(Pov Satoshi)
The fighting resumed immediately as the Zenin clan members still standing recovered and charged in once again. Their attacks had become sloppy, though, with the change, as they couldn't focus solely on me anymore. Now they had to worry about Naoya running up and freezing them in place, leading to a much more cautious advance compared to before.
As much as I didn't want to admit it, Naoya was a good support for this fight. Most of the combatants here were Kukuru members, and while they had no technique, their numbers were their main strength. Naoya, though, could weave through them, freezing a dozen or so at a time and leaving gaps in their formations.
The main threat was the remaining members of the Hei squad. Jinichi and Ranta were down, and I hadn't seen Ogi since Naoya knocked him away, and Naoya had switched sides. That left at most six members of the unit, though I had no idea if they were all here.
I knew one was, though, that super old guy, Chojuro, I think his name was, he had some technique that let him manipulate the ground, and he kept trying to crush me with it. As I finished dealing with another Kukuru member, the ground beneath me trembled before shifting upwards. Large blocks formed on each side before slamming inwards. I pushed my hands outward, catching the two large formations and holding them apart.
I could feel the strain for a moment before the earth crumbled and my arms punched through, destroying the two creations. I jumped onto a nearby car, then began using it like a lilipad. I looked around the area and in nearby buildings, but I couldn't find Chojuro anywhere.
He was hiding somewhere, using the fodder Kukuru to try to distract me. Finding him would end this fight a lot faster and erase one specific annoyance. As I made another jump, the earth suddenly shot upwards, nearly striking me in a very sensitive area. When I landed once more, even more earthen constructs emerged, each flying towards me, though I noticed they seemed less accurate.
I must be getting close if he was desperate enough to launch so many attacks. Now it was just a matter of playing hot or cold with massive chunks of earth. I landed on the ground once more and began weaving my way through the street. I ran left, then right, testing nearby buildings and alleys, using Chojuro's own desperation against him.
I dodged one more before a wall suddenly appeared towering in front of the building in front of me, and on the top of it, I could see the form of a wrinkly man. "Chojuro," I muttered, my eyes focusing on the retreating figure. I took a running start and jumped as high as I could, using the formations from earlier to springboard higher.
Using the debris, I quickly made my way up and came eye to eye with him. I could see the fear in his eyes, something I had noticed among the older Zenin clan members. Seems even now the memory of Toji gave them reason to worry; despite publicly ridiculing him, every member who knew him seemed terrified.
'Why am I thinking about him right now?' I wondered before shaking my head and focusing once more. I wrapped both hands around the hammer and lifted it above my head, preparing to strike. Chojuro lifted his hands, and the earth formed a shield above him, but it wasn't enough as the hammer smashed through it with ease.
The head of the hammer continued and struck his shoulder, and as it did so, I could feel it pop out of place. A flash of pain went across his face before it went slack along with the rest of his body. As he passed out the earthen constructs we had been standing on, they collapsed beneath us, sending Chojuro onto a nearby car. I managed to land safely on the street before realizing that I had wandered a bit in my search for the old guy.
"I wonder how Naoya's handling things?"
(Pov Naoya)
This was the day I had been waiting for my entire life. This clan, they all thought they were the best, that they knew what true strength was. They'd console themselves for years about the consistency of their techniques compared to the erratic Six Eyes or the lack of Blood Manipulation users.
Yet it was all just a shield meant to hide how scared they all were. I could see it. Whenever someone brought up Toji or Satoshi, they'd act all high and mighty, but really, they were terrified. That peak of strength, the raw physicality achieved when one left it all behind, stripping technique and energy for pure power, was what I strove for.
The older man, my supposed uncle, and even my dear cousins all felt the same way: I was the only one who could see the truth, and therefore the only one who could lead the Zenin clan. This trash would only ever get in my way.
I couldn't even break a sweat fighting these small fry, Kukuru. They all went down so easily. What was even the point of them? I needed to find an actual challenge. That was it. I needed to find the other Hei members; they should be around here somewhere. I know Satoshi went after that old freak, but I still had a few left.
"Naoya, you worm, how dare you turn on your own clan!" I heard a voice shout from behind. Turning, I saw it was Ogi, though the failure was rather worse off than before. His sword had somehow broken into a jagged mess, his shirt was ripped half off, and his hair had come undone from that diabolical top knot.
"You really should lie down, uncle, you don't look well," I said.
"You foolish boy, do you know what you've done? The entire world will lose respect for our clan because you chose to side with a criminal!" He shouted with something that passed for righteous indignation. Under it, I could see how happy he was, still under the delusion that he would win and become clan head after killing both Satoshi and me. How stupid.
"You've always thought too highly of yourself, old man. You couldn't compare to my father, what makes you think you can compare to me?" I responded.
"Don't act tough, boy. I was just as strong as my brother, and my experience far outweighs yours. I'll crush you and become clan head as I was always meant to!" He shouts, readying his broken blade, flames of cursed energy surging outward. "Falling Blossom Emotion: Blazing Courage!" He cries as the cursed energy spreads along his body, and he already begins his swing.
I activate my own technique, plotting out the movements and setting my course. I rush forward, weaving past his swings and behind him, but I don't attack yet; he'd be expecting that. Instead, I activate my technique again, rushing around him faster. Then I activate it again and again, gaining speed. His use of Falling Blossom Emotion allows for automatic cursed energy counterattacks, but with enough built-up speed, I can dodge it no problem.
Finally, after another lap, I strike, jumping through his guard and landing a punch to his face, instantly freezing him in a frame before I spin and kick him away, shattering the frame. As his body flies backward, I follow, moving behind him to land more blows, each punch framing him, and each one after shattering it.
"You really thought you were stronger than me? You couldn't recognize strength in a million years! To think that you thought that you could beat Toji-Kun or Satoshi-Kun in any scenario!" I shouted, continuing to pummel him from multiple directions.
"The one who stands with them!" I shout, rushing and smashing through his body for the final time. "IS ME!"
The final frame explodes, and Ogi collapses to the ground, his body broken and shattered like so much glass. "You truly were pathetic, uncle. Try being born stronger next time." I said, turning back to the battle.
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Sorry for the delay, I completely forgot yesterday, my bad, but I hope you enjoyed anyway, and if you did, please leave a comment or some power stones.