This world has changed so much from whence our eyes last lay upon it, no longer do the shinobi stray from the beaten path before them. There were no more visitors from beyond the stars interfering in the affairs of humanity, the supporting shadow was cast and would protect the world from the celestial beings for all time. Still there was a lasting indelible mark left by these godlike immortals for it was their princess who was the progenitor of chakra and from her loins sprang the “Savior of This World”, the Sage of Six Paths. It was he who had benevolently gave mankind the gift of ninjutsu hoping to create a peaceful existence for his charges. However as many now know, the history of the Sage of Six Paths was much more vast and complicated than this. It was his mother who greedily sought divinity by stealing the lifeblood from this planet. While the Sage’s gift to the followers of Ninshū was meant to bring peace but it’s other purpose was to defend humanity from the invaders who would seek to steal the life of the planet and bring forth a God Tree that would beget the end of everything.

Much time has passed since this era and due to the efforts of multiple generations of the legendary Uzamaki and Uchiha bloodlines the vile Ōtsutsuki would never set foot on this planet ever again.

Without the presence of these abominable terrors from the sky the world would go on to thrive for a considerable length of time, the peace that faltered from years of horrid interventions was finally a reality. The Sage of Six Paths’ dream of everlasting peace was seemingly ever present. Though what ailed the world was not just the Ōtsutsuki, as they were simply a symptom and not the disease. The animus for these actions formed well before the existence of that empyrean species, a much more malevolent and abstract force was at play here, avarice.

If such an affliction could topple those wretched almighty forces then what hope does humanity have? There is no jutsu mightier, there is no disease more ravenous, nor a tailed beast or demon more destructive than avarice. It is an infection that is thought borne spreading from person to person and in turn working its way up and through the monolithic hierarchy of every country on this planet.

You see while we worried about unnatural forces from outside no one realized that humanity was its own greatest enemy. Even now with rapacious vigor a country like Konoha, the home that the vaunted 7th Hokage protected, mimics the progenitor of chakra seeking to use the lifeblood of the planet for whatever purpose they see fit. Suna and Iwa hover around Fuzen like vultures wanting to pillage their land for precious metal. Kiri and Kumo still insist on using children to murder and if they are unable to murder then they are collateral fodder.

Their greed is the sword we will use to cut them down. We are blessed by an irresistible force that has elevated the ground beneath our feet. To hold a seat at the table means you were highborn, chosen by a power beyond comprehension to fulfill a destiny fraught with benevolence. This world is twisted because there are limits and frailty to normal humans. We are the Table and we will save this world.

_{TIMES IMMEMORIAL: LET BYGONES BE BYGONES}

^{There circulates a certain distinction between you and the others.
You haven't realized yet-- The certainty and depth of your potential.
Ah... But with such depth, it will attract the covetous hands of those swept by jealousy.
But you are bound to surmount the hardship assiduously...
--For you wouldn't be part of the family otherwise.}

An otherwise unfortunate event.

A boy, coughing and panting in an attempt to reach tranquility- no, safety. Perhaps even in the clutches of these moments the boy knew that something was sustaining him to breathe. A will of iron, or perhaps a clinging necessity to live, whatever it was it gripped his senses tight and sustained his consciousness enough to remind him that he needed to stay concious. That the moment he closed his eyes was the moment that he rescinded his turn at life. But the calmer he attempted to become, the more potent his anxiety became. As if it was a defense mechanism for its own survival, it intensified and grew potent. Sending warning signs towards the body, refusing to be quelled when the means called for an escape. Bellowing, beckoning for a form of freedom from danger! His feet were delved to his knees upon a sinkhole of water. Three men, dressed rigorously in a suit and tie stood at the other side, witnessing with expectancy. A hand-sign was formed and one of the men, once again, thrusted his hand withing the body of water. The child winced at the sight, attempting to scream as plea, but was met with a electrical surge. His body was writhing in pain! Screams of agony began to encompass the area, adorn the silence and replace it with harsh reality.

"I've seen your potential, ********. You'd best show result. If not, this place will inevitably double as your grave." The words were met again with wails of dread. With each passing second, the boy could feel his body submit itself to a current of electricity. His heartbeat grew faster, the tightening and spasm of muscle tissue began to cause his bloodstream to feel like it was boiling under the pressure. Tears began to form on his eyes before desperation settled in. "I-- I c-c-c-can't! P-please---STOP!" The men stared indifferently, almost showing a certain impatience with the child. One of the men tilted his and gave a command, and the electricity grew in potency. At this juncture the boy couldn't remain at his feet causing him to stumble to his knees and diving his hands into the water. "Sir, don't you think this is a bit much?" The man spoke, perhaps finally sensing a slight inkling or remorse for what they were doing to a boy no older than eleven. The head, a man wearing a white suit and tied, red accents at the edges and hair slicked back into a proper style, observed carefully.

"No. Humanity, people as a whole tend to display their potential when met with an uncomfortable situation. Whether or not this child is aware of it, he is sustaining enough electricity to cause any trained adult to die in a couple of minutes. He might not aware of his gift, but if we push him a bit. I can sense that the Family, will have a very potent ally in its hands." The man spoke with conviction as he looked at the boy, who's eyes were begging to shift between fear to anger, perhaps hatred even.

"Come now *********, don't become another statistic."

---

Sweat drenched the bed, his breathing was heavy and his headache was causing his vision to blur. Another dream, or more so a nightmare. He tried to shake off the sensation and check the time, seems he managed to at least make it through the night this time. Just an hour early than what he's used to however. The morning routine started, getting dressed and eating the usual. Dealing with that infernal noise the refrigerator always does. He found out the milk was spoiled, seems one of the hinges rusted off and the door remained opened during the night. Meaning most of the food in there was spoiled rotten at this point. A quick whiff was enough to secure his worries and immediately he found himself throwing everything in the dumpster. What a way to start the morning. The neighboring stray cat came by once again to deliver his greeting, poised at the window sill awaiting the usual scraps, but unfortunately he didn't have anything to give him. A half-smile was replaced on his mien, walking towards the window and petting the cat, giving a gentle stroke.

"Guess we're all down on our luck, today." The dream was still fresh on his mind, definitely due to today's schedule. He needed to visit them again, another job perhaps and one that he wasn't too fond of. With his enrollment into the academy he could sense that this was gonna be constant. However, the toll to his patience wasn't something he really cared to give much thought about. His rest time varies between favors and usual meetings. Getting by through mission is easy work, but the pay is slim against, let's say, a Jounin.

The skies were not different than the people who lived on the land, even though Amegakure was the Flying Terminal of the Skies, wealth wasn't a guaranteed. There people still rummaging to keep their homes intact, living the lower portions especially, always getting greeted by the not so subtle hums of the generators extracting chakra fuel to keeps the engines running. The only moment of peace is during the times you go to visit topside, or when the village decides to dock. Either way, after some time silence become a concern, you get used to the hums so readily that your brain forgets that it exist sometimes. The thoughts were quickly interrupted by the sound a knock on the door, the youth quickly got dressed and went to greet it, only to be met with the young lady who works at the reception of the complex.

"Mr...12?"

"Proper 12."

"Yes, yes. Mr. Proper 12, correct? We just got a call for you, uhm... They didn't really specify a name either, but they said that you're running late already. And to hurry up and come home."

A sigh escaped him. Their meeting was suppose to be in an hour, but it seems like their impatience it taking the better of them. A shrug followed "Oh, sorry. Proper 12? What kind of name is that? Actually, my name's Salvador Aihara. They probably got the wrong number, you can tell them sorry from my part, love. Cheers~" He closed the door without much hesitation afterwards. The girl, flabbergasted by his response knocked again, Proper 12 didn't seem to care to answer this time as he attempted to figure out what to eat. Most of the food has gotten rotten and there was just s few sweets taking up residence in the counter. He didn't have much of a sweet tooth and less in the mornings so--

*knock,knock,knock,knock*

It was starting to get aggravating, Proper 12 decided to walk again and open the door, this time to be met with a tall burly old man he was far too familiar with.

"...Good to see you, Kaseki."

"Likewise. Salvador Aihara." Dressed with prestige and flair, a trimmed mustache and eyes of vivid turquoise. The man whom has served as Proper 12's guardian and mentor, Kaseki has arrived at his door.

Kaseki [+]

With such, Proper 12's reaction softened from annoyance to near shy embarrassment. "I suppose you know, why I'm here."

"'Cause, we haven't seen each other in awhile and you decided to come and see me?"

"I don't recall you being that young lady I met the other day at the bar."

"Funny, Kinda how like I don't recall inviting you here today."

"But you know how these people are. I requested to be your guide through this. But, you must make it so you keep to your wits, Proper 12. Now hurry up and get ready. We have placed to be."

The sound of stone being smashed in by a hammer and nail reverberates through a translucent memory
Then slowly, that echo of the past is replaced by the sound of bone being smashed in by fist and knuckles.

That horrible noise bounces off the four walls in this small white enclosed room. This white room, with only chairs and a one-way mirror in it, was at times so clean that it could have been mistaken for a sacred-space meant for a holy man to practice his teachings in peaceful prayer. Yet peace was far gone from this room and the four people in it were far from being holy-men. The source of the noise was at the center of the room. Under a single bright light-bulb, were three individuals taking part in man-kind's greatest past time; violence.

It was a scene you could find in a crime drama on Television; a woman playing with her nails while her male cohort beat the stuffing out of an older man only the floor. Yet these were no evil-doers as first impressions would give, these were Iwagakure's finest; taking a thorough hands-on approach with a perpetrator who wasn't being too inclined to talk. The one delivering a consistent pounding of blows, was a handsome dark-haired man in a fashionable suit that gave the impression that he was the host of a nightclub. His face was so slender that one would wonder if he was a snake. However it was his curled lips and mocking eyes that made one immediately think that they shouldn't accept any night-time offer from this one.



"Hey come on, what's the tough act for? Who are you trying to impress huh? This woman next to me? I'll have you know she's crisped the balls of the last guy that cheated on her. Atleast with me, you can expect your balls to be made into a fine dish! Crispy on the edges,... tender in the middle...just how my dogs like 'em.. "

After his threats didn't seem to reach it's target, the woman in reference playfully made a gagging sound. Her short blonde hair reached just to her earlobes. Everything about her, to her eyes to the air around her was 'sharp'. If the partner next was like a curled 'sickle', then she was a pair of 'scissors' that could cut you to ribbons in a heartbeat. She had an alluring devilish charm about her, one that was similar to a witch inviting you for supper,...only to realize that the supper was you.



"Look at you, can't you tell that Ash back there is about to fall asleep from boredom? There's an art to this sort of thing. If you want to tortur-- I mean, interrogate someone, you have to do it right! He's a drug dealer, these guys are all about their pride. So you have to break them down mentally. Whether, it's striping them naked, pissing on them, sleep deprivation, threatening their family etc, etc."

Bearing both physical and verbal beatings was a scruffy man in his thirties. The perpetrator at the center of their attention. His brown hair was short and in a mess like someone had just rubbed their hand through his hair as if her were a dog. As expected of his current situation, his expression was a grimly serious one in contrast to the two officers toying with him. He was a drug dealer, but in the state he was in, you would think he was an addict on his last legs. Blood soaked his beaten and bruised face to the point that it made him look like a rotten tomato. Even so, there was that glimmer of resistance and life between those bruised black eyes.

This sorry fool was caught selling Angel Text. It was the absolute priority of these officers to figure out how he had come into possession of it. However even through their barrage of violence, he hadn't given up the goods just yet.

"Wouldn't kidnapping his dog work just fine?"

"You do that every time! And then you always keep them for yourself without asking either of us if we want to keep it!"

"Enough!"

It was as if a lightning bolt had cut through the noise and air between them. That hard as stone tone of voice commanded the room and echoed like a god from the heavens speaking to the ones below. The perpetrator managed to pathetically lift his creaking neck to gather a glance at the true source of the voice. In the darkness next to the door, a figure, who hadn't spoke not once through the interrogation, tilted its head slightly. His face and appearance was a shadow that had been blanketed in the darkness of the room, unable to be seen or recognized by the perpetrator. He once again graced the air with his words,

"Hiei, Kanzaki, if you two can't take this seriously then I'll take it from here,"

His tone was not lively mocking like the other two's had been. It was barren from compassion of it's fellow man. For a moment, the perpetrator had wondered it was a machine talking.

"Archieboy~, you sadistic psycho! I knew you wouldn't be able to resist in the fun! All yours pal!"

"Thank goodness, I really didn't want blood and piss on my boots again. Always a darling in your weird own way, Ash."

'Ash', 'Archieboy', the perpetrator felt that such friendly names were unbecoming for the solemn presence that was just beyond the light. They had been something like petnames, shorted for another name entirely. Something ever so slightly scratched at the back of the perpetrator's brain with the answer for that name. The answer wouldn't come to the surface, but sweat started to flee down his spin.

The other two officers, Hiei and Kanzaki, walked out of the light underneath the lightbulb. Almost to exit the stage for the main event. There, the shadowy figure moved towards the light where the perpetrator was. His light steps matched the rhythem of the perpetrator's beating heart. As if the moment he stopped walking, so too would his heart. The moment his visage fully came through the curtain of light, something happened. Before he even spoke, that man's shoe collided with the perpetrator's jaw.

Teeth and blood painted the white floor. The perpetrator's dazed vision danced around, unable to comprehend the world and the delayed pain before him.

"Tenzou Takibare, why are you giving us such a hard time?"

The perpetrator, Tenzou Takibare, had been called out, but he was unable to recognize the person speaking to him, as his eyes were still unfocused from the blow. The officer had spoken as if he hadn't just struck the person he was speaking to. It was barbarity as casual as kicking a soccerball. Tenzou groaning and spat out blood on the floor that had already been dirtied with enough of it. Swinging his aching body around as carefully as he could, he once again tried to take in the sight before him. When Tenzou did, his eyelids widened so far that they were threatening to tear off his own face. The answer to that name, flowed from his mind and out his throat with a torrent of horror,

"T-The Ashen Archangel?!"

Tenzou had not wanted to speak his moniker. As if to speak it would solidify it into reality. Still, there before him was Saito Fujiguro, a being in human flesh that felt more machine than man. It was in the way that he looked, talked, and strode about. Yet Tenzou could feel the pressure of an emotion constantly emanating from this person. It was hostility that threatened to tear through anything that displeased it. Too cold to be man, yet too hostile to be machine? No, Tenzou was reminded of a being that fit this description. An Archangel, come down to to earth with the wrath of the heavens in his hands smite down the wretched many before him!

To this Saito's eye's narrowed and assessed Tenzou. His disgust, like always, was on his face for the one's he viewed to assure them of their own shame and futility. Tenzou did not even need to speak for Saito to recognize the plead for mercy smeared across his face in sweat. Saito did not have no interest in mercy, because he knew well that evil feeds and survives off mercy. So he instead he decided continue speaking, arms folded.

"That moniker, hm? I don't care for it myself. However, tell me, monkey, do you know how I got the name; 'Ashen Archangel'?"

He continued to rattle on without giving Tenzou to speak. Not that it would have mattered.

"Then I'll inform you. Make sure your baboon brain is at full concentration. There was this band of bandits that would move between villages and falsify their citizenship. They sneak into villages for months, eat their fill, had their fun and once they were done, commence a block-sized attack on the village they were in. Nasty little rats they were. The leader, both out of love, paranoia and arrogance, would even bring his family along with him. They were like a traveling circus....... Then they came to our village. Then were here for awhile too. Taking our food, taking our women and then the time to unleash their attack was neigh. However, I had read up on their little games beforehand from their excursions from other lands. It didn't take long for me to find them. Yet there were 53 of them, and they had taken up shelter in an entire city block. Not to mention there were hostages in just about all the houses... So do you know what I did?"

Silence enclosed the room. Not a breath tarnished this moment. Saito knew this himself, which is why only he was allowed to seize it.

"I kidnapped the leader's family... told him he could find them in a cave in the woods and fight me there. He brought his entire entourage with him, as I expected. He did not find me in that cave but he did find his family. Yes, his wife and daughter tied up covered in gasoline from head to toe. You see, they weren't citizens of the Village or the Land of the Earth, so it didn't matter too much what I did to them. Especially if they were criminals. I'd just get some disciplinary action taken against me for not going through proper procedures. I trapped the leader and his bandits in the cave. The only gap in it was one the leader used to grab me in his desperate struggle! I set the cave on fire and let them burn alive! In the end, His gang was ash! His friends were ash! His family was ash! And everything that was left of him, was on my hand to my wrist-!"

A grin in the shape of a crescent moon tore itself across Saito's lips.

"-ASH!"

Hotaru leaned out of the small window that he, thankfully, he had access to from his corner inside the office. He was all for small mercies and this was one of them. Konoha’s temperature was no joke this time of the year, the sun had gone down a hot minute ago and it was still scorching.

If it weren’t for the clear blue skies, he’d say they were in for a summer storm.

As per usual, he was the last person in the office. Looking over the reports his boss had dropped on his desk after Hotaru finished his own tasks for the day so quick, he could lend his colleagues a hand.

A dark, old laboratory covered in dust. It’s obviously been abandoned for years now; it carries the kind of eeriness one would find in haunted spots. Something bad had happened here, something really bad. “I feel…like I’ve been here before.”

It was roughly midnight by the time Hotaru got inside his car, taking a few minutes to light a cigarette and stretch his legs before picking his team mates for their weekly dinner at Midsummer’s. Chisato and Hotaru hung out every now and then before; but once they turned into a trio, it became a habit to gather often. Dinner, lunch, or even just to chat about their days over some beer.

Hotaru’s boss was a bastard, Chisato’s sister was a bitch and Sayuri’s fiance was an asshole. It might sound a bit disturbing but each of their personal lives was fucked up enough that going on a mission was a reprieve. And damn, if they weren’t all itching for a new one.

No matter what fucked up deal they ended up with.

The old lady smiled, patience keeping her still. But was she waiting like a predator waits for the right time to pounce? Even if that was the case…there was no other way. “The first mission…the one right after I enlisted. We saw something.” She whispered, “We saw something we shouldn’t have seen.”

True to its title as the city that never sleeps, even at such a late hour Konoha was still bustling and hustling with activity. Friends out for a drink, clubs shaking the ground with their beats, late date nights with too loud giggling and flushed cheeks and the tourists. The freaking tourists.

The Uchiha Casino, one of Konoha’s hot spots, was no different. Hotaru was sure he’d never seen the front door closed in his entire life; and he’s been visiting the place for half his life, courtesy of being mates with one of the Uchiha.

“Oh, dude, I thought you were never going to show up,” Chisato shouted, rushing over as soon as he spotted Hotaru standing among the middle aged office workers who were here to escape their wives, and waste their money trying for that one in a lifetime chance of starting over.

There was a stark difference in the polish of the Casino’s building, and the trash that usually frequented it. Of course, the higher standing customers were lead to the VIP class rooms.

“Sis has gone nuts,” Chisato informed him, exasperation in his eyes. “She found some dude using some kind of mirror ninjutsu to cheat at cards and dragged him down to the basement.”

No wonder the house orchestra was playing so loud. Probably covering up for their mistress’ hobby.

“Nice.” Hotaru told him. “Can't stay for the gruesome details though. We won’t be able to wake Sayuri up if she sleeps any longer.”

“Bitch could work a day in her life,” Chisato grumbled. “Wouldn’t kill her to leave that green house and come give me a hand in here once in a while.”

Chisato shrugged. “Why don't you ask her.”

“I got no idea how you’re so smart and dumb at the same time. Fucking hell, you tell us everything from now on. EVERYTHING. And we decide whether shit’s okay or not okay. You hear me?”

Thankfully, the little lady had fallen asleep in the green house. The lights were out when they found her, surrounded by cats and a magazine on her lap. Hotaru still shivered at the hell they’d faced once, when they had to drag her sleeping body directly from her room and her entire family freaked out.

They threw her into the back of Hotaru’s car and went on their merry way.

“She’s gonna get kidnapped for real one day,” Chisato commented, once they were inside the car.

“Look at you,” Hotaru looked at him from the corner of his eyes. “You almost sound worried. Should let Mimi see you now, might actually take you somewhere to show her more than your usual stoic cool guy persona.”

“Fuck you man,” Chisato flipped him off. He didn’t look all that bothered though, his eyes taking that dreamy softness look they usually do when they talk about Midsummer’s waitress.

Hotaru laughed. “Just worried for you. At the rate you’re going, we’ll get Kingom Hearts 4 out before you get a date with her."

It’s not happiness, laughter, or warmth. The pain is what brought them together; and it’s fear that keeps them standing shoulder to shoulder, hands clasped so tight nothing could ever break them apart.

The gentle steam of a hot cup of tea woke up Sayuri when Hotaru and Chisato started tearing into their meals with the hunger of starving people who’d worked their asses off the entire day. She scrunched her nose up at the sight but was way too dainty to actually comment on it, instead taking a sip of her mint tea.

Chisato mostly ignored her reproachful look, continuing their conversation even with his mouth full of meat. “That’s bullshit, one week would be more than enough.”

“Our last mission was C-rank so it’s natural they’re making us wait to go on the next,” Sayuri chimed in, sharply understanding what they were going on about.

“It’s a protective measure…we’d be grateful for it if we weren’t such a freak team, as HQ so kindly informed me,” Hotaru said with a sarcastic tilt in his, otherwise, peach boy voice. “They’re just scared we’re moving too fast.”

“Sis tells me there’s noise in the background,” Chisato whispered. “Some mess they’re going wild about.”

“Whatever may be the case,” Hotaru put down his fork to take a swig of his beer. “We should be getting a new assignment soon.”

The sun felt warm on their backs. “It would be nice…if we could always go home like this, together.”

^{__________________________________________________________}

Shin did not like a lot of things. He did not like when it was too quiet, and he hated well done steak. He also hated when a female had too much perfume on or old ladies. He also did not like his coworkers nor his managers, but what he hated most were roosters. Shin thought about ending the whole rooster species in one fell swoop as he laid in bed staring at the darkness that was his ceiling. They couldn’t even wake him up at the crack of dawn! He turned to his side and looked at his phone that read 4:47am. Shin groaned as he rolled to his side, if he can just get 10 more minutes, or hell even 5, he would be happy. However, as soon as he closed his eyes…

Genocide was the answer…

Humans got to the point where they can artificially breed chickens right? They didn’t need roosters, right? Shin released a sigh as he swung his feet off the bed. The bed creaking at every movement of his body. The coldness of the wood floor sent shivers up his body as he stretched, the sound of his spine popping clearly reminded him that he was not a young buck anymore. Well, his body was not a young. At 29 people would still say he had his whole life ahead of him. However, Shin knew one misplaced step would take his ankles in a heartbeat and to be honest that scared him more than anything. By time he was fully awake the whole neighborhood of roosters was chiming in like a choir. Shin grabbed the cigarettes that were on his nightstand along with his phone. His fingers grazed a dog tag necklace that sat by itself. Shin would not lie, he wore that thing for 8 years of his life, and the feeling of not having it jingle around his neck made him feel naked. Those dog tags were more than just number carved in some metal, it was the reason he was out in the boonies, and the reason he knew what the best steak tasted like…

Shin grabbed them and placed it around his neck, one more day. Just one more day would not hurt. He will take it off before he went to work just like he always did. Although before all that, he would enjoy his day, and enjoy the time between when the sun came up and before everyone got to work. Shin left the tiny shack he called home and began to walk up the hill. The small farm area that he lived in the past couple months had lost their charm. The silence was almost maddening, the closest mall was almost 100 miles away, and the smell of cow shit in the morning could be deadly.



Shin placed a cigarette in his mouth. Maybe he should quit soon, the hill to get to the only bus stop was kicking his ass, and he didn’t enjoy the idea of being in a hospital one day. However, as he reached the top and saw a woman already sitting on the bench. She had long black hair and dark skin riddled with scars that appeared as if lighting struck her skin. Her outfit didn’t scream boonies though, the big golden hoop earrings paired nicely with the choker golden necklace that she wore. The gold seemed to shine brightly on her almost black clothes, the black crop top, paired with the black bomber jacket and black jean shorts. She screamed city girl, nothing practical that would be required to live out here.

She seemed to finally notice him, and she gave him a warm smile. Although she waved with her left hand showing off a dog tag necklace that wrapped around her fingers. Shin lit the cigarette as he neared the bench and finally sat down next to her.

“Can I finish first?” He asked as he blew smoke up to the sky and away from her

“Sure,” She said as she crossed her legs and placed her chin on her hand, “I thought I would wait until the sunrise any way. I bet it’s beautiful.”

Shin laughed, sounded just like a city girl, “Seen one you’ve seen them all.”

He saw her frown a bit before leaning back against the bench. The more he looked at her, the younger she seemed, but her dog tag was different from his. It was a beautiful gold, even the chain was gold. She was favored by someone and whoever favored her wanted people to know. Shin cracked a grin as he leaned back with her and watched the sky.

“Bet, you want to escape the city?” He asked, “You think the city is too loud? Want to escape the hustle and bustle?”

“Nah…I think it’s a nice place to raise a kid.”

Shin almost choked on his cigarette as he jumped up, “What?! You’re a mom?!”

The woman nodded her head, “He is turning six at the end of the year. I thought moving out here would be good for us, but it’s mostly filled with old people and there no children his age.”

“And there the issue of schooling….”

She ran her fingers through her hair and she frowned as she started to give it a serious thought, “The commute would kill me.”

Shin laughed as he watched the sky turn from the dark blue to purple, the sun would appear soon. He tapped her shoulder and offered her a cigarette.

“I can’t go home smelling like smoke." She almost sounded offended

“Yeah, but I’m getting lonely smoking by myself.” Shin smiled as shook the box towards her face, the woman frowned as she finally took a cigarette. “Going to deny a dying man final request?”

She placed the cig in her mouth before leaning into him. Shin touched his with hers and lit it. He pulled away and took off his dog tag and gave it to her.

“What are you planning to do with the money?” He asked, “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want.”

She sighed, the smoke escaping her lips, “I got a huge loan I need to pay off, and the best way is to pay it off is do some jobs here and there.”

Shin shook his head, “Slave to the man?

“Slave to the man…”

Shin got up from the bench and the woman only simply leaned. He watched as the sun peaked over the horizon and a thought crossed his mind. He could make a dash for it or go out fighting, blood and gut flying everywhere, and only the strongest surviving. The way he was taught to go out, the way a true man went out…

“If you ran, how far do you think you would be able to go?” She asked as she knocked off the ashes off her cigarette, it was like she read his mind, “If you killed me, how long do you think they would wait until they sent another one after you? I’ll give you a hint with my owner, probably 10 minutes…”

Shin grimaced at the idea before he allowed the tension release from his shoulders, “Ugh, then let get this over with, rather help a mom than some grimy fuck.”

“Don’t want to wait till the sunrise?” She asked and he shook his head, “I heard people feel sympathetic when they know it’s their last.”

Shin shook his head again, almost violently this time.

“I saw 100s of them, if not thousands, and seeing my last won’t change anything.” He stretched, the sound of his popping joints would be the thing he missed the most, but to be free of his aging body seemed like a miracle. “Got no good memories, not leaving anyone behind, and if I stay what good would that do me? It’s not like the sun is going save me, right?”

The woman looked at the sky and back at him, “Nah, doubt it…”

“I always wanted a family, you know?” Of course, she didn’t know, but she looked at him as if she did, as if she understood him and it made him feel something, “I wanted a wife and kid. I’d be a better dad than my shit one, and I’d work on a farm like these. That is why I moved out here, because I thought if I got a place out here, I could start working on myself, but look at me.”

He opened his arms, “Been fuckin 2 years and I still haven’t achieved shit, still fuckin out here jerkin it out here alone, the only thing that changed is now I gotta worry about my roof leaking water on my dick! Fuck me, I’m a joke.”

“No amount of sunlight is going to change that. I wasn’t shit then and I ain’t shit now. So, lets get it over with it, maybe I’ll be different in my next life.”

The woman frowned as she flicked the cigarette someone in grass and placed her hands in her jacket, “Alright then, let’s go…”

Shin smiled, at least he had a nice one…

---

“I miss you too.” The woman held out the man’s dog tag and watched as the blood from the mangled corpse levitated in the air. Almost like a magnet it guided the blood into the dog tag. The corpse lost it color fast. The body contorted and shriveled up until it almost didn’t resemble anything but bones. The dog tag turned a bright sliver to an almost abyssal like black. The proof that not only the job is done, but the target was dead. She adjusted the cellphone on her shoulder as the last remnants of blood was drained from the corpse.

“Mommy, you’ll be home soon?” The voice on the other line asked, and the woman smiled as she placed the dog tag in the back of her pocket.

“Of course, sweetie.” She smiled as did one last final check of her body, no blood got on her right? “Job ended faster than I expected, I’ll be home soon.”

The child on the other line yelled happily and she winced in pain, he really had to learn how to talk on the phone. She found the trail that lead back to the street and looked around. Well at least she had time to get out of here before everyone started to do their morning routine, and if anything, the animals will do the rest of her job. If they did not, it wasn’t like the body was recognizable, and even if it was. Who would identify him? He had no friends, no lovers, and lived entirely on his own. Even his neighbors didn’t even know him.

Naomi frowned, she disliked a lot of things in life, but one thing she really hated were men like him. He was on the run for 2 years and he only moved out here six months ago. He was the one that decided to sit on his ass for 2 years, it was him that fooled around like he did, and it was him that made the dumbass decision to alert everyone to his position. He could have lived his completely up to him, but he decided to be boring…



“Alright Izo, Mommy gotta go.” She said, “I love you, see you soon!”

She kissed her phone before hanging up.

Yasuke Kure: The Immortal Man & Knights of The Cruciform

[1] I'm not your average doctor.

---

Pick your head up kid, we're going monster hunting!

---

"How are you doing?"

"Good, how are you?"

"Good, what brings you in today?"

"Can't say I haven't had better days, doc. Tch, doc, that file in your hand says that I'm a physician right? So lets just talk doctor to doctor here and skip all the trivialities."

"This won't work."

"Do you want it to? Mr. Kure do you understand why you're here?"

"B.B's insistence. Suddenly, the bitch cares about mental health."

"You're hiding, again."

"Let's talk about progress. I know you're not seeing things like before."

---

Only the quick witted, clever and sly, have been able to perceive the truth regarding happiness. Now isn't that funny. Truly, some comical shit. Clever people have long been aware that happiness is like good health:it goes unnoticed when you have it. But as the years roll on by, oh the memories, the memories of happiness past.

I think I was happy those four years of medical school. I was happy during that winter, that headlong, unforgettable year of storm and blizzard.

What hurt the most? Lady, you expect me to rank my pain as if it were a pissing contest composed of all the greatest hits of Yasuke Kure's fucking depravity? You don't understand. It's like an arranged set of dominoes. One thing leads to another. But if I had to trace it all back, I think shit got real that day I ran out of morphine




Awakening was hard, as always. The ultimate disappointment. Yasuke fought his share of battles in life, his body told the tale well enough to make words unnecessary. But he knew of many forces that rendered resistance futile. Sleep was one of them. Physical disorders, chronic pain, depression and anxiety. It was the luck of a draw, that was all one received when an assortment of ailments was responsible for a lifetime of fucked sleep.

Yasuke lay gasping, shaking with violence force. The bed's sheets were icy cool,and it's touch felt like frostbite from a swim in the tundra pool. He curled inward, grasping the wolfskin coat like a desperate lover in heat. His heart beat too fast, too loud. Circulation finally flowed back to his arms and legs but in flumes of minute, delicate pains.

When his body calmed down and he came to, he scanned the room. The lodge he stayed in was dimly lit, illuminate only by sparse candles. That made little difference as he frantically searched about. A single drive could equip an addict with unprecedented abilities. Night vision was one of them. He could not find the morphine.

"Not now. Fuck, not now." He recited these words as if in a trace, digging through every inch of the small shack.

"Good morning to you too, buttercup." The voice came from a corner across the room. A makeshift bed of hay had been set up, and emerging from the corner stood a petite curly haired woman.

"I even gave you the bed this time in consideration of your little nightmares." She said almost mockingly.

Yasuke did not have it in him to trade blows with her, especially not at the moment. He examined the bed once more despite having already done so. Despite stripping nearly every inch of the small lodge he could not find it.

"Where is the fucking syringe B.B." He spat.

The petite dark skinned woman's stature ended at Yasuke's waist, but she approached him standing tall and looking him in the eye with such force that none of that mattered.

"You ran out yesterday. That last re-up back at Port Romance should have lasted you longer-"

"So I'll fucking re-up again! There, that settles it. You should have told sooner."

"Before you completely lose yourself in this little junkie crusade of yours, you've got some mail."

Yasuke clumsily tore open the envelope. It contained a crumbled prescription form lacking a stamped address.

The letterhead looks familar
He turned the sheet over revealing a letter on the opposite side, written in small spidery handwriting.

Dear Yasuke,
Forgive me for writing this old scrap. There's no proper paper at hand. It's my daughter, she's been taken. There's no one to help me, and in any case I'm sorry to say this old friend but you owe me as much. After all they only found me because of you. Hard to believe that everything would fall apart after ten years in hiding. I suppose that's the consequence of having good intentions in a world where power is the only capital.

I'll be in Port Romance on the night of the upcoming festival. Find me at midnight, at the bar of the three headed wolf. Please Yasuke, my daughter's life is in your hands.
-S.B

Yasuke's face hardened. He made a fist with one hand and deliberately dug his nails into his palm until they all but broke the skin. The pain drew him into a lull, and with that to distract him, he faced her. "Who the fuck is this?

It’s cool dad, nothing’s gonna happen anyway.

She’d said that with the confidence only a thirteen year old could have.

It’s probably just a silly old bear, everyone knows it. The Mayor just wants Konoha’s attention. The fields were probably wasted on purpose, it’s not as if the crops were looking any good.

With enough confidence that she’d convinced him it would be okay for her to visit her friend’s house…on the other side of the village. Right at the edge of the forest. He had sent her off with worried warnings and the promise of whooping her ass, plus a year’s detention, if she didn’t make it back home while the sky was still baby blue.

It had long faded into a crimson red and Nishida was staring at the door, looking at it so hard, if it were up to his will, his daughter would be walking in right at that moment. He should’ve never let her go; he should’ve known better. But it had been years now that his wife left and his relationship with Suzume was still strained, he constantly walked the line between being an overbearing parent and trying to keep a good relationship with his daughter.

Shouldn’t have even let her consider it; he’d been in the scavenging group that had found Kishi’s body…or what had been left of it. For a second, his brain overlapped his memories of the scene with his daughter, seeing her scattered across rocks and trees and bushes.

He swallowed the bile that rose to his throat and grabbed his jacket and field boots. There was still some light left, he could make it if he used his tractor. But what if she had decided to stay overnight? No. She would have phoned home if she had.

Not wasting any more time, Nishida opened the door and was met with dead quiet. Everyone was hiding out already, not daring to even turn on the lights. Whoever had basements would probably already be having dinner right about now. The fact not even critters could be heard was a sign that something was off. The neighbor’s dog barking, like the gates to hell were about to open in their little town, made Nishida pause before he walked out.

There. In the distance, he saw Suzume running towards him, she looked disgruntled and - oh lord - was that blood?

Kishi’s body parts flashed in his mind again. Nishida stood there, door open, hand on the knob; looking as his daughter ran like her life depended on it. She screamed. “DAD! DAD!!”

The trees behind one of the neighbor’s house rustled, one actually falling over. There were at least three houses between Suzume and their home, but nobody opened their doors. Nishida knew everyone was watching but nobody would do anything. Still, light wasn’t gone just yet and whatever was hunting his daughter wasn’t leaving the safety of shadows until it were.

“Run Suzume!” He shouted back at his daughter, sweat pouring from his temple but his hand still refused to let go of the knob. The dog’s barking grew louder, even snarling now.

Just another two houses. He could see her even more clearly now, she had probably been running for a hot minute now with how exhausted and disgruntled she looked. Suzume wasn’t exactly a fit kid but she held okay out in the fields. “Just a little more hun, come on!”

Suzume tripped and fell. Finally, Nishida’s hand left the knob and he ran back inside, he could hear her scream for him from outside. He pulled the old shotgun off the wall above the fireplace and grabbed the bullets from the cupboard. Nishida be damned if he was letting anybody take his daughter.

The man ran outside, shotgun in hand. All natural light all but gone now, only a few and sparse street lights shedding clarity on the scene. “SUZUME!”

His daughter got up and limped towards him.

The moment she started moving, something came out behind the trees.

And it weren’t no bear.

“GET AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER YOU FREAK.” He took aim and shot.

“DAD!” Suzume screamed.

“RUN. DON’T LOOK BACK, JUST RUN!” He warned her, the sound from the shotgun muting his last words. He reloaded the gun as fast as he could, but each shot only seemed to deter the monster for only a few seconds, and he hadn’t that many bullets to begin with. Should’ve taken the ax instead.

The monster tackled his daughter and his mouth open, though he wasn’t sure if the blood curdling scream that sounded was his or his daughter’s. He stopped shooting, not wanting to accidentally hit Suzume and sprinted even harder, feet flying over the dirt road.

Blood was pouring, it was getting everywhere. It was all Nishida could see, it was all that filled his mind as he rose the gun and used it to hit at the monster preying on his daughter.

Not doing much damage but, hell, if it weren’t effective in drawing its attention to him.

…

Hand fist against the wooden door, Tsukitane’s mayor glared at it with tears in his eyes, other hand grasping the collar of his dog to keep him still. The screams had long stopped but the dog’s nervousness was clear sign that this wouldn’t be a safe night.

“Dear?” His wife called, peeking from the basement’s door, kids probably downstairs. He shook his head at her and dragged himself and the dog down to the confined safety.

The blooming of the sakura trees carry both the sadness of an ending, and the happiness of new beginnings. Every year, they fall over the arrival of a new class of students, and the graduation of the oldest class. The prestigious Academy of Konoha always makes it a point to send their students out into the world with a grand ceremony, filled with happy cheers and nostalgic tears from those who are ready to face an entire new saga in their lives.

The dawn of this graduation ceremony starts at the academy’s auditorium, with all its students sat in the benches and their supporting families watching from the back rows. The teachers hush the students’ chatter when the ceiling lights turn off and, instead, the stage is lit as the principal walks up to the podium.

He clears the throat and begins his yearly farewell speech to the graduates, somewhat pompous and silly, but filled with meaning and memories to everyone hearing it. “I must confess,” he says near the end. “Your year, in particular, has left this old man with more than a few white hairs.”

Some of the students in the audience snickered.

“But I am, nonetheless, proud to send each and every one of you out into the world.” The principal paused to sweep his eyes across the plateau. “I’m not going to tell you it’s going to be easy; I know a lot of you are leaving while still unsure about your futures,” his voice lowered as he spoke more seriously, the friendly glint in his eye disappearing as he dished out some truth. “It would be nice if I could let all those of you, who are still so lost, to simply stay a while longer; until you get your footing.”

“However, life doesn’t work that way. So many times we are thrown around by it, and find ourselves facing terrible circumstances without an ounce of preparation for them.”

He paused to let his words resonate with the kids, dead silent now as the topic grew somber. “If you take nothing else with you, when you leave these halls, keep only the knowledge that no amount of preparation is ever going to be enough. And that,” he paused.

“Is alright.”

Most of the students looked between them, somewhat confused at whatever the hell the principal was going on about. But he knew they would understand; if not now, then in the future.

“Remember, no matter how grim the future looks or how powerless you may feel towards it, to always take a deep breath and clear your head. So as to realize that it is always in your power to take the next step, to make the next decision. And slowly, but surely, you are bound to succeed.”

The audience exploded into cheers as the principal gave them a final congratulations, the sound resounding even outside the building and only dying out when the vice principal took the podium for a follow up. “Those were wonderful words from our most esteemed principal…probably lost on all you…” he whispered the rest off the microphone but most guessed at what he was calling them and reacted accordingly, booing the vice principal to hell and back.

The families at the back were somewhat shocked when a ‘FUCK YOU TANAKA, YOU’RE NOT WORTH THE DOG SHIT I STEPPED ON THIS MORNING’ resounded somewhere to the left. They were all promptly shushed down by the teachers and the vice principal resumed. “Ahem! Yes. Well. Moving along, before we deliver each of your diplomas, I am personally…honored to present this year’s class elected speaker.” He looked down at the name in his cue cards and then looked at the teachers, who nodded sadly.

“Graduating top of the year, with a record breaking score in her exams, let’s welcome…”

“Morino, Sayuri.” He couldn’t have said it with less enthusiasm if he wanted to.

The auditorium was quiet as everyone waited for, well, something to happen. But nobody actually stepped forward. That’s because the student in question was currently watching the ceremony from the comfort of her home. Laying sideways on the couch, with a half eaten bag of prawn chips, Sayuri stared at the TV screen with a somewhat unbothered look on her face.

“Ah…” she sighed just as her phone started to ring, the word ‘mom’ on the screen. “This is going to be such a pain.”

Midsummer’s is a small bar with a somewhat somber atmosphere not a lot of people can appreciate. It doesn’t help that it’s one of those hole in the wall places that the eyes easily sweep past without really taking notice of it. It’s the meeting place of people with very specific niches, seeking an undisturbed environment away from prying or judging eyes.

It is also the meeting place for the not at all famous, nor infamous, Team Kinryuu. A shinobi duo who, for all the initial glamour one might conjure up in their heads at the sight of two handsome men from two very distinctive families, actually consist of nothing more than an Uchiha without Sharingan, and a Hyuuga without Byakugan.

Chisato doesn’t really give a fuck about that, though. Or so he’d like to claim.

But, to be frank, it was annoying to constantly be looked down by their superiors. They were both at the butt of their clans, never mind that his sis is at the head of the Uchiha casino, and Hotaru’s granny is the matriarch of their clan; neither of them carried much of the prestige usually associated with their clans and, for that, the Shinobi HQ treated them like trash cans and gave them only the missions others didn’t want to take.

The fact that they had yet to be sent on their first B-Rank spoke for itself, even after years of working together as a team and bringing back positive, if slightly chaotic (what fun would it be otherwise) results. But it would all change soon. They’d gone above and beyond during their last C-Rank and, right now, Hotaru was probably already leaving the HQ after a good ass kissing session to get them their very well deserved first B-Rank.

“Hey, Mimi, get me a refill,” he called for the waitress, raising his coffee mug with all the manners of a street dog. His was already empty and Hotaru would probably still take a hot minute.

Somewhere at the corner, standing on a three foot ladder and having a look at a broken lamp, Mashiro Mimi gave him a withering glare. “Get it yourself, can’t you see I’m busy?”

Chisato glared right back. “This is why we’re your last house regulars.”

“There can be none for all I care,” the blonde told him, setting her eyes back on the broken electricity cords. Looks like Chisato would have to get his own darn coffee.

In the northern side of the city, inside the tall Konoha Shinobi HeadQuarters tower, an enormous glass building that reflected everything that made outsiders green with jealousy, Hotaru stood somewhat nervously in front of a large mahogany desk.

His last mission with Chisato had resulted in a less than stellar performance and he was probably in, once more, for a good chiding from the Head of Foreign Affairs shinobi department, also fondly dubbed ASSFACE by his gentle mannered team mate. Shuemura Kou was a brute man with a dark glare and little patience; which usually led to some very interesting reporting experiences after missions.

“Hyuuga,” Shuemura called, dropping the young man’s report on his desk and pulled out a box of cigars.

“Sir?” Hotaru mentally hit himself for how uncertain he sounded. He knew that would just annoy his superior even more, and result in a longer period of getting chewed out.

“Can you tell me where we’re standing right now?”

His superior’s face was passive, not betraying his thoughts and Hotaru swallowed. This was obviously a trick question but he couldn’t get away with simply not answering. “Shinobi HQ Tower, sir?”

“You asking me, Hyuuga?” The commander snapped.

“Shinobi HQ Tower, sir!” Hotaru answered, shoulders straightening compulsively.

Shuemura sat back in his chair and blew out a cloud of smoke. “And tell me, does the Shinobi HQ Tower look like a fucking kindergarten to you?”

Shit. “No, sir!” Hotaru knew better than to let his anxiety show again and readied himself for the incoming wave of insults.

“Then why the fuck are you two constantly pulling back to Konoha with your asses needing to be wiped?” His commander demanded, all the danger in how low he kept his voice the whole time. It was never the shouting that Hotaru should fear, it was when the commander spoke quietly like this. It usually only happens once or twice a year, when a mission ends in a particularly nasty manner and Konoha is forced to intervene to clean up after them.

Chisato kept his eyes firm on the wooden floor. “My apologies, sir.”

“You know Hotaru,” another drag of smoke as the commander looked up at the ceiling. “I have real respect for your clan. Never mind the Uchiha, can’t really expect Chisato to come out any different when his entire clan is such a hot mess.”

“But your grandmother, she’s a real lady. She’s seen more than her fair share of the deal and that is why, when you first got here I accepted you into our ranks.” Shuemura got up and turned his back to Hotaru, looking out the window as he kept speaking. “And, by yourself, you’re not such a bad kid. Bit of a nerd, but no one with half a working brain in here has any doubt if your team brings results home, those results are thanks to your hard work.”

This would sound like a compliment. Anyone else would be stoked hearing this. However, Hotaru’s eyes hardened and his heart froze painfully because he knew where this was going; it wasn’t the first time the commander was touching this topic.

“Chisato is not cut out to be a shinobi.” The words were raw and burned like the skin after ripping off a band aid. “If you want any success in this branch, you need to drop him out.”

An image flashed inside Hotaru’s mind then. Somewhere bright, with an overbearing smell of disinfectant. His eyes covered with bandages and someone holding his small hand in their even smaller ones. “We can find out who did it. We’ll do it together.”

Resigned, Hotaru looked up to the commander, shoulders slightly more relaxed. He knew where this talk was headed…the commander wouldn’t threaten to dismiss Chisato if he didn’t need to ask something out of him. This time, however, Hotaru had a request of his own; so this deal didn't come at a bad time. “What are your terms?”

Shuemura grinned, a wide stretching of his lips that showed his teeth, tinted yellow from his smoking habits. “See. Smart kid.”

Three sets of feet clatter in the halls of the Iwagakure Police Center. Saito, strode confidently in the front of the group of three in a triangular formation. Their shadows sliding away from the interrogation room where they had left Tenzou behind. Their coercion was moments away from bearing fruit before they had suddenly been called out. The unanticipated interruption left an even sourer look than usual on Saito's mug.

"Really now, Ash, why do you always decide to amp the story up from what really happened?"

Kanzaki leisurely spoke, unfazed by the unwelcoming atmosphere that had pushed so many away from Saito.

"Yeah, besides kidnapping them. You didn't lay a fist on the mommy and her baby girl. So what did you ever do to those two? "

Hiei chimed in.

"...I just told them if I ever find them in the Land of Earth again, they'll meet the same fate as their husband and father."

Saito answered while adjusting his glasses. Yes, not even the Ashen Archangel would be so cruel as to burn a mother and her child. The burning to ash a group of bandits was certainly true but that was it. Saito would often stretch that story in order to pierce into the hearts of his foes by using fear. Still, he would sometimes ponder if he was ever so cold that he would indeed do such a terrible thing eventually.

Before he would allow his thoughts to drift into that pointless dark maze, he came back to his senses. Behind him were Kanzaki and Hiei they were often like his very own hands that regularly tagged along with him, despite his protests. In contrast to his anti-social demeanor, these two would be the rambunctious and thrill seeking duo that was always right behind him. The trio was liken that to a ruthless lion with two hyenas at it's sides. Even so, Saito very openly thought of them as parasites that clung to him because of his rampant success throughout the Force. That however, didn't dissuade them from clinging themselves onto him anyway.

Right now, they were stumbling upon the reason for their interruption. It was a slender middle-aged man that always seemed like he was looking down on someone. For Saito, that was certainly the case. This was Lieutenant Pitou Yatsumu, who met the trio with an unassuming gaze befitting of a status such as his own. "Lieutenant Yatsumu, all's fair?" Saito spoke and saluted as did the rest of his entourage.

"Fujiguro,...All's fair." He replied without much hurry, having the hesitancy of shaking hands with someone with dirty hands.

'All's fair', was lingo prominently used within the village both as a greeting, confirmation and as a farewell. It's foudation having two sources, one, was short for 'is all going fair with you?' a question asking or amusing the state of the one being asked. While the other reason being used towards, but not limited, the lands and villages that were being subjugated under Iwagakure's rule, 'all's fair in love and war'.

"If I may ask, why did you cut off our interrogation with Tenzou? He was seconds away from cracking and we could hav-''

"Could have what, Officer Fujiguro? Find the source to this devilish Angel Text growing about? Hah, all you were going to get was misdirection and led on a wild goose chase. I merely saved you the trouble of humiliation. You should be thanking me, yes?"

Pitou questioned indignantly while looking down at the haughty youth. It wasn't hard to notice the Vice-Captain's displeasure with Saito. It was always covered under a blanket of underhanded harassment such as rude remarks, tasteless mission assignments or backhanded compliments. So his interruption of the interrogation was only another one of the many debts that Saito would force him to pay someday. However, he still found the timing of it odd. Could there be another reason at play here?

"..Yes, sir. It's always an honor to have you aid me at times like this,"

Saito finally answered, more passion in his words than in his heart.

"Hm, yes I'm sure you do... Besides, I have another assignment for you. The Department of Propaganda & Media requires an officer for one of it's services.... So figured an upstanding little soldier like yourself would be just perfect!"

It was a field-trip so beneath Saito's capabilities that it was obvious to everyone in the hallway, including Pitou. The condescension almost seeming to try to taunt Saito. Hiei and Kanzaki, knowing fullwell the kind of anger issues their fearless leader possess, worry at the clenched fist vibrating his side.

"I assume that's not a problem, Officer Fujiguro. All's fair?"

The molten anger boiling within him is forced to cool down. Right now, he didn't possess the authority to deal with vermin such as Pitou. Though, with how fast and far his star was soaring, he knew it was only a matter of time before he did have that power. Pitou knew that as well, that was just one of the reasons he tried to stomp out that little fire making too much of a name for himself. Saito learned to not to fall for the folly of revenge. So instead he saw his eventual payback as justice. At times, justice too was a dish best served cold. At the end, that bill always comes due.

"All's fair,"

Yasuke Kure: The Immortal Man & Knights of The Cruciform

[2] People are frightening. Monsters. Ask me again, why I choose to hide. Weren't we taught as children to avoid such monstrosity? The creatures blanked in darkness.

---

Session II
"In our last talk you mentioned someone. B.B. Who is this B.B, Yasuke?"

"Why is that relevant? Aren't I meant to be the subject through all of this, doctor."

"Yes, that's right, Yasuke we are here for you. Since this is all about you why don't you introduce B.B. Whoever this person is I have a feeling they mean something. They're important. B.B means something. Am I wrong?

"Butcher Brown is a cerebral pain in the ass. Her Kekkei Genkai is the ability to impose unbearable irritation upon other people."

"Now, that's not quite-"

"She's a psychopathic, untrustworthy, manipulative liar."

"Is that really what you think? You know what I think? I think in some way you rely on her. B.B, in all her faults and abuse, offers something that you value."

"You know my mind still goes back to the first time you came to me."

I didn't exactly come to Mei but I do like her. I was forced here. Mei is a simple woman who lost her daughter early in life to Leukemia. Her brother's bipolar and refuses to comply with his psychiatric mediation. She's suffered her fair share of loss. A life riddled with pain, yet here she is, the last altruist on Earth. Though she's a psychologist she's really bad at reading people but I'm really good at reading people. My secret? I look for the worst in them.

"It pleases me to hear that you're not yelling like before. That's good. But I can sense that you still cling to it. "

"We need to work on your anger, Yasuke."

---

The shed remained still and several minutes had passed without a word being said. The paper sat idly by his desk and Yasuke continued to stare at the words scribbled on the page. A conflict had ensued in the caverns of his mind. He struggled silently for a moment.

His fingers itched to delve into the wealth of information he knew these letters had. Some part of him desperately sought to rationalize and make sense of the cryptic message that came at his doorstep. The scientist within wanted answers, hating mysteries and anything that was the slightest bit illogical. However, there remained the elephant in the room. The anchor ornamenting his ankle. In that moment everything paled in comparison to the next high. Even the possibility of another fix was enough stimulus to induce joy.

He suddenly broke out into cold sweat. Little droplets of perspiration ran down his forehead with urgency. A hot flash struck through the cloud covered sky and found its way inside the shanty. Unable to keep his head up and fearing the blinding light, his attention locked onto the mystery before him. Yasuke's brow tightened as he passed another glance at the letter.

S.B. Whoever they are, knows who I am. That's a problem. It means I made a mistake. No. I don't make mistakes.

"Somehow this person knows me. Could it be an enemy? But they're asking for my assistance. Why?" Junkie brain or not. Yasuke's mind had already gained traction. It moved about, spiraling into rapid streams of thought that translated audibly to nonsensical ramblings of a madman.

"S.B." He repeated. "Why don't I know you." His knees fell to the floor, and with trembling hands he grasped his entire head in his palms, fishing for a memory that would never surface.

"You should hear it out. I know it's suspicious. Shit, breaks every rule we've got but you should hear them out. Whoever sent this letter, I think you should take the risk and see who they are for yourself."

Yasuke's racing thoughts crashed into a stop. "Do you even hear yourself right now? I haven't the faintest fucking clue as to who this person is. It's written as if I were meant to but I don't. Even still, we've got a fucking job to do. Now's not the time to go pro bono."

Butcher Brown was floored. She felt herself reeling from the realization that the roles had switched. Typically, she was the one tasked with persuading Yasuke against taking reckless actions. It bothered her that he was right. More importantly, it disturbed her to know that she could never tell him the truth. It was a burden, being tasked with the impossible. How do you persuade a paranoid junkie to break protocol and do something completely stupid?

"You're going to do it whether you like it or not. Whether you want to or not. You'll do it. " B.B opted for a direct approach, moving straight to the point.

"Ok so you don't know the guy? Why is that alarming for a man with a fractured mind? What show have you been watching kid? I mean, your head's been a diseased shit show since episode one." B.B felt relieved. Always bet against the crackhead. It's practically a philosophy. Silly me, being worried.

He knelt there motionless, mouth open and eyes bulging.

"There are going to be blank spots, kid. We talked about this already. That's why I think this S.B guy's worth checking out. You might get your answers."

---

Two nights before the operation



Kérberos had survived war among the mountain tribes. It had withstood whatever nature and all it's cleverly named calamities could throw at it. The Avalanche of Remus. The Great Blizzard of Mad Chief Elk. Hurricane Temari. Whatever force threatened it's being, Kereberos endured. Natives in the land claim that very reason is why it eventually became a safe haven for the disqualified. The bar itself had overflown in the past century of its existence from a walk up loft in one of Port Romance's sagging older buildings along the Ilia River, to nine levels in four sagging old buildings along the Ilia. The single element of consistency at Kereberos over the decades was its propensity for attracting rejects.

Sosuke hated the damned bar the moment he laid eyes on it. As he slouched forward in his seat, toying with his glass contemptuously like a problematic lover. He knew that if his wife were alive she would never let him forget this moment. He fondly remembered the countless arguments, and realized he would trade being the punching bag to her limitless rage than not having her at all. She always hated him teasing her about her savage drinking. That's what he deserved for marrying a girl from the Fire Country.

That goddamn Will of Fire. His ribs ached from the pain of having reminded his joyless body what laughter felt.

Rangiku would have longed for this, having finally gotten her drinking partner

He drank again. With a single flat glance of the eye he signaled the bartender over to pour himself another drink. One more drink, he would channel these words in monotonous chants until they meant something. Another drink to drown the pain. Another drink to forget.

It would take the Nile, and even then I'd still have nothing.

"You can't drown an ocean." He spat, again staring into his glass with hate in his eyes. He drank again.

"I'm a lucky girl, doc." A voice burst out from the shadows. It had to have come from the corner, interrupting this private display of self-pity. Sosuke wondered how the world could have changed so much, worsened to such an extent that a man could no longer anguish in peace.

The voice continued. "You're the second doctor I've seen this week. The second one. Can you believe it? Forget whatever nonsense the politicians rave on about. Now that's quality healthcare."

The voice grew louder and the figure in the darkness slowly emerged into the light.

Sosuke's eyes widened in disbelief. "Y-Yasuke? Why-"
"Of the two doctor's I've seen, one's a socially isolated, paranoid meth addict, and the other appears to be an alcoholic."

A smile formed from it's lips, revealing lupine like canines. "Now that's bitchin' healthcare. Humanity's finest. "

"Why are you here, Butcher?"



It's expression did not falter and it smiled, at ease knowing that it's sudden appearance unnerved the man. "What's the problem? A girl can't visit her favorite doc? I only wanted to remind you about a little something called, patient confidentiality."

"Patient confidentiality?" asked Sosuke. He felt disturbed knowing he nearly slurred.

"As in, keep your mouth shut." The figure, revealed as Butcher Brown, answered.

"Yasuke will be meeting you for the first time tomorrow night. It won't the first encounter for either of you, but for him, all of this will have been new. He won't recognize you, and to be honest I'm not sure he ever will remember. But that doesn't matter."

Butcher Brown approached the man, grasped his glass into examining hands and glared into it.

"Whiskey. You really do hate yourself, huh?" With zero regard she dropped the glass, unfazed by the shattered pieces exploding against the floor. "Discretion. That's all I'm asking, doc. Just go on and tell your sob story and cue the waterworks. We'll find your kid. Don't push anything on Yasuke, and we'll get along just fine."

---

End of Session

"Don't be frustrated."

"And why shouldn't I be?"

"You're different than most. You at least try. You at least understand."

"Understand what?"

"What it's like to feel alone. You understand the pain, and you protect people from it, protect me from it."

"I respect that about you."

^{__________________________________________________________}

Naomi knew what it was like to be given a shitty hand at life. Those first initial cards could make or break a person, and sometimes shaped the way of the game. However, Naomi also believed that even if she had a shitty hand if it was not as bad as the person beside her. That meant she was still in the game. Even if it meant to steal, cheat, or lie, it meant that she could still have the outcome in her favor somewhat. That was how she survived, that was how she clawed her way up from the gutters and into a warm bed. So, she never understood people who had a good hand and decided to throw it away.

She could never understand why he would get himself killed over a woman.

Naomi looked at the body of a man she once knew. His body stuck to the wall like a fly that got hit by a car. The blood pooled to the floor as blood escaped from every orifice of his face. Once that face would have smiled at her, once that face would laugh so hard that she could see his crow’s feet, but now, it was just another face. Another dead man that was a notch on her belt. It truly bothered her to no end. The fool even tried to put up a fight. Naomi felt her jaw tighten, she wished she could bring him back and then kill him over again. Then maybe he would understand his mistake after she beat the shit out of him again and again.

Huff

The sound of a dying gasp was what pulled her away from the sight of the person she used to know. On the floor not to far away from her a woman laid on the ground. She struggled to support her weight on her own arms as she coughed up blood. Naomi released a sigh as she grabbed the dog tags from off the ground, she’ll need this for later.

“You should just die already.” She let the annoyance seep out as she walked over to the woman. Her long black hair was stained by her own blood. Naomi always gauged her punches. There was no point in overkilling her opponent, but sometimes, like in this matter some people had the will to hold on. Even when Naomi knew she shattered the woman rib cage with that initial punch, she was still trying to hold on through the pain and it nagged at her.

Naomi stood over the woman and grabbed a fist full of her hair. It caused the woman to hiss before she begun to choke on her own blood.
“Dear...” The woman managed to choke out, her eyes had already begun to lose focus, “Dear…”

Naomi frowned, “He’s dead. Next time think of who you’re working for before trying to run away.”

All of this was unnecessary. All of it and yet here she was, cleaning up someone else’s mess. The thought pissed her off and she really wanted to leave. The more she stayed in this small apartment, the more cramped it felt. The more the walls seemed to move closer to her. Naomi hated them for how they forced her hand, but she could be kind. She planned to end it quicker this time. She got no joy in the prolonged suffer of her opponent. Naomi did not pride herself in much, but she did find herself puffing up her chest in this regard.
Naomi positioned herself over the woman as she struggled to prop herself up with her arms. She began to gather chakra in her right hand before clenching it into a fist. This will be instant and quick, and she will not suffer, and she could try again in the next life. Naomi did not let the words in her chest escape her mouth, because saying anything more would probably be even more painful. However, for just a second, she just wanted to say.

Be happier in your next life and lets never meet again.

Naomi began to bring her fist down

“Izo…” Naomi jerked back as the woman began to crawl, “Izo…Izo…Izo…”

Izo?

Who was Izo? The cogs in Naomi head began to turn as she watched with the woman with all her strength began to crawl. She swung each arm like they were 50-pound weights, her curly black hair stuck to her face and those big brown of hers seemed to lose their vibrancy. Izo was not the man’s name and she never called that man Izo. Her heart thump in her chest as she could hear his voice as she watched the woman crawl pass the broken body of her husband to the door that was beside of him…

“Is there anything you’d risk it all for?”

Naomi felt her eyes get hot and blurry….

“I’ve always wanted a family, you know…”

No…

“I’d want to give them the world that I never had….”

No…

“I’m sorry, there are more important things to me right now. More important than my whole life.”

---

Fuzen had a weird geography, but at the same time it was fitting. Fuzen was on an upward plane, the lower level was where the mining happened and where the damage was mostly centered. However, if someone continued to keep going upwards. They would see the slow transition from village wrecked by outsiders and where the villagers were trying to hold on to some semblance of normalcy. The further one went up that upward plane, it was like seeing a transition of time. The lower level could never get developed and in so, it had most of the older architect, but the more someone moved up it was like a completely different thing.

Cheaper housing was mostly subjugated towards the lower middle of Fuzen geography and that was where Naomi lived. The houses that lined the street went bad at all, if anything it was something normal, and wasn’t as gaudy as the higher portion of houses. However, there was one house that Naomi kept it an eye out for. It was a blue hour with a white roof, it reminded her of the beach, and it stood out from all the other ones, but the biggest way it stood out was that if the blinds were open a person could see directly into the kitchen. The small fence that blocked out the outsiders did not offer up any protection and as she neared this blue house, she could see the blinds were fully open
A young boy with curly black hair and big brown eyes had his hands up against the window. When they caught each other eyes, it seemed as though his big eyes only got even bigger. Naomi lips curled up into a smile and she found herself picking up the pace before she even realized it. She swung the white picket fence open and before she could even step on foot in the yard the big white door swung open and the tiny child stood in the doorway.

“MOM!”

Naomi smiled at how aggressive he looked as she got down on one knee and opened her arms. His hands were curled in tight little fist and his chest was puffed up.

“MOM!”

“I’m home.” Naomi said as the little boy ran to her

“MOM! MOMMY HOME!” He screamed before hopping into her arms

Naomi was almost shaken by the force of his little body. He grew up some since she has been gone. Naomi wrapped her arms around him as she stood up and she felt his little arms wrap around her neck so tight that it was almost uncomfortable. But she swung him as she buried her nose into his hair, he smelled of oranges and lemons, and it almost broke her heart. It was like all the emotions and longing to have back home overwhelmed her.

“I’ve missed you so much Izo.” She could not help but say as she patted the child’s head.

Naomi looked up and saw a woman standing crossed arm against the doorway.

“Welcome back, did you bring me anything.”

It was too much of an awkward dinner to be graced by the beautiful backdrop of Konoha’s night time cityscape. The twinkling view wasted on the Morino family, just like the 3 Michelin starred meal they were having. Even the steak’s, still sizzling deliciously on their plates, appeared disappointed at the current turn of events. Of course, this was all from the perspective of the Morino parents, who had hard expressions on their faces as they went through the motions of eating. This dinner was supposed to be in celebration of their oldest daughter’s graduation and, now, it was tainted by the embarrassment she had suffered them through.

On the other hand, the children had none of their parents’ fretting expressions. Souichirou, the youngest, was secretly gloating at how his older sister, the shining beacon of their family, had finally been caught; relief poured from within him at the thought their parents might finally cut him a break. Sayuri, however, didn’t really look that worried. She had been skipping school for years now and she’d never really tried to hide it or anything; she didn’t have a clue what all the fuss was about anyway.

“Sayuri,” her mother spoke tentatively, voice soft as she looked upon her oldest child. “Your father and I have been discussing what happened during your graduation and we…”

“Frankly, we’re worried,” the father finished for her. He had none of the softness, however, only sternness. “Your actions show nothing but disregard about your education and, in the world we currently live in, without one you’re as good as worthless.”

Sayuri just stared ahead, not really sure where this was headed but not wanting to interrupt. The fact that they were having this talk in public raised some alarm bells inside her, since her parents were always so careful about the family’s social standing, but she couldn’t really see them do much more than give her a small slap on the wrist.

Her father cleared his throat. “As you’ve expressed no interest in proceeding with your studies...”

“Which we would have fully supported, if that was your decision,” her mother interjected suddenly, reaching out to hold Sayuri’s hand.

They were right in that regard. Sayuri had no interest in seeking superior education. She fully intended to live inside her greenhouse, doing nothing but watering her plants, feeding the cats and drinking tea. No future sounded more prestigious than that.

“Your mother and I have taken arranging you a comfortable future into our hands,” her father explained, pausing to take a small sip of his red wine. “This will also be helping our family so I trust you will have no complaints.”

The bells inside Sayuri were singing a storm by the time he was done talking, and she stood a lot more serious now. She threw her little brother a side glance but, for all that Souichirou was dancing the hula at her sudden defeat, he gave her a small clueless shake of his head. He had no idea what their parents were going on about either. Her mother squeezed her hand.

“We’ve decided to unite our family with the Suzuhara branch,” her mother announced excitedly, raising her voice just the slightest bit so the surrounding tables could hear. “You’re to be engaged with their only son, Junjo!”

…goddamnit.

Sayuri raised her glass of water to her lips, giving herself some time to react. Her mother was obviously giddy, if her sparkling eyes were anything to go by, and her father was looking as satisfied as the cat that got the canary. Souichirou was pretty shocked, still a bit too young to understand what marriage really means. Sayuri knows, however.

“Ah, how…joyous,” Sayuri commented, with a small smile. “It is wonderful to not have to worry about my future any longer, as you have kindly taken it out of my own hands. It’ll be an incredible adventure to marry a man I’ve never met, bear his children and do his bidding for the rest of my life.”

She squeezed her mother’s hand. “You’re very thoughtful to worry about this daughter who’s done nothing but fail you.”

Well, she wasn’t running off crying or flipping the table in anger so the Morino parents breathed a sigh of relief. But an idea sparked inside Sayuri’s mind and her smile widened into a grin. “However-”

The bells of Midsummer’s front door jingled as Hotaru walked inside the cozy bar. His eyebrows were furrowed and his lips were set in a bitter frown as he pushed his hair back and dropped down to his usual spot at the far corner, next to Chisato, who had his chin popped his left hand and the expression of someone who didn’t want to hear bullshit but was already expecting it anyway. “What. Did you drop by the salon for a manicure on your way here or something? Took you long enough.”

Hotaru blew out a sight but checked his fingernails. “No, but heaven knows I could use one right now,” he wiggled his fingers in Chisato’s face. The blond rolled his eyes but didn’t mock him any further, waiting instead for an answer. Though it seemed Hotaru was going to take some time to give him one.

“Mimi, get me the usual!” Hotaru shouted, loosening his tie so he could undo a couple of buttons of his shirt.

“Sure thing, hun!” The blond shouted, already pulling up a glass from the cupboard behind the counter.

The sound of the news on the television served to fill the silence as Hotaru took a few minutes to lay his head back against the wall, chair hanging on its back legs, as he closed his eyes. It was only after he had his own drink and Chisato got yet another refill of his coffee that he finally deigned to open his mouth about the current team status. “We have a new team member.”

“What?” Chisato choked on his coffee. “I think I asked for a goddamn B-ranked mission? Not some new kid to get in our way?”

Hotaru rubbed his hands against his face, as if that could rub off how tired he felt after dealing with Shuemura’s bullshit for more than a couple of hours. “Listen, you wanted to climb rank, we’re climbing rank,” he told Chisato, not sounding any happier about the whole idea. “Shuemura’s arranged for the new team mate to meet us soon. We’re to go on a mission to acclimate and then they’ll give us access to the cooler stuff.”

“It can’t be that bad,” he sighed, trying to appease his temperamental friend. Hotaru knew Chisato wouldn’t take it well; it had been just the two of them for a long time and the blond wasn’t the sociable sort. However, whatever new dude that got assigned to their team, it couldn’t be so bad that-

The door bells jingled again and in came a blue haired poised young lady, long skirt, cashmere jacket and a brown thin envelope held loosely against her chest.

“Shit,” Hotaru whispered, suddenly hearing boss music as he realized who had just walked inside.

“What?” Chisato immediately looked around, trying to spot whatever pulled Hotaru’s attention off their conversation. “Oh..ha...hahaha...hahahaha!” He laughed as the girl approached them and grinned cruelly at her. “Sorry sweetheart, you missed the convent by a couple of blocks. I can point you in the right direction if you want.”

Hotaru dragged his hands across his face again, a gesture he was sure he’d be repeating a lot these next couple of weeks; the girl, however, looked utterly unbothered and dropped the file onto the table as she took a seat. “Well, Mr. Uchiha, Mr. Hyuuga,” she greeted them. “It’s not that I was expecting to be placed in any of Konoha’s best teams, but I certainly didn’t consider it would be one as…famous as yours.”

“Oi!” Chisato’s temper flared up at the tone of her voice. Hotaru had to place a hand on his shoulder to keep him from getting up and throwing the goddamn table at the girl’s face; even though he wasn’t all that averse to it either. She hadn’t even introduced herself and already she’d insulted their team.

“You’ll find the details of our next mission enclosed in that envelope,” she motioned at the object and then rested her chin against her hand, elbow propped on the table. She looked utterly bored.

“Who the hell are you anyway?” Chisato demanded but it was Hotaru who answered him instead.

“Morino Sayuri, our new team mate,” he sighed.

This was going to be a long one.

Team Kinryuu’s first mission as a trio started with a lovely misunderstanding, where Hotaru informed their youngest member she was to meet them by the Dai Rock Bridge at 3, and she had simply figured he meant 3pm instead of 3am. The entire trip from Konoha to Tsukitani just kept going down hill from there. The train ride provided a small reprieve when Chisato fell asleep, Sayuri focused on flipping through a magazine and Hotaru just ignored the whole ordeal by shoving a pair of phones into his ears, but it was only a couple hours of rest before the incredible hike they needed to pass through to get to the village as soon as possible.

The climb was easy enough for the boys, fit as they were and used to these kind of activities already, but Sayuri was dragging painfully behind and, by the third time Hotaru had to stop just so she could catch up enough that he could still keep an eye on her, he was already calculating exactly how much trouble just leaving her behind would bring them. He never once said a bitter word to her, unlike Chisato who had spent the first 15 minutes of the hike criticizing her every step before ditching them to run ahead at his own pace, but Hotaru was painfully annoyed and he couldn’t really help the cold glare he stared at her with.

Most people would think to undergo some form of training before enlisting as shinobi. The Academy had a course specifically for the kids who wished to follow that particular path and, even afterwards, there were plenty of gyms and training camps that offered to train people for a specific fee. Sayuri acted like she’d just dropped by Shuemura’s office, handed in her curriculum and got accepted. Probably a fuck you from the big boss, who was already looking for ways to dissolve their team.

At least she kept her mouth shut and didn’t complain, though she probably was too tired to bitch about it anyway.

“Hey dude, check this out!” Chisato called, his voice dropping from somewhere up above, where the trees formed a roof over their heads. With a small glance towards their weaker member, Hotaru jumped up to join his friend. She could survive five minutes on her own. “Over there,” the blond remarked, eyebrows furrowed in attention towards whatever he was seeing.

It took only a few seconds before Hotaru noticed the large clearing in the woods down below; one they’d somehow missed while walking by and were now only noticing from their current position. The ground had a large hole in it, and the few trees around it looked withered and brown compared to the rest of the lush green forest. It would be too much of a coincidence for it not to be involved with whatever was going on in Tsukitani.

“It was a good decision to plan the trip so we’d be hiking through the day,” Hotaru sighed, pushing his hair back. All hopes that this would be a mere bear attack gone from his mind. “I don’t fancy us wandering around here at night.”

“Not when we have that eyesore to worry about,” Chisato complained in a particularly mean way. Mean, but not exactly wrong. Even now, looking down, Hotaru saw the mint haired girl standing idly by the tree they were sitting on. Could she even climb it? Could she even use chakra at all?

He rubbed his face, suddenly weary even though the mission had barely started. “We’ll leave her at the village while we scout, she’s not fast enough to accompany us anyway.”

Sharing a painful look between them, the boys dropped down from the tree in one fell swoop. Sayuri looked marginally better with the few minutes of pause she’d had to recoup her strength, and actually focused on them when she asked. “What was it?”

“Shoulda climbed yourself if you wanted to know,” Chisato immediately snapped. That sounded a bit unfair, from Hotaru’s point of view and he was about to tell his team mate to restrain himself a little, she might be a pain but talking like this among themselves would only create a negative impression on the villagers once they arrived. However, her next words froze his blood before he could open his mouth.

“I don’t have the Sharingan or the Byakugan though,” she said, hands on her hips, as if that was an excuse to not bother carrying her own weight in the team. Somehow, the petulant tone of voice she used turned it into even more of an insult than it already was. That topic was a very sensitive one, albeit for different reasons, to both Hotaru and Chisato. The former rose his hand as the Uchiha’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, the temperature around them rising a few degrees; he scoffed before he turned and jumped ahead.

Hotaru stared at the girl coldly before he too turned his back. “Neither of us have them.”

It’s like she had a list of which buttons to press with them, and she’d made it her mission to get through all of them through this mission. This time, Hotaru did walk ahead without looking to see if she was accompanying them.

“……oh.” Unseen, Sayuri looked down at her shoes with a troubled expression. She had no idea they didn’t have their clan’s kekkei genkai and, even then, it wouldn’t have occurred to her that it would be such a delicate topic even if she did. She only knew what Mr. Shuemura had told her, after all.

[1] "Life is parallel to hell but I must maintain."

---

The falcon took flight in the vacant sky. As her long wings stretched out she took in her surroundings.. Though, for this lively peregrine today there was not much to see. The skies remained empty, naked and unmarked by not a single cloud. She continued to whoosh up into the sky, coming upon a vast field blanketed by tall grass. The falcon circled the land, drawn in by the serene beauty of an untouched field.

A spear-like projection of fire struck her down without warning. Hidden within the distant grove many meters across, a legion of shadows darted into the sky with inhuman acceleration. At once, the empty plain of grass revealed multiple battalions of shinobi. From a distance, patch of land several meters adjacent to this congregation of flak jackets and forehead protectors, emerged a force of iron clad samurai.

Time would pass as additional actors took to the stage in this unplanned theatre of war. It had just been days after the declaration of war. Each side believed the success of their attack to be an inevitability. In what could only be described as an anomaly, or perhaps a severe blunder in intelligence gathering, all participating forces arrived simultaneously to the battlefield. Without announcement or warning, the once naked stretch of land became the crucible of war.

They collapsed upon one another immediately. Flexible hands reached out shaping into symbols formed at blinding speed. Lands of Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning, and Wind equally partook in the theater. They fought against one another twisting and bending nature to their will. Beautifully weaved handsigns gave way to absolute perversions that cleaved life equally and without discrimination.

At twilight the air began to hum to the pleasant clang of iron against iron. The concern was in full affect. Stone sliding against stone. Kunai piercing flesh. Thought it had now been dusk the activity hadn’t shown any signs of decline. Countrymen bled for their banners, and though gladly laying down their lives none knew of the magnitude of their contribution.

Stone sliding against stone. Kunai piercing flesh. For every cry that declared death, to the useless wails for mercy, in the theater of war every note contributed a footnote to the annals of legend.

The Warring Era! I have been reading the ancient books for a long time, waiting for the moment where those battles would take place before my eyes.

Stone sliding against stone. Kunai piercing flesh.

Compared to back then, the current peace is so trivial and dull. Ah, perhaps it is true. Maybe I'm just a nut who can't live without blood and fighting.

---

Iori roused from his sleep startled and found that his head resting in the lap of a woman.

"Talking in your sleep again?" She asked, amused. "Children should know better than to stay up all night like that. Reading picture books at your age? Cute."

Iori's face stung, but he knew better than to show it.

Why do I tolerate her again?

He rose his head from the comfort of her lap and faced her.

"You would dare say that to me?"

"I would." She said.

The sight of Tsukitani put a momentary stop to the trio’s quarreling, shutting all of them up for a solid minute.

They could see most of the village from the hill they were currently descending from. The wide fields which, this time of the year, should be green and filled with growing crops that would be harvested during Fall, were all withered, ragged and overrun with weeds. A good percentage of houses and barns were actually fully destroyed, looking as if a powerful tornado had passed through; even though the weather gracing most of the Land of Fire had been nothing but stellar the past month.

Despite all the delays, it couldn’t be later than 4pm at the moment; they’d made good time. It should be enough to get settled and find exactly what was the problem.

“Probably not a bear,” Chisato commented, scratching the back of his neck. “This is going to be a mess.”

Hotaru scoffed but it was Sayuri who commented. “Some of the houses are still up, we should check for survivors. Someone had to be alive to send the request for help.”

Nodding, they climbed the rest of the hill and started exploring the village. The roads, most of them dirt rather than pavement, had large gashes and a few dents that had them pause a few times. Hotaru was in the middle of inspecting one of them, trying to picture what kind of monster they were dealing with here, when he heard Chisato curse. “Holy shit.”

Alarmed, he quickly jogged in the direction of the blond’s voice, Sayuri trailing lightly behind him.

Around the corner of a particular large house, a mansion of sorts, a large portion of the floor had…seemingly been burnt off, the attack had, presumably, taken a good chunk of the house with it but what was curious was the state of the edges. Rather than black and brittle, as a fire attack would leave them, they were darkened but molten. It was as if a large ball of acid had been dropped in the area.

“Don’t touch anything,” Hotaru ordered, mostly for Sayuri’s sake. Chisato would know better.

A trail of sorts lead from the mansion into the surrounding forest, the edges withered and rotten. “What the fuck has been happening here…”

The small click of a gun having its safety switched off made them all turn around, alarmed.

“Who’s there?” Chisato demanded.

“Could ask ya the same, sonny,” an old man stepped out from behind the building, the direction they’d just come from. An old dog following him, one of his legs bandaged and limping. “You kids chose the wrong forest to hike through. Nothing but death roams these grounds.”

“You wanna try lowering that before you warn us off your property, old fa-”

Sayuri intervened before Chisato could finish. “Konoha has sent us to inquire after a request for help was sent from this village.” She blushed a little and hesitated before taking a small black case she opened to reveal a metal badge, Konoha’s leaf engraved into it. Cute.

The old man blew out a breath, though he sounded more frustrated than relieved at their appearance. He did lower the gun, though, and the dog’s tail started to wag a little. “Y’all telling me Konoha sent kids to deal with this crap?” He took off his hat and scratched at his balding head. “Follow me, we’ve been staying underground these past couple of weeks and…”

The dog snarled and Chisato growled almost at the same time. “OI! Something’s coming!”

On cue, the trees around began to shake, and a few actually fell, those that did withering into an ugly purple. The air stank of something rancid and disgusting.

“RUN!” The old man shouted, turning on his heels and pulling his dog by the collar to make him run faster. The trio lagged behind just the fraction of a second, morbid curiosity keeping them in place as what could only be described as a demon out of their childhood horror stories parted the trees, making a b line towards them. It had multiple legs that moved eerily like a spider’s, blood red eyes and some sort of black miasma covered its entire body, dragging behind and contaminating everything it passed by.

The monster hurled at them and Chisato was the first to break free off his transe, quickly turning around and pushing Hotaru and Sayuri to move forward. “Move, move, MOVE!”

Hotaru peeked behind him and quickly found out he probably shouldn’t have, the thing was hot on their trails and was showing no signs of giving up. If they followed the man and his dog, they would probably be leading it right into whatever secret hideout the villagers had been able to set up for themselves! That really didn’t sound like a good idea. Besides that, Sayuri was visibly struggling with her stamina, he could hear her wheezing and, by now, he was already pulling her along by one arm; Chisato pulling her by the other. The thought that maybe they shouldn’t have pushed her so far on the hike there ran through his mind, but Hotaru quickly shoved it away. There were more important things to focus on now.

“How much farther old man?” Chisato shouted ahead.

The man and his dog, who was keeping up excellently despite missing a leg, didn’t look back. They were obviously focused on the task of just getting out of this alive.

“We gotta split up!” Hotaru spoke up instead, giving Sayuri’s arm another tug as she lagged slightly behind for a second. “Move damn it!” He shouted at her, frustrated when he felt her trying to tug her arm away from him.

“W-wait…I c-can…” She coughed and wheezed, barely able to speak anything clearly when she was so out of breath. They were forced to turn a sudden left after the man, and the beast crashed itself against a building, too big to properly turn after them so fast.

“Save it,” Chisato chided her and turned towards Hotaru. “I can burn that freak of nature if you distract it enough to give me a few seconds to actually aim.”

Hotaru shook his head. “I’ve never seen anything like this, we don’t know what fire is going to do. We need to have it ditch us first.”

“I know what fire's gonna do. It’s gonna burn this son of a bitch down, that’s what!” Chisato shouted back and suddenly jumping away, letting go of Sayuri who gasped at the sudden lack of one of her training wheels.

“Chisato!!” Hotaru growled after him but had no other choice but to keep moving. If he dropped Sayuri as well now, she’d be dead in the matter of minutes. “Goddamnit!”

There was a sudden surge in heat and the sounds of yet another house being destroyed as Chisato released his pyromaniac tendencies in the background. Damn it, he was going to burn down what was left of the village if left unchecked; at least, it seemed to work as the light show attracted the monster away from them. Still, Hotaru didn’t drop his speed, the man and the dog were still running ahead and he wasn’t about to not follow the lead of someone who was still alive after dealing with something like this heaven knows how many times.

Somewhere in the distance, he heard Chisato curse loudly. Screw the village, he was going to lose his team mate if he didn’t step in himself. Hotaru stopped and Sayuri immediately fell down to her knees, face red from the exertion but lips pale. He couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her; it’s not as if they had come here expecting something of this scale. “Sorry,” he sighed and tried to keep his tone gentle. “I need you to get up and keep going after that man, find out where the hideout is.”

“Wh-what…about…haah…” She was still having trouble breathing. “Mr.U-Uchiha?”

As if on cue, Chisato shouted in the distance again. “DIE YOU MOTHERFUCKER!”

Hotaru passed his free hand through his eyes, already feeling exhausted, and tugged the girl up. “He’ll be fine. Get moving, don’t lose sight of that man.” He gave her one last push towards the man and his dog and didn’t look a second time to make sure whether she was obeying him or not.

Without a charge to take care of, Hotaru felt a lot lighter as he dashed and jumped onto one of the houses’ roofs for a better look at the situation. Already a few blocks ahead, Chisato was having the monster crash through various buildings, setting various fire traps to grab its attention. But the thing didn’t show signs of feeling hindered by Chisato’s plan of action; in fact, it only seemed to grow increasingly furious.

There was no reason to unsheathe the Kinryuu just yet, Hotaru wasn’t aiming for a full attack just yet, not when the sun had already set and they were quickly losing visibility.

He jumped through the distance as fast as he could but he found Chisato had already cornered himself between a large warehouse and the monster. The blond breathed in deeply and performed the necessary hand seals that allowed him to breathe out a gigantic ball of fire.

The creature they were facing screeched loudly as its body caught on fire, but it wasn’t enough to kill it as might have been Chisato’s intention.

“WATCH OUT!” Hotaru screamed even as the beast passed through the ball of flames and lunged at his team mate with all it had. Chisato’s movement, somewhat hindered due to still exhaling the Goukakyuu, was too slow to evade it fully this time and, as the monster crashed against the building, Chisato’s arm got lacerated as it was caught in the beast’s way. Hotaru heard Chisato’s painful scream, prompting him to create a Palace of Waves around his friend in order to protect him from any further damage.

Sadly, there was no body of water he could use for a Leviathan nearby.

“Couldn’t get here any sooner, could ya?” Chisato grinned, though his arm must’ve been killing him.

“Be grateful I didn’t get here any later you fucking idiot,” Hotaru chided him with a growl, crouching near his friend as soon as he was close enough. He frowned as Chisato’s wound seemed to sizzle, as if acid had been poured down on it. Hotaru let his chakra flow through his hands and envelope his friend’s arm in a pretty purple color, stopping the wound from getting any worse. He would have liked to do more but, ahead, he heard the monster screech and wheeze.

It was making a comeback.

“Call Inugami,” he ordered as he put Chisato’s healthy arm over his and jumped away from the area, trying to put some quality distance between them and the thing.

“That son of a bitch won’t be worth shit here,” Chisato tried to argue back but Hotaru was having none of that now.

“Call him now, we need his help driving this fucker away!”

Chisato growled, clearly unhappy but didn’t argue further. He bit into his thump and formed the symbol. “Kuchiyose no Jutsu!”