"You dare hit me?! I'll crush you into paste!"
Jugor's roar shook the ground as his massive body bulged with power. The vines of Wood Style splintered under his sheer strength, sending shards of bark flying as he launched himself skyward, falling toward Ryuuto like a human meteor.
Ryuuto looked up, unimpressed. "Big talk for a walking oil drum. What are you packing—five hundred pounds of lard?"
A faint smirk touched his lips. Chakra surged.
Earth Release: Light–Heavy Rock Technique!
Stone spread across his body like armor, his muscles bracing as his fist ignited with Tsunade's monstrous strength. When Jugor came crashing down, Ryuuto met him head-on, driving his punch into that mountain of fat. The impact echoed like a cannon. Jugor's entire body shot upward, spinning into the sky like a human rocket.
"Captain! Nice shot!" Bobby shouted.
"Let's mop up the rest!" Colossus added.
"On it! No one gets away!"
They dove into the fray. Ice and steel tore through Jugor's gang; in moments, the alley was a frozen graveyard of unconscious thugs.
Jugor crashed down again, howling with rage. "You little punks! I'll kill you all!"
His fury boiled over. Spreading his arms wide, he plummeted toward Ryuuto, shaking the air with his fall.
Ryuuto's voice came calm and mocking. "You really like jumping, huh? Fine. I'll show you what it's like to regret landing."
Leaf Whirlwind—Lilianhua!
In a blur, Ryuuto vanished, reappearing behind Jugor like a red ghost. Bandages whipped from his hands, binding the mutant midair, layer after layer, until the giant looked like a wrapped dumpling.
"Let go of me, damn it!" Jugor bellowed, thrashing.
Ryuuto scoffed. "You think I want to hug a sweaty pig like you? Drop dead!"
He twisted mid-spin, kicked away, and hurled Jugor straight into the ground.
BOOM!
The impact ripped through the slums. Dust and debris shot skyward as a crater spread beneath them. Jugor lay at the center, limp, eyes wide, unmoving.
Bobby whistled. "Uh… you think he's dead?"
Colossus shrugged. "If not, he's wishing he was."
Ryuuto dusted off his sleeves, smirking. "One less problem breathing."
Then, a guttural roar split the silence.
"You thought you could kill me that easily?! DIE!"
Jugor erupted from the crater, fury blazing in his eyes, every step cracking the concrete beneath him.
Ryuuto sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Figures. Fake death scene. Classic fat guy move. But fine, let's test something new."
He slammed his palms together. Chakra burst from his body like a storm.
Wood Style: Birth of the Tree World!
The slums transformed. From every crack in the earth, roots and trunks exploded upward, wrapping around Jugor like serpents. The mutant howled, struggling as the forest itself squeezed tighter.
Ryuuto dropped down from a branch, flipping upside down to stare him in the face. "Still feel like talking big, tubby?"
"Please—! I surrender! Don't kill me!" Jugor gasped, his voice cracking.
The vines tightened around his neck until his words came out as wheezes.
Ryuuto studied him with disdain. "You only bow when you're about to die. Pathetic."
He spun a shuriken idly in his hand. "Killing you now would be a waste of effort. Besides, I don't feel like washing mutant blood off my shoes."
He slashed once, sealing Jugor's bindings with a final wooden lock. "Enjoy your new prison."
With that, he vanished in a blur, landing beside Bobby and Colossus.
"Bobby, you handle the clean-up. I've got bigger things to deal with."
Bobby looked around at the literal forest that had replaced half the slum. "Uh, Cap? You kinda turned this district into a jungle. The city's gonna freak."
Ryuuto stretched his neck with a grin. "Eh, New York's overdue for an urban renewal. Let the politicians sweat for once."
Then, in a burst of chakra, the Red Mirage disappeared.
Bobby and Colossus exchanged a look and sighed.
"Guess we're explaining this mess," Colossus muttered.
"Yeah," Bobby groaned. "Again."
Meanwhile, far from the city, a violent energy rippled across the sky above a desolate mountain range. A shimmering portal cracked open, spitting out three battered figures. They tumbled down the slope, smashing through branches before crashing in a heap.
"Ugh! My back! My everything!" Gambit groaned.
"My leg's broken, I swear—" Ariel winced.
At the bottom of the pile, Quicksilver's voice came muffled. "Get OFF me, you two idiots!"
They scrambled apart as he sat up, face smeared with mud, eyes blazing. "You teleported us into a forest!? You were supposed to take us back to HQ!"
Ariel scowled. "You're welcome for the escape, genius! I nearly fried my brain opening that portal!"
"Don't start!" Gambit groaned. "We're alive, aren't we?"
Quicksilver glared at them both, fists trembling. "Barely."
The argument echoed through the forest, unaware that something in the distance—something ancient and dangerous—had just turned its attention toward them.