"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass... and I'm all out of bubblegum."
— Nada, They Live
--
The Grass-nin were running, their mission was completely rigged thanks to Otis.
Taro barked an order, his voice low but urgent. "Move faster!" He could feel someone following them.
They moved like shadows, slipping between trunks, trying to use the forest as a cloak.
Behind them, Otis moved through the trees with a predator's grace, branches whipping against his wolf pelt. Then, suddenly, a stone pillar shot up beneath him, launching him toward the fleeing ninjas.
The Grass-nin had underestimated how fast a man could be when he was bored.
Then, all of them stopped. Taro raised a hand, halting his squad.
When they looked up — Otis was already there, standing on a branch in front of them.
Every ninja tensed, slipping into fighting stances.
"Scatter!"
At Taro's command, they scattered instantly.
Otis moved fast. Branches cracked beneath his steps. He was silent—wasting no breath, no movement. Guy's brutal training was paying off.
The Grass-nin scattered in all directions, panic flashing in their eyes. They'd fought a jōnin before... but not like this one.
One of them turned mid-leap, her hands forming seals in desperation.
"Fire Style: Fireball Juts—!"
She never finished.
Otis appeared above her mid-sentence, his axe already spinning. The blade sliced through the forming fireball, splitting it apart as the shockwave scattered embers into harmless sparks.
The ninja hit the dirt hard, coughing blood. She'd inhaled the half-formed fire.
Another came from behind, blade raised high—but Otis twisted, caught the man's wrist mid-swing, and slammed him face-first into a tree trunk.
The bark cracked under the impact.
Taro cursed under his breath, fingers flashing into a tiger seal.
"Wind Style: Gale Spears!"
Dozens of compressed air lances tore from the treeline, slicing through the fog like invisible knives.
Otis exhaled slowly.
Then—
A wall of jagged rock burst up from the ground around him, the wind spears shattering harmlessly against it, scattering dust and debris.
All around, the forest echoed with chaos—clashing metal, shouts, and the unmistakable roar of a bear..
At the perimeter, Yuki was tearing through the Grass-nin like a storm. She moved in a blur, her claws ripping through armor and flesh alike. Every ninja who tried to escape met her head-on—and she wasn't letting anyone go.
A swipe of her paw sent one ninja crashing into a tree. Another tried to leap away, only for Yuki to grab his leg mid-air and slam him into the dirt.
Her growls mixed with the crunch of bones and snapping branches as she kept circling the battlefield, cutting off every retreat.
(Pic)
Back at the center, Otis's eyes glowed faintly with chakra as he shifted his stance.
He pressed his foot into the dirt—
The ground hummed.
"Let's play catch."
A tremor rippled outward. From the soil, dozens of tiny pebbles made of earth rose into the air.
He flicked his fingers.
The stones vanished
Whistling through the air, they punched through branches, bark, and bone alike.
A scream ripped through the air as one of the Grass-nin was thrown backward, chest caved in by what looked like a mere pebble.
Another ducked—only for his mask to shatter as a second shot smashed into his jaw.
Taro's teeth clenched.
"He's shaping stone bullets from chakra?! Impossible—"
Otis's voice came calmly from the settling dust.
"Don't think too much. Just run."
Taro's eyes widened—too late.
Otis burst through his own wall of stone, axe raised high.
The remaining Grass-nin scrambled, their hands flashing through seals. Together, they formed a solid Earth Release barrier, a thick wall rising just in time.
Otis slammed his shield into it and released a violent burst of chakra.
The shockwave exploded outward, the wall shattering to dust as chunks of earth and stone erupted skyward.
Trees uprooted. A wave of raw force blasted through the clearing, knocking half the squad clean off their feet.
The survivors scrambled—coughing blood and disoriented. Only Taro still stood, blade drawn, eyes wild.
Then he turned and tried to run.
Otis threw his axe.
It spun once, twice—then struck Taro squarely in the back of the head, the blunt end hitting hard enough to drop him flat. He crashed into the dirt, gasping.
Otis began walking toward him, slowly.
He raised one hand, and the axe flew back to him, spinning through the air before landing neatly in his grip.
Otis rested it on his shoulder as he approached him.
Taro was crawling away, dragging himself through the dirt, trembling.
"You can still move," Otis said, voice calm. "That's impressive."
Taro froze. "We don't have hatred between us. This isn't personal. I'll drop the mission immediately."
Otis raised an eyebrow. "Good. Then you won't mind telling me who hired you."
Taro's silence told him everything.
Otis's tone hardened. "I don't care about your honor or your excuses. Who sent you?"
Taro's eyes flicked to his fallen men. "I can't."
Then, without warning, his hands flashed through seals.
"Wind Style: Vacuum—!"
Otis didn't even flinch.
He raised his shield in a single, fluid motion and parried the wind bullet toward the sky, sending a shockwave rolling around them.
Otis walked closer, the ground rumbling faintly under each step.
"You're done," he said flatly.
Then he sat down on a rock near Taro.
Taro staggered upright, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth. His breathing came ragged. Then, in a sudden burst of desperation, his hand shot toward his kunai as he lunged at Otis.
Before he could even get close, a massive fist slammed into his ribs.
WHAM
The impact was biblical.
Taro became airborne — his body smashed through trees, snapping them in a perfect line, leaving behind a cartoonish Taro-shaped outline in the forest before vanishing with a distant thud.
It was Yuki.
Otis clapped once. "Nice punch, Lunchbox."
Then he pointed casually. "Now go pick him up. We've got questions."
There was a long, heavy silence between them.
Then the bear's paw swung sideways—very fast..
WHAM
(Pic)
Otis didn't even see it coming. The world spun, trees blurred past him. He was airborne, flying the same ridiculous arc Taro had taken moments earlier.
He crashed through the underbrush, rolled twice, and landed flat on his back next to the unconscious Grass-nin leader.
All around, the ninjas under Taro smirked as they watched Otis fly.
Karma, their faces seemed to say.
After a while… the trees rustled.
Otis stepped out of the shadows, Taro slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
The ninjas froze. A dozen faces that had been smirking moments ago went completely blank.
Otis's jaw tightened. "...What the hell was that for!?" he spat.
Yuki's voice boomed through the forest, equal parts irritation and smugness.
"Fuck off, you little shit! I'm not your slave."
Otis rubbed his ribs. "You— you're literally like my summon."
"Fuck off!" Yuki roared back, even louder this time.
"Oh?" Otis dropped Taro on the ground and grabbed him by the leg. "Fine. No food for you. No snacks. You'll starve."
Yuki snorted, turning her head. "Even better. Your cooking tastes like tree bark."
Otis froze. "You—"
Yuki sniffed dramatically, pressed her paws together like she was praying, and a single ridiculous tear tracked down her cheek.
"Oh, how I miss Hinata's cooking. Even that shit Sayuri makes tastes better than yours. Oh merciful gods, why did I come with him on a mission?"
(Pic)
She stretched the loose skin on her belly and sighed.
"I seem to have lost weight."
For a beat Yuki ignored him and turned her face away. She curled up on the fallen leaves like she might disappear into them. Silence pressed in…
Otis opened his mouth to reply, but a voice broke from the trees, trembling and outraged. It was one of Taro's Grass-nin, tears in his eyes. "You monster! How can you do that to her?"
"He's too cruel," another sobbed. The others started crying, too, moved by the sight of Yuki's misery.
"Shut it!" Otis snapped, furious. "I will beat the shit out of every one of you — shut up!"
A different ninja stepped forward, voice shaking but fierce. "Kill me if you must, but I won't stand by and watch this… this torture of something beautiful."
Others picked up the cry
"YEAH! WE WILL NOT STAY SILENT!"
Otis was flabbergasted by their reaction. "I didn't even do that!" he protested.
A young Grass-nin pushed forward, steadying himself. He clasped Otis's shoulders and looked him dead in the eyes.
"Apologize to her."
"Yeah — apologize to her!" another urged.
"Apologize to her!" the others repeated, voices rising into a chorus.
"APOLOGIZE!"
"APOO..LOOG..IZE!"
"Okay, okay, fine!" Otis gritted his teeth and stepped toward Yuki. He reached out a hand.
"I'm sorry, okay? You're not my slave, Lunchbox."
She didn't take it. Instead she stayed curled up, face buried in her knees. A low, animal growl threaded through her throat.
"Hmph," Yuki snorted, still ignoring him.
Veins stood out on Otis's face, but he kept control.
"Okay. Fine." He dropped the lunch. "Yuki—box?"
The bear cracked one eye open. "What was that?"
Otis's fingers curled into a fist at his side. He ground his teeth, then forced a softer smile.
"I'm sorry, Yuki-chan."
Yuki sat up slowly, eyes rimmed red as if she'd been crying.
"I accept your apology, you overgrown twig."
"The fu—" Otis started, but stopped when he noticed the judging eyes staring at him from all around. He exhaled sharply, forcing himself to calm down.
Then Yuki asked
"What are we?"
Otis looked at her like it was the easiest question in the world. "Of course you're my slav—" He flinched, that old impulse showing for maybe half a second, then covered it with a grin.
"My partner. Yeah. Partner."
"YEAHHHH!"
A cheer erupted from the Grass-nin. Even Taro stirred, confused and half-conscious.
Yuki smirked, satisfied.
"Better. Now pick up that idiot and let's go."
"Yes ma'am," Otis said. He groaned as he slung Taro over his shoulder. "You're insufferable."
"I heard that."
"I wanted you to."
Yuki yawned like a spoiled cat, stretched her massive paws, and trudged after him.
Behind them, the surviving Grass-nin began murmuring that they should head home.
"Okay, guys—let's meet another day," one offered.
"My mother's waiting," another muttered.
"I've got chores."
Otis didn't even turn around when he spoke.
"If any of you run, I'll turn your bones into gravel."
Not a single one moved as they all froze
He glanced at Yuki. "See? Threats work."
Yuki smirked. "So does punching you."
They fell in line behind Otis as he started down the path, Taro slung over his shoulder.
"Next time, I'm traveling alone," Otis muttered.
--
Author's Note:
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