Izuku and the TMNT: Heroes Out of the Shadows

Chapter 76: Romantic Love and Fatherly Love.

[Meanwhile... Somewhere...]

Far from the civilization of Japan, nestled between wind-carved mountains, there was an ancient, silent forest where sunlight could only reach the ground in narrow beams. Only the soft sound of wind passed through the pine trees, making the leaves sway. The birdsong suddenly ceased. The grazing deer lifted their heads, ears twitching. The silence became so absolute that the rustling of leaves sounded like a scream.

Then suddenly... the ground began to move.

At first, it was just a small vibration, a tremor that rippled through the grass and made pollen rise. Then, the roots of a thick tree twisted, pushed from the inside out. A fissure opened in the soil, releasing a cloud of dark dust. As the ground cracked, a claw emerged. It was massive. A wolf's paw, covered in black fur with grayish streaks that shimmered under the light. The claws dug deep into the earth, tearing through stone as if it were clay. The nearest deer bolted. The birdsong was gone, squirrels froze on the highest branches, and an owl, awakened despite the daylight, spread its wings and flew away, followed by other animals that instinctively fled the area. A deep, guttural howl echoed across the valley, mixing fury and ecstasy.

The creature pulled its body out of the earth, like someone rising from a very old grave. First came the shoulders, wide as twisted trunks, then the lupine skull, with rows of sharp teeth exposed in a mouth that seemed to smile and threaten at the same time. As its head tilted back, it let out another primal roar that made the very forest tremble. Its eyes looked like two boiling pools of blood.

Its breath came in white puffs, contrasting with the midday heat.

This thing looked like a wolf, but it wasn't.

[Insert Soundtrack: Bounty Hunter - Heitor Pereira (Start: 2:06)]

Its skin was partially decayed, leaving bones exposed on its flanks and left rib. A black smoke rose from its abdomen like steam. But as it inhaled the pure mountain air... the body began to pulse. The rotten parts retracted. Fur began to grow back, grayish-white. The flesh regenerated every inch until not a single flaw remained. Once it had fully emerged, the wolf lifted its snout to the sky, inhaling deeply, as if to savor every particle of air it had been denied for far too long.

For a moment, it stayed like that-still-its body gleaming in the light between the trees. Then, slowly, its lips curled into a crooked smile, void of any kindness.

This was Jei, the cursed wolf.

Jei: "Tired of the underworld... Such a long and tedious prison." - He flexed his claws into the earth, leaving deep marks, speaking in a hoarse, withered tone.

He turned his head, blood-red eyes fixed on the horizon beyond the mountains, as if he could see through the very land itself. The valley stretched out, covered in trees and cliffs. The sky was clear, and the sun stood at its highest point.

Jei: "Kaishiro... You made it back? After all this time? Hehehe!" - He grinned wider, revealing his fangs. - "I hope you haven't forgotten me. Because now... I've returned once again."

The wolf took a few steps, heavy yet silent, as if the ground dared not protest beneath his weight. Upon reaching the gnarled trunk of a tree, he pressed a massive hand against the damp bark. The moment his claw touched it, the wood dried and cracked instantly.