Mission 5: Approach of the Nine Tails

Kyuubi…

The scene lay out in front of her, as if spawned right from the pages of an ancient book. It seemed surreal in some sort of way. From where she was standing on the rooftop, she was honestly lost for words, unable to believe that that thing was indeed right before her eyes. It was magnificent, even when she gazed at the hunched back of the demon; its nine tails swaying and swishing excitedly behind it. She could clearly see it. With glaring eyes and perked up ears it snarled, its fur stood up as it continued its unwelcome entry into Konoha. For a moment, she was astonished the see the Kyuubi, the strongest out of all known bijuu in existence.

It was real. The short stories she heard about it became real in front of here eyes. Although her mother’s version of the Kyuubi story when she was young were full of warmth and fulfilled wishes and luck, the demon Kumiko was staring at today proved to be the opposite. It seemed angered; enraged with everything it is seeing. It didn’t come to pay Konoha a warm greeting or to hear wishes and sappy stories. Whatever the reason why the demon was here was still obviously unknown but it could only mean bad things: chaos, destruction. The overwhelming feeling was soon swept away as the dark night was tinted with orange light, flames licking their way up to the sky as it devoured structures and residences.

Fire had swept a part of the village. Panic and shock were in the people’s faces she saw down the streets. The terror that the Kyuubi had created was still creeping into the villagers’ hearts. The amazement she felt earlier quickly disappeared and she rushed back down from her apartment, trying to compose herself and shut her hearing from the rowdy small crowd forming in the streets below the apartment building.

Chaos had erupted. And she wouldn’t want to be part of the panicking group. Composing herself, she got into her apartment and fished her weapon pouch from the top of the dresser in the bedroom. She scanned the contents, a bit satisfied with what she saw. Her hands pulled the lower drawer and pulled her Fuujin out, placing it around her right arm. Although it was a small weapon, she had a feeling she might need it and that it might come in handy. Quickly strapping it around her right leg, Kumiko moved towards the door quickly.

She was expecting the messenger any time soon. Sooner, she hoped. She started preparing herself with where and whom she’s supposed to work with. The Hyuuga moved her way towards the balcony, peeking down at the packed street. Instinctively, she wouldn’t have waited for the official word from Yondaime and just rush to where help would seem most needed.

But patiently, she stood there and tilted her eyes back at the forming cloud of black smoke rising up to the sky and the flames glowing redder and higher with each passing minute. It was the most sensible thing to do besides rushing anywhere when someone might be looking for her. It’ll all add up to more chaos. The one thing the village needs is a group of strong and collected shinobi who would guide them, protect them and see to it the Kyuubi won’t cause more terror and havoc in their village.

Turning her head sideways, she finally straightened up and stared at the messenger who had just sprung inside the apartment’s balcony. Looking closer at him still, his face was washed with perspiration. Amidst the buzzing sounds of shouts, Kumiko watched him speak; trying to hear clearly what it was she’s supposed to do. She wasn’t drafted into the helping groups and teams but rather at a very close proximity to the Kyuubi. His last words, after he said where the place to meet her other teammates was, made her repeat them in disbelief.

“Slow the Kyuubi down?”

For a monster that size, she and her other comrades will be treated like ants. She could feel the demon’s paws trampling over her again and again as she poked it with her kunai and senbon without doing anything much of a damage. Yes, for her it seemed weird and almost impossible.

She was answered by the messenger with a quick nod, followed by a couple of papers sandwiched inside a folder being pushed to her. Without another word or even a goodbye, the messenger was off again as quickly as he came. Opening the folder and flipping the pages of info with her fingers Kumiko scanned them quickly and thoroughly trying to remember the faces on the photos and their names. Even a quick glimpse their skills should sufficed as she tossed the folder and took the papers and folding it messily by four before stuffing it in her back pocket.

Wasting no more time, Kumiko finally moved and took her steps at the rooftops since there was no way she was going to move fast in a river of crowded people. She ran faster, her eyes still fixated on that big orange tuft of fox raging in Konoha.

She would see the other ninjas she’ll be working with just close to the Kyuubi. They wouldn’t be that hard to find, seeing that there’re probably not that many trying to stand close to it. With her mind still wondering how the hell they’re supposed to slow the Kyuubi down, Kumiko sighed and run quicker on the rooftops, jumping to and fro from the top of other houses as she made her way closer to the bijuu.

Whatever they’ll be planning when the team finally meets, it better be big enough to hold that large fox down.

Something ominous chases the young Trent through out his dreams. The dark realm covering his blind eyes begins to boil red. The surrounding air begins to bubble and brew as if he were trapped in water the entire time. His run slows no matter how hard he pushes and soon enough he finds the smothering air too thick to breath. The heat becomes stiflingly more bogged down with sticky humidity the longer it continues. His endurance wears out and his body falls to the ground to find it is indeed a thick, gelatinous liquid that, despite the boiling bubbles, does not burn. Down in the depths of this sea he somehow stands on lies a creature; shadowed over and running rampant through out the ocean. One of Trent's worst fears is the creatures living down in the murky depths of dark waters. It's passing motions fill him with a dread far different, far more paralyzing, far more disturbing than that of anything he has ever encountered.

He lifts himself up to try to run away only to find that the sea holds him in place. He pulls harder and harder, even trying to free his hands to perform a jutsu but it's all in vain as the ocean begins to swallow the Hellious. Down and down he plunges into the dimly red light liquid where the sea beast roam. Ember eyes burn through the ocean but show no other emotion than the intent to kill. A horrid feeling of malice and destruction. The eyes of a demented psychopath pleasurably trapped within the body of a beast. The boy reaches into himself just as he would in the real world for his chakra but none comes. Even the slightest bit would offer him some kind of hope but not a drop or spark or string comes to him. Saliva covered teeth extend out from the gaping jaws of this beast. Crimson stains fill the flaws in the bones as a sign of the countless victims this creature has feasted on. The smell of a thousand corpses run through the sea until crossing over Trent like a plague. Until the very end he pulls for that chakra, every instant before the teeth clamp down on his body he tries to fight in vain.

More alarming than waking from that nightmare is the crimson hue creating a horizon in his blind world. He can smell it in the air, panic. Tiny clouds of pale blue chakra run about all over the hospital and the village below. Just how long has he been out? The last thing he remembered was being in Kei's room. They were both injured from the mission across the sand but both made it back thanks to her carrying him over half the way. Trent's blind eyes have gained the ability to see chakra with in a person; debatable looking into their soul. Each human running about bears a pale blue chakra, the earth a golden brown, the plants a tender green, and the beast approaching the village is a burning crimson so immense it fills the sky with terror.

A better look is in order for this shinobi. He dresses over in a new attire to match a new Trent. To cover his lack of eyes he takes a crimson cloth from the nightstand and ties it around his head with his Konoha headband still tied around his forehead in a contrasting sort of blue on red. Instead of his old black trench coat, he wears a dark navy blue coat that Rhiannon brought him over a high collared black shirt, that's worn over a series of plate armors accustomed to shinobi. The emblem of his clan, a golden orb with a black cross hair dotting the middle and three separate triangles pointing out along the bottom, is placed centered between his shoulder blades on the back of the coat. Baggy black pants run down his legs with equipment packs sewn to each side with a single kunai and twenty shuriken in each one. Under the coat, attached to his black leather belt on the rear, he keeps a tan equipment pack loaded with his explosive tags and other assorted gear. Along his wrists are steel arm guards, wrapped over in blue fabric while lined in black. Each guard carries an individual golden Koto string orb.

Out into the bustling halls of the hospital, Trent now finds it easy to move through crowds despite his handicap. By combining his new version of sight with an externalization of chakra, he creates a dome around his body that tells him where everything close to him is. Whether it be an inanimate object or a living creature, Trent can still “see” it in his own way. At the top of the hospital building, with it's fenced in flat roof tops and spread out drying white linen, Trent can get a clear view of the city. The situation demands that he read an excerpt from a book he read in his research on chakra manifestation.

“Bijuu, in one sense they're demonic beast let lose on the world. Towering creatures with the strength and power to wipe a shinobi nation out in one night. In another sense they're nothing more than the physical manifestations of chakra; no more alive than a hurricane of tornado.”

Whether beasts, acts of nature, or acts of a god, they give the word dangerous new meaning. The worst being the Kyuubi a nine tailed fox with fiery red fur, massive drooling fangs, and ember eyes of hell fire. The fearsome appearance isn't lost, even to the blind like Trent. To this boy, whom recently acquired the ability to see chakra, the Kyuubi is a collection of burning red chakra. The wild swirls of its body are completely different from any other chakra he's ever seen. It's almost as though if one were to even touch the creature they'd be consumed and devoured by the raw force and malice of the chakra.

On the roof tops of Konoha, Trent stands above the panicking civilians with the, mostly calm, shinobi of their beloved village trying to herd the masses. Each one has their own mission assigned, each one has their own reason for standing up, each one of them is choosing to fight and risk death rather than run and let the Kyuubi have its way. For Trent it's a simple choice, he either completes his mission and finally puts an end to his struggle of proclaiming the Hellious as an official clan in Konoha or he dies; and death isn't so simple for him. Any other option beyond complete success leads to one death or another. He can die in the battle field and fail, he can run from battle and die on the inside, or he can fail, live, and still die on the inside. Nothing less than success and life is an option for him in this conflict.

As his lungs feel the pressure of his tightly wrapped bandages that keep his broken ribs in place, a messenger quickly drops to his rear. Yondaime's a busy blond man with all kinds of shinobi running in and out of office in a furiously busy commotion. Mission assignments fly like news letters as every available unit is called upon and quickly deployed to their post. Even eyes as kind as his show the worry and concern that comes with being a devout leader.

“Trent, sorry we're meeting under these situations but we should get this done with before things get out of control. Are you still fit to be a shinobi?”

“Yes!” Never before has he sounded so determined and convicted towards success.

“Are you willing to prove it in one more test?”

“The only medicine I need to fight is the knowledge that my Hellious are being taken cared of.”

“Excellent. Konoha needs you now more than ever Trent. Right now, the nine tailed Bijuu approaches to destroy us. It's extremely dangerous but I'm assigning you to join the advanced party. Your mission is to go outside of the village and slow the Kyuubi down while we evacuate and ready the counter attack. Do you accept Hellious?”

With Kei lying in the hospital and the fate of his clan finally with in the balance, it's an easy choice to make. This will be the mission where he sets the name Hellious firmly in the history of Konoha. “With all of my heart Hokage-sama.”

The details of the mission quickly followed. Every detail about names, ranks, and professions; only said once and taken straight to memory. He hasn't failed his Hellious once and he'll be damned if it's going to happen now.

As the sun drops lower into the red horizon it starts to look like rain; with any luck they can avoid a rain of blood. Shinobi dance across Trent's world of darkness while the burning red chakra of the Kyuubi moves closer. A single “beep” comes from his watch, telling the blind Trent that it's time to move out. With the gate being his target, he leaps off of his perch with a full force run charging through his legs. Though many of Konoha's shinobi run about, only a select few make their way to the gate. Powerful auras of solid blue chakra tell the teen that the members will be strong and hardened individuals with steel convictions to stop this beast. Hopefully they can all manage to do something for the village other than die.

“Yeah slow the Kyuubi down. It sounds all well and good when you talk about it but once you see it up close it becomes a different matter.”

Already the sweeping tails of the Kyuubi can be seen slashing against the sky. In just an hour, maybe even less, the beast will be all over Konoha and if it can't be stopped, there's no chance a building will remain of the hidden village.

The straps tightened around Rei’s left arm as he wound the bindings of his forearm guard to the lower half of his arm, the protection stopping at the wrist where the toughened leather gauntlets would handle protection from there on a much more versatile base. He gave his arm a waved to ensure the final piece of his armor was secure, only to be satisfied with the results. This armor had served him well over time, proving the testament as to its lore of durability. ANBU armor was legendary without a doubt, no less so than the organization itself.

The agent took a brief peer through the window and out at the horizon beyond the gates. His apartment was high enough in altitude to grant him the beautiful view each and every day. Tonight however, this view had been corrupted with a sight he had long since dread since the reports began trickling in surrounding the Kyuubi’s probable approach to the Hidden Village of the Leaf. It was like a bad storm blown off course; one that could very well destroy them all should they falter in their efforts.

Placing his foot upon the sill of the open window, Rei drew in a calming breath before hauling the rest of his form out into the night. The Hokage had requested that all available Ansatsu forces gather at the complex level of the Hokage’s estate. It was there that they would be given their orders.

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A pace of footsteps echoed around the contents of the room, lit dimly by flickering fluorescent lights. It seemed that in their panic, Konoha’s electrical technicians were beginning to fail in their duty. In all likelihood, probably very few of them had remained behind to attempt maintaining the village’s power grid at all. Rei wouldn’t be surprised at this in truth, he could easily understand their supreme desire to protect their families, if not be with them in what could very well be their final hours together.

“The ANBU; a military force designed solely to operate under the direct supervision of myself and a few other select individuals,” a voice started as a yellow haired individual paced the room, his eyes glazing over the masked individuals gathered before him.

“I am relieved to see so many of you here tonight in the support of your will to me,” he added at as lower tone as he marveled these men and women, their lives many, but their identities united as one and divisible solely by zero.

Rei held himself at attention through these words, as did the many others around him. Normally, there would be at least one or two without any serious conception in their demeanor, but not tonight. Tonight was a night like no other. Tonight was a night that set records and then shattered them all at once. In his entire time enlisted within the corps itself, the agent had never seen a gathering of Konoha’s special forces this immense.

I’m fairly certain you know of the challenge – No, the terror that awaits all of us outside of that gate,” Minato continued on as he folded his arms across his chest and the white cape he wore as an unmistakable trademark dropped into a motionless rest behind him. To think, a carefree man such as this could be so afflicted by the current string of events was disheartening to even the strongest of individuals. This man was, after all, their leader. …Their God.

All at once the ANBU seemed to pipe up in agreement with the Yondaime’s words as the subject of the Kyuubi was touched upon for the first time this evening amongst them all. Silence crept over them slowly as the Hokage placed his palm towards them in signal for silence, their heads slowly turning back to him and their eyes, hidden behind masks, looked upon him once more.

“I don’t think I need to describe in detail your general mission this evening which is, obviously, the protection of Konoha and its citizens, but I would like to touch upon another subject tonight,” he went on, his voice turning stern and draining itself of all relaxation that had remained in the previous moments prior.

“You will not be alone tonight. Don’t think for a single second I will be abandoning you to protect me in my stead. That will never be my choice of option,” Minato stated, his voice as cold as ice as he glared around each and every one of the masked individuals that stood before him, their varying masks reliant upon the seals of the zodiac staring back at him in complete anonymity.

“Hokage-sama, we would never-” a voice spoke out with one random ANBU stepping forward from the front of the group in worry over this statement, only to be stopped by the all too familiar hand gesture the Yondaime had used to silence them previously. The outspoken individual was obviously a female from her appearance. All eyes were upon her stalled reaction to the great leader’s action towards her. Eyes turned back to Yondaime, only to notice the gentle smile upon his face.

“Please, allow me to finish,” he quietly requested before she settled back amongst her rank submissively and the great shinobi turned back to face his subordinates.

“Your official mission, should you choose to accept it, is to stall the Kyuubi long enough for my own preparations to be complete,” quiet whispers scattered amongst the group in speculation as to what these preparations could mean. The Hokage was going to fight alongside them for sure. Nobody would pass up such a chance!

“Are there any amongst you now that would decline this order… no, this request?” he asked at last, sweeping his gaze over his loyal army of the shadows. The ANBU, for all their ruthlessness and blind obedience truly were an admirable quality of ninja. Even he himself had been amongst their rank once. He could easily remember now and emulate what must be their feeling as to the situation at hand. Utter determination to serve the Hokage.

“Very well, then. Dismissed!” he commanded, throwing his arm outwards as the masked shinobi scattered for the various sets of doors, the room clean in a matter of no more than thirty seconds.

Minato clenched his fists and hung his head as he stood in the room, his only company a pair of advisors.
“Hokage-sama…” one of them spoke up and went to place his hand upon the man’s shoulder.
“Leave me,” Yondaime commanded sternly as his thoughts focused solely upon his wife and his child to be. Time was running short for them all. Nostalgia with the ANBU had not helped this any.

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Reaching his hand over his right shoulder, Rei clamped his grip around the hilt of one of his ANBU-issued Greenleaf blade and drew it out as he looked upon the raging destruction in the distance. The shimmer of the blade caught the moonlight at just the right angle as he gazed upon his masked reflection in it.
“This mask… My representation and commitment to this village… I shall not fail,” he declared to himself before he twirled the blade in his hand and slammed it back into the sheath stationed over his shoulder. It was time to move. They needed to slow this monster down long enough for their leader to put whatever plan he had into action.
They had all been inserted into teams amongst other Shinobi. Rei now had to find his. Wasting any more time lingering like this certainly wouldn’t help anyone.

Life. Such an interesting thing when one considers all of its advantages and disadvantages. Fatal flaws and yet perfect design. In reality it is the most important thing to any living creature whether they admit it or not for no living thing wants to die. However, death is inevitable so why waste time and effort trying to avoid something that cannot be avoided?

There is no answer to the question yet humans still attempt to find one. Animals on the other hand have learned to take by the horns and use it to its fullest. They have little fear of death because they live for the moment and not for the future.

A true mystery when it comes to the subject of life would be the bijuu. There are nine different bijuu currently known by the human race. However, being beings made completely of a seemingly infinite amount of chakra, could they really be classified as alive or dead? It is a question that may never be answered.

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A cool mountain breeze blew across the young Kaguya’s face as he gazed up into the sky. The grassy plain, which he laid on felt comfortable and with a river nearby surrounded by fresh fruits and veggies he figured he could spend at least a few more days there. It was his little hideout and secret training grounds that only a few shinobi knew of.

The week had gone by swiftly due to the constant training and never ending excitement his young tiger provided. To him it only felt like two days had passed but who cared. No one knew where he was or when he would return. All he had told them was he had decided to take a break and train away from the village. The perfect cover up to avoid the few that knew of the grassy plain coming looking.

The young Kaguya had watched the sun set in the distance but for some strange reason there was still a bright blazing red light over the horizon. The light easily outshone the soft off white moon and silver stars that floated above. I wonder what it is he thought comfortably. If it was a village ablaze then it was not in the fire country since he was already near its border.

His interest in the never dimming light peaked as the size of its origin became larger and more into view. It looked like a fire straight from the pits of hell was burning in the shape of a creature due to its bright red nature. A giant red fox… he continued to wonder. He had heard of such a creature in the distant past but its name still managed to elude him.

The massive fox slowly came closer, illuminating its surroundings for miles with its bright red chakra. Its eyes…no…its demonic eyes filled with evil intent while lava like drool dripped from its smiling mouth. Nine tails swayed behind it as it walked closer and closer in the young Chuunin’s direction. Nine tails? he thought confused for a second before all of his hidden memories came rushing back.

“The Kyuubi! This is not good at all!” he shouted whilst summoning Toukan without knowing. The huge white tiger appeared beside him and growled in defense at the still distant monster. “I have to get back to the village and warn the others immediately!”

With its massive size and current strolling speed the youkai would be at the village’s gate within the hour. That didn’t the Kaguya much time to make it back to the village and warn everyone. No, between warning the hokage and getting himself prepared for the dreadful battle that was sure to take place he might have a minute or two.

Without wasting any more of his extremely short and valuable time the chuunin leapt onto the back of his already oversized tiger. He no longer thought about his actions. His adrenaline alone was controlling his movements while his mind tried to evaluate the situation.

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The village was already in a state of panic when he arrived. He had made it there considerably ahead of time but knew even the extra moments he managed to gain wouldn’t help much. With all of the villagers running around in fear, it was deadly obvious that the village leader knew of the problem as well. With part of his personal mission already completed he headed straight home to prepare himself for the upcoming battle.

The grey and black armor hung from a hook in his bedroom while his weapons laid scattered across his floor. His room seemed to be an accidental death trap for anyone who had never seen it. Gathering only the most important pieces of equipment he could find he proceeded to strap his armor on.

The young Kaguya had not worn the armor in a long time due to all of his previous assignment but it still fitted snugly around his cut muscles and toned body. It was definitely the best armor he had at the moment. Placing his razor sharp swords into their corresponding sheaths strapped to his back the chuunin ANBU was basically ready to head out and fight for his village. The only thing missing now was his ANBU mask which played a main part in protecting his identity.

The mask, unlike the armor, was hidden in a secret compartment in his room. He knew that the mask alone could give away his identity if seen by the wrong person. His fingers pressed against the one ‘sweet spot’ on his wall, which opened up the secret panel hidden within the ceiling. The mask looked down onto him from the face of a doll hidden in the shadows of the ceiling, which could easily be mistaken for an actual person. It was an ingenious design to scare unwanted shinobi.

With everything on the chuunin finally headed out of the door. The outcome of the dreadful battle leaned more towards the success of the foe, which caused the young Kaguya to write a note about something he would have never dreamed possible.

To whom it may concern, if you are reading this note it means that neither the village of Konoha nor myself was able to prevent its terrible fate. I don’t have much time due to the hills becoming ablaze with the flames of a beast once thought legendary. The Kyuubi/ Nine tails is real. So this might be my last documented record before I head into battle with the enormous beast.

Stopping at the Hokage was a must. He would certainly have a plan of attack thought of or maybe even a few wise words to give. With the streets packed with panicking villagers the young Kaguya took to the roofs. It was a much faster route to travel even under normal circumstances.

As he entered the hokage’s complex he was surprised to see a sea of shadow escaping the building from every possible exit. I guess he already gave his speech to the ANBU squad. I hope he doesn’t mind me showing up late. the chuunin thought as he removed his mask and leaped into the office window.

“Sorry I’m late Sir.” The Kaguya said bravely.

“It’s no problem Kito. I’m just happy to see that you’ve returned to serve your village in its greatest time of need.” The yellow haired man replied in a tone completely opposite from his personality.

For the short amount of time they had known each other Kito could never remember the village leader being so serious. No matter how horrible the situation was the hyperactive, yellow haired man always had a smile on his face or a happy attitude. The fact that he had become so serious meant that the village was truly in deep trouble.

“I can’t say that we will speak again because no one knows the outcome of battle at hand. However, I always enjoyed the conversations we would develop while discussing missions and I will be right there battling the beast with you and every other shinobi. All I asked the other ANBU to do is stall the Kyuubi until my preparations are complete. It’s completely up to you to do so though.” The yellow flash said in a soft yet serious tone.

“It will be my honor to serve my home, after all that’s why I became a shinobi and better yet joined the ANBU for” Kito replied almost immediately.

With no more words to be shared verbally the two communicated mentally for a brief moment before the young Chuunin was once again on his way. He had his mission orders and knew where to meet with his teammates. Taking a deep breath he collected his thoughts before making his final journey to the gates.

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The time of defeat is before us. A true battle of life and death is scheduled to take place. Though we may not admit it there will be no one on the battlefield representing life. Each of us casting a larger shadow than the one before but we are the light. How can the light cast a shadow?

The wind was ominous not a cloud in the sky above Konoha but, surrounding it off in the distance like buzzards circling a carcass the gray clouds loomed casting their shadows and blurring out the distance. The sun reflected off of them causing a graying effect that made Konoha feel even with sunlight baring down directly on them. Azumi sat next to the southern gate looking out into the forest beyond trying to decide if today was the right day to leave or if she should wait out the storm. Odd thoughts had been running through her mind all day. Thoughts of the past, of her becoming a shinobi, of the wolves she killed protecting the farmer, of her first mission and the first time she saw her brother. She could recall the very moment she was told she was going to be in Team Deuce Ace and she met her leader the strong Hotaru. She remembered the evil sadistic bastard she fought on her first outing with her new team. She could recall the strange dreamlike trip to help the dragon king.

Azumi had been given leave to go home for a few days for her brothers birthday. He was to be turning thirteen and was to be announced as engaged to his one day bride. Azumi was looking forward to the time with her family and it had been too long since she had seen them. “It’s been…” Azumi thought looking at the sky. “Since before my coma!” she realized it had been almost two whole years since she had seen any of them. The thought made her reluctant to go, to see them and cause such and emotional event.

Azumi stood and started back to her home to prepare to leave the following day. Haruna had just returned and she had wanted to go to a ramen stand with Azumi so that they could talk so Azumi figured they could have a night on the town before she left for the Water. Turning one last time to look out at the southern horizon the clouds seemed most vicious in that direction almost as though they were agitated by something. Azumi ignored it and quickly made her way home.

After only a few drinks Azumi could feel her head swimming and the heat in her cheeks caused her to blush as she swayed in her chair. Azumi grabbed the small carafe of sake and poured it into the tiny cup then took the shot swallowing quick and breathing out the fiery breath the alcohol caused. It was only a little before midnight and Azumi and Haruna had been out for some time now. Haruna had refrained from letting lose like Azumi since she was still on call but, Azumi was on vacation so there was no chance a sudden mission would pop up and she would be called upon. Azumi looked at the bottle of sake then couldn’t look away the intense gaze made her think and then suddenly she noticed it something reflected off the brownish bottle. Haruna had already noticed it since she was standing up looking in the direction of the south gate at the conflagration that grew past the horizon lighting the area with a vicious and obtrusive red glow. Azumi quickly sobered as she heard an alarm sound and the people around her started to panic. Azumi looked up into the cloud covered sky. The moon was hidden amidst the darkness above and then Azumi remembered something Haruna said earlier.

“Oh, looks like a blood sickle moon tonight. That is a bad omen it means that violent death will visit a great many tonight.” Haruna repeated the words quietly to herself. Azumi looked at her sobering further. The panic around permeated the air almost choking her with fear. She breathed deep and then released the ability that made her a “demon” in the eyes of an entire country of people. The air instantly grew ice cold and people began collecting together afraid of what was happening Haruna jumped around from group to group trying to calm them and give them direction. Azumi turned toward the Hokage’s office and darted off looking back at the red glow and swearing that she could see something alive moving amidst the chaos.

Azumi reached the offices fast and she quickly made her way through the chaos of people that surrounded the area civilian and shinobi alike clamoring to get in and see the Hokage for different reasons. Half wanted answers the others wanted protection Azumi listened carefully to the people and heard something quite stirring in her mind. Apparently the village was under attack by a giant demon of some kind. The person whom had said it had been told by a shinobi that a demon was attacking and that they must go to the shelters. Azumi rolled her eyes and wanted badly to ask the man why he hadn’t heeded the ninja and gone to the shelter. She then caught site of a group of Genin that were fussing with a group trying to get them to explain what was happening. Azumi made her way over to the young Genin and placed herself between them and the crowd. She held up a hand and made a few seals gathering chakra into her hand to cause it to be viable. The crowd backed away afraid of what she was about to do. “Listen to me!” She yelled to the group. “You must all not crowd this office all you are doing is creating more panic and confusion please go to the shelters.” She turned and looked at the young Genin. “You should do the same.” she said then slipped away and toward the doors of the office. She knew that it wouldn’t be accessible by normal means so she jumped up onto a nearby ledge intending to enter the building from the roof.

Azumi had not been the only one with the idea as a number of other ninja made their way from roof top to roof top in her direction Azumi looked toward the Hokage’s office and a chill crept up her spine. The ANBU were gathered in what looked to be full force. Azumi’s blood ran with a mixture of hot excitement and cold fear. She waited and watched as the meeting ended and the ANBU made their way out. Azumi took the opportunity and made her way to the building hurrying to his office.

The doors to the Hokage’s office were heavy doors meant to deter people from entering if they were closed for any number of things could be happening behind them. Azumi pounded on the door hard with her fist but the door seemed to just absorb the shock of it and dissipate it. Azumi grew frustrated and looked around for any conveniently placed items. She made her way down the hall to a small water fountain and found her convenient object. She gathered up the water into a giant ball and froze it around her hand creating a large wrecking ball like fist. She walked back over to the Hokage’s door and Swung her massive fist hitting the door three times in succession.

The door swung open and a wide eyed Hokage stood in the doorway. Before he had a chance to even speak Azumi quickly got to the point. “I know I am on vacation and I know that I said I was leaving today but, I am here and I must help so what am I to do?” Azumi gasped for air and looked at the Hokage with an askance expression. He smiled warmly and handed her a file then closed the door on her in a way didn’t offend Azumi in the slightest. She turned and made her way back the way she came. “I am to slow down the Kyuubi.” she said reading the file and then looking up at the red glow again. She then started for her home so that she could grab her gear for this important mission.

It’s quiet, I like it. Thought Hisoka as he continued reading his book, it was not often that the Hyuuga had time to just go to the library and read. So Hisoka took advantage of the occasion, though he did have other more important things to do besides reading. Regardless of that fact he turned the page with anticipation of what came next.

The book was fictional; it was about a war in a far off land called Europe. Most of it took place in a land called Germany though. Currently there was a fight going on between two massive ships called the Bismarck which was the pride of the German Navy and the RMS Hood, which was the flag ship of the British Navy it was accompanied by the ship ‘Prince of Wales.’

The battle was quite intense, though the battleship Bismarck sunk the battle cruiser RMS Hood; they let the ‘Prince of Wales’ get away. For the Germans didn’t want to risk encountering any more battle ships. Hisoka read on for about another hour, soldiers in the 101st airborne easy company, fighting for a land called the United States where preparing for a jump from an air craft. They where going to land in a place called Normandy for ‘Operation Overlord.’

Hisoka enjoyed reading these books, though fictional they held ingenious battle strategies and realistic characters and a quite good plot. A few hours passed and Hisoka was now far past the previous chapter, Hisoka was interrupted when a lady burst through the doors and yelled “We’re under attack! Get to the nearest safe house immediately!”

Fuck! Damn those Iwa bastards, attacking us on our own front! Thought Hisoka as he set the book down and headed outside.

Impossible…

This is far worse then enemy shinobi the fabled Kyuubi is attacking the village, this is bad. This is more than bad, this is terrible! I need to get home and arm up. Every damn ninja in the village will be deployed I’m sure of it! The Hyuuga chuunin thought as he headed for his house, he arrived only moments later to see that everyone was being evacuated to safe houses.

He burst through the doors of his house and quickly found his fiancée; she was quite scared and worried about Hisoka’s well being. It was apparent that she knew the Hyuuga chuunin would have to fend off the monstrous being attacking the village. “Be safe and go with the escort ninja that is evacuating the district, take this kunai with you. I don’t expect you to use it but if you have to I like to know that you’re not defenseless.”

Hisoka said he held Kito in his arms knowing that there was a possibility that he wasn’t coming back. Hisoka let her go and she began to pack some of her valuables and other things in her bag. Hisoka headed up stairs and got ready for the inevitable confrontation with the Kyuubi menace. Hisoka went downstairs and just as he got off the stairs there was a loud knock on the door.

“That’s for me, I have to go. You should go too; I’ll make sure you meet up with an escort,” Hisoka said as he adjusted the bandage rap that went around his face. He opened the door and took the letter from the messenger, it was his mission assignment. He slowly opened it and read the contents; he was to help delay the beast by stalling it with any means necessary.

With the exception of attacking it directly, this was a wise choice in Hisoka’s eyes. He didn’t see today as a good day to die, for he had too much to live for and too many people he cared for and felt as if he needed to protect.

He did not enlist in the ranks of the Konoha shinobi to stand idly by while some monster destroys the village, he would fight even if it meant his life. Hisoka believed that if his life meant saving the lives of the ones he cared about and others around him, it was a worthy trade. He would not fail his friends, family and village.

Another day of the usual routine, and all Kohana had to say to that was ‘phooey’. Training day after day was starting to become so tedious and boring. She was nearing Jounin status, though she didn’t have enough mission experience to be inaugurated into the next highest rank, she surely had the capabilities and the strength that most typical Jounin possessed. Some may think that once someone starts becoming so strong as to be nearing Jounin level, that there isn’t much left to do in terms of training. Kohana had to agree that it got boring but she also had to disagree. There were always so many possibilities when it came to training, and today was no different.

Kohana had managed to wake up late, closer to noon, and by the time she had left the house in order to train in the area surrounding her small forest cottage it was at least 2 o’ clock in the afternoon. She practiced what she normally did, using her Byakugan in various ways, using the Gentle Fist style of attacking, her various Hyuuga techniques, and then all of the ninjutsu that she had mastered along her path to becoming a memorable kunoichi for the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

Kuishen is a good sparring partner, perhaps I should go find him and ask if he wants to go a few rounds with me. I’m sure it’d be interesting…

For some reason she let her thoughts wander on the young Kaguya man. Since she had become a Medical Ninja with the help of Kuishen on two joint B-rank missions, she had felt a lot closer to the person she thought she hated. It was quite obvious that he liked her, but when it came to her own feelings, all she could really see him as was a friend, or perhaps that’s what she made herself see him as? Who really knew to be honest, even Kohana had a hard time truly understanding herself.

Training had ended quickly for her, more so out of the need to have a day to relax. Kohana flopped down onto the ground and lied back, looking up into the clear blue sky, watching the big, white, and puffy clouds pass by over head. A slight breeze, a comfortable one at that, ruffled her clothing and hair and only added to the serenity of this moment. She wished that it could be like this more often instead of so much war and crime going on in the world.

Though time continued on and the day slowly went by, time seemed to stand still as well. Kohana’s blank, white eyes merely stared upwards, feeling an odd sensation that made her wish that she could fly and be free. She wanted to get away from all of life’s troubles and get away from all of the inner turmoil she tried masking so very hard, the inner turmoil she denied having ever since she had passed her Chuunin exams in an attempt to change herself into something better. Her old self, a shy little girl who didn’t like fighting but would if necessary, someone who was too friendly for there own good and took everything to heart, that wasn’t her. She didn’t want to be like that anymore, not ever, and most would probably think she was lying if she told them that that is how she used to be.

Have I really changed all that much? Or is everything I am now merely a façade put on to build a wall between everyone else and myself? I…honestly can’t even tell. Does that make me undecided? Does that mean that I don’t even know myself? D-Does it?

Kohana, though not getting too upset, was getting a little concerned with her own health. How could such thoughts begin floating through her mind? As of late she had been so confident and a complete terror in battle, or at least that’s what she would like to think. How could she still perceive herself, of think like what she had done back when she was still a lowly Genin? In all honesty, it hardly made that much sense. If all the insight her Byakugan could give her could help her with her own mind, she wasn’t sure if that would even be enough to fully understand all of it.

Despite this, there was no point in brooding, for that hardly got anyone anywhere. By now, with all of her relaxing, daydreaming, and self-contemplation, the day had grown short and now the sun was setting. It painted the skies with reds, oranges, pinks, and purples, making the heavens a canvas for the eye, allowing them to paint whatever picture came to mind with the colors provided. If anything, sunset was probably her favorite time of day not only because of the pretty colors, but the sense of feeling it gave her was just beyond words. Odd, yes, but still something that made her who she was and that would never change.

She made her way back into her home, finding it odd that her parents actually looked up to acknowledge her, though it was very brief and very subtle. Kohana merely scoffed at this and went down the hall to her room where she began doing little tasks to occupy her time. The pouch that contained all of her tools was discarded and placed on her bed while she counted up and organized everything she owned. A few kunai, some makibishi, senbon, genjutsu bells, exploding notes & pouches, and a few rolls of ninja wire. It was a pretty good collection of shinobi tools, though she knew she could probably to well with more. Not to mention the three scrolls that were on her back underneath her Flak Jacket. Delovely, Kyodai Sensu and then her Akagaharu Puppet.

Maybe I should purchase some shuriken and I have had my eye on that needle launcher I saw the other day in the market. Huh. Maybe I’ll go splurge on some new shinobi tools after I get some extra spending cash.

That’s when it happened. A tremor shook through the Village and let everyone know that danger was afoot. Kohana jumped up and quickly gathered all of her weapons and ninja tools back into her pouch and adjusted it around her leg. All she could think over and over was that Rock ninja had come back for to attack like they had a year ago, but could they honestly make a tremor that powerful? She could hear her parents talking and then their voices cut off completely. She ran out into the main part of the house only to see her front door wide open and her parents gone.

They probably went to go see what it was that made that tremor…

Kohana ran out of the house as well and got on top of her home, looking out towards the main part of the village. To her horror she saw a large red flame of chakra as well as what looked like something moving around insider of it. How could something like that even possible? At first, she had thought that perhaps it was a bomb that was set off and then someone had summoned a large summon beast, but for some reason she felt that that wasn’t the case at all.

“Byakugan!”

Her eyes focused and attuned to that of chakra, and giving her insight on things from so far away. In place of red flaming chakra, she saw the network of a very large beast, a beast shaped like a huge fox with nine tails. Kohana tilted her head some but as the beast continued its attack and looked in her general direction, the chakra it produced magnified while attacking, completely blinding her Byakugan momentarily, causing her to wince and look away from the beast and his rampaging.

”This is horrible?! The nine-tailed fox is here, one of the legendary bijuu? B-But that’s impossible! I thought they were just legends!”

Down below a messenger ninja appeared and waved Kohana down. Quickly, she jumped from the roof of her house to meet with the man. His breath was heavy and he seemed exhausted, like he had been running around nonstop for quite a while. He quickly shoved a letter at Kohana before disappearing with a body flicker to most likely continue on with his messenger duties, which had to be a bit hard considering the panic the villagers must be experiencing, and the constant attacks that the Kyuubi was making.

Kohana quickly tore open the envelope and pulled out the letter. She assumed that it was something that the Fourth Hokage had sent out to different shinobi amongst the village, assigning them missions to try and either help the village or deter the nine-tailed fox. The letter was pulled out and quickly unfolded where her blank stare skimmed over each word, taking in a breath and holding it once she found out what exactly the mission was that she was assigned.

Oh man oh man oh man, what a mess! Can I really help make a difference against one of the bijuu?! …Well…I…um…I’m going to have to try!

Kohana shoved the letter into a pocket in her shorts, glad that she was already prepared for battle, as she run as fast as she could towards the gate nearest to the Kyuubi. The town was in chaos and panic, and the only safe route was amongst the rooftops, where other ninja were going about their own missions. It was a complete disaster, something that she would have never expected to befall the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

Time to kick some fox ass…

Kyuubi...

To some, the very name struck fear into their hearts. It made them shiver in fear and lose all confidence in their own existence. All because of a simple name...No, perhaps it wasn't just a name. More likely it was the idea of a massive chakra beast crushing down on one's physical being, as well as their soul.

Yet others found this entity to be nothing more than an idea. It was a joke amongst those who had never heard of such a thing. Laughing, shouting, and even jeering would follow the mention of such a legendary beast. Mortal men cannot always fathom what cannot be seen by their own eyes. Those men are fools, for they know nothing of what is oh so real...

Finally there is a last type of group. These kinds of people are either fearless, or just plain idiotic. Sometimes they're even a mix of both, with a pinch of crazy, and a dash of insane. These are the kind of human beings who find joy in the sensation that is derived from the sense of danger. The kind of people who would give up a fortune in order to stand up against impossible odds and destructive force.

Ten would have fit into the last group, in a way. While he wouldn't have found it majorly important to stand up against the Nine Tails, there was a sense of fun in it. That, and a hint of anger as well. One would have to see it directly from Ten's view to have clearly understood why he was upset with a giant beast destroying his ex-hometown. It was not a longing to rejoin the village that would spark this deep hatred of the fox. Nay, it was the simple fact that Ten considered it a challenge of sorts.

His main goal at the moment was to strengthen himself. But after that was done, he planned on destroying Konoha. How he was going to do it was unclear to him, but that could be thought out at some other point in time. At the current time, there would be no village for him to destroy if the Kyuubi did it. This was enough of a reason for him to rush back to where he had once lived in peace...a place he now despised...
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Ten had first heard the news while sitting calmly in some little rest stop. Mountain country was generally where he spent most of his time, as it had the greatest ties to his abilities. There it was that Ten had found himself come to be. He was his own being, despite the two minds that shared his head. They were entities in themselves, but Ten was just something else...

A hand carefully brought a clear glass to his lips, tilting it back to allow the liquid to splash into the shinobi's throat. His eyes had closed to savor the taste of the exotic beverage, and he had all but focused on the drink. However, even in this state, there was always one particular word that would catch his attention. Konoha...

"So I heard that the Kyuubi is on the march. They say it's been traveling for three days and nights without once stopping for anything."

"Oh yeah? Well I heard that the beast can shoot lasers from its eyes and level entire villages like that. None are left alive in its wake."

"Idiot. Where do you think the stories come from if there are no survivors?"

They were all a bunch of idiots. Ten's mood had been spoiled, and his drink was nothing but a glass of horse waste. With a frown he slammed the drink on the table, causing attention in the room to draw to him. Even so he looked at no one as he hoisted the bandaged package over his shoulders. A few ryou were left for compensation for the drink. He had no time to waste, for he had something to do.

Well...he could enjoy his drink for a second. As an afterthought he reached back and picked up the glass. He raised a brow and quickly threw his head back, downing the entire thing in one gulp. The cup was discarded upon the table once more before he left. He did pause at the door to look back at the morons who had almost spoiled his purchase.

"The Kyuubi has never met Konoha before..." They were all left to ponder his words as he disappeared into the street. The three men all looked to each other and blinked. Once more their gazes would turn to the closing door which was slowly blotting out the light of the day. What sort of ominous sign had they just witnessed?
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Niko and Tenyua wrestled mentally over their options. Tenyua wished to let Konoha sit there and burn. She was mad at Niko for that statement as they had left, and what he had meant behind it. She was in denial that the village was strong. To her everyone and everything that existed within Konoha was weak.

Niko was the one who thought rationally and knew better. His true intention was to help his family to live. Despite the fact they lived in Konoha, they were still his family. Even setting aside the fact he had died, they were the reason he existed. He wanted to at least make sure they were okay in such times of danger. He knew that his father would be in the front lines fighting the Kyuubi.

`Ya know...I once knew this guy. He was a funny one, he was. He once had this fly that ruined this fruit he was letting get ripe. So he tried for a while to get the fly, but it kept getting out of his reach. Finally his cat caught it when he was taking a rest. The fly was gone, which was good, but the man realized he had wanted to kill it. The lack of joy from its death made him want the fly back...`

Niko and Tenyua came to a realization at the same time as their puppet told his story. If Konoha was destroyed by the Kyuubi there would be no chance for them to do it. Tenyua's resolve to leave the village to die immediately left her. Where would be the joy in the village simply being destroyed. There was nothing if she did not bring the village to its knees by her own hand.
___________________________________________________________________

So it was that his form bounded stealthily through the trees. The day itself was uninteresting and uneventful. Even going into the night nothing changed except the placement of trees and the diminishing light. It was all the better for Ten, for the darkness was his domain. When the light faded away creatures found themselves overwhelmed by the power that Ten still held.

Leap after leap brought him closer to Konoha, and closer to night. Hours before he was close he could already see the Kyuubi's chakra on the horizon. What sort of beast was it that projected that sort of an aura? It was almost disheartening, just at a simple glance. But Ten's iron will to be the one who led to Konoha's demise was stronger than the intimidation that he felt.

The ominous glow grew brighter and brighter as Ten went on. As he approached he felt the air growing hotter around him. He felt almost as if life itself was being pushed away and choked. And by it being choked, the metaphorical hands were wrapped around his own throat and lungs, squeezing the very air from him. It was true that breathing was difficult to accomplish as he got closer to the demon.

A decision to take a break was mutual between all parties within Ten's mind. The shinobi dropped to the ground and leaned back against a tree, taking in quick, powerful breaths. His chest was burning, likely from lack of oxygen as well as the literal heat. Sweat hung about Ten's brow, clinging to his hair and skin. A feeble attempt to wipe it away with a hand was made, but it was quickly replaced by more.

`So it's a giant fox thing right? Maybe if we treat it like a dog and throw it a stick it'll go away.` There was Natoro, always ready to make a joke in a serious situation. It made Tenyua and Niko both laugh, lightening their mood, as well as strengthening their determination. Sure the Kyuubi was powerful, but when laughing over an image of it chasing a stick, even the most cowardly of people could gain a hint of confidence.

"We're almost back at Konoha...I don't think we'll be able to actually enter it though...It's probably for the best anyways. For now our name will remain as a rumor...a mere whisper on the horizon." Ten was speaking mostly to himself considering that the two minds knew each other's thoughts. They just sort of meshed together and were projected verbally to the air.

Another deep breath was taken as they continued to stare up at the night sky. This breath was not from the atmosphere, but from the fact that they both remembered their days in Konoha. Mixed emotions would always rise into their minds whenever they thought of the place. They had both had good times as well as bad times. Niko had more good times, while Tenyua had more bad, but that's what made them different. Difference was not a bad thing when a person fell in love with those differences.

"Let's go," he whispered to the air once more. With a confirming nod he leaped back into the trees and pushed off against a branch. His chakra flowed as he let the wind gather around his feet, increasing the speed at which he moved. He needed to make up for that small bit of time that he wasted to rest. Shinobi needed to know how to push themselves beyond their limits, over and over again. That is how strength was built.

By this time the Kyuubi had already begun its attack. Ninja after ninja already lay dead upon the ground, crushed beneath the demonic typhoon. Even from his southward approach Ten found the bodies of these shinobi. Except...it seemed some of them had died from ordinary weapons. As Ten thought about it he realized that the Kyuubi had likely destroyed buildings. Perhaps it was that some of the criminals had gotten free...

"THERE'S ONE!!" came a voice from off to Ten's right. His head instantly swished in that direction, finding a small band of outlaws. They had apparently found a way to escape Konoha's inner walls. Well...there was no point in taking a few lives that Konoha certainly wouldn't miss. A little smile spread across Ten's face, though he hid it with his hair. They would be a nice little warm up before he tackled the monstrous beast that lay ahead of him.
___________________________________________________________________

Ten hummed to himself as he bounced from tree to tree. His search of the Kyuubi had resumed, as he had dispatched of the men. From then he had taken a small amount of shuriken, as well as a rather beautiful blade. The sword was just a back-up weapon, in case he needed to fight on the ground for any reason. Of course, this was unlikely since his target was the Kyuubi. But he knew Konoha shinobi tended to be jumpy.

His humming didn't last long as he finally found himself landing upon the last tree before an enormous clearing. Within it stood the nine tailed beast, each appendage flicking idly and wiping away forest in its wake. The beast itself was under a constant barrage of ninja weaponry. Ten could see the shinobi standing at the north edge of the clearing, doing their best to hold the beast back. Every few seconds a flash could be seen from the line to the Kyuubi. The beast merely shook its head and bodies went flying.

Ten's mouth hung and his eyes widened. The beast was easily hundreds of times larger than he had expected. A single roar almost made him fall out of the tree. But he could not move, for the beast held his attention. A mere glance of its eyes and he felt himself slipping into a darkness not even he could see through. His body and mind were falling...falling...falling...

Uchiha Ri detested soy milk. She detested leeks. They were the most cursed things in the world, sent to this planet to torment her tastebuds and temporarily immobilise her by forcibly emptying her stomach. But there was something on this earth worst than soy milk and leeks. ANBU. The wretched Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai was put on this earth to drag her out of bed while she was sleeping and give her too much information that did not compute with her temporarily dead brain. Yes, that’s all they did. They just dragged innocent people out of bed, throw them into offices and give them a briefing and leave them to deal with the Hokage. They left her to deal with the Hokage in her pyjamas. Her /pyjamas/.

…Hokage?

Ri’s brown orbs narrowed whereas the rest of her expression remained passive as she saw the famed Yellow Flash, the Yondaime Hokage enter the office and take a seat across her. He looked troubled. As the blue eyes connected with her brown, she had to steel her nerves so that she wouldn’t flinch. What had happened last month was over. The interrogations had been null and she literally demanded a month off her duties. She never went anywhere near the Hokage building. He kept his distance as well.

“Ri,” he started. This time, she did flinch. His voice. She remembered the time she saw him that day. The way he said her name. The betrayal in his eyes and the guilt she felt within. She didn’t deserve to be here. “You look well.” She nodded slowly. “Your month is up, isn’t it?” She nodded again. His voice was kind; it was warm; it was concerned. He cared. Or so it seemed. “I suppose we could call it luck more than coincidence then.” She raised an eyebrow. “There is a mission for you.”

What was she to say? How was she to react? She hadn’t come back on her own will. She had been unconscious. She had lost everything that day and they took her back as a broken doll; an empty shell. She had no say, no opinion and no voice. Bu she was here. The idea of running away was pointless; where could she go? Who would accept her? This wasn’t her home. There was no one and nothing here for her. So why was she still here?

“Ri. Konoha needs you.” She looked at him. She hadn’t said anything at all so far. The blue eyes were drilling into her, searching her soul. She felt the light and the warmth. But didn’t everyone else? He was the figure that stood before all, the one that would lead them to the greater glory. Of course they needed the security. It was his spell, his enchantment; they craved it and they received their daily dosage. It was enough. And he was willing to give. “Ri.”

“No.” The word left her mouth dully. Plainly. Simply. It was a familiar word, a familiar objection. “I won’t.” Two more words. She forced herself to keep staring straight at him, looking in the blue eyes. She saw trouble. She saw despair. But she saw determination. But she won’t yield. She couldn’t. Why though? She didn’t know. She didn’t want to know. It wasn’t nothing that she needed at that moment.

“Look outside, Ri. People are dying. The village is being torn down. Squads are out there trying to stop the creature. Didn’t you feel the chakra earlier? It’s the Kyuubi no Yoko. It’s a dangerous creature, not of this world.” She kicked her chair back, getting up calmly and walking over to the door, her hands struggling with the doorknob. She didn’t need to hear this. She couldn’t hear it. She didn’t hear it. No, not this. No more. It was enough. Once was enough. This wasn’t want she wanted. “You know what destruction is coming. You have seen it once more. You’re seeing it—”

“Stop talking,” she got out. Her breathing was cutting and short. She was trying to breathe. She couldn’t breathe. She heard laughter within her head. She heard screams of pain in her head. It was coming once more, wasn’t it? She remembered the burning, the pain. “Don’t talk about it. I don’t need to hear this. Stop…stop your guilt trip,” she whispered. She tried to open the door. She was trying, she really was.

“I need you to help a squad stop the Kyuubi. Ri, you can do this.” She shook her head, yanking at the doorknob wildly. “It’s not a direct attack. It’s an A rank mission. Can I trust you on this?” Her hands lowered from the knob as she shook her head. “I can.” She shook her head again. “I need you on this. Konoha needs you on this. This is your duty, your job. It’s what you choose, it’s your—”

“There are many others.”

“Please.” She inhaled sharply, turning. “We’re running out of time. Many people probably could have died why we bickered. Please. This is your home.” Lies. All lies. And yet, she nodded. She agreed. “Thank you.” She turned to him, staring at him blankly. Why was he thanking her? Why did he request instead of order? How was this working? Who was their director; the screenplay was wrong, it didn’t add up. It just didn’t work. “Go to the ANBU quarters with this card.” He walked over to her and handed her a pass. “They will give you equipment and a change of clothes; this is the situation for all the shinobi that came unprepared.” She nodded.

“Arigato.” Her voice was mechanical, immediate and answering on reflex. Then it hit her. Weren’t there others that needed briefing? Why was he just slimming off like this? “Why? There are others. There will be more.” She felt so needy, so pathetic. She was ashamed. She should have just left. She didn’t need the wounds to be torn at once more. That one time was enough.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save her. I wish that I could have saved her. I meant to tell you this on that day. But it was too late. I’m sorry.” She was left shocked and speechless. “But please, assist your co-workers in saving this town.” She nodded, flinching once when she felt his hand on his shoulder. He didn’t move his hand away as he opened the door for her, allowing her to exit. “Sayonara.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. He smiled sadly as he left, being enveloped by the herd of shinobi and kunoichi that advanced upon him, questions and fears pouring from their mouths. They needed their leader. For some reason, she smiled as well. The smile disappeared once more as she made her way to the ANBU, showing the pass and taking the clothes they provided. Long black pants. Heeled black shinobi boots. (Did all the women in ANBU wear this, she wondered. Or were they simply out of stock for the normal boots?) A zip up sleeveless grey shirt. She looked at the equipment pouch. It was hers. Someone must have retrieved it. She groped through it, pulling out the familiar red ribbon and using it to tie her hair back into a ponytail. She then froze.

That chakra…

It literally invaded her senses. Literally violated them in an odd sense. She was trembling. That chakra, those cries of furious, of anger. Oh, it was familiar. She had seen it and heard it. But this time, this creature had no humanity. No sense of turning back and repentance. Which made this all the more harder. The girl breathed in deeply and then exhaled, changing out of her clothes, strapping the equipment pouch to her. How many people would have already died?

How many more lives will be taken? Is this really okay? She shook her head. Of course not. It could never be right. A creature not of this world, destroying the place that was keeping it captive; this wasn’t meant to be happening. Konoha was crumbling and falling, all because of this overgrown hairball. For some reason, she didn’t want that to happen. Not yet anyways. She moved automatically for the entrance, walking past the ANBU. She was meant to work with the team that wouldn’t attack the Kyuubi directly but would still roadblock it. Somehow she still wasn’t sure where to go. But she let her feet carry her to the gates. It was just logical that lead her there.

Do or die; that was the objective. This is what she was going to do. Why though? It didn’t matter. Uchiha Ri felt her heart pounding, her blood racing and the adrenaline coursing. Would she enjoy this? For some reason, she expected that she would. She knew that on the battlefield, she would come to life. The last month, she had been a ghost. Do or die, that’s what the situation with the Kyuubi was. She didn’t intend to follow that idea. She would defend, yes. But there was something she wanted.

She wanted to live once more.

“Byakugan!” The closer she got, the more she felt the power and strength of the nine-tailed beast, even with her eyes closed. Once she opened them, she could feel herself drawing in a breath as she stared at the looming form of fierce chakra the Kyuubi was emanating. The sheer size and chakra amount alone was enough to convince her that what the Hokage has in plan against the present problem of Konoha would never work. Yet still, she moved, getting closer to the gate in swift motion. She chose to believe for now, that with all of Konoha’s skillful and talented shinobi, they would stop the Kyuubi.

Despite being and trying to be hopeful, her surroundings were just proving otherwise. The kunoichi slowed down and jumped back to the ground, her eyes scanning the area. Besides the lessening rowdy crowd, dead bodies lay underneath piles of rubbles from ruined buildings, some trapped in their blazing homes. It was painful too see Konoha like this. Their village stood defiantly and proudly against the past wars. It was a serene place, and the villagers continued to live peacefully and quietly and with a smile on their faces, knowing full well that Konoha won’t be forced onto its knees with whatever impending war there is.

And then this happened. The village was on the paws of this giant red-furred fuzz. Come morning and the ruins she’s seeing right now would look much worst. She sighed, muttering words of disbelief and silent prayers as she turned her heel and headed towards one of the village’s gates closest to the Kyuubi. Far behind her, she could sense a small group of dispersed shinobi taking the same route as her. For now, she had to assume that they were her mission comrades; tasked to slow down the Kyuubi in any means possible while the other villagers are taken into safe refuge, away form the danger of the nine-tailed bijuu.

It seemed impossible not to hide away from its piercing gaze. Under the bright light of the full moon, its eyes glimmered. Its giant red orbs full of wrath searched the area and fixated its eyes on the approaching Hyuuga. Or maybe she had just imagined it. Nevertheless, it tugged onto her fear. Shaking her head slightly, Kumiko made a quiet decision and quickened her pace. Whatever happens, I won’t back down. Fear must be left behind… for the sake of Konoha…

She mustered every bit of her courage, exiting the gate and stopping just before she enters the dense woods surrounding Konoha. Turning a hell, Kumiko spun around and looked ahead, staring at the few people making their way towards her and the Kyuubi. Quickly, she raised a hand, siganlling the incoming shinobi that she was there and she was supposed to meet them.

One by one they came, landing just a couple of feet away from her. They straightened up, each having a slight resemblance of emotions on their faces. The ground shook again, forcing the Hyuuga to quickly think and stare at the familiar faces in front of her. Seems everybody’s accounted for…

Alright… She blinked for a while, pursing her lips in deep thought before finally speaking, “Before we go and rush there, we would have to talk of how we’re going to handle this. Or else I fear most of us would just die. Although the nine-tailed beast looks daunting, we shouldn’t let its size and power alone to intimidate us. We should stop it before letting it create havoc again. The villagers are now being taken to safety. We should be able to buy them more time at least.”

She nodded her head inwardly, forcing her mind to think twice as fast now while in the meantime remaining calm. Otherwise, she would probably end up making bad suggestions. “Any techniques might only infuriate the beast, if not do much damage. Any attack should be taken into full consideration before doing it. Angering the beast will probably result in Konoha being destroyed in a blink of an eye.”

Kumiko turned her head a bit and gave the Kyuubi one quick glance before continuing on, “We can rely on traps though. We could focus on its legs and make it immobile for a short amount of time.” Dropping her arms at the side, she stood up straight and gazed back at her comrades.

She feared again, although she dared not showed it. This time however, she feared for these other young people’s lives; that before the mission ends one, if not all, might not make it out alive. Kumiko cursed silently at her grm thought. I mustn’t let that happen…

“Everyone… I hope for the mission’s success… and that we’ll all be coming back to Konoha to drink some tea afterwards…” That was a lame attempt to boost their spirits up but she can’t help it. Kumiko just shrugged her shoulders a bit and turned to the other shinobi standing in front of her. “Any other suggestions on how we can deal with the Kyuubi, think fast and say it now. We’re losing precious time as we speak but we can’t just go running towards the Kyuubi without any solid plan unless we speak quickly.” She waited for their response as the Kyuubi growled behind them.

The night was about to begin, and she was eagerly waiting for morning to come and have a quick sip of tea.

An ANBU Kaguya, a Hellious, a Yukina, an Uchiha, and three Hyuuga. Eight shinobi, strong, fit, and able teamed together to take on a beast that towers over the oldest of trees within the Fire Country's extensive forests. As the young Hellious boy of only a toukubetsu jounin status runs the scenarios in his head he finds the group to be too specialized in taijutsu and the style of combat where you fight one human at a time. Of course, this can't be helped. Fresh out of a war it is to be expected that Konoha's personnel would be specialized in face to face combat with other shinobi. Then you have to think about just how is one suppose to train in specialty for such a situation. Sure every shinobi should know about the Bijuu but who actually expects one to wander around and attack a hidden village in the middle of the night.

The sun's beginning to set as the eight shinobi gather in formation around their Hyuuga leader. Hyuuga Kumiko, eight-teen years old, five feet six inches tall, roughly one hundred and thirty pounds. She's a petite member of the branch family of the Hyuuga, a separate division of the family that serves as overrated slaves the to Main branch, yet she's still assigned authority over the mission. One would expect her to be a high ranked jounin to be put in charge of ANBU members with quiet possibly the most dangerous mission in Konohagakure's history but, much to Trent's surprise, she's only a chunin. In fact, there's not a jounin amongst them.

The Kaguya, Uchiha, Yukina, and two of the Hyuuga, including Kumiko, are all just Chunin rank with nary a medical shinobi and only one ANBU in the lot of them. Hyuuga Hisoka and Trent are the only toukubetsu jounin through out the group, which does a little more than worries the young clan leader.

“Before we go and rush there, we would have to talk of how we’re going to handle this. Or else I fear most of us would just die. Although the nine-tailed beast looks daunting, we shouldn’t let its size and power alone to intimidate us. We should stop it before letting it create havoc again. The villagers are now being taken to safety. We should be able to buy them more time at least.”

The situation seems to be slowly getting to her. Her head inclines ever so slightly as her brow lowers and the thought process accelerates.

“Any techniques might only infuriate the beast, if not do much damage. Any attack should be taken into full consideration before doing it. Angering the beast will probably result in Konoha being destroyed in a blink of an eye.”

Her speech breaks against as her eyes divert to the distant horizon and more specifically, the ever approaching Kyuubi coming to kill them all.

“We can rely on traps though. We could focus on its legs and make it immobile for a short amount of time.”

She breaks for the third time, her hands and arms falling to her side as she takes on a more... depressing sort of tone; as opposed to the up lifting instruction on tactic.

“Everyone… I hope for the mission’s success… and that we’ll all be coming back to Konoha to drink some tea afterwards… Any other suggestions on how we can deal with the Kyuubi, think fast and say it now. We’re losing precious time as we speak but we can’t just go running towards the Kyuubi without any solid plan unless we speak quickly.”

The group is quiet, partly, while the group begins to think inside their own genius shinobi minds. Each one runs through their own repertoire of jutsu, weapons, and skill to find a solution in taking down a mountain sized enemy. He can't speak for the others but Trent thinks about the terrain in comparison to the Kyuubi's current speed and the speed that could be output by the team. Like all Konoha shinobi, he's spent months inside the forests lining their borders. He knows several locations in there like the back of his hand, albeit he's blind as a bat now and hasn't seen the back of his hand in the past seventy-two hours.

The Hellious quickly drops to his knees and begins to layout a crude map with his finger dragging into the dirt and his mind trying to keep the lines straight both on the ground and in his head.

“My name is Hellious Trent and I'm a string master. My clan uses strings on a large scale to take on several opponents at the same time and I think we can utilize this skill to slow the beast down. We'll use massive amounts of explosives at these key points in the Kyuubi's path to herd the beast into our trap.”

Small X's cut into a line drawn from the Kyuubi's location on Trent's drawing to Konoha. Then a new path is created in his guess as to where the nine tails will divert to. Around that location he draws a large circle, arrows representing trees, and swaying lines to represent a stream.

“At this location, there's an underwater stream that leads into a reservoir. I've seen Yukina control water, mist, and ice before. If we can use this to wear the soil away, we can create a massive sink hole that the beast will fall into. Further more, I can cut this entire section of forest into a massive acre of wooden pikes and stakes. To add insult to injury, I'm carrying my own amount of explosives. I can line each tree I slice with these tags to maybe at least hurt it a little more as it falls into the pit.”

His finger runs back to the three X's he made in the Kyuubi's path. Adding more X's along the entire left side of the path, he begins to show that they can't just attack the path but have to destroy an entire flank of the Kyuubi as well. Only by those means can they hope to force the beast to travel specifically into their trap.

“I say, that if we follow this plan, the hardest part will be to divert the Kyuubi to this indirect approach to Konoha. Our counter attack at these three locations marked by my X's must be so grand and decisive that he doesn't want to bother going through the trouble.”

He stands back up, unable to see the expressions on their faces, and pats his hands, knees, and navy coat clean of the dirt. If someone has a better plan then he's more than willing to listen. But, at the very least what he accomplished was putting forth his own skills to make it easier for everyone to plan.

“It's far from perfect and messed together on the spot but, unless one of us possesses a wide scale jutsu that can physical halt the bijuu's approach or knowledge of a better vantage point for a trap, I find this to be the best choice in slowing the beast down.”

He places his hands back in his pockets to symbolize the conclusion of his instruction and awaits the next offered plan. Surprisingly enough, the howling roar of the Kyuubi has become background noise to his mind and the bright red hue killing the sky above has become just another color. Trent's war time experience is starting to bleed through, granting him a calm perception of the situation as the enemy attacks. His old commander, Iki Shingu, would be proud.

He took quick, short breaths as he journeyed hastily towards his oversized enemy. With a head full of different thoughts it was amazing that he could even manage to stay slightly focused on his objective. The young Kaguya was really putting himself to the ultimate test of life and death.

Kito constantly thought of different strategies to take on the demon fox but nothing slightly reasonable could even come to mind. He was heavily skilled in taijutsu, which was seemingly useless against a foe of such magnitude and on top of that mission orders to not attack the enemy directly. Even the majority of the few ninjutsu he knew involved close range combat, which made his task even more difficult. It was becoming painfully obvious that he would have to rely on the techniques of others to even be useful in such a mission.

Placing all negative thoughts out of his mind he pressed on, however one voice of doubt persistently remained with him. It was the voice he feared most of all because it wasn’t about doubting his abilities. Instead the voice made him doubt others no matter how good a relationship they shared. It would constantly speak to him in his sleep as if it were another version, a darker more deadly version, of himself somehow subdued by his normal personality. It usually spoke while he slept causing him to have horrible nightmares of himself committing horrible crimes and taking innocent lives without a shred of remorse.

The time of destruction has finally approached. This is the night that you’ve been dreaming about.

“They weren’t dreams they were nightmares. I shivered while I slept thought the nights were warm.” The young Kaguya replied to his sub-conscience.

You shivered because you were excited. All of those visions of blood and betrayal enticed you to the point where your body could only shiver. The time of those vision are now here at long last and we both know what you must do.

“What I must do? Its more like what I must not do.”

The chuunin stopped directly in front of the village’s enormous gates. Though enormous compared to the villagers and other structures it seemed like a simple twig when compared to the approaching fox.

The beast, which was once slowly progressing towards the village, had become engaged in battle with another enormous creature. From what he could tell it appeared to be a lion summon obviously of sage rank due to its size. It was a beautiful sight to see a summoned animal of that rank but in truth he had seen it all before.

Taking in a deep breath he continued to stare into the battlefield. The enemy was a sight to behold and its power truly knew no bounds since he could feel its chakra sting his skin from so far away. Deciding not to waste anymore time he leapt forward into hell as he prayed for a miracle to occur.

The world on the other side of the gates was far different. There were no panicking villagers here and each shinobi was hard at work carrying out a different objective to help against the bijuu. Ruins littered the ground with a thick cloud of dust barely visible in the distance due to the bright red glow of the kyuubi.

Kito quickly headed towards the location the hokage had instructed him to meet his teammates. Up until now they were still unknown to the Kaguya but that didn’t matter anymore. He could see their figures just off in the distance and before long had arrived on scene.

The young Kaguya examined his arriving teammates from behind his wolf resembling ANBU mask. From what he could tell there was two other ANBU but just like him they were wearing masks. The others were mainly Hyuugas with the exception of one shinobi. He belonged to the Hellious clan and was supposed to be around jounin strength.

“This is truly going to be fun after all” the Kaguya said softly.

“Before we go and rush there, we would have to talk of how we’re going to handle this. Or else I fear most of us would just die. Although the nine-tailed beast looks daunting, we shouldn’t let its size and power alone to intimidate us. We should stop it before letting it create havoc again. The villagers are now being taken to safety. We should be able to buy them more time at least” one of the Hyuuga’s said suddenly.

From the way she spoke it seemed as if she was the team leader but it was obvious that she still feared the objective she had been given. There is no way in hell some oversized mutt is going to intimidate me when I don’t even have to fight it. the Kaguya thought to himself as he continued to listen to the appointed leader.

“Any techniques might only infuriate the beast, if not do much damage. Any attack should be taken into full consideration before doing it. Angering the beast will probably result in Konoha being destroyed in a blink of an eye. We can rely on traps though. We could focus on its legs and make it immobile for a short amount of time. Everyone… I hope for the mission’s success… and that we’ll all be coming back to Konoha to drink some tea afterwards…”

It was such a beautiful disaster. In such chaos the village really banded together showing the true strength of the fire country. The leader the Fourth had chosen was wise beyond words. As afraid as she could possibly be, she was ready to risk her very soul to save the lives of others.


Well that’s all I really need to hear thought the young Kaguya as he bit his thumb and placed blood onto a small scroll. With one swift motion he rammed the scroll into the ground using about thirty percent of his overall strength. The hardened soil cracked and crumbled from the force of the blow and once again Toukai appeared by his master’s side.

The beast roared as if it was finally released from a cage after being in captivity for a long period of time. Kito remained silent for a brief moment as he collected his thoughts before finally deciding to get down to business.

Within a spiral of swirling leaves and dust the young chuunin had seemingly vanished from sight. His beautiful white tiger was the only remaining clue to his location but sadly it too seemed to vanish from sight only seconds later. Without even a word to his fellow shinobi he was already getting down to the reason he decided to risk his life.

His piercing red eyes focused on his target as he remained at a currently safe distance and surrounded the target. Carefully he examined the staggered movements of the kyuubi and made alterations to his calculations. Though his strategy was dangerous to all that did not know about it he knew that diverting the enemy was a must. With two handfuls of kunai tied with explosive notes the young chuunin began his cleverly planned destruction of the forest.

Enormous trees seemed to fall randomly left, right and center but as the newly burnt and decaying forest giants piled up onto one another it was clear that numerous calculations had been made beforehand. In only a few minutes a wall of enormous height had been created but there was no guarantee that it could deter the rampaging beast. As a secondary precaution Kito laced the wall of trees in many numerous locations with explosive notes and charges.

With his first objective completed the Kaguya chuunin rejoined his allies to listen to their strategies. It seemed as if they were still in the midst of discussing common ideas and his beloved partner still had not returned. Unlike him who had remained at a fairly safe distance away from the kyuubi, Toukai had gotten much closer. Their objectives were the same however the tiger had another thing to take care of as well. The beast searched the forest as quickly as it could to take the wounded back to the village where they could get help. This way they could of at least been of more use in the mission depending on their injuries.

“Okay whatever we decide to do we need to decided it quickly. Time is definitely not on our side tonight as we stand here in what will soon be rubble. That giant lion won’t be able to hold that monster off forever and from what I can tell by appearances only a few of us here don’t specialize in taijutsu. That will definitely be our largest disadvantage due to the nature of the mission.

For the few minutes I was gone I created a barricade to hopefully slow down the kyuubi in order to give us a few extra moments. The barricade is to the northeast and is about fifty feet in height. I advise you to avoid it at all costs due to all of the explosives that are scattered in the immediate vicinity” Kito said from behind his mask, immediately shattering his silent appearance.