章 29: Chapter 29 Tough battle (2)

Kokuenryū, moving swiftly on all fours, slid behind chino with his long reptilian tail flowing in the wind behind him.

The forest was silent, tense, its tall trees shading the fighters between them. Kokuenryū squatted low behind the trunk of a huge oak, his Monoflame dancing faintly along his dragon claws. Ahead, Chino stood stock-still, her back to him, her crimson Ketsuryūgan faintly glowing as she scanned the area for any sign of her prey. Kokuenryū smirked. She didn't know he was there.

In one swift motion, Kokuenryū sprang from the shadows, his wings unfolding from his back to blanket any noise of his approach. His claws flared to life with the fatal black-and-white fire as he swiped at her exposed back, but before he could strike, Chino spun around, her eyes aglow and locking onto him.

"Too predictable," she said coldly.

She flicked her hand, and from between them, droplets of blood left from the now destroyed blood dragon construct rose into the air in a crimson tide to converge into deadly, bladed constructs. Razor-sharp scythes and jagged spears shot forward with the intent to skewer, forcing Kokuenryū to twist mid-air; his wings flared, and a wave of Monoflame erupted from them to burn through the weapons. But as the flames consumed them, more constructs emerged, the blood twisting and reforming into a swirling barrage of swords and needles.

Kokuenryū's claws slashed through the storm, black-and-white fire melting the weapons mid-flight. *Futile attempts.* he growled, landing with a skid.

As if on cue, the ground started to shudder. Kokuenryū glanced down just in time, the earth beneath him bubbling and breaking apart as a wave of molten lava burst out in a blistering geyser. He barely managed to leap away as Karyū stepped into view, his hands glowing with molten energy. Streams of lava flowed around his feet, setting the forest floor ablaze.

"Talking big for someone who's about to be toast," Karyū sneered, making a hand seal, then thrusting his hands forward. A gigantic wave of lava was suddenly unleashed in the direction of Kokuenryū, consuming everything in its path.

Kokuenryū launched himself into the air, wings propelling him high above the tide of molten lava. But his respite was very short-lived. The winds howled as a typhoon-energy-swirling Fūshin appeared above him, the sky darkening with storm clouds as lightning crackled and a massive tornado started to form around Fūshin, who had dealt with Riku's shadow clone.

"Think you can escape me up here?" Fūshin sneered, the howling winds whipping his voice. He plunged his hands downward; the tornado ruptured toward Kokuenryū. The whirling storm winds cut him out of the air and pulled him into the vortex. Kokuenryū's wings were extended, pained by the raw power, as debris and razor-sharp branches whirled around him.

*Enough!* Kokuenryū roared, and his Monoflame flared up in an active blaze. Swirling black-and-white flames whirled out in an expanding spiral, severing the storm and dispersing the debris. He flapped his wings with terrific force, breaking free of the tornado as he plunged towards Fūshin.

Fūshin sneered, raising his hands to summon another cyclone, but Kokuenryū was faster. His tail whipped out, slamming into Fūshin and sending him hurtling into the trees below. Kokuenryū landed, his claws igniting as he turned to face the remaining two.

Chino stepped back, her blood constructs forming into a pair of massive, winged beasts that hovered menacingly behind her. "let's see how long you can last.

The blood dragons exploded into action, claws slashing and teeth snapping as they closed in on Kokuenryū. He dodged the first strike, flashing through one with his Monoflame, black and white fire burning the construct into nothing. However, the second struck hard, its tail smashing into him and sending him tumbling through the trees.

Karyū took immediate advantage of the opening presented, lunging forward to send a wave of magma rushing toward him. The molten current shot towards Kokuenryū, who barely managed to roll out of the way. The heat seared his armor; the molten rock blocked his movements, forcing him to fly once more.

Above, the storm intensified. Fūshin was back in the fight, calling great cyclones that ripped through the forest. Lightning crackled across the sky, striking the ground all around Kokuenryū. Each of those tornadoes churned with deadly force, uprooting trees and flinging debris into the air.

Kokuenryū's wings flared as he dodged a bolt of lightning, spinning in mid-air to avoid another cyclone. he growled, his Monoflame blazed brighter. *I'll burn this entire forest down if I have to.*

With a roar, he released a wave of flames the size of a mountain, the black-and-white inferno ripped through the storm. The flames pushed Fūshin back, but Chino filled the gap in, her blood constructs taking shape as a great shield, which then absorbed the flames. Simultaneously, Karyū struck from below, lava geysers erupting in a bid to catch Kokuenryū en route.

Kokuenryū dodged left, then right, weaving between the molten streams and blood weapons. The pressure began to mount: three enemies, all pushing him to his limits. He breathed heavily; his flames flickered weakly.

But as a blood blade slashed across his arm, drawing blood, something inside him snapped. He roared, his body glowing with intense energy. His Monoflame flared to life, wrapping him as his form began to shift and expand: bones snapped and reformed, muscles rippled, scales erupted across skin. In moments, Kokuneryū's roar become more… beastial. Through the cloud of smoke, Kokuenryū stood as a massive four-winged black-and-white dragon, his flames roaring around him like a wildfire.

Chino, Karyū, and Fūshin froze, momentarily stunned by the sheer size and power of the beast before them.

*BARE WITNESS!* Kokuenryū bellowed, his voice shaking the earth.

With a single beat of wings, a hurricane of Monoflame surged outwards, consuming everything in its path. In an instant, Chino's blood constructs had melted, her barrier barely holding as she was sent flying back. Karyū raised a wall of lava, but the flames cut through with the ease of paper, and he too retreated. Fūshin's tornadoes scattered, the storm torn apart by the overwhelming heat and power.

Kokuenryū roared again, lunging forward. His claws glowed with Monoflame as he struck at Karyū, sending the lava-user flying into a scorched tree. Fūshin tried to summon another cyclone, but a sweep of Kokuenryū's massive tail sent him crashing into the ground, his winds dissipating.

Chino tried once more, her Ketsuryūgan shining bright as she summoned every drop of blood in the area to form a huge serpentine dragon construct. The dragon struck but Kokuenryū simply opened his jaws and shot a jet of Monoflame that engulfed the construct in a matter of seconds. Chino collapsed backwards, her chakra exhausted.

Chiyo, however, looked at Kokuenryū's form with wide eyes.

"This… it can't be…" Chiyo looked at the flying creature with tears in her eyes, this was the exact image she had seen in her dream.

A monstrous beast devastating everything in it's surroundings.

When the flames died away, Kokuenryū returned to his human form, standing amidst the charred remains of the forest. Chino, Karyū, and Fūshin lay scattered, burnt to a crisp.

Breathing heavily, Kokuenryū stood, his body a mess of wounds and broken bones.

Kokuenryū lost consciousness, and Riku gained control.

Falling flat on his face, Riku began to breathe frantically, his lungs completely burnt thanks to Kokuenryū overusing his monoflame.

Chiyo, still frozen in shock, regained her composure and ran over, avoiding the floor that was still covered in a dense molten rock of both lava release and Kokuenryū's monoflame.

Riku's healing factor was working overtime trying to keep him alive, Kokuenryū really didn't know when to stop.

Riku was about to lose consciousness he suddenly felt something soft touching his exposed back, sending a shiver down his spine.

Chiyo, holding Riku in her embrace, began to sob silently. Her tears falling down Riku's back and dissipating into a lavender steam.

Riku turned his head, his cracked skin revealing hot red flesh beneath as he looked at the little girl holding him from behind.

"Kitty… I thought I lost you." Chiyo, seemingly accepted the fact that her feline friend wasn't actually a cat.

But nonetheless, Chiyo still saw him as the cat that had saved her the first time, and now saved her again.

He was her friend, her saviour and her cute little cat.

Riku suddenly felt a tingle all over his body as the purple steam changed into a gentle lavender aura surrounding Riku, and his pain suddenly… subsided?

Chiyo held Riku close, her small face pressed into his back and her lavender tears streaming down her face and onto his back.

Riku's raspy breathing slowly returned to slow, calm breathing as his cries became lower and lower until they came to a halt.

"…"

No sound other than the crackling flames were heard.

Neither of them breathed, none spoke, none coughed.

In the middle of a great wreckage, destroyed trees burning bright with black and white fire.

Two children lay unconscious in eachothers embrace in the middle of a devastated forest.

…

In the land of hot water, Yugakure, a certain man with long white hair, There were red lines under his eyes which extended down to the bottom of his face and had a strange forehead protector that said "Oil" on it.

Jiraiya was lurking around one of the many hot-springs in Yugakure when suddenly…

Jiraiya's eyes widened and his head shot behind him, his pupils constricted as he looked into the distance, using chakra to increase his perception.

In the distance, a large black and white monster was seen flying around and spewing black and white flames all over the forest.

The flames were so intense that Jiraiya could almost feel the heat from all that distance away.

And that chakra! It was even more terrifying than that of a tailed beast! Such melancholic energy…

Jiraiya quickly stopped pervin- *ehem* doing research. And headed in the direction of the large monster.

…

After a couple minutes, Jiraiya appeared and observed the situation.

He saw a shirtless boy with black wings standing infront of a little girl who was shaking, then Jiraiya looked at the main event.

He looked in shock at a massive creature of black and white scales, spewing intense black and white flames around like a force of nature.

What shocked Jiraiya more, was the fact that this monster was fighting three shinobi with extremely rare kekkei genkai! "Lava release?, and… could this be the typhoon release? And I've never seen that blood like jutsu either…" Jiraiya muttered as he watched the trio attempt to best the monster.

But it was all futile, the beast easily beat them all.

Jiraiya was about to intervene, but the large monster began to shrink, the sound of bones cracking and reforming along with screams of agony were heard as the beasts voice became higher and higher, before it sounded like a young boy screaming in agony.

The clone protecting Chiyo dispersed into a cloud of smoke in order to return some chakra to Riku.

The beast, now a child was seen screaming and crying in agony, it sounded like his lungs had burst and his throat was filled with blades.

Jiraiya watched the little girl suddenly approach the boy, and then embrace him? Jiraiya looked at the pair in shock and confusion as the lavander glow emanated from the injured boy, seemingly healing him.

After a while, the two children were unconscious amidst the wreckage, looking to be sleeping soundly within eachothers embrace.

Jiraiya approached the two, looking down at them discerningly, he didn't recognise either of them.

The boy with long black and white hair seemed familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on where from…

And the girl looked completely new to him.

Either way, Jiraiya picked the pair up and headed back to Yugakure to take them for a rest.

…

Karyū, with his high resistance to heat, somehow survived.

Karyū pushed his way out of the scorched tree, missing an arm and half of his body completely burnt.

He walked over to Chino's burnt corpse, "Why would he leave these corpses here? Is he stupid?" His voice coarse and scratchy.

Karyū, with his one remaining arm suddenly ripped out Chino's purple eyes, gathered his bearings and ripped his own eyes out, causing him to scream in pain, but the scream only made the pain worse thanks to the broken bone shards in this throat.

Karyū, suddenly shoved her eyes into his empty sockets, expecting it to just magically work.

At first, he couldn't see anything and it felt extremely uncomfortable.

But by some miracle, the eyes seemed to bond with him, giving his vision back, but the feeling was still uncomfortable.

He wanted to take something from Fūshin also, but his corpse was completely splattered and destroyed.

Karyū, his blood soaked body with many broken bones and even missing an arm, suddenly turned around and looked in shock at the person approaching.

A man slowly approached, he had pale skin and a very snakelike appearance, he was licking his lips while walking towards Karyū.

"Haa, I heard a commotion while reurning from the land of lightning, to think I would find such an interesting individual! Lava release eh? Hmm…" Orochimaru spoke while licking his lips.