Naruto: Shadow of the Beast

Mornings in the Yamanoue house were anything but quiet, considering there was a dozen people in the house, if it was quiet, one would think something was wrong. Daichi was the one to wake Yori up. He'd done it so many times, being able to quickly, sleepily and lazily dodge the combination of left hook, right straight and a sweeper kick out of the bed. Yori sat on the floor, running a hand through his hair as he watched Daichi scratch his lower back, while the older brother stared down at him with an unimpressed gaze.

"Meetin' wi' th' 'kage, yeah?" Daichi's broken and sleepy country slang was easily understood by the other boy, who nodded, only receiving a hum in response. Daichi then left the room, and Yori wondered when his brother was going to move out—he doubted that it would happen, since it seemed like the elder brother and his girlfriend—soon to be wife if he'd stop dicking around—Rina, would be staying, since it seemed more likely that he was going to take over the farm.

At this point, only Hyosuke and Yori had had enough chakra to attend the Ninja Academy. All the other Yamanoues ended up going to the Civilian Academy, which seemed to be fine with them. Although his mother surely hated that the two were ninjas, she never commented on it. And that was fine with Yori. There wasn't anything she could say anyway, after all, it had taken a lot of complaining and begging and what not to even allow Yori to stay living in his family home.

Unlike his partner Ado, due to his family being a civilian family, Yori generally would've had to live in the ANBU village, a small part of Konoha where the ANBU lived. But luckily the Hokage wasn't that heartless. Yori sat on the floor for a minute longer, when Hyosuke passed by, pausing at the door and patting his leg. "Hyocchan!" Yori jumped up, eyes full of hearts as he ran towards the door. Hyosuke's face contorted for a moment as he slammed the door in Yori's face. "Hyocchan, why?!" Yori whined.

Behind the door, Yori could hear Hyosuke sigh and knew the boy was pinching the bridge of his nose, "I was calling for Chiko." There's a pause and then Hyosuke says, "I'll open the door if you promise not to hug me." When Yori doesn't immediately answer, Hyosuke sighs once more, "I'm gonna go down the hall, open the door yourself!"

"Hyocchan!" Yori yelped, banging on the door.

--

Dressed in his ANBU gear, Yori descends the stairs, heading into the kitchen where he sees his mother at the stove, flipping something in a pan. "Mornin'." He says, opening the fridge and pulling out a carton of juice.

"Don't you—Yori! Don't drink from the carton!" His mother scolds, waving around the spatula as she does so. Yori quickly takes another sip before he grabs the bag his mother had placed on the counter and pressing a kiss to her head.

"Dad, we're out of juice!" Yori finished the carton, chucking it into the trashcan.

"Well buy more! Yer th' only one who drinks that crap!" His father yells back, "Sacchi, gotta go t' th' store!"

"Yori! Gimme money!" Hotaru yelps, pulling at Yori's robe, which he wore over his ANBU gear.

"Ask Maki." Yori pats the girl's head, "She owes me twenty ryo anyway."

"Do not!" Makino calls back, "I paid you already!"

"You paid Hiro, not me."

"Nu-uh!"

"Yeah you did," Hyosuke calls from the door, Yori immediately moves towards him, only for Hyosuke to duck out of the way, "Hiro borrowed money from me and then he gave it to you, which you used to buy that dumb game. Then you paid Hiro back and borrowed money from Yori and Hiro paid Sacchi back the money he owed me."

"It's an investment, I tell you!" Hiro calls from the dining room, "You'll get your money, Hyosuke."

"No he won't." Ten other voices resound. Hyosuke only sighs, nodding his head.

"Luckily it was just fifteen ryo and not, like, more." Hyosuke frowns.

"I want my money when I get back, Maki!" Yori calls as he heads for the door, "I'll see you later, my baby brother, Hyocchan! I love you!"

"Yeah leave." Hyosuke responds coldly, moving towards his mother while Yori cries large, fat tears.

"You're so mean!" He cries, "Hyocchan! What happened to you?! Was it that boy? Did he change you? I'll kill him! Was it the girl? Did she make you mean? Did she hurt you? Did she call you a name?"

"Nobody did anything, Yori, but you should leave or you'll be late for your meeting." Hyosuke answers with a roll of his eyes. Yori glances at the clock and his eyes widen.

"Dang, you're right! I'll be back later!" He calls as he heads for the door, "Time to meet up with Ado." The Yamanoue disappears in a puff of smoke and leaves on the front porch.
 
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Ado stepped out onto the front porch of her house, the Uchiha home was one of the closest to the Hokage Rock and Hokage residence. She looked about, the village was still asleep,except for the guards stepping out of their homes for their daily shift of patrol and Academy teachers heading to work. She stood there, her mask strapped against her waist and the ANBU tattoo slightly perceptible from the cut out part of her jacket. Holding the apple up she glanced at it, breathing lightly on it before rubbing it against her crop top and taking a big chomp out of it. She loved apples, and she was glad her mom remembered that, always making sure to get some fresh ones every time she pays the market a visit.

She stepped down from the porch, leisurely strolling towards the Hokage Residence a place literally two blocks away. On the way there she marveled at the other homes where mothers opened up the window blinds to wake up their children, father's walking out of the front door to do their civil duties in the village, children whining not wanting to go to school and babies crying. This was her village. The village hidden in the leaves, Konoha. This was Ado's duty every morning, wake up, shower, walk out of the house and whenever you have a mission remind yourself of why you fight to protect the village every day. To protect the ones you love, the civilians of Konoha. Those you swear to protect and serve, and then when she would meet with the Hokage in all his glory she recalls the day she first became an ANBU Spec Ops member standing besides Yori.

-Flash Back-

Ado stood before the Hokage, standing proud and tall just like her mother had taught her. Her hands behind her back, chin up, with a strong posture. In front of her sitting in his rolling chair was the Hokage, he was analyzing her. Glaring at her up and down, with a cigar pipe prodding out of his lips. He blew puffs of smoke into the air, grabbing the cigar and taking it out from his mouth, releasing a sigh. He was dressed in his spiritual robes from head to toe, even having the hat on with the symbol for fire 火. He used his other hand to rub at his face, scratching at the gray stubble of hair on his chin.

One out of the two ANBU guards that stood besides his desk bent over to whisper something in his ear, gently lifting the mask up so he could hear him. "Hmm," The hokage answered and nodded, before retorting with a whisper of his own. Ado didn't move her eyes away from the Hokage's who stared at her, judging her without a word being spoken. 'What could he be thinking...what are we waiting for?'

Nothing was clear, and all was unknown to the eighteen year old Ado. Then bursting through the doors came Yori, breathing heavily with a big corny smile on his face. He bowed down, the smile quickly fading as a sign of respect, and as he looked up at him he had a soft smile, "My apologies, Lord Hokage. I was just walking my younger brother to the Academy. With graduation and all around the corner," He chuckled playfully before standing up straight, not giving Ado a look, only smiling while staring at the hokage.

Ado was stunned, her jaw dropped to the floor as she saw how the boy spoke to the Hokage so non-nonchalantly. He was just late to a meeting with the frickin' HOKAGE this wasn't some sort of friendly meet up, if he was here for the same reason she was, this was actually something important that would change their lives forever. "Yori Yamanoue," The Hokage smiled, inhaling from his pipe and blowing circles of smoke into the air, "You truly never do change. But now, it's time to get serious." The hokage stood up and Yori nodded his attitude changed completely.

"I have called upon the two of you today, to formally congratulate both of you for being one of the youngest members of the village to be offered the opportunity of becoming ANBU Spec Op members. Over the years, my cabin, and I have kept a close eye on the performance of the two of you. What we found was nothing short of astonishing talent, talent that even I have never gotten the chance to witness before. So today, I hereby declare the two of you, ANBU Spec Ops. You are given the duty to put your life on the line to protect the village, all of our vessels, allies, myself, and most importantly the Shinobi Alliance. After agreeing to this, your total loyalty is given to me, and the village of Konoha. You are sworn to my every word and if necessary any hokage that comes after me. Now, do you both agree to my offer?"

"Yes," Yori and Ado said concurrently and bowed.

"Good, now from this day forward, the prodigy group for the Konoha ANBU spec ops has been made up. Meet the Ado and Yori duo," The Hokage smiled and puffed out some smoke.

But Ado's eyes widened in confusion as she looked between the two, "Wait what?"

Yori only laughed and looking over at Ado with that big goofy smile, the same smile she would soon come to love.

-End of Flashback-

She was finally at the Hokage's office after daydreaming the whole way there, she stepped into the room and stood before him. "Good morning, lord Hokage," She bowed disposing of the apple in the garbage can that was besides the door. She looked around, "Yori still isn't here?"
 
Yori entered the room, arms thrown up behind his head as he looked around, smiling over at Ado before looking at the Hokage. "What's up, everybody?" Yori greets casually, as if this wasn't a mission briefing for what was probably a top secret mission. The Hokage only nodded at him, though it was serious, he didn't look very serious or bothered by Yori's nonchalant greeting. "Did I miss anything?" He wasn't late, no, both of them were early, it's just that Ado was generally a little too early and Yori had to adjust himself to make sure he was still within the same ballpark of earliness as the Uchiha was. She'd gotten rather upset at him the first few times, but after a while, she seemed to mellow out, which was why she only nodded a greeting. Still as serious as ever, Yori knew that her seriousness towards missions was something that she wouldn't ever lose, nor would he ever be able to break it.

The Hokage cleared his throat before Yori could even make a joke and Yori instantly became serious, dropping his arms from their casual pose to come to his sides, as he and Ado dropped into the kneeling position. "Jackal, Miw. The mission I have for you today must be carried out with the utmost secrecy." The Hokage speaks, his voice nothing above a whisper. "Will you accept?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama." The two ninja respond in unison. The Hokage nods, unfurling a scroll as he looks down to read from it.

"Very well." The Hokage continues, "Today you will be investigating a cave around Mohotsuki Village. There have been reports of something strange going on there."

"That was one of the old Akatsuki hideouts, wasn't it?" Yori looks up, staring at the Hokage for a moment. When he nods, Yori looks back down to the ground.

"The villagers claim they've heard strange things and one claims to have seen something going in and out, though the place should have been sealed off some hundred or so years ago." He concluded. "You two are to go under the guise of night and see if something is truly going on there.
This mission should not take you more than two weeks to complete. Report back any suspicious activity and handle anything you deem not worthy of reporting."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Yori and Ado nod before the two disappear without the usage of smoke and leaves.
 
Ado was in a deep state of mind, what she expected to be another normal day changed abruptly. She was an ANBU member, so no mission was per say normal, each had it's own form of danger never knowing if she'll make it out alive by the end of the day. But something seemed off about this mission, there was just something that didn't rub her the right way. The Hokage's voice when he told them about the mission, it seemed to echo in her mind.

"Today you will be investigating a cave around Mohotsuki Village. There have been reports of something strange going on there. The villagers claim they've heard strange things and one claims to have seen something going in and out, though the place should have been sealed off some hundred or so years ago. You two are to go under the guise of night and see if something is truly going on there. This mission should not take you more than two weeks to complete."

His voice, it was shaken, very subtly though. She noticed the way he spoke with much caution. Almost very lowly, as if his quarters weren't guarded by the strongest of Shinobi. What was really going on? Ado and Yori don't really just get any mission, they get the ones that involve the utmost secrecy, more than normally required for ANBU members. Being a group of two it was easier for them to infiltrate any hostile locations undetected, it would only make sense for him to pick them. But was there an even greater reason behind that? There was so much more to be told but so little information. What she did know was this was an old Akatsuki hideout, and whoever or whatever is in there isn't up to anything good.

Yori clasped his hands together, hoisting them above his head as he stretched. The corners of his lips curled into a happy smile as he looked on towards the dirt road leading out through Konoha's North Exit Gate. They had a long way to go to make it towards the next inn town, but for Yori he didn't mind the walk. "Another day, another mission, am I right Ado?" He glanced over at the Uchiha, her dark brown eyes glued onto the dirt road ahead of them. She took a while to answer, or even notice that he had spoken in the first place. "Ado?"

"Huh?" Ado peered up at the boy with the lightly spiked hair, noticing how messy it was. She criticized the boy about it all the time, telling him how it looks like he just gets out of bed without at the very least brushing it. "Oh uhm, yeah, yeah," She nodded in agreement and then looked away as they took the first few steps outside of the village walls. A Junin guard with light brown eyes and a bandage pressed against his nose nodded a farewell to them as they were off on their voyage.

It was silent, almost eerily since this was Yori we're talking about. Ado looked over and realized he was watching the birds and clouds while walking. This guy was always so mellowed out, she couldn't get him. They were on a mission, risking their lives and instead of being a bundle of nerves he was really easy-going about it all. Suddenly his eyes caught hers and he smiled before glancing back up at the sky, "Birds of a feather flock together," He joked singing that dumb nursery rhyme that the Pre-N teachers would sing to them at the Pre Ninja academy.


Ado rolled her eyes, but smiled to herself as he continued to sing, thinking of the next few lines in her her head, 'and so do pigs and swine; Rats and Mice will have their choice, and so I will have mine.' Suddenly he stopped humming and looked at Ado again, "We're heading towards Sound territory." He seemed less childish and much more serious.

"I realize that," She replied and nodded, "So, keep your guard up. The inn-town Taroshi is our only pit-stop, it marks the halfway point to Mohotsuki. When we reach it we will encamp in the forest around it. After that, any danger can be ahead." The sound village and Konoha may have been at peace for a while now, but the blood between them was no where near calmed. "Expect a lot of people to be in the village, so put your cloak on and don't forget about the mask. Oh, and for crying out loud, don't forget to call me by my code name around other people."
 
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"Alright… Miw." Yori snickered. The name was something they'd looked up from an ancient civilization and even though it literally meant 'cat', people would think it was way more profound and cooler than it actually was, and that's what Yori got a kick out of. Still as calm as ever, Yori continued walking while Ado tried to calm herself. Even though she'd known Yori for a long while, she still didn't seem to understand where his boundless confidence and unwavering conviction came from. He was constantly… calm, even when serious he would make jokes, peppering them in between important information. A strange enigma, he was so sure of himself and his power, Ado could only wonder how his parents raised him—the two were nice but that didn't seem to warrant Yori's attitude.

The town drew nearer as they took to the trees, moving faster than the birds' sound could catch up to. It was nearly silent as only the sound of the wind being momentarily disrupted around their bodies could be heard, even then, it was a barely audible sound. Yori didn't seem to have much of an expression on his face, but Ado seemed to be flitting through different emotions when they both suddenly stopped, having reached a half-way point. "I can sense the village that way," Yori points off to the side. Due to neither of them being able to see that far without the use of chakra, Ado only nodded, sending out strands of her chakra to get a feel. Of course she trusted Yori, as he was a better sensor type than she was. "What do you want to do?"

That was the question they had to deal with now. The day was mostly gone, as night fell around them, the sun setting in the distance. They could camp at the inn or camp around this town that only seemed to be populated by inns and places to rest for small periods of time, pretending to be regular ninja, but Ado didn't feel much up to that, she didn't want to expel extra chakra for a stupid thing like that, and looking at Yori, he didn't seem to even want to go into the village. Or they could power through the night and reach Mohotsuki within a few hours, seeing as the two towns were rather close. "Daylight would be a good option for this mission." Ado tapped her chin.

"It won't matter either way, I mean," Yori crosses his arms, "We'll be going into a cave and it'll be dark."

"We have to check with the townspeople, remember?" Ado looks up at him, "We have to see what the villagers have to say about it before we investigate."

"It's probably just genjutsu and traps so people stay away," Yori responded, "But alright. We can head there and possibly camp for a few hours before dawn and then make our way to the village. I'll stick around and ask questions and you can head straight to the cave. Just use the communicators if you run into something."

Ado nodded, wind blowing the leave around them. Before the leaves even hit the ground, the two were gone, headed towards Mohotsuki. The inn-town was disregarded as they passed by it, greenery blurring into each other, covered by the blackness that came with full night, when the two finally stopped again, Yori skidding to a halt as he landed on the ground while Ado stayed up in a tree, trying to gain a better vantage point. Yori bent, holding his hand out towards a small rabbit, who tentatively hopped towards him.

"This type of rabbit shouldn't be here." Yori said, addressing Ado. The girl looked down, noting the snow-white rabbit Yori was petting. "It's a snow rabbit. More than obviously belongs in the Land of Snow."

"That's… so far from here." Ado calculated the distance. If one were to go to the land of snow, they'd need to take a boat.

"This type of rabbit also can't thrive in this climate for very long… It must've recently been brought here." Yori stands up fully, "Maybe this has to do with that cave." Yori looks around, though he can't see anything resembling a cave around.

"We'll just have to wait until morning to get directions to the cave, the elder is obviously not awake at this time."

Yori only nodded, watching the rabbit hop away, "Maybe I'm overanalyzing and the rabbit has nothing to do with this."

Ado only jumped down from the branch. Generally, when Yori had a hunch, he was right. She could only wonder what this meant.
 
[BCOLOR=transparent]By the crack of dawn Ado was up and at em', walking about the camp ground lighting a fire and she gathered a pitch of drinking water from a nearby pond. The pond was shimmering with life, some lengthy fat fish seeming to be living off of the parasites and plants sprouting gradually by the bay. She had gathered two of the fish, with gleaming grey scales, and brawny fat bodies. They had blank eyes, black like the eternity of darkness that is space, and weird bone like scales running from the top of it's head down to its attenuated tail.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]She spent just as much time scrutinizing the immaculate fishes' body dead as she did alive. She sharpened the ends of two sticks, and attached the fish into it mouth first, rotating it until it was a dark orange color. After cooking the first one, she moved on to the next for Yori who was still in the tent sleeping soundly and unbothered. Then she analyzed the freshly cooked meat, noticing the tasty looking flesh. She also distinguished how soft the skin was when she first took a bite of her freshly cooked meal. The flesh was a white color, and the fish, as earlier realized. Was a lot meatier than any other fish she has ever eaten before. With a happy smile and a chime to her voice, she awoke Yori, "Yo, wake up Jackal!" She kept calling until the disturbed Yori stepped out of the tent.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Can't a man sleep a few extra minutes?" He questioned scratching his scalp, he was walking about with his eyes closed. Suddenly his nose began twitching, and you could see the liveliness instilling within him. "Is that...fish?" He asked dumbfounded then practically tackled Ado off of the log she sat on, snatching one of the sticks out of her hand. For the next few minutes they sat there, enjoying their breakfast while being perched up on that log adjacent to the fire lit before them. After Yori all but swallowed his fish whole and drank a few cups of water he stood up stretching, "Time to get on the road!" [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Ado finished up her meal, then stood up, patting the dust from her robes. She pulled her mask up and placed it over her face, "Go on ahead to the village, I'll catch on soon enough." [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"You got it," Yori nodded, slipping his ANBU mask on and disappearing in a flash. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]There she watched the flames, it radiated a red aura against her mask but she was deep in thought. The sun was just coming up to the sky, the day finally brightening. But she couldn't help but think about last night. She had that dream again, about the man that killed Owa and Simo. But then there was this strange feeling running down her back, goosebumps besmirching her arms and legs. She knew this wasn't going to be an ordinary mission, something just felt off about this all. Something that she couldn't quite put her finger on. [/BCOLOR]
 
[BCOLOR=transparent]It's been two weeks since the events of Takakumo, but the healing wounds on Koriyama's back still stung, sending a sensation of pain through his body. Surely these open gaps would fade and turn into scars, forever stitched onto his back. Almost like a symbol on Koriyama's back, a shameful badge of sorts, signifying failure that he brought onto Junzo and this association as a whole. The licks inflicted on him by his master's whip were unbearable, Junzo relinquished all that pent up aggression onto the lashes he used to rip away at Kori's back. This was the first time his master did it so mercilessly, making the punishment far more personal than ever before. That night was awfully terrible, at least the way Koriyama remembers it. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]-Flash Back to Takakumo- [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]Koriyama stumbled out of the forest, defeated, knowing very well what was coming next. His eyes were glazed, fixed on his shuffling feet. He delayed the inevitable long enough, two hours of silently trekking through the forest once he ran a safe distance away from that white haired boy and his damned sensei. His fucking heroine. Woopee-fucking-do. Now, cause of her, he wasn't able to complete his duty assigned to him by Junzo. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Junzo wasn't going to be happy. There was no way in hell, especially not with the importance this village held to their goal. If they could've gathered all those civilians and applied the curse mark, their army would be ready, making it even bigger for the beast's triumphant return. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]But now the plan was ruined! By a kid with a dumb mask and his sensei. What was that boy's name again? Marako, aha, that was it. That sensei of his told him not to follow after he fled. Koriyama swore that one day he will find that boy, on his own, and finish what he started. For the first time, since joining forces with Junzo, he felt that bubbling sensation that his master so often rumbled on about after drinking too much Sake. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Hate.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] He felt the hatred effervescing within him, until it was almost too much bear. His head was throbbing roughly, the headache growing more and more as he thought about that boy. He couldn't stop thinking about him, yet the more he did, the more he felt like his head would explode. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]There, in a state of stupor, he stepped into the camp, or at least what was the encamped spot of all the mercenaries. There were tree stumps galore on the open plain that they all rested on for the last few days. The wood they allocated from the big redwood trees were then used as firewood, where the mercenaries would sit at during the night and tell stories of their adventures. All of bad backgrounds, murders, rapes, shit like that. The same kind of shit they thought earned them a load of respect from the others. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Hey, after moving all this supplies this'll be some pretty easy pay! We didn't have to do shit!" A short merc with a small wiggly mustache above his upper lip exclaimed with some laughter. He flung a book bag, over packed with Arc's materials, over his shoulders. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Yeah, you're right!" A stout man replied, laughing viscously, ecstatic of the idea of a few thousand ryo given to him with really no work having to be done. In one of his stubby arms he was holding a stallion by the reins, a big, beautiful creature. Purely white like snow, you could confuse it for a unicorn from afar, only thing it was missing was its horn. But it was known as soon as Kori laid its eye on the animal, this was Arc's Colt. Of course, the fat man would be the one to bring a horse along. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]The very few mercenaries from earlier that were ordered to stay back to protect Arc were now collecting the tent and supplies. The group of men that were just speaking, including the stout man and the short one with the weird mustache, turned around, They chuckled at the sight of Kori, as before he left he was talking down to them but yet he was the reason this all failed. They figured since he was taking so long, and the scouts reported sights of Konoha ninjas marching towards Takakumo, that he had failed to accomplish the mission. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"What happened kid?!" One of them laughed, "You failed the mission?" [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Silence.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Awe, what's wrong. Answer me kid; 'I don't like repeating myself'!" The merc mocked him then the rest bawled out with laughter. Koriyama looked over, ready to say something, or break his self control and strike down upon them. But he couldn't. No matter how much he wanted to punish them for the disrespect, he couldn't. The embarrassment was overwhelming, but the fact of the matter was he failed the mission that his master had trust in him for. A simple task, left neglected and incomplete. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Where is he?!" [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Koriyama froze, that familiar voice slashed through him like a bitter wind during a winter night. The rain from earlier continued pouring as from a distance he saw him. His heterozygous eyes, hair darker than the night, skin as pale as a ghost. Junzo Shirazi, the royally pissed shinobi. His sword was sheathed but in his hand he saw the metal butt of a whip that was tangled up in his bawled up fists. He was basically shaking with anger, teeth snarling like an agitated Leopard. Eyes invoked with overwhelming amounts of rage.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"You... [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]fucking[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]... FAILURE!" He pointed at him and began marching, no, not marching, speed walking towards Koriyama. Koriyama was frozen footed, he wanted to run. He wanted to turn tail and sprint away from there, away from everyone. But where would he go? Life without his master, was like not living at all. So he stood there, watching with quaking, dilapidated, heterochromatic eyes that his master granted to him with his kekkei genkai.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Behind Junzo, running many quick small steps with his stubby legs was Arc. He was trying to convince Junzo to stop, saying they needed Kori at 100% in case they would come across any Konoha ninjas on the way back to the base. But Junzo ignored him. Finally he reached the boy, who closed his eyes tightly and Junzo grasped a handful of his hair. He threw him towards a tree where the boy went body first. The impact was so hard it left him gasping for air, even the tree's leaves rattled with pain. Some even fell to the ground, like sullen and bitter tears left by the tree wondering what it had done to deserve this pain.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Take your shirt off boy!" He shouted, unraveling the whip. Koriyama silently did what he was told, not a tear to be found though, for he had gotten used to the pain inflicted on him on a daily basis. That's when the whipping began, ghastly lashes ripping against his pale ,already scarred, back. Before every awful lick of the whip, the crowd would hear the terrible popping and crackling of the air; louder than thunder. The crowd at first jeered and cheered the man on. But three minutes had gone by and he had yet to halt the vicious attack on the boy. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]The crowd then went eerily silent, none spoke a word. They didn't know what to do. All the mercs left behind which were a fair few over 50, converged into a crowd of onlookers. Each watching solemnly, even Arc who was now up on his horse watched in terror. He's been in this organization for well over 10 years, he knew Junzo was dangerous, but never this downright inhumane. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Finally one of the mercs stepped forward and took a hold of Junzo's arm, "That's enough." [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Junzo turned around so quickly and cut him in two, the crowd could hardly blink before they heard the two thuds of the man's corpse hitting the floor. First his waist up, then his waist down. Breathing heavily, his eyes gazed upon each face around him. Terrified and mesmerized by what they just witnessed. Taking a deep breath, he then said, "Everyone, gather your things, let's move out," he had a calm demeanor as he walked away, the crowd moving aside for him to get through.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]At the tree Kori was trembling, a single tear skidded down his cheek very slowly, yet there were no sobs. He was breathing heavily, and some were amazed that he was even conscious. Arc moved into the middle of the circle and his voice shaky said, "This is why you don't get on our...bad side. Everyone regroup, and follow me at the ready." Then Arc galloped away on his horse. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]-Flash back End- [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]They reached the base two days ago, just last night he had enough strength to get up and assess the damage. The fever from those two weeks of marching seemed to have gone away. Luckily for him, Arc was generous enough to let him pitch a ride on the back of his horse, despite him wanting to protest he swallowed his pride and did it not being able to march any longer. Now that his fever was gone, and he could feel his legs again he stood there last night in his chambers shirtless; bandaged from the the waist up to his lower chest. He removed the gauze covering the lick marks and counted the new scars that would appear in weeks to come. At least twenty new marks, all deeper than any of the others he had before. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]He flinched with pain as he swapped out the bandages for the first time in two weeks, before applying the new bandaging he disinfected the wound like Tento taught him many years back. Then he pulled his robe on, similar to the black satin robe his master wore with white lining, this is usually what they wore here when resting up. It wasn't really ninja gear, but his master didn't seem to care much. Suddenly there was a knock on the door and before Kori could say, "Come in" the door came ajar. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Meeting room," It was Junzo's voice, but he left just as quickly as he came. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent](
[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent])[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]In the meeting room around the big table was Mr.Arc, Tento, that blind man who he could never get his name right, and the leader of them all Shinji. Mr. Arc swayed in his chair, hands crossed on the wooden table. Tento tapped his fingers against the table, bored as he looked over at each man. The blind man was sitting, but seemed motionless and was very still. Junzo was sitting besides his brother with Kori standing behind him. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Shinji stood there, the mask of his sitting on the table before him. He was smiling brilliantly like he always, "Why'd you call us here Shinji?" Junzo said impatiently, grunting as his heterochromatic eyes staring at him with distastefulness. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Shinji chuckled, and touched his brother's shoulder. Kori damn near gasped, he knew if any other man were to do so they would be in a casket by morning, "My dear little brother, calm down, can't I call this group together for a little evening of reveling," he joked a little chuckle coming from his lips. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Tento shook his head, "Enough with the jokes Shinji, knowing you, you called us for something fairly serious. Enough so that you had to call us immediately when it's almost time for everyone to rest up." [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Ahh, very analytical Tento," Shinji applauded, "I should've expected this from a scientist of your magnitude." [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Your nervous," Whispered the blind man, "Is something happening Master Shinji?" [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Shinji's smiled broadened, "Oh I truly love you Dayora, I have received reports of Konoha having sent ANBU guards towards our base north of Konoha and on the outskirts of it's borders near Mohotsuki village." [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"You got this from the inside?" Arc interrupted and Shinji, smiled with a slight nod.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]"Oh yes, our corporations have eyes everywhere, it's thrilling!" He chuckled. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Junzo bolted up from his seat, "Kori, let's go. We have ANBU to take care of." [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Brother sit, this mission isn't for you." [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"And why the hell not?" [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"These two ninjas, they aren't normal ninjas." The atmosphere suddenly became thick with a strong tone of coarseness coming from Shinji. His smile disappeared and his eyes were hidden behind his grey hair. "One of the two is a Uchiha, only nineteen and already mastered the second form of her Kekkei Genkai. The Sharingan. The other is a highly talented boy." [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Why does the boy matter? We can kill him and keep the Uchiha for our lord's army." Arc shrugged, being the least respected since he didn't know any ninjutsu the others would usually ignore him. But he brought up a good point this time. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Suddenly Shinji's red eyes shone through the strands of his silvery white hair, "He's a Jinchuriki." [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"What?!" Junzo looked at his brother. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Dayora stood there emotionless but deep in thought.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Arc almost fell out of his seat but Tento was clapping for joy. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Oh boy! If we can get a hold of him! No one can stop our army!" He clapped then a malevolent smile came across his lips, "And I could run some tests that have never been ran before." [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Yes, that is why we can't take any risks. We must send out someone who has absolutely nothing to lose. Tento...It's time to release her." [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Tento stood up giggling maniacally like a madman , "Oh yes sir, yes sir!" He practically skipped out of the room leaving everyone in there looking at each other with fear. Last time he was released, hundreds of enemies laid slayed by her mere hands. Oh god what will happen this time? [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Tento skidded to a stop once he reached the bottom floor of the base, the chamber of his test subjects. He walked past cells where all the inmates were moaning in pain or crying in corners, then unlocked the ninja seal to the big metal door. In the corner, humming to himself and whispering nursery rhymes there he was. The man himself. Tento laughed happily clapping, "Oh child o' mine!" He laughed evilly.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Yes master…?" [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Shinji has a new mission for you my child!" He stopped jumping up and down and pointed at her, "One you are to accomplish or die trying." [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]She stepped out into the light.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]
naruto_oc__kiana_hutetsuu_by_maffmaffhimi-d790km3.jpg
[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent] "Consider it done…" [/BCOLOR]
 
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It was clear that Ado was the better cook between the two. Sure, Yori could cook if it really came down to it, but the two preferred that he not cook. He just didn't have the talent or eye for it that Ado did. Yori just kind of... threw everything together and hoped for the best. And he remembers the last time they ate fish and he tried to cook it... well, tried is an overstatement. Yori didn't try at all. He tossed the fish--still alive and flopping around--right at Ado before he took a bite out of his own, effectively creeping her out. He got sick right after that and it was vowed silently between the two that Yori was never to cook again. It was also surprising, considering Yori's family--literally everyone knew how to cook. Even Chiko, the damn lemur could work the oven and the stove! Better than Yori! But at least Yori was the better ninja... right? Ninja skills accounted for nothing in the kitchen, though. Yori hopped through the trees, no bothering to really check his surroundings, as he was generally always aware. Being a sensor type just made him naturally aware of his surroundings, so much so that it was easier for him to remain calm because he knew exactly what was around him. The scenery blurred together as it always did when one moved at high velocities and really, all he could see was the greenery that encompassed most of the Fire Country. The village wasn't that far away, just a minute or so more.

Daylight had only started to break in the sky, hiding low behind the trees was the sun, casting vermillion rays around the sky in odd, random pattern streaks while the birds were only just starting to wake up. Yori stopped suddenly, almost as if he hadn't been moving at all and perched on the branch, watching the town. From what he could see, the gate hadn't been guarded and beyond that, people were lazily resting in bed, some had already gotten up but Yori knew it would be another hour or two before the village woke up as a whole. A tweet above him caught his attention and Yori could feel more than see the bird that had perched in his hair. He smiled lightly, moving in a way that wouldn't jostle the bird as he sat down. "We're just gonna wait a little, yanno?" He said to the bird, offering his finger as a new perch. "Ado's cleaning up the campsite, so she'll be here soon. Maybe I can get a nap in?" He questioned the bird who didn't take his finger perch. Instead Yori moved once more, leaning against the trunk of the tree. "Maybe she'll take a long time. So I can take a nap." A nap sounded like a good idea, since it seemed as if this mission would be kind of troublesome. Yori moved his mask to the side of his face, breathing out noisily. Nobody would see him up here, nor would they sense his presence, as he was rather good at making himself seem kind of scarce.

"Thought you could take a nap?" Ado hadn't been on the branch but three seconds when Yori jolted upright and nearly fell off the branch, only managing to catch himself at the last moment. "I guess it's true what they say." Yori raised an eyebrow, "A good shinobi is one who is in tune with nature. Those animals seem to like you." Ado gestured with her hand towards the few squirrels trying to pull Yori back up as well as the two that were clinging to his clothes and the birds flapping steadily around him.

Yori flipped upwards, landing on the branch and smiling at the animals, "Ah, I guess." He rubbed the back of his head, fixing his mask. "A-And I wasn't taking a nap!" Ado shot him a look, "I wasn't! Promise! I was..."

"Finding inner peace? Viewing the future?" Ado supplied, using two of the many ridiculous excuses Yori had come up with. "I don't think so. You were snoring."

"I was breathing heavily! In order to gain a better sense of... my surroundings! Just sensor type stuff." Yori huffed, crossing his arms, "You just wouldn't understand..."

"You're right. I don't think I will understand," Ado shakes her head, "C'mon, Jackal. Shake a leg, let's go talk to the elder." Ado hops from the branch. Yori only sighs and fixes his mask.

"I'll shake a leg alright."

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

--

The elder's chambers were a large room inside of the town's center building. It was lined with pillars on either side as well as old tapestries and vases as well as memorobilia, making Yori wonder if this town was more important than they were led to believe. Ado looked from the old vases on pedestals to the tapestries on the walls. Two servants sat on either side of the elder who was sitting on a rather plush looking pillow, dressed in ceremonial robes. The two dropped to one knee as they approached the steps, stopping just short of them. "Elder." Ado spoke, her voice a bit lower than normal, "We are the ANBU you requested. Miw. And Jackal. A special ops team of two."

"Ah, thank you for coming." The elder smiled serenely at them, "I'm sure Hokage-sama has informed you of the situation?" A slight nod from Yori made the elder continue, "Reports of strangers in that old cave down the way have been coming in quite frequently. You'll go to investigate?"

"Yes." Yori answered in Ado's place.

"I will have someone escort you to the cave." The elder then said, "I pray that you find nothing. Maybe a prankster or something similar. I don't want any trouble to be caused..."

"Yes, sir." Ado and Yori spoke in unison.

"If it is alright with you, we'd like to leave right away." Ado then spoke, her mask's white gleaming off of the natural light from the skylight above.

"Yes, of course." The elder waved a hand. "Send for Asakura, please, Tomi."

"Yes, Elder." Tomi, the servant on the left bowed lowly before backing out of the room and into one of the side doors. Moments later, he returned with a tall man with long, auburn colored hair tied into a ponytail and a bang covering his right eye. He smiled at the two, bowing to the elder then to the two.

"I am Asakura. I will be your guide to the cave." He smiles once more, "I am ready when you are."

"Let's not waste time," Yori stood up, bowing to the elder, "Lead the way, Asakura-san."

"Right."
 
Asakura seemed like a good kid, not much younger than Ado and Yori. At such a young age he was being trusted to guide a spec ops group, certainly something he can boast about to his friends and family. Unluckily for Ado's peace though, that boy was far more talkative than she would've liked. You would think there would be some sort of hushed silence when it came to a task so urgent that ANBU members are called forth. But this boy was so care free he seemed to forget who he was leading and why he was leading them. Yori didn't seem to mind the company of course, being as friendly as he was he accompanied the boy in a bit of conversation.

"I dreamed of becoming a ninja once, yanno?" Asakura shined a broad smile back at Jackal's masked face, "But having lived in this village for so long, knowing my way around every little corner, and crevasse I decided to stay right here. Earn myself an easy living--for now."

"So you never lived anywhere but here?" Yori asked, his voice stern yet welcoming.

"My mom says I was born in Konoha, but soon after we moved out over here. This has been my paradise for the last eighteen years," He spoke with his head facing straight ahead. It seemed like the further they moved down this dirt path the less busy it got. At first when they stepped out onto this path there were some small little markets, or villagers roaming about heading out towards the fields for work. But the farther they trudged along the more empty it became. Until suddenly there were a group of soldiers standing guard by the path. Ado and Yori quickly analyzed the soldiers keeping guard, at least five here, all belonging to Mohotsuki village.

"Asakura, turn back. You shouldn't be here, you know this already!" The oldest guard scolded at the boy, his face was scarred from some previous event. But after a few seconds of silence he noticed the two enrobed figures behind him and looked at the boy who was smiling with his chest puffed out.

"I have brought along with me the two ANBU guards sent from Konoha, requested by the elder! I've only come to complete my task, uncle." The boy bowed and his uncle puffed out a sigh of relief with a beaming smile stamped on his face.

"Thank you, Asakura. Now head home. Don't get yourself into any trouble, god knows that if something were to happen to you, your mother would have my head." His uncle waved him off, as the boy took one final nod and in triumph marched away back towards the village. Once he was completely out of earshot the man turned to face the two ANBU members.

"ANBU member's carry codenames isn't that so?"

"Yes, I am Jackal, this is my partner Miw." Yori replied, he was towering besides Ado, being far taller.

"My name is Hogei, it's a pleasure to meet the two of you. Now, as for the mission, as you know there have been many disappearances occurring." Hogei spoke with his hands behind his back as he led them on towards the right path surrounded by the village's guards.

'So this is why the village wasn't protected at the gates.' Ado thought to herself as she silently following the older soldier, keeping an analytic eye on everything around her.

"How long has this been going on for?" Ado finally spoke up, Hogei was taken aback by the sudden new voice, realizing the much shorter ANBU member was a girl.

"It was recently reported by our villagers a week or two ago. An elderly mother came barging into the elder's building screaming about her baby never returning home after taking this path to go over to Shinohawu Village. At first we took it with a grain of salt, we never realized that the disappearances of the people around the village was connected to this path. In fact, we thought that maybe her son just decided to stay longer or even move in at another village last second to get away from his mother. Who knows? But then neighboring villages complained about disappearances, but I would've never expected this. For some strange reason, all the 'kidnappings' had something to do with this path. With the help of other villages and our own logical conclusions, we pinpointed the position of where exactly people have been dissapearing." He finally stopped walking when he reached a spot of the woods. He pointed towards what looked like an endless amount of trees followed by what seemed to be an eternity of darkness. "Go directly ahead, and you'll find an old cave that once belonged to the Akatsuki. None of us have moved in because we were ordered to let ANBU handle it, so there's nothing else I could tell you from here on out that could aid you in any way. Well, other then good luck Miw and Jackel, may the god's be with you." He nodded.

"Thank you, Hogei." Ado and Yori bowed before stepped into the forest.

Once being far enough that the guards wouldn't hear them or even see them she removed her mask and looked at Yori. "Now we wait until night fall. You can get some rest while I keep guard for us, remember, the hokage wanted us to move in under the guise of the night."
 
( -NOT A SERIOUS POST

"Where's the fucking cake!?" Ritsuko shouted while shifting through the cabinets and around every corner, searching for the nonexistent cake. "It's supposed to be on the damn table!" She peeked up from one of the cabinets her head was stuck in and looked over at Marako.

He answered her with a shrug, a flushed expression upon his face. She stood up tall and with a puffed out chest and a vexed look on her face she marched towards him. Despite her short stature, he felt her spirit towering over him in raging anger. "Marako, I told you to go get the cake." She was speaking in a low whisper almost as if not to let the 'guests' overhear her, but the anger was definitely bubbling.

"I thought you told Maiko to do it!" He pointed at Maiko who stood in the corner, arms crossed, jaw dropped open.

"Oh don't you dare put the blame on me moron!" She fought back, the fire in her eyes snapping at him. He fled back and laughed nervously.

"Oh of course not, hehe." He then redirected his eyes upon Hyosuke who was filling everyone's cups with the iced tea his mother made the night before. With a smirk upon his lips he said, "Obviously I meant Hyo-"

"My job was to get everyone together," Hyosuke replied not turning back to even look at Marako. Chiko sat on Hyosuke's shoulder and he stuck his tongue out at an aggravated Marako.

Marako hung his head, "...Fine I kinda messed up alright?"

"Hey cheer up!" An old voice shouted from the background. It was the Hokage stepping into the room with a cake. Written over the top of it was 'Happy Birthday Kat!'. "Today is supposed to be a day a peace, even between our enemies." His eyes and soft smile shifted over to the gloomy corner of Junzo, Koriyama, Shinji, Daichi, Arc, Tento, and Fuyuko. All of whom had smug looks on their faces, yet they rejoiced in the company.

"Remember, we're only friends for today. I wouldn't be here partying with you morons if it weren't for her." Junzo sneered and puffed.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Marako rolled his eyes.

"Hey respect my sensei!" Koriyama shouted.

"Shut up!" Marako barked back.

"Everyone, remember why we're here. Peace for today." The hokage settled the situation with a smile as both sides mumbled away from the other having agreed not to fight.

"Sorry we're late!" Sousuke stepped into the room along with Kishara and Komine.

"It doesn't even matter, we're celebrating this two days late, wonder who's fault that is," Ritsuko mumbled sarcastically and in the midst of coughing said, "Ultra."

"Oh this is gonna be a headache when we re-run through the series isn't it. Staying in character then suddenly breaking the fourth wall," Kishara complained as she plopped herself onto a chair.

"Wait, everyone shut up. I think...I think she's reading this right now." Ritsuko looked about and then clapped her hands, "Okay guys it's time!"

Everyone stood up and got in a line, front of the line with Maiko.

"Now where do I start. Kattekerma, well. Your basically my mother. You created me into the sarcastic, bad ass bitch I am today. Around a year ago, this all started and I met these three," she turned around and pointed at her students, "And ever since then my life has changed for the better. You know that the future ahead may be shaky, and my past wasn't so bright. But I'm glad to have you by my side."

Next it was the big three, Marako, Maiko, and Hyosuke

"Look, I know we have a rough relationship and all. You hate on me all the time. It's sorta love hate, because you end up calling me your child but then ALWAYS pick Hyosuke over me." He glanced a jealous look over at the smirking Hyosuke. "But if it wasn't for you, the journey I'm going through wouldn't be as cool, and I wouldn't ever know what it felt like to work hard for what I want to accomplish. You taught us a lot of things like,"

He moved over so Maiko can continue the speech, "Like how to love living. You taught me what it felt like to have a family, to have a mother, and a brother. And possibly...more." She smiled over at Hyosuke before clearing her throat, "I'm not much for words, or mushiness for that matter. But..."

Hyosuke moved in, "But this was just a way to say thank you. From us, all in this room, to the person behind the screen helping us find the words to say. Your probably the greatest thing that happened to us. And..."

Jointly the group held hands and said, "We love you. Happy Birthday Kattekerma."

"Time for cake!" The Hokage grinned, his sweet tooth aching for a bite.

"Wait, one more picture. So this moment can last forever!" Ritsuko rushed around, setting up the camera.

"3...2...1..." Ritsuko rushed back to them as the timer on the camera was set and counting down.

"Cheeeeeese!" They all smiled. Suddenly Hyosuke sneezed, causing them all to stumble about, Chiko jumped onto Ritsuko's head and Maiko sighed, "Not again..." But this time, with the picture almost being an identical copy to the one taken when they first met, the Hokage was found in the background trying to sneak his fingers into the cake.

This is the family that you have created. Thank you Kattekerma. From the bottom of our hearts. And happy birthday punk.

P.S: Just to annoy you and out of my own laziness, I will not be rereading this right now, so I may fix any errors later ;D )
 
Waiting around until night was always a tedious task. Yori often found himself sitting around, doing much of nothing. He couldn't sleep like Ado had said, mostly because Yori wasn't the type to sleep during the day—even with his job. Besides, Yori knew he worked better on few hours of sleep. It made him alert and more aware. He was better at sensing things because he had to be. For his sake and Ado's sake, seeing as she wasn't a sensor type like him. She was pretty bad at feeling out her surroundings, only focusing on what she could see in front of her. And while that was good, Yori's being able to know what goes on outside their range was what made them a great team. Ado had her strengths just like Yori had his and that is probably why they worked so well together.

Outside the village, close to the cave, Ado paced, trying to think of what could be the probable cause. "A cult." Yori was laying on a log, one hand raised in the air to block out the sun from his eyes. "it's gotta be a cult." Ado only stopped pacing to stare at her partner, "And like, in this cult… they worship something really weird!" Ado only rolls her eyes, of course he wasn't being serious.

"And what, pray tell, do they worship?" Ado tapped her foot expectantly.

"A giant horse!" Yori had sat up at this point, throwing his arms in the air and putting his feet up, he fell back, rolling into a standing position with a laugh. "A huge horse! Like, larger than normal!"

"How'd the horse get into the cave?" Ado decided to entertain Yori's thoughts.

"I dunno how?" Yori smiled cheekily at her. Ado shook her head, rolling her eyes.

"I'm asking you, you idiot. It wasn't a joke."

"Hmmm…" Yori tapped his chin, "Maybe… it was born there? Check it," Yori hops over the log, approaching Ado, "Okay, so horse wanders into the cave and gives birth to baby horse. Everything's fine and momma horse accepts her fate—she don't know how to get out of the cave." Ado nods along, helplessly getting sucked into Yori's dumb story. "And they're livin'. Like, um. Water trickles down and they eat moss or something. Small animals and whatever grasses have grown. Then suddenly that's not enough for baby horse, okay?"

"Okay…? Where are you goin—mmph!"

"Sssh! Ado, I'm not done!" Yori presses a finger to her mouth, effectively cutting her off, "So, it's not enough for baby horse like I said. He craves more. So he starts eating everything—rocks, wood, whatever's in sight, right?" Ado doesn't even bother responding, "Then, one day, baby horse eats mama horse! And because they had both been in there so long, he starts to grow because of the chakra infused in the walls and he becomes a monster!"

"Shouldn't he be dead though?" Ado removes Yori's finger from her mouth, "I mean, he ate his mom and there's hardly anything left in the cave?" She doesn't know why she's being swept into the story, but here she is, asking legitimate questions and being actually interested.

"No," Yori smiles, "Because at this point, his first victim arrives. It's a pair of two, just like us." Yori gestures to the both of them, "And he eats one and uses the Yamanaka Mind Control Jutsu on the other in order to bring him more sacrifices! And slowly he gains more followers. And that's the story of the baby horse turned cult leader."

"That is the… dumbest idea I've ever heard." Ado chops Yori on the head, frowning, "Now go to sleep." Ado crosses her arms, "You need to be rested just in case there is a large evil horse with chakra who can use Yamanaka clan jutsu."

"Right-o!" Yori saluted her, disappearing up into the trees. Ado sighs, shaking her head. She hated horses, she really hoped there wasn't one in there.

"There's no way a horse could be in there." She scoffed, "Yori made that up to scare me." Ado glances at the cave before shaking her head, "No way…" Even so, she was still going to keep a close eye on everything while they were in there. They couldn't rule out the possibility.
 
Last thing Ado remembered she was sitting down at the foot of a tree, thinking about this cult leading baby horse that can somehow use the Yamanaka clan Jutsu. She had decided to rest her eyes and try to forget about Yori's idiotic prediction, that somehow was able to sway her into believing it to be true. But as a few minutes ran by, she found herself asleep and lightly snoring. Yori looked down at her after hearing the hushed sounds of snorting, and realized it came from under her mask. He smiled at himself, "Looks like she didn't get enough sleep last night. Get yourself some rest Ado, don't cha' worry." He mumbled to himself and perched his back against the stump from the branch he was on.

Hours flew by, until finally it was dusk, Yori hadn't closed his eyes since this morning. Staying alert for everything and anything. He was never the type of person that could fall asleep during the daylight hours, just wasn't his style as mentioned before. Since Ado usually suffered from those nightmares it wasn't strange that she dozed off so quickly. She never tells him anything about them, and he never really decides to ask either. But it's obvious she's struggling with something internally. Every time they're on an overnight mission, while sleeping in the tents, whether they sleep in the same or separate tents, he hears her gasps for air when she awakes. Then she always decides to leave the tent to walk around the campground or even farther at times. Usually he would listen until her silent footsteps go lull in the distance meaning she left the camp, or would fall asleep while she walked around exhaustively in a jaded state.

Everyone has their inner demons, and sometimes, they can just get to be too much for people. That seems to be the case for Ado. He always did feel some sort of pity over his partner, whom he grown fond to. Certainly one day he will ask her of the situation, but knowing Ado she wouldn't give a direct answer. Instead a series of questions over the span of a few months or even years will finally get him enough pieces of the puzzle to find out what's wrong. Even then he can't be too sure she's saying the truth, because though Ado has come to trust him it's in her blood to keep some details to herself. He reckoned that's what attracted him to her, the reason for them being close is because negatives seem to attract.

Finally it was time, he snapped himself out of this deep thought and lifted himself from his perched position. He hardly moved from that one position that he's been in since this afternoon, taking some time to stretch out his arms and legs before hopping down from the tree. He checked his watch, "21:00" were the numbers that in bright green shined from his wrist watch he always brought along under his robes. Then he shook Ado by the shoulder, "Wakey Wakey, Miw."

After a few more second of shaking her she looked about then up at Yori's masked physique. With a slight nod she stood up and after a minute of stretching the two dashed off towards the designated spot. Finally they stopped at the closed entrance of the cave that seemed to still be shut by ninja seals. "Jackal, it seems as if no one has even gone in here..." Ado whispered from under her mask cautiously walking towards the cave. She pressed her fingers against the seals, "Don't tell me this was just a coincidence and the disappearances have nothing to do with this."

"No it can't be," Yori walked closer to the seal's for further inspection, his analytic eyes watching over the symbols. He pressed his finger against the seal. "These are fresh seals, nothing of the kind from over one hundred years ago. Someone else put these up. Recently too."

"Then that means," She looked at Jackal who nodded and finished her sentenced.

"There's someone in here hiding something that they don't want being discovered. It could be something big. This isn't the work of random rouge ninjas."

Ado couldn't help but think of the baby horse as she gulped down, 'God don't let it be a horse,' was the only thought racing through her mind.
 
With the notion of something being inside the cave, Ado was now on high alert. Not that she wasn't before, but now that they knew someone was actually here, and it wasn't just some odd myth or the occasional child running away from home or something, there was seemingly a lot more at stake. Ado watched Yori's back at the two entered the cave, both looking around, eyes carefully sliding over every and anything within the cave's entrance, so far there wasn't much more than lush greenery and rocks littered about. Desite the seals being recent, it didn't look like whoever had moved in bothered to fix up the place, if anything, it was probably in the worst disrepair of its life and if these people—whoever they were—hadn't come in when they did, she was sure it would've collapsed. The wood looked fresh, probably due to a jutsu and there weren't any animals.

"Jackal, do you think they're still here?" Ado asked with a raise of her eyebrow underneath her mask. She wasn't sure what these people were waiting for. If they were here, it would be more than likely they'd be heading towards Ado and Yori, after all, Yori had done the stupidest thing possible and touched the seals. If they had been transportation seals, the two would've been dead as soon as Yori pulled his hand away. Luckily they weren't, which meant that the seals had to either be for genjutsu or to warn the people further in the cave that someone was there. They hadn't come yet and as far as Ado could feel, there wasn't anybody in the cave.

"Possibly." Yori answered after a beat, looking back at Ado, "There's something muffling my senses. I can only spread them about as far as ten feet in front and ten feet behind. I don't feel anything from the walls and we don't know how deep underground this place goes." Yori paused a moment, looking around, "We'll have to go down, so be on your guard, we don't know what's going to happen." Ado nodded at her partner, bringing up the rear as she activated the first level of her Sharingan, sure, the Byakugan would've been better suited to looking around in the dark and such, but the Sharigan had its own good qualities as well.

With a deep sigh, the two progressed further and further into the cave, looking around until they reached a dead end. "There's nothing here." Ado leans against the wall, feeling around it before taking a semi-relaxed stance. "I don't feel anything."

"There has to be more to it." Yori replied, feeling along the wall, "This can't be it. It wouldn't explain why the people are dissappearing."

"Maybe there's another cave around here?" Ado guessed with a shrug of her shoulders.

"No, it's this one. I have a feeling." Yori said, moving towards the wall opposite Ado. Ado turned to stare at the wall, almost surprised at what she saw.

"Jackal," She called out, but the boy was already feeling along the wall.

"I just--whoa!" Ado sprang out, grabbing Yori's arm before the boy could be sucked into the wall. She pulled him back, staring wide-eyed at the wall. "There it is!" He nearly cheered. "A genjutsu."

"I was just about to say that." Ado pulled him back, dispelling the genjutsu with a flash of a hand sign. Her eyes hardened as they began to walk down the new pathway, "There might be more.. wait." Ado paused, looking at one of the walls, she reached out, disappearing into the wall. Within a moment, she returned, "There's nothing in here but old equipment and rope. There mus be something further down the hall."

"Lead me, O fair lady Miw." Yori bowed lowly and Ado, with a roll of her eyes, continued down the path, "I dunno why you didn't lead from the door, that Sharigan is perfect for this place. Looks like we'll be encountering a lot of genjutsu here."
 
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Ado trekked the dark halls, brushing her slim fingers against the rough edges of rocks encrusted in mildew. The deeper they walked into that hallway the thicker the air seemed to get, and at one point Ado paused for a chance to catch her breath. Yori felt the room changing the farther they went, it was evident by now that something was amidst. Nothing was right about this place at all, whether it be from the countless diseases and hurtful bacteria this cave possessed, or the strange smell Ado could connect with a Doctor's office. Ado. Hates. Doctors.

"You okay Miw?" Yori placed his hand against her back as she nodded, "Catch your breath, we have to keep moving". After another minute of gathering herself they continued their walk down what seemed to be an endless hallway. "Could this possibly be genjustsu?" Yori questioned, looking left and right hardly being able to see what's in front of him.

"Can't be. If it was I would've noticed after so much time of walking, there must be something up a-" Ironically she paused as she noticed a light shining from underneath a door frame. She peeked back at Yori, who stared at her from beneath his mask acknowledging what they saw with a nod. Ado took a few steps forward and the floor flapped open as she was suddenly floating in the air, without thinking she let out a yelp before being caught by the nimble and strong hands of Jackal.

He pulled her up and without a word, she nodded a thank you towards him but blushed in embarrassment under her mask. So much for her special Sharingan. She peeked down at what looked like a pit with god knows what being at the bottom. Good thing Yori was around, or there wouldn't have been enough time for her to catch herself. After they jumped over the trap, they heaved the door open and suddenly the light blinded them. What was behind that door didn't so much surprise her as much as it astonished her. The rooms were clean, almost as if recently polished, even the old technology from one hundred some years ago was in good shape.

But there was something strange about this new hallway. It was lit up with florescent lights and there were plenty of different doors springing from the many corners she could see. She walked towards the computer, clicking around on it while Yori stepped about looking at all the files sprawled over a desk. Most of which were old files except for a handful that had some paint drenched over them. The paint had strange markings on them, with little words written underneath it. The words read, "This is my purpose. So I proceed without pain."

"Miw, come take a look at this," He held up one of the files but she seemed more interested on the computer. "Miw?"

"Hold on, this is some interesting stuff," As Yori went to walk over there was suddenly a noise from the hallway that extended away from the room.

They stared at each other as Ado unsheathed her sword, and walked towards the door. Behind her Yori followed, ninja stars at hand, as she went to open the heavy metal door. What they found stunned them. Many of the missing people, and more, stood there. With empty, dead eyes. Staring at nothing, not moving, not reacting to the noise of the door or even the sight of them. "They're under some type of spell...possibly a strong genjustsu?"

"Possibly," Yori nodded, staring closely into the eyes of one of the dazed people standing there motionlessly.

Suddenly footsteps were coming in fast from behind them, and when Ado spun around she saw the frail snow white girl charging at them with two swords drawn. The swords were slashing against the wall as she approached rapidly, Yori looked over and jumped out of the way, Ado followed with a jump of her own. The girl slashed both the swords in the opposite direction, the one on the left slashed to her right and the one right swiped to her left.

Everything moved in slow motion for Ado. But her heart was beating faster than time. Faster than she could think, this was wrong. Something about this girl was wrong. Then she felt a warm drop on her cheek. In confusion she attempted to reach up to touch it, then realized what it truly was when two bodies slumped over. Both of the corpses were cut in half, the corpses of two brainwashed men.

The look of her eyes shook her to the core. The eyes of someone with their mind set. Around her eyes were a bright red color, and her eyes themselves were blue and red. Her hues emitted a haunting glow as they shifted from Yori to Ado. "..."

While Ado stayed still, Yori charged forth sending a boot towards her chin but she majestically leaned back. The swift movement made her look like some sort of dancer, and in some strange way it was almost beautiful. She then rolled backwards and stood on her feet gracefully.

"Who are you...?" Yori questioned in a stony voice.

"...You won't be leaving this place alive." She whispered, the room suddenly grew cold.
 
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"Okay," Yori shivered as the girl darted towards him, swords drawn in a strange stance, one that piqued his curiosity. He'd seen many sword styles, but none like hers—none that incorporated two swords in such a way. She stood low, almost randomly flinging herself upwards and spinning both swords in the way of a long staff.

To any untrained eye, the moves would seem rather random and not at all powerful, but they were, with every blow Ado parried with her own sword, Yori could see the glint of steel and against steel, that sharp orange lightning coursing every time the blades knocked together. "But your threats don't answer my question."

"Jackal!" Ado yelped, parrying once more and aiming a kick at the woman, just enough to get a little farther away from her, sizing up the woman once more, she was strange, her eyes a strange two colors and the way her hair was so white, it almost looked fake, "Your smart-talk isn't helping!" Ado readied herself again as the girl came at her once more. Yori only nodded, disappearing and reappearing near the girl, aiming a kick at her back, she easily blocked with her sword, arm twisted in an odd angle that almost caught Yori off guard. She still managed to block Ado.

"Maneuver twelve!" Ado shouted once more and the two seemingly switched places, Ado spinning around and her sword disappearing, only to reappear in Yori's hands, he slashed at the girl, the maneuver managing to have caught her off guard. With a grunt, she backed off for a moment, looking at the shallow wound. If she was in pain, she certainly didn't show it. Instead, she almost looked surprised.

"You… you cut me…?" She had spoken, her voice hoarse almost, in a way that practically showed the disuse of it. Her eyes stared at them, Yori shying away slightly, creeped out by the sight. Ado held her ground, glaring at the girl as her Sharingan pupils swirled, trying to pick up anything she could. So far, she wasn't coming up with much. It seemed the Sharingan was useless in these situations.

"Yes, as a matter of fa—hey!" Yori yelped, jumping onto the wall, watching as she sliced at the air, "I'm taunting you, can't you, I dunno, listen?"

"You won't have much time to taunt when I catch you, bug!"

"She called me a bug." Yori looked to Ado, "You know, I don't fancy being called names… so I think I'll end this now… Miw!" Yori made a strange hand motion before slipping into a fast, barely seen stream of hand signs. "Earth Release: Trapping Bear!" Yori jumped from the wall, slamming his palms into the ground. The earth responded, coiling up and around the strange girl, trapping her from moving for the moment. "Whew,"

"You should've done that from the beginning." Ado crossed her arms, picking up her sword. "And don't throw my sword. Don't you know whose—!"

"Your great-great-great-something's sword, I know." Yori dismissed her, approaching the white-haired girl. "Now, if you don't mind, we've got some questions for you, Snow White." Yori suddenly stopped, turning and jumping, covering Ado with his body as the ground shook, the rock prison holding the woman exploded, leaving her standing there, growling in anger.

"This is what has gone on long enough!" She growled, her voice taking on a tone somewhere in the mixture of bestial and demonic.

"Okay, she's mad, let's get serious-serious."

"I thought we were serious-serious this whole time!" Ado yelled back, pushing Yori off of her. She scrambled to her feet, just in time to block the sword swing of the woman. It pushed her down, implanting Ado's feet further into the ground. "Dammit, Jackal!"

"Sorry, she didn't seem that strong! Pretty, yeah. Graceful, sure. But strong? Not really!" If Ado wasn't fighting for her life, she would've retorted. She grunted with effort as Yori finally finished his hand signs, barreling into the girl in a cage of rock armor. "Let's be more careful."

Ado really wanted to punch Yori.
 
Yori's Jutsu was strong yet concurrently swift, any normal person would have no time to truly parry this attack or move out of the way. After all, his weight combined with the speed he used to fling himself, there was truly no good outcome when it came to this attack. He came crashing into the steel wall with a loud CRASH. He didn't move for a second until all the rock crumbled from his body and he stood up looking at the huge dent in the wall he made almost crashing right through it. A slight grin fell upon his lips beneath the mask as he tried to keep his breathing under control. "Miw, I think we got her."

Ado nodded, strolling beside Yori and patting him on the shoulder. She stared at the girls' limp body up against the alloy wall. Her hair was sprawled over her face and breasts. Her arms were at her sides with the swords laying many feet away from her and she wasn't breathing. No sign of life. Ado analyzed her closely with the Sharingan, but she seemed dead. Finally, she let out a sigh, "Damn it, Yori, you killed her."

"You don't know that!"

"My Sharingan doesn't lie." She scolded as Yori bent down pressing his fingers against her neck.

"Sure it doesn't Ado, then why can you never find me when we're sparring?" He let out a chuckle turning his head to look at her.

"You're different, sometimes you move too fast," Ado said in a playful tone but suddenly her attitude shifted and she was taken aback just as much as Yori was.

There was a strong grip on his arm, and when he glanced over the "dead" girl was staring at him with piercing eyes. One being eerily blue and the other blood red. Then pulling him close she swung with her other hand, sending him rolling on the ground as Ado ran towards her with a kick. She clasped the tip of her boot with both hands and held her kick as Ado began to struggle and shake. Then she jumped back watching the white "ghost" girl get up.

"W-What are you..." Ado's eyes dropped to the girls' stomach where she was hit directly with Yori's attack. There was a deep purple bruise, but she didn't seem to feel it almost paying it no mind.

Instead of answering the girl got down on all floors and sprinted towards Ado who gripped onto both of her shoulders. She shook her off onto the floor but relentlessly the girl used the distraction to her advantage picked up her sword and sprinted out of the room.

"Shit! Jackal, get up now!" She shouted as Yori picked himself up off the ground clenching his jaw.

"Where'd she go?" He asked looking around. Then all the lights within the room went off. It was just the two of them with all of the zombie-like bodies. But around them were sounds of light footsteps. "Can you see her with your Sharingan...?" Yori whispered staying calm.
 
The attack was over just as quickly as it had began and the two were left in the silence of the room with nothing but themselves and the bodies around them, however neither really paid much attention to the bodies, they didn't have the time or luxury of investigating them any further, especially with a criminal like that girl on the loose. Their new priority was to capture that woman, as she was probably the key to figuring out everything. Plus, they couldn't let her escape, she could go off and cause havoc in the village, and Ado didn't want anymore people hurt or involved than there already was.

Ado wipes some blood from her arm, willing the cut to stop. She reached into her bag, pulling out a salve and slathering some onto the cut, which stopped it from bleeding. She can tell her mask is somewhat cracked and just wants to take it off, however she resists the urge, it's not like it'll help much more. Ado turns to look at Yori, whose breathing has become slightly labored. He's getting tense, Ado can tell. She grunts, lifting her mask slightly to spit out some blood. "Don't be ridiculous." Ado replies, "The sharigan can't see all of someone's chakra paths, I can only see what's in front of me," Ado looks around, "And all I see is you and those bodies." For the moment, she deactivates her Sharingan, there's no point in wasting energy. "We have to find her."

"I mean, yeah," Yori said, catching his breath, "But that lady is strong. What can we even do at this point? Using any extremely powerful jutsu could break this place even more than we have and we haven't finish inspecting it."

Ado nodded along with Yori's observation. He certainly made a good point. What could they do in such a cramped underground area. Any jutsu requiring effort and time to produce could either cave them in or kill one of them due to the small amount of space. "We'll just have to keep our guard up and go looking." Ado said after a beat. Yori nodded, moving over to Ado. Both looked in the direction the girl had gone and looked back at each other.

"I'll lead." Yori moves forward, hand against the wall as they leave the room. "Which way could she have gone? Either she's nearly chakra-less or she's extremely good at hiding her chakra, because I'm barely picking up anything."

"I don't know..." Ado takes a moment to activate her Sharingan, seeing if it'd help them any. When it doesn't, she deactivates it, "Let's just go this way, since that's the way we came from."

"Alright."
 
Treading through the eerily silent halls of the old Akatsuki base was nerve wrecking for Ado. There was no noise at all, nothing except for the faint buzzing of the old tech in the barren hallways. It amazed her how the Akatsuki formed technology that lasted as long as a century and is still able to work. Yori was leading the way, confidently, yet soundlessly. Ado watched him curiously, with two things on her mind, where was that strange girl and why was he so silent.

"Yori?"

"Hm? Oh sorry, I'm just daydreaming a little bit..." After a couple more seconds of silence he spoke up again, "Miw, I don't believe the Hokage gave us enough of a lead for this mission."

"What're you trying to say?" She sounded hurt, but it was a little more than that, she felt angered. How dare he criticize the Hokage.

"We are his special tactics force, yet for the organization that's supposed to get every little detail to accomplish their task as thoroughly as possible, we didn't get much." He sighed as he felt her eyes shooting daggers at the back of his cloaked nape. "You must see this in a logical sense, when he spoke it was in a hushed tone, one held with the utmost secrecy-"

"Just as should be taken in every mission no?"

"Yeah, but in every other mission we had, he didn't whisper the way he did. Then when he gave us the intel, he gave it to us so blandly. I remember his words, he said, 'The villagers claim they've heard strange things and one claims to have seen something going in and out, though the place should have been sealed off some hundred or so years ago.'." His voice was gruff and Ado immediately realized he was in deep thought. He does this a lot, but he's usually never wrong.

"Jackal stop, you're thinking about things too deeply," She grabbed his shoulder and he stopped before turning around to face her. She couldn't see his face beneath the mask (which was also barely visible in the dark), but she could tell he put something together.

"When we arrived, there were already a plethora of guards, including the older man we spoke to named Hogei. They knew it was dangerous here because they sent their entire defense force out instead of protecting their own village. Do you understand what I'm saying Ado? Not only were we sent in a mission undermanned, but he sent us. Two of very best members of the spec ops. He spoke with great secrecy Miw. My guess is the Hokage believes there's someone within the ranks working for someone or something-whether that be an organization or not- that bears a threat to the village...something big. My second guess, which has actually been confirmed is that this mission is far more dangerous than we were meant to believe." Suddenly there was noise from behind him and he spun around, it was footsteps but they stopped just as quickly as they started.

"Miw," He reached into his kunai pouch and the sounds of clashing steel was audible, "We aren't safe, that freak is running around and she's toying with us."

Then there was giggling which seemed to engulf them, coming from everywhere. "Your friend is smart, Ado." Ado couldn't pinpoint from where the voice was coming from.

"How does she know my name...?"

"That's my fault," Jackal awkwardly chuckled.

(" "Sure it doesn't Ado, then why can you never find me when we're sparring?" He let out a chuckle turning his head to look at her. " This is what he's referring to.)
 
"Oh, don't be sad, Yori, I know your name too." The feminine voice giggles once more. "I'll keep it a secret, just between us, okay~♥?"

"Well that makes me feel less left out, thanks." Yori commented, "But, we still don't have the pleasure of knowing yours—I mean, I don't wanna keep calling you freak if I don't have to—even if it is a little freaky… that thing you did earlier."

"My name isn't important, mostly because I haven't given myself one, but... I did a lot of things earlier, Yori-san." Yori's eyes narrows at the honorific. It sounded so condescending and he hated being talked down to. "You're gonna have to be more specific." Yori could hear the smile in her words, a lot more than when she had been in front of them, when they seemingly had a chance of beating them. The way she was actinf now, it seemed as if she had regrouped and come up with a plan—one that could possibly take them down. Yori only shook his head, nudging Ado. Although she couldn't see him and knew that he couldn't see her either, she nodded nonetheless and tapped him back in a small rhythm, telling him she was with him.

"Oh? Are you guys trying to come find me?" She laughed once more. "Big mistake. See, I was gonna let you off easy. Maybe let you escape with two-to-three limbs and minor injuries—just cause you're so cute, Yori-san."

"As you can tell," Yori spoke out loud, eyes darting around despite the darkness, "Me and Ado," He dropped the code names, "Aren't big fans of the 'easy way'."

"Of course." Her tone is almost bored, annoyed with him. She then giggles, clapping her hands, "You're to be my first real challenge in a while, don't disappoint me, Beast-Man." It went quiet after a moment and while Yori didn't seem bothered by her last statement, Ado was.

"Yor—er, Jackal—um, whoever you are." Ado finally settled on with a sigh, "Who… um, why did she call you, uh Beast-Man? Does she know something…?"

"I don't know what that's about, Ado." Yori said lowly, "Maybe she thinks I'm really incredible?" Ado rolls her eyes, of course Yori would turn a situation like this into a joke. "I mean, from what I saw of her, she wasn't ugly, so…"

"Don't flirt with the enemy. You have a bad habit of doing that." Ado sighs as they stalk down the hall.

"Okay, but they always flirt back, so it's fine." Yori responded with a slight chuckle before clearing his throat, the humor effectively leaving the air around Ado and himself, "But let's be serious now, I can flirt when I know there's no potential of dying within the next few minutes."

It was quiet for another few minutes as they walked down the hallway, only the sound of their footprints and the dripping of the wet walls in the cave. "Be careful." Yori raised his mask to cover his nose and mouth, "This might be nitroglycerin."

Ado did the same, looking around, "The walls are getting farther apart," She felt both sides, noting the distance, "I think we're coming up into another chamber."

"It's bright up there." Yori had to squint. Illuminated by the coming light, Ado say Yori pull out a kunai, readying himself. She pulled out her sword, dragging it slightly behind her as they walked. Before long, they were in the chamber, looking around. "And… more weird statues." Yori and Ado looked around the chamber with a frown, "And I don't sense her energy." He sighed, crossing his arms and approaching one of the statues.
 
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Ado watched the room, her crimson red eyes nitpicking at every nitch on cracked stone walls of the chamber. The chamber was of great length, almost the size of two arenas used for the Chunin finals. She remembered being overly impressed by the size of that arena when she stood before the two mahogany doors with the writing etched on the front of it, "Many enter as Genin, but only few leave as Chunin". She remembered that day so vividly but it had been five years since that windy Summer morning. Now here she stood, as an Anbu member in an old enemy stronghold, with a new enemy that seems to be posing a threat far greater than what was reported to them. Yori was right.

The strange smell wore off, so she removed her hand, "We should be good," and Yori did the same.

There were many nitches running down the hallway with little statues, but that wasn't the first thing that caught their eyes. The roof was cracked, but being held up by many stone pillars that Yori assumed out loud to have once been white but the paint chipped away and wore out giving it a gray effect of decay. In between every other pillar was a bronze statue, covered in dust. Each statue appeared to be 10 to 15 meters off of the ground, and all were in the form of a long vile snake. The snake had wide eyes, a thin tongue pointed out like daggers, and two fangs longer than that of Ado's blade. She completely hated snakes, and Yori seemed to know that very well.

"What happened Ado, you seem a little shaken there," Yori chortled but Ado ignored him pressing her fingers against the bronze statue, then rubbing the grime off against her robe.

"This place is filthy," She swung her hand around, attempting to clear the air. She was glad she was wearing the mask, or she would be sneezing everywhere. As they approached what the end of the chamber the last few flames were lit and there was an even bigger snake statue in front of them. 20 meters of the ground, and nearly 5 meters from touching the ceiling. Yori's eyes awed the statue and as they reached the top of it's head he noticed the girl resting on it's bronze tongue. Her legs dangling off and kicking in the air.

She was laying on her back, eyes glued to the ceiling, and humming a song. All the while, the cold steel of her swords rested upon her bare abdomen. She slowly glanced down at the two and an ingenious smell fell upon her rosy lips (the only part of her face with any color other than the ebony markings on her eyes and forehead). "You finally made it!" She sat up and grabbed both her swords. She stood up on the very peak of the snakes tongue and threw down both her blades.

They made a heavy CLANG sound once hitting the ground, one after the other as the cold metal hit the solid stone floor. This was the first time they really noticed what the girl was wearing. Her ninja gear was almost meaningless, as it didn't protect not a facet of her body. Instead of having an Hitai-Ate, she had a forehead guard with two silver horns on it and that was basically all the armor she had. She wore a white loose crop top and shorts that stopped right above the knees. No gloves, no shoes, hell Ado swore she saw her breasts a few times due to the overly sized crop top so any armor under that is out of the picture.

Does that mean she took a direct attack earlier and she simply shrugged it off after faking unconsciousness?

"Before we start this again I want to ask you a few questions," Ado called out from the ground causing the girl to raise her eyebrow.

She sounded bewildered but replied with, "Ask away!"

"What's your name, and why are you here? You know ours, so it's only fair." Ado didn't have to strain her voice to get the message across, the echo helped her out just fine.

"I'm here doing the same thing you're doing! Following orders! My name is...well...I don't know," She rubbed her chin then snapped her fingers and giggled,"Fuyuko! It's a pleasure to meet you Yori!"

"I'm not Yori!" Ado sighed. While they spoke Yori's eyebrows furrowed and he thought to himself, 'She didn't know her own name?'

"Oh, I know, but I don't like you." She giggled then turned around, "So I heard from a little birdy that Ninjas save people. But ninjas from the Hidden Leaf village attempt to save even their enemies, for possible interrogation. Let's put this to the test."

She wasn't wrong. She opened her arms, closed her eyes and gently drifted backwards. Ado watched, eyes wide as she first began to fall. She wasn't going to survive that, there wouldn't be any way she would. But Ado wasn't going to save her, and deep inside she hoped Yori wouldn't either. But as she peered over she realized it was too late. Yori was running up one of the pillars, jumped off onto another and continued running up until he was evenly squared off with her body. He lunged forward and grabbed her before landing on the ground safely.

Fuyuko smirked, "My hero," She giggled holding onto him. But he kept his face hidden behind the mask.

Ado had no time to think, her mouth fell open and she quickly became angry. She begun to run towards him "Yori you moron! You should've-" then suddenly the floor parted and she fell straight down before it closed up again.

"A-Ado!" Yori dropped Fuyuko and rushed to where the floor opened up. Yet it didn't and he began banging against it, "Fuyuko let me save her!"

Fuyuko sucked her teeth and slowly walked over, gently touching his shoulder, "Beast-man," He fell silent, "She's-"

"..."

"Well you know," He looked up at her and she ran a thumb across her throat with her tongue poking out the side signalizing that Ado had died on the way down. "Now we have to talk,"

Yori remained silent but slowly stood up, towering over her. She smiled up at him and then patted herself off. She turned around and walked towards both her swords. "Unlike your friend, you seem like someone who's willing to negotiate." She picked both the swords up and when she turned around noticed how close he was. "Yor-"

Spit flew out of her mouth and she looked down in befuddlement, "Looks like I was-" He swung again but this time sending her right through one of the stone pillars and everything shook for a few seconds before calming down. The smoke drifting all about as she climbed out of the rubble.

"You've made a terrible mistake..." She was far more serious than the playful persona she took on earlier. But Yori gave her no time to react, as he charged at her all whilst emanating a strange red aura.
 
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