Hello, my readers, silverwolf1213 here! This story is my experimental story. Here’s something new that I would like to try.

I was over at Inuyasha Fan Fiction: Fan Fiction Archive (inuyasha-fiction.com), and it is set up just like TONFA, it’s crazy. Well anyways, while I was reading, I noticed that there were some stories, where in the summary, they would say stuff like ‘You can join!’ and ‘Join this story!’

When I saw this, I had no idea what it meant. So when I looked into it, I realized what it was. Other members of the site can submit an OC or an avatar of themselves to the story, placing themselves in the fanfiction. I was really impressed with this.

So I am going to experiment and attempt one for myself. Let’s just see how many people actually want to join.

AS OF NOW, JOINING IS CLOSED!!! PLEASE, LET THERE BE NO MORE SUBMISSIONS!!! I HAVE ENOUGH CHARACTERS NOW!!!

Name (first, last): Takara Inuzuka
Gender: Female
Animal Partner: Ginmaru
Ancestor: Kiba Inuzuka
Village: the Snow Village
Age: 15
Personality: She is normally quiet, but she can be loud and outgoing when with friends. She is average in school, but she does try to pay attention. She also tends to have a low self-confidence. Ginmaru is very tough and very dangerous; he bares his fangs at practically all strangers. He is considered his master’s opposite.
Appearance: She has long black hair that reaches her butt, so she usually wears it in a ponytail. Her eyes are deep brown, and she has tan skin. She usually wears a white T-shirt with a short-sleeved black jacket, black pants, and white fingerless gloves. Ginmaru is a gray, almost silver, wolf with black eyes.
Unlocked Kekkei Genkai: none
Unlocked Special Abilities: Combination attacks with animal partner

Copy this shell when you review to describe your OC!

Name (first, last):
Gender:
Animal Partner:
Ancestor:
Village:
Age:
Personality:
Appearance:
Unlocked Kekkei Genkai:
Unlocked Special Abilities:

100 years ago, Madara Uchiha declared war on the Five Great Shinobi Nations. The countries of Fire, Wind, Water, Earth, and Lightning united to defeat the immortal Uchiha and the remaining members of his group, the Akatsuki.

Konoha, Suna, Kiri, Iwa, and Kumo all set aside their differences to fight a common enemy. And they came together to protect what the Akatsuki intended on stealing.

The Hachibi and Kyuubi demons, the last remaining Bijuu.

The Great Shinobi Alliance sent the last remaining Jinchuuriki into hiding. Killerbee of Kumo and Naruto Uzumaki of Konoha were hid away during the battle, in hopes of protecting the remaining Bijuu.

The Alliance failed.

Madara captured the Eight-Tailed Giant Ox and Nine-Tailed Fox demons. He combined the power of all nine Bijuu, fusing them together to create the legendary Ten-Tailed Beast. This made Madara the ultimate Jinchuuriki.

He was given immense power, and he projected his Mangekyou Sharingan on the moon. He used the moon, the prison of the Ten-Tails body, to cover the world in his ‘Infinite Tsukuyomi’. Madara gained control over the world, casting his genjutsu amongst the world.

And his tsukuyomi lasted for an entire century.

Now, in the present, nine new heroes will emerge from the ashes of their ancestors. Those who died and failed to defeat Madara one hundred years previously have left behind their legacies for new champions to grab and follow.

But first, those nine heroes will have to piece together the lost ancestries that became buried under Madara’s rule.

Destiny will beckon these nine to fight the evil that controls the world. Fate will summon them to re-establish the lost shinobi arts. Legacies will call these heroes to revive the forgotten past.

**********************************************************

“Ginmaru, slow down!” a black-haired girl yelled after her silver wolf.

The wolf ran ahead of his master, and he turned his head to glance back at the teen running behind him. He grinned, as much as a wolf can, and darted even faster through the trees of the forest.

Takara Inuzuka laughed at her hound as she trudged up the snow-covered hill and into the woods. Her feet punctured the white snow with each step she took. Her long hair trailed behind her as the cold wind blew against her. Thankfully, she was used to the blistering freezing air of the Blizzard Country. She had lived here all her life, and because of chasing Ginmaru around all the time, she was outside for nearly half the day everyday.

By now, Takara had chased Ginmaru halfway into the forest. The fifteen-year-old girl glanced out through the trees, and just in the distance, she could see her small village. It was a little difficult to spot, but Takara had marked it inside her brain.

The Snow Village sat at the foot of Mount Hoshi, one of the tallest mountains on the continent. Takara’s village seemed to be a small brown mass of buildings against the pure white snow. It looked like something out of a fairytale book. The small quaint village sitting at the foot of the majestic mountain almost seemed like a fantasy; it was a vision with dream-like qualities.

Takara was woken from her thoughts with a bark. She turned her head to see Ginmaru standing a distance away from her. Her wolf was a grayish color, but his coat was always so shining that he seemed silver. That was why she had named him Ginmaru when she had found him as a pup when she was ten.

The black-haired girl smiled and ran up to her best friend. She bent down to her knees, not caring that the snow would soak her pants. Takara stroked Ginmaru’s ears lovingly as she stared at him, her deep brown eyes meeting his black ones.

“You know, the sun is going down, Ginmaru,” Takara said with a smile. The pair turned their heads simultaneously towards the edge of the forest. Just over the horizon, they could see the golden sun slowly sinking behind Mt. Hoshi. “Momma and Papa will be missing us. We should head back.”

Ginmaru barked his response, and the two stood up and headed back the way they had come.

Human and wolf came to the edge of the forest, and Takara took a moment to stare out towards her village. She and Ginmaru were a few miles away from the Snow Village. They were standing on the top of a hill, where snow-covered trees stood behind them.

As Takara became lost in her thoughts about the village, she failed to notice Ginmaru’s ears flatten against his head. She did, however, hear a low growl emanate in his throat.

Confused, Takara glanced down at her partner. The wolf’s black eyes were staring at something very intently; the girl followed his gaze to see what was so interesting. Ginmaru was staring at Mount Hoshi. Takara furrowed her eyebrows.

Then, she gasped loudly at what she saw.

There, right in front of her, a huge chunk of the magnificent mountain fell off. That’s when everything seemed to move in slow motion.

Waves of snow began to course down the mountain. Pieces of the landmark that stood so high now began to tunnel down towards the ground. The avalanche proceeded downwards, right towards the small village.

Takara’s mouth fell open. She took a step forward towards the village, but she forgot that she was standing at the top of the hill. She stumbled down the snow bank, but her eyes never left the sight in front of her. The teen quickly found her footing and forced herself to stand up and run.

Time seemed to continue to stand still. Takara forced herself to move faster, but she just didn’t seem to be moving any faster.

Ginmaru galloped to his owner, and his teeth clenched down on Takara’s jacket, causing her to fall into the snow. She struggled to pull herself up, but the wolf refused to let her up. He was trying to keep her away from the destruction, but all she could think about was how she was wasting time. She was wasting time when she could be helping her family.

However, Ginmaru would not relent, and his large paws pushed down on the teenager’s sides, keeping her pinned to the cold and snowy ground. Takara’s eyes widened as she continued to watch the snow bury her village. The avalanche was expanding, and it almost reached to where Takara and Ginmaru were lying on the ground.

Takara didn’t even register how long the actual avalanche lasted; it seemed to take years for the last drop of snow to fall off the mountain. But once it finally halted, the girl pushed herself up off the ground and ran straight towards her buried village.

After pushing herself for the remaining miles that separated her from her home, she made it to where the edge of her village should have been. All that was there was a huge pile of snow, and under it, her village lay buried.

“No… No, no, no!” Takara screamed as she jumped into the snow pile. Her hands moved through the wet slosh, trying to get to the bottom of the mound. “No! Momma! Papa!”

Try as she might, she could not get to the bottom of the heap of snow. Takara began to hyperventilate, and it wasn’t from the cold weather. Tears stung her eyes, and she leaned down to the ground, wishing she could find some form of life.

There was none.

“Please… no…” she muttered with tears streaming down her face. “Why… They’re all… They can’t be…”

Ginmaru barked at his master as he stood by her side. *It’s no use, Takara. They’re gone.*

Takara froze. She turned around and looked at her wolf. “Did… did you just talk?”

The wolf stared at her in bewilderment. *Pardon?*

“I can hear what you’re saying…” the teen muttered. “What is going on…?”

*I don’t know. But Takara, it is time to leave…*

“No, I can’t! I can’t just leave my family!” Takara screamed.

*Takara, it is not safe here. You must understand, do you not feel this strange sensation?* Ginmaru asked.

Takara stopped for a moment. She searched for whatever he was talking about, but she did not find it. All she could feel was sorrow and pain from her loss. It was too much of a terrible and horrible shock to even think about anything else. She almost wanted to scream at her wolf companion for even trying to change the subject of what was important.

“Ginmaru, Momma and Papa are gone! Do you not realize this? They’re gone!” Takara yelled. “Why?! Why did this happen?!”

*Takara… I am sorry.* Ginmaru moved closer to his master and let his muzzle rest on her shoulder. She absentmindedly stroked his head.

Then, a large feeling of what almost felt like electrocution coursed through her entire body. After touching Ginmaru’s fur, a wave of some type of strange sensation ran through her chest and up to her brain. Takara could only assume that this was what Ginmaru was referring to.

Her eyes went blank for a moment, and in her mind, she saw a mess of visions. A montage of feral feelings and vicious visions ran through her head, and she could only come to one conclusion.

Beast.

Whatever she was feeling or seeing, it all seemed to lead her to that answer. It had something to do with a beast. She saw fangs, claws, and deadly eyes. In all honesty, if she had to pinpoint the beast, she would say that it was a wolf.

She glanced at Ginmaru, who was seated right next to her. “Ginmaru…” The silver wolf turned his head to look at her. “What is happening?”

*I don’t know. But whatever it is, it’s something big. And I think it means something significant.*

Takara looked back at the huge snow mound that she was seated on, where her entire village lay underground now. She placed her hand on the snow, where she assumed someone or something lay underneath. Her heart tugged at the thought of it being one of her close friends or even her family.

“What do we do, Ginmaru?” Takara asked, her voice sounding not like her own.

*We go wherever your soul tells you to.* Ginmaru replied.

Takara nodded sadly. She lifted her hand that was placed on the snow, and she placed a kiss to her fingers. Then she pressed her fingers to the snow again. She bowed her head in respect, and she sent a prayer to whoever was listening, asking whatever god there was to watch over those who now lay buried beneath the snow that had covered the once beautiful Mount Hoshi.

After her prayer, Takara glanced up at the tall mountain. It looked so bare now. All of the snow that had made the landmark seem beautiful was now the top of a graveyard.

The girl bowed her head once again, sending a prayer for each person she knew, and even those that she didn’t know, hoping for the best for each of them, wherever they may go.

“Goodbye… Momma… Papa… I love you both…” Takara whispered.

She and Ginmaru sat in those same positions for hours. Takara was too tired to get up, but she was also too depressed to move. And the wolf sat and supported her the entire time.

In the dead of night, Takara finally found the strength to move. It wasn’t much, but she was able to push herself up. She slowly made her way back down to the level ground, and she stared off into the distance.

*What do you think, Takara?* Ginmaru asked.

Takara sighed. She sought back into her soul, and deep down, she felt some kind of beastly instinct leading her in one direction. It almost felt like a homing beacon. Without a word, she headed off in that direction and Ginmaru followed.

Unbeknownst to either of them, the beastly instinct that Takara was relying on was an ancestral sensation that was passed down through the generations of the famous Inuzuka clan of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. And that was the place where her instinct led her.

“Alright, class, please take out your textbooks,” the woman at the front of the classroom said sternly. “Turn to page 54 and read silently.”

Her squinty eyes closed even more as she sent a glare over her students, who all proceeded to remove their books from their bags. Her graying hair was pulled back into such a tight bun that her pale forehead seemed even bigger than it actually was. She walked around the classroom, studying each and every one of her students as they read the required chapter.

As the old woman walked down the aisles of the classroom, she stopped at a particular desk. The teacher disgustingly watched the student beside her, who still hadn’t noticed that her sensei was standing right there.

“Watanabe!” the old woman hissed loudly, catching the attention of not only the designated student, but also the rest of the classroom.

The sixteen-year-old girl nearly jumped out of her seat when she realized that her teacher was standing right beside her and had called her by her surname. She quickly looked up, but she then glared at her elder.

“I appreciate it when people refer to me by my first name, Masuyo-sensei,” the teen replied as she flicked a stray lock of her short unevenly cut hair back behind her ear. “My name is Amaya, or did you forget already after only five months into the school year?”

Masuyo’s face became that of disgust, the left side of her lip pulling up to show her revulsion. The look actually made her wrinkles even deeper, her forty-year-old face looking much older now. Amaya snickered a little as she stared up at her teacher, watching the wrinkles scrunch even further as Masuyo continued to frown.

“Stop that giggling! I fail to see what is so funny, Watanabe!” Masuyo growled.

“And I still fail to see why you are interrupting the class to yell at me,” Amaya countered, resting her chin on her fist as she stared up at the teacher with pale blue eyes. Her eyes were shining a bit with the mischief she enjoyed pulling on her teacher, bringing out her tan skin nicely.

“Watanabe, I believe that this,” Masuyo took this chance to snatch the book that Amaya had been concealing under the desk, “is against school regulations.”

“So reading is against the school rules? What kind of school are you teachers running here, then?” Amaya asked.

Masuyo held the book up to her face, examining it with her black beady eyes. Her face continued to frown and show only repugnance. “I believe that Mist Academy does not permit cartoons, Watanabe. Really, aren’t you a bit old to be reading this trash? These… these monkeys just flying all over the page; you’re supposed to be reading chapter 3 of your textbook!”

Amaya glared at her teacher. Oh, how she despised this woman. She quickly tried to grab her book from the old woman, but Masuyo held it above her head. The teen huffed angrily.

“Okay, first of all, it’s not cartoons. It’s a manga. And they’re not monkeys, they’re ninja, and they’re a lot more interesting than history,” Amaya shot at the teacher.

“Ha! Ninja? What a joke; ninja do not exist. Never have, never will,” Masuyo said with a mocking sneer plastered on her face.

“How do you know that? Can you see into the past and the future, Masuyo-sensei?” Amaya countered, her voice laced with challenge.

“Watanabe, I suggest you shut that back-talking mouth of yours and read chapter 3,” Masuyo ordered. She turned around and headed straight for the front of the classroom.

“I’m just saying,” Amaya said loudly, still catching everyone’s attention. “How do you know ninja didn’t exist in the past? It is highly probable, actually. And they could exist in the future. Who are you to say that they won’t?”

The gray old woman froze at the front of the classroom. Slowly, her lean form turned around, and her beady eyes glowered at the troublesome student. “Watanabe, your immaturity and insolence is really trying on my last patience.”

“Cool, I did accomplish something in this stupid school this year,” Amaya smiled, a slight chuckle sounding from her throat.

“You little-”

Masuyo was interrupted by a knock on the classroom door. She huffed slightly but proceeded to answer the door. A rather large and balding man walked inside. His belly seemed to practically roll over his belt. The top of his head had little hair, but whatever was left was thin and gray. He flashed a sharp glare amongst the students before he turned to look at the teacher.

“Hello, Masuyo. How is class going?” the man asked.

“It’s… going,” Masuyo replied, trying to keep her composure as she sent a sneaky glare Amaya’s way. The girl caught the stare, and she burned holes in her teacher’s head. “So, to what do we owe the pleasure of your presence, Minoru-sama?”

“Well, our village leader has alerted me that we require a student to head over to the Leaf Village,” the man named Minoru informed.

“For what?” Masuyo asked.

“Well, the village leader, Yuudai, is sending his son to the Leaf for diplomatic purposes. He said something about wanting his son to learn about politics or something,” the man said, waving his hand about in a nonchalant manner. “I believe Yuudai wants a mature student to accompany his son so as to convince the Leaf to renew its treaty between our village and theirs. It is mostly for academic purposes, I believe, for our schooling system has decreased in finances and educational value. We require assistance from any allies to aide us in education.”

“I see…” Masuyo muttered.

“So, do you have any students that you feel would be fit to help represent our village?” Minoru asked.

“Hmm,” Masuyo hummed to herself as she glanced around the classroom.

Of course, the entire class had been listening in on the adults’ conversation. And all were willing to head to Konoha. Who wouldn’t want to go on a journey such as this? The lucky person would get to go on a vacation from school and see a different country. Each student was practically falling out of his or her chair from the suspense. They all were wearing similar faces, their looks pleading for their teacher to select them and let them embark on this journey to represent their village.

Well, all but one. Amaya had her arms crossed over her chest, her head lolling back to look at the ceiling with disinterest.

Masuyo saw this, and immediately, an interesting thought popped into her head. This assignment required a student to represent not only the Mist Village’s school system, but also the village. It called for a mature student.

And Masuyo saw this as the perfect opportunity to teach her most immature student about responsibility and, well, maturity.

“Amaya Watanabe,” Masuyo said, a smirk appearing on her face.

Said girl’s head immediately snapped back towards her teacher in surprise. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me, you’ll be going on this assignment to represent Kiri,” Masuyo said as she tried to make her smile as sweet as possible. It looked more evil than anything else. “Come on.”

Amaya slowly stood from her desk and adjusted her black pants and slim-fitting black T-shirt. She grabbed her bag and walked to the front of the classroom. “Yes, Masuyo-sensei?” she asked in a jeering tone.

The old woman leaned down so only the sixteen-year-old girl could hear her. “You may be able to get away with your immature attitude here. But now, for this assignment, you are responsible for a lot more people. If you mess this up, you will be responsible for all of Kiri. So you had better watch yourself.”

Amaya stared at her sensei intently. Her light blue eyes turned to the rotund man beside her. Minoru nodded to her, and he gestured for her to follow him. Amaya took a deep breath and followed the man.

**********************************************************

Waves splashed slowly as the wind blew gently. The water lapped lazily against the wooden pillars that held the dock up.

Sitting silently, a fifteen-year-old boy stared out into the clear blue water. His right leg hung lazily off the edge of the dock while his left leg was bent, allowing his arm to rest on his knee. His thick brown hair moved only slightly with the light breeze. His black tank top and baggy blue pants rustled a bit with the wind.

The breezy wind tickled his bare arm, and he rubbed his upper left arm slowly to keep it from feeling too cool. Underneath his hand, a tattoo of blue waves circled around his upper arm.

“Young Terumi,” a voice said from behind the boy.

The teen’s green orbs moved to the corner of his eyes before he turned his head all the way. “Ren, what did I say about referring to me as ‘Young Terumi’? I’m still Yuu. My father is the one you have to show respect to, not me,” the boy said as he stood up.

“I apologize… Yuu,” the man said with his hands folded behind his back. “Your father wishes to see you. It is concerning your mission to the Leaf Village.”

“They have found a student already?” Yuu asked, a bit surprised.

“Yes. Yuudai-sama wishes for you to meet him so he can further explain the mission details,” Ren said, his blonde hair blowing in the wind.

“Alright,” Yuu nodded.

The two headed towards the center of the village, where the leader’s building stood high amongst the smaller structures. Ren and Yuu walked inside and ascended the stairs up to the office that belonged to Yuu’s father.

Ren knocked lightly on the door. From inside, a voice told them to enter. The blonde man opened the door and walked in, followed by Yuu.

A man sitting behind a large wooden desk looked up and smiled at his assistant and son. The older man was basically the older version of his son in physical appearance.

Yuu glanced to his right as he entered to see a teenage girl standing off to the side. She was wearing all black, and her uneven black hair contrasted with her pale blue eyes. The girl looked at him intently as he entered, and he nodded his greeting. She did the same.

“Son, this is Amaya Watanabe. She is the Mist Academy student who will be accompanying you on your journey to the Leaf Village,” Yuudai told his son.

“Alright,” Yuu nodded.

“Remember, your mission is to talk peace treaties with the Konoha representatives. Amaya will represent the average student of Kiri, showing our need for finances in the educational system and willingness to cooperate with them,” the village leader said.

From the side, Amaya scoffed loudly, a smirk lining her face. But she didn’t look too pleased with this assignment. Yuu could immediately tell that she didn’t enjoy representing the ‘average student’ or being used as a means to beg Konoha for money in education. She found it insulting, and Yuu could quickly catch on to this.

Yuudai, however, didn’t even notice. “Do you both understand what is expected of you?”

“Yes, Father,” Yuu bowed.

“Yes, Leader-sama,” Amaya muttered as she bowed.

“Good. You both are dismissed. Pack your things, and head out when you are ready,” Yuudai ordered. The children nodded, and they turned to leave the room. Just as Yuu was about to leave, his father called him back in.

“Yes?” Yuu asked.

“Yuu… You are still unhappy with this assignment, aren’t you?” Yuudai asked his son, his eyes staring at him knowingly.

“If you want my true opinion, Father… yes, I am not happy with this turn of events,” Yuu replied truthfully. “Politics is your field, not mine.”

“I understand your view son. However, since I have recently become the new leader of Kiri, you are also expected to be involved in politics. That is why I am having you homeschooled in these things,” the older man said.

“But I don’t want to be a diplomat for the village. That’s not what I want in life, Father,” Yuu shot back, his voice rising a bit in annoyance.

“Yuu, why can’t you just cooperate with this? This is for the better of our village,” Yuudai said.

“Better for the village, or better for your image?” Yuu asked, his green eyes squinted dangerously at his father. Before the man could make a comeback, Yuu had already left the room.

**********************************************************

A few hours later, Yuu and Amaya stood on the docks, prepared to depart in the boat they would be taking. Yuu was still a bit angered after his conversation with his dad. He looked over at his traveling companion to see her deep in thought, but she looked a bit flustered herself, in all honesty.

“Hey,” Yuu said, interrupting Amaya’s thoughts.

She turned to look at him, giving him a small glare. “What?” she asked, her voice laced with her disgruntled attitude.

“Well, you seem just as enthusiastic as I am,” Yuu said sarcastically with a smile.

“For your information, I didn’t even volunteer for this stupid assignment. My teacher made me do it. She says she thinks it’ll make me more ‘responsible’,” Amaya said angrily.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I was forced into this as well,” Yuu said.

“And no offense to your father or anything, but I don’t like the prospect of being showcased to get money, even if it is for our village,” Amaya added, her rant continuing.

“I know,” Yuu said, catching the girl off guard. She looked up at him in surprise. “It’s completely understandable, how you’re feeling. I feel the same way. The only reason I’m doing this is because my father thinks it would be good for his image if his son joins in politics and diplomatic matters.”

Amaya’s mouth opened a bit, as she tried to form words. None came out, and she turned away to look at the boat. The captain of the ship had finished preparing the boat, and he was waiting for his passengers to board.

“The boat’s ready, let’s go,” she said quickly as she jumped on the boat. Yuu nodded and followed his partner onto the ship.

The ship glided across the water, and the two relaxed on the boat as they waited for the shores of the main continent to appear, where they would then head to the Leaf Village of the Fire Country.

As the ship sailed, both of the passengers suddenly felt a pang at their chests.

Amaya felt a constricting pain in her lungs. She spontaneously felt cold, like she was becoming frozen. One thought came to her mind.

Ice.

Yuu felt a burning sensation in his chest. He felt overheated, like he would suddenly burst into flames at a moment's notice. He could only think of one thing.

Lava.

And as quickly as these pains had come, they disappeared. Each person was so consumed in their own thoughts that they didn't even notice that their companion was feeling the same way. And they didn't even realize what these feelings meant, but because they had disappeared so suddenly, each person tried to shake it off, just thinking that it was motion sickness from the boat.

How could they possibly know that these were beacons, calling to them from 100 years previous?

The Mist's Yuki clan and Terumi clan were ready to be reborn again through these two teenagers.

Rain poured down from the heavens like tears at a funeral. The skies were dark, and the sun was hidden behind deep gray clouds. The sound of thunder echoed through the air, and lightning crackled every now and then, signaling that the worst of the storm had yet to come.

And yet, everyone in the village had grown used to this depressed feeling that nature always bestowed on them. The Rain Village was not named for its sunshine, after all.

Inside one shackled home, a teenage boy was hurrying around his room, collecting as much as he could and stuffing it all into his pack. When he thought that he had finally packed all of his essentials, he slung his backpack over his shoulder, and with a final smile, he bid his old bedroom goodbye and headed into the main room of the home, where his mother was waiting.

When his mother saw him descending the steps into the small kitchen, she quickly stood up from her seat on the ratty sofa. She quickly ran over to her only child and started randomly brushing him, clearing all the invisible dust off and making sure he looked suitable for going out.

“Mom, stop it!” the boy laughed as he swiped his mother’s hand away. “I’m going out into the rain; I don’t have to look fancy.”

“Oh, I know,” Akahana sighed as she let her hands fall to her side. Feeling the need to do something, her hands started fidgeting with her apron. “Oh, Shin, are you sure you have to do this?”

“Mom, I want to do this,” Shin said sincerely, his smile falling slightly with his serious attitude.

“But… but you’re so young!” his mother exclaimed, with tears prickling her eyes.

“I’m seventeen, Mom,” Shin sighed, his smile lighting up his face again, making even his black eyes somehow seem bright.

“Oh, I know!” she sighed again.

Her hands quickly made their way up to fixing his clothes again, trying to stall as much time with her son as possible. She fixed the collar of his dark gray shirt and tried to calm his messy wavy brown hair. She, again, started dusting off invisible particles off his shirt.

“Seriously, Mom!” he exclaimed, lightly slapping her hands away. He quickly adjusted his black wristbands on each of his wrists and dusted off his own white Capri pants. “Alright, see? All clean. Yeesh, you’re so fussy. The way you act, you’d think I was going into the army. I’m just going to travel and see the world.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Shin,” the woman sighed sadly in defeat. “I know, I know. I understand your goal.”

Shin sighed sadly as he saw the forlorn look in his mother’s eyes when she looked away from his face, hoping that he wouldn’t see her sadness. But he did.

“Mom, if anything, I wish you would come with me,” Shin said quietly, catching his mother’s attention. “It’s not like I want you to stay here by yourself. Why won’t you come with me?”

Akahana looked back at him and smiled sadly. “No, I’m not one for traveling, Shin,” she said with a wave of her hand. “In fact, you’re the only one of the Miyazaki clan to ever leave the Rain Village.”

“I know,” Shin shrugged slightly. “It’s just… this place is way too depressed for me. The constant rain is so miserable and gloomy. I need excitement and fun, Mom.”

Her smile turned from sadness to pride. “I understand, Shin. I’m proud of you.”

Shin sighed in relief, and his bright smile lit up his face again. “Thanks, Mom.”

He leaned down slightly and kissed her cheek. She kissed him back, and then she gave him a motherly hug, wishing she didn’t have to let her only family leave her. Shin returned the hug, thinking of how he would miss her greatly. The warm embrace almost convinced him to run upstairs and unpack his bag just so he could stay and protect his mother.

But he wanted this. He needed this. He wanted adventure, and he couldn’t get that in this dismal village.

Mother and son released each other from the hug, and they looked at each other sadly. “You better take care of yourself, Shin Miyazaki,” Akahana said in her stern motherly voice. But her warm smile gave away all intention of being strict.

“No worries, Mom. I’ll be fine,” her son grinned. He retrieved his cloak and placed it over his normal wardrobe. He pulled the hood over his head and turned to look at his mother one more time.

“Are you sure you don’t want to wait for the storm to pass?” Akahana asked as she gestured toward the outside world, revealing the pouring rain and dreary-looking atmosphere.

Shin raised an eyebrow at her question. “Mom, the storm will never pass.”

“What’s your point?” his mother asked. Shin gave her an expectant look, and she smiled. “Alright, alright. I’m just kidding… mostly.”

Shin smiled. “Bye, Mom,” he said as he kissed her one more time on the cheek.

“Goodbye, Shin,” she answered as she, too, gave him a quick kiss on his cheek.

With one last meaningful look, the teenager departed out the front door and into the rain. His mother watched him go from the window beside the door, and she watched his lone figure trudge through the mud and slush, toward something that neither of them could ever think of seeing.

Shin marched on through the village. In his heart, he knew he wasn’t necessarily leaving everything behind. He was just going on to find something more to bring home. He was looking for something much more than what he already knew and was accustomed to.

He was looking for himself.

And deep inside his heart and soul, something shattered. However, it didn’t hurt. In fact, it almost made him feel elated and happier than he had been in a long time.

**********************************************************

Deep in the Sound Village, a lone figure stood in the midst of many trees in a forest. Her black hair swayed behind her as the wind gently kissed her cheek. Her eyes were closed, and her body was still.

Then, out of nowhere, her eyes flew open, revealing pitch black orbs. Her hands quickly flew to her belt, pulling out four different knives. With the speed of light, she flung them out in different directions, and each knife landed on a different tree.

The fourteen-year-old girl glanced around, checking her targets. She had hit each knife in each of the four makeshift targets she had created herself. She frowned in an angry manner.

It wasn’t satisfying.

A slow slithering sound broke her from her thoughts, and she glanced down to see her purple snake with green spots slinking its way up her leg and all the way up to her shoulder. Once it was finally settled around her shoulders, she absentmindedly patted its small head.

“Well, Salyzar… I hit all the targets… again. Just like all 487 times before,” the girl sighed pessimistically.

The snake hissed its response, its tongue sliding in and out rapidly.

“Bah! Mother can wait for her kitchen knives when I’m done,” the girl countered in response to her snake.

She went over to each of the trees and removed the knives from their targets. She went back to her position in the center of the trees. This time, she decided to go for a different stance. She let herself balance on both of her hands, pushing her body into a handstand. She was just about to reach for the knives when a sudden rustling alerted her of another’s presence.

She quickly broke her stance and turned in the direction of the sound. A man emerged from the bushes. He was shaking slightly, his cowardly form quivering in the presence of the girl. The snake hissed loudly at the intruder, its fangs bared dangerously. The frightened man jumped slightly, practically seeing the dripping poison of the venomous snake’s teeth.

“Um… Karasu? Y-Your mother wants h-her knives b-back,” the man stuttered as he hesitantly pointed to the four knives in his daughter’s hands.

The girl flashed dangerous black eyes at the man she called her father. “Fine, take them!” she spat.

In the blink of an eye, she flung all four knives at him. The man jumped in terror. Two knives landed in front of his feet, and the other two landed on either side of his head, lodging themselves in the trees. Karasu glared dangerously at the knives, angry at them for not piercing the weak man. The man hyperventilated a bit, but he quickly gathered the knives and scampered off quickly.

“Ugh! Why wouldn’t they hit him?!” Karasu growled, clenching her fists angrily.

Most people would have reasoned that, somewhere in their hearts, something was blocking them from doing such a cruel act, such as trying to kill their own parents.

However, Karasu wasn’t like most people. She had often reasoned that she didn’t have a heart. She loved the dark feeling that came with death. Unfortunately for her, she never got to experience the thrill of killing. And she so desperately wanted to feel the life drain from another living creature under her barbaric hands.

But for the life of her, she couldn’t understand what was preventing her from doing it. All her life, she had experienced this sadistic taste of blood on her lips. And yet, there was just some strange force that prevented her from actually accomplishing such violence.

Everyone she knew feared for this strange characteristic of hers. While many of her village talked of the nice weather they were having, she was wishing for a new pair of training blades. This made Karasu Itami Shi an outcast to not only her village, but even to her parents.

Her mother and father feared her more than anyone else did.

Karasu quickly straightened up her dark blue pants and cream-colored shirt before she crossed her arms. “Heh, what do you think, Salyzar? How long do you think we’ll be able to last living in this stupid village?”

The purple snake hissed multiple times.

“Hmm, tonight then?” Karasu asked. The snake nodded its head. The girl slowly petted her pet’s head before she headed off to her pathetic home.

Hours later, in the dead of night, Karasu ran away from home.

As she ran through the open rice fields, she felt a strange sensation twist around her soul. Venom, blood, and death all flashed in her head… and she smiled. She yearned for it all. And she could feel it now. Now that she had officially left behind that wretched place, she felt as though she could now live.

“Salyzar, I feel alive, and it is time to go live,” Karasu said, her eyes wide with bloodlust, and her lips twisted into an evil smirk. Her tongue hungrily licked her lips.

She couldn’t really hear herself, for she was consumed in her visions of killing. But her snake could hear the change of voice. She was noticeably hissing, and her voice seemed unlike her own; it somehow seemed deeper, more profound.

Salyzar hissed in response, seeing how snake-like his master really was.

**********************************************************

Days later, Shin walked through a small forest he had encountered upon. He was now in the Waterfall Country, and he had to admit. It was a rather beautiful place. The various streams and rivers were rushing all over, giving the place an enchanted feel to it. It was a very nature-like place.

It was a nice refreshing scene to happen upon, compared to living in the Rain Village all his life.

Shin smiled as he continued onward. In his days of traveling so far, he had seen a lot. From the rice fields, to the forests, to the blue skies, it was all so different than what he was used to.

As he walked, Shin suddenly heard a peculiar sound. Cocking his head slightly, he turned in the direction of the noise and followed.

He brushed some bushes away and looked around before he finally saw what he was looking for. And he sort of wished he hadn’t seen it.

In front of him, a girl a few years younger than him was butchering a boar. He grimaced slightly at the stench of the blood and flesh.

The girl immediately felt his presence, and she turned around to glare at him. “What do you want?” she snapped.

Shin was taken aback by the spite in her voice. “Uh… well, I heard you… slicing up that boar, and I was just wondering what it was.”

“Well, now you know. So leave,” she hissed before turning around and going back to her work.

“How… Why are you doing that? Why not just go to the store and have the butcher slice it for you?” Shin asked as he took a step forward.

The girl quickly stood up and glared at him. “I’m fourteen years old. Do I look like I have money to buy pork from some greasy butcher?”

“Better than reeking up the whole joint,” he muttered quietly.

“What was that?” she stood up so fast that he hadn’t even had time to blink before she had her bloodied knife pointing at his neck. However, he quickly knocked the knife out of her hand with a flick of his wrist. She was a little surprised at his speed, but instead of showing this, she glared dangerously at him instead.

He held his hands up defensively. “Sorry, reflex. Seriously, you shouldn’t go around pointing knives at people. You might just get hurt yourself,” Shin said seriously as he stared at the girl in front of him.

“I don’t need your advice,” she scowled. She picked up her knife and turned to go back to work.

Shin sighed, trying to steady his breathing. “So, where’s a girl like you headed off to?”

“Is it really any of your concern?” the girl asked, not even bothering to turn around.

“Just curiosity, is all,” he shrugged nonchalantly.

“Konoha, if it interests you that much,” the girl spat.

“Why do you want to go there?” Shin asked, confused.

“Because a flying pink fairy told me to,” the girl replied, sarcasm lacing her voice.

Shin raised an eyebrow. “Flying pink fairies, huh? Well, does the girl who encounters flying pink fairies perhaps have a name?”

“Why are you so interested in my life?” the girl scowled, her black eyes turning around to meet his own coal eyes.

“Well, I figured fellow travelers have to have some kind of similarities,” the boy said as he shrugged. “Although, I can’t say I’ve ever been visited by flying pink fairies,” he snickered.

“Well, you’ve met me and know my destination. So leave,” she said.

“You still haven’t told me your name,” the guy said. “I’m Shin Miyazaki. And you?”

The girl finally stood up, deeming that she was finished with her work. “Karasu Itami Shi. Happy now?”

“Well, not particularly. You’re a very cold person, you know that, right?” Shin asked.

“Thank you,” she said.

“You alone?” Shin asked.

“Yes, why?”

“Need a traveling companion?” he offered, trying to make friends.

“Why on earth would I want to travel with you?” Karasu asked.

“Well, it’s better to talk to someone else rather than to yourself,” Shin supplied.

A sudden hiss surprised him, and he realized that a purple snake had hidden itself inside the girl’s cloak. It stuck its head out to glare at him, its fangs dripping with liquid poison.

“Um, okay, so you can talk to your snake friend… But don’t you want a human to talk to?”

She glanced over at him and gave him a cynical smirk. “If you can keep up, then by all means, ‘tag along’. But don’t expect me to wait for you. And if you so much as annoy me, this knife is going through your heart,” she said, holding up the bloodied knife to show him. She then headed off into a random direction, and Shin glanced down at the fallen pig. Other than the various cuts and slices through it, it still had all of its meat there.

“Um, aren’t you going to eat that? Why else would you kill it?” Shin asked as he stepped around the pig.

“For fun,” the girl said as she continued, not even turning back.

Shin stopped cold in his tracks. Maybe talking to this girl wasn’t such a good idea after all. He shuddered slightly and followed, making sure to keep a safe distance between himself and the sadistic girl in front of him.

~Flashback~

The eight-year-old boy sat beside the bed forlornly, his pale eyes gleaming with unshed tears. His small hands tried to wipe them away, but they kept resurfacing. He made sure to not let the salty tears spill, for he didn’t want to let his mother see.

The one and only person who had ever understood him was lying in the bed before him, her long blonde hair spread out amongst the pillow on which her head lay. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was ragged, but the boy knew that she was awake.

“Mom…” the boy choked out, trying to keep the sobs out of his voice but failing miserably.

The woman’s eyes struggled to open, but she managed to keep them from closing long enough so that she could look over at her son. She forced a smile, her muscles aching with the movement.

“Riku… it is okay to cry…” she whispered, her voice extremely hoarse from the illness that was taking over her body.

The boy didn’t want to, but he couldn’t help it. The tears spilled from his eyes, streaking down his cheeks and onto the floor. Sobs racked his body, and his loud cries filled the room. The woman only watched her heartbroken son with sad eyes and a depressed smile.

“Mom… you can’t go!” Riku yelled, his pale eyes filled with endless tears.

“It is my time, Riku,” the woman whispered, for her voice was now leaving her.

“No!” the boy screamed, his sunny blonde spiky hair falling into his face with each cry he made.

“Riku, listen to me,” his mother said, her voice ready to disappear at a moment’s notice. “Would you promise me one thing before I leave?”

Riku wanted to continue arguing with his mom, telling her that she wouldn’t and couldn’t leave. He wanted to beg her to stay with him. But he sighed, his face sticky and messy with the tears. He nodded his head.

“Riku, I want you to listen to everything that I have told you over the years,” the woman said. “Do not listen to what others tell you. They all think that I am crazy for what I believe in, but the truth is, they are all naïve.”

The boy nodded. He understood what his mother was saying. The villagers of Konoha were constantly calling his mother a lunatic for her beliefs. He hated those people.

“Everyone believes that we live in a happy and peaceful world,” his mother continued. “But they are wrong. Nothing is as it seems. There is a dark aura somewhere in this world, completely obstructing reality. Riku, I want you to make everyone believe this. This world is a fake, and I want you to find a way to stop this lie.”

This was a lot to entrust to an eight-year-old boy. To save the world from an unknown force would seem absurd to anyone who heard this. But Riku could not and would not disappoint his mother. No matter what, he would heed his mother’s final wish and make someone believe in what his mother believed in.

“Yes, mother,” Riku nodded, taking his mother’s hand in his own.

The woman smiled. “I love you, Riku.”

The boy sniffled, tears threatening to spill again. “I love you too, Mom.”

He leaned down and kissed his mother’s cheek, and she reached up to kiss his forehead. Her head lay back down on the pillow, and with a smile on her face and one final exhale of breath, she left this world. Riku sobbed into her bed sheets, unable to believe that she was actually gone.

~End Flashback~

A sixteen-year-old boy stood on top of the roof of his apartment building, gazing out towards the Leaf Village. The breeze blew against him, causing his clothes to billow in the wind. He adjusted his black pants that had green lines running on them. His black shirt had one long sleeve with the other sleeve cut off. Riku tousled his spiky blonde locks as he let his pale eyes roam across his village.

“This is for you, Mom,” he thought, sending a silent prayer to his deceased mother.

He jumped off the building, toward the ground. His hands quickly grabbed onto a flagpole that was horizontally hanging on the building. He slowly swung himself back and forth, letting the momentum build up in his sway.

The teen glanced down beneath him to see a small market with a large tent hanging up over the produce. The vendor was an old man with a slight hunch of his shoulders; his hair was very thin and a furry mustache covered his upper lip.

Riku smirked as he let go of the pole, letting his body drop and plop onto the tent. The shocked old vendor looked up at the boy on his tent, and then his expression changed into anger.

“Oi! You brat! Get off of my tent! You’re going to rip it!” the old man nagged as he raised a fist at the boy.

Riku ignored him as he began to bounce up and down on the tent, grabbing the attention of the villagers who were walking through the marketplace. The teenager bounced up and down until he was able to jump onto a ledge that was big enough for him to stand on and high enough so that everyone could still see him.

The boy stood on the windowsill, looking down at the villagers. “Hey, everyone! Listen up!”

Groans and moans could be heard amongst the gathered crowd. “Ugh, there goes that Hyuuga brat again,” one man said, shaking his head.

“We’re living in a world of lies! Someone has brainwashed us all! We have to stop that person!” Riku yelled out to the mob of people.

“Oh, jeez. It’s the boy who cried wolf again,” a woman said, slapping her hand to her forehead in exasperation and annoyance.

“This world isn’t real! We need to stand up against this dark force!” Riku continued.

“Seriously! You annoying brat, stop ranting about nonsense!” another man shouted up at the boy. “You’re just as stupid as your mother!”

Riku twitched. “Hey! Don’t you ever insult my mother!”

“Your mother was a crazy lunatic who didn’t know which way was up!” the same man yelled up at Riku. Murmurs of agreement could be heard amongst the people.

Anger boiled inside the blonde as he clenched and unclenched his fists in frustration. For the past eight years, he had listened to his mother’s words, trying to make the villagers believe him. Of course, none of them did. Sometimes they ignored him, and sometimes they yelled at him. And he could deal with people disbelieving him, but no one was allowed to disgrace his mother’s memory.

“Hey! You fat lard! How about you come up here and face me like a man?! Try and insult my mother then!” Riku shouted down at the man who had taken it upon himself to offend Riku’s mom.

“Why you…” the man mumbled. He grabbed a tomato from the old man’s market and flung it up at Riku. When the first one missed, he started flinging all sorts of vegetables and fruits at the boy on the ledge.

Riku tried dodging them, but there was only so much room on the ledge. One zucchini hit his foot just as he was stepping, and he lost his footing. He fell off his spot on the ledge, plummeting toward the vendor’s tent. He landed on the bright orange tent, and he bounced off onto the ground.

“Ouch…” he muttered as he clutched his right shoulder. “That’s gonna bruise in the morning,” he said as he massaged it, but the joint now ached after landing on it from a pretty high fall.

“That oughta teach you to stop spouting nonsense about things you’re too stupid to know,” the man said.

A sudden loud roar quickly interrupted the screams of agreement from the group of people.

“He’s not stupid!” a female voice yelled out through the mob.

Everyone turned around to see a girl and her tiger making their way through the crowd toward Riku. Her bluish black hair swayed behind her as she marched her way over to the fallen boy. The bright blue ribbon holding her hair in a ponytail contrasted with her red shirt and pink armbands. Her tiger’s coat was white with black stripes, and his bright blue eyes glared at the villagers as he and his master passed them.

The girl walked right past the man who was offending Riku, and she knelt down so that she was almost eye level with the boy.

“Riku, are you alright?” the girl asked as she cautiously touched the boy’s shoulder.

“Heh, this? Ha, I’ve been through a lot worse,” the guy smiled.

The girl smiled back in relief, and she helped him stand up. His body was a little shaky after his fall, but he picked himself up with pride anyway.

“Kohana, you don’t have to save me all the time,” Riku whispered with a grin.

“Well, if I don’t, then who will?” the pale girl inquired. The boy rolled his eyes, but his grin remained plastered on his face.

“Sarutobi, your family is a well-respected clan, and yet, you let yourself be associated with this filth,” the same man who had insulted Riku’s mother said, addressing the fifteen-year-old girl.

“That ‘filth’ that you insist on calling him is my friend, and I don’t appreciate it when anyone insults my friend. So you had better watch yourself,” Kohana said, glaring at the man. She tugged on Riku’s good arm, trying to lead him away. “C’mon, let’s go.”

As the two teens and tiger began to depart, the large man was left gawking at the retreating backs of Riku and Kohana. Now he was highly insulted. No one talked back to him and walked away like that. He was very insulted and very embarrassed now.

The adolescents and the tiger were about to turn a corner when the man suddenly grasped another piece of vegetable from the produce stand and hurled it at Riku. But his aim was terribly off, and it headed straight for the window of the building near the two teenagers. The force with which he had thrown the vegetable was strong enough that it broke the window, and the glass came plummeting down towards Riku.

Kohana had seen all of this, but Riku was completely oblivious to it all. She quickly shoved him out of the way, and the shards of glass came down upon her, crashing down on her body. Pieces of glass cut through her red shirt and black Capri pants, lodging themselves in her skin. Her arms flew up to protect her head, but the rest of her body was pierced with the broken glass. She hissed in pain, biting her lip to keep from screaming.

“Kohana!” Riku yelled in shock as he bent down to her fallen body. But he was too scared to touch her, for fear of hurting her more from the various glass pieces sticking out of her skin.

The girl whimpered a little at the pain, and her hand tentatively reached up to touch some of the blood that had accumulated on her arm. She stared at the red liquid on her fingertips, her hand now shaking. Her red eyes looked down at her bloodied body, and her form started to violently shake at the sight of all the crimson liquid.

Blood… Death… Kill…

Kohana gasped at these thoughts, these visions running through her head. Something inside her stirred and she involuntarily shivered.

“What is wrong with her? I’ve never seen her look so… scared…” Riku thought to himself in a panic.

Out of the corner of his eye, Riku could see the bulky man step forward. The one who had thrown the vegetable now looked ashamed of himself. He hadn’t meant it to go that far; he was just angry. He never meant to actually hurt anyone this severely. He took another step forward, hoping to help the fallen girl.

Riku turned his pale eyes on the man, glaring daggers at him. “Don’t you come near her!” he yelled. The man stumbled back in surprise at the boy’s outburst.

The Hyuuga couldn’t stop himself from continuously glaring at the man. He hated him. He hated him for insulting his mother’s sanity. He hated him for hurting his friend. He hated him for even thinking that he could fix his mistake. It was a terrible mistake that Riku would not let go so easily.

More than anything, Riku wanted to hurt the man just as he had hurt his lifelong friend.

Suddenly, Riku’s eyes began pulsing. His eyeballs began to throb inside their sockets, and he blinked his eyes shut at the pounding feeling. He hesitantly opened his eyes, and for a split second, Riku was sure he could see his hand in black and white vision. But as quickly as it had come, it was gone.

Riku blinked in surprise at the strange sensation that had been forced into his eyes, but he quickly shrugged it off. He glared back at the man once more before he turned to look back at his friend.

“Don’t worry, Kohana. I’ll save you,” he whispered. He slowly picked her up in his strong arms and stood up. “C’mon, Shiro,” he said, glancing at the white tiger that was now growling ferociously at the man who had injured his master. Riku broke into a run toward the hospital, and after one final snarl, Shiro turned and followed the teen.

**********************************************************

The large mountain behind the Leaf Village stood high and mighty, and the carvings that had once represented the five Hokage were now gone, only boulders and cliffs in their places. Inside this mountain, a deep cavern was carved out to act as a home for a certain immortal man.

A pale man with black spiky hair walked down a dark hallway, the only light coming from the candles placed on the walls. His eyes shown brightly in the firelight. One red eye with comas encircling the pupil and one purple eye with rings around the pupil stared ahead, focused on the destination.

At the end of the hallway, a large steel door waited. The man threw the door open, and the room opened up into a large cave-like area. A boy with an orange cat on his shoulder was standing in the center of the room, awaiting the man’s arrival. When the boy spotted the man, he quickly kneeled down to the floor.

The man with mismatched eyes stepped up onto a skeletal throne that was elevated by a few stairs, showing his high superiority. On the wall above the throne, an orange mask with two eye holes hung from a hook. The man seated himself in his throne, crossed his legs, and let his face lean on his fist as he stared at the boy who was bowing before him.

“Rise, Kazuki,” the man ordered.

The seventeen-year-old rose as ordered, and his green eyes looked up to stare at the man on the throne. His thick black hair hung down loosely on his head in the cool air of the cave. His black shirt and black pants blended in the dark light of the shadowy cavern.

“What news do you bring, Kazuki?” the man asked.

“Megumi has arrived from the Rain Village, just as you have wished,” the boy said.

“Good, send her in.”

The boy nodded and turned around toward another steel door that was placed at the opposite end of the cavern. He opened the door, and a twelve-year-old girl with a small wolf pup hanging on her shoulders walked in. The children walked back towards the center of the room side by side and bowed to the man. The animals hopped off their respective masters’ shoulders and sat on the cold stone floor.

“Ah, good, now that you both are here, I may now tell you what disturbing news I have found out,” the man said.

“Please explain, Father,” the girl said. She was similar in appearance to the boy beside her. Her eyes were the same shade of green, and she wore a black hoodie over a black shirt with black leggings. Her dirty blonde hair hung in loose curls, cascading down her shoulders.

“The tsukuyomi is breaking,” the man said curtly. The teens standing in the center of the room inhaled sharply at the news.

“But… how can that be?” Kazuki asked. “Your genjutsu is reflected on the moon, everyone but your selected few is affected by it.”

“This is true,” the man nodded. “But by some strange force of fate, there are some who are breaking the genjutsu. I can feel the presence of chakra returning after an entire century of its sleep.”

“Chakra? But only we, as your children, and your selected spies should have chakra, along with you,” Megumi said.

“I do not know exactly what the source of this phenomenon is, but I do know that certain individuals are freeing themselves from the tsukuyomi,” the pale man said as he straightened himself upon his throne. “I am not sure whether it is intentional or not, but either way, something is occurring that is preventing the genjutsu from placing itself on these people again.”

“So… do you know where these people are?” Kazuki inquired.

The man nodded. “I have felt the disturbances all over the world, and they are slowly moving… to Konoha. There are even some hindrances that I sense residing in the Leaf Village.”

Megumi gasped slightly, but then her face became impassive once again. “Do you wish for us to take care of these obstructions, Father?”

He shook his head. “Not quite yet. Megumi, I want you to locate these people who have broken the genjutsu. From what I can sense, they are gathering towards Konoha, so all I need for you is to keep an eye on them until I decide on what to do with them. I want you to stay undercover for now, so take your mother’s maiden name. Outside these walls, you will be known as Megumi Urufu.”

“And me, Father?” Kazuki asked.

“Kazuki, I want you to find my selected spies. Alert them of the situation, and lead them back here. Under my orders, they will help you take care of these… impediments.”

The two children nodded their heads. “Yes. We will not fail you, Father,” the two said in unison.

The man growled a bit. “You had better not. I do not tolerate failure. If you fall short of my expectations, I will take away the Eternal Youth jutsu that I have placed on you both.”

The two teens gulped at the threat.

Their father smirked evilly at them. “That’s right. With the technique gone, you two will be your actual ages. With your bodies at 117 and 112, I doubt you will be able to live past thirty seconds. And I will watch with spite as your bodies melt into dust, for I do not need two failures as children.”

Kazuki and Megumi shakily nodded their heads. “We will make you proud, Father,” Kazuki said nervously.

“Yes, we will take care of these interferences for you,” Megumi added.

“Good. Now, you are dismissed to complete your missions,” the man ordered. His children bowed in respect, and they gathered their respective animals before running out of the room to execute their assignments.

Once they were gone, the man stood up from his throne. He became lost in his thoughts about the situation. He walked to the center of the room, standing in the spot where his children had previously been only moments before. He turned around to glance up at the orange mask hanging above his throne.

One hundred years ago, he became an unstoppable force thanks to the nine Bijuu. One hundred years ago, he felt the entire world fall under the power of his undefeatable eyes. One hundred years ago, he was the most feared man on earth.

Now, Madara Uchiha would make sure that his legacy continued, for he was not willing to lose his power after a century of domination.

Dear Mom, Dad, Taiyou, and Michiko,

It really pains me to do this. This is not what I had wanted at all. Yet, maybe this is something that I have always needed. As I write this letter, all I can think about is how you probably won’t even notice it until I am long gone from here.

I am leaving. The reason I did not bid any of you goodbye is, well, because there really was no need for it. I love you all, and I know that you all love me in return. I know you would have wanted to say goodbye, but I think it would be better if I explained all of this through a note, rather than words. If I had confronted you about any of this, it would probably end up in confusion for you and anger for me. And we all know I don’t do well with anger.

I will return. I just need a break from life. You may think there was nothing wrong with my life, and I will admit that I have lived a blessed life. But I’m leaving because of the neglected feeling that I am tired of experiencing. I think I just need some time to cool down and find my way, and maybe when I return, we can be happy again. Like it used to be.

You are my family, and I will love you always.

Love,
Kaoru

**********************************************************

Once night had fallen, the sixteen-year-old girl placed the letter she had written on her bed and grabbed her pack. Her backpack was already filled with her essentials; she had readied herself during the day. She placed her camouflage green vest over her black tank top and adjusted her skirt with black shorts. After tying her black boots to her feet and placing her black gloves on hands, she headed towards the window of her room.

She was just about to leap out of two-story window when she remembered something. The girl quickly turned around and grabbed the colorful scarf she kept hidden under her pillow. It was her most cherished possession. Holding the silky scarf in her hands, a sense of nostalgia swept over her.

This scarf was given to her when she had turned ten. Her parents had gotten it for her on her birthday, after months and months of hearing her nags when she passed the display window of the shop everyday.

Kaoru wrapped the scarf around her neck, reveling in the soft material. She had received the scarf just before her parents had begun the trend of unconsciously ignoring her. It was almost as if the scarf was a subconscious gift that represented the final act of genuine love her parents had to give her.

Shaking off the sadness filling inside her, Kaoru Shoten turned towards the window with a new sense of determination. Picking up her backpack and throwing open her window, she slowly scaled down her house. The Sand Village homes were made mostly from brick and rock, so she was able to easily place her hands and feet on the ridges of the blocks that formed her house.

After slowly descending the building, she readjusted her outfit before walking away. With one last meaningful glance at her home, she left.

As she walked down the roads of her village, her grassy green eyes wandered all over the place, reviving memories long since passed. She would pass book stores that she would spend all day looking in with her younger sister. She would pass old sandlots that she would spend the afternoons playing with her older brother. She would pass restaurants that she would dine in with her family.

“Yeah, would spend…” Kaoru muttered.

After a while, her family seemed to drift apart. She was the middle child, and she was neglected because of it. The fact that she was nothing like either of her parents probably didn’t help much either.

Her older brother, Taiyou, was so much like their father. Hayashi, the man of the Shoten household, was strong and well-built. He was athletic and always on the move, whether it be to work or to work out. Taiyou had taken after his father. He was pretty much the stereotypical boy when it came to sports, always excelling in everything he did in physical fitness.

Her younger sister, Michiko, was so much like their mother. Akahana, the mother of the family, was gifted in smarts. Her mind pretty much absorbed everything she saw, and her love for studies made her that much more intelligent. Michiko had taken after her mother. She was an average bookworm, reading constantly and enjoying every moment her brain gained knowledge.

Kaoru was right in the middle.

She was athletically built for the average teenage girl. She had some muscle tone. She participated in sports and athletic events. But it wasn’t enough to earn her father’s respect.

She was smarter than many of the students in her class. She received good grades, and her teachers recognized her as a student with a successful future in store for her. But it wasn’t enough to earn her mother’s recognition.

Kaoru huffed, her blonde hair sweeping behind her in its high ponytail as she walked. Her side swept bangs gently bounced with each step she took, and she fidgeted with the beads of some of the braided strands of hair.

Shaking her head slightly, Kaoru became lost in thoughts about her family. She didn’t enjoy the feeling of being neglected, and yet, it had become such a routine in her life anymore. She was characteristically neutral in all ordeals she was involved with, and it should have made sense that she was the neutral member of the family in terms of personality.

That didn’t make it any easier to accept.

The teenager sighed. She just needed some time to rethink her life. Maybe seeing the world and setting off on an adventure would soothe that annoying sense of longing she had. If her family couldn’t fulfill that feeling of isolation, maybe a journey would. And this way, maybe her family would, hopefully, miss her and welcome her with open arms when she returned.

Kaoru was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t even realize that she was already at the village gates. She glanced up and saw the large wall of rock that surrounded the village, the giant walls towering over the village. The large rocks circled the village, only opening at a narrow passageway for people passing in and leaving.

She would be one of those people leaving.

The girl took in a deep breath, preparing herself for her departure. Just as she was about to enter the small alley that would lead to the outside world, she suddenly heard screams. Yells, rather, and she realized that they were shouts directed toward her.

Kaoru spun around rapidly, and her green eyes fastened on two figures running towards her. The adolescent couldn’t help but appreciate the irony. The two people who were indirect causes toward her departure were the ones who would be attempting to stop her.

The two people finally made it to the gates, and they panted slightly, inhaling and exhaling to quickly catch their breaths.

“What are you doing here?” Kaoru asked.

“What do you think we’re doing here? We’re here to stop you!” the boy said, his voice rising with each word.

Kaoru sighed. “Taiyou, Michiko, this does not concern you.”

“Of course it does. We read your note, we know why you’re leaving,” Michiko said, her short blonde hair slightly ruffled after running through the village.

“Why didn’t you ever say anything, Kaoru?” Taiyou asked, his normally rough voice laced with the hurt he felt.

“Because it’s not your fault,” Kaoru replied. She slowly brushed her bangs behind her ear, her green eyes fixed on her siblings.

“We… We’re going to miss you, Kaoru,” Michiko choked out as tears began to fill her eyes. She quickly brought her hand up to her mouth to cover the sobs that took over her body.

“Yeah, do you really have to go?” Taiyou asked. He rarely let his tough exterior falter, but right here and now, his strong and brave personality was completely crumbling at the thought of his sister leaving.

Kaoru sadly smiled to herself. Her parents may have gradually begun to neglect her over the years, but her siblings had always noticed her. They always made her feel like apart of the group, even though she was so unique to the family. When it always seemed she was isolated, she would move to the beat of her own drum, trying to find a home within herself. And while she loved her brother and sister for always being there for her, maybe the home she really needed to search for was elsewhere.

“It’s not that I have to. I want to,” Kaoru said finally. She flashed a bright smile at the two before her. “I’ll be back, don’t look so sad! Yeesh, you’d think I was walking into my doom or something. Get a hold of yourselves!”

Taiyou and Michiko were slightly taken aback by her quick change of attitude, but they couldn’t help but smile at her lighthearted personality. It was just like her to cheer others up during sad occasions.

“Okay, fine then,” Taiyou said with his own smile. He grabbed his sister and pulled her into a large bear hug, his muscles slightly crushing her.

Kaoru laughed as she choked out, “Taiyou! I can’t breathe!”

After another moment, he released her. “You know you love my hugs.”

She smiled up at her brother. “Yeah, just watch where you keep those muscles.” She turned to her sister, and they hugged as well.

Michiko sniffled. “Be back soon, okay?”

Kaoru backed up slightly to look at her younger sister. “For you… of course.” She took a step back so she could look at both of her siblings. “Tell Mom and Dad I love them… and I’ll be home soon…”

“Okay…” the other Shoten children said in unison.

After one last meaningful glance between the three siblings, Kaoru stepped away toward the narrow pathway that would lead to the beginning of her adventure. Waving her hand slightly as she walked away, she headed down the dark alley.

It was only moments later when Kaoru could no longer see the outlines of her siblings. The darkness of the towering gates surrounded her, enhancing the shadows that were casted by the night sky. But she continued forward, and after a little more walking, she could see the opening that led into the vast desert.

Before she knew it, the rock wall stood behind her, and in front of her, the wide and sandy desert opened out. Kaoru smiled, enthusiasm flooding her.

“This is it…” she said excitedly as she continued forward.

As she walked through the sandy plains, the cool wind blew against her form. She breathed in the crisp night air, and the breeze continued to blow passed her, almost as if it was urging her forward. Internally, she followed the direction the wind drifted towards, allowing the air to lead her to her unknown destination.

**********************************************************

The trees of the Sound Village’s forest rose high above the ground, completely blocking out the blue sky. The only sounds in the woods that could be heard were the chirpings of birds and the rustlings of the leaves.

Kazuki trudged along, his green eyes flashing around constantly, keeping alert as he entered deeper and deeper into the forest. Mentally, he sighed at the humidity that the warm weather and the large trees created. It was starting to get on his nerves, and the fact that his target was so deep inside the woods didn’t help his patience.

After another twenty minutes of walking, he finally made it to the place he was looking for. At the base of one of the giant trees, a large stone staircase opened before him, going down deep underneath the earth. Before taking the first step into the darkness, the raven-haired boy turned to the cat that was settled on his shoulder.

“Ushiro. Grow,” he commanded.

The small orange cat jumped from his master’s shoulder, but as he descended toward the ground, a flame engulfed the cat. The animal landed on the grass on all four legs, and the flame burned more fiercely. Then the fire grew increasingly larger, and with it, the cat did as well.

The fire suddenly disappeared, as if a slight breeze of the wind was enough to blow the flame away. In the place of the small kitten was a large orange tiger with black stripes across its body. Tufts of white fur stuck out on his cheeks, giving him a wiser and older look. His teeth were extensively larger, his front fangs coming down to slightly bite at his lower lip. His eyes were yellow slits, squinting dangerously at the staircase before them.

Kazuki nodded. He wasn’t going to take any chances when it came to the person he was after.

Together, the human and his tiger descended the stairs, entering deeper and deeper into the darkness. Once Kazuki and Ushiro had made it all the way to the bottom of the steps, they proceeded down the hallway extending before them, following the light of the torches that were clasped to the stone walls.

After walking for a while down the narrow hallway, more and more doors appeared from the dim light of the fire. Kazuki glanced at each one, wondering where she would be.

“Ushiro,” Kazuki whispered.

The large tiger nodded his head, and he led the way further down the hallway. After passing several other doors, Ushiro finally came to a stop at a large wooden door. The boy took in a deep breath before he grasped the metal knob and pushed the door open.

Kazuki’s green eyes adjusted to the even darker light of the room. A large infirmary-type of room opened before him. Several white beds were spread out through the room, and a computer was set up right next to each bed. Each computer screen showed what appeared to be an examination for a heart rate. Upon closer inspection, Kazuki realized that they were, indeed, heart rate monitors, because when he looked harder, he could see animals placed on each bed.

The boy slightly grimaced at the stench that suddenly reached his nose. It was the smell of blood, and he silently noticed that each of the animals that were on the beds was cut open, intestines and organs clearly visible.

Kazuki turned his head to examine the rest of the room, and his green eyes fell on a seventeen-year-old girl who was standing at lab table, her back turned to him. She was playing with test tubes and beakers, each filled with what Kazuki could only assume was blood and possibly some other strange chemicals she had concocted.

The girl before him was wearing a dark blue hoodie that stopped a little below her chest, allowing Kazuki to easily look at the tan skin of her back. She also wore black pants and black combat boots, and her inky black hair fell down to her shoulders.

Kazuki couldn’t deny that he liked what he saw.

“Stop looking at my behind, Kazuki,” a monotone voice said, disrupting Kazuki’s dirty thoughts.

“Well, you certainly make it easy to look at,” the Uchiha smirked.

The girl turned around quickly, her red eyes piercing into his green ones. “So, Kazuki Uchiha, to what do I owe this ill pleasure?”

“Aw, come on now, Rin. Don’t tell me you haven’t missed me,” Kazuki said, grinning cheekily at her. His eyes shamelessly roamed over her body as she faced him, and his smile turned into a smirk. “Hmm, you have certainly grown over the five years since I last saw you.”

“Oh, Kazuki,” the girl named Rin said, flashing a dangerously convincing fake smile at the boy, “you haven’t changed at all. You’re still as perverted as ever.”

“I take no offense to that,” Kazuki said.

“Hmm, have you forgotten that you are a century older than me?” Rin asked, raising a slender eyebrow at him.

“With the mind of a seventeen-year-old, mind you,” the boy countered.

The dim light in the room brought out his green eyes nicely, and his black hair framed his pale face. The boy took this chance to slowly circle around Rin, scrutinizing her. Any other girl would feel threatened under his gaze, feeling violated and disturbed at what they would assume was his perverted attitude taking over.

But Rin knew better. She had seen the flash of red in his eyes as he activated his Sharingan. He wasn’t examining her, he was examining her chakra. He was obviously studying her to be sure that she was suitable for whatever mission he had in store for her.

“The answer is no, by the way, Kazuki,” Rin said, closing her eyes as she turned away once he was done with his examination.

“No what?”

“I’m not taking any mission. I’m far too busy with my research,” Rin said as she picked up various test tubes filled with animal blood.

“Oh yes, I can see how castrating poor animals is so much more important than listening to a direct command from my father,” Kazuki said sarcastically as he stared at the animals, all of them cut down their front to show the bloody insides.

“If it was that important, Madara wouldn’t have sent you to get me,” Rin said, not even bothering to turn around to see the result of her insult.

Kazuki silently fumed at the blow towards his ego. He inhaled deeply to calm himself before he lost control of his temper. He let his hand pet Ushiro’s orange fur, and it helped him to calm down a little. “So you don’t want to go.”

“Not in the slightest,” the girl said. She picked up one test tube labeled ‘X’, pouring its contents into another test tube with blood already in it. The second test tube was labeled ‘Tiger Blood’.

“Well… what if I told you that this mission could involve you finally getting the chance to kill…” Kazuki said as he stared at the girl. Rin was just about to turn around and retort when the boy cut her off. “Humans, I mean.”

Rin’s red eyes widened a bit, but they quickly relaxed as she sent him a small smile. “Well then, that changes things, doesn’t it?”

“I thought it would. So how long will it take for you to pack?” Kazuki asked, a triumphant smile plastered across his face.

“I’ll be out in five minutes,” the raven-haired girl said as she gave her new squad leader a small but fake smile.

Kazuki and Ushiro left the room, and Rin took the time to clean up and pack her things. She glanced at the animals spread out on the beds, and she shrugged. They were all pretty much dead anyway, and those who weren’t might as well be after the toxic chemicals she had been feeding them.

Rin then went about picking her most favorite and most dangerous chemicals and packed them away in her pouch. She looked over at the test tube labeled ‘Tiger Blood’, and after she had added the ‘X’ chemical to it, the blood had turned black, and it had started smoking.

On the outside, Rin Takahashi showed no emotion as she packed a sample of the blue liquid away into her bag. On the inside, she was smiling maliciously with the thought of killing.

**********************************************************

A white blur whizzed through the green forest. A second blur of green and black followed quickly behind. The branches of the forest shook with the force of the fast-moving forms, but only slightly because of the speed the two blurs possessed.

The white shadow slowed down a bit once it reached a clearing. It turned its majestic head around to gaze back into the woods, waiting for its master. After moments of silence, a form quickly emerged from the forest, gasping loudly.

“Kumade! Stop going so fast!” the girl said as she inhaled deeply. The short girl flicked her long chocolate brown hair as she walked over to the white stag standing before her. The girl tried to glare at the deer, but her hazel eyes were laughing with excitement.

The antlered animal nuzzled his master, and she slowly patted her hand on his head. Her mini green and black kimono rustled only a little as the animal gently nudged its large muzzle into his master’s shoulder.

Yuna smiled at her stag. “Stop trying to butter me up. You know that it doesn’t work on me,” she said, sending her pet a playful glower.

The male deer stared at his master with big brown eyes, trying to kiss up to Yuna. Kumade’s ears went down, and he gave her the biggest puppy-dog look he could muster.

The brown-haired girl broke into fits of giggles. “Kumade, you know I could never stay mad at you.” The white stag immediately straightened up and gratefully nuzzled his master once again. The girl softly petted his head before taking a step back. “We have all of the herbs Mother needed, we can head back to the village now. What do you think?”

The stag turned his brown eyes to the rest of the clearing, and Yuna could see the sense of longing in them. She gave her deer a reassuring smile, her hazel eyes meeting his brown ones.

“You read my mind, Kumade,” she said. “How about the usual spot?”

The deer nodded his large head. He knelt down slightly to the ground so that his front legs were bent, making his body slanted yet easier to climb onto. Yuna did just that and settled herself on her stag’s back. Once she was secure, Kumade darted into the forest.

The white deer quickly and majestically leaped through the woods, his antlers slightly leaned forward to block any stray branches and leaves. Yuna held on by grasping his neck, but her head was slightly raised to allow the wind to blow through her long chocolate-colored hair. A smile spread across her face; she cherished the feel of the wind blowing against her skin and through her hair and the beauty of the woods as she zoomed passed the different images that made up her clan’s forest.

After moments of running, Kumade came to a stop by a river. Yuna slowly descended her seat on the stag, and she walked over to the gentle stream. She watched the blue water slowly move along, the sound of the river easing her senses and enhancing the serenity of the forest.

Yuna removed her black sandals and placed her feet in the water, taking a seat on the edge of the river. She placed the satchel that contained the various herbs she had collected along the way on the green grass. Then she removed her quiver from her shoulder, placing it beside her. She placed her bow directly next to the sheath of arrows, making for easy access if she needed them at a moment’s notice.

The teenager laughed at that thought. It was a peaceful time, there was no need for aiming an arrow at anyone unless she was catching dinner.

The adolescent sighed as she let her body fall backwards, the soft grass making a comfortable makeshift napping place for her. If it was up to her, she would be able to stay there forever. It was the most peaceful place she knew of. She had come here often during her childhood, always wanting to enjoy Mother Nature’s abundant gifts. And as she grew older, she came here as an escape from her life.

Yuna was an only child with two loving parents. Maybe too loving, in her opinion. They were constantly showering her with attention, which would always lead to certain expectations, which would then lead to her being annoyed at the troublesome hassles she would be forced to deal with.

As a part of the Nara clan, she was expected to learn how to create medicines from deer antlers and other herbs that came from the forest. Yuna didn’t have problems with that; she enjoyed creating new things.

What bothered her was the fact that she was also expected to become the head of her clan. She was to learn everything there was to know about being in charge of her clan. Her parents were constantly pressuring her about it, and it wasn’t something she was comfortable with. She wanted to have fun when she wanted, but she also wanted to be able to enjoy the tranquility that life had to offer.

Yuna sighed. Life certainly was becoming hectic lately, and it wasn’t a change that she would say that she quite enjoyed. The teenager closed her hazel eyes, hoping to forget about those bothersome issues going on in life at the moment. Right now, she just wanted to relax and enjoy nature’s….

A sudden rustle in the bushes behind her awoke her from her daze. With the reflexes of a cat, she stood up and grabbed her bow and an arrow from her quiver, expertly aiming at the brush. Holding completely still, Yuna held her form, awaiting the presence of the mysterious figure. Kumade stood beside her, not moving a muscle, but his eyes stared intently at the forest’s edge. There was no sound except for the rustling sound coming from the bushes and the rushing of the water in the river.

After what seemed like a lifetime, a figure finally emerged from within the trees. It was a girl, Yuna noted, who looked like the same age as her. She had blonde hair pulled into a ponytail with a few beaded strands here and there. She was sporting a camouflage vest over a black tank top with a skirt and black shorts.

Yuna did not lower her bow, and the other girl’s green eyes widened in surprise. “Who are you, and what do you want?” Yuna growled.

The girl quickly threw her hands up in a surrendering gesture. “Hey, whoa, lower the arrow, please. I don’t mean to hurt anyone.”

“Then why haven’t you answered my questions? No one but the Nara clan is allowed in this forest without permission,” Yuna said, her hazel eyes glaring dangerously.

The blonde straightened up, her own grassy-colored eyes challenging the girl before her. “It is normally polite to give your name before demanding another’s.”

Yuna stared at the girl before her. Seconds passed between the two with neither breaking the silence. Finally, “My name is Yuna Nara. My clan owns this forest, and as a member, it is my duty to protect it.”

“Well, don’t worry about it. I’m not here to attack this forest. So you can relax,” the girl said. “My name is Kaoru Shoten, and I was only passing through.”

“And how does one come about just ‘passing through’ this forest while being so far off the path?” Yuna countered quickly, not daring to lower her weapon.

Kaoru bit her lip, a sign of nervousness, Yuna noted. Then the blonde flashed an anxious smile, fiddling with the beaded strands in her hair. “Haha, well you see, about that… I guess I just kind of got lost…”

Despite herself, Yuna couldn’t help but chuckle at the way Kaoru said she was lost. After accepting the girl before her, the Nara lowered her bow and arrow. “Well, alright then. How did you get off the main path?”

“Well, this may sound stupid, but I was following the wind,” Kaoru said.

Yuna thought about commenting on that, but she couldn’t deny that everyone had their own little manner of travel. It was too troublesome to tell her how weird that sounded anyway.

“When I realized I was sort of lost, I suddenly heard the sound of rushing water, so I thought I would at least follow it to find my bearings,” Kaoru continued. “That’s when I stumbled upon you pointing that thing at me and your deer looking about ready to charge me.”

Yuna softened up then, laughing at Kaoru’s explanation upon meeting herself and Kumade. “Sorry about that, Kumade here is just overly protective. And I was just shocked to see anyone else in this forest.”

“Understandable,” Kaoru shrugged. “So… uh… where exactly am I?”

“You’re in the Nara clan’s forest, just outside of the Leaf Village. Where were you headed and where are you coming from?” Yuna asked. She bent down and placed her arrow back with its companions in the quiver. She slung the sheath over her shoulder, strapping her bow to her back.

“Well, I have no set destination, but I’m coming from the Sand Village,” the other girl replied.

“Alright then, I’ll lead you to Konoha. You can get settled there for a while, and when you’re ready, you can continue to… wherever it is you want to go,” Yuna said, turning off into a random direction.

Kaoru smiled as she slightly ran to catch up with her fellow teenager. “Thanks. I owe you one.”

“Ah, no problem. I would have had to go back to the village anyway, it’s not that bad to have another companion along the way home,” Yuna smiled.

As the pair walked, the two girls became engrossed in conversation about their lives, learning more and more about one another. Two different girls with different family lives, different experiences, and different hopes for the future quickly became caught up in conversation, enjoying the friendship that had grown just from one pointing an arrow at the other.

Neither of the two girls seemed to notice that they were being watched. Kumade stopped in his tracks, his ears going back as he thought he had heard a sound. He turned his head around to stare into the forest, his brown eyes searching for something. After scrutinizing for a few minutes, the call of his master awoke him from his staring at the forest. He quickly leaped away, prancing gracefully at Yuna’s side.

**********************************************************

Sitting silently on a branch, Megumi watched the two girls and the stag walk in the opposite direction, not even aware of the Urufu’s presence. The girl smirked evilly, and she absentmindedly patted her wolf pup’s yellow head as she rested on her shoulder.

“Pathetic…” Megumi muttered.

She could sense that the two were gradually escaping the effect of her father’s tsukuyomi, and yet, they obviously weren’t doing it on purpose. Megumi could sense that much. For some odd reason, the genjutsu was just… breaking.

Normally, a genjutsu would have been broken by the victim using their own chakra to force the enemy’s chakra out. Sometimes, other people had the ability to break others out of the genjutsu by inserting their own chakra into the victim’s body.

But none of that was happening. It just seemed that the tsukuyomi was getting weaker. And Megumi knew for a fact that that wasn’t what was going on. She silently pondered how these two girls and the deer were able to rid the effects of the Infinite Tsukuyomi. They obviously weren’t very skilled if they couldn’t even sense the girl and her wolf. So how did they break the jutsu?

Megumi scowled. She turned on her heel, and glanced at the wolf on her shoulder. “Inazuma,” she said, addressing the pup. “Grow.”

The golden-colored puppy jumped from her master’s shoulder and stood beside her on the tree branch. Right before her eyes, electricity began to engulf the canine. The wolf appeared to be being electrified, but she wasn’t in pain. The shocking continued, sparks of electricity leaping around in all directions.

Then, gradually, the wolf grew larger. Her golden fur looked more ragged, a result of the electricity. Her fangs were noticeably sharper and larger as she bared her teeth. Her black eyes seemed to enhance the dangerous aura surrounding her, completely destroying any remaining piece of the cute pup that had once been standing there.

Megumi smiled at her pet. “Let’s go.” The two took off back towards the Leaf Village, sensing that the mysterious people who could suddenly break her father’s jutsu were migrating there. The girl couldn’t help but smile at the irony.

The Leaf Village is where Madara Uchiha had started his rein of invincible control, and she was sure the Leaf Village would be the place where her father would crush these pests.

A soft patter echoed off the stones walls of the cavern, each individual tap combining with its predecessor and follower to form a rhythmic drumming in the darkness. Only the occasional torch provided a deep orange light to clash against the black of the cave. The lack of light in the stone hallway did nothing to halt the man as he continued on his way.

Then the rhythm of his steps stopped as a wooden door appeared from the darkness to stand in front of him. He reached a hand out to grip the metal knob, and he easily turned the handle to make his way inside.

The room he entered had a more sufficient amount of light than the hallway. Several candles were lit on the walls around the room to make it easier to see. But other than that, the stone room was completely bare.

The man took another step inside, his mismatched eyes glancing around the room… waiting.

Then what he was waiting for finally appeared. Or rather, who he was waiting for finally appeared.

“Ah, Zetsu,” the man smirked as he turned to face the right side of the room.

A large green plant emerged from the ground. Its leaves shaped into a large toothy mouth facing towards the ceiling. A man, who appeared to be standing right between this large mouth, looked up as his name was called. His half white half black body bowed down, his yellow eyes also turning towards the ground as he kneeled in respect.

“Lord Madara,” the white half said in a gentle voice.

“You summoned us?” the black half asked, his tone deeper and rougher.

“I did,” the Uchiha said as he walked closer to stand above the plant-like male. “I have an assignment to do, and I require your assistance.”

“And what might that be?” the white half asked as his body erected itself to stand up straight.

“I need to find the Saviors,” Madara said with an evil smile.

“Oh, the Saviors?” the white half asked, his carefree voice filled with a small excitement.

“That group is spread out across the continent,” the darker half said, interrupting his other persona. “Is there someone specific you wish to find?”

“Kioshi, of course,” the immortal man replied.

The two halves of the cannibal smiled simultaneously. “Of course.”

The man hidden between the Venus fly trap’s mouth lifted his hands to perform his Mayfly Jutsu. Within one moment, Zetsu and his master disappeared further below ground level, submerging deeply beneath the earth’s surface.

**********************************************************

“Alright, we’ve made our destination,” the ship’s captain announced to his passengers.

Kazuki’s green eyes shifted to look out over the ship’s railing to see that they were, indeed, docked in one of the Mist Village’s ports. He stood up, stretching his arms above his head to gather some feeling back into his joints. The little orange cat on his shoulder purred in annoyance as his nap came to an end. The boy’s other traveling companion was already leaving the ship, uncaring of whether or not Kazuki and Ushiro were following or not.

The Uchiha’s eyes widened slightly, and he quickly followed the girl off the ship. Rin was already walking across the dock and into the village. Kazuki sweat-dropped. “I just cannot cut a break with this chick,” he muttered as he sprinted after her. Once he finally caught up with the emotionless girl, he fell into step beside her. “Yeesh, you seem in a rush.”

“Well, after we find Umiko, we still have to find Yoru,” Rin said, not even bother to spare a glance at the boy beside her.

Meanwhile, Kazuki was rolling his eyes. “Please,” he said dismissively with a wave of his hand. “Once we find our shark princess, it’ll be easy to get to the Waterfall Village.”

Rin cocked an eyebrow at the boy’s carefree behavior. “Interesting. You seemed a bit more desperate when recruiting me, yet you seem fairly confident that Umiko and Yoru will be accepting of this mission.”

Kazuki chuckled at that statement. “I’m a great judge of character, Rin,” he smirked cockily. “I know that those two will obey orders from my father. I’m surprised you almost didn’t.”

The girl plastered a large fake smile across her face. “Well, that was because you held out the part that I would get the chance to spill blood until the very end.”

The Uchiha shook his head in awe at the girl beside him. After a few more minutes of walking, the group finally came to a large sandy beach that was secluded from the busyness of the village. As the two humans walked along the wet sand, the buildings slowly turned into trees. With the green forest on one side and the vast ocean on the other, the area was flooding with the beautiful scenery that Mother Earth had to offer.

“Hmm, quite the romantic setting, isn’t it, Rin?” Kazuki asked, sending a dashing smile towards the girl beside him.

The Takahashi giggled with falsity. “Oh, Kazuki… you’re so pathetic.” Her expression quickly fell into its normal stoic mask as she turned to continue down the beach.

The boy watched her walk ahead of him, and he sighed as he shook his head. He was about to follow her when Ushiro lightly growled from his perch on Kazuki’s shoulder.

“Would that be who I think it is?” the boy whispered so that only the small cat could hear.

Ushiro nodded.

Moving with great speed, Kazuki pulled a kunai from the pouch on his right leg. He held it in front of his face just as a large bandaged sword came hurling at him.

The two weapons clashed, and behind the large sword, Kazuki could see pale blue skin and white hair with a tinted blue shade. He smirked. “Well, your speed certainly has increased, Umiko.”

“It’s been five years, Kazuki. Do you really think I spent it just swimming lazily in the ocean?” a very tough female voice growled out happily. The sword pushed harder against the small knife with each word spoken.

“Hmm, I see you and Samehada are getting along nicely,” Kazuki smiled slightly as he pushed his kunai harder against the old sword.

“Of course. He did belong to my ancestor,” the girl said, her small white rounded eyes filled with glee.

The small yet agile girl quickly retracted her blade and hurled a kick towards the boy. Kazuki easily blocked it with his fist. “Now, now, Umiko, no need to turn me into a test dummy.”

“I haven’t exactly gotten the chance to have a decent fight in those five years, you know,” the shark-like girl growled. The gills on her neck flared with anger, and her pointed teeth were clearly shown with her snarl.

“There will be plenty of time for that when we begin our mission,” Kazuki said as he glared at the younger girl with authority. He placed his knife back in its pouch, signifying the end of the little brawl.

The shark-like girl scowled unhappily as she placed her weapon back in its rightful place strapped to her back. She was wearing a black tank top that showed her navel, black pants, and black combat boots. Her white eyes glanced over to the other female of the group, who was just standing there with her arms crossed over her chest lazily.

“Rin,” the younger girl rumbled out.

“Umiko,” the red-eyed girl replied. “It’s been a while. Your aggressiveness sure hasn’t died down.”

“Obviously. And it’s one of the things that Madara wants me on this mission for,” Umiko smirked triumphantly.

“You know about the mission?” Kazuki asked in confusion.

“Of course,” Umiko said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Or at least, I knew action would be taken soon. I could smell two individual chakras awakening within the Mist Village. I almost jumped them at that very moment.”

“Really? When did this happen?” Rin asked curiously.

“A few days ago,” the shark girl shrugged. “They’re gone now though.”

Kazuki instantly remembered his father’s words when he had given him his assignment. “I have felt the disturbances all over the world, and they are slowly moving… to Konoha.”

“Konoha…” the boy thought to himself. He shook his head to refocus back on the mission at hand. He looked at the two girls standing in front of him; both were waiting expectantly for his orders. “Alright, we still have one more person of our team to get. Umiko, can you take us to the Waterfall Village?”

The blue-skinned girl barked out a hysterical laugh. “Haha! Can I take you to the Waterfall Village… Please…” she scoffed.

She quickly flew through a variety of hand signs. To anyone who happened to be spying on them, only confusion would be written on their faces. But to the group of people who were following the orders of Madara Uchiha, the usage of hand seals to summon chakra and create jutsu was no outrageous phenomenon.

“Water Style: Water Transportation Jutsu!” Umiko growled out.

A victorious smile reached across her ferocious face as the salty water of the ocean swirled into a small hole only a few steps away from the sand. The shark girl sent chakra into her feet and confidently walked across the water’ surface until she reached the edge of the tunnel. Kazuki, with Ushiro settled on his shoulder, and Rin followed the girl across the water until they were looking into the dark abyss of the seemingly endless water passageway.

“Lead the way, Umiko,” Kazuki said, waving his hand in a formal gesture towards the opening in the ocean.

The Hoshigaki grinned excitedly before diving headfirst into the vessel. Her body instantly disappeared within the dark chasm.

The Uchiha then glanced at the girl beside him. “Ladies first,” he smiled.

Rin raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you scared, Kazuki Uchiha?”

“Of course not,” the boy said, sounding very offended. “I just want to show that chivalry isn’t dead.”

“Meaning that you want me to stand in front of you so you can look at my behind,” Rin translated as she dug her hands into her hips.

“Well…” Kazuki trailed off, not even bothering trying to hide his obvious objective. The girl glared at him with her piercing red eyes, and he rolled his own green orbs incredulously. “Fine,” he moaned in exasperation.

He leaped into the hole with his orange cat digging his claws into his shoulders to hang on tightly. Smirking in satisfaction when Kazuki and Ushiro were no longer in sight, Rin jumped in after them. Once she was beneath the water’s surface, the top of the chasm disappeared, letting the ocean continue its flow normally and peacefully.

**********************************************************

“Thank you for choosing our Inn to stay in,” the clerk behind the front desk said with a smile as he handed two keys over to the teens.

“Thank you,” Yuu replied with a polite smile.

He took the keys from the kind man and handed a copy to his political partner. Amaya took her own key and shoved it in her pocket, walking away from the lobby of the inn. The boy sighed as he followed the girl out the front door. The pair walked down the street, merging with the crowds of people in the marketplace.

The female’s pale blue eyes looked around the colorful markets interestedly, taking in Konoha’s busy yet friendly atmosphere. Yuu took notice that Amaya seemed to soften up a bit the further they went down the street; he assumed it was because she wasn’t thinking about the mission they were ordered to do.

The boy also began scouring the many intricate shops on the street, and his brown eyes landed on a small soda stand. He ordered two drinks from the merchant and turned to see Amaya glancing at the different food samples.

Yuu tapped her shoulder, and when her attention turned to him, he handed her the can of soda. She smiled at him and began to sip at the cola. The two remained in a comfortable silence, and Amaya lazily read the label of her drink. It was just some well-known name brand. Her eyes wandered over to her companion’s drink to see that he had the same thing, except his label had the words Sugar-Free in fancy writing directly under the drink’s name.

Amaya furrowed her eyebrows. “Really? Sugar-free? What are you, thirty?”

The male blinked in surprise at the breaking of the silence. When her words finally registered in his head, he laughed lightly. “Oh, yeah… See, I don’t handle sugar very well.”

“What? Do you get some kind of crazy sugar rush?” the girl inquired.

“Yeah, you could say that,” Yuu smiled.

The girl’s slender eyebrow quirked upward before she smirked. “Hmm, I see…”

The two walked down the road, passing the many villagers and shops along their way. Once they had finished their drinks, the teens tossed their empty cans into a nearby trashcan before continuing on their walk.

“So, what’s with the sword?” Amaya asked curiously as she pointed to the sheathed weapon strapped to the boy’s back.

Yuu unconsciously lifted his hand to grip the hilt of the blade. “Oh, this was an heirloom from my grandfather before he passed away. It was meant for my dad, but seeing as my dad finds more interest in politics than antiques, my grandfather gave it to me.”

“Oh…” Amaya whispered. “Sorry to hear about your grandfather…”

The boy gave a small smile as he looked at the girl beside him. “It’s fine. So how about you? Anything interesting about your past?”

“You mean other than the fact that I was dumped in an orphanage to pretty much raise myself my entire life? No, there really isn’t much left to tell,” Amaya said rather bluntly. Any lightheartedness that the Leaf Village had slowly been giving her completely left her at the thought of her own personal inner demons.

Yuu noticed this, and he frowned. “Sorry…”

“There’s nothing for you to be sorry about,” the raven-haired girl said, though a deep frown seemed to almost be permanently etched on her facial features.

“I hate to make you more upset… but we do have to check in with this village’s leader about the treaty discussions,” Yuu said, slightly nervous at seeing the girl’s reaction.

Amaya rolled her eyes. “Alright…”

“Hey, if it makes you feel any better, remember that you’re not the only one who’s not up for this mission,” Yuu said as he gave her a reassuring smile.

“I know…” the girl said, letting her unevenly cut hair fall to hide her face. “But hey, at least you have a father…”

“A father who tries to push his ideals on me,” Yuu reminded. “Something I can’t stand, actually.”

“Heh, I know all about that,” Amaya chuckled as she remembered growing up in the orphanage. She had pretty much raised herself with no help. So on the special occasion when her foster parents would tell her to do something, she didn’t take it very well, as she was fine with being independent of others.

“Hey, how about we catch some lunch first before checking in with the village leader?” Yuu offered, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere.

Amaya grinned widely at the subject change. “Sounds good.” And with that, the two made a quick detour in hopes of finding a suitable restaurant to relax and eat before their meeting with the town leader.

**********************************************************

On a dirt road shrouded in the trees, two teens made their way through the forest. One member of the pair was walking ahead while the other kept a safe distance behind, for fear that his traveling companion would spontaneously lash out at him.

As if she was able to read her partner’s thoughts, Karasu turned around to flash her snake-like eyes towards him. She smiled in a manner that both seemed charming and deadly. “What’s wrong, Shin? You appear to be frightened of me,” she said, her voice coming out in a lacey hiss.

The boy lifted his dark eyes to meet her yellow ones. “Ah… hehe, not at all. I’m just taking my time to enjoy the scenery of the forest…”

“Heh, is that so?” the girl smirked. Salyzar, seated on his mistress’s shoulder, turned to send a dangerous stare towards the boy, making Shin wonder why on earth he decided to travel with this girl and her snake.

Karasu lifted her left hand to push back a stray strand of long black hair, and her tattoo showed in the dim light of the forest. The red roses were connected with a vine design, stretching around her left arm all the way down towards her palm. The seventeen-year-old boy was both intrigued and scared of the intricate design of the tattoo. It added to the mysteriousness of the fourteen-year-old she-devil.

A few more minutes of dead silence passed between the two when the dingy light of the forest gave way to sunshine. Shin had to blink a few times when the sun reached his eyes, but when his vision finally returned, he smiled excitedly.

Just ahead were the majestic gates of the Leaf Village.

The raven-haired girl might not have shown her excitement as obviously as Shin did, but her eagerness was evident as she increased her speed along with Shin to reach the tall entryway into the village.

Two guards were standing at the entrance, and they held their hands out to them, ordering the two teenagers to stop. “Do you two have business here?” one of the guards asked.

“We’re just travelers who would like to have a little rest in the village,” Shin said politely as he bowed respectfully.

Karasu didn’t show as much respect. She only sent vicious glares towards the two guards, which in turn, made the two men at the entrance stiffen. “We’ll need some identification, please,” the second guard ordered.

The boy nodded as he pulled his pack off his shoulder. He pulled out an ID card, showing it to both guards.

The first guard nodded in approval. “You’re alright. And you?” he asked, turning to the younger teen.

“I’m not telling you my identity,” Karasu said, staring at the two guards as if they were crazy.

“Well then, we cannot allow you inside,” the second man said, straightening so that he was blocking Karasu’s way into the village.

The girl chuckled maliciously, earning confused stares from the guards and a terrified expression from Shin. “You’ll regret blocking my way,” Karasu growled out.

Salyzar hissed up at the men for further deadly emphasis. Poison dripped from his now sharpened fangs, and the two men stared wide-eyed with fear at the lethal aura pouring off the girl and her snake.

“Miss, we’re going to have to ask you to leave,” the first man said, trying to hide the involuntary shiver that ran up his spine.

“Oh really?” the girl snarled.

Shin saw it before the other men did. The boy quickly jumped in front of his traveling partner before she could lunge at the guards. Despite the voice in his head telling him to just run into the village and get away from this girl, he held both of Karasu’s shoulders as he stood in front of her.

He turned his head to look at the guards, mustering up enough courage to think up a good lie. “Look sirs… she’s my cousin, and she’s really not good with people. If you let her in, I promise to keep an eye on her.”

Karasu noticeably growled at that last statement, as she didn’t want this kid making her sound like she needed a babysitter.

The guards, however, seemed convinced enough that Shin would be the responsible relative and keep an eye on his younger cousin. Both men nodded as they moved out of the way to allow entry. The elder teen gently pulled the girl after him into the village until they were out of sight of the entrance.

Karasu jerked her arm away from his grasp, and she stepped back to glare at him. “Who do you think you are? Do you think I need some babysitter? You’re lucky I didn’t slice your hand off for pulling me like that!”

“Listen,” Shin said, losing control of his own temper. “We have finally made it to the Leaf Village, which is what you wanted, if I recall correctly. So how about you lay off with the lunatic attitude and chill, alright?”

The younger adolescent blinked in surprise. No one, not even her own parents, had ever spoken to her like that. She had only known this guy for a few days because they traveled together, and they hadn’t even said that much to each other during their journey.

Her yellow eyes stared at Shin with interest as he stormed down the busy market street, giving her the cold shoulder. She smirked as she glanced over at the purple snake on her shoulder. “Hmm, that’s interesting, isn’t it, Salyzar? Someone who actually has the nerve to talk back to me…”

The snake hissed back to its mistress as he nodded his head in reply.

“Yes, I can’t say that I like his nerve… but I do respect it,” Karasu said as she slowly followed after her nomadic partner, a cold smile extending across her lips.

**********************************************************

In the Leaf Village Hospital, one blonde boy was seated impatiently in the waiting room. A large white tiger was seated beside him, and the animal seemed to be a lot more composed than the teenager. The boy’s right leg was shaking up and down in a small rhythm as he continued to sit anxiously. To ease his anxiety, he decided to count the tiles on the ceiling. And when he finished with that, he counted the tiles on the floor. And when that was done, he counted the miniscule dirt specks on the ground that had recently appeared on the floor due to the incessant shaking of his foot.

“Ugh, this stupid waiting is driving me crazy!” he groaned in annoyance as his pale eyes continued to stare at the ground. “Why can’t they just release-”

“Hey, what’s on the floor that’s so interesting?” a kind voice said from beside him.

Surprised, he looked up to see the person he had been waiting for standing above him, giving him her signature sweet smile. “Kohana!” he exclaimed happily. He sprung up from his seat to grab her into a big bear hug, squeezing her tightly into him.

The girl in his arms giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Good to see you too, Riku,” she said, her voice slightly strained as he continued to squeeze her.

The choking of her voice awoke him from his embrace, and he quickly let go. Riku held her at arm’s length as he stared into her red eyes. “Oh gosh, did I hurt you? I’m so sorry, I couldn’t help it. The doctors said there was so much glass stuck in your skin, and I was worried that you would have permanent scars. You were in there for three days, so it had to be bad, I mean-”

His nearly incomprehensible rant was halted as Kohana slapped her hand over his mouth. “Riku, it’s alright. I’m fine.” She hesitantly removed her hand from her friend’s lips, and she proceeded to greet her faithful tiger, as he had been neglected during Riku’s worrisome rant.

“B-But, you were in there for three days!” Riku yelled. “That’s a huge amount of time! What did they do that they had to keep you so long?!”

The girl sighed at her friend’s worry. She stood up straight to look him in the eye, ignoring the aching in her back that signified the scars on her upper back region. She was about to tell him how the doctors had to put in more stitches than she could count into her back and shoulders when she suddenly frowned.

“Riku… Were you here the whole time?” Kohana asked as she pointed to the dark bags under his pale eyes.

“Well, of course! I was so worried, Kohana,” the boy replied as he brought her into another hug.

The girl had to fight back the tears that threatened to fall from her crimson eyes. She ignored the pain that began to shoot up her spine from the scars as her best friend began crushing her into him. All she was concerned with was that she had put him through so much torment with her injuries.

As much as she treasured the warm embrace of her friend, she had to pull away to send him a reassuring smile. She decided not to worry him by telling him that she did, indeed, have a few scars from the glass that had punctured her skin. He would instantly freak out and yell at her for jumping in the way for him.

“Don’t worry about it, Riku,” she said, hoping her voice was convincing enough. “The doctors just wanted to keep me so long because they were just as worried as you. Nothing major, don’t worry.”

The blonde shot her a disbelieving look. “Kohana… Are you sure?”

“Of course,” the girl smiled brightly. “Now, how about we go get you some ramen, eh? You don’t look like you’ve eaten in days.”

Right on cue, a vicious rumble sounded from the boy’s stomach. He rubbed the back of his blonde head sheepishly as he shot her a grin. “Hehe, well… Yeah, ramen does sound good right about now.”

“Good,” the crimson-eyed girl smiled.

“Ramen! Big Daddy Riku is coming for you!” he exclaimed happily as he ran towards the front of the hospital. He disappeared right out the door. The newly released hospital patient giggled as she watched her friend sprint away. With one more comforting pat to Shiro’s majestic head, the teen and her tiger ran out of the building and after the boy towards their favorite ramen stand.

**********************************************************

The sound of light giggling could be heard echoing across the Nara clan’s forest on the outskirts of the Leaf Village. “Kumade, stop! That tickles!” the blonde girl laughed as she squirmed away from the white buck.

“Kaoru, it’s the flower in your hair,” Yuna chuckled as she pointed to the green lily resting in her friend’s ponytail.

“Alright, alright, here! You can have it!” Kaoru exclaimed as she removed the lily from her hair. She held her hand out to stag, and Kumade removed his snout from its place in the blonde’s hair to snatch the beautiful flower from the girl’s palm.

“Well, at least we know he likes you,” the Nara smiled kindly. “If he didn’t like you, he wouldn’t go near you, even if you were wearing an entire garden.”

The Sand Village’s former resident was still grinning widely, still imagining the deer’s snout tickling her neck and head. She watched the large white stag prance around the clearing in the forest with the green lily nestled between its lips. As her grassy green eyes continued to watch the deer dance about, she also began to mull over Yuna’s words.

“It makes me wonder if I’ve been here too long,” Kaoru said, her words barely above a whisper.

But Yuna still heard her. She turned to look at her new friend, her hazel eyes clearly displaying the confusion she felt. “What do you mean?”

The blonde girl turned to look at the brown-haired female in shock, surprised that she had been heard. She fidgeted with the colorful silk scarf around her neck, nervous at being caught. “Oh, well, it’s just…”

Yuna furrowed her slender eyebrows in bewilderment. “Spit it out, Kaoru.”

Kaoru sighed as she closed her green eyes in thought. After carefully choosing her words, she looked back up to make eye contact with her friend. “I’m worried that I’m mooching off of you.”

“What?” Yuna asked in surprise.

“I’ve been staying with you and your family for a few days already. I’m worried about being a bother to you guys,” the girl said, her normally happy attitude suddenly replaced with her anxiety.

“You’re not a bother at all!” the hazel-eyed girl said in reassurance. She gently tucked her long chocolate-colored hair behind her ear as she gave an assuring smile.

The blonde raised an eyebrow at her. “How do I know you’re not lying to me?”

Yuna sighed. Placing the handle of her basket of herbs into the crook of one elbow, she used her other arm to hook arms with her friend. “Kaoru, I don’t lie. In fact, I’ve been known to be blatantly truthful with others.”

The two girls made their way through the forest, arm in arm, while the large stag lagged behind, taking the time to sniff each and every plant.

The brown-haired girl suddenly smiled. “Plus, getting you acquainted with the village is getting me out of that stupid clan paperwork my parents keep shoving down my throat.”

Kaoru laughed, her formerly depressed behavior already gone. “Oh, I see. So you’re just using me to get out of your homework.”

“Well, it is a bonus,” Yuna smirked. She gently readjusted her black and green kimono as she looked through the herbs in her brown basket. After a careful analysis, she nodded. “I think we have all the herbs my father asked us to retrieve. We just have to drop them off at the hospital, and then we can grab a bite to eat.”

“Cool, sounds like a plan,” the blonde girl smiled, her green eyes alight with her normal exciting personality once again. The two girls made their way through the beautiful forest and into the village to finish of their errands before lunch.

**********************************************************

Deep inside the dense forest, a girl and her wolf trudged along the dirt path. Only a little light trickled through the canopies of the tall trees, even though the sun was settled high in the blue sky.

The raven-haired girl halted in her tracks suddenly, and she pressed one hand up against a tree to lean against. Her knees buckled before they finally gave out under her, and she collapsed to the ground. Her breath came out in pants as her entire body ached.

“Ginmaru, I don’t know how much left I have in me,” Takara panted. She gently rubbed the side of her torso; her sides were screaming in pain with dehydration.

*Takara, you must continue. I smell a village not too far ahead,* the hound thought out to his mistress as he barked.

Over the past few days, the girl had grown used to her wolf talking to her in her mind. It was a strange phenomenon that she wasn’t sure she even felt like delving into. When she had left her destroyed village, she had left with nothing but the clothes on her back. She had no money, food, or water, and the price was beginning to pay its toll.

“What good will a village do? We’ve passed through several already, and none of them had any sympathy when it came to giving food or anything,” Takara moaned as another pain shot up her ribs.

*You’re the one who said your instincts were leading you in this direction!* the gray wolf growled. His black eyes pierced into his mistress’s own brown orbs.

The fifteen-year-old glanced away in nervousness, hating herself for her weakness. “I know… but my body can’t function anymore…”

*Stand up and force yourself then.*

“Ginmaru! Don’t you get it?! I’m weak, alright?! I can’t go any further than this!” Takara shrieked at her canine as tears pricked the edges of her eyes in self-pity. The hunger pains were finally eating at her patience, and the lack of water was playing with her irritability.

“Oh, boohoo!” a sudden voice yelled out from in front of the pair.

Surprised, Takara and Ginmaru turned their heads simultaneously to see a girl who appeared to be about twelve scowling at them with her hazel-green eyes. Her curly blond hair bounced a bit as she walked up to them. She was dressed in a black hoodie, black leggings, and black shoes. A yellow pup was seated on the girl’s right shoulder, staring at the older girl and her wolf with interest.

When the girl finally reached the pair from the Blizzard Country, she placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow at them. “This is pathetic. You’re really going to sit here and sulk? How pitiful are you?”

The gray wolf fell into a protective crouch in front of his mistress and bared his fangs at the stranger. While he may have been strict with Takara, he would never let anyone talk to her like that, especially some preteen of a stranger.

The blonde girl placed a disbelieving look on her face as she raised an eyebrow at the large wolf. “Down boy, no need to get your tail in a twist.”

Despite his ferocious nature, the wolf nearly blanched at the demanding tone of the stranger. Takara stared at the other girl in surprise, but she gently patted her partner’s head, signaling to him to calm down. Grudgingly, Ginmaru fell back to sit on his hind legs proudly and confidently.

“What do you want from me?” Takara asked, trying to keep her voice strong. But the quiver in her tone could be heard from the lack of energy.

“Well, I was going to be a good sport and bring you to the Leaf Village, but if you’d rather sit here and feel sorry for yourself, that’s good too,” the twelve-year-old shrugged.

“I don’t exactly have money to pay for food, or even a place to stay for that matter,” the elder female replied as she played with the long hair in her ponytail.

The younger girl smirked as she pulled a money bag from the pouch on her hip. “Duh, that’s what you have me for,” she chuckled as she jiggled the bag a little, the sound of coins jingling filling the silence with rich and tempting music. The little pup on the girl’s shoulders even seemed to be smiling with persuasion as she looked at the pair on the ground.

Takara blinked a few times as she contemplated snagging the bag of coins. But she shook her head as her integrity got the best of her. “I’m sorry, I appreciate the gesture, but I can’t take your money.”

The preteen grinned. “Oh please. It’s my dad’s money, and he owes me for dragging me all the way from the Rain Village for a family reunion anyway.”

The teenager’s eyes widened in surprise. “You shouldn’t talk about your dad like that… Family is a very precious part of life…” Takara said, her voice barely audible. Tears brimmed the corners of her eyes as she thought of her recently deceased parents and village.

The young girl hesitated for a brief moment before she shook her head. “Whatever. C’mon, let’s get you something to eat, eh?”

And with that, the twelve-year-old turned around to walk away. Takara and Ginmaru blinked in surprise at the retreating girl’s back. When she noticed that the teen and her hound weren’t following, the blonde turned around and jingled the coin pouch again.

“You know, I don’t offer my dad’s money to just anyone,” she said, her voice emphasizing the temptation of the coins.

With a sigh, Takara picked herself up off the ground, readjusted her cloak, and followed after the blonde. She fell into step beside her, mustering up as much energy as she could to keep moving forward.

“By the way, my name is Takara Inuzuka. This is Ginmaru,” the teen said as she pointed to herself and then gestured to the gray canine beside her. “What’s your name?”

“Name’s Megumi Urufu, and this wolf pup here is Inazuma,” the blonde replied with a grin. Takara nodded with a small smile, and with the introductions done, the group continued toward the Leaf Village.

**********************************************************

Water rushed majestically from the massive waterfall to land cleanly into a sparkling pond just on the outskirts of the Waterfall Village. The lush green grass and the shining water created a serenely quiet atmosphere. The large cliff that contained the river stood on one side of the pond, and trees surrounded the remaining sides of the small lake, leaving just enough room for patches of grass to grow beautifully with nature.

A boy with orange spiky hair sat cross-legged opposite of the waterfall, soaking in the wonderful peace and quiet that he enjoyed so much. A large three-headed demon dog sat to his right, also cherishing the lovely silence. The boy suddenly sighed, breaking the still scene with his intake of breath, as he sensed the presence of his former associates.

Three shadows moved behind the waterfall before slowly bursting through the wall of rushing water. The orange-haired boy opened his eyes to reveal deep brown orbs. He stared at the three figures emerging from behind the waterfall as they approached. The three heads of the dog all growled viciously as they looked at the intruders.

“It’s alright, Cerberus,” the boy said calmly as he patted the dog’s back. The canine instantly fell back on his haunches to sit patiently.

“Wow, now I have to admit,” Kazuki said as he shook his head to rid the water out of his black spiky hair. “It is eerily convenient that you happen to be waiting at the place where we ended up being dropped off.”

“Coincidence is a strange thing,” Rin sighed as she squeezed the water droplets from her long inky hair.

“Or I’m just great with my Water Transportation Jutsu,” Umiko grinned, relishing in the feeling of water on her pale blue skin.

“Hello, Kazuki Uchiha, Rin Takahashi, Umiko Hoshigaki,” the boy on the ground said calmly as he gave a small smile. “What brings you three here after five years?”

“We have a mission, direct order from my father,” Kazuki explained.

“I see…” Yoru said, closing his dark eyes to go back to meditating.

A few minutes passed with only silence filling the air. The three new arrivals were staring at the eighteen-year-old expectantly, but he continued to ignore them with his meditating. The three heads of the demon didn’t even bother sparing another glance at the other humans.

Kazuki’s eyebrow twitched. “Oi! Yoru Saito! Are you going to get up?!”

The three heads of Cerberus growled simultaneously at the interruption of the tranquil atmosphere. Yoru slowly opened his eyes to look up at the Uchiha. “Why do I need to get up?” he asked, his calm voice contrasting with the edgy voice of the other male.

“Because you’re on the mission!” the raven-haired male said exasperatedly. He shook his head in disbelief at the young adult seated before him.

Yoru’s eyes widened in slight surprise. “Oh, well why didn’t you just say that in the beginning? There’s no need to fret over a simple misunderstanding, Kazuki,” he said as he stood up from his spot on the grass. He wiped off the invisible dirt from his gray trench coat and black pants and then readjusted the black wristbands on both of his wrists. He completely missed Kazuki’s glaring green eyes.

In the background, Umiko was cackling loudly, not even trying to hide her shrill laugh. Rin had her hands on her hips, her face in its usual emotionless mask, though Kazuki thought he saw a hint of a smirk on her features.

“Well, I thought when I said ‘We have a mission,’ you would realize that you were included in it,” the immortal boy huffed.

“Oh, well then it is my fault if I mistook the ‘We’ for merely you and the ladies,” Yoru shrugged as he answered with his monotonously calm voice.

Kazuki only sighed with slight frustration. Only Yoru and his extreme calmness could annoy him so much. “Well, grab your things, and let’s get ready to go.”

The eighteen-year-old boy nodded as he picked up his backpack that was perched not too far away. As a traveling loner, he only desired one bag of necessities. The other three humans nodded when Yoru and Cerberus joined the group, and then they all walked off towards the back of the waterfall, where Umiko then prepared their descent back into the ocean.

**********************************************************

“Ah, that ramen was delicious!” Riku sang out as he rubbed his stomach in content.

Kohana giggled as she shook her head in awe at her friend. “I can’t believe you beat your personal record.”

“Yup, ten bowls of ramen. It was the best meal I’ve ever had,” the blonde boy grinned happily.

The pair and the tiger made their way through the crowded streets and onto the stone paths of the park. Only a few other people were walking along these trails, since most individuals had to perform their errands in the busier parts of the village. There were just a few people who received the occasional chances to take the scenic routes.

While Riku babbled on about something or another, Kohana’s crimson eyes roamed across the beautiful forest that settled on either side of the stone trail. A random person every now and then would walk pass the teens and animal. The girl even took note when a brown-haired boy stormed passed them, headed in the other direction. The Sarutobi heiress furrowed her eyebrows as she turned around to look at his retreating back. She noticed his hunched shoulders and pounding feet against the path, two signs of suppressed anger.

“Oh hey, sorry,” Riku’s voice awoke Kohana’s dazed train of thought.

The fifteen-year-old turned around to see her friend apologizing to a raven-haired girl who appeared to be just a bit younger than herself and Riku. The mysterious girl had unnaturally pale skin that clung to her bones, showing her skinny form. Her long black hair reached well passed her back.

“Did you just touch me?” the younger girl growled at the boy. The yellow slits she had for eyes glared dangerously up into the pale orbs of the Hyuuga.

Riku blinked in surprise at the venom sewed into the girl’s voice. The purple snake nestled around her shoulders enhanced the poisonous aura of the serpentine girl as it hissed viciously.

“Uh… sorry?” the boy replied nervously as he took a step back in surprise. He glanced away nervously, afraid of the venomous eyes of the younger teen.

Karasu, however, saw his fear of keeping eye contact as a sign of weakness. She did not tolerate weakness. It was pathetic in her eyes, and those who had no backbone did not deserve to remain in her presence.

The fourteen-year-old girl reached to grasp something fitted into her belt, and Kohana’s eyes widened as she saw the glint of silver metal. From beside her, Shiro roared ferociously. The raven-haired snarled in return, and she raised her knife to strike the white tiger.

Kohana screamed in surprise, and Riku’s mouth fell open in a silent yell. The two moved to stop the girl from wielding the blade, and the tiger crouched to the ground, prepared to lunge at the serpent mistress…

When the sound of metal clashing against metal stopped everyone.

Everyone’s eyes darted to the side to see a brown-haired boy with matching brown eyes holding a sword in front of Karasu’s knife. The boy seemed surprise with himself for interfering, but his grip on his sword’s hilt did not slacken. In the distance, another black-haired girl could be seen running up behind the sword wielder. Her light blue eyes were wide with confusion as she came to stand behind her companion in support.

“What the hell is going on here?!” she screamed in shock as she stared between her traveling companion, the bloodthirsty girl, the previous victims, and then back again.

“Yeah, I’d kind of like to know too!” Riku yelled as he waved his arms around in bewilderment.

A sudden blur moved quickly from behind the source of the chaos. The angry boy that Kohana had seen earlier walking by was suddenly pulling the snake girl away from the group. His dark eyes were glowering down at her in disbelief and anger.

“Are you freaking serious, Karasu?!” the boy yelled. “Even when I give you the cold shoulder, you find some way to get me involved!”

“What made you think it was okay to lay your hand on me a second time?” Karasu hissed out severely. “And is it really my fault that you have taken it upon yourself to involve yourself in my business?”

“I promised the guards I’d keep an eye on you!” Shin scolded. “So help me, if you get me kicked out of this village on the first day-”

“Are you threatening me?” the serpentine female asked, narrowing her golden slits dangerously.

The other four teens were staring in shock at the arguing pair. They almost seemed like brother and sister, arguing incessantly about any and everything.

Almost.

Shin and Karasu almost seemed like a sibling pair. However, the boy seemed too distressed and angry with the girl to even consider her family. And the female definitely seemed too spiteful to even let this boy be considered close to her.

“I may have tolerated you tagging along for our little journey,” Karasu growled as she held up her blade to Shin’s face, “but don’t think for a second that I won’t hesitate to slit your throat and pierce your heart.”

“Hey!” another voice interrupted from a distance.

A girl wearing a black and green mini kimono ran up to the group, a white stag following behind. There was a second girl following, though she seemed to keep her distance, not wanting to get involved with the fray. The first girl had long deep brown hair with hazel eyes to compliment them. The second girl had blonde hair tied into a high ponytail with green crystals for eyes. She was wearing a camouflage vest, a skirt with black shorts, and a long colored scarf.

“You should watch what you say around here,” the brown-haired girl said. “Threatening others is not something that is particularly welcomed here.”

Karasu sneered at the new arrivals, and she expertly twirled her knife in her right hand as she looked the other girl up and down. “You’re really going to order me around?”

“Just put the blade away,” Kaoru sighed. “This is a public place. Have some consideration for others. Not everyone wants to see weapons being thrown around.”

Riku gawked at the green-eyed girl’s words. “Really? You’re more concerned with how others will feel about this? You obviously didn’t see this devil try to attack me!”

The serpent girl smirked as she pointed her knife towards the blonde boy. “Would you like to try calling me more names, Blondie?”

The Hyuuga boy couldn’t help the light tint of pink that brushed his tan cheeks. “Why you…”

Kohana quickly placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Riku, it’s alright.” Said boy grudgingly relaxed, though his pale orbs stayed hardened as he glared at Karasu.

“Can we all seriously just take a breather?!” Amaya shrieked as she glanced between everyone.

“What exactly happened?” Yuu asked, his voice much calmer than his partner’s.

“You all really should mind your own business,” Karasu said, glaring at each person before her gold eyes landed on Riku. “The only issue here is that someone wasn’t watching where he was going.”

“Listen, we all need to just calm down,” Yuna said gently.

“Or you all can just stay out of my way,” the serpentine mistress said as she took a threatening step forward, towards the other members of the group. Shin looked like he was going to make a move to stop her, but he decided against it, as he seemed fed up with dealing with his traveling partner.

Kumade took a step in front of his owner and new friend, standing protectively and majestically in front of the two girls. Salyzar, still seated on his master’s shoulder, hissed loudly at the stag, the purple venom dripping from his fangs. Shiro growled ferociously as he stepped in front of Kohana and Riku, his large white teeth glinting in the light.

The battle between the animals was interrupted with an unexpected blood-curdling snarl. A gray blur appeared just a few feet from the group, feral fangs flashing fiercely. Both humans and creatures turned to look at the vicious silver wolf as it continued to growl, coal eyes piercing into everyone’s minds.

“Ginmaru!” Takara exclaimed, surprised at her wolf for jumping into a fracas so quickly. She and Megumi rapidly ran up to join the group.

“What’s this?” Shin asked, slightly annoyed at another person joining into the quarrel.

The raven-haired girl bit her lower lip in nervousness as she fell to her knees to wrap her arms around her wolf’s neck. “Uh… sorry to interrupt… Ginmaru tends to be protective when he feels there’s some kind of threat nearby…”

A moment of silence fell amongst the group. Each of the teens glanced at each other nervously, the uncomfortable silence suddenly filling the air. The animals slowly recoiled from the defensive stances. The teens hesitantly relaxed as they glanced at the other members of the crowd, silently agreeing to end this squabble. Yuu sheathed his sword, somewhat glad to have his weapon safe in its case. With her head held defiantly high, Karasu put her knife back into her pouch on her belt. With the weapons away and the animals settled down, the adolescents all glanced at each other, wondering what on earth had just happened and why everything was resolved so quickly.

The fight had erupted spontaneously, and it somehow brought these strangers together just to end up awkwardly standing in the middle of the path. Nine of the ten teenagers looked at each other nervously, afraid to make the first move or speak the first word.

The remaining person, however, smiled at the great convenience of the meeting. “Wow, that was amazingly easy getting these guys together,” she inwardly praised the universe. “So, introductions seem to be in order then, eh?”

**********************************************************

Deep inside the Mountain Country, a dark cavern was settled amidst one of the many mountain ranges that made up the area. Inside this cave, a secret cult of scientists scurried about, performing tests and running experiments.

Two men stood out amongst the group of scientists, as they were not wearing the same white lab coats that the members of the medical group were donning. One of these men earned the respect of each scientist as he walked by; the medical experts took the time to turn away from their projects to bow respectfully to their ultimate leader.

Madara ignored them all as he made his way through the many labs that resided inside the mountain. Zetsu followed closely behind his master, remaining only two feet behind as they continued walking.

Finally, the Uchiha and his subordinate made it to their destination. A large metal door stood at the end of one of the labs. The words, HUMAN PROJECTS, were written in bolded letters just to the side of the door, right next to the handle. Madara turned the steel handle of the door and entered inside, the plant man following.

Inside was a large room made of all metal. Several tables were placed against the left side of the room right up against the wall. Tubes, vials, and beakers were spread across each blacktop of the tables, a different colored liquid in each glass container. The other walls were lined with strong iron doors. Each door had a small barred window that was used for observation of whatever lay beyond the door. There were probably about ten doors on each wall, and several noises could be heard coming from them, creating a chorus of groans and screeches.

A single man stood in this room; he was leaned against one of the tables with a folder in his hand. He jotted something down into the file in pencil before laying it aside. He looked up at his guests, and he smiled. He appeared to be in his mid-forties, as a few wrinkles could be seen around his face. His black hair fell only slightly to cover his rectangular-shaped glasses. His white lab coat was the same as the other members of the organization, and he wore a black shirt and black pants underneath.

He adjusted his glasses as he approached the two arrivals. “Lord Madara, Zetsu, it is always a pleasure,” the man said.

“Kioshi,” the Uchiha smiled in return. “I have an important assignment for you. It is something that I must entrust to you, as you are the only one I believe is eligible for this matter.”

“Well, that is why you placed me in charge of the Saviors, my lord,” the man named Kioshi smirked cockily. “What is it you require?”

“First off, I think I would like to borrow one of your experiments. One that would meet my highest expectations as a proper minion to assist my son on his mission,” the immortal man said.

“Hmm…” Kioshi said as he fingered his chin in interest. “I have many experiments, all of which have different abilities and purposes. Each is a masterpiece that I myself have created. But I think I have just the right girl for you.”

“Good,” Madara nodded. “Now, as for you, I’m going to have to ask you put all of your current experiments on hold.”

The glasses-wearing man smiled in interest. “Ah, this sounds important.”

“Indeed,” the Uchiha said. “There is… a strange phenomenon that is occurring. My Infinite Tsukuyomi is crumbling.”

Kioshi furrowed his eyebrows as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Do you know the cause?”

“No, but that is what I have you for,” Madara smirked. “As we speak, my children are locating these individuals and keeping close watch on them. Kazuki and his spies are working to destroy them. But I think you would find a much better purpose for them.”

The younger man smiled in slightly contained excitement. “You are allowing me to perform tests on these specific persons?”

“Yes,” the immortal nodded. “If possible, find out how they broke the genjutsu. You may conduct as many projects as you need on them to find out how they did it. Once I have my results, you may do whatever you wish with them. Just don’t go easy on them.”

Kioshi smirked. “Do not worry, Lord Madara. The deaths of today are needed to save the lives of tomorrow.” He cuffed the collar of his white lab coat triumphantly as he turned around to head to a specific metal door. “Now, how about I introduce you to your new minion?”

“I’d love to meet her,” Madara smiled.

The scientist slowly opened the door to reveal a dark and dingy cell. A long pole that reached to the ceiling was kept in the left corner on the other side of the small room. A ratty blanket was placed beside the pole. The cell stunk of poor hygiene and ill-kept conditions.

Huddled in the corner, a figure was seated in the corner. The shadows of the room kept the others from seeing the person clearly. “Naomi,” Kioshi called out. “Come here. I have two people who wish to meet you.”

The figure in the corner perked up at her name. She turned around and crawled on all fours towards the door. Madara’s eyebrow rose with interest at the person before him. Although, ‘person’ seemed like an inaccurate term to be used.

The girl appeared to be in her early twenties. Her more outstanding features were the wings sprouting from her back and the horns protruding from her temples. The horn coming out of the right side of her head was broken. Her right eye was covered with a bandage while her left eye was gazing dazedly about, its yellow color shining brightly in the dark cell. Where her hands should have been, sharp claws were there instead. Her skin appeared gray, whether it was due to the darkness or ill hygiene, the two Akatsuki members couldn’t be sure. Her hair had the faint appearance of what was once a honey blonde color, but it was now greasy and filthy. Her body was skinny to the point of ill-health; her bones were nearly poking out of her dirty skin. The clothes that she was wearing were torn and ripped, just barely covering her body.

“This is Iriai no Naomi,” Kioshi said proudly. “She is the Saviors’ greatest human experiment.”

The black half of Zetsu scowled. “If she is such a success, why is she kept in such terrible conditions? And what’s more, she looks like she hasn’t been decently taken care of in years.”

The medic glared at the man in the Venus fly trap. “Our human experiments must go through a series of tests and trainings to get to where they are. If they fail, they die. If they pass, they live. After that, they have the luxury of being given a place to live and food to eat. The Saviors do not sugarcoat anything. If they can survive in the conditions we put them through, then they are masterpieces.”

“Well, if as you say is true, then I request her for this mission,” Madara said.

The scientist nodded as he turned back to the girl. “Naomi, this is Lord Madara Uchiha and his friend, Zetsu,” Kioshi said slowly so that the creature on the floor would clearly understand him. “They have come all the way here to ask you a favor.”

The female clicked her tongue in what sounded like annoyance, but the dazed state on her face kept the men from knowing exactly what she was feeling. “Naomi wonders why Master Kioshi does not take the time to introduce her best friend. It is not very polite that her friend is not mentioned.” Her voice was scratchy and somewhat hoarse. Even when she spoke in third person, she didn’t sound as if she was speaking to anyone in the room. She almost sounded as if she was narrating a story.

“Oh, how rude of me,” the scientist chuckled. “I forgot to introduce you to Naomi’s best friend, Hamtaro.”

A little apricot-colored blur appeared from the matted mop that was Naomi’s ill-kept hair. The little hamster cocked his head at the appearance of visitors, but he merely went back to fidgeting with his tiny paws. Naomi gently cuddled with the little ball of fur with both hands, petting him with her index finger.

“It is nice to meet you, Iriai no Naomi,” Madara said politely as he took a step forward. He made a move to hold his hand out to her to shake, but he quickly declined that, as he wondered if the girl would even understand what that meant.

Naomi looked at Madara’s face and then turned to stare at the metal wall. She continued to pet Hamtaro’s fur as she spoke. “Naomi is happy to meet Lord Madara. She has heard so many good things. Naomi wonders why he pays interest in herself and her hamster.”

“Well, as Kioshi says, I have an interesting favor to ask of you,” Madara said. “Could you help me?”

The girl tilted her head as she looked to her hamster for confirmation. “What do you think, Hamtaro? Should I help Lord Madara?” The little creature in her palms squirmed a bit before scratching her fingers lightly. “Okay, I understand.” The bat-like creature turned back to face the three men in the doorway. “Naomi only wishes to make her masters happy. She is glad to receive such a nice chance.”

Madara smirked down at her. “I like your response, Naomi.” He looked to his left to see a confident Kioshi smirking cockily. “I’ll take her. Send her to Kazuki and his team.”

The trees in the park whistled lightly as the breeze rustled the green leaves effortlessly. The sun was reaching its peak as it slithered into the light blue sky. Clouds drifted gently against the azure blanket, fluffy white puffballs painted on a bright cobalt ceiling. The stone path trailed through the tall brown and green trees, weaving in and out of the dense forestation.

The normally peaceful nature trail usually had a few people strolling along it so as to enjoy the natural and tranquil part of Konohagakure. However, no else seemed to be on this path except for the mass of teenagers that continued to stare amongst themselves.

For the longest moment, no one broke the dreadful silence. Everyone shared awkward stares and uncomfortable glimpses, trying to fathom what had just happened between them. Only a few minutes before, a near war had almost erupted between the teenagers and animals. Now there was just discomfited quietness.

Megumi seemed to be the only one who was not at all uncomfortable. In fact, she seemed unnaturally pleased with the outcome of the spontaneous meeting. A spark of devious delight flickered in her hazel-green eyes, or at least that’s what Takara thought she saw as she glanced at her new companion.

With a deliberately obnoxious cough, the other blonde girl of the group caught the attention of the surrounding adolescents. “So…” she began awkwardly, “does anyone want to give their name first?”

“It’s usually polite to give your name before asking for another’s,” the serpentine princess shot back. Her slit eyes gazed over to the young girl with the golden puppy on her shoulder. “That goes for you too. And you should wipe that smile off your face, because I have no problem with slicing it off,” she added as she fingered the blade nestled in her belt.

Megumi remained unaffected by the threats of the fourteen-year-old, though a cold expression replaced the triumphant smirk upon her face.

“Oh, for the love of…” the pale-eyed golden-haired boy uttered in exasperation as he stepped forward. “My name is Riku Hyuuga.”

The crimson-eyed girl watched her best friend warily before she smiled, admiring his spunk. She absentmindedly patted her tiger’s striped head, as if she was able to draw encouragement from her animal companion. “I am Kohana. Kohana Sarutobi.” With a small gesture towards her animal companion, she added, “And this is Shiro.”

The overgrown feline let loose a throaty rumble, causing the other animals of the group to stiffen reflexively. The white-coated herbivore seemed to be frightened the most, his chocolate brown eyes remaining fixedly on the striped beast. The stag’s mistress gently patted a spot behind its small ears, calming the creature down until he loosened his muscles.

“I’m Yuna Nara,” the brown-haired girl said without looking at the others. Her rich hazel eyes stayed locked to her deer’s, making sure he did not scare again. “And this is my friend, Kumade. Please be wary of him, he can frighten easily or be defensive in the blink of an eye.”

“And I’m Kaoru Shoten,” the green-eyed blonde murmured. She waved a hand in Yuna’s direction, glancing around between the other teenagers. “I’m… with her, I guess. I’m not really from here.”

“My name is Yuu Terumi,” the brown-haired brown-eyed boy said. His hand twitched anxiously as he looked around at the others. Takara wondered if he was preparing himself to grab his sheathed sword in case anyone attempted another attack.

“Amaya Watanabe,” the raven-haired girl beside Yuu uttered. She shrugged a shoulder towards him. “We’re from the Mist Village, here for an assignment.”

“I’m Shin Miyazaki, from the Rain Village,” the other brown-haired boy said. His grumpy attitude seemed to have dissipated, though the awkwardness of the situation seemed to be bearing down on him like it was with everyone else.

He took a small glance towards the sinister girl beside him, and with an intentionally loud cough, he caught her attention, albeit a fleeting yet evil sort of glimpse. “My name is Karasu Itami Shi from the Sound Village. This is my snake, Salyzar. If you anger either of us, you will pay the consequences. That is all you will ever know about me,” she hissed.

Takara silently gulped; she assumed at least a few of the others felt just as scared as she did, for a couple people took nervous steps away from the fourteen-year-old.

“I’m Megumi Urufu,” the youngest person of the spontaneous cluster of people announced proudly, jerking a thumb in her direction. Her curly dirty blond hair swept around her shoulders as she twisted her hand around to point to the yellow puppy on her shoulder. “This is Inazuma.”

A moment of silence passed amongst them, though the former inhabitant of the Blizzard Country just stared at the stony path they stood on. After a few seconds, she realized that the quietness was in anticipation of her introduction.

“Oh! Um… I’m Takara Inuzuka,” she whispered, barely audible amongst the large cluster of adolescents. She nervously petted her gray pet’s rough coat, seemingly drawing his courage into herself. “This is my best friend, Ginmaru. We’re from the Snow Village.” The final words made her choke, fresh tears pushing at the edges of her eyes. The wolf beside her felt her sadness, and he pushed his head under her hand in comfort. “Or… what was the Snow Village…”

This caught the attention of many of the other young adults. “What do you mean?” Yuu asked in bewilderment.

“There… Mount Hoshi… There was an avalanche, and…” Takara trailed off in the end; she didn’t want to discuss this, especially with a bunch of strangers. There was no need to continue anyway. Everyone was able to finish the sentence on their own.

Kohana stepped forward, her bluish black hair swaying ever so slightly. The sky blue ribbon in her hair stood out shockingly against her dark hair, though her crimson-colored eyes were the most stunning feature about her as she came towards Takara. Hesitantly yet comfortingly, she rested a hand on the other girl’s shoulder, giving a kind smile.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” the tiger mistress said quietly.

Takara was only able to muster a shrug in acknowledgement that she accepted the condolences, but the gentle words didn’t make the pain go away or push back the tears that threatened to slide down her fair-skinned face.

“Why do people always apologize when it wasn’t their fault?” Karasu jeered loudly, sending a scornful look in the direction of the two older girls.

The depressed female didn’t really react, though mostly because she hadn’t heard her. Kohana’s face portrayed what could only be disappointment as she looked to the sadistic child, slowly removing her hand from Takara’s shoulder. A few of the other group members – the Konoha residents, the wolf owner noted – sent surprised stares toward the serpentine girl. Shin merely rolled his eyes.

“Please ignore her,” he said with a tired sigh. “She has no social skills.” This earned a silent yet deadly glare from the young she-devil.

“The rest of us are still sorry for what happened to you,” Yuna remarked, giving an empathetic bob of her head as she looked to Takara.

The nods of agreement and murmurs of comfort only made the ex-Snow Village inhabitant blush at the sudden attention. The worst part was that the notices she was receiving were not out of care or friendship but out of pity. A pack of strangers was showering her with unwanted pity. That thought nearly made Takara scurry away and bury herself in a hole.

Seeming to not notice how uncomfortable the girl was from all the stares, the group continued to shower her with condolences and words of comfort. “So… no one else survived?” Kaoru asked.

“No…” Takara shook her head.

Riku frowned at this. “How come there was no news of this?”

“Blizzard Country isn’t exactly up to date with communication with the other nations,” Amaya interrupted with a mild roll of her eyes.

Yuu’s eyebrow quirked in contemplation; the solemn topic seemed to have ceased the itching in his fingers to grab for the blade strapped to his back. “I’ve never even heard of there being an avalanche around Mount Hoshi. I thought that area was considered safe.”

“That mountain is as old as time,” Yuna stated as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Everything crumbles with age at some point.”

The raven-haired fifteen-year-old shrugged, just hoping that the conversation would steer away from her. “I suppose.”

“Or,” Megumi began, “we could call it fate.”

Everyone immediately turned to the youngest person of the group. A couple people blinked in surprise while others furrowed their brows in confusion.

“What do you mean by that?” Yuu asked. “Fate, as in destiny?”

“There’s no such thing,” Karasu instantly snapped, crossing her slender arms over her chest.

Kohana frowned at the other girl’s attitude. “Let Megumi believe what she wants to believe in,” she remarked, though she did cast bewildered crimson eyes over to the blonde. “Do you wish to explain what you mean by this?”

The little girl scoffed as she twirled a lock of her bouncy blonde hair. “You guys really think that this big meeting,” she said as she gestured around her to indicate the semicircle that was slowly forming around her, “was an accident?”

“Coincidence,” Shin sighed, shaking his head in disbelief at the occurring conversation.

Megumi laughed at this, a witch-like cackle that made Takara shiver. No one else seemed to take notice of the girl’s sinister snickering. “You guys will want to trust me on this one: coincidences do not exist.”

“So you believe that things are predestined for everyone?” Kaoru asked, doubt lacing her disbelieving tone.

The girl with the puppy on her shoulder shrugged, causing little Inazuma to twist about in an attempt to get more comfortable upon her perch. “I know that they are.”

“That’s a pretty big claim for something as small as a chance meeting,” Yuna said, absentmindedly petting her white stag behind the constantly flicking ears.

Megumi rolled her hazel-green eyes in what appeared to be exasperation. “You lot really don’t know anything, do you?”

Takara stiffened at the other girl’s tone. There seemed to be something underlying her words. Knowledge, maybe? Frustration, of course, but what was hidden underneath it? What Megumi was saying sounded like something an old woman would be chastising her grandchildren for not knowing.

“Megumi,” the wolf girl began cautiously, “what are you talking about?”

The blonde twelve-year-old blinked, the formerly agitated look disappearing. For the first time since Takara had seen her only hours before, the young girl looked genuinely confused and even surprised.

“So you all… don’t know?” Megumi inquired, confusion clear in her voice as the superior tone quickly dissipated.

The previous Snow Villager felt her muscles contract and tense at these words. She didn’t know what she was supposed to expect her previous traveling companion to say next, but she knew it was going to be an awful shock that would flip her world upside down again.

With an absentminded scratch of the back of her golden head, the preteen glanced to her shiningly yellow pup. “Inazuma,” she whispered, though her voice was still loud enough for the others to hear her. “Grow.”

The puppy leaped from her mistress’s shoulder, a feral look suddenly appearing on her young and cute face. Electricity began to spark around her paws the moment she touched the stone ground. Striking an elegant yet beastly pose, the golden canine began to shift. The lightning ran up her legs and coursed around her body, visible sparks surrounding the yellow fur. The teenagers watched as the limbs and bones of the dog stretched and expanded into a larger and more muscled creature. Within seconds, the little pup was a full grown wolf the same size as the gray Ginmaru.

Takara gawked at the phenomenon she had just seen. Her brown orbs blinked repeatedly, trying to make the image of the adult golden wolf go away. Because there was no way it could really be there.

A side glance toward the other members of the group told her that Inazuma was really there as a large beast and not a little puppy like she was minutes before.

“What… What…” Takara stammered out. Her mind strangely began thinking of her own wolf companion. She hadn’t felt this surprised since she first heard Ginmaru speak to her in her mind. Was this the same thing? Was this some type of magic ability that wolves seemed to have? It didn’t make sense.

Megumi held up her hand to halt Takara from asking anything further, and her stern hazel gaze told the others that they could not inquire anything either.

“You all don’t know about this,” the twelve-year-old spoke. Her voice had taken on that wiser and older tone once again, and it made Takara shiver. “But there is a special energy that runs through your veins. It is like your life source. It’s called chakra.”

**********************************************************

Brown and green meshed together into murals of colors. Wind picked up around the group as their speed threatened to outdo the quick breeze. The rhythmic noise of their feet landing and pushing off the sturdy branches was the only sound that echoed through the dense forest.

Kazuki, with Ushiro nestled on his shoulder, led the team, setting the rapid pace towards Konohagakure. Rin and Umiko were on either side of him, just a few feet behind. Yoru and Cerberus brought up the rear, keeping watchful eyes on the squad as well as the surrounding forest.

The team had remained silent during their entire journey. Now that the spies were assembled, the time for friendly greetings had passed. The seriousness of the situation had finally settled in, and their deadly auras seeped through with each step they took towards the Leaf Village.

The Uchiha’s green eyes were settled straight ahead, but they reflexively turned to the corners of their sockets when Cerberus’s low growling interrupted the silence.

“Someone is following us,” the orange-haired boy whispered. There was no urgency in his voice, only the calming tone he always had.

The squad leader nodded once as he pushed off a tree branch. Instead of continuing to sail through the mountainous trees, he swooped towards the ground, the other team members following. After landing in swift crouches, the group slowly stood to their full heights, looking around the woodsy area cautiously.

The soft rustling of leaves and an almost inaudible thud of a tree arm made the four teenagers simultaneously turn around to look above them. A dark shadow was crawling along the branch Kazuki had occupied only seconds before. The figure paced back and forth, and with his Sharingan activated, the Uchiha boy could just make out a glowing yellow eye staring at the group below.

“Ready yourselves,” Kazuki ordered. The team responded at his command, slipping into battle-ready stances at the same time.

The shadow lurking above in the trees froze for a moment as it watched the shinobi prepare for a fight. With quick and sharp reflexes, the figure leaped to the ground, landing on its hands and feet.

Kazuki warily eyed the stranger; he couldn’t make out the foreigner’s face, for it was still concealed in shadows. He slowly took a step forward, and his emerald eyes widened. What he had thought was the darkness produced from the forest’s shadows were actually black bat wings shielding the figure’s face. The stranger slowly curled her wings so that they rested against her side, revealing a pale-gray face. Honey blonde hair was matted to the girl’s sunken face, and two horns protruded from her temples. One horn was broken, and a bandage acted as an eye patch over one of her yellow slits. Her greasy and filthy body was unhealthily thin, her bones poking against her grotesque skin.

The Uchiha’s eyes widened as he stumbled away from the monster. “Is this thing even human?” he whispered to his team, glancing at them nervously for assistance.

“She is,” Yoru said, narrowing his eyes skeptically at the creature before them. The red teardrop tattoo beneath his left eye wrinkled as he scrunched his face in thought, trying to figure out what it was they were staring at.

The strange girl looked up to the others with a curious golden eye. Her head tilted to the side in wonder as she took in the group gawking at her. “Hmm,” she hummed to herself. “Master Kazuki is just as handsome as his father, Master Madara.”

If the raven-haired boy had been shocked before, he was lightning-struck now. His mouth fell open in a large gaping O-shape. Umiko, standing beside him, burst out into a fit of roaring laughter, which made him blush ever so slightly.

“How the heck do you know my father?” Kazuki asked accusingly. “Who are you?”

“Master Madara and Master Kioshi sent Iriai no Naomi and her best friend, Hamtaro, to assist Master Kazuki and his friends,” the girl said airily.

“Kioshi?” Kazuki repeated, tasting the name on his lips. Who was that again?

Rin moaned in what sounded like admiration. “Kioshi of the Saviors, huh? His work really is splendid.”

The Uchiha child turned to the raven-haired blood user in surprise. His eyebrows furrowed together as he crossed his arms over his chest in a reprimanding manner. “You have the hots for the Saviors founder? He’s, like, forty!”

“And you are 117, so I fail to see your point,” the Takahashi snapped, glaring with her crimson-colored orbs.

“At least I look your age,” Kazuki pouted. Ushiro, sitting upon his master’s shoulders, began shaking in what the Uchiha could only presume was kitten amusement. The fact that his tiger was laughing at him only made him flush with anger.

Umiko erupted with laughter, doubling over to clutch her gut as her needle-sharp teeth bared themselves to the group. “Seems like Kazuki is jealous.” The team leader rapidly whipped around to glower at the blue-skinned girl, which only made her cackle even louder. “Do not feel so bad, Kazuki. Kioshi is legendary for his work. You are just a boy with cool eyes.”

The black-haired boy gritted his teeth at this, and his fists clenched by his sides. “I am the son of Madara Uchiha. Do not underestimate me.”

Yoru took a step forward, and for a moment, Kazuki thought the other boy was going to continue to argue against him. However, the young adult merely walked over to where the crouching science project was staring curiously at the group of shinobi. The three-headed canine sat beside his master, warily staring at the bat-like girl with six pairs of cautious eyes.

“You mentioned someone named Hamtaro,” the orange-haired boy said as he knelt down so that he was eye level with the gray-skinned creature. “Does that mean Kioshi sent others with you?”

Naomi tilted her head to the side in wonder as she looked at Yoru. Her one golden eye was fixed on the red teardrop-shaped tattoo that trickled down his left eye. She pointed a withered talon-like finger at the marking. “Such a pretty design.”

With a simple nod of his head, Yoru smiled pleasantly at the deformed girl. “Thank you,” he replied politely. “So, who is Hamtaro?”

The bat girl blinked in surprise before perking up instantly. “Oh, yes! Hamtaro is Naomi’s best friend!”

She shrugged her right shoulder gently, and a little apricot-colored fur ball emerged from beneath her mess of sweaty dirty hair. Beady black eyes looked over the strangers with interest before squeaking several times into his mistress’s ear.

“Hamtaro, these are the people Master Kioshi wanted us to help,” Naomi said, gesturing a grayish hand toward the four ninja. The little hamster piped again, though this time a bit more aggravated. “No, I do not know their names yet.” The blond girl turned back to dazedly stare at the shinobi again, her yellow eye seeming to not really focus on the people before her. “Who is it that Master Kioshi sent Naomi and Hamtaro to assist?”

Kazuki grimaced under the gaze of the strange female before him, and with a disgusted gulp, he gestured to each person of his team as he said their names. “Kazuki Uchiha and Ushiro, Rin Takahashi, Umiko Hoshigaki, and Yoru Saito.”

“Iriai no Naomi and Hamtaro are ready to help, Master Kazuki,” the science creature said as she gave a bow, which was exceptionally low since she was already crouching close to the dirt.

The respect that Kioshi’s experiment was showing brightened the tiger user’s mood, especially since he was still a bit offended by Rin’s admiration of the Saviors’ leader. “Cool,” the boy smirked. “Welcome to the team.”

“Thank you,” Naomi smiled dazedly. She inched closer to the squad leader, crawling on all fours. When she was crouched by Kazuki’s feet, she stood up to half her height, which only reached to about the immortal boy’s chest. She sent him an airy smile as her fingers began to play with the material of his shirt. “Naomi is happy to be apart of the handsome Kazuki Uchiha’s team.”

Green eyes widened in fright as the century-year-old male squirmed out of the girl’s talons. Shivers tickled him where her fingers had touched him. “Yoru, you can watch over Naomi, got it?”

The spiky-haired eighteen-year-old smiled. “Of course.”

Naomi initially seemed upset that the team chief had wriggled away from her, but Cerberus’s middle head gently licked her fingers to gain her attention. The experiment squealed in glee as she knelt to play with the ‘puppy’, as she insisted on calling the terrifying canine.

With a sigh, Kazuki turned around to face the direction in which his squad had originally been heading. “Alright team, let’s get back on track. To the Leaf Village.”

Nods of assent went around the group as the cluster of unlikely companions flew into the trees.