What would Tekuno-sensei want them to do?

  He'd want them to live, not to do anything that would betray the Hidden Leaf, but most of all…Tobio didn't think he'd want them to do anything that would betray themselves. Deep inside himself, the boy could be honest about a few things. Tobio had done and seen incredible things since being dumped into this world. But he wholeheartedly didn't think he'd be able ever to forgive or forget if he walked away from this fight, this vilge, right here and now. To leave them to the predations of a man who seemingly had no issue ordering his underlings to harm or kill children.

  Could he even trust someone like that to keep their word in a situation like this? Probably not.

  For better or worse, he could feel that simple fact of life in his unbreakable bones. That walking away just wasn't an option, even if he wanted to. Leaving people behind when they needed his help, when they needed him, was a measure of altruism that didn't perhaps entirely fit the career that he found himself in. But it did fit Tobio, and that was all that mattered.

  Gncing over at Ami, he shot her a crooked grin, trying to project a confidence that he didn't entirely feel. "What do you say? Do you wanna walk away? He looks kind of tough."

  She hummed thoughtfully, even if he could practically feel she wasn't actively considering it. Like himself, his teammate fell into the 'fake it till you make it' school of bravado. "I dunno. That guy feels like, what, a Jōnin? That's basically A-rank pay right now. Easy money."

  "Mou, how mercenary of you, Ami-chan. Don't you want to help out of the goodness of your heart?"

  "I'm a girl with expensive tastes, Oni-baka," Ami responded, clicking her tongue and rolling her eyes at his words. "Good feelings don't buy new clothes."

  The Jōnin by this point was growing angry, eyebrows knitting together as he gritted his teeth at their antics. "Are you not taking this seriously? You could die, you understand that, right? Choosing what, this collection of huts over your lives?"

  "I'm not choosing these huts, I'm choosing my bank account," Ami responded, shrugging with a trembling nonchance. She was afraid. He could feel it through their bond, stunted as it was. Yet even so, his friend was sticking through it.

  "And frankly, you're the kind of piece of shit that I doubt would honor their own word," Tobio pointed out. "Relying on the honor of a missing-nin is foolish, at best."

  The man's face hardened, as his fists balled up. "Then you've made your choice. I'll ensure the Hidden Leaf knows where to find your bodies."

  Approaching on their opponent's side of the battlefield was another Amegakure shinobi, who looked worse for wear.

  "I'm here to help, sir!" The man chirped, his voice sounding a little strange, but then what he said next made Tobio's entire body freeze in a singur dread. "Ran into a pest on the way here."

  Then, he threw something on the ground. A ragged forehead protector, embzoned with the symbol of Konohagakure. For a few brief moments, Tobio felt his world grind to a halt, until…he realized something hinky was going on. If Hibachi was particurly heavily hurt, or straight up dead, Tobio would have felt it. That surety of his friends and allies being alright was a hefty part of why he'd sprung for Sworn Brotherhood in the first pce.

  …But if Hibachi was fine, then that must have meant-

  "Did you really think I'd fall for such a pitiful deception?" The Jōnin spoke, eyes bzing with anger as he turned on the newcomer.

  The man's face scrunched up in confusion, taking a hesitant step back. "…Sir?"

  "Kirisame's eyes were blue, not brown."

  Silence reigned for a few seconds, before the figure sighed, slumping slightly. "Welp. Can't bme a guy for trying, right?" The figure of 'Kirisame' narrowly ducked out of the way of a blow, before backflipping their way. Pressing his hands together, smoke erupted around the man…revealing a familiar face.

  It was Hibachi, cut and scratched up, and definitely roughed up to some degree, yet alive all the same. And that was enough to make Tobio's heart soar.

  "Hibachi!" Ami excimed, eyes wide with surprise and delight. "Kami, if you ever scare me like that again…"

  "Eh, I tried to pull a fast one, but it didn't work," the Genin sighed. "Infiltration is your thing, not mine."

  "Run into any trouble outside?" Tobio asked, eyeing up the new injuries on his teammate carefully.

  His friend shrugged. "Just a few pests, like I said. But those are what traps are best at handling."

  The three of them weren't the most talented Genin of their generation. None of them really had anything that could pass for a bloodline besides Tobio, and even that was more out-of-context chicanery. In the everyday world, each of them would have lived and died without genuinely reaching their full potential.

  But here and now? Tobio felt like they could show the world what they were made of.

  And he didn't pn on disappointing.

  The three of them locked in.

  No one had to say anythingor do anything to make that implicit decision. It was just something that each of them, in their hearts, knew. Sometimes, there was a moment for words, and then there were times like this, when nothing needed to be said. Words were wind in the face of crushing, overwhelming action.

  Without Sworn Brotherhood, they wouldn't have stood a chance. They wouldn't have had that implicit understanding and grounding in teamwork that came with years of experience. With it…they had a chance.

  What more could Tobio ask for?

  Step one in their glorious, unspoken pn not to die horribly. Take out the kunoichi backing up the Jōnin; otherwise, she could get in the way of their tenuous, nebulous, barely existent strategy. Also, do it while trying to fight the Jōnin.

  Throwing his hands into the seals needed for his Human Bullet Technique at a blistering pace, he exploded toward the older woman. She wasn't expecting the ambush, though, considering how much shit they'd been talking to the Jōnin. Meanwhile, his teammates went for the Jōnin to keep him busy.

  If everyone were on his same level of combat ability, they'd be able to hold him longer. Unfortunately, they weren't, even if his perks helped make the difference. So this little bout between him and this dy had a sharp time limit.

  Well. Tobio was always at his best when under pressure.

  The brunette wasn't as slow on the take as her comrades. Creating another whip of water, the path he was racing toward was awash with waves of shes, as he dug his feet into the ground. Skidding to retard his momentum, her whip-like motions made it all he could do to dodge, duck, dive, and twist out of the way of that long, sinewy thread in front of him.

  And even then…not enough.

  He felt that whip tch and curl around his ankle when moving into a roll to try and dodge. His eyes widened, if only a fraction, before he felt the woman send electric shocks through the jutsu, her free hand curling into seals.

  Pain on the other side of his rage felt…foreign. Like he wasn't experiencing it himself, but instead watching it happen to someone else, which was for the best. Dissociative as it may have been to his mental wellbeing, if he was slowed down by even a single wound in the coming minutes, they'd all die. All of the little injuries and damages would no doubt build up over time, yet for now, Tobio would trust in his own durability and the effects of the regenerative meals he'd been making to see him through.

  It'd been evident that the woman had been expecting him to flinch, startle, be wracked with pain from the jutsu. What she hadn't being expecting was for him to come to his feet, wincing but otherwise moving just fine.

  "What are you?!" She hissed, moving to pull her whip, expecting to overpower the twelve-year-old who was Tobio—a perfectly normal tactic for your average Genin.

  For Tobio, her effort to pull his feet out from under him was pretty ughable, considering he was probably the physically strongest Genin of his generation outside of Rock Lee.

  "It's perfectly natural for a woman your age to have performance problems."

  "Wha-" She started, totally baffled by his words, before Tobio was already exploding toward her again to close the distance that'd been made.

  This time, though, he wasn't giving her room to throw together any cute tricks. As he strained his speed to its limits, it was a violent, chaining spree of punches and kicks that he unleashed her way. Second by second, he could see the way she was pushing up against her limitations, dodging just like he had…

  But the difference was, Tobio could slip up as much as he wanted with durability and strength like his. She only had to screw up the once.

  Something she was painfully made aware of when he feinted, making her think he was going for a kick, and instead nded a solid gut-punch inside of her guard. Her eyes practically bulged out of her skull as he put the entirety of his strength into it, lifting her up and off the ground and sending her flying through the air in the wake of his mighty blow.

  She rolled ass over teakettle, ungracefully, before coming to a stop on the dirt nearby. Twitching once, twice, and then falling still, as he breathed hard. Given the fact that he'd hit her hard enough to cause organ damage at the least…

  This kunoichi was out of the fight. However, what was more important to him was quickly returning to the fight with the Jōnin to see how his teammates were faring. What he saw was better and worse than he could have hoped for.

  Against all odds, Ami and Hibachi had not been brutally maimed or murdered. He knew that, logically, by the far-off sounds of battle he'd been hearing while distracted. He felt the fact that they still drew breath, through their mystical bond, noting every little pulse of pain and usage of chakra that sang through their connection.

  Even so, it was a balm on his heart to put his eyes on them and see that they managed to survive. To thrive, even considering the circumstances. That didn't mean they were winning, however.

  The two of them acted in concert with one another, as much as they could, at the given moment. Primarily focusing on dodging the Jōnin's terrifying, blisteringly fast attacks. Ami mainly distracted him with short-lived genjutsu, while Hibachi hit the man with his bag of stolen tricks.

  For them, though, the biggest problem was a consistent and intense ck of distance. Neither of them was a melee specialist the way Tobio was, so it meant that the resounding blows that the man could deliver couldn't be countered. Said evidence of solid hits was clear as day on their bodies.

  Hibachi was even more brutalized, one eye swollen, promising a nasty bck eye in his future. He nimbly backflipped out of the way of a haphazard kunai throw, but not fast enough to prevent himself from taking a scoring cut along his side.

  Ami meanwhile, wasn't much better. She had a nasty wound on her shoulder, bleeding something fierce. Her hand seals weren't coming as quickly, and if Tobio had to guess, she was running low on chakra. Neither of his companions had particurly impressive chakra reserves for civilians, and a fight like this was already straining those reserves to the limits, even with their shared connection lightening the chakra cost for their jutsu.

  Most damningly was the fact that they were slowing down, though. Bit by bit, second by second, as they strained to push against the boundaries of their capabilities. And the Jōnin knew it, hadn't even really been threatened in any way that mattered, merely fended off as they bought time for their st teammate to arrive.

  So, he didn't intend to disappoint them.

  Like most of his combat openers, the booming sound of an explosion heralded Tobio's arrival.

  "Sorry to keep you guys waiting!" He yelled, as he came in for a kick, albeit one that was very narrowly dodged by their target.

  Ami barked a ugh, as she chucked a shuriken toward the Jōnin, who nimbly parried with a kunai. "Nah, we had him on the ropes!"

  "But you're welcome to come when the job's nearly done!" Hibachi added, his own nervous, cocky grin on his face.

  That might have all been idiots in over their heads, but they were his idiots, and that was what mattered. The Jōnin didn't seem like he shared their joviality.

  "Damn brats!" He hissed, jumping back and looking at the three of them, posted together defensively. "What's it going to take to see you dead?"

  "More than you're capable of, old man," Hibachi smirked. "My sensei's smacked me harder in training."

  The older man's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. "Oh really? We'll have to test that theory then." None of them liked his voice's dangerous, cold tone, as he began to throw together hand seals.

  "Lock him down, Ami!" Tobio cried, as he rushed forward again, kunai in hand.

  Ami clicked her tongue, before putting together more seals, trying to lock him into the Temporary Paralysis Technique. But there was a world of difference between a Genin-level target, and someone with Jōnin-tier reserves. It only slowed the man down a second, and just that…

  …Unfortunately, not enough time to stop him from finishing his jutsu.

  "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

  Like a leviathan rising from behind the Jōnin, a serpent with glowing eyes formed from Taki's still waters, made manifest by chakra and will. That long, sinewy body, with rippling waves of water, glowing eyes, and an unmistakably draconic face, that even gave Tobio pause. All of them had a brief few seconds as they gaped, before the dragon came crashing down with a roar of rushing water toward them.

  At first, he'd been the closest, so Tobio assumed that it was coming for him. But seeing the smirk on the Jōnin's face as he tried to leap in the way of it, he was in for a worse surprise. It pivoted like nothing living could, curling around him, as he went straight for the sole girl of their squad.

  "AMI, MOVE!" Tobio roared.

  And she tried, but wounded as she was, struggling as she was, was caught in the maw of that rushing wave. He felt his throat tighten in terror, as it smmed into the ground nearby, dust, dirt, and mud flying every which way. He would have thought her dead, if it wasn't for their bond saying that she was still alive…if certainly in no position to continue this fight. The waves of pain and unconsciousness radiating from her told him that much.

  "Is this all you have to show me?" Their opponent taunted, face curled up in a sneer. "Is this the limits of your vaunted Konohagakure Will of Fire?"

  …That smug, awful smirk on this bastard's face. Like he had the right to look down on them…

  It set something on fire inside of Tobio. He could stand being underestimated by the world, or their Hidden Vilge, or even all the Cn kids they used to go to css with. But some no-name bastard from a bumfuck vilge dared to say those words to him? The nugget of fme inside of the Oni-blooded shinobi grew into a confgration, as his resolve hardened.

  "Hibachi," Tobio spoke, voice painfully close to a snarl.

  "Yeah?"

  "Yo-yo me," He commanded, not even bothering to crify any further. "I'm gonna take this guy out in one go."

  It spoke volumes to the trust that his teammate had in him, that he didn't even blink at that statement. He merely threw a line of ninja wire toward Tobio, who raced to catch it. And then, he exploded.

  There was no worry about the conversation of his chakra reserves, as the fires behind him propelled Tobio forward faster and faster. Just the rapid wind-up as Hibachi pnted his feet with chakra, and gritted his teeth, doing his best to keep a firm hold on the wire as Tobio spun even quicker, blurring with speed. With as much force as the boy could manage, he held on as Tobio picked up true velocity.

  That didn't mean the Jōnin had been quiet the entire time, though. If anything, he was gearing up to do the same jutsu that had taken out Ami once more. But this time around, he didn't have the opportunity to finish that job, before he found one pissed off, half-feral, raging, exploding Genin being thrown his way as Hibachi loosed the wire, and let go of Tobio.

  "I hope you know what you're doing!" Hibachi yelled after him.

  "SAME!"

  Like a rocket, Tobio smmed into the Jōnin's midsection, who was patently and totally unprepared. Maybe if Tobio had been going at his normal speeds, but wound up and thrown by Hibachi…? With him pouring fuel into his explosive technique?

  Dodging was, at best, a pipe dream. But Tobio wasn't entirely focused on just smming into the Jōnin. Instead, he redirected that burst of fire, propelling them, turning that horizontal movement vertical.

  Which was where he began to pour on the gas.

  "What are you doing?!" His opponent asked, wind whistling past them, baffled, as they shot up into the air. Hands beating, punching, smming against Tobio's body to try and break out of the grapple.

  But pain and he were old friends at this point, his rage keeping higher body functions at bay. Even when the man grabbed a kunai, he wasn't particurly scared. Because whatever clever, violent action was about to take pce, was going to be very short-lived, as they hit the branches and limbs of the vast tree above them.

  It was like getting bludgeoned from every direction, hard bark scraping against his tough flesh and battering his bones. The man he was holding got it even worse, though, as he was smacked from almost all directions, blood spttering as his panic only mounted. "Stop! STOP!"

  Yet Tobio only poured on the gasoline even further, and ignited himself, as a sound not unlike jet engines roared through the canopy of the tree. Burnt wood and leaves left in his wake, as they went even faster upwards. Until they finally cleared the foliage, and soared straight into that deep, azure horizon above the treeline.

  There was a peace up there in that clear, blue sky—something that Tobio could feel, even in the grips of his rage. Arms wrapped around Jōnin's midsection, he had a few seconds of picture-perfect crity as the remnants of his chakra sputtered out, and the boy came to a singur realization.

  Hanging there in the sky, right before gravity was about to recim them…he was about to die, wasn't he?

  In his short-lived experience, there was nothing quite like the calm assurance that he was about to kick the bucket to pour cold water over someone's head. Falling at this height, hitting every tree branch on the way down? And then hitting water at terminal velocity…even Calcium might not have been enough to save him.

  But if this was as far as he got to the peak of the world...well, at least the view was nice. Halfway delirious from chakra exhaustion, that felt like a silly thought, but an earnest one all the same.

  "YOU'VE KILLED US BOTH!" The Jōnin roared, kunai plunging down into Tobio's back. But that pain felt distant, foreign, in what they both faced. "YOU FOOL!"

  The ugh that erupted from the Genin's mouth was haunting, face bruised, battered, and curled into a feral rictus. "TAKING YOU WITH ME IS WORTH IT!"

  And the man might have been right, if Tobio had chosen any other option at the start of this journey. A man made of flesh and mundane bone would not have survived this. Falling from these heights might have challenged even the most durable shinobi he could think of.

  But…Tobio's bloodline wasn't just mundane flesh anymore.

  Inside of the Genin was something else. A force wholly phantasmal that wanted to live. That could survive the impossible, that yearned to defy death. Inside of his chakra pathway network, that lifegiving energy effectively sputtered out. Barely higher than the amounts needed to keep him alive, as he felt the fringes of chakra exhaustion begin to overtake his senses. Yet what use did Oni have for chakra? For they were beings of magic, and that was a part of his bloodline he'd oh-so perilously neglected.

  Right up until he'd needed it. Until his brute strength, speed, and tenacity to survive wouldn't be enough. In that moment, he felt a thrum inside of his heart as gravity began to reassert itself on him and the Jōnin he was still stubbornly clinging to.

  Magical energy radiated from his core, filling his body to the breaking point.

  Revitalizing him, if only just, as the top of the canopy came rushing down to meet them. On the outside, he was half-dead, bleeding from countless wounds, bruised and battered in ways that Tobio didn't even have the time or cognizance to take note of. Yet on the inside…

  It was funny. Phantasmal Races didn't so much heal as their bodies were wound back on their tempte to an earlier state, depending on how much magical energy they had. And it turned out that a Mixed-Blood descendant of the Oni had more than enough juice to get the job done.

  They fell, one brutalized Jōnin in the throes of terror, and another Genin in a peculiar kind of peace. Two bodies hurtling to their deaths, smashing through the canopy, and back down to the ke below. All the while, Tobio could feel something happening inside of him.

  An evolution.

  Cells, bones, organs, muscle fibers, ligaments, tendons… Each component of his body that'd been stressed to its limits was reshaping, slowly at first, but growing even faster as they grew closer to the water. Until they reached terminal velocity, and hit the ke like a missile.

  His enemy was dead on impact.

  Tobio…was not. He refused to die. Death was resisted, if only for a time.

  After everything that he'd done, seen, and wanted to do…he wasn't going to die in a shitty vilge like this. If he was going to die again, in this strange, dangerous, awful, and beautiful new world he'd been dropped into? He'd die on his feet, or in his bed at some ungodly old age, surrounded by a legion of family members.

  Anything between the two was just unacceptable.

  So even while his impressive bones cracked, his organs pulped, his muscle fibers tore and threatened to come apart at the seams, his magical energy filled him to the brim. A source that he'd never once touched up to this point, ignited by his near-death experience. It stitched him together and prevented him from dying, even as he was floated on the surface of the water, paralyzed beyond recognition.

  But alive. Breathing. Staring up at the light streaming in between the branches and leaves of that great, big tree. His rage, slowly leaving him, and letting that singur agony all over his body that he'd been fending off, begin to creep back in at the edges of his senses.

  Not entirely worth the feeling of being broken into a million pieces, but he was alive. He'd take what he could get.

  [HIDDEN QUEST COMPLETED: SAVE THE HIDDEN WATERFALL VILLAGE.]

  [REWARD: 1x MODERATE PERK. CHOOSE BETWEEN DOMINION, ERUDITION, MIGHT, AND ARTIFICE.]

  [QUEST COMPLETED: CHANGE THE TIMELINE IN A MINOR WAY.]

  [REWARD: 1x MINOR ARTIFICE PERK.]?

  Oh, perks. That was nice. Tobio blinked, tired, exhausted, and beaten in ways that were hard to quantify, as he floated on the surface of the ke. Slowly but surely, being dragged into unconsciousness, from the myriad of wounds, bruises, and miraculous fractures in his skeleton. But…

  He was alive.

  And that amazing, miraculous thing was the only thought he had in his mind as he drifted off into unconsciousness.

  Sleep came easily to Tobio, as it was an escape from the pain that awaited him. What came harder to the boy was waking up. Consciousness came gradually, in fits and starts, as he opened his eyes and found himself somewhere…he didn't entirely recognize. And in an exquisite amount of pain too, but that was a given. It was almost too much, enough to make him want to retreat back to the comforting bliss of unconsciousness, yet he pushed that feeling back immediately and tried to focus on his surroundings.

  It was a hospital, if a low-tech one, compared to the ones he'd seen in Konoha. The bed he was in was comfortable, though, and he was, if nothing else, blessedly alone. Given he felt like a herd of deer had just run roughshod over his muscles and spine, that was for the best.

  Sitting here alone, in pain, and half-conscious, he wondered if he should or could roll his perks. They weren't quite in a secure pce, but if there was the chance that anything could fix his pain, it might have been worth it to take.

  Yeah, there was no way he had enough self-control to keep himself from rolling right then and there. Tobio was alone, and he had enough strength to push himself into a sitting position, even if his body rebelled with the slightest motion.

  He'd start small. Big decisions like the mindfuck of a choice to choose between four different categories, were too big for his brain to handle at that moment. Focusing, he let that internal hollow inside of himself swell, as it reached out to provide another new capability for him.

  It was time to see what that Artifice roll could do for him. Only for him to immediately regret it, as three different options hovered before him, courtesy of the System.

  …Fuck. Why did he think this wouldn't strain his brain immediately?

  BrainjackDemon: The DescentThis USB and headphone jack lets you steal memories from people. Simply stick the USB in their ear and put on the headphones, and you can literally hear the thoughts you want. With some skill using the buttons on it, it can also be used to erase and edit memories.

  (Will not appear until deployed consciously for the first time.)

  AsauchiBleachA single bnk sword, apparently one of the only Zanpakuto not created by Nimaiya and thus not subject to his knowledge. In all other respects, this is a perfectly functioning bnk sword. Any non-Shinigami who spends enough time with this bde, continually infusing it with their energy, will be able to awaken it as their own Zanpakuto.

  Shinigami who purchase this should be aware that it is impossible to awaken a second Zanpakuto from an Asauchi state with one already part of their soul. Though a second Zanpakuto itself is not impossible.

  (Will not appear until deployed consciously for the first time.)

  Hearthfire - BasicsThe Elder ScrollsAt this point, there isn't much to your home. It has an entryway, the main building has two floors, a firepce, a kitchen, an outhouse, and you've even got a rge bed. It may not be much at the moment, but you've got to start off somewhere.

  (Will be organically deeded to Tobio, courtesy of a deed from his family line.)

  There was a part of him that really liked the idea of having a house. He could buy his own, granted, but having one deeded to him would save some money. And there could be future upgrades he could make to it with time, which was food for thought for the future.

  If he was a better shinobi, who was more inclined to the sneaky arts, Brainjack would be a solid pick. Being able to rifle through the memories of enemies would make a pretty solid gift to any of his allies. Even if he wouldn't be able to expin where it came from, or the rger principles behind its usage.

  But the middle one had his mouth salivating a little.

  Up until this point, he'd been patiently waiting for an opportunity to grab a weapon of some kind. But here and now, he could gain one that would be perfectly suited to him. Bound to his soul, even, with the whole suite of bullshit that came with having an Asauchi. It might start as a sword, yet given how they could evolve, there was no reason to say that it'd stay as one.

  But he could only choose one…and also, he could only spend his moderate perk on one category. Tobio had to make some decisions.

  In his heart, Tobio wanted a nice, big house. But he was also a half-feral Oni child and yearned for the comfort of cold steel. With a heavy conscience, he woke up and chose violence. Confirming the Asauchi perk inside of himself, there was a new, waiting weight anxious to be deployed.

  An unsealed asauchi. He'd seen enough of Bleach to understand the raw potential that it held at his fingertips, provided he could meditate on the bde and develop it to its full potential. Easier said than done, but nobody said that Tobio was afraid of a little hard work.

  It was still somewhat formless, like it hadn't decided on its final foundational shape. He knew they could be in the shape of a regur katana, though they could also come in odachi, tanto, and even wazikashi forms. He'd likely have to decide whenever he properly brought it out into the world.

  For now, he had another choice to make.

  Artifice, Erudition, and Dominion were nice, but Tobio was a simple man. Might was the only category he could fathom, after getting his ass beat so badly. He knew he should have died out there, and somehow was still kicking. Not because he was more skilled than his enemy, or stronger, just that he had a bullshit bloodline on his side that had...weirdly managed to keep him together.

  Best to prevent such a thing from happening again, as he spun the internal well inside of him, to reach out for more perks.

  ElixirFairy Fencer FThis is a single Elixir capable of fully healing you or one of your friends completely. Not even the common cold can withstand this miracle cure. If you purchased the Healing Kit the Elixir will somehow appear in there. Restocks weekly. Merges with the Healing Kit if the prior item was purchased.Chi ManiputionAvatar: The Legend of KorraA natural energy known as chi exists within all living organisms in this world, and you know the location of critical points on the human body that allow chi to flow. You've been trained to utilizes this knowledge during combat to temporarily paralyzes foes and temporarily disable other people's bending.Devil Arm ArmDevil May CryYour non-dominant arm gets repced by a literal demonic arm. It will look very unnatural on your body, either having a completely different skin color from the rest of you, or looking like a glowing cw. You're also provided with a way of hiding and suppressing the power of your new arm, as anything from medical sling, a glove and a sleeve, some weird metallic brace, or just a rge red cloth to wrap around your arm.

  *Upon taking a Devil Arm Arm, you gain the Devil Buster Style for free.

  Not all of these were what he expected, but he wasn't sure if he'd call them bad. Just…unexpected. Strong to be sure in their own ways, though.

  A full heal wasn't as useful to him, given his all-around durability. To the much squishier people he tended to run with? He'd be able to prevent tragic shonen death syndrome wherever he went, which felt like an impossibly good investment.

  The second was a bootleg Gentle Fist, and he almost took it on principle. Just the concept of seeing all those Hyūga spit blood because he managed to replicate what their cn's techniques performed, without having their special eyes? God, the notion of it warmed his heart.

  But the st was the one where he had the most complicated feelings about it. It was undoubtedly bullshit in every sense of the word, because it was from Devil May Cry. Yet it was also transforming him in a way he wouldn't be able to take back. Was that worthwhile?

  Painful to his sensibilities though it may be, he'd feel even worse if he passed by on Elixir. Forgetting even the boon of an instant heal, he'd have been wracked with guilt if it made him unable to save a close friend of loved one, because he wanted a cool devil arm or to bully Hyūga more effectively. As tempting as both of those mental images might have been.

  Indulging his inner chuuni and xianxia young master yearnings would have to wait for another time.

  With that confirmed, he felt that inner hollow expand, as another object filled it. One moment his hands were empty, and the next there was a small, gss bottle in his grip. Tucking it to the side, it was good to have all of those rolls finished and done with, if only so he could enjoy the quiet of the moment.

  Laying back down, Tobio looked up at the ceiling and simply…enjoyed the reprieve. He didn't know how long he'd been asleep, or how he'd survived, but the minutes he got to himself were well worth it.

  Right up until the door opened, and he knew that break was over.

  Stepping into the room appeared to be a nurse, who was more absentmindedly going about her job than anything else. Right up until she noticed him awake, and with his eyes open. Then her own gaze went wide, and her jaw dropped.

  "…Hey."

  "H-Honorable shinobi! You're awake!"

  "That I am," Tobio croaked, voice a little dry and uncomfortable from disuse. "Think we can keep that to ourselves?"

  She vigorously shook her head at the notion. "Your sensei, teammates, and even Lord Shibuki have been waiting for you to awaken for days now!"

  Hmm. That wasn't good. "How long have I been under?"

  "It's been a week since the invasion by the traitor Suien."

  Was that the name of the Jōnin he killed? Good to put something to the face. "That guy's dead, right?"

  "His body was burned, alongside the rest of the deceased missing-nin," she stated, scowling at the mention of his name. "You have my thanks for sying him."

  "Oh," Tobio murmured, gncing away. "It was no big deal, trust me." Honestly, he was more interested in killing that bastard at any costs, even at the risk of dying himself. It was a murderous urge born from the implicit knowledge that his friends were at risk if he'd failed.

  More than at risk. They would have died. He felt that in his bones in the moment, and was sure of it right then and there.

  "Can you, uh…get my teammates, and sensei?"

  "Oh! Of course, honored shinobi." She bowed, a movement that made him feel ten times more uncomfortable, before shuffling off.

  He wouldn't have long before his room was going to be filled with people, but for now, Tobio grabbed his Elixir and downed it quickly. It almost instantaneously began to take effect, much to his surprise, as the pain that was across his body began to recede in concert. Whatever microfractures, muscle tears, and vestigial bruises, were vanishing, astonishingly rapidly, as he tossed the bottle and gnced down at his now pristine body.

  The only thing that Tobio realized was that he wasn't sure how to expin this one. Actually, he'd just bme it on his bloodline. That felt like it'd work.

  For now, he settled down, and prepared to receive his friends and sensei.

  ...He was gonna hear an earful about that suicide move, wasn't he?