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Hinata's POV (Eastern Forest of Irminsul - Terra)
Mid Day
"Dynamic Entry!" Lee called as the missile kicked one wasp away, about to sting one of the larger Okama. The waps screeched as it flew through the air and crashed through a wall of one of the homes. Using the force of the blow, he flew back, spun through the air, and called out again. "Leaf Hurricane!" With a powerful spin kick, he kicked another into the ground with a crunch. The last two remaining wasps turned to him, but this allowed the Okama to strike. The smaller one launched a barrage of punches that tore the one wasp apart, while the other two large ones crushed the last with a double clap.
Hinata was not idle herself; using her near omnivision, she activated an air palm with a thrust of her hand. The air blow sniped the wings off a wasp attempting to chase a running Okama. Leaving the insect to fall to its death to the ground below. Hinata spun on her heels seeing another wasp attempt to sneak attack her, a sting to her spine from behind. Managing to turn in time she smacked away the sting with two fingertips with one hand, she thrusted her other hand into its face. Grimly blasting enough chakra inside its head to liquefy its brain. She continued her spin, blasting away another two wasps with a casual kaiten. She flicked two more kunai as she finished her spin, the kunai pierced the skull of two more wasp, Hinata decimating several with ease.
She turned to see one more wasp being dragged to the ground by several transformed birds, Okama, and soon being torn to shreds by their beaks and talons. Another got caught with the same giant clay fist from earlier. With a crushing grip it was instantly killed. But the last two sought to escape, having managed to grab two unconscious Okama during the fight. The rest of the Okama were either fending off the last of wasps or recovering.
"Lee, can you save them if I kill the wasps"? Hinata snapped, her mind whirling as she prepared a double-peaked air palm. She had to save them if they were able!
"Yosh, trust my youth!" Lee called out. Hinata did just that, shooting off the two air palms with shocking accuracy. Both smashed the wasps carrying the Okama without harming them. Leaving both wasps turned apart and the Okama flying down to the ground below. Before Hinata could worry, Lee flicked his arms, and his bandages shot out and wrapped around the Okama. With a grunt of effort, Lee whipped them back; Sakura and Shino arrived in time to safely catch and put them back down with Hinata and Lee.
"It seems you two manage to fight off the foes on your lonesome." Shino complimented the two as he landed. "Strange to see the Okama being attacked. I thought the biggest clans were respected and feared in equal measure."
"That we are, " an older voice said. An old human man was escorted by the smaller raccoon defending the others. The old man had a long, ratty beard and wore a simple robe decorated with splotches of dried clay. "I cannot remember the last time a clan bothered to attack us directly…"
"They'll pay for this; we have been steadfast allies for nearly every clan, including them. They'll see just how fearsome of foes the Okama can be." The smaller raccoon promised.
"Muuni! You have healed well! I saw your combat, you were battling most youthfully." Lee cried happily.
The raccoon seemed to smile at their strange comrade. "Saved again by a human, my honor is stained. All the same, I thank you for defending Okama yet again. In fact we thank you all."
Hinata smiled, glad to have met another friendly clan. "It was our honor Okama-sama."
The old man smiled warmly at them. "A shame our summoner is not with you. All the same, we are blessed you arrived when you did. By the time I arrived, the damage would've been tenfold. For that, you have my sincere gratitude. My name is Mono of the Okama Clan, and I am one of the esteemed elders."
"Indeed," Shino agreed with ease. "This is concerning. We intend to cooperate with you, so if you have some sort of rival or enemy, we need to be aware of it."
"He does not mean to be rude," Sakura said, elbowing Shino. "But it is a good question all the same. Are the wasps rival of the Okama, or perhaps they are tied to the Okama…"
Hinata hummed as she considered it. She hesitated to speak but did so nonetheless, recognizing that now was no time for her to be shy. "That can't be the case; the motive and methodology seem entirely different."
"The target is also markedly different." Sakura continued Hinata's thought that the master had only used wolves and seemingly targeted humans. "Why start kidnapping animals now?"
"The wasp in question was a species of parasitic aquatic wasps." Shino further elaborated. "While they seem to have evolved to be very different, their behavior was still strange. Those species tend to prey on water species, particularly weaker solitary ones. Attacking a larger group would be foolish if they were merely hunting for food or engaging in battle. Especially when the group in question has influence."
"We have been gathering info about this "Master."" Mono chimed in. "We have similarly determined this individual is tied to the Savage Wolf Clan. And seem focused on gathering notable shinobi. This seems to be a third party, one we believe to know the location and identity of."
"Interesting, though I must admit if that is the case, it complicates matters," Shino concluded.
"We don't have time to deal with them with our allies still in danger…" Sakura agreed hesitantly.
"We came here to aid the Okama as well for Naruto." Hinata reminded the two. "If they are in danger, our allies could be in danger similarly. Besides, their motive is similar; this suggests a relation to the Master. A matter we cannot ignore."
"Indeed, I understand Muri, our newest summon, has promised you the chance to save your allies before aiding us with the "Master." However, this third party has managed to control the Chakra Anchor, and cutting it off from the convergence points has affected all summoning. Even if you did find your allies, you might be unable to save them without dealing with the Master or at the very least dealing with the Chakra Anchor." (4)
"Somehow they have compromised the Chakra Anchor?" Lee asked curiously.
"The method they used is barrier ninjutsu; even among Jounin or Anbu, such knowledge is a rarity. We believe this may be related to the party of Ikam Uzumaki, a criminal we believe you're aware of. He recently launched an attack on our clan, we believe he intends to somehow gain the aid of multiple if not all the clans. With the Chakra Anchor under his control nearly every clan would be forced to either oppose or join him." Mono explained.
"That's more than simply problematic. Ikam is an A-ranked criminal easily suspected of being high Jounin in level." Shino said worriedly.
"Furthermore, I'm not sure we can disrupt a barrier ninjutsu," Hinata admitted. "We lack an expert ourselves…"
"Such is why I came. Muuni and I will come with you to help deal with this barrier and the threats surrounding it. In exchange, the Okama Clan will offer its full resources to find the Wolf Clan and, by proxy, the "Master.""
"So it seems, Mono, you are withholding information from us, your allies." Hinata politely pointed out Mono's hypocrisy. "But all the same, your logic is infallible. We're fine with checking out the Chakra Anchor first." Hinata pointed out.
"Yosh, let us aid our friends with the full power of our youth!" Lee agreed.
"We do need to find the master anyway…" Sakura decided as well.
"I suppose if it's a transaction, that is more than fair." Shino agreed last after a pause.
"Thank you for your cooperation," Mono said humbly. "Allow me to rest my weary bones for an hour or two, and we shall be off."
"One thing before you do, Elder." Muuni chimed in. "We got one alive, and it wants to negotiate…"
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Onoki's POV (Kage's Training Ground - Iwagakure)
Mid Day
Onoki flew through a litany of concrete and stone pillars. So great was his speed that his mere gust from his flight caused a wave of dust. With casual ease, he twirled around several boulders, which nearly crushed him. With a flick of his hand, a massive hand of earth batted three more from the sky. Onoki raised a brow as a massive wall of stone suddenly erected from the ground, blocking his path. He glanced back as another wall formed behind him, and both slid toward him at great speeds.
"Hmm, unimaginative." Onoki critiqued as he formed a hand sign and tapped himself. "Earth Style: Heavy Iron!" He did not alter his path as he smashed into the wall with a massive crash. However, as if Onoki was built out of steel, he broke through the wall. He twirled to face his opponent in time to see another even more massive path of earthy fly through the air. So enormous was the stone it darkened the sky, momentarily blocking out the sun. "Better… Earth Style: Lightweight Steel." Onoki raised the same hand sign and raised a hand as if to catch the stone. The massive stone smashed into and pushed him back but suddenly halted. Onoki, with a grunt and one arm, lifted the massive stone over his head and aimed at his foe. "Try something else, rookie!" He hurled the enormous stone with ease.
To his foe's credit, they did not flinch as the massive death approached. Similar to Onoki, they raced forward into the stone. However, the meaty sound of earth and flesh did not ring. Onoki raised a brow as the stone flew on, crashing into and destroying mini pillars. However, just as it did, Onoki flipped through the air, narrowly avoiding a stone-covered man who burst from the ground below; the man cried out in effort as he raced forward and swung his fist for a mighty blow.
Onoki did not bother to react, however, as two massive stone golems burst from the ground behind them and met the blow with their own enormous fist. The man was blown away by their blow and cried out in pain as he flew back. Onoki hummed, bored, as he aimed his technique. "Dust Style: Atomic Disassembly!"
A massive cube of light formed around the airborne man, stopping his flight. The man froze, seemingly aware that Onoki had won their fight. "Akatsuchi, how long do you intend to fight so straightforwardly? Innovation is the only strategy when faced with a stronger opponent. I cannot afford to have my shield lost so easily."