BAM! BAM!

"Huff! Huff! DON'T STOP MOVING!" (Suzu)

"Tsk...!" (Rei)

"R-Right!" (Tai)

The Genin were in a total frenzy! Dodging various attacks from the enemy, Metoro Konjiki. Desperate not to get hit, as suffering even one blow from his unorthodox Kekkei Genkai¹Bloodline Limitcould have disastrous consequences 

{Steel Style? Seriously?! I've never heard of such a thing, even in the original story!} (Rei)

"Kekkei Genkai...I'd forgotten just how absurd they are!" (Tai)

"He can basically create any weapon he wants in an instant" (Suzu)

"Not to mention the insane durability" (Tai)

Tai glanced at the steel balls Metoro used to obliterate the two stone golems. Still awed with their destructive capabilities, but even more worrisome was the absurd structure

Metoro was able to use his chakra to increase the density of his chakra-made weapons to incredible levels. And to make matters worse, the one in question was only the younger brother

The elder twin, Etoro, had yet to perform any true significant action. Simply enjoying the "show" as it were

"Let's try Thunder!" (Tai)

"Okay!" (Suzu & Rei)

"!" (Metoro)

The team spread out even further, unleashing their individual attacks

"Katon: Endan²Fire Style: Flame Bullet!"

"Fūton: Shinkū Taigyoku³Wind Style: Great Vacuum Sphere!"

"Suiton: Kiri Seigyo!⁴Water Style: Mist Control"

BRRRRR!!!! SCORCH!

"Hmph!" (Metoro)

Rei launched a blast of fire, whose destructive capabilities were not only amplified by Suzu's wide wind blast, but through the peculiar batch of combustible mist Tai released

When the elements came into contact with one another, the chemical reaction caused a ear-shattering, deafening explosion. Engulfing said target, Metoro

"Rei?" (Suzu)

"...No, I can feel his chakra. He's still alive" (Rei)

"But maybe...hurt?" (Tai)

"Tai. That's a flag" (Suzu)

As the dust settled, the only thing that could be seen was a large shield made of steel in front of Metoro. The latter of whom was completely unharmed

"Kōton: Hagane Tate⁵Steel Style: Steel Shield" (Metoro)

"A shield of steel...figures. Sorry for making a flag guys...time to run?" (Tai)

"...Yup" (Suzu)

BOOF! BOOF!

Rei threw smoke bombs on the ground, giving him and his team cover to get away. Metoro didn't speak, but simply ran after them

Etoro stood calm is place, hands on his head, smiling at the situation before him

"I know you always enjoy a good hunt little bro but, if you take too long, I'll have to join in..." (Etoro)

 

The team made their way out of the area, looking for a place to hide, it was then Suzu made a suggestion

"Guys. Let's stop here" (Suzu)

"Here? I still think we're not far enough away from those crazy twins" (Tai)

"Yes, this is a little close for comfort, but I remember this area of the island. There are several of the sand pits Kintarō-san instructed us to avoid at all costs" (Suzu)

"This place is fine, he's going to find us eventually. The sooner we get a chance to catch our breath the better" (Rei)

The group sat down in an area covered in vegetation, a perfect place to hide for the time being. Tai treated Suzu, who was low on chakra after her consistent use of supporting long-range ninjutsu

Rei was in good condition as he primarily used Taijutsu nearly the whole time. Volunteering to keep watch as an excuse, he distanced himself from the others to have a "private" conversation

"A little help here would be greatly appreciated Notitia" (Rei)

Rei whispered quietly

[Now this is a real pickle]

"Yeah, no shit! What can you tell me about these guys? I don't think there were in the original story, right?!" (Rei)

[Obviously, they have no major influence, on the surface. It's possible their actions could lead to some other event that might set a certain course, but there hasn't been any sign of a ripple forming. So you're safe for now...figuratively of course]

"What can you tell me about their absurd powers?" (Rei)

[Steel huh? First, let's see what we know. Considering the nature of the element, and the fact that steel shield of his rose from the ground, it stands to reason one of the two elements needed to make it is Doton⁶Earth Style]

"Wait! Wait! That doesn't make any sense! There's no other element for it to merge with that hasn't already been taken. Earth & Water = Wood, Earth & Fire = Lava, Earth & Wind = Magnet, Earth & Lightning = Explosion. What else is there?" (Rei)

[Yes, none of the Five basic nature transformations]

"Five...are you suggesting he's using either Yin or Yang? Granted, he and his brother are Genjutsu users, so they naturally have Inton⁷Yin/Shadow Stylebut..."

Rei contemplated Notitia's indications. While Inton does govern form, he hadn't recalled any character using non-elemental nature transformations in conjunction with the basic five for creating Kekkei Genkai

He didn't rule out that is was impossible, but this was complete unknown territory for him. Naturally, he felt very uncomfortable about it

[Chakra is very unpredictable, no one's been able to completely unravel its mysteries. But on how to defeat him, errr...]

"Sigh...you got nothing" (Rei)

[Sorry, but he's a real bad match for you. As we saw earlier, Katon, Suiton, Fūton, and Doton are all but useless. Raiton⁸Lightning Stylemight work, but there's no guarantee Steel has the same natural eversion to it as Earth. Above all, you've yet to gain that element and from what we've observed, it'll be a long time before that happens]

"...Yeah, you're right" (Rei)

In the past, Rei had constantly tested his new body to understand its full capabilities. After training hard to gain Suiton, he wrongfully assumed the other elements would be easy to gain after how effortless it was for him to learn Katon and Doton

But soon enough, he realized the only reason Katon and Doton, the very same elements always accompanied with a strange sensation whenever he used them, was simply due to his natural affinity for them

Notitia told him the original "Rei" had affinity for Katon, and after remaking his body and genes with Ōtsutsuki alien DNA, this affinity expanded to Doton as well

However, no matter how hard he tried, Fūton and Raiton just didn't seem viable. He eventually came to the conclusion that only one with the legendary Rinnegan⁹Saṃsāra EyeDōjutsu¹⁰Eye Techniquecould acquire all basic nature transformations with ease

"No options but to run then?" (Rei)

[For you? Yes. But not so for your teammates, Tai in particular]

"Tai? What could he...oh! Now I get it" (Rei)

[That's right...poison]

"Poison is his Achilles' heel so to speak. His outward defenses are nigh unstoppable, but by the end of the day, he's still a human being. Why the hell didn't I think of that?" (Rei)

["Read between the lines", just like Tango always says buddy. Good luck, I'll be here if you need it]

"Right. Thanks" (Rei)

Rei rejoined his group, formulating a new plan thanks to Notitia's help. And after some light debate, the team came up with a solution to deal with the absurd being known as Metoro

After leaving their position, it didn't take long for the one in question to catch up. Quick to unleash his attacks while on the chase!

"Kōton: Hagane Hassha-tai¹¹Steel Style: Steel Projectile!" (Metoro)

BOFF! BOOM!

"Geez! That destructive power is ridiculous!" (Tai)

"Focus on what you need to do Tai...and keep moving!" (Rei)

"Easier said than done! Do you have any idea how hard it is to mold this kind of chakra while running from HIM at the same time?!" (Tai)

They spent the duration of the chase doing nothing but dodging and running, Rei and Suzu trying to buy all the time they could for Tai. The latter of whom was preoccupied with a "certain" task

{What are they up to? I was actually having a hard time tracking them down and then they just, flee in the open...} (Metoro)

As Metoro's suspicions only grew, Tai told his teammates he was done at let them go on ahead

"Leaving your Medical-nin behind?!" (Metoro)

"DO IT TAI!" (REI)

{Ninpō: Dokugiri¹²Ninja Art: Poison Fog!} (Tai)

POOOOOFFFF!

A large, purple cloud emerged from Tai's mouth, something far beyond the level of the mist he typically used. Set directly on a path to Metoro!

{Poison fog?!} (Metoro)

TUP!

Metoro jumped away, desperate not to get caught in the purple fog, but Suzu wouldn't let that happen

"Fūton: Reppūshō¹³Wind Style: Gale Palm!" (Suzu)

WOOOO!!

Using the wind bursting from her hand, she spread the poison in Metoro's direction engulfing him

"Kuh! Damn you!" (Metoro)

He fell to ground, unable to move. His body could no longer be seen within the fog. After anxiously waiting for over a minute, the team finally relaxed after realizing he was down for the count

"Nice job Tai, I thought you were gonna use some mist again" (Suzu)

"Huff...huff...! I thought about it but, I've already used most of my strongest batches. I had no choice but to make a poison out of chakra" (Tai)

"I didn't know you COULD make poison purely out of chakra" (Suzu)

"The concept is a lot like Rei's Endan¹⁴Flame Bullet. He doesn't just shoot fire from his mouth, he makes oil, and ignites it with fire" (Tai)

"Is that so?" (Suzu)

"Well recently, I've mixed things up with chakra control and started using gas, rather than oil" (Rei)

When Rei was hospitalized after the Team Mabui rescue mission, his friend and librarian Pyua stopped by to help with his training. Advising him on certain chakra control applications, he applied said info to his signature Katon Jutsu...the Flame Bullet technique

Instead of using oil, he kneaded his chakra into an ignitable gas for a more powerful effect, chlorine trifluoride. Not to mention, the heavier the material made, the more chakra it costs. Oil always consumed too much in his opinion, albeit compared to gas

After showing this to Tai, he opted to improve as well. The "Dokugiri" technique was one that involved combining ninjutsu, chemistry, and medical knowledge. Requiring fine chakra control and advanced ability in medical ninjutsu.

"He converts the chakra in his body to exhale a special chemical. When it comes into contact with the air, it becomes a cloud of poison" (Rei)

"I noticed it's much faster to make than his usual vaporization mist techniques" (Suzu)

"But it also consumes much more chakra than those. Which can be a pain, considering my chakra levels can't even compare to yours or Rei's. Phew! I'm beat!" (Tai)

"Nice job, that's one down. But now we gotta deal with the older brother" (Rei)

They all sighed at the same time. They knew next to nothing of Etoro's abilities, only that like Metoro, he too possessed a Kekkei Genkai. Not to mention how angry he'll be once he finds out his brother was killed

Though they knew there was no other option but to fight, as per their mission orders, none of them desired to

"Alright, how bout we wait here, make him come to us. We set up some traps and restore our strength in the meantime" (Rei)

"Works for me, my feet are killing me" (Tai)

"I'll get to work on the tra-" (Suzu)

BONK!

"?!" (Rei & Tai)

Before either could realize, Suzu had been struck with a circular object at blinding speed. Though he lowered his guard, even Rei was too slow to react in time

Suzu had been sent tumbling away, but she was still conscious, trying to breath after spitting out blood

"U-Uhack!" (Suzu)

"SUZU!" (Tai)

"What the hell?! How did-uh! TAI!" (Rei)

"Eh?!" (Tai)

Emerging from the purple cloud was Metoro, gasping for air. But what caught their attention was the object on his lower mouth

"That's...a steel gas mask?! He can do that?! How does that even-?!" (Tai)

"Haaah...haah...! That was a close one, I can barely stand...! Even with this makeshift mask, I still inhaled some of the poison. But not enough...to prevent me...FROM DOING THIS! Kōton: Hagane Sandan¹⁵Steel Style: Steel Buckshot!" (Metoro)

SCHKLIKT!

He spat out a metal object, flying at them before suddenly bursting into smaller projectiles, with increased speed

"Rei! You have to-!" (Suzu)

"I know!" {This attack is like a blast from a shotgun!} (Rei)

Knowing he couldn't weave signs in time, he grabbed Suzu and Tai and with his incredible speed, dashed out the way. He only took a few hits, using his body to shield his team from the rest

"Urgh!" (Rei)

"You okay?!" (Suzu)

"Fine, don't worry about me! We need to finish him off before-!" (Rei)

"BEFORE ME?"

"?!" (Team Tango)

TAK!

Jumping up from the tree, was Etoro, landing on the ground between his brother and others

"Nii-san..." (Metoro)

"Sigh...good grief little bro. It's not like you to lose your cool like that, get it together" (Etoro)

"..." (Metoro)

"Tsk!" (Rei)

Much to his dismay, Rei had hoped they could finish off Metoro before his brother arrived. Knowing how strong they were, the last thing he wanted was to fight them both at the same time

 

 

 

 

 

"Sorry kids, I gave you a chance but...you've missed your window of opportunity" (Etoro)