWSH!
Without even waiting for a response, Rei and Suzu dashed ahead in a new direction as Tai anxiously followed in reluctance. Though his team was curious to his intentions, after spending years with him, they both knew Rei wasn't the type to share his inner thoughts
{I was right, this is the same area. Can't believe they managed to inflict so much damage for me of all people not to recognize it...} thought Rei
After several minutes of running, even his team realized where he was heading. The tattered buildings were what's left of the former commercial district they often frequented prior to completing a mission
Rei's destination became obvious to Suzu and Tai. The pair glanced at each before smirking, realizing what, or rather whom Rei was concerned for
{He's really mellowed out since I first met him} Tai thought
"Uh?! Trouble, the enemy is over there!" Rei yelled
"You can sense it, how many?!"
"Just one but, she's in danger!"
"Then go on ahead, we'll back you up!"
BOOM! DASH!
Being the fastest, Rei blasted towards his intended target, a half destroyed diner. Right outside the front door, a young lady was under attack by a Chinoike Clan member
It was the team's old friend Akina, waitress of her family-owned "Sake & Yaki" diner Rei frequented every since he came to this world
"Stay...back!"
"Oh, don't fret young one, I'm not going to kill you" said the Chinoike attacker
His red-eyed Ketsuryūgan1Blood Dragon Eyebeamed at Akina, this heinous man was attempting to turn her into another exploding human. He'd already paralyzed her with his Dōjutsu2Eye Techniques
"So...one...help...!"
"You'll die much later. But it won't be without purpos-GUOH!!!"
WHAM!
"How about you die now...for my purpose!" yelled Rei after delivering a highspeed kick to the man's face
TAP! WEAVE!
Immediately after sending him tumbling away, Rei ran to Akina. Placing one hand on her shoulder, and forming a hand seal with the other
"Release!"
"Bwah! Cough! Cough! Ah! That was...!"
"It's okay, just breathe. Kanashibari Genjutsu3Temporary Paralysis Illusion Techniqueson a non-shinobi can be quite intense. It'll wear off in a few"
TAK! TAK!
Suzu and Tai swiftly caught up, the latter checking on Akina as the former kept a watchful eye on the enemy who slowly got up. His clothes ruffled, dirt and dust in the shape of Rei's footprint spread across his face
"Nice kick, fast as usual" Suzu stated as she smirked at the enemies ridiculous appearance
"Still not enough to take him down. You ready for this?"
"As I'll ever be. Tai, stay with Akina!"
"Got it, I'm on support!"
RUSTLE!
"Good, ones with stronger chakras. I'll be able to make even stronger explosions with you"
♦♦♦
On the northern battlefront, the Yotsuki clan maintained a stalemate with the Fūma, despite the latter outnumbering the defense
No, what really kept them at bay was...
SHING! BLURCH!
"A-A-AHHH!"
"Damn it, another one?!"
"His head...it just came right off!"
Since first reaching the shore, the Fūma had been under the assault of raining arrows, with perfect aim. Each and everyone never missed a target, flying right through their necks
Packed with an impossible amount of force, heads rolled all over the field
"Take cover where you can find it! Make it if you have to!"
"Hey! Doton4Earth Styleusers at the front!"
"We got it, Doton: Banri Doryūheki5Earth Style: Great Mud Wall!"
SPEW! RUMBLE!
Several Fūma lined up and spat mud from their mouths. The dirt solidified into several, stretched-out pillars of earth. Growing upwards from the ground before combining into a single, sturdy defensive wall
"Take cover!"
"Okay, we've got some leeway now"
"Let's reorganize and come up with another means of atta-"
BOOM! BLURCH!
An arrow easily burst through their defense, destroying the wall and decapitating another target
"S-Shit! How?! How could they see-?!"
"Sticking together is no good. Scatter!"
"Give her too many targets to follow at once!"
ZWSH! ZWSH! ZWSH!
They all dashed in different directions, engaging the Yotsuki clan in various areas across the northern front. One particular member grit his teeth after spotting several of his deceased comrades
"Kuh...! We've lost so many...that bitch!"
"Who?!"
"Over there, the one with the bow and arrows!"
Pointing to the top of hill in front of the coastline, a woman clad in a white and black armored kimino led the Yotsuki clan. With a short sword on one side of her hip, and a quiver on her other, she unleashed her arrows at inhuman speeds
"Tomoe Yotsuki, wife of the Yotsuki clan head, Ganjō Yotsuki"
"Why don't we just take her down first?! Or even better, use her as a hostage?!"
"And end up like those poor fools about to try?"
"Eh?"
A group of Fūma managed to slip past the defense and encircle Tomoe. But just as they began their attack, she withdrew the small blade on her hip, making a 360° swipe in the air...
ZWIP! FWOOSH!
"H-Huh?"
"Tsk! Idiots..."
THUD! THUD! THUD!
One after the other, heads rolled
"W-W-What just happened...?"
"The Yotsuki are full of swordsman, did you really think getting closer would help?"
"But she didn't even touch them!"
"It's the same as those ridiculous arrows, she's using an insanely powerful Fūton6Wind Style. With chakra flow, it increases their range, force, speed, and overall power to new heights. As for those guys just now, I can only assume she did the same with her sword, extending its reach in an instant"
{They were still several feet from her, and she decapitated all of them in an instant. That level skill and chakra control is just...!}
"Tomoe Yotsuki, also known as The Beheader...never one one to take lightly. Skilled in both long and short range, she has no blind spots. Heh, what do you expect from the wife of the shinobi even the The Land of Iron's samurai respect?"
"..."
SHINK!
Sheathing her blade, Tomoe resumed her assault, firing bullet-like arrows at any and every enemy unfortunate enough to catch her eye
"Shouldn't we retreat? We weren't even supposed to be here this long!"
"Stick to the plan, Nobuyuki-sama won't fail. We just have to wait for the signal, then we make our counter attack"
"...Okay"
"Damn it, isn't it long past time for those inmates to use it?! This is why you don't work with scum!"
♦♦♦
I don't see things like you do...
"Balance..."
"..."
"Now?"
"Again, you're so impatient Red. You gotta learn to take things slow, to really appreciate what's happening"
I don't see things like they do. Hell, I don't even see things like HE does...
"You've stalled long enough"
"Procrastination, you say? Is that what you think I'm doing Red?"
"You're the one who can't appreciate what this means. Not only for the Company, but for the world. The status quo is..."
"Ugh, again with the same speech!"
Even for a being as I, dreams still come. Desires still come. More importantly, I have passion. The passion to strive, to take, to reach out, despite how stagnant I've been forced to become...
"Balance..."
"Fine, I'll radio Itsuki. Guess even you can be whiner"
"Just do it. We should've checked if our radios still worked despite the interference we're giving Kumo"
"Sigh! Shut up already, I'm doing it!"
It's amazing how the only absolute in this...in every universe, is time...
BZZZT!
"Come in Itsuki...come in you idiot"
{Just as immature as your brother}
"Come in...Itsuki. Don't pretend you're not there you little f**k...or I'll kill you"
It just erodes everything. Not just matter or energy, but our very spirits. Custom, tradition, guidelines, morals, vanity...
They just fade away, and so easily. And once they're gone, you look back and think...
"[I'm here Balance, the hell do ya want now?]"
"First off, you and your Oni Garrison did a great job on that explosion and breach. Second..."
"Why did I even care about that stuff?"
It's only an obstacle. Imagine how far one could go if you threw it all away. I'm sad to say I've remained stagnant for quite some time, letting these things hold me back...
So with that in mind, I've decided...if he doesn't want to play by my rules, why should I keep them at at all?
"[Wait. You mean...is it time?!]"
"Kukuku...yes"
I've waited long enough, and while I could wait a little more...I nO lonGer wANt to
"Instruct the inmates..."
"..."
"Have them use the Lift"
"[!]"
"Do it. Now."
"[...Okay]"
BZZZT!!
This is aLL your fault, for getting tOO attatchED to these worthleSS meatbagS. Which is wHy, as of today...