Finally, near a crumbling stone outpost, they found them.
Five figures stood in a defensive formation within a small clearing. The air hummed with the sound of wings as bees swarmed around them. Rokuro felt his teeth set on edge from the vibration, while Enmu blinked rapidly.
**Jubei Kamizuru** was the leader. He was an older man with grey in his beard and deep lines around his eyes. He wore a reinforced Iwagakure flak jacket over traditional Kamizuru clothing. His bees were larger than normal, with black carapaces that gleamed like metal. They formed defensive barriers or moved as high-speed projectiles. Jubei stood calmly, his hands resting on twin kusarigama that were integrated with his hive.
**Hachiro Kamizuru** was a firebrand in his late twenties with red hair and a muscular build. His Blast Bees were smaller and brightly striped. They exploded on impact, filling the air with gunpowder and venom. He grinned as he prepared for battle.
**Kiyoko Kamizuru** was analytical and observant. She wore dark, practical clothing. Her Paralysis Bees were pale gold and moved silently. A single sting could paralyze muscles in seconds. She positioned herself behind Jubei, moving with precision.
**Tsubame Kamizuru** was quiet and almost invisible. Her clothing blended with the forest. Her Tracker Bees were tiny and iridescent, creating patterns that confused the senses and could mimic chakra signatures or relay information across long distances. She was frowning as her bees shifted their flight pattern.
**Goro Kamizuru** was large but gentle-looking. His role was support. His Healing Bees glowed with green light and could accelerate wound healing. His Construct Bees were bigger and could secrete hardening wax for walls or platforms. He carried minimal weapons, focusing on his hive.
Tsubame's head snapped up. Her Tracker Bees suddenly formed an agitated sphere around her. "Intruders! High chakra signatures! Closing fast!" she said quietly.
Jubei didn't hesitate. "Formation Gamma! Scatter and resonate! Hachiro, suppression! Kiyoko, cover! Goro, fortify!"
The team moved into action as Rokuro burst from the treeline.
"Lord Muzan sends his regards," Rokuro said as he attacked. Blood erupted from his wrists, forming dozens of sharp chains that screamed through the air toward their legs and arms. "Blood Chain Bind: Cage Formation!"
Hachiro reacted immediately. "Eat this!" A cloud of his Blast Bees surged forward, intercepting the chains. The explosions were loud. Shrapnel and force slammed into the chains. Some shattered, others were deflected. Rokuro hissed as feedback jolted through him. The chains regenerated instantly but cost him blood.
Kiyoko was already moving. "Paralysis Swarm: Silent Downpour." Her golden bees flowed toward Rokuro, moving without sound. But before they could reach him, the air around Rokuro seemed to change.
Enmu had emerged from the mist near a large oak tree. His eyes fixed on Kiyoko. "Your focus is intense. Wouldn't you like to rest?" he said. His voice carried an unnatural weight. Drowsiness washed over the clearing.
Kiyoko staggered, her eyes flickering. But Jubei's voice cut through the mental fog. "Hive Mind Resonance: Clarity!" The consciousness of his swarm pulsed, sending focused will that shattered Enmu's sleep induction. Kiyoko snapped back, shaking her head. Her Paralysis Bees redirected toward Enmu.
"Annoying insects," Enmu said, his voice losing its gentleness. As the golden swarm descended, he melted into the bark of the oak tree. The tree groaned and split open, revealing rows of eyes and a mouth with sharp teeth. Bark formed thick tentacles that lashed out, swatting aside Kiyoko's bees. "You cannot sting a dream. You can only become lost within one."
The battle became chaotic.
Rokuro fought against Hachiro and Jubei. He moved like a whirlwind, chains whipping and snapping. Hachiro dodged constantly, his Blast Bees creating explosions to deflect the attacks. "Blood Chain Guillotine!" Rokuro shouted, sending two heavy chains toward Hachiro. Jubei intervened. A wall of his metal-like bees blocked the attack with a clang. The chains scraped against the living shield, sparks flying. They failed to cut through but drove Jubei back a step.
Hachiro countered, sending a stream of Blast Bees toward Rokuro's head. The demon recalled his chains, forming a spinning shield that detonated the bees inches from his face. Venomous shrapnel sizzled on his flesh. "Persistent pests!" Rokuro spat. He launched chains not at the shinobi, but at the surrounding trees, using them as anchors to swing erratically and dodge the attacks.
Meanwhile, Enmu's tree-form fought against Kiyoko and Goro. Tentacles smashed the ground, forcing them to dodge constantly. Goro worked frantically. His Construct Bees built thick wax walls that shattered under Enmu's blows but bought them time. Kiyoko's Paralysis Bees darted in, looking for openings between the tentacles and the tree's eyes.
"Healing Swarm: Vitality Surge!" Goro commanded. A cloud of green-glowing bees surrounded Kiyoko briefly, countering the drowsiness and minor injuries. Enmu focused his dream manipulation through his eyes, trying to overwhelm their minds. "Your dreams are so full of buzzing. Let me quiet them."
Kiyoko gritted her teeth. She used the Hive Mind Resonance that Jubei subtly shared to maintain focus. Her bees became more aggressive, stinging Enmu's wooden flesh and causing the tree to shudder.
Tsubame orchestrated everything. Her Tracker Bees swarmed everywhere, forming illusions - duplicates of her teammates, false chakra signatures that lured Rokuro's chains into empty air, and shimmering walls of light that disoriented the demons. She also directed Goro's constructs, pointing to weak spots. Her bees constantly relayed the demons' movements, allowing near-telepathic coordination.
The Kamizuru teamwork was formidable. They fought like a single organism, covering weaknesses and exploiting openings. Rokuro's chains were constantly blocked by Hachiro's explosions or deflected by Jubei's shields. Enmu's dream assaults were blunted by the Hive Mind Resonance and the volume of attacks.
Rokuro tapped deeper into his power. His chains thickened and glowed with crimson light. "Blood Chain Tempest!" He spun violently, unleashing a hurricane of chains that shredded the air. Trees within twenty meters were reduced to splinters. Hachiro's Blast Bees were vaporized before they could detonate. Jubei's shield buckled, the bees tumbling away. The force ripped through Goro's wax wall, exposing him.
Enmu saw his chance. While Rokuro's tempest occupied Jubei and Hachiro, one of his eyes locked onto the exposed Goro. "Just sleep," Enmu said. His voice resonated directly in Goro's mind. The man's eyes widened, then fluttered shut. He slumped forward, snoring softly as his Healing Bees buzzed in confusion around him.
"GORO!" Kiyoko screamed. She abandoned her assault on the tree to rush to her comrade. This was the error Enmu had been waiting for.
Enmu didn't just want Goro asleep. He wanted to understand the dreamscape of a bee-user linked to a hive. He sent part of his consciousness into Goro's dream. He saw a warm, golden space filled with the hum of the hive, a collective consciousness pulsing like a heartbeat. It was beautiful and vulnerable. Enmu's mental probe found the core of that connection - Goro's spiritual center, shimmering deep within the dream. The urge to destroy it was overwhelming.
Then Lord Muzan's command cut through his curiosity: 'Functional. Not broken.'
Enmu recoiled as if burned. He withdrew the destructive impulse immediately, leaving Goro deeply asleep but unharmed. He sent a stronger sleep command to ensure Goro wouldn't wake.
Kiyoko reached Goro just as Rokuro saw the opportunity. "Finally!" Chains lashed out toward the sleeping Goro, wrapping him in layers of crystallized blood. The hooks gently pierced to drain minimal blood for Rokuro's stamina. "One secured, Lord Muzan!" Rokuro announced.
The loss of Goro broke the Kamizuru formation. Jubei's face hardened. "Tsubame! Signal retreat! Hachiro, cover! Kiyoko, to me! Ironclad Fortress: Final Barrier!"
Jubei poured his chakra into his swarm. His metal-like bees surged, forming a massive dome-shaped wall that completely sealed off Rokuro and the captured Goro. The barrier hummed with energy, deflecting Rokuro's chain strikes with metallic sounds.
Hachiro snarled with rage and unleashed everything. "Bakuhachi Overload: Scorching Rain!" Thousands of Blast Bees rocketed toward Enmu's tree form, creating continuous explosions that engulfed the oak in fire and smoke. Enmu was forced to retract his tentacles and focus on defense.
Tsubame blew a sharp whistle. Her Tracker Bees swarmed, forming a dense cloud that filled the clearing with disorienting light patterns and false chakra signatures. "Fall back!" she commanded.
Kiyoko sent one last wave of Paralysis Bees toward Rokuro before turning to flee with Tsubame toward the forest edge where Jubei was already moving, his barrier shrinking to cover their retreat.
Enmu saw Kiyoko turning away. "Oh no, stay and dream with me." His main eye locked onto Kiyoko's back. This time, there was no Hive Mind Resonance strong enough to counter his focused will. Kiyoko stumbled, her eyes rolling back as she collapsed, instantly plunged into deep sleep. A chain from Rokuro wrapped around her waist before she hit the ground, securing her.
Hachiro saw Kiyoko fall and roared in defiance. "KIYOKO! YOU MONSTERS!" He charged toward Rokuro and the captured pair, determined to free them or die trying. He ignored Jubei's shouted command to retreat.
"Fool," Rokuro said. He didn't need grand techniques now. As Hachiro lunged, chains erupted from the ground beneath his feet - a pre-laid trap. They coiled around his legs and torso, the edges biting deep enough to draw blood and drain energy. Hachiro struggled, his Blast Bees attempting to detonate on the chains, but Rokuro simply regenerated them faster than they could be destroyed. "Struggle all you like. You're coming too."
Through the dissipating smoke, Jubei and Tsubame vanished into the forest, the drone of their remaining bees echoing behind them. The barrier dissolved, its bees falling lifeless to the ground.
Silence fell, broken only by the crackle of burning wood and the low buzzing of dying bees. Rokuro stood among the destruction, chains binding Hachiro securely beside the unconscious forms of Goro and Kiyoko. He wiped blood from his cheek and smirked. "Three captures. One elder, one hothead, one strategist. A productive hunt, wouldn't you say, Enmu?"
Enmu oozed out of the ruined oak, reforming into his humanoid shape. He looked slightly singed but satisfied as he gazed at the sleeping Kiyoko. "Their dreams, the hive mind... it was fascinating, Rokuro. So complex. So full of life, and now, so quiet. Lord Muzan will be pleased we preserved them." He knelt beside Kiyoko, gently brushing hair from her forehead. "Yes, very pleased."
Rokuro hefted the bound Hachiro over his shoulder, chains coiling tightly to prevent any explosive awakening. He nudged the sleeping Goro with his foot. "Get the big one. We move fast. Those other two won't stay gone forever, and Iwa reinforcements might be drawn by the noise."
Enmu nodded. "Yes. Back to Lord Muzan. He will see we followed his commands perfectly. Alive. Functional." He carefully lifted Goro. "Such interesting dreams await them in the fortress."
As the two demons disappeared into the shadows with their prizes, the scarred clearing stood as evidence of the clash. Shattered trees, scorched earth, craters, and dead bees marked the battle's ferocity. The war continued elsewhere, but here, the Twelve Kizuki had secured their quarry. The Kamizuru captives were bound for the darkness beneath the earth, while Jubei and Tsubame fled toward Iwagakure lines, carrying news of a new, terrifying predator. Lord Muzan's influence continued to spread, one captured pawn at a time.