Suguru squinted when he noticed the three alleged jounin in the distance. Their masks bore an inscription he found to be...
'Unfamiliar...'
Thoughts aplenty swirled in his mind, yet Suguru drew his bowstring taut. There was an odd feeling wafting off of them, making Suguru question their origins.
No such masks had appeared in the original.
'This is a result of my presence in this world,' A sly smile tugged at Suguru's lips. 'I wonder if this group of masked shinobi will be worthy to serve as Otogakure's replacements.'
Suddenly.
—Whoosh!
A kunai whizzed past Suguru's face, landing squarely onto the tree bark behind him. The chill of cold steel seeped into his bones after a close brush with death. His eyes, previously focused on the enemies in the distance, were forced to see the world around him.
A flying kick aimed at his head.
'Dynamic Entry!'
Suguru felt that cold chill run down his spine as he hurried to duck.
A flash of green swept through the space above Suguru's head, landing on the kunai and pushing it deep into the tree trunk. The flamboyance of the Leaf's Noble Green Beast was always a sight to behold.
"Oh, Guy-senpai." Suguru made his voice flat and bored, as if expecting Guy's entrance.
"You..." Meeting Suguru's blank gaze, Guy was wholly focused on who had thrown him down to the ground.
Neji, Tenten, and Lee all held their breath in quiet expectation.
Suguru was fully expecting the man to recognize him. Unfortunately,
"...How do you know me? Has my fame reached this far already?!"
"..."
It left the four young shinobi stunned.
"Eh..." Tenten's brow twitched, and so did Neji's. Only Lee seemed the least perturbed, watching on in silence.
As for Suguru, he could only stare.
"..."
And Guy would also stare back.
"Fight first?" Suguru suggested, feeling the approaching enemies who had grown agitated.
There was only silence for a few breaths.
But then, Guy concluded his thoughts.
"...Mm, let's do that."
It seemed like Guy had sensed their hurried advance as well.
***
Kurokawa Sho was troubled.
Their mission this time was to procure the Byakugan from a Hyuga genius. It was an unforgiving task, not because of the fight itself, but because of the famed Caged Bird Seal that the Hyuga Clan used.
However, when the fight inevitably arrived, Sho couldn't break through his opposing jounin's defenses.
He was just one man.
A man who couldn't use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu.
And yet he could do nothing against him, even with the support of his underlings.
It was appalling.
'Konoha's Green Beast...'
Looking at the raging green aura around Might Guy, Sho muffled a curse behind his mask. He had been forced to call over reinforcements. Two jounin-level shinobi, who had earned their masks.
'At least now, it won't be so hard to beat him...' Sho thought.
The universe, however, had different thoughts.
The arrow was the first, flying straight into the skull of one of the trainees. It appeared from in front, moving with deadly intent.
Sho then recognized that this arrow wouldn't be the last.
"Disperse!"
The following arrows arrived with a similar ferocity. Thankfully, Sho and his subordinates were able to react in time. Although the arrows were swift, their trajectories were predictable straight lines.
Then, the arrows stopped.
"..?"
"Now is our chance!"
Sho urged his squads forward, noticing the internal conflict that had arisen. If they could not kidnap the Hyuga clan shinobi now, then all of their efforts throughout the past month would be for naught.
100 meters.
50 meters.
25 meters.
10 meters.
The moment they got close, they felt the weight of a single breath.
[Bird].
A single hand seal was made, followed by a great gulp of air.
'Dark Release: Inhaling Maw!'
***
"Haaaap!"
Inhaling the chakra of those who approached with reckless abandon, Suguru felt his long-suppressed hunger release a wave of ecstasy.
It was nice to be fed. Suguru's eyes flashed with the malevolence of a starving devourer who was given a whiff of blood.
[Boar » Horse » Tiger].
'Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!'
After a breath of chakra came a breath of fire.
A huge flaming mass of flames burst out of Suguru's mouth, blasting its way forward and burning through everything in its wake. His enlarged lungs poured out with all their might, creating a fireball worthy of the jutsu's name.
"...!!"
Watching his enemy's morphing expressions of horror, Suguru was delighted. Continuing to weave more seals, he once again breathed in a deep breath.
[Rat » Tiger » Dog » Ox » Rabbit » Tiger].
'Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!'
A barrage of fireballs would appear, honing in on every foe within Suguru's enhanced sight.
All it took was two breaths.
The forest was now bathed in fire, deserving of a shinobi from the Land of Fire. Suguru's eyes gleamed in amusement.
'Is this the true reason why this place is called the Land of Fire? It's basically a land filled with fuel to burn.'
A small chuckle escaped Suguru's lips.
"Guy-senpai, won't you attack now?"
"...Oh," Guy scratched his head. Then, his demeanor shifted, "Burn with the flames of youth! Team Guy, attack!!"
—Vwhoom!
Leaping into a dynamic charge worthy of Konoha's Green Beast, Guy was the first to throw himself into battle. In that instant, he charged straight for the masked jounin lounging at the back.
"Oi! This arrogant prick!"
An exclamation rang out along with the shattering of bone.
"—Ack!"
One of the masked jounin shielded his head with his arm. Unfortunately for him, Guy's kick was simply too powerful, shattering both his ulna and radius bones at the same time.
Neji, Lee, and Tenten hurriedly followed after their sensei, letting the mysterious silver-haired boy guard their backs. After seeing the massive flames he was capable of unleashing, they had full faith in him.
"Let's go! Lee! Tenten!" Neji commanded, "We'll sweep them up as we go!"
A small smile played on Suguru's lips as he held out his hand and eyed those at the edge of the flames.
"Goodbye,"
'Fire Release: Spinning Flame Saw.'
Letting loose a rapidly spinning disc of flames, Suguru didn't stop weaving hand seals — there was still enough chakra from earlier. He could throw out jutsu after jutsu without straining his own reserves.
'Water Release: Raging Waves!'
Even when they used their own Water Release Jutsu to shield themselves, Suguru's answer was an even greater flame.
[Snake » Dragon » Rabbit » Tiger]
'Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!'