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Kurobachi's POV (Eastern Forest of Irminsul - Terra)
Kurobachi froze as he landed on a branch. A bone-chilling howl sounded through the air. Pulsating his chakra to check for nearby threats, he felt his heart drop as he realized he was surrounded. There were nearly thirty shinobi around him! Had the Leaf brought an entire platoon? Why? They clearly were no allies if they were sneaking around them. They seemed to be attempting to surround him…
Racing off he increased his speed, desperately seeking to gain distance from the unknown people surrounding him. He could hear and sense they were chasing. The group attempted to flank and box them in. The massive number of them surging to leave them nowhere to escape.
This was bad. Kurobachi was certain he could fight off a few shinobi, maybe even more at peak performance, but doing so while protecting his brother would be nearly impossible. And the numbers he sensed would surely be too much to fight back against anyway. Worse yet, he could not use his Whizzing Missile technique. The battle and his fleeing had exhausted his chakra level. There was barely any chance to fight, barely any chance to flee.
A whistling sounded through the air and set off his instincts; his experience saved the grizzly man who dived off the branch he had landed on wildly. Looking back at the branch, the man saw something slam into it; the creature hissed and writhed at the branch, seemingly confused.
The… well, Kurobachi wasn't certain what it was. It had pale skin that seemed stretched taut along it's visible bones. It had four limbs, but oddly enough, each was an almost human-looking arm. It seemed to crawl on all fours. Its eyes were milky white as it glared at him. It looked like a human who had been cursed into some kind of demon. Its odd skin, white eyes, and animalistic behavior betrayed its almost human-like appearance.
However, Kurobachi flinched when he felt his sibling slip from his back. Eyes darting down, he saw the barely conscious Jibachi falling to the forest floor. With a grunt of frustration, Kurobachi dived after him, shielding him as the two collided with the forest floor. The fall was so massive that even Kurobachi was winded by the impact.
"Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Cut through the night air. The scramble and crunching of branches alerted Kurobachi to the fact that these beasts were closing in. Standing and facing his brother, it became clear that Jibachi did not have long. His legs had been shattered in the fall. His eyes seemed glazed; perhaps he was dazed by pain.
Kurobachi coughed as exhaustion began to set in for him. Could he truly escape with Jibachi right now? Was there even a point to it? Would he manage to escape even by himself?
No, the beast was quick and closing in. Eventually, they would catch up to him, and without knowing their abilities, it would almost surely lead to his death. The beast seemed determined to feast on them. But if they were busy with another meal…
"Brother!" Jibachi shrilly cried. "We need to run! I don't have long, and we're being surrounded. Please, brother, save us!"
Jibachi, in many ways, was an annoyance to him. The fool only sided with him due to his hatred of Suzumebachi. He had always been the weaker of three… the weak link. But Kurobachi had long ago found a way to fix this, hadn't he?
"Oh god, it hurts my arms! I can still feel the-" Jibach was silenced by Kurobachi stomping on his chest.
"Do you remember that training trip I went on just before Suzumebachi had managed to take over. I had returned learning nothing new and soon was replaced as the Clan Head. But in truth, I lied. I had learned something, something that had the potential to not only surpass Suzumebachi, but the potential to finally redeem the Kamizuru Clan…" Kurobachi explained to Jibachi with a cruel smile.
"B-brother…" Jibachi pathetically whispered.
Kurobachi began to weave signs. He had only seconds now, but the man formed at least twenty as his chakra began to truly go wild. "Wasp Style: Cannibalistic Growth!" He grunted in pain as his teeth fused together into a large pair of mandibles; his mouth became one of a wasp.
"P-lease…" The food once known as his brother begged. But Kurobachi savagely lunged down and ripped out a bite of Jibachi's chest. Who choked and gasped in pain. He could see his ribs now and had to stop himself from feasting right now.
Immediately, Kurobachi laughed as he felt his reserves fill before beginning to grow rapidly. The mandibles left as the man allowed wings to burst from his back before taking to the sky at impressive speed. He did not need Jibachi or Suzumebachi nor their foolish employers. He would be free to regain his role as he pleased.
Jibachi could only watch his brother reach the sky as the pale beast surrounded him. They did not bite like his brother; instead, each ripped handfuls of his body from him. Immediately taking the bits of his body and cramming it down his own throat. Luckily, he could only feel pressure now, his life fading right as the cold hand of another beast gripped forcibly on his face.
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Lee's POV (Eastern Forest of Irminsul - Terra)
Hinata lay behind him, seemingly frozen in pain and surprise. Choji climbed to his feet in front of him with a crazed and alien hatred on his face. When the Okama Clan warned Lee of the likelihood of his allies being here and in danger, he rushed over at top speed. His Ninshu proved helpful in increasing his stamina in the gates, so he was able to arrive within minutes. However, he had yet to expect to see his allies fighting.
Lee could not claim to know either well. But he first saw Choji's empathetic and protective nature during their fight with Mizuki. Hinata's meek and kind nature was well known to most people of the Leaf as the heir of the most prominent clan of their home. Neither could he imagine attacking another without proper provocation.
However, when he arrived, it was clear that Choji had gotten the better of Hinata and, in fact, seemed to have been aiming to kill her. Whether it was a spar gone ary or an actual bout of combat, such was unacceptable. Lee would first detain Choji and then find out the full details later…
Lee was concerned about how easy that would be. Choji had tanked several of his rampage blows with minimal damage, and though he knew the man could turn giant, he was uncertain he could uproot a tree or even half of one with pure strength or chakra manipulation regularly. It seemed he was stronger than Lee knew.
"First, you bastards look down on me; now you get in my way! I'll kill the lot of you and serve the master proud!" Choji roared as he crouched down. Lee, however, was not fooled, flipping to land in a handstand. He began to spin as Choji launched himself forward with shocking speed.
The portly man closed in and threw a wild swing. Lee's spin allowed him to dodge such a move and, with violent speed, counter with a spin kick to the face. Choji, however, merely grunted, catching Lee's foot and spinning to build up speed. Managing to entirely lift Lee off his feet.
Lee did not fight against the grab or spin; instead, he flicked his wrist, allowing his bandages to wrap around Choji as they spun. The Akimichi threw him with a cruel laugh, sending Lee flying at absurd speeds. Butt Lee did not flinch, even as his bandages became taunt and managed to stop his flight. Choji gasped as Lee clutched both bundles of bandages from his end.
"I have never looked down at you fried. In fact I am certain that your regular self would've done better than this! Wild Youth: Juvenile Slingshot!" Lee cried. With his considerable strength, he managed to launch himself back into Choji, smashing into his face with both feet. The tremendous blow sent Choji flying back. However, Lee grimly gripped them as the bandages once again acted as a tether, stopping his flight and allowing Lee to pull him back with another mighty heave. "Wild Youth: Juvenile Leash!"
As the dazed Akimichi returned, Lee prepared for a decisive blow, preparing for hands for a double strike as Choji closed in. 'Do not worry, friend. This will neither kill nor grievously injure you. However, it will knock you out. Gai Sensei's advice was simple for those embedded in Youth who have temporarily strayed from the path. Tough Love!' "Unyouthful Blow: Tough Love!"
The strike was vicious; Choji spat up blood and flew back, smashing through a tree as the bandages finally let him go. Lee stared at the downed Choji, but other than twitching, it seemed the man was done.