Private Come Closer

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

“I don’t care how good the bread was Moru…. You can’t just budge into a shop that’s not ev- you know what, as long as you didn’t steal anything, I can live with it.”

Standing at the village gates, beneath an steadily darkening sky, Keiyaku and Morutobu awaited their squadmates. He’d sent Moru out earlier in the day with a pair of hastily scrawled notes, inviting a few select friends and acquaintances to form part of a small scouting squad to investigate some suspicious goings-on around a roadside inn somewhere within Fire Country, though he kept the wording extremely vague. The discussion between boy and dog wasn’t serious at all; the both of them tended to have long, rambling discussions with each other as a way to distract from their anxiety and trepidation when venturing into situations and objectives unknown.

“Don’t worry, buddy”, Keiyaku began, sitting down on the ground and scratching behind both the Shiba’s ears at the same time, using this moment of closeness to make sure his battle gear was properly fastened and equipped, “I’m not mad or nothing. You just don’t wanna be in one of those wrong place-wrong time kinds of situations, you know?”

Keiyaku turned his gaze heavenward, watching the sky slowly transition in the distance from a warm burnt-orange, to a cool twilight blue. He pondered whether he was guilty of not following the advice he’d just given Moru, whether he was leading them both and his other squadmates into something they were ill-prepared for. At the same time, he’d received this official request from his branch Captain, and he had to believe he wouldn’t be asked to do something he wasn’t able to handle.

Moru leaned against the side of his big brother’s leg, letting his eyes droop, and succumbing to the temptation of a quick power nap while waiting for the others to arrive. Keiyaku, meanwhile, stared aimlessly into the sky, a small shiver creeping up his back.

 

[Ayeka]

As the Anbu in training and his loyal companion contemplated the heavens they would fail to see the ever growing growing dust cloud growing in the distance outside the village gates. It was if something was traveling at high speed towards them and as the cloud drew closer you could hear the words "Mine!" being chanted over and again until finally the cloud reached Keiyaku and the shadowed figure within the dust thrust out a hand with one world hastily scrawled on a piece of parchment with a doodle of the village gates drawn next to them. As the cloud dissipated he would see a face he had not seen for awhile due to their duties keeping them apart. Aria had changed a lot in their time apart as she now stood at a height equal to Keiyaku which would be shocking as her growth spurt had been a bit monstrous for a thirteen year old. The next most noticeable feature would be a headdress on her head that resembled a pair of horns which allowed for her ridiculously long hair to trail down her back in a neat ponytail. Her clothes had changed into something similar to samurai garb with long flowing material coming from her hips and pieces of armour strapped to the garment to give it some defence.

The girl stood before Keiyaki brandishing the scroll like it was a weapon as the last of the dust settled around her, with a dead serious expression on her face as she simply said. "Where's the fight! I was promised a bone shattering fight!" Ignoring the fact that her message simply said the word fight and nothing had been promised to her the girl looked Keiyaku over and noticed he was in his mission kit. "Are you taking me on a mission?"

 

[Senju Akio]

The Senju sped through the ground towards the gates of the village, utilizing the Inner Earth Reflection Lure jutsu to take a direct path towards the village's exit that went straight underneath the buildings instead of having to wind around them. The hastily-written letter he'd received mentioned a friend that needed his help, and truth be told he was eager to see Moru and Keiyaku again. Akio had grown up quite a bit over the past few years and much had changed. The outdoorsy adolescent had gained confidence in his abilities, became a turtle archsage, and had graduated to some more advanced ninjutsu specializations. But one thing that hadn't changed was his love for nature and animals. It was that shared affinity that made him feel connected to Keiyaku and more than willing to help when the Inuzuka had asked.

As the teenager arrived at the gates, he ascended from the earth like he was riding an elevator, his mussed up blonde hair and beaming smile coming into view first. "Heya Keiyaku! Heya Moru! Heya Aria! So, I heard ya needed some help with something?" The adolescent asked with his characteristic grin and upbeat spirit. He didn't really know what the day would have in store for them, but if it meant helping a friend, Akio didn't need to know. A friend in need was more than enough to get his attention and his aid.

 

[Kimari Bōmu]

Leaping from street lamp to street lamp Keniwa would hastily drive his way towards the village gates, he'd finally become settling in and becoming the shinobi he truly wanted to be. He didn't agree with all customs, but he valued his friendships more than anything. There was a miniscule amount of things which could come in between him and the ones he truly cared for. When he was greeted by Moru this morning he had received a short letter by Keiyaku requesting his help, and without a second thought he'd already agreed. Leaving the pup a piece of bacon, from his breakfast, on the floor as an optional treat for the shinobi warrior, his whole day he had spent in preparation suiting himself up to help his companion.

As he soared through the village, he'd think back to when Keiyaku was there for him, if not for the kind boys words he could have lost all control and went on a rampage, likely resulting in an unfitting death for an up-and-coming ninja. A smile would light up his dark face as he thought of the young inuzuka, something about him made the Kyoujouran feel warm inside. It wasn't just his kind compliments or his scruffy hair. No, he had a cosy light inside of him that could brought Keniwa down to earth in his toughest time, and for that....

Swiftly leaping down from a building close to the edge of the village he would see one of his best friends, the one who summoned him alongside his furry fellow and the resident village maniac at the designated meeting spot. He respected her for her fighting prowess although some of her antics would drive the spiky haired tween up the wall, he trusted Keiyaku's judgement though so he wouldn't make a peep. "Hey Akio! K-Keiyaku hey to you as well! And Aria it's nice to see you to." Not his worst greeting, certainly not his best.

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

Keiyaku was roused from his pensive contemplation by the appearance of a familiar scent, his nostrils flaring as he turned his gaze gate-ward.

"Ah, right on time," he smirked as he watched the looming cloud of dust grew more and more dense, until finally the girl whom it bore was right up in his face, brandishing a piece of parchment in his face. Sure he'd expected her to make a bit of an entrance, but when he thirsted for a fight like this... it was a bit disarming. Moru jumped up from his nap, looking as though he'd received an electric shock, his hackles raised at first. Keiyaku slowly reached out, a little unsure of what to do, finally settling for gingerly plucking the note from Aria's hand and blinking.

"Hey there, loony sage," he smirked as he jumped up, giving Moru one last pat. He was a little disarmed at how much the youngest of the squad had sprouted up from the last time they'd met; she was at least a head shorter back then but they were now practically the same height, "yeesh, you're a tree now, aintcha?"

Akio wasn't too far behind, answering the summons with his usual chirpiness. It definitely did a lot to make the late evening feel that much warmer. Returning the Senju boy's warm smile, he took a step forward and playfully cuffed Akio on the shoulder, "hey, good to see ya, mate. Hope you're ready for a little adventure, hm?"

As if on cue, another familiar scent drifted by on the air; this one always gave the Inuzuka boy a sense of comfort, a feeling which he never took for granted. At first, he looked at the boy with some concern, considering that the last time he'd seen him, his arm had been hijacked by some strange contraption and he'd had to half-carry him to a medic. All the same.... he felt he shouldn't put the poor guy in the spot in front of everyone by asking him about it; best to save that conversation for later.

"Keni, you made it too," he grinned, pulling Keni into a brief one-armed hug. At this point Moru was bounding around the four of them, tail wagging and panting excitedly, rubbing up against their lower legs.

"Right!"

Keiyaku exclaimed dramatically, standing stiffly to attention in front of his three squaddies, the light of the full moon glinting impressively off his body armour... it was blisteringly obvious he'd posed like that on purpose for effect. Moru copied Keiyaku standing to attention at his side.

"The objective is simple! We've received word of earthquake activity within Fire Country; an outlying village has reported to us that a roadside inn has sustained quiiiiite a lot of damage; they believe they've lost a courier of there's while resting at said inn. All we gotta do is head on out and look for survivors! Any questions?"

He would peer around at the group, still beaming toothily around at them, proud to be working alongside them all together. If no questions were forthcoming, he headed over to one of the gate guards and handed over his writ on transit before ushering his squad out of the village and onto the road.

"Let's hurry; I'll answer questions on the way! No time to waste!"

 

[Kimari Bōmu]

As he was embraced by this mission's leader whilst it felt like an eternity it only lasted a few moments, an erratic blush spreading across his face simmering as Keiyaku would begin to heroically explain their task. As his armour would glimmer and shine due to the moonlight the dark skinned boy couldn't help but contain his excitement a wide grin taking control of his mouth as his eyes practically sparkled. Turning his head over to his peers he would soon realise how foolish he was acting, dropping his embarrassing display of affection and form back to his generally more serious outlook. "I understand prioritise survivors above all else." 'This mission shouldn't be too rough, I'll prevent any long lasting injuries. Akio and Aria are strong fighters as well if needs be, however... I've never quite seen them battle before. He would gaze at the two whilst they posed like true glorious shinobi in Keniwa's eyes. Conflicted, he'd cross his arms whilst raising his eyebrow his curiosity slowly seeping out.

Whilst they would begin their travel outside of the village the Kyoujouran would ask "Well Keiyaku, not that I am saying we are unworthy or anything but why did you pick us over a few anbu? Is there a reason of sorts?" Judging by the last time they had met he figured that the Inuzuka would have a god awful impression of him. And yet he had invited him on to a mission? His mind couldn't help but try calculate all the possibilities and meanings behind it, although their was a few definitives for Keniwa. "I'm glad that I am with you three today. It's better to do these types of things with people you can trust. Me and Akio know a bit about betrayal when it comes to this type of thing." A gentle earnest smile could be seen across his face as they'd begin their adventure.

 

[Ayeka]

Aria felt her eye twitch at the loony sage title once again being used against her glorious self but before she could use her fist to plough Keiyaku into the ground for it, Akio made his appearance with his usual vibrant nice guy energy which settled Aria down since he was one of the few people that made her feel uncomfortable with causing trouble in front of him. Her half brother did the whole, I'm very disappointed with you thing to great effect. "Ha! soon your gonna be a half pint in my eyes Keiyaku while I shall tower over you all. Yo Akio and the little rule enforcer." Aria directed the last of her words to the little Shiba that she had spooked awake as she took a more relaxed posture with her arms folded behind her head as she stood next to the two boys but it wasn't for long as Keniwa showed up at last and greeted everyone. Smiling at seeing the boy she had started to develop a small rivalry with, Aria simply lifted her fist in a friendly bump in reply to dark skinned boys greeting as Kei finally stood at the head of the group in a pose that Aria begrudgingly admitted to herself was cool.

"Huh so we are getting a mission then?" Aria muttered to herself out loud as their apparent team leader explained to them they were going to be doing some damage control after an earthquake which sucked because you can't really fight a natural disaster in the way she preferred but at the same time Aria didn't have anything against helping people in trouble so with a shrug she took off after the rest of the team as they took to the road. Once on the road Aria would take to the trees as that was the preferred move when ninja were in a hurry. Using her bloodline to assist her in moving Aria would glide between the branches in different states of repose as she only need to exert small amounts of effort to move quickly with the forests assistance. Listening to Keni speak to Keiyaku while she seemed to float in a resting pose next to the two Aria simply smirked at Aria's question. "Its because he's not a big wig yet so he has to use the main branch to prove his command." Aria tone was in a glib cheeky tone, aimed to get a rise but not insult much like how Kei used the loony sage name to annoy her as she traveld with the team.

 

[Senju Akio]

Akio's smile brightened as Keiyaku greeted him. "I'm always up for an adventure!" He exclaimed proudly. And as Aria mentioned her new height, Akio had to admit she had definitely grown. But he was beanpole himself. Walking up and tracing a flat hand from the top of his head over towards his Senju relative's, he shot Aria a wry smile. "You've grown a ton! But I'm still taller!" He teased with a laugh. It wasn't long before Keniwa had arrived as well. "Hey Keni! Good to see ya! I'm stoked to go on another mission with ya after we wiped the floor with those bandits!" Akio said in greeting, his tone lined with his characteristic chipperness.

It didn't take long for Keiyaku to explain the details of the mission and, Akio being somewhat of an expert on all things natural, quirked up an eyebrow. "Earthquakes? In Fire Country? Does that not strike you guys as weird?" The suspicious Senju asked, scratching the back of his sandy blonde mop of hair. "Eh, doesn't matter! If there's people who need help, I'm happy to do what I can!" He concluded, not giving the strangeness of the phenomena too much thought beyond the initial understanding that it was out of the ordinary for the part of the world they were in.

And as Keiyaku beckoned them to go, Akio rushed off alongside the others, sending a small amount of chakra into his legs with some basic buffing taijutsu. If there were people in trouble, there really was no time to waste. As a med-nin he knew that even injuries that seemed simple could turn ugly if they weren't treated in time. "You're right Keiyaku! No time to waste!" He called out as he began to race down the road out of the village.

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

"Yeah, of course it strikes me as odd," Keiyaku agreed, looking at Akio as the five of them bounded off into the wilderness, gliding through the trees as a unit, "that's why the Captain wanted to send out a full squad, rather than a small scouting party. Shouldn't be possible, and yet, it caused carnage."

Morutobu was skipping merrily alongside Aria, out in front, letting out little growls and barks at her. Keiyaku translated.

"Heh, yeah, loony sage. Mory says he technically outranks you in a roundabout kinda way," Keiyaku smirked, admiring his little bro's ambition. A serious mission this may be, but Keiyaku was determined to keep the atmosphere somewhere relaxed and calm, helping all five of them to maintain a clear head in case some quick thinking neededto be done. He turned his attention to Keniwa.

"Good point, Keni, but hey, if I only ever do missions with the rest of my branch, I'll only ever be hanging out with Dove and Reaper, forever," he said, surpressing at shudder at the mention of the latter. He wasn't sure whether the rest of them would know these names, but, rules of the branch dictated they weren't allowed to use each other's actual names, "besides, I ain't just selected you lot at random. We got Moru for a little sniff machine to hunt for survivors, we got Aria who literally made a forest try to murder me in her sleep, Akio, who can also summon nature to do his bidding, except he's got a bit more gooey stuff between his ears than Aria; and Keni, who's built like a brick-shithouse and can shift any amount of rubble to pull out our innocent civilians. That makin' sense to ya?"

⁂​

Twenty minutes of branch-bouncing later, and the squad had reached their destination. The forests had thinned out, giving way to a barren road following a stream. The Inuzuka ordered his squadmates to halt after a sudden bark from Moru, alerting him to the scent of blood.

It was a sordid sight; large swathes and black and brown, glistening in the light of the full moon, stained the rocky path leading up to what had once been a large building, surrounded by a few tiny houses here and there. It had once been a roadside inn, with a tiny community sprouting around it, no doubt somewhere couriers, merchants, and all sorts might've passed through on the way in and out of the Land of Fire. Large fissures lined the scene, as if chunks had been torn from the ground. Every building was in ruins, as if the foundations had all just given way, leaving behind piles and rock and wood. Closer inspection would reveal gnarly gashes in sets of three set into the fallen wooden columns. An assortment of huge, clawed footprints and been pressed into the dirt either side of the paths.

Keiyaku gulped, his brain going into ANBU-mode immediately.

"Right, Keni, start digging through the rubble of the inn, see if you can find anyone buried; we'll need your strength. Aria, keep an eye out; you see anyone coming along, fight them... Fight them so hard, their children will feel it. Akio, reckon you can help shift some of the rubble with Keni?"

From somewhere beneath the pile of brick and mortar, a hoarse voice cried out, seemingly mustering its last ounce of strength.

"R-Run...! T-The m-moon... i-it attacked...!"

 

[Ayeka]

Aria ended her last branch bounce with a back flip as she landed at her destination with the rest of squad. Taking a moment to take in the devastation Aria frowned as turned back and forth while Keiyaku was going into Anbu mode and issuing orders. Aria couldn't help but grin at Keiyaku's words as it was probably the best order she had ever heard but at the same time she realised it was guard duty but it was better than digging through debris and corpses, However what was really bugging Aria was the state of the village they had found themselves in. Aria in her life practicing ninjutsu of all elements had inflicted a lot of damage on her surroundings either on purpose or by accident so she was fairly sure sure what earthquake damage looked like based of her earth jutsu but these buildings looked like something had slammed into them instead of shaking them down, not to mention the claw marks she could see as she turned from the squad and meandered through the wreckage as she headed for the outskirts so she couldn't hurt anyone further with the jutsu she was about to perform. "I'll play lookout then!" Aria said with a wave as she left while bringing her other hand up to her mouth and biting into her thumb.

Aria would disappear among the wreckage to the others as she headed out of the village, A massive pillar of smoke would explode into existence in the distance before the gargantuan form of Aria's fortress turtle would fill the skyline as the girl, inaudible to the group, would communicate with her turtle which caused the summoned beast to nod as it began to patrol around the perimeter of the village. The massive water cannon on its back seeming to search for threats as it swung back on forward on top of the monastery while the turtle itself allowed it eyes to scan over the surroundings while Aria herself could be seen as a small dot on the turtles head also keeping a watch for anything fun to fight.

 

[Senju Akio]

As the group arrived on the scene Akio's eyes went wide immediately. There was so much destruction, and not only that, it seemed his hunch was incorrect. This did look like an earthquake after all. At least on first inspection. Akio didn't even need Keiyaku to finish his sentence before he sprung into action. There were bound to be people here who were stuck within the wreckage and Akio's empathetic nature wouldn't allow him to leave any of them trapped. "I'm on it!" He called back to his Inuzuka friend and quickly began to form hand seals.

However, a voice from within one of the buildings that were now reduced to rubble, Akio paused. "We gotta make sure nothing shifts while we're getting these people out!" He yelled, then finished the handseals. With precision and with the safety of those trapped inside as the first priority, Akio slammed his hand down onto the earth, and root-like tendrils of wood erupted from the ground and began to wind their way in between the wreckage. "Don't worry about that for now!" He called out to the voice that was trapped within. "Just hang on, we'll get you out of there."

His eyebrows were furrowed as he worked diligently to make sure that every heavy piece that he could was supported by the wrapping vines, his hand manipulating chakra through the arboreal network. Then, spreading his fingers, the roots slowly pulled the building apart in a large dome filled with wood, the roots lifting and spreading out the pieces of rubble so that there was plenty of space to go between then hardening strong as oak as they held all the pieces aloft and granted access to the victim within. Rushing through, Akio knelt down within the gnarled structure he'd created and held the suffering villager in his hands which now began to glow green with healing energy. "You're gonna be okay. Just stay with me alright?" He said with kindness and empathy lining his tone.

 

[Kimari Bōmu]

As they arrived at their destination a sombre look from the boy's eyes would display his reaction, it initially looked as if a horrible accident had befallen this inn, slightly shaking his head in the bleak reality of the situation which had befallen those inside. However all hope was not lost yet every second would count in this mission, as Keiyaku would give his orders fitting the role of their tactical leader, Keniwa like lightning would make his rapid way in to the opposite direction Akio did, in an attempt to divide and conquer. Instantaneously he came right up to a large piece of rubble before stopping dead in his placing each of his palms on the ground as he'd kneel down shutting his eyes. Taking deep slow breaths he would stay there for a few seconds, in this time he was spanning out the radius of his tremor sense, with it spreading throughout the whole wreckage in an attempt to sense any vibrations that may be a sign of human life.

All it would take was one singular small movement as he instantly leaped in to the wreckage smashing through any rubble whilst swatting it away from the site. With sheer speed and force he would rapidly move all the rubble which was once a building in to a designated area, not wasting any time he would toss the larger pieces of debris whilst destroying everything else he could doing anything he could to reach any potential survivors. Having to lift one especially large piece of structure out of the way he would place it down beside the side of one of the paths. However with the use tremor sense he would see a three large dips in the dirt near to the path, opening his eyes just out of suspicion it was clear to him that these huge clawed footprints couldn't have belonged to any regular beast. Signalling to their leader with a wave and direct shout he'd ask "Keiyaku! Come over here, there are some massive footprints here, it's best not to leave any stone unturned." Before leaping back in to action swiftly reshuffling more of the wreckage.

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

"Eh...?!"

Keiyaku stood in awe as Aria, the living epitome of 'never let them know your next move', sauntered off and casually conjured what the Inuzuka boy at first believed to be a huge rock. Realising it was a gigantic turtle didn't immediately dispel his shock. Right, he didn't have time to be gawking like this, he needed to just accept reality and get back to work. Turning, he watched as Akio began manipulating the plantlife to shift the rubble while Keniwa dug in a more manual fashion, using his hands to sense vibrations in the ground. Morutobu was on the alert, walking over some of the demolished structures, sniffing at them, searching for any trace of life.

As Akio unearthed a victim of the building's collapse, still alive, it was immediately obvious he was in a state of shock. He looked to be in his twenties and wearing a courier's uniform. Clutching to Akio for dear life as the Senju attempted to heal him, his panic only seemed to soothe slightly. His legs had been completely minced and he'd lost a significant amount of blood, to the point he seemed to be losing consciousness even as Akio attempted to render him aid.

"The m-moon i-isn't t-the moon an-anymore...."

The man's breathing, coming in shuddering gasps began to slow, until finally he closed his eyes, drifting off into unconsciousness.

"What did he...?" Keiyaku said, his voice going up an octave as he approached Akio, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. The Inuzuka looked up at the great silvery sphere in the sky. Nothing seemed to be amiss, but the air felt tense.

"Footprints?" He asked, approaching Keni, starting to become a little bit bewildered by the constant flow of informational input. Bending down to examine the huge clawed prints a little closer, he beckoned Morutobu to his side, thinking they best stick close together now. Two instincts fought each other for dominance inside Keiyaku's brain; he was a master huntsman by virtue of his clan and his upbringing, fearing no predator... but something that could do this, it was some sort of vile affront to nature. Every neuron in his brain was screaming for retreat.

"Everyone! It's time to withdr-"

A cloud obscuring the moon drifted past and the ruined village was bathed in its light. It wasn't like ordinary light - it was... thicker. Fog-like and almost tangible, it began to coalesce at a single point, equidistant from the squad's members. Like a star being formed very rapidly, the strangely gaseous moonlight condensed into a large, four-legged creature. Silvery and spectral, the entity regarded them with eyes like two empty voids, standing in mid-air as though the moonbeam was a solid surface. It was wolf-like in appearance but no wolf had a face like that; it was unnaturally contorted. Its fangs were nearly the size of its tongue, giving it the appearance it was grinning at them, drooling.

Keiyaku's initial instinct was to back up and shield his closest teammate, which happened to be Keniwa, with his body.

The thing titled its head back, its travesty of a face contorting still further as it howled. Keiyaku had never heard anything like it; it was gutteral and raspy, as if a wolf's howl and a lion's roar had been melded into some unholy union. Large pieces of rubble from the buildings began to shake and tremble, as did pieces of the splintered wooden columns. Rock, debris, wood, even trash and discarded detritus levitated into the air slowly. They converged around the entity and began to stick to it, fitting together like some enormous jigsaw puzzle. The body it was creating for itself was much more humanoid in shape, with long, powerful arms ending in jagged, rocky claws. It stood on two legs thick as tree trunks. Its face was the same hellish abomination as before, except perfectly replicated in stone. There was an eery silvery, slightly blackened glow emanating from the cracks in the stone and the creature's mouth, as though its essence was holding the structure together. Occasionally a small piece would crumble away, but would be attracted back into place, like a magnet. It must have been at least 9 feet tall when stood upright, but it hunched, like it was halfway between human and animal.

"WITHDRAW! NOW!"

Keiyaku all but screamed, his voice sounding as though panic and forced calm were fighting with each other. As Keiyaku and Morutobu attempted to usher Keni and Akio to safety, the creature intervened. It opened its twisted jaw and moved it. The voice that came out was echoey and ethereal, but nonetheless gutteral and hoarse.


C̵̲̖͆͗̑̀̆o̸̠̍̈́̑ṃ̶̛̛̹̬̝̓̇͆̓̇e̵̤̙̠͝ ̸͓͍̱̫͈̠̩̈́̾̀͑̂ć̴̡̛̯̼̖̀̊̾̾l̴͖̦̈́͌́̌̓̕͝o̴̧̧̞̝͍̫̫̍̐͛́̉͝s̸̡̙̯̩͚̳̬͌̃̂͊ě̷̘͉͔̟̗̍̒̃̇r̶̬̭̤̓̂͂


With a little 'come here' motion of its claw, Keni, Akio, Moru, and Keiyaku would be violently jolted in the thing's direction. Even Aria would feel herself being violently yanked from Yousai's back if she did not manage to grip something in time, in fact, Yousai himself would feel some sort of force trying to press him flat to the ground. Any time one of them attempted to get further away, some sort of unseen force repelled them back into the fray with a violent lurch. The thing was weaponising gravity itself against them.

Keiyaku, defaulting to the only thing he could think of, fell to all-fours, alongside Moru, preparing to take the thing on. Their lives depended on it.

In his mind, Keiyaku kept repeating one phrase.

'I'm sorry guys... I'm so sorry...'

 

[Kimari Bōmu]

The night howled as the fog swooped in before them, the horrific figure would glow a spectral silver. Staring in to it's soulless eyes with defiance Keniwa's hair would spike up as the monstrosity would gaze down at them he had never seen such a terrifying beast. It couldn't have been real there's no way, in that moment he just stood there as if he had been sucked in to the voids which rest in it's amalgamation of a face, forced in to an eternal slumber. It would only be as Keiyaku would move in front of him placing his body between the entity and him when he would snap back, he'd move forward next to his inuzuka companion sweat leaking from his forehead, it's malice spreading from it's aura was dark and cold almost unending. This wouldn't stop the Kyoujouran however from raising his fists outwards in front of him, gritting his teeth preparing for the worst.

It's demonic screech shook Keniwa to the core as well as the ground around them as his tremor sense practically had went off the charts, all the rumble and debris was being lifted and taken off in to the air swirling around it to give the monster a physical form. Structured almost perfectly out of all the debris it towered over all the young shinobi and it's horrific beast like claws and head could still be just as clearly made out, it's ghastly glow and it's otherwordly aura would make the boy's eyes protectively centre on Keiyaku. His demand to retreat sparked him to instantly activate the three of his strongest functions on his gloves, 'Limit, View, Wonder!' as the steam flew off of his body rising in to the wind, his temperature would reach dangerous levels as he glowed a blazing orange, he clenched his fists. 'I won't let that thing-' Out of the corner of his eye he could make out the entity using a small gesture towards the boys, moments after it had just let out an unholy, gutteral phrase. "KEIYAKU!!" Rapidly diving in front of his leader, in hope of blocking any blow, only for all of them to be violently ripped from where they stood as he flew an enraged scowl would form across his face as he would perform several hand seals.

A small puff of smoke would centre from his hands as he flew catching a small shark with little legs but sharp teeth, coming to a halt right in front of the nightmarish sight he'd take a look at his Best friend. Sharing a small moment with him he'd nod their practice as duo wasn't going to be put to waste it was time. Whilst this was one of the only sights that truly poured fear in to his heart he wasn't about to allow it to take any of their lives. Looking down in his arms he'd fiercely launch his shark companion straight at it's tree trunk like legs, "Nom! You know what to do!" This was the first time summoning his contract in to the thick of a life or death situation, "Bite! Bite! A tasty treat Toniiiiiiiiight!" It would scream it's chant as it flew through the air, widening it's maw before making contact, attempting to bite and chomp through the wreckage of a monster's leg with several rips and tears, it's quick and agile speed and small stature, allowed the little one to zoom all over it's leg able, even with his wind like speed it wouldn't make danger it was in any less horrific.

The Kyoujouran wouldn't waste any time in joining him attempting to smash through it's other leg blitzing straight towards it with breakneck speed, up and personal was right where he wanted to be. "Everyone stay behind us, I'll protect you!" He was sure that Aria and Akio's immense wells of chakra would mean that this thing would take some mighty blasts from the two of them. However something was wrong with the rubble taken form, Keniwa knew deep inside that this did not seem like an average mission at all.... No deep inside... 'And if it costs me my life... So be it.' His defensive training would be put to the test, tightening his hands even more his skin would harden to extreme levels becoming as tough as the strongest metals, his knuckles stronger than any weapon he could have found. Slamming his foot down he would enter his families long lost style forged hundreds of years ago as he launched a flurry of searing punches straight at the beast's leg. His gloves allowed him to reach such speeds that he could dodge the strongest of attacks with agility alone, and as he would launch several mighty punches straight as it's legs. His muscles had bulked and grown to a size no one should be able to muster at his age as he smashed his feet in to the ground and held on to the monstrosity attempting to keep it down, hopefully to some avail.

 

[Ayeka]

Aria leaned back on her perch on top of Yousai's head as she was rocked gentle by the undulations of the massive turtle swinging it's head back and forth. Every so often she would look over at her teammates to check on progress of the rescue which just showed them digging people out of the wreckage of the village before she went back to her search for enemies. "Ugh I thought bringing Yousai out would encourage something out of hiding for a fight but I got nothing." Aria grumbled to herself as the sky darkened and soon the silver haired girl was left sat there in the dark with the only light being the moon shinning overhead. "Maybe we should report back......" Her mumbled words spoken to her partner beast were interrupted by the most horrible howl she had ever heard causing the hair all over her body to stand on end as she snapped her head in the direction of her team.

In the distance she could see her team facing what looked like a mass of light and mist, while they acted weird as if they were disturbed or had been ambushed by something . "Huh whats going on over there?" Aria said climbing to her feet as the mass of whatever it was began to pull rocks and debris into itself creating a form much easier to see at this distance as standing before the others was some type of giant rock wolf monster thing. Shouting could be heard in the distance but any sound was drowned out as the air around the group seemed to distort for a moment as a wave of distorted air exploded from the creature,quickly reaching Aria and Yousai, the force almost snatched the girl off her turtles head as she was pulled towards the creature, if her first instinct hadn't been to anchor herself with chakra the moment she felt herself being pulled forward. It was lucky she had been so far away that the pull was weaker on her than the rest of the team but the same could not be said for Yousai as his massive size and girth plus the force the turtle suddenly found himself under rendered Aria's partner unable to even lift a foot for fear of sending the turtle plummeting through the forest floor, rendering him out of the fight if that happened.

"Yousai I'm going on ahead! Don't get squashed!" Her partner growled in annoyance at the girl. "Feh! Don't come crying to me kid when that thing rams your head through the floor." Aria chuckled at that as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she stilled herself and began taking in natural energy. White locks began to glow with energy as waves of red flowed through the long lengths of hair creating four bands of red throughout her long tresses as the outline of a red circle formed over her forehead while the pigmentation below her eyes turned red. Eyes snapping open as Sage Mode came over the Senju, Aria could see that Keni had already started attacking the rock monster in the distance which seemed to disrupt the pull on Aria letting the girl have a moment of free movement. Allowing herself to tilt forward Aria began to laugh like a madwomen as she fell from her turtle and headed for the forest floor headfirst as her vision stayed locked on the battle ahead. "A literal rock monster! Oooh someone likes me up there. What a glorious feast of a fight this is going to be!!" As Aria spoke a hand came up to focus chakra before she hit the floor and plunged straight through it as if diving through water leaving no mark of her entry behind her as she vanished.

Aria rapidly clawed her way through the ground following the natural energy around her towards the only other source of similar energy gathered together which would be Akio. It wouldn't take long before she could feel the vibrations of battle overhead leaving Aria to bide her time as she waited for an opening. As soon as Keni slammed his feet into the ground Aria sensed her chance and blurred into action, Aria hands exploded from the ground by Keni's ankle grabbing the Taijutsu master before giving a strong pull, Using the element of surprise Keni would soon find himself being whisked underground while a vine snatched up the small Shark leaving nothing behind but a hole issuing out a dark smoke that quickly began to fill the area around the wolf blinding the creature and most likely leaving it confused by the ninja it had been fighting disappearing. Aria burst from the ground in front of Keiyaku and Akio leaving Keni behind as she quickly shared her plan with him before surfacing. "What a hauntingly beautiful face you have!" Smiling manically Aria lifted her hand into the air and snapped her fingers. "Now lets start this party with a bang!" Aria's fingers seemed to spark and in response the mist exploded into conflagration of flames shaking the area and sending rocks flying while Aria pushed the attack further by weaving another set of seals. "Sage Arts Water style: Gushing Waterfall." A geyser of water exploded out from behind smoke caused by the explosion allowing Keni to be carried up up into the air where he could capitalise on any openings the monster had from behind.

WC: 907
[MFT]

 

[Senju Akio]

The man that Akio had begun tending to was in horrible shape, his legs eviscerated by the rubble that had rained down upon him. Fortunately, the young Senju was able to stop the bleeding, but it was likely that the man would never walk again. "Just... don't die, okay?" The adolescent healer said, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked around at his teammates who were scouting the area and helping other survivors out from the rubble.

That's when the ground began to shake once more. Rock and wood and wreckage began floating into the air unnaturally, rapidly gathering together until it formed a massive construct in the shape of a fearsome wolf. Keiyaku screamed out a warning. "WITHDRAW! NOW!" Akio's brow tightened further as the beast manifested and began to speak. He wasn't running away, and the creature was about to make sure of that himself.

C̵̲̖͆͗̑̀̆o̸̠̍̈́̑ṃ̶̛̛̹̬̝̓̇͆̓̇e̵̤̙̠͝ ̸͓͍̱̫͈̠̩̈́̾̀͑̂ć̴̡̛̯̼̖̀̊̾̾l̴͖̦̈́͌́̌̓̕͝o̴̧̧̞̝͍̫̫̍̐͛́̉͝s̸̡̙̯̩͚̳̬͌̃̂͊ě̷̘͉͔̟̗̍̒̃̇r̶̬̭̤̓̂͂​

The thing's voice was terrifying, and so was the gravitational power that came with it. With a rapid jerk, Akio's body was thrown towards the beast. Forming rapid hand seals, Akio created a small wall of earth that just as quickly ripped off and began flying towards the beast. However, it gave the boy enough time to plant his feet on the flying piece of earth and bound back down to the ground. With a flash, he'd cut a small line in his hand and slammed it into the ground. In a cloud of smoke, his venerable tortoise companion, Kazan, appeared. Normally the chelonian was unshakeable, but even he looked up at the amalgamation with concern in his eyes. "What have you brought me into, youngling?" Kazan asked, his tone serious and gruff. "Help us Kazan! We have to keep this thing under control so it doesn't hurt anybody else!" The Senju yelled in reply.

Within seconds Akio's allies had begun assaulting the creature in a flurry of powerful attacks, three summoned contract beasts battling against the massive conglomeration of broken stone and wood. The sight was truly impressive and Akio wasn't about to let his companions down. Forming hand seals as rapidly as he could, the usually-smiley Senju held a seriousness on his face that was rare for the adolescent. Kazan leaped high into the air, firing off a molten-hot beam of plasma that he shot down towards the creature while Akio nearly finished his seals. With a flash, the teenager and his summon swapped places, bringing the tortoise back to the ground and leaving the Senju flying through the air with a ball of glowing green energy formed into his the palm of his hand, attuned to the element of the wind. As he fell, he drove that open palm into the "back" of the creature, but all it seemed to do was temporarily break some of the rubble apart.

"How do ya fight something if it doesn't care about bein' busted into pieces!?" Akio shouted out towards his teammates, quickly shifting to the defensive. With a flash of some more seals, he manifested barriers of pure chakra around each as he looked towards them for an idea of what the plan would be going forward.

[MFT .:. 521 Words]

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

As his squadmates stepped into action, both Inuzuka and ninken did likewise.

"Inuzuka Style: Human-Animal synchronisation!"

With a puff of smoke, Morutobu had assumed the form of his big brother, both of them all fours, both sets of fangs and claws lengthening, growing more deadly. They would wait, co-ordinating their attack at the most opportune moment so as to not interfere with those of his allies. He watched as Aria conjured a thick mist while burrowing underground, ultimately igniting it after distracting it with smoke.

"Whoa," was all he had time to say as he watched Keniwa practically explode with radiating power, his body enveloped by steam as he charged down the best, smashing pieces of it apart with his rock-hard fists... The speed he moved was unnatural! Was this the power that strange device has granted him? Would his body survive the strain?

Akio had swapped places with his summoned beast who had launched itself into the air. Now airbourne, the Senju drove something shining into its back, seemingly doing little damage to it. Keni had summoned an energetic, if slightly underwhelming looking shark who ran for the creature, biting chunks out of its leg. By now, there were great chunks of the stone body missing, Aria's explosion seemingly having softened it up for the others.

"Just you wait," Keiyaku shouted in response to Akio's question, "come on Moru!"

Keiyaku reasoned that they would do the most damage if their attacks were immediately consecutive, one after the other. Maybe he could deal the finishing blow and end this!

"Tunneling Fang!!"

Running for the beast and bounding off each other for momentum, Moru and Keiyaku began to spin in midair, like two drills, rotating at break-neck speed. They shot, one after the other, like bullets, punching great holes in the rocky body, shredding it apart like it was nothing. This was incredible! This was going to do it! This was... too easy...

After running out of momentum, the Inuzuka duo jumped back, admiring their work. All five of them, working in tandem, had dismantled the creature. It had completely fallen to pieces, its essence having dispersed into an indistinct mist once more. Then, as if emanating from the very air around them, that same hoarse, gutteral voice shouted suddenly into the silence. Its words were unintelligble, in some strange, long-forgotten language.


Ḿ̷̞̮͕̈̈́ȍ̵͓̫͘͜r̴͔̈t̸̤̀̒̈́ā̵̢̐̕l̶͕͉͕̃̐̋ē̴͕͊s̸̝̏̅́.̵͆̂̂͜ ̴̰̥̅́͠M̷͚̈́̀͘ỉ̷͓̳̰͌s̴͉̋̍ě̷̛͕͋r̴̟̟̿ā̵̼̟̗̋͗ḃ̶̛̭̰̖i̶̲͙̘͂͂͝l̴̛̝í̸̖͉̼̈́t̸͍̰̀ͅḛ̵͈̻̀̇̎ṛ̴̲́̉ ̸̆͜s̷̛͉̬͊t̷̞̖̐͌o̷̙̘̓̚l̵͕̽͗ͅi̵̫̰͆̏d̸͍͂ō̶̲͚̮̆̒.̴͇̳̓̋


Much more quickly than before, the moonlight condensed once again, the remains of its destroyed body floated back up, fitting into place just like before. It stood, once more on two legs, towering above them. As it looked at them, its contorted face shifted into a snarl, accompanied by a low, rattling growl. It was taunting them now. It wanted to demonstrate just how helpless they really were. Raising one arm into the air, it waited for a brief moment, then, swung it down violently. The same unseen force gushed across the battlefield like a great tsunami, sending all five squad members, and two of their summoned beasts flying backwards. Yousai, meanwhile, would find himself being forced down into the ground with an eyewatering amount of force. The demon dropped to all-fours, and ran at them. It was eerily reminiscent of Keiyaku's all-fours style. Simultaneously, more of the demolished buildings' rubble was flying into the air, floating above the battlefield. The creature pounced, swiping a huge set of claws the size of javelins right at Keniwa's body. At the same time, the floating debris pelted in a violent volley at the rest of the team, several pieces glancing off its own back, troubling it not at all.

Keiyaku and Moru were both in awe; how the thing could have just put itself back together. A true, primal fear gripped his soul as he saw the thing throw them without touching them, and watching that hauntingly nightmarish face rampaging towards them. There was nothing to do now but dive out of the way, shielding his eyes against the cloud of dust the thing's attack had kicked up. Then, it got so much worse. Giant pieces of rock, wood, and detritus were flying at them. Keiyaku managed to jump at the right time, flying through a gap as they rained down into the ground. Morutobu wasn't so lucky. The pup had taken one of the smaller pieces to the side of his head. He was knocked out cold. Big brother ran to shield him with his body, taking a battering from several pieces of wood slamming into his back, but still remaining on his feet, though bleeding quite badly.

For now, the monster had turned its attention to the summoned creatures, Akio, and Aria. It would use its power to lift them up into air before slamming them down with its vast arms.

"It's no good!" Keiyaku shouted out, spitting out a glob of blood, still shielding Moru, "it's just messing with us; it'll keep getting back up!"

He knew he had to be the leader and galvanise his team's strength into some kind of strategy, but he just kept coming up short; how can you fight something that has no living body?

"Even... if we can escape... we can't let this thing find Konoha. If this thing c-came from the moonlight... we'll have to hold it off till dawn; maybe if there's no moon, it'll vanish!"

 

[Ayeka]

Standing back with Akio, Aria watched as Keiyaku slammed into the rocky creature with Moru by his side half expecting the monster to swat the pair but the damage the team had inflicted on the beast had been great with Keni and his little shark grinding down the legs while Akio slammed the monster with his own jutsu leaving Keiyaku to give the coup de grate so to speak shattering the monster into pieces. Unfortunately if it seemed too easy then it usually means it was as the creatures parts rose back up together making Aria eyes widen. 'Is that chakra holding that shit together?' Aria pondered to herself as the creature gradually reformed itself around a cloud of almost white gas. "Is this thing made of chakra and whatever else is about? If that's right then we are not gonna do anything to this thing no matter how long we whale on it. Gotta be sure though, so if this works then.....' Aria thoughts were interrupted as the creature having fully reconstituted itself lifted it's arms and the next moment Aria found herself flying backwards as if she had been shot out of the barrel of a cannon flying away from the others and into the wreckage of a building behind her before disappearing into the mass of material as she found herself buried with the only thig saving her from immediate death was the barrier of chakra Akio left behind which had shattered on impact and flaked away from the girls form before her eyes, as she looked out of the hole she had created with her entry through squinted pain filled eyes.

Hands reached out to check herself and fortunately for the Senju the barrier had stopped her from being impaled on the wreckage but had not stepped three of her ribs filling with immense amount of pain as the coppery taste of blood dripped from her lips. "Oh yeah this thing can throw the air at me right? That's fine...That's fun I guess" Aria grumbled to herself as she used the back of her hand to wipe the blood from her mouth while the gentle glow of her hair from Sage Mode allowed her to see within her temporary prison of wood. "This thing is great and all but getting booted around isn't my style so lets try strategy two." With that said Aria brought a hand up and concentrated for a moment as her chakra emanated from her body strongly saturating the atmosphere before clouds began to move in slowly obscuring the night sky as droplets began to land around the others outside and soon enough the team found themselves within a strong downpour.

As the rain formed and began to fell, Aria dragged herself from her hole only to sudden and roughly picked back up and slammed into the ground causing something in her hip to crack and for a moment the world seemed to turn white as pain seared up her left side. "Ok that one hurt...." Aria almost cried through gritted teeth as she brought the pain under control and instead used it for fuel as she pointed at the creature allowing a thin beam of storm chakra to hit the beast to seemingly no affect but Aria knew her next few jutsu were gonna be more likely to hit now. Looking up as Keni hung in the air above the wolf thing, Aria very carefully timed her next jutsu to his attack. "Sage Arts Storm Style: Laser Prison" As Aria spoke water droplets would seem to stop and hang in the air around the demon before sparking and then unleashing a multiple beams of energy directly into the demon creating a web of lasers that pierced through the creature and binded it for the moment. Hopefully long enough for Keni to hit it hard as Aria laid where she fell and found that she couldn't easily stand up for the moment as something in her hip wasn't responding to her. Once Keni completed his attack Aria would then shout out to the boy burning with internal energy. "Keni Jump back now!" Aiming at the weak spots that Keni had hopefully created the rest of the gang would notice a tremendous build up of lightning chakra charged with natural energy within the clouds before with a blinding flash a bolt of red lightning arced down straight towards the demon.

 

[Kimari Bōmu]

It appeared that Nom's and Keniwa's assault were taking away large chunks of this monstrosity's legs, a confident smile would form on his face as things were looking up for the squad of 5. 'If this is just me and Nom... Then this shouldn't be too hard with all of us attacking it!.' It's gigantic claws would swipe at the two of them, his armour having been pierced however he managed to block the brunt of the blow with his arms with huge claw marks residing, his blood splashing straight out Nom would use his affinity to blood to instantly seep it safely back in to Keniwa's system. Healing him as the Monster's flurry of attacks would still deal hefty blows to the Kyoujouran Nom's rapid help and his own defences being the main factors keeping him in the battle. However as something would clutch his ankles he would be whisked straight under the ground letting out a quick "GYAUH?!" as his presence on the battlefield would disappear momentarily. A small vine would grab Nom sealing his mouth shut like a muzzle as he was also dragged out of the thick of the fight underground.

There he would find the wild white haired Aria sharing a convoluted, risky yet interesting idea, there wasn't much time for him to ask any questions as he'd quickly say "Got it. Nom get ready!" The ground above them would shake earth surrounding the two taijutsu fighters as a loud explosion could be heard, suddenly the water came gushing inside the whole blasting the two straight out. Riding the wave Nom would rapidly swim inside the swirling current as the waterfall shot straight up in to the air, "Ahahahaha! Swim swim swim!" Keniwa would be sent hurdling towards the sky, as they flew through the water he could see his best friend and his contract launching massive devastating attacks towards the beast.

'Looks like Akio is giving it his all... I'd expect no less I can't let him and everyone else down!' The gushing water would begin to disperse as they swiftly would make their descent downards, peering down at his target he'd see... two keiyakus?! 'It must be a clone jutsu but it looks like they destroyed it!' This happy train of thought would only last so long as not only did the entity glow like moonlight restructuring and negating all the injuries they had just dealt, it launched a blast of air at his friends. The Kyoujouran watched as they were all blown backwards, the destructive wave of energy reaching him just now due to how far away it was. It only flung him and Nom higher in to the air as the two would soar to great heights, clouds suddenly would begin to form yet the two pierced the heavens as they finally would begin to descend as they just surpassed the clouds. Falling through the dark mist which would crackle with red sparks around the two.

Plummeting from the extreme height the two had been thrown to he'd waste no time in activating four of his other buttons, leaving the last one he couldn't risk it not again. A flash of energy would be imbued inside of the Kyoujouran as he burned bright like a shooting star, flames would consume him as a trail of smoke would follow behind him whilst he rocketed down. "Nom! It's time to combine our strength! My friends need us!" His shark contract would descend safely straight in to his clutches as the blazing student raised his arms high, the small shark gaping his mouth wide open as a large greatsword completely constructed out of blood would begin to seep out of his mouth, solidifying as Nom clenched his teeth down acting as the hilt. Keniwa held his shark contract's body as the two would get closer and closer towards the ground, although with this he'd get a much clearer view of what was transpiring. Making out a dash of crimson on Keiyaku's back as well as witnessing Aria appearing to be stumbling out of a massive amount of wreckage.

An angered rush of adrenaline would fill his entire spirit with a burning sensation, he had to go all out. Aria had kept the monster held at just the right moment with her lasers keeping it bound in place. His flames surrounding him turning a crimson red as he grit his teeth and would rapidly spin downwards like a molten saw, pushing his machinery to the limit he would cry out. "Combination Jutsu! Blood Blade, Spear hand!" The two with a burning bloody excalibur would slice straight through the wreckage taken form, smashing straight in to the ground. Before continuing the onslaught with an array of quick slices jumping around the monster and slashing it in to smaller chunks. Aria's heads up would allow him to give Aria the perfect opportunity. Finishing with a dash which cut diagonally straight through what was left of it's form he'd fly over Aria's head with Nom landing behind her as he'd drop Nom. It would be then when he'd spin round to witness the gigantic red lightning strike, smiting the unholy being as Keniwa's eyes sparkled in awe. Slight sear marks remaining on the poor shark as he spat out his solid blade. His body was practically breaking itself apart as his skin would melt, so he prepared himself for his next onslaught as he asked Aria through the pain "Aria! Are you okay?!"

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

Emboldened by the startling series of recoveries Aria had just made, especially from having been buried head first in a pile of rubble and wreckage, Keiyaku set his jaw and prepared his next move. With or without Moru, he needed to do his bit as leader. He was fighting for his little brother's life just as much as his friends' now. The reassuring beat of life still pounding away beneath Moru's ribs made the Inuzuka's resolve that much more intense - he lost him for a moment, but he wasn't going to go through that again. His eyes alighted on Aria and Keniwa who seemed to have cobbled together an impromptu combo attack; Aria pumping nature chakra into the atmosphere, while Keni flew, feather-light, through the air, his Shark partner in tow. The Shark having disgorged a sword from its throat, the two sliced straight through the creature, following up by darting around it, just as a red ray of lightning ripped through the air. The electricity itself seemed to have little effect but the sheer force of its blast blew another gargantuan chunk from the thing's chest.

"Right," said Keiyaku, teeth gritted, eyes set, and a series of hand signs in motion, he charged. He was running, almost flat to the ground, on all-fours, a mighty roar thundering from his throat. His arm burst into a flurry of flowery flames. He leapt. Emerging from the abyss of darkness beyond the murky downpour, Keiyaku's flaming fist found the thing's face, pulling it clean off in a shower of sparks, the Inuzuka finally landing beside Aria. Missing its head, its body having been blown apart, Keni and Nom have sliced it down the middle and now furiously pummeling its legs at the speed of sound, and Aria having bust its torso open like piñata, the demon seemed surely vanquished.

I̸̩̘͂̊ ̷̞̙̿̃a̶̫̺͌͐m̵̰͍̈́͠ ̵̯̑è̸͓̱t̶̮̰̂ȩ̸̣̈́ř̵̗̽n̴̗̾̈́à̴̺l̴̟̳̀̄.̴̨͑́ ̷̳̫́̊F̴̹̲͝á̵̳ȉ̷͉̻̎l̴͉͚̿e̸͔͝d̷̞̏̿ ̴̛̬̫͛w̸̲̾̀a̸̭̿r̶̅ͅr̷̳͌̌i̵̦͗o̷̺̔̓r̶̲̻͐s̸̫̞̐ ̵̥̬́b̷̙͑͠e̵̫̓ ̷̞͕̕s̷̙̥̽ḧ̶͇͉͝u̸̥̙̓ǹ̸̝̳͠n̴͇͝e̷̫̟͒d̶͚̍̾

Its hideous voice lingered this time, crackling and cackling in time with the crashing of the downpour into the Earth.

But all effort was for naught.

Its body was coalescing again, the rock, and wood, and debris snapping back together with great big clunks and crashes. Keiyaku turned to Aria, using the time to check on her general well being. He'd offer her help in getting up if need be and if she'd accept it.

"Loony sage, we gotta get Akio to take a look at you. You don't look like you're holding up so well..."

He wanted to say more, to rally his team once more against the creature, but with another six hours to go until sunrise, their prospects were looking increasingly bleak as they depleting their respective pools of chakra. Turning his head to Keniwa, he was startled to see the damage the battle had wrought on his body; the gauntlet he'd been using was turning him into a human candle, his flesh sizzling off his bones. He turned to look at Akio... he'd almost lost his first patient tonight, and even then, he doubted the man would ever walk again, if he was even still alive after this much chaos going on around him. Keiyaku had no idea.

The demon, fully reconstituted, raised a clawed hand. The rubble around them began to rise into the air, gathering at a single point, high above the battlefield. Every piece of wood, rock, loose Earth, and detritus it could find gathered steadily into a single point, forming what, at its potential size, could only be described as an asteroid. It was growing slowly but steadily, ready to finish this battle in one final swipe when it was finally big enough.

"It's gonna... it's gonna bury this whole outpost. We need to find a way to end this... NOW!"