---

Walking calmly through a lightly forested area, his companion beside him, Kyūsai took in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "Amegakure," he said, breaking the calm air. The next moment a kunai flew towards his head. There was a flash of red and the sound of rupturing flesh for the briefest of moments before the weapon could be seen falling to the ground. He had not flinched, he had barely noticed, he kept on walking. After a whole quiet thirty seconds had passed he smiled, a look one might see upon the face of someone who had thought of a useful idea, "Arina, would you fetch me a shuriken, a smoke bomb, and three explosive tags please?" Without giving her so much as a passing glance, his arm raised from his side, palm upturned, in a gesture for her to hand the items over.

Several kunai three. Again, a flesh and the sound of bursting flesh, and the kunai fell to the ground his body unmarred. He hadn't even blinked. It almost seemed as if he hadn't even realized he was being attacked. It was odd, his expression and demeanor contrary to his request and his situation all at once.

As always, he kept others guessing.

Amegakure… the one place that didn’t care whether Arina entered the village or not. Of all the hidden villages, Amegakure was the one village that seemed to give no fucks. It was refreshing, or it would have been if they weren’t being attacked. Her blue eyes slid to the man on her left – he didn’t seem to even notice the sharp weapon that lodged itself into his skin, to which she raised an eyebrow, yet continued on, occasionally blocking the stray kunai as it threatened to pierce her perfect skin.

She shot a slight glare at the Shinobi as he asked her for supplies, why did he not have his own supplies? She huffed a sigh before looking over her shoulder at the third companion who looked straight back at her with a lethargic gaze – his hands clasped behind his head. The two stared at each other for a moment, expressions unchanging as the silence lingered between the trio; sharing silent words. And after a moment, the raven haired man sighed and dug into his weapon pouch and pulled out the items their comrade had asked for. He gave her a look of disapproval as he handed them to her and she passed them forward, glancing back at the lethargic Shinobi as she did so.

“Don’t give me that look Pachid, you know I don’t carry those things on me,” she muttered and he raised an eyebrow at her before sighing slightly,

“Perhaps you should start,” he murmured in rebuttal to which she looked shocked,

“No!” she exclaimed abruptly, almost scaring the lazy nin… if he were energetic enough to actually be scared, “It would mean I’d have to carry extra things on my person and I just can’t find anything that looks good enough to go with my dress,”

Pachid frowned at her statement – it was just like her to worry more about her appearance than her safety on a mission… it was also just like her to not care in the slightest for the strange behaviour patterns of their comrade, who might he add, they barely knew. He’d been watching the man intently for a while – and although he didn’t have Arina’s Kekkei Genkai… he surely acted like it. He would have openly voiced his curiosity, if he cared enough… but he guessed that was the thing about hanging around immortals for that long… After a while,

You just seem to stop caring about mortality in general.

Seeming to totally ignore the exchange between the two, Kyūsai took the pieces of equipment as they reached him, neither snatching nor taking them graciously. He was an odd juxtaposition to the other two, one being lazy, and the other practically never being serious in the least. He was neither of those things, not in the slightest. When the next twelve kunai rushed at them, and were summarily deflected by an unknown force once more, Kyūsai slashed his arm with a shuriken, blood getting on the weapon as he did so.

The wound immediately swelled, released a strange puss-like fluid, then sealed up, the liquid disappearing in the same moment it healed, perhaps pulled into the wound as it closed. There wasn't even a scar. "Pachid, Arina stay within the cloud, please" he said with a calm smile on his features.

He then threw the smoke bomb down, placed the explosive tag on his right arm and grasped the shuriken in his left hand. The next kunai that appeared was batted away and he disappeared from the cloud of smoke.

There were sounds of clashing weapons, rupturing flesh, almost always followed by screams of terror. An explosion went off somewhere outside the smoke, and then all went silent.

The smoke cleared.

Kyūsai was standing 10 meters ahead of them, his right arm blown clear off, but not bleeding in the least. It had sealed off into a stump and that same puss was gradually exuding from a tiny slit in the stump. It was dripping downwards and with each passing second part of his arm reformed.

He still had the shuriken, which was now coated in gore. His clothes were similarly covered with blood and debris. Still smiling, as if he were merely enjoying a cup of tea and watching clouds pass, Kyūsai let the shuriken drop. The two would, accidentally, blink in unison and as their eyes opened Kyūsai's clothes would be spotless. He glanced back at them with the same smile, "Come, we've nearly arrived. Oh, and please...mind the bodies." Around them were strewn over thirty six shinobi, most of them disemboweled or sheered open. Some of them were missing limbs...or a head. Still, despite this, there wasn't any blood. Fluids leaking from their innards, sure, but blood...not in the slightest.

The skin of the many corpses was pale and sickly. If one looked closely they might even see fading lines of reddish hue. If the sun hadn't been out their faint glow would have been visible, but in these conditions it was not.

Kyūsai, taking no mind to the destruction left in his wake, turned away, his back facing them, before walking towards Amegakure once more.

This had been the sixth assassination party.

It had been the sixth failure.

It wouldn't be the last.

Pachid frowned as he and Arina were all of a sudden engulfed in smoke, while Kyūsai asked them to stay in the cover of the bomb. The two members of the Kawagana Clan squinted their eyes in attempt to peer through the thick substance, however they could see nothing. He heard Arina sigh from beside him, probably silently complaining that the smoky smell would stick to her clothes – he rolled his eyes more at the fact he could instantly tell what she was thinking rather than her actual thoughts.

“What a waste of a smoke bomb,” Pachid grumbled as he plonked himself down cross-legged on the grass, they didn’t need to be told twice. His eye twitched slightly as Arina laid down using his legs as a pillow... could she just not. Her serious lack of care for the situation was disturbing, even for her.

“I swear to god, if Ryosei has fucked us over, I’ll kill him,” she murmured, shifting her head to try and see Kyūsai, but there was nothing – only the horrified screams of his victims.

“Empty threats are unbecoming of you Ri,”

She scoffed at his comment, not denying his words – he wasn’t wrong, but she wouldn’t tell him that. Their attention was drawn to their comrade as the smoke cleared the area revealing numerous bodies and an armless Kyūsai. They both watched in silence as his arm regenerated in the most sickening way she thought possible. She slowly pushed herself up and gagged slightly,

“That’s got to be the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen,” she stated dryly, waiting for Pachid to stand up and offer her a hand, which she gracefully accepted, allowing him to help her up.

It wasn’t that she needed the help, more, she expected it.

“So…” she mused lightly, humming her words as she spoke, “Where to next?” she asked, “They have an amazing Udon shop in the middle of town if you’re hungry,”

The morning air was cool and humid from dew collected on most any surface outside. The air was fresh, clean, and the sun blazed a bright orange yellow far to the east. Hanawa had finished up her breakfast and was making her way through the village. Her destination wasn't particularly in mind. She could make it anywhere within the village proper in a short amount of time. At five foot eight, she stood taller than most of the women and a few of the men. One hand brushed back dark sable hair out of her steel gray eyes as they surveyed the villagers coming and going. A few waved, but most gave her a wide berth out of respect, or fear. One could never be sure, and sometimes it was best to have both. Even still, she paid it no mind as she was troubled with her own thoughts.

It wasn't a good idea to be locked in her own head. Most would have said it made her a target. Her eyes should have been open, head on a swivel, watching everywhere. Instead, she relied on her senses, all of them. Sight, hearing, scent, even the taste of the air. Those were all things hse paid attention to even on a subconscious level, but others were there as well, telling her things Hanawa about the environment.

Booted tabi took her down the street, that might have been more of a glorified path, surely and unconsciously silent. She wore or carried no visible weapons beneath her outfit, save one. Today she wore a pair of dark green hakama pants with low cutout side panels and a tight fitting halter top that was a lighter green. A black bodysuit was underneath, that disappeared into the pants, bikini style. The hakama were held up by what seemed be little more than a belt or waistband tied at the back. A pair of black forearm guards adorned each arm. Her hands were free, except for the haft of a spear in her right hand, though at this point, it had been transformed into a walking stick. Only a little bit of chakra flowed through it, keeping it's appearance to that of one less threatening. A staff in her hands could cave in helms with one good hit, so it mattered little. Not to mention what she could do with her bare hands.

Not once glancing back at the two as the woman complained, Kyūsai spoke, tone level and calm. There was a smile on his voice, "I will be heading to the informant in search of our target. Feel free to go consume sustenance. Be sure to inquire about the Tatasuko." He continued walking ahead of them, the presence of civilization becoming more apparent as they did so. People trickled in and out of the town on the same path they were following, and some others as well. Buildings came into view as they passed over a hill. The whole while Kyūsai hadn't said a word. When they reached the very edge of the village, his arm having fully formed once more, he turned and looked to them.

"Three hours, the inn nearest the opening of the town, that is where we shall meet. Watch yourselves, I'm not the only one being hunted." He gave them a cheerful smile, waved, and then walked away.

However, though he said no further words, through his mind wandered the thought, 'I wonder how they'll fare against The Thief.'

---

False hazel orbs closed off from the worlds by his eye's heavy lids, the shade was sitting in a clearing in the lotus position. To anyone whose senses for energy were particularly sharp, the flow of natural energy of the area was flowing to him at a gradual speed. He was most at peace this way and aside from spending time with Kurohana and every so often attending to the business of the clan this was how he spent the majority of his time.

Taking in a deep breath he savored the smell of morning dew and nature. He felt the droplets of liquid as if they were upon his own flesh, rather than beading on the surrounding greenery. However, as he sat in silence a sudden feeling came through him of an intensity he had not felt in quite awhile. Nonetheless, he sat there, still for a while longer before his eyelids parted and he rose to his feet.

The cycles had shifted.

Sighing and shaking his head, he turned to head back towards Onteimura, the Rift Village that was the only outer settlement the Tatasuko clan. Similarly, it was the only known place where members of the illusive Iouchiryo clan lived out in the open, free to be contacted by anyone who spent the effort needed to reach them.

Coming upon the sprawling settlement, Zume felt many people attending to their morning tasks or beginning the work of the day. To him it was like watching the goings on of a single organism that humanity preferred to call civilization. If only others were as aware of it as he were, the world would perhaps be a more peaceful place.

Approaching the edge of the village that nearly touched the caverns that were the Hahaoya no Joumyaku, Zume took a left. In only a minute more he came upon a well built house of stone and wood, its craftsmanship expert and its walls secretly infused with all manner of chakra. It was far more than it appeared.

Pushing the door open, he went up to the second floor of his house and called out--as if he did not know where she was already--"Kurohana?" He awaited her response before heading to where she was, "It's happened again." With his having spoken of the cycles before, and her own awareness, he'd not be surprised if she had felt it herself.

Still, while her blood was particularly pure, it could not match with his own connection to the world. It was simply the way of things. It was a blessing and a curse both, one that he had mastered.

Hopefully it would benefit the world...rather than hurt it.

Hopefully.

---

Striding into the building as if he owned the place, Akine's blade was in hand, its tip scrapping against the wall and producing a wondrously chilling sound. "Oh I do love visiting a good friend," he chimed aloud, his tone chipper and sing-song. As he began humming he came upon the door he was looking for and, unceremoniously, he stabbed his sword into it and emitted chakra. immediately the door was aflame, and then it was ash the next moment. He walked through the now empty door frame with a wide grin on his face, and those ever strange eyes purple eyes.

His doujutsu was ever present, and the eerie...ghostly glow it gave off certainly made no effort to put those who saw it at ease.

The man in the room turned in his chair and glanced at the door, raising an eyebrow as he spoke, "Well that was completely unnecessary," he stated matter of factly. Akine only grinned, his eyes shining despite the room being lit. "Hardly, you always need a little...spark in your life. It keeps people burning," he didn't clarify what he meant by that. It could have been a reference to people's will to live, or their passion...but it also could have meant some less pleasant things. It was almost certainly the latter of the two.

Waltzing in he spun on his heel and plopped down into the couch. He took out a kunai and began carving lines into the wall. "I just had those painted, can you not?" Akine's grin widened, and he began carving chunks of the paint off of the wall intentionally. "Now now, you know I can't do that, Ryosei," he said in the same amused tone, his voice dripping with...something. It was hard to tell, but it wasn't a good thing. "I've got a little request for you. Tell me the name of your favorite person. I'm sure they're a BLAST!"

Ryosei sighed before a thoughtful look crossed his face, even as he began to tap his index finger. "I don't know, it's hard to choose, but I can think of at least one person," the informant mused aloud. While he waited, the Thief's foot began tapping against the floor, and the fingers on his free hand began to twitch and then fidget. His expression however, didn't change. "Oh please, the suspense is going to get someone killed!" There was a tension in his voice that hadn't been there before, but it was accompanied by excitement...and perhaps an implicit threat.

If you could even call that implicit.

"Well, isn't someone going to get killed anyways?" He inquired rhetorically. Akine only grinned, a small "Ha," exiting his lips before he fell silent again. 'Man I haven't killed in a whole thirty minutes. It's making my skin itch,' he thought in that silence.

After a moment, Ryosei relented, letting his hand fall from his chin before he spoke, a small smile on his lips. "One Arina Kawagana, I'm sure you've heard of her."

Akine's eyes seemed to glow even brighter and as Ryosei was looking into them, there would be the briefest of flashes of various rather...gory imagery. However, the flashes were so fast that they might as well have been subliminal. "Oh...and rumor has it, she's immortal. As in, she can't die," he added, seeming not to notice. Akine's smile would have widened if it was humanly possible. After the briefest of seconds he pushed himself up from the couch, walked over to Ryosei's desk and picked a small pouch from his belt. The cloth was stained with splotches of blood. Some dry...some not. As he set it down, there was the clinking of coin. "This has been delightful old friend. I'd like to inform you of something else since you've so graciously offered me a new plaything. My kill count is now at two hundred and sixty-three."

"Only that many?" Ryosei responded.
"Oh you know me so well."
"That I do, friend, that I do."
"The actual number is much higher. I've had to start writing it down. However, the number I gave you is the amount of innocent people. Recently I killed three rather notable diplomats. One was the Mizukage, one was a Daimyo, and the other was some rather wealthy merchant. Keiso Terime or something I believe. I confuse names these days. You know how it is."
"Oh I remember him, he's related to the Tetsukuzu clan. An outcast I believe. Pilfered plenty of money from the state. You've become something of a vigilante in his case."
Akine scoffed and turned away, "Don't flatter me," it was an order, not a request. His usual amusement was not in the words.

"Anyways, you can take that as you will. I'm sure someone will find it useful. Tata~"

"Give Arina my best regards," Ryosei called after the man.

Raising his hand in a backwards wave, Akine left the room through the empty door frame.

Taking his leave of the building, Akine's eyes darted about frantically until they finally rested on the form of two siblings and their small dog, one of the two carrying a basket even as the dog licked at their ankles and followed. He felt a shudder go through him and so he took a slight detour, heading into the woods out of sight. Before he did he even heard a woman call out, "Don't wander far Ayame, and look after your brother!"

"I will mommy. Seirin is safe with me," the little girl called back.

Akine grinned.

He'd only let one of them walk away alive.

The next few days would be fun.

For him.

Arina walked behind Kyūsai, keeping to the left, so she could get a better look at him. She gave him a weary glance as he spoke of his plans to split off from her and Pachid – a plan which she wasn’t complaining about to be honest about. She didn’t give any sort of acknowledgement to his request for knowledge of the Tatasuko… but she’d ask anyway.

But only because she wanted to.

Pachid shot her a slight glare, knowing her exact thought patterns and Arina simply shrugged in return. He sighed and closed his eyes, clasping his hands on the back of his head as he walked alongside the Kawagana. How he ever managed to be landed on a team with the two of them, he’d never know… he wondered what he’d ever done to deserve such a thing…

He wasn’t going to answer that.

Arina gave Kyūsai a friendly wave in return with her signature closed eye smile and Pachid stared at her in disbelief. The pair watched him walk away for a moment before they turned and headed in a different direction. Pachid trailed a step behind his comrade, shoving his hands in his pockets while she lifted her arms up and clasped her hands on the back of her hair. He glanced at her for a moment, his blue eyes analysing the seemingly young Kawagana,

“What is our consensus on Tsuki-sha?” he asked in a bored monotonous tone.

Arina skipped a step, instantly falling into line with the Kawagana Clans advisor. She clicked her tongue for a moment as she thought of the right words, “He’s interesting,” she mused, “I like him,”

Pachid stopped dead in his tracks, wide eyed while she continued on walking – almost as if she hadn’t even noticed his absence. “You’re kidding right?” he asked, still not moving from his place in the middle of the street. Arina finally stopped and turned to face him, her thigh-length white dress swaying with her turn while her ice blue eyes met his.

“He’s a creep.”

“He’s also immortal,” she rebutted, “his power is very interesting to me – I’ve never seen it before,” she mused, tapping her chin with her index finger in a thinking manner.

Pachid sighed, why did she always have to befriend the creepy ones? Ryosei and Zagi were more enough for him to deal with… they didn’t need to add any more to the mix. Her social circle was downright chilling. He groaned as she gave him a sweet smile and turned around, continuing on down the street; he followed reluctantly.

Before long they found themselves in a sake bar, having a relaxing drink while watching the locals. They wanted to know how they interacted with each other, how the reacted to certain topics of conversation and above all, how they reacted to outsiders. It was a rough bar, with even rougher people – the two looked almost too clean to be there, they were out of place.

And it was drawing attention.

“Do you think they’re staring because of my dashing looks?” Arina asked as she took a sip of her sake, and Pachid shot her a disapproving look before his eyes scanned the bar for someone who looked like they knew a substantial amount about a lot of things. She simply shrugged, and poured another drink… he was such a stiff.

“What I’m curious about is the one hunting us,” she mused, and Pachid froze slightly,

“I think we should avoid conflict at all costs,” he stated, thinking back to what Kyūsai had said, “this person hasn’t made any effort to conceal themselves, and they’ve made you a prime target,” he proclaimed, and her eyebrows knitted together in a frown,

“So?”

“So, that means they clearly have some form of information on you…” he stated in a serious tone, looking back to her, “and all of the evidence states that they don’t fear you in the slightest… which means we have one of three kinds of people on us,”

She rested her elbow on the table and propped her chin up with her palm, signalling him to go on,

“A moron, your brother… or a psychopath…”

She giggled slightly, and he frowned at her carefree attitude – all were bad at this point in time. If it were some weakling trying to prove their worth by capturing her, she’d surely kill them – which would draw attention. And an all-out battle with someone who could match her strength or overpower her, would most likely upset the locals… considering she didn’t have the courtesy to take a battle outside the village. He was snapped out of his thoughts as she spoke,

“A moron would have at least tried to conceal themselves… and my brother would have attacked a long time ago,” she mused, and a grin befell her features,

“I’m gunning for psychopath.”

Plip... Plop... The sound of water dripping into a basin echoed throughout a large sunlit and steam filled stone room. "Mmm..." The soft murmur of a woman's voice filled the room, followed quickly by the sound of a body slipping into water. Raven colored hair broke the surface of the water after a few moments, enhanced by the deep black orbs that opened only seconds after. A strange feeling passed over the woman's body, pulling a shiver from her even though she lay resting in fairly hot water.

A sigh passed over her lips as her hands ran through her dark tresses, pulling them back into a low ponytail before she finally laid her back against the interior of the basin.

Just as she was finally relaxing, a voice reached her, calling out her name. Even though she was a bit irritated about having her relaxation interrupted, she found herself smiling before calling back. "Just a second." As she spoke, Kurohana lifted her body from the water, and grabbed a towel that lay on a stool not too far from her. Just as she was wrapping the cloth around her body she heard the door open, and soon found her eyes resting upon her husband's face. Her head tilted as if she hadn't heard the knock on the door, but try as she might she couldn't seem to feign any form of anger at him.

"So the cycles are shifting again? Hm. I wonder what's caused it this time." She spoke softly, walking toward her counterpart. That explained the shiver she'd felt only moments prior, if she had been focusing on it she might've been able to feel more. Maybe. When she reached Zume, her dark orbs locked with his, but the room remained silent.

Having separated from his little...group, Kyūsai relaxed and let out a breath before drawing another in. His smile evaporated and his eyes went cold. As passersby glanced at him, some recoiled in shock despite his body being perfectly normal. It was the expression. Paying no mind to the significant gawkers, Kyūsai turned down a side street so as to avoid their gaze. He could have kept up the facade, but it was energy consuming, so he'd rather not for the moment. Granted, it wasn't so much a facade as it was...the thing.

It was difficult to explain to others, and it was a well kept secret of the genetic progenitors of Tsuki-sha clan. As while many merely thought that every few generations individuals were born who could control their accursed Kekkei genkai, they were not quite correct. In actuality what happened was that the more...human side of the inheritor was split, giving the cancerous parasite within a form of sentience. As a result, the parasite became more symbiotic than was normal. This allowed the two to coexist via the human intentionally feeding the parasite, and the parasite fasting as much as possible. The problem was that the control wasn't ever permanent, eventually the parasite's instincts would win over its intelligence and the delicate equilibrium would collapse.

So far, Kyūsai's parasite had lasted the longest without mental decay, but this only meant that it was a ticking time bomb. It meant that the parasite would likely retain its sanity longer...for a price. Whenever its sentience failed, it would likely become something far more terrifying than any of its predecessors.

It was a dark secret that Kyūsai, and his clan, did not want the world to know. It was a burden he carried, and one he carried well. It drove him to work swiftly, for his own sake...and that of others.

Reaching the informant's office building, Kyūsai took a deep breath, let his smile gently form on his face, before he entered.

Hopefully she had good news.

---

Zume smiled as he laid eyes on his wife, for even though he saw her daily she was a sight for sore eyes. Then again, perhaps it was that his eyes saw too much, which made him predisposed to finding the sight of something that brought him enjoyment on a more base level a quite pleasant experience. Chuckling internally he closed the rest of the distance between himself and Kurohana, taking her into his arms and breathing in her scent. Had he been normal he'd not have detected it, but he wasn't normal. "It is hard to tell with these things," he began as he held her, smiling down at her with a certain serenity about him. She really did bring him a unique sort of peace of mind.

"However, with a war on the horizon behind us it is not so strange that the cycles would shift this soon," he mused aloud. Gently letting his arms fall away from her form, he looked to the bath and smiled, "It's too bad I can't join you love." His eyes didn't look to her barely towel covered body, but she'd feel his gaze nonetheless.

Taking a step away from her and glancing downstairs, as it was visible through the holes in the balcony, Zume spoke once more. "So the children will be back in a few days," the comment was an open one, inviting further discussion.

He glanced back her way, eyes gleaming slightly, the slightest of smiles still on his lips.

Who knows what he was thinking.

---

---

Atop his hidden observatory that rested in a small cave system above his office, stood the Raikage. Looking down at the village which sprawled down the mountain, hidden in the clouds. He had come to love this place, it seemed. It had grown on him.

Exhaling through his mask and past his hood, the kage turned is gaze away from the village and to the horizon. At this height one could see quite far, but for him it was not far enough. Even with the lay of the land apparent to him he could not see the intricacies that lay upon that land. The people, the exact composition of the earth, the potential enemies that might lurk behind any stone...within any forest. It was simply not enough.

Turning his mind to another matter as they settled down below, on his office, Genmyou decided what he ought to do this day, then turned and walked beneath the overhang of the small cave that was his observatory. His chakra snaked out from his form and touched a small seal on the ceiling and as it did, he vanished, reappearing on the porch of his office before entering the building again. His robes kept him warm, but it was indeed cold in the mountains...though not always.

The weather was sporadic really, he had come to find. It could be raining one moment, and scalding the next.

Sitting at his desk, Genmyou let his hand slide over its surface till it touched another seal. He kept it there and after a moment he spoke into the air, calling for two of his advisers and two other individuals. He knew the other was not in the building at the moment, but she'd get there promptly. When that was done he looked to the surface of his mahogany desk and began sorting through various papers, muttering to himself quietly as he did so.

Eventually he had finished sorting them into piles by type and relevance, with the most important ones on the top, and the least on the bottom. Once that was done he arranged them at the four corners of the desk so as to move them out of his way. Then he reached into his robes, extracted a rather unique looking pen. Immediately he felt his chakra enter its reservoir, and he took it to a piece of chakra receptive paper he'd extracted in the same motion, but with his other hand.

He began inscribing a seal into the paper. It would take him some time, but it would almost surely be done by the time his adviser arrived.

For him, that was a long time.

It was one of the perks of being a master at the art.

Good thing he'd learned from the Antare.

"Fifty-five, fifty-six, fifty-seven, fifty-eight, fifty-nine... Sixty! Ready or not, here I come!"

Manami pulled her hands from her eyes revealing closed eyelids. She grinned from ear to ear, golden strands carelessly falling in her face and the rest placed neatly to the right side. Chuckling could be heard from all around her, four unique voices in total, though each one innocent by their own right. Such voices could only be identified as children, but that didn't matter right now, what mattered was what's at stake. Hide and seek wasn't just a game, no, her pride was on the line.

There were a decent amount of hiding spots around the Academy, though they'd need to be a little more clever than that. She'd played this game many-many times before, there were a declining amount of spots to hide throughout the entire village really. And that was why the new rule was implemented, that her eyes must remain shut throughout the entire game, no peeking. This handicap didn't help much last year, in all actuality, she found the genin quicker than the year prior. It was all trivial at this point though, Manami had been doing this with the Academy kids for a while now, it was a tradition for her to lure in a hyperactive bunch with heads a little big for their shoulders and challenge them year round. It was a symbiotic thing, she made some friends, had some fun, and they did the same while learning a thing or two.

"Nelle~ If you hide in the same spot as last year, you're bound to get caught." Manami scolded out loud in a playful tone, causing a small brunette girl looking no older than ten to scurry from a little hole behind a tree with a pout on her face. "Not fair, you cheater!" She responded, with the bittersweet taste of defeat on each word. "Now-now, my eyes are still closed. Not my fault that I don't even have to see you to know where you are." Nelle puffed, crossed her arms at her chest, and scampered away from the Academy.

The next spot to check.. Manami darted from the flat grassy area where she found Nelle, carefully treading along the nearby fence-line towards the rear of the school. Here there more places to hide, some bushes on the outskirts, a six or seven wooden crates filled with god knows what, and the various nooks and crannies that would hide you from basic sight. The easy thing to do would be hide behind the bushes, that wasn't like the twins though, they had to take things a step further every year.

"Hey! Where's the Takeshiro Twins?!" Manami grumbled in a very good impression of a man's voice.

Immediately, two separate crates popped open revealing the short haired boys dressed identically. The dark-brown haired Gen twin rose from a crate full of various fruit and vegetables, he had a green onion in his mouth when he popped out. The lighter-auburn haired twin Gin rose from a crate of silks and other fabrics, he had a pink scarf wrapped flamboyantly around his neck. In unison the two reacted in outrage. "What the.. Mako! You can't do that!" Pulling a golden strand away from her face, Manami opened her left eye to enact a wink to the boys before responding. "I do what I want, kiddo." Shutting the eye quickly afterwards, the twins performed a jutsu together taking about three seconds to complete, in an instant two barely clothed teenage men with lithe bodies rose in a puff of smoke where they once stood. Gen took the appearance of a more muscular man, though his short scraggily hair remained the same. Gin took a more feminine appearance, though his body was as 'tone' the hair of his transformation was long-curly blonde.

"Wow, you guys are getting pretty good at that. They're almost in my interest range. Keep up the good work." She sarcastically remarked, darting away as quickly as she arrived.

This time quicker than the last, she sprinted at full speed away from the Academy and into the inner workings of the village. Kirin, was always a headache. He was a Yotsuki, and had an ego far greater than the other kids she played with. The boy had talent, she'd give him that, but man he didn't know how to give up. Manami's pursuit brought her to the rooftops of the village's buildings, channeling the chakra into her feet to make the travel a little easier. Her predictions told her that he'd be mobile, since it'd be hard to pinpoint the boy's location through the moving village with her eyes closed. Luckily, she remembered the layout of her village very well, and could navigate through it with ease. Vaulting from atop a smaller stone building, she heard him a fair distance away struggling to find a spot to hide.

"Good spot." She quietly said to herself as she landed safely next to a food stall, and slowly paced towards one of her Clan's clinics.

Stepping quietly inside, Manami nodded to the residents within before reaching behind one of the medicine counters and grabbing Kirin by his shirt-collar. He squirmed, he thrashed, he flailed, all in vain as Manami deadpanned at the boy with an expression that silent spelled 'really?'. Bowing apologetically to those inside, she guided the young Kumo-nin out of the building by his back and once they reached outside she flicked him on the back of his head. His black combed back hair cow-licked, and he grabbed the back of his head in anger, turning towards Manami with a pinked face. "Seriously Mako, you gotta embarrass me like that?" he sneered, and stomped towards the Academy alongside her.

"I mean, I won, right?" She giggled, patting the boy's head in a apologetic gesture.

"Your eyes are still closed." Kirin responded, in a sarcastic and dull tone.

Snapping her eyelids open, the Manami's bright-amber eyes shined as they focused on the boy. She could now see his expression, and she herself pouted at his poor reaction to defeat. It was a quiet day so far, and if luck was on her side, it'd stay that way. As they neared the Academy, the remaining three appeared in the nearing distance, waving the two down in a cheerful manner. Manami couldn't help but turn to Kirin and slip in the words "See, they're not whining." to the boy as they finally regrouped. Kirin took his spot with the other three, they'd been skipping class for long enough and they knew it was about time they returned to the building. "Seeya' Mako!" they said as a group as they quickly scurried into the building. It felt good, messing around with kids on your time off.

But it was about time she got back to grown-up stuff.

"Manami, the Raikage needs to see you." A dark-skinned shinobi garbed in white seemingly appeared out of nowhere stated in a calm yet serious tone.

The girl's head perked up in interest, she then nodded to the man in understanding. The shinobi lead her most of the way, though just as they reached the building he disappeared for some oter pressing matters. She didn't take the front door, that would take too long, insead she scaled he face of the building entering the room aross from his by window. Quickly sliding it open, she tumbled into the room and quietly paced towards the Raikage's door and at last into his room.

"I was summoned, Mr. Raikage?"

Arina sighed as she once again finished another drink and Pachid simply frowned in disapproval. The two hadn’t said anything to one another over the last hour, they had just been watching the locals – which was actually rather amusing. They had already seen three bar fights, two thefts, a drunken father slap his son and one murder… and it wasn’t even midday yet. The duo seemed to stand out in the crowd, yet they hadn’t drawn the attention to be approached.

A pale hand extended into the air as Arina beckoned the young bar maid over to their table, whom was almost immediately at her side. Pachid watched with interest as the maid went to leave, but Arina’s hand shot out and grabbed her forearm, gently pulling the maid back down to her level. She whispered something in the woman’s ear and the young girls eyes widened for a moment before she looked at the pair seriously and nodded.

Arina then released the girl and she shot back over to the bar. Pachid’s eyes followed her as she found one man in particular and said something to him before pointing over at them. His eyes flickered back to Arina who wasn’t even watching the exchange – and he wondered what she’d asked the woman.

Before long, the young maid returned with a refreshed drink and placed it in front of Arina, before slipping something in her hand. Arina gave the girl a gentle smile before thanking her – to which the girl bowed and walked away.

Pachid watched with curiosity as Arina unravelled the paper and read over its contents. A small smile befell her features as she placed the corner of the paper in the flame from a candle that was sitting in the middle of the table. She then rose and her eyes turned down towards Pachid,

“Well, shall we head on out?” she asked, in a cheery tone that didn’t seem to sit well with him. His blue irises stared at her full drink for a moment before he frowned and stood up. He didn’t want to question it, but he found it strange that she didn’t even bother to finish her drink.

She gave him a closed eyed smile before she moved towards the exit of the bar, and he trailed behind her. Wondering what had sparked her interest so much. His eyes narrowed on her hands for a moment as he noticed her performing a few handsigns. He frowned for a second, wondering what she was up to – but an ear piercing scream snapped his attention back to the bar. His eyes found those of the bar maid, who was now bleeding in several different places. His expression turned dull as he realised what was happening to her.

Every single wound the girl had ever received was resurfacing on her body – every scar on her pale skin ripped itself open, allowing a mass amount of blood to spill from the refreshed wounds. He turned his attention back to Arina, catching a glimpse of her auburn hair as she exited the bar, and he wasn’t too long behind. He wondered how Arina was even able to do that to the girl – but as he watched Arina walk down the street he stopped. He remembered her grabbing the girls arm before she walked away – which would have doomed the girl then and there; the physical touch had branded the girl with Arina’s chakra…

That was just downright scary.

The amount of times Arina had touched Pachid for a seemingly pointless reason sent shivers down his spine. And when he felt a pair of cold hands wrap around his arm, it took all of his willpower not to jerk out of her hold. He hadn’t realised she had turned back to pull him along with her.

“We have places to be Pachid, and too much to do before we have to regroup with our new teammate,” she mused in a voice that almost entranced him into following her. He nodded and his features remained expressionless as he continued walking, allowing her to continue holding onto his arm.

It was a sad existence really – he’d do anything for her, and what was worse… she knew that.

It hadn’t taken the two long to reach a clearing in the forest, and waiting for them was a strange looking man. He was tall and lanky – he looked as if he had seen many battles, but he wore the uniform of a tradesman. Someone who knew a little about a lot of things, someone who could relay information on the Tatasuko clan.

“I hear you have information on the Tatasuko,” Arina stated with a charming smile as she released Pachid’s arm and moved towards the man who seemed to be taken back by her forwardness. He bowed slightly for a moment before his hazel eyes connected with her ice blue ones,

“Yes mam,” he replied quickly – Pachid could tell the man was nervous… perhaps he had seen what happened in the bar. Arina rose an eyebrow, waiting for the man to go on,

“And you’d be happy to relay this information to me?” she asked, and he opened his mouth to reply, only to be cut off as she tossed a bag of what seemed to be gold coins at him. “For a price of course.”

He fumbled to catch them and Arina watched intently as he peered into the bag, his eyes widening at the amount she had given to him. He then looked back up at her, stumbling over his words, “O-of course mi ‘lady!” he replied, and her sweet smile dissipated from her features into a bored expression. She closed her eyes and sighed as if his presence had become a chore.

“I was worried you’d say that.”

Before he could even question what she meant, she was inches away from his face, sword drawn and driven through his abdomen. Her blue irises were blank and void of emotion as they darted around his face, taking in every single aspect of surprise and betrayal. She rose to the tips of her toes and put her lips to his ear,

“Betraying the privacy of others isn’t looked lightly upon, where I come from – you’d do well to remember that in the afterlife.”

Pachid frowned… that was bullshit. One of her most trusted advisors was an informant who would sell her out in a second if it amused him.

She was such a hypocrite.

Hanawa was aware of the younger nin as they played their games of hide and seek. The mountain air was cold, but she paid it little mind as she walked. The wind began to pick up some, and as it did she felt a tension, a tightening in her abdomen, a chill of something akin to fear, tension, anticipation. Something was different on the air, something she couldn't put a finger to. It was like.. a sound, a force, a vibration, and it made the small hairs at the nape of her neck. The wind sent an icy shiver through her as well, as it whispered to her things she didn't quite understand.

So it was that the game was lost to her for the time being. A voice in her ear snapped her out of the reverie, of paying attention to senses external, but also internal, that tuned her more into the world around her. She didn't have time to consider, with the summons from Genmyou. She sighed, her breath almost fogging the air, before gathered her chakra up while taking a few running steps, hurtling toward the edge of one of the villages walkways and the rail. She easily 'blocked' herself up, and onto the railing, leaping out over what would have been a long long fall. The ground seemed to be hammered by an invisible fist below her as she did, while she herself rocketed high and hard into the air, as though flung by a powerful cannon or invisible trebuchet. She grunted subconsciously as she breathed deep, tensing her muscles to allow the force to transmit her properly, as well as to keep from blacking out from the gee forces her body was subjected to. She felt her stomach sink away from her as she rose up into the sky, like a missile by her force technique.

Rising still she brought her right leg up, folding at the knee as though she were leaping up onto a step and attempting to catch herself with it, before shooting her foot down and behind her. This time there seemed to be nothing but a blast of displaced air, almost visible as the moisture in the air was compressed in a shockwave below her. Her speed increased as she suffused chakra through her form, pressing against the air, and her body, lifting her and countering some of gravity's pull while she sailed over what was easily a fall of a couple miles. Within a few moments she reached the apex of her arc. To conserve her energy, her momentum, she tucked her head down, starting a forward roll or flip. As her feet came over, she straightened out, adding a little more to the motion, flattening the arc out. Her arms flared to the side, legs tucked together. And for the moment a grin of pure joy, pure exstacy, spread across her face as she was fully airborne. Experience the joy of flight, and of constantly being on the edge of falling. Most sane people, sane creatures did not willingly fling themselves into the jaws of danger, especially to get from point A to point B.

Finally gravity began to take it's hold again, and the ground began to rush up at her, and she studied where she would land. She extended her walking stick, or rather Godspear ahead of her, and used the transformation-jutu to extend it's length ahead of her several meters. Channeling yang chakra into her arms, shoulders and back, she planted the end in the ground, changing her angle of motion from a seventy-two degree angle of freefall to something more akin to a thirty degree angle, traveling laterally. The pole shrank to only a couple feet long and she tucked her hand down, landing on on her forearm, and rolling through across her shoulders, back, and then hips, coming up into a couple running steps in a perfectly smooth roll.

The grin was still there as adrenaline flooded through her body, waking it up up though the danger was already over. Her heart began to pound in her ears even as she controlled her breathing but couldn't keep her expression quite so calm. "Ohh, that was fun," she said to noone in particular as she began rapidly making her way to the office. It was there she spotted a figure slipping in through a window on one of the higher levels. Taking off at a dead run, she stepped up onto a cart, then onto an awning. She suffused the clothen material with chakra to make it stronger, supporting her weight, even though it wasn't necessary as she pressed downward with her energy and legs, springing upward.

Traveling high up, she was close to the side of the building adjacent to the Genmyou's office. She curled her legs up, flinging her left arm out and down to rotate her some. Both feet planted against the wall, and with a brief bit of Chakra, stuck, adhered, caught traction, and she leaped with a flood of yang chakra through her legs and body, uncoiling like a powerful spring, shooting her across the gap. She twisted once, only to near the edge of the window sill. She caught the ledge of it, and hauled her weight through before gravity could grab her once more fully, and landed lightly on her feet which, in a few seconds took her to the doorway of the office.

Seeing the figure in the doorway, the blonde woman about the same age as her, she paused then sighed. Her weapon came to it's usual size and shape, it's spear form. But no longer did she see an immediate or clear and present danger. It had been a false alarm, perhaps. She stepped up to the doorway and bowed. "You wished to see me," she addresed him quietly, using neither name nor title.

While he awaited the arrival of Hanawa, Manami, and the Antare, the Raikage finished the first set of seals on the Inshō-shi(_印象紙 'Impression paper') laid out before him. His wrists deft movements, masterful chakra control and impressive knowledge of fuinjutsu making it almost effortless. In fact, he had other matters running through his mind while he was at the task. First was the mission.

A report had come to his attention, one that would not normally be delivered to him, that detailed a score of what he'd termed 'serial kidnappings'. Normally such a thing would be designated to local shinobi or a single team of chuunin would be sent to take care of it, but there was more to the case than one might initially had thought. At first when he'd seen it he had almost given the document back to the shinobi who'd gathered the information. However, his adviser had bid him do at least a cursory amount of research beforehand.

So he had and what he found was something with a nature he could only call sinister. The kidnappings were happening within a very specific area of the Land of Lightning. They were happening out of the general range of any Antare seal, making the villages in question impossible to reach in any decent amount of time. Furthermore, the villages were not large and they did not have many resources to call their own. They weren't even in strategically relevant positions. It meant one thing. Someone was making sure that they were out of the general reach of authorities.

It was disturbing how well thought out the whole operation had to be and more disturbing that knowledge of it had only reached him recently. In fact, it was somewhat infuriating.

However, he had set his anger aside days ago. It didn't serve any purpose, so he'd cast it away as one would rubbish. His mind turning from the issues to address several smaller points, while subconsciously rolling the report and his findings over in the back of his mind, Genmyou found his thoughts interrupted as two of the three he had sent for arrived.

Despite both addressing him, he did not respond right away, instead taking several seconds to execute two more portions of the seal he was writing. After they were done, he set the pen down on the left side of the paper and looked up, first at Kosui, and then to Hanawa. However, what they would see was a robed figure looking at them through two small holes in an off-white mask, possessing only two thin slits for his eyes.

He spoke, and despite the mask obstructing his mouth, his voice was clear and crisp as if nothing was diffusing the sound, "Thank you for your prompt arrival, Kosui, Hanawa." He paused between the two names, nodding his head slightly at each of them to show his appreciation. Genmyou had a strange quality to him as despite almost no one in the village having ever seen his face he was respected, but not just that, he was understood in a fashion. When he spoke it was as if one could imagine exactly the expression on his face, or the emotion he meant to portray.

Perhaps it was just raw charisma sculpted with incredible skill, or perhaps it was something else. Who knew.

"I am going to be sending the three of you on a mission," he stated mater-of-factly. "I will have you debriefed on the finer details by the third kunoichi that is to accompany the two of you. Her name is Antare, Yuisho. Since she decided she would brief herself on the files," he said, a smile in his tone, "...I bid her to meet you far below. She is in the more...secretive exit from Kumogakure." He glanced to Hanawa, "You know the one."

His gaze shifted down to the open scroll before him again and it was silent for almost long enough for them to think he had dismissed them. Hanawa would know he had not and Manami was likely to feel too uncomfortable to leave without being verbally dismissed.

The Shade continued, breaking the silence as he did so. "Located out of range of the Antare clan's space-time transmission seals, and at the very edge of the jurisdiction of their local shinobi outpost is a ring of villages that have been victim to a chain of serial kidnappings. So far twenty-eight people have gone missing and there could be more gone within the last two days. The two of you and Yuisho are to investigate the instance, seek out the culprits and do your utmost to apprehend at least their leaders alive. I suspect there is someone very intelligent behind all this, and I suspect they are planning something. The local outpost will give you supplies and direct you to somewhere you can set up camp."

The pen in his hand stopped and lifted ever so slightly from the paper as his masked visage looked up at them, "Don't get yourselves killed. If they prove to be too difficult to capture, kill all of them and bring back a their bodies. I want to see who is doing this to my people, understand?" The gaze of his silver eyes was intense as he stared the two down. He gave no time for reply, "Good. Now take this before you go"

He made the final mark on the scroll, stood from his chair, letting his hand briefly slip over the seal on the scroll. In the same moment he drew forth two more large pieces of paper, placed them over the one he had inscribed and then let his palm hover of them. They were perfectly aligned with one another and that was quite necessary, for what he did next was exude chakra from his palm, drawing the ink up into the other pieces of Inshō-shi before focusing them and letting them settle and dry. It all took only several seconds, but was a spectacle nonetheless.

There were few people alive who could do what he could do, and even fewer to which the public was aware. Genmyou knew of the Jikangai after all.

Having finished his work, the kage rolled each scroll up individually and handed one to Hanawa, and the other two to Manami.

"The two scrolls marked with black ink on their edges, one for each of you, will allow you to port back to the outpost if you are in dire straits. It will only work under very specific circumstances. Ask Yuisho about it. The third scroll on the other hand is to store the bodies, or remaining biological material of the culprits should your team be unable to take them alive. Any other specifics will be handled by Yuisho. She's an Antare, I'm sure she'll be perfectly capable of briefing you two on the specifics of their use. Now go, gather your things and meet with your third teammate. Contact me at the beginning of the day, midday, and before you sleep at night. Also one of you is to report back at midnight. Who it is will depend on who is up for the watch shift at the time. That is all, consider yourselves dismissed."

Genmyou remained standing, his eyes watching the two as the exited, the air about him inviting no further conversations. They knew they could contact him the Kōshin kankei if necessary.

His work on this was done for now.

He hoped it would be till they returned...and he hoped he was wrong.

---

Oh it was beautiful, the Thief thought to himself as he watched from afar, as a soul was promptly released from its body. He could even see the telltale movements of the woman's lips as she spoke to the man in his dying moments. The words were harsh, he could feel it in the chakra and emotions of the place.

He dropped down from the tree he'd been in for a better visual radius and walked right to the edge of the clearing, leaning against a tree. In his left hand was a blade, but the arm was largely incapacitated due to his using it to lean against the tree. In his other hand was a dagger, one of six that he carried on his person, which he was tossing into the air and catching idly. "Oh braaavo, Ms. Kawagana, that was beautiful, I do love dinner and a show after all," he said as he licked his lips.

He glanced at the other man and a chuckle that sounded much more like cackling laughter entered the air. As the laugh abruptly ended and his manic eyes gazed at them, a huge Cheshire grin spread across his gaunt features.

"Oh and you," he began, glancing back at Arina, his eyes roving up and down and his mouth opening slightly as if to further broaden his smile, "...you're just a fucking treat. I've not even begun the dining and I can already tell this is going to be sooo fucking fun." He pushed off of the tree and tossed the dagger in their general direction.

It would hit the ground two meters in front of them, way off.

He took several steps into the clearing, but stopped a few feet shy of the dagger, just gazing at them with that same dark amusement. Upon further inspection the two would likely notice darker patches of his already black garments. They were blood stains...and recent ones too.

"Oh, that reminds me, Arina..." he licked his lips, a shiver going over him, his fingers twitching slightly and the muscles in his arms visibly tensing and relaxing repeatedly. He could hardly wait to dig in. "...Ryosei sends his regards."

His laughter rang out through the forests as he said it.

It was not the laughter of a sane man.

It was the laughter of the Soul Thief, a man who had now plagued the shinobi world for at least 18 years.

This was the one who was hunting them and he was doing it for sport.

"Oooh, secret exit~ that sounds interesting. " Manami swooned at the discovery, though, the lingering thought that there were people of similar rank to her that knew about it made a sliver of self consciousness appear on her face.

Stepping out from the Raikage's Office, Manami let out a deep breath to release the worry that had been building up throughout his entire speech. Her shoulders relaxed as they had stiffened up the moment she entered his presence, while her posture as a whole became more relaxed. The serious expression on her face was wiped clean off her face, being replaced with a cheerful smile placed neatly from cheek to cheek. She spun towards Hanawa, beaming this smile directly at the girl without a single bit of remorse. In a instinctual instant, the blonde girl quickly made a move on Hanawa before she could exit. People often ran away from Manami because she was too 'direct' for their liking, but that was sheer nonsense, nothing is ever too direct. Nonetheless, in this instant Manami would put herself inches from Hanawa's face and began her rampage.

"So, Hanawa was it? I look forward to working with such an..." Her amber eyes fixated on the girl, quickly scanning for a feature that wouldn't be improper to note. "Equipped, such an 'equipped' person.. I'm Kosui, Manami, but I'm sure you already knew that. And not because I'm famous or anything of the like, I just assumed that an individual such as yourself would already know these things. Oh, should I shake your hand or something? That's respectful, I shake a lot of people's hands." Manami rattled on, and on, it was in her nature to be friendly towards people she had no quarrels with. Heck, Hanawa was lucky Manami didn't go for the unwelcome hug greeting.

It wasn't that Manami was super hyped for this mission, by all means she was excited, but she liked having something to do other than the typical political chores the Raikage sent her off to do. Just a few weeks ago she had been in Kanoha being the social butterfly(or spider) that she was, even making a few acquaintances in the Land of Fire while she was on the job. Not only that, but Manami enjoyed working with new people, though she preferred nicer people over cold-jaded-know-it-alls, those were the worst. But she barely knew Hanawa, and it wasn't her place to be making accusations like that, so the golden-haired girl smiled softly towards the potential friend with her right hand extended.

There were a few reasons why she didn't like the standard Kazekage garb, one of them being it wasn't very flattering to wear and another, probably the most profound, being that it was far too big. The so called 'sacred' hand me down that belonged to Lord First was made with his titanous measurements, and so when she wore it, the ends of the robe dragged behind her on the ground. Despite this though, Yuzuki always made it a point to be seen wearing it. It was a symbol of strength. That was something the people... her people, needed to see at a time like this. Today however, was a rare exception where she felt it would be better to wear her usual clothes. As she stared out of the window in her office, she leaned her hip against the wall, watching as the people of the village were started to wake up and get to work. Some of the older men and women were up earlier even than she was, the men starting on construction work and the women making their way towards the hospital or the village greenhouse where they were working on cultivation herbs used in healing. No doubt there would be shinobi lurking around, dressed as civialians or not who were all helping out in their own way. Academy students were excitedly running through the streets, eager to get to school and learn. It was amazing how a village could come together in the wake of disaster, each individual doing their part and what they can...

Meanwhile, Yuzuki was stuck inside doing paperwork and going through shinobi profiles to find the best one suited for a particular mission. It was tedious work that lasted longer than she always liked, and it seemed there was no end to it. When she had decided to become the next Kazekage, she never thought there was so much business involved. Though she grew accustomed to it in the past two years, it never became less of a pain. She would step away from the window then, sigh and raise a hand, brushing a bit of sweat that was starting to bead at her forehead before moving to her desk and sitting back down. She attacked the papers there, quickly but delicately writing down notes and organizing profiles of new Genin as well as some other things. During this time she wasn't bothered or anything, as requested, and in little over two hours, she had completed all that she could. Smiling to herself, she stood up and stretched before leaving the office all together. She needed to get out there and do something to help everyone who was working so hard.

Before she knew it, she was out on the streets, patting the heads of little children as they walked by. She couldn't count the number of times she'd been greeted by everyone, always smiling and nodding in return. At one point, she came upon an elderly man who was assisting in moving large stones across the way, and by the look of his shaking legs, he was about to collapse. Running over, she extended her hand when she got close enough and created a current of wind under the large boulder, causing it to lift out of the man's hands. He looked surprised and then grateful when he saw Yuzuki's smiling face.

"Where would you like it?" she asked him, walking closer and keeping her hand extended. He pointed a few yards away towards an area where some men were carefully carving similar stones into support beams for a building they were expanding on. Nodding, she walked over to him and linked her free arm in his. The elderly man absolutely beamed and led her towards the others, who paused to greet them when they were spotted. Placing the boulder carefully next to the line of others, she would say something but was first cut off.

"Thank you Mi'lady." the old man said, and she shook her head in response.

"I should be thanking you. All of you..." she said, looking at the other men who had paused and gathered around. The Village is looking better every day thanks to your hard work." she added, crossing her arms.

"It's no trouble at all!"

"Yeah, come on, we're men, this stuff is easy for us."

"Yeah easy for you to say Shinji, all you do is point and direct."

"You try'na make me look like a fool in front of the Kazekage are 'ya? How about I talk about how you cried like a baby when you cut your hand?" one of the men said, reaching out and grabbing the visibly younger man in a headlock. He rubbed his knuckles against the guys head, and caused him to groan and attempt to wiggle free.

"That was a deep wound you idiot! Let go of me!"

"Oh please, it was like the size of my pinky nail." another one chimed in.

"There was blood!" the young man retorted, still trying to defend himself. It was at that moment Yuzuki burst into a fit of light laughter at their bickering. This was it. This was what she missed about being out here with the people. Their personalities and the love they show towards one another... When she was around people, it was like she had her parents back again, her entire family for that matter., all crowding around and laughing just like the workers did.

They stared at her for a few moments before halfheartedly joining in, clearling thinking it wasn't all that funny. When she calmed down, Yuzuki wiped the tears that pooled at her lids and cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, that was certainly embarassing. -she giggled- is there anything else you might need help with?"

"Oh no! We're all set here. We can't ask you to do more for us than you already have."

"I've hardly done anything." she said rolling her eyes and looking away from them. Her gaze lowered to the ground and for a moment, the group of men said nothing. Then, the youngest spoke up.

"You've given us hope." he said, clear and straight forward with no hint of hesitation. Yuzuki was surprised at this. "Oh? How so?" she asked, putting him on the spot. His face flushed pink and he looked uncertain for only a moment. "Well, I don't know a lot of things that have happened recently, but I see that my family... and other families, seem to be happier. I can't think of it all... but I mean, you should know that we all notice what you're trying to do." he said.

Yuzuki was quiet for a moment before a light smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Is that so?" she paused and turned around. "Well then, I'll be sure to keep doing what I'm doing. Keep up the hard work." she added with a wave over her shoulder. Though her expression wouldn't betray it, inside, she was feeling happy that her efforts have reached the people, even if there was litte visible evidence to go upon. Those words from that young man were exactly what she wanted to hear.

"Well then I should get back to work sooner than later."

Crossing her arms back at her chest, she would start to make her way back towards her office, taking the long way. Afterall, the winds that lifted her hair this morning were strong enough to lift her spirits as well.

Ryuunosuke quietly approached the Raikage's office, staring at it from the distance. He could just barely make out a few figures in it, 3 to be precise.

"On one hand, I should feel bad I'm late. On the other hand, I'm not sure he appreciates how long that would take. Ms. Mochizuki never shuts up. Let's see... Talking to the two. Based on his schedule, should be about those kidnappings... shouldn't there be 3 in there? Anyways, he's facing towards the cave opening then. Probably looking a bit up trying to be charismatic, from the bottom side is my best chance. Let's see if I can get him today."

Ryuunosuke then barreled forward towards a sheer cliff of the edge of the mountain he was ontop. Right before reaching it, he slammed his pole into the ground, polevaulting himself over it. He was seemingly flying through the air.

He landed to the side of the rock where the Kage's office was in an oddly gentle thud as his staff touched first. Taking a route through the bottom entrance to the cave system, he quietly and quickly moved through the caves, in a game to predict where the Raikage would be, and to end up behind him.

Arriving in the observatory, he spoke up.

"I was talking to Ms. Mochizuki. You know how she is. Better late than never though. What did you want me for?"

As Zume pulled her close, Kurohana's body leaned into him, her eyes closing as she relaxed into his body heat. It seemed strange to her that even though she saw him everyday she still felt as if she was going to lose him every time he walked out of the house. In her many lives there had only been a few where he had died before her, and in those lives it had felt like a piece of her was being torn from her body each time. The feeling stuck with her, causing her to worry to a ridiculous degree when she couldn't go on missions with him for whatever reason. The only time her mind was put at ease was when someone else trusted went with him in her stead.

When he moved away and mentioned the bath with a warm smile; she grinned to herself and chuckled at the feeling of his eyes on her. "It really is," She agreed with a wistful smile, only to laugh when he mentioned the children. "Yes, yes they will. Is there something you want to do before they get back, dearest one?" She questioned the man with a knowing glance.

As she waited for her husband's response, her eyes moved to look out over the balcony, and her mind wandered to her three children. The eldest was on a mission, but the two younger ones were visiting the other members of their family in the caves. She was glad for the alone time with Zume, but in the same breath she missed them all terribly.

While Kurohana's mind wandered, her body moved back to Zume's side. After a moment of silence a sigh left her lips, and she found herself resting her head against his shoulder, letting her mind wander.

Gloom followed in wake of the scourge, captain Locke Wind, as he fared for new shores. The Cruel Knave purposely sailed through a veil of mist, whenever it encroached on foreign territory. The ship's frame and hull were already badly torn, and one of the main sails had been cut clean off. A couple crew mates were already swabbing the deck of blood, from a battle shortly passed. Darkened were the skies at the pirate ships back, as it fled the scene of battle, where smoke lead the souls of the defeated up in to heaven, a place the pirate scourge may never tread. A cargo ship was lit ablaze, and many treasures destined for the country of Wind, were now in the possession of a different Wind.

"Tha' whole country be named after me, eh? Well, what're ye deadbeats waitin' for? Haul wind!" Locke snapped at his crew, who would follow his lead by sheer intimidation. "Aye sir!" His closest mates would echo his voice, as they manned their stations. The Cruel Knave's first impression in the eastern lands surely had to be a memorable one, and so it was decided that one surviver would be let loose to return to their village, to warn the elders of Sunagakure. Locke had a plan from the very beginning, and it required a steady level of infamy in order to succeed. Firstly, the local governments needed to know his name before he could even pronounce theirs, after that, he'd need to teach them the dangers in which followed that name. Once revered, Locke would begin ransoming the ships and treasures he'd capture, or align himself with whoever was warring against the richest of nations. Super simple stuff, really.

Hours would pass, and the daily lives of pirates went on without being described much in this paragraph. "Land ho!" Broke the silence, a voice thundering down from the crow's nest. Several members of the pirate crew would cheer like landlubbers, but a smile even found its way across the scourge's mouth, though sinister and scary to behold. "Ayyy, scout tha' shore fer a dock!" Ordered Locke, and within the minute, a course would be set. "Thirty degrees east, captain! Small village up ahead, an' a huge open desert at its back!" The sniper explained, and without a response, Locke tilted the steering wheel appropriately. This would be the very first village to greet his crew, after their long and arduous journey, and they'd all pray for comfy beds, wenches, and rum! A fifteen minute gap was all the little wind country village had to prepare itself for the worst.

Locke left the wheel to his quartermaster while preparing himself for the next raid. In his left hand, almost never seen far from his side, was the enchanted treasure chest where he kept his arsenal of weapons and coinage. Slamming the chest down on the deck, the captain unlocked his safe and gazed fondly inside the Tickle Trunk at a mesmerizing pile of coins, goblets, weapons, and pretty much anything else a hoarder might hoard! The pile filled the enchanted chest so high, that Locke could actually reach inside and pull out equipment from the top of the pile! He needed a new set of guns, after wasting his in the last battle, and so he'd stock his chest buckles up with three flintlocks. He'd refill his pouches with gunpowder, and his flasks with rum. A vicious rat would bite and latch on to his arm as he pulled it out the final time. "Oi, git!" Locke would growl, snatching the rat by its tail and tossing it overboard. After stuffing some loot from the last raid in to the chest, namely some smoke bombs, kunai, and katanas, he'd lock it tightly, and drag it along with him towards the gangplank.

Heavy breathing wasn't a sign of nervousness, but a pirate trick to play on the unsuspecting. With every exhale, Locke sprayed a thick and smelly mist in to the air, which would further shroud his ship until it was completely invisible as it approached the fishing village. Shouting would ensue, battle orders meant to prepare for siege. The sails would hold, and the ship stopped with its port side facing the village docks. It approached ever so slowly, ever so cautiously, until the mist would sweep through the village and cause confusion. Before any other wind manipulators could do something about it, the 'warning shots' would have been fired. BANG! The fierce sound of gunfire echoed across the farscape, followed by the war cries of Locke's mighty pirate crew. At least a dozen shots would be fired before the pirates landed, thus instilling fear and chaos in the once peaceful village. Several houses would crumble upon their lost support beams, and a few casualties would be counted before the real fight even started. Screams of despair played a symphony to Locke's evil muse, luring him ever closer, with one leap, he'd be the first man to reach the docks. Many fishermen, women, and children could be seen scrambling through the wreckage, although many others were quick to brandish knives, or prepare hand seals, they were ready for combat.

First at bat, was a sand shinobi wielding a katana! The poor bloke would be knocked aside with ease, and met with the realization that Locke's treasure chest could substitute as a blunt force weapon. Another ninja in the distance was preparing hand seals, for what? Locke didn't care or want to find out. "Oi!" The scourge rushed ahead with electric speed, kneeing his opponent with a preemptive attack, and following it up by equipping his pistol and shooting the man in the chest mid-air. "Find someone else ta' play patty-cake with, ya' fokkin loser! Hah, haha!" Mocked the pirate captain, before skirmishing with several other shinobi now able to locate him, due to his loud and obnoxious voice. The siege would rage on for a while longer, with casualties being counted on both teams. Explosions, cries of agony, and clashing steel played a violent background music until one side would be dwindled too thin to continue.

Little glory could be attained from a sneak attack on such a small, under-defended town, but to Locke, this was the first of many stepping stones. As the mist settled and sunk in to the sand, all that was left was rubble and carnage. Few houses stood upright, and even fewer of those weren't still aflame! Victory cries echoed across the newly captured village, as the pirates had won their very first victory against this world of shinobi. "Raid, plunder, loot to yer' hearts content, me mateys! Savor a few wenches for tha rest o' tha crew, and leave no pub unturned!" Were the orders any pirate loved to follow, and follow they did. The next several hours would be spent on shore, until the pillaging was done, or reinforcements came. At the very edge of the town, there stood Locke, gazing upon the vast expanse of sand. He'd spit far, and scowl at what he saw. "Not a cow's shit in miles! No farms, no castles, no temples o' gold... pah! Country o' wind? Shame, nothin' but that! Huk!" The second loogie shot further than the first, and Locke turned back to the wreckage of his newly seized town. He had to find a survivor, someone who knew enough about this country to interrogate, and determine if there were any treasures worth hunting around these parts. It was a shame that most of the survivors had already fled, and these damned ninjas would rather die than let themselves be captured. Locke killed his time, kicking over the rubble, scouring the land for oddities to fill his treasure chest with.

When she was a little girl, Momo had always wondered why the Hidden Sand Academy was located at the outskirts of the village. It was perched high on a cliff at the west end of the village, over looking a large crater that was said to have been created when the First Kazekage protected the village from a star that fell from the sky. That was the story at least, though she never believed a word of it. Stars didn't fall from the sky.

As Momo grew older and entered the Academy, even then she never knew why that had been the place it was built. The five story building was separated by floor, depending on what year you were in. Typically one would spend five years at the Academy, learning the ways of the ninja. Those who were smarter and stronger than others skipped years, and those who were the class clowns and unmotivated slackers would stay a year longer. The very top of the building was set in place as a training area, where students could spar against one another, and served as a place where teachers could better demonstrate techniques rather than in the classroom. It was all so... perfectly thought out. Even way back then.

Currently, she was walking away from the large building and making her way towards the center of the Village. She had walked her father to work after the two took Ayama to afternoon day care. They chatted about her late mother and how she used to hate days that were especially windy, like this one. The two had laughed for a short while, until the feeling of sadness would wash over them and they fell into silence. Her mother's death was still a fresh wound. Not even a year had passed...

Her thoughts were interrupted by a shrill squeal coming from behind her. It was short and then immediately cut off into a muffled sound followed by whispers. Momo turned, her hair blowing into her face as she did. "What the hell was that?" she wondered aloud. There seemed to be no one around. The village was still a walks away, and the students should have all been in class. A single eyebrow raised and then she shrugged and turned, continuing her slow pace towards town. It was when shuffling, obvious sounds of a struggle started to pick up. Sighing, Momo would turn again and walk towards the sound. She looked around, not seeing anyone at first, until a gust of wind blew a bit of blonde hair out from behind a fallen stone structure. Crossing her arms at her chest, she would walk over there, thinking there was going to be a group of little kids trying to ditch class. When she neared the structure however, she was surprised to see a pair of teenage boys, likely still students since they bore no village symbol, crowding a younger girl who looked totally terrified.

Momo rolled her eyes at the sight. "Get back to class. All of you." she demanded, uncrossing her arms and placing them at her hips. It was then that she noted both boys were much, much taller than her. And so did they. Smirking, the two turned from the blonde girl who sank to her knees once the attention left her. Glancing between them, Momo repeated herself. "Are you deaf? I said get the hell out of here." she demanded again, her tone more forceful this time. The two boys, clearly thinking she was someone younger than them, burst out laughing for a few moments.

Momo just stood there and waited. Her jaw clenched.

"Why don't you listen up little girl?" one of them said, stepping right up to her. She had to crane her neck back just to continue looking him in the eye, but she didn't back down despite his height difference over her.

"You should stay out of this. Its none of your business so just keep it moving, princess." he added, smirking like the glorified asshole he was. His buddy walked over then and nudged him out of the way, stepping closer to her.

"Hey man I dont know," he started, reaching out to touch a lock of Momo's hair.

She let out a breath.

"This girl looks like way--" Before he could finish his sentence, Momo lashed out and punched the kid in the gut, sending him stumbling back and falling on his bottom. He groaned and clutched his belly.

"Don't you ever," she pushed her hair over her shoulder. "touch my hair." she finished, cracking her knuckles and glaring at the guy still standing. He looked pissed and made a move to swing at her. Not even a second passed before she brought up a hand to block and extended her foot backwards for a moment before bringing it forward and kicking him hard as she could in the groin. The pathetic shreik that tore from his mouth made her feel a bit bad, but one glace at the wide eyes blonde girl quickly made that dissapear.

With the two guys on the ground, Momo went over to the girl and helped her up. A few seconds later, a gust of wind it them all from behind before she heard a voice.

"And what's going on here?" said a familiar woman's voice.

Turning, Momo was looking right at their Kazekage. The woman descended from the sky accompanied by a large gust of wind. She was wearing the white hood worn by the previous Kage, but instead of the normal blue garmet, she wore what appeared to be her regular combat gear. The look on her face was displeased, and Momo assumed she has seen what had just happened.

"Sorry Kazekage-sama. There was a little misunderstanding. These three were just heading back to class." she said, turning her gaze to the boys and glaring at them. "right?"

They nodded and scrambled to their feet, bowing before making their way back to the Academy building in the distance. Momo's focus returned to the red haired woman as she stepped over to the blonde girl who still looked shaken.

"Are you alright?" she asked, looking and sounding concerned. The girl nodded and gave a small bow.

"Y-yes M'lady." she said softly.

"Alright then, run along." she said, giving the girl a pat on the head. The blonde complied, blushing and giving another bow before running off. An annoyed sigh from Momo made the woman look at her. "Hm? Is something wrong?"

Crossing her arms, she wasn't going to say anything at first, but decided to answer. "Stuff like this is just annoying."

The Kazekage's brow raised. "Oh? What do you mean?" she asked the shorter girl.

"I's a pain when I have to stick up for a girl who should be able to protect herself." she said truthfully.

Her only response to that was a light smirk. Then the subject was changed. "Why haven't you come to my office yet?" she asked Momo, turning and started to walk away. For a moment, Momo just stood there with her arms crossed before following the woman.

"I was planning to head there now."

"I had expected you would have come right away. We had this meeting planned a day ago. You should have gotten my message." she said. Momo couldn't see her face, and her tone didn't sound angry. She wondered if the woman was upset.

"My apologies. I shouldn't have taken up your time." she paused. "Wait, were you waiting for me?" she asked. A light chuckle was heard from the woman.

"Yes but don't worry about it. Until recently I had plenty of work to do."

Momo nodded, thinking she was going to continue, but she didn't. In fact, she said nothing else during the half hour walk to her office. Once they were inside though, the woman went to sit behind her desk while Momo stood at the center of the room. She was waiting for the woman to speak. It seemed she was keen on taking her time.

"M'lady?" she asked impatiently. This made the woman's lips tug into a smile.

"Right to the point then? I received your application to Yoru and I wanted to tell you in person that I plan to accept you into the organization. Though there is something you must do before you can officially start. I looked over your file..." she said, shuffling through some papers before getting to a book and flipping through the pages. After a moment she reached what appeared to be Momo's profile. "Your file is exceptional despite you actually being in the field a short number of years. You've completed the required number of missions, except for one. To be accepted into Yoru, you must complete one more A-ranked mission." she paused and closed the book, leaning back into her chair.

"So you have a mission for me? I'm no longer assigned to a squad though." Momo told her.

"That's right. I was going to make an exception for you then considering that, however..." she paused and crossed her arms. "Due to the fact you've been out of work for the past seven months or so, I need to make sure you are still at the top of your game. A shinobi who's good at weapon mastery is hard to come by. I need to make sure you still have confidence in yourself... even after what happened." she said.

Momo felt as though a trap had been sprung around her heart. The only outward sign of it was the lowering of her eyes to the ground. Silence filled the room for a few moments before the woman spoke.

"Your mother was a good friend of mine. I miss her as well. Though you see... in this world, people die and kill every day. This line of work requires that you accept that, and do not take your personal feelings with you during a mission. I need to make sure you understand that." she said.

The woman didn't continue until Momo's eyes met hers.

"Which is why I'm sending you on a mission alone. If you return successful, you'll be accepted into Yoru as a Combat specialist and assigned to a squad. Is that clear?"

Momo nodded. "Yes ma'am. So... what do I have to do?"

Moving through some more papers, the woman would pick up a folder and extend it out towards Momo. She took a few steps forward and took it.

"This is an escort mission. The woman is Sakuya Nyoto, a resident of the Land of Fire who has been staying with us for quite a while. Due to the fact bandits are still roaming about at the border, its not been to safe to return her to her home country. However, recently our scouts discovered a pattern and the best possible path to take to get there. If you're smart, you won't have to do anything other than walk." she said, pausing to give Momo time to look over the map with the path drawn on it.

We've run out of time and have gotten word that we can no longer keep her here. We must act now, but I'm sure you can understand the risks in sending a large group of people, correct?"

Momo nodded.

"Well, that is why it will just be the two of you. I expect you'll carry this mission out with ease. You will meet with Sakuya at the village gates at dawn tomorrow." she said, sitting back and crossing her arms. "That is all. If you have no questions, you're dismissed."

"Thank you, Kazekage-sama." Momo said, and with that, vanished from the office in a puff of smoke.

Kumogakure - Morning

---

~So it's a hunter mission~, Hanawa thought to herself after listening to the briefing given by Genmyou, nodding once and straightening up. She turned to regard the exit, following Manami out. turning she shut the office door, only to turn back finding the girl in her face. Her eyes widened a bit and her right hand jerked up, fingers stiffening, turning her hand into a blade out of instinct. As rapidly has her hand had moved those scant inches, her conscious mind caught up with her body and subconscious. She wasn't under attack. Not here in the hallway.

She relaxed as the girl began to jabber rapidly in a way that might have been described as over-caffeinated or at least overly cheerful. A morning person? Maybe. As she offered her hand, Hanawa regarded her warily with her dark eyes, only to reach out and take the proffered hand, now that she had, momentarily seemed to run out of words. "Yes, Hanawa is my given name," she replied. The woman's grip was firm, quick, . Her mind wound over the brief barrage of words and came back to the word equipped. She tilted her yes, her brows lowereing and eys narrowing some as her lower lip poked out in the slightest hint of what might have been a frown or a pout. ~Equipped? I'm ... not really. I just have my spear.~ She paused for a second in hear head. Unless Minami was referring to her body. She blushed some then. She was fit, and well formed, especially filling out in the last few years but she wouldn't consider herself terribly ... 'equipped', as some might put it. ~Is she flirting with me?~

After a moment, she realized she still had ahold of Minami's hand, longer than was really needed, but enough to feel the quality of her skin, and the nature of her touch, and vice versa. She let go softly and nodded. "Pleasure to meet you," she replied, not sure exactly now in what way she meant it, or even if she did. Was Manami going to get on her nerves for this mission, she wondered. Perhaps she would make a new friend out of this, or even someone she could rely on in a pinch. Of course, Minami had a reputation of sorts, but Hanawa hadn't paid it much attention if any. Instead, she'd focused her time elsewhere.

"Truth be told, I wasn't expecting to be dispatched just yet," she added, gesturing for Manami to come with her, heading for the steps that would take them down and out of the building. "I'd go back to my place and get the rest of my gear, but whatever we need we can pick up at the outpost. Have you used the back doors much?"