Private/Closed Naruto AU: Roleplay

[sSoul]

Taiyo
Eventually, the duo of Taiyo and Sakura had made their way to the trio they were trying to rescue. There were a lot of things for the Leaf-nin to absorb about the group dynamic of Sakura and her friends. Notably, the girl with Platinum blond hair seemed to be closest to her pink haired peer, seeing as she was the first to comment on Sakura's presence. Secondly, there was the big guy who seemed to have suffered a recent fall. If that wasn't hilarious enough, there was an evident gaze of affection in his eyes directed towards Sakura, with the aforementioned kunoichi giving the big Blondie a killing glare in return.

Oooh the sting of rejection. No amount of comfort food's gonna fill that hole.

Lastly, there was another male, this one being notably slimmer with a rock pinning his ankle down. As the FBS master went to remedy that situation, he thought that now would be a good time to introduce himself.

"By the way, the name's Taiyo Akugami," the Leaf-nin stated, "I'm just here to help out a friend, so don't worry about me,"
Tsuki
While the icy kunoichi was a little bummed out by the prospect of being denied knowledge, she knew that it was necessary for the learning process.

“Take notes Tsuki, I know you are good at that.”

At almost unrivaled speed, Tsuki grabbed her notebook, turned to the nearest blank page, and grabbed her pencil in eager anticipation. While she wrote down Hama's lessons about the ice fabrication technique, her eyes were lit up at the opportunity to fill a page in her notebook once again. Of course, the excitement of writing notes paled in comparison to the demonstration that Tsuki had the pleasure of witnessing.

"Marvelous indeed," The Yuki-nin's attempt at a composed tone was only barely hiding her enthusiasm for the technique she was witnessing.
Seiun
Naturally, B.O.S.E.C needed to know what the shinobi had in mind for his former home village. Thankfully, Seiun already knew the answer to that question.

"Well firstly, I want to get my mansion back. That may involve some murder, but I'll leave that for a last resort," Seiun mused to his AI assistant, "After that, I think it's about time my talents get recognized, I might as well put my services up for hire as to make sure I don't end up broke,"

If there's any good thing that came out of my time in that xenophobe infested hellhole, it's the Gahedra, and a lesson in pragmatism. Gone are the days where I just murder people on a whim. I need to prey on those who are easily taken advantage of. To be fair, the Gahedra makes that number of people quite large...

 

[Godjacob]

Akihiko naturally had comical tears at that look as Ino worked to yank him up while Takato listened to Taiyo as he introduced himself which caused Takato to bite his lip as his kitten looked on scared but curious at the new arrives on top of this development.

"And I...I am Takato and I'd rather save the intros for after this is off my foot...." Takato said, half pained and half pained in sarcasm as Mittens seemed concerned and adorably tried to push the rock away.

Sakura meanwhile made a clone to help Aki, which the latter had been quite appreciative of, as Ino seemed okay for the most part. "Taiyo are you ready!?"

 

[sSoul]

Taiyo
The FBS master chuckled at Takato's dry sense of humor as he, along with the minimal help from a cat that seemed to belong to the black haired Nara, finally removed the rock that laid on his ankle. With that out of the way, Taiyo made an effort to get the guy he just helped back in his feet(literally).

"Yeah, I'm ready!" Taiyo replied before turning to Takato, "If you need or would like any help in walking, I'm here for you,"

Sakura seems to have decent taste in friends, Takato's a bit of a smartass, but in an entertaining way. The blondie doesn't seem too bad either.

The fat guy's pretty hilarious too, if only because he's fun to laugh at.

 

[Godjacob]

"I'll be just fine thanks..." Takato insisted, as while his ankle was sore he had been confident he could still move around okay. Though when Mittens clung to his head nails and all he winced in pain though managed to keep that to himself as the kitten mewoed and seemed ready to go.

"I'll cove just go now!" The Chunin who had formed defensive barriers insisted as Sakura nodded and with that she began to lead them quickly to a safe path to the village. Her clone helped Akihiko along the way as Ino kept pace and Takato worked to keep pace best he could as now they needed to bail

 

[sSoul]

Taiyo
Knowing that Takato was not so easily crippled, Taiyo turned to the Chunin that was holding up a set defensive barriers. While he did appreciate the assistance he got, the FBS master wasn't keen on leaving them behind. At the same time, arguing about it would waste unnecessary time.

"Thank you!" Taiyo called out to the barrier-using Chunin as he walked away while turning to face Sakura and her friends, "We should keep our guards up, since we could be attacked at any moment,"

They'll be fine, the barrier they put up should protect them. I just hope they make it back...

 

[kyuukestu]

Furījia

No search party could ever do without the presence of the Hyūga Clan, and as Orochimaru sought to turn his escape into a massive search, the Hyūga had taken up his challenge. A wilting snake wriggled out its last wiggles from the edge of Furījia's spear. The heiress had been no exception and she had also taken part in the snake hunt. It might've seemed reckless for her to come within such possible close proximity of Orochimaru, but her Byakugan had not missed the duo of Jonin who revolved around her...protecting her...when they could be saving more citizens. It was a not-so-subtle reminder of her weight, not just in terms of the weight of her status, but that as she was now, she was a burden, a parcel in need of an escort.

Her grit showed in the clench of her teeth, her jaw, which had been locked tersely, loosening as she gave a sharp, if not frustrated, cry.

"Prioritize the buildings!"

Few moved to obey her; primarily, those in her own generation. The older and more competent were less willing to bend a knee to the young heiress. Furījia noticed. Further frustration caused her eyes to narrow into daggers. She might have been naive but she wasn't stupid. She easily read between the lines; the message was loud and clear: when her mother wasn't around she commanded only so much respect.

She huffed but said nothing more. She knew this wasn't something she could change right now. The task at hand was more worthy of her attention, if they could clear the buildings of snakes then, at the very least, the citizens would meet no further untoward surprises.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Hama twirled the spear around with a finger, the chakra moving around inside the spear like additional muscles in a body. Clanging it on the ground in front of the note taking Tsuki.

“So! My young apprentice, you will learn to master this technique before the chunnin exams. And before long, you may unleash a devastating tapestry of ice and death!”

As she said this, dozens of needles shot out from her hands, weaving into an aaray of Javelins, Swords, Shields, arrows, flails, and many other weapons, all surrounded by a large icy shuriken woven to look like the Yuki clan symbol. The weapons revolved around it as Hama suspended without need of a hand.


.......


“͌͗͋Oͯ͗h͑͌?ͦ ̃͐̈́͂͗̏̇Aͨ͐̆̂̐̀̚ ͪ̎ͩ̈́ľ̈́͒i̋̽ͯt͂ͪ̈̐t͋̋͛͋̓͗l̃̽̀̚ě̌́ͩ ͬ͛hͫ̄̎ͯ̔o̅ͫ͌ͫ̃̃͛m̾ͧͮ̌̀͑sͯ̂̄̊͆̓ë́̉̓ͧs̿i̾̒͋̀̾cͤ͗̋̉ͬ̚k̒ͨ̆ ̄ͧ̀̽̔̓̋a̐̓͒̅̄rͪ̈̀ͪͪeͦ̎̉̅̑̒̃ ̋̈̓ͭw̓ͧ̊eͬ̎́̏͑? ̉ͪ̿W̐̓̀e̔̇̅͌́̓̓l̂l͗̓ aͬ͒̐ͨͪͧ̈ĩ́n̔̅̓̋̚’͑̉͋͊̏ͬt̎̽ͦ̒̆͋ ̍̆̋̊̚t̏̎̉̾̽͂h̎ͦ͆̋aͦt̄ͥ̌ͣ̄ ͬͨͤ̏͐̋̍j̃̀̑̀̓ͩ͑u̓̈́͐̿ͭͦ͋sͪͯť̉́̎̂͑̌ s̉͌̓̓ẅͧ̒̋̏ẽͫ̍͑̊ͣ̋l̊ͨͫ̿̌̀l̏ͦ̑!̃̊ ̊͆͗͗̿̑Yͯò͆͋͗u͆̇̏̏͛ȓ̇̇ͣ̂ ̂tͪͩh̉̎̈́oͫ̊ͬ̉̂͗̎u̐ͮ̅̐g̓͛̀͊̾̍̓h͆̄̆ͦ̓ͩ͌t́̉͋̐s͋̚ ̃̿ͣ̽öf̈̏͆̂͌̾̉ ͂ͥͯ̉t͊h̃e pͨ͂l̄a͒͑̆̉̾ć͂̽ͪ̍̃e̓̃̍̄ ̈̿͛͑s͐eͯ̿e͌͒̀͂mͪ̊ ͥ͋ͨo͐͆̀̆̑h̚ ͮso͛̌ͩͮͣͦ v͋̅̍̀ͮî͒̔͋͐̑v͊iͫd̎ͫ̽̑ͧͧ,̃ ͭIͮ͂’͐͐͐͋̈́̓m̈́ͨͥ́ ͧͤ̽̏́ͫ̚s̅̀͆ͬ̑o͛̂͆ͮ ̎ͬ̌ͨ̈́̈́̌ǎ̽͐͂͒n̏̓͐͗ͧ̋x̉̈́ͤ̾̓̃̽ïͧ̀̅̌̏ͪoͧ̉͂u͌͛͂ͤs͆ͤ͒̃ ̃̐͒͗ͣt̄̀̎̿̑ͦỏ͐ͤͥ͐ ̅s͑̄e̋̃̾̿ͨ͒̇êͭ͒̀ͬ͊̽ ̽ͩ͑̂͐͊t͑̓̉hiͯ̋́͛̋̚s͒ ̈́͆͊̉̋p̽̍la͗̀͐̑ͪ̚c̅͑̓̃̍eͫ̊̋̓ͤ̅ ͨͪ̃̓̊iͭn͐͑ͮ͋ ͣ̂͑̔̚p͑ͤͦͪͫͥ̅e͗̅͗͊̚r̈s̀ͯ͑ͩỏͣ̐͑͐n͒ͯ͂ͩͭ̌̿.̇͐͋̀ ͭͥͮͦ̈́K͛ē͒͌̃̾̃ ̍̀͒̾͊͛ͮǨ͛ͣe̿̉ͨ ̂͂ͮͥ̃K̑̐̿̅͂e̿.̇̾̋͌̀ͫ̐”̇ͫ̇ͨ̅

B.O.S.E.C. Glitched up, the well of voices cackling at the idea of going ‘home’. The purple specter gave a wink, suddenly dissapearing from sight. It’s visual form faded, it returned to speaking in his head.

“́́ͫLͤ͒̎̏ͧẻͥ̑̎̒ͪ̚̚t͆ͥͪ͆ͤ͑’ͮͭ͂̏s͛ͪ̿̒̋ͣ͗̔ ͭ̀̈ͧ̿g͆̍oͬͪ̓͐͗~̍̀͆ͤ͊̅̋̚”ͯ͂̌̆

 

[Godjacob]

Before long, a familiar scarred mask approached the scene of the meeting as it seemed he just missed all the fun stuff, though given his own entertainment he had not felt as bad over this. Regardless he knew he needed to clean this mess and do it quickly as his lone eye glanced at the remaining ANBU.

"Seems the deal went to shit quickly eh?" The ANBU mused, as the red headed masked-nin seemed to pull the corpses in a pile before he flashed several hand signs.

Within a flash, a scroll opened up as a chain shot out and worked to tie the bodies together, before they were pulled inside and sealed within the scroll. Quick as could be, no bodies and no trace had been left.

"Easy for you to say, where is your subject if I should even ask?" One of the Root members asked, as the red-haired ninja tucked the scroll away before he turned as he had given a half hearted shrug.

"You'll know once we give the report. Let's move, company is coming in a flash~"

And with that, they had all departed just as quickly, and from the outsider's view nobody and nothing had been in this area.

-----

"Agreed, and move quickly. So let's go!" Sakura urged as she advanced leading the pack quick as her legs could get her. She trusted the Chunin to handle himself, and his barrier bought them the chance to flee back to the village they had to take it while they could.

Ino, Akihiko and Takato kept pace with Aki aided by the clone as they worked to not lag behind. Mittens had clung for dear life as they made their way to the wall prepared to scale up and over it back to safety.

 

[DarkHydraT]

"Oh please, you act as if I let you down on a daily basis. When have I ever disappointed you? Tell me." Mori returned Tomiko's grin with his own before getting enthralled by the rock formations that they passed, some of them he even recognized as yardangs and venifacts. Eons of history were visible before their eyes, yet not many people truly appreciated them. "How long did it take for these formations to look the way they are. It must've taken millions of years of erosion and tectonic activity to create something like that mushroom rock over there." He pointed at a rock pillar that was thinned out at the middle and had a large rock on top of it, causing the formation to resemble a mushroom of sorts. Mori may not have paid much attention during the academy, but he spent quite a fair share of his time among these rocks that still managed to capture him with their beauty after all those years and his parents always tried their best to answer any questions he had about the village and its surroundings, not to mention that he just liked how the formations looked.

As the majority of the group agreed on the name, Mori clapped in his hands once and spoke up. "So the name stuck? Then let us embark on an adventure! Captain, take us away!" He pointed fingerguns at Tomiko and winked as the genin acted as if the sled was a ship.

----------
"Then let's no longer delay the inevitable. I'll lead the way and remember to stick to the plan. I ring the bell and cast a genjutsu on whoever opens the door, then you four go in and go upstairs. The fourth step squeaks, so avoid it or wait until I disable the second target. My room is the one on the far left, my scent should be a dead giveaway. The hidden floorboard is not stuck like the others and should have a bit of it sticking up, so don't trip. I recommend that either Kenji or Aisha picks it up, I don't want to risk one of the wolves being unaccustomed to holding boxes and dropping the contents everywhere as they are very loud and painful." Taji gave a quick refresher to her friends as she stood up and walked back to her birth home. With a heavy heart and tw- four friends that were willing to help her, she rang the doorbell and waited as chakra collected itself in her hands.

"Who's the-!" Sachiko Kuramoto opened the door, completely caught off-guard by her daughter standing on the porch. Before she could say anything though, Taji's hand went for her own hand and everything went dark.

Taji took some deep breaths to recollect herself. Whilst her mother had let down her mental guard because of her sudden appearance, she also was the hardest one to cast a genjutsu on for Taji. She liked her mother, yet here she was, casting a genjutsu on her. "Go in, I'll take care of this." Transforming into her mother, she stepped into the living room.

"Who was at the door?"

"You're silent, what's wrong?"

"You?! How dare -"

Silence. Deep breaths. Even a blind person would know that Daichi was under a genjutsu. Or murdered, but in this case it was the former. "We're clear, go up." Taji's voice came from the living room as she made sure that Daichi's body was sitting on a chair with his back to the window. After getting Sachiko from the hallway and putting her in a similar position, she sat across the table and filled a cup with water to sell the scene that she was talking to her parents over a cup of tea. All she could do now was wait for Kenji, Aisha, Luna and Sky to do their job.

 

[SageNeb]

Raiku thought about what Fugaku said before he responded. He seemed to think he was just going there for the job he was assigned.

I can't just let someone important like that be left ignored when the Sound are attacking...

"Thank you Lord Fugaku but Kiro is also an Uchiha so I just want to make sure everything is going to be alright..."

Raiku bowed before Fugaku then hurried to the Hyuga Clan and saw them mostly taking care of the mess Orochimaru had been causing the village. He looked around for any familiar faces but saw none, not even the famed Head but instead her daughter which had seemingly been left in charge. Although Raiku knew her it was only by association through other people, they pretty much had never spoken directly even when placed on the same team, nor when they were near each other at the festival.

It looks hard trying to fit in Lady Hinagiku's shoes... Barely anyone is listening to her instructions. At least she's trying though... should I even ask her? To be honest I'm surprised I'm even allowed in the Hyuga Clan's presence considering the... possible misunderstanding of events that had transpired during the first invasion of the Sound.

He hesitated whether or not to ask her his question about Kiro but decided it was worth a shot and if he got ignored because she was busy he would just deal with it.

“Umm, Furijia... do you know where the prisoners are held? I know I should probably be helping take care of the snakes but I think the main part of this attack has ended since the giant snakes are dead.”

If anything happened I hope I’m not too late. But I’m sure the higher ups have taken care of it... Hasn’t this gone on for a while? Maybe Lady Tsunade has finished taking care of the snake, I think I saw a toad while on the way, as well? It would be crazy if all the legendary Sannin had fought today...

 

[Mystic Zander]

“Well...I’m not one for showing weakness, but truth be told, my chakra reserves are so low, I’m barely hanging on. Hehe.”

There was no point in lying, as he really had no way of getting out of the situation. In all likelihood, his injuries would be manageable-very painful at best.

——

With the final snake dealt with, Ichiko turned her attention back to Orochimaru himself, preparing yet another set of complex hand seals.

“Ichiko! Don’t attack him!”

“I have to!”

Kido’s words fell onto deaf ears, as Ichiko had no intention of turning back now.
However, the instance before Ichiko could finalize her next attack, Orochimaru took it upon himself to make an early-and somewhat unexpected-exit.

“Damn it! He’s gonna get away!”

Ichiko’s chakra simmered down as her temper began to raise once again.

“Lady Hokage! Orders, please!”

Ichiko shouted as Sotura made his way towards Tsunade’s summon.
Her conviction is clear, she wanted to do whatever she could.

Meanwhile, Kido took advantage of the moment, launching a small, fine-tipped senbon formed completely out of dense lightning chakra directly into the skull of one of the last fleeing snakes.

“There we are. A temporary nap for your nervous system. At least...probably temporary...”

Kido mumbled as he picked up the limp snake by the back of its neck.

“And just in case I’m wrong, and you wake up a little early...”

He pried the jaws of the small snake open with his fingers, before quickly snapping the fangs out from the base.

“I suppose I should see what the overall damage is like...I guess finding the kids will take longer than expected...”

The gray-haired Shinobi sighed whilst sliding the incapacitated snake into a satchel he had hidden under his robes, before tightly tying off the opening of said bag, sealing the contents inside.

——

Panic, death, screaming...sheer and utter torment...but why? Did she somehow cause this? She couldn’t have...it’s just a coincidence...

Rittsu attempted to rationalize the flurry of events that had taken place in mere moments from the safety of a tall tree on the outskirts of the Leaf.
In the end, it didn’t really matter what caused this. The village had been attack before, and it stayed standing then. It’ll be fine, besides...

“Pft. Maybe they should ask Katsuo for help...”

And so, Rittsu finalized her breaking of family ties by abandoning them during the attack.
She waded deeper into the forest, taking the time to try a collect herself. It’s not everyday that one starts anew...

 

[kyuukestu]

Furījia

"Oh right! Them..."

The prisoners were a matter that had completely slipped Furījia's mind. They had been moved by the Anbu just before the battle had exploded in full, but Furījia wasn't sure what had happened to them afterward. The girl, however, presupposed that her mother had insisted on them being in the Hyūga Clan for a reason and so she thought it was only right that they return there now that the danger had passed.

She relayed what happened to Raiku in a few words, before offering.

"I'm going to ask Lady Tsunade about returning them...would you like to come?"

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Kabuto raced along with Kiro, branch after branch they jumped, the sounds enemy combatants growing more and more distant. Kabuto has begun to noticed this, paying a word to Kiro.

“They majority of the resistance should be handled. We just need to take an alternate route to the sound. Our last route made it compromised, we should take the long way. That being said-“

Suddenly, Kabuto noticed a presence nearby. Movement in nearby bushes. His eyes squinted at the sound. Making a handsign, he produced a shadow clone, the brief smoke obscuring which one was Kabuto and which one was the clone.

“We have a tailer, lets take care of that.”

One of the Kabutos leaped away, braving the landing to the ground. Taking a stealthy approach, it crossed the thicket and brush with little to no noise, the sound ninja acting like a hunter, ready to pounce on his prey. Kunai drawn, he peered at the intruder who had came in...only to reveal it as a girl. A young girl. She didn’t seem to be in a hurry, and she didn’t seem focused on a mission. In fact, he would wager the girl was even lost.

Watching her for a few moments, Kabuto deliberated what to do. He chose to stash his kunai away, standing up behind a tree, away from view.

“It’s dangerous to be out here alone.”

Kabuto slowly walked out from behind his cover, his arms crossed. He didn’t seem openly hostile, More inquisitively curious. The grey haired ninja looked into the girl’s eyes, knowing full well his headband was noticeable.

 

[sSoul]

Tsuki
The icy kunoichi watched in awe as she witnessed Hama's display of mastery over her technique. As if that wasn't enough, Tsuki even had the benefit of her elder willing to teach the very technique she showed off.

"When's my first lesson?!" There was a child-like sense of glee in Tsuki's voice, one that few other activities besides learning could bring to the forefront. However, her excitement for learning was juxtaposed by her uncertainty in her success. While she had been told that she was a quick study all her life, the Yuki-nin always struggled with working on a timetable.

Let's hope that this works...
Seiun
"Homesick, me?! B.O.S.E.C, you offend me!" Seiun gasped in melodramatic fashion in response to the AI's observation, "It's not about any memories I've made there, its about the fact that its my birthright, and its a fucking mansion to boot. The bitches will practically flock to me once I got that thing!" Clearly, the rogue shinobi had his priorities in order. But before he could further justify his reasoning, the construct offered to go the Yasei mansion.

"You mean now..?"
Taiyo
Thankfully, the group of genin were unharmed in their return. Once they were in the village, Taiyo turned to leave since he had done what he needed to do.

"Alright, there's someone else who I want to check on, but take care you guys!" Without further hesitation, the fiery shinobi made his way back to the Hyūga manor. Because the village was under attack, Taiyo wanted to make sure that he could help out in the most efficient way possible(the fact that yet another one of his friends was not just a Hyūga, but the heiress influenced his decision as well).

I hope Furījia is doing alright...

She can manage, you think Sakura can?

I don't doubt her ability to keep her friends in line, however keeping a clan in line is infintely more difficult

And what could you do about it, realistically speaking?

I could encourage her if she needs it, but I'll never know if she does need if if I don't at least check.

Guess I can't argue with that...
Inevitably, the FBS master had reached the manor, and he was let me in as soon as he told the guards that he was there to help combat the invasion. Now that he was inside, Taiyo wasted no time in finding Furījia to provide any assistance he could. While he did find the person he was looking for, he also found unexpectedly found Raiku.

Wonder why he's here...

Probably big important clan stuff or something

Still, I am glad to see him again.

The two of them seemed to be having a conversation before Taiyo arrived, so he decided it would be best to let them finish before making his presence known to them.

 

[Godjacob]

Once the Genjutsu had hit, the four had been just as quick to enter. With appropriate ninja quickness Kenji, Aisha along with the man-beast altered Luna & Sky rushed into the home as Taji managed to get her Genjutsu up as they quickly went to work. To avoid Taji's concerns the true valuables of the room had been left in the hands of Kenji and the true Aisha, while the dog clones worked to get everything else as they got clothing, personal items and whatever else had been on.

The four made multiple quick runs throughout the room, mindful not to linger but also to make sure they had the chance to get as many things as needed.

Soon enough, the four departed with all the key items in toe as Kenji had sent a quick flash signal only Taji had a chance to pick up on as he sent the OK that they had been finished. The room was clear and it had been time to bounce.

 

[SageNeb]

“I suppose that would make the most sense. Though I'm not sure how wise it is to interrupt the Hokage..."

Raiku's eyes wandered around making sure not to look at Furijia's face while he was talking to her. He didn't really feel that comfortable talking to someone of her status so to make it easier for him he decided to just focus on the background... unfortunately that also meant he probably looked strange to the young heiress for avoiding eye contact.

Fortunately one good thing did come out of this as he noticed Taiyo coming nearby without talking, presumably to not interrupt them. He turned to the fellow Fire Release user and gave a wave.

“Hi there Taiyo, we were just heading to check up the Sound prisoners. If you'd like you could come along.”

Internally Raiku gave a sigh of relief as he felt a bit more confident socializing with a friend around.

 

[sSoul]

Taiyo
As expected, Taiyo's presense was eventually noticed and commented on. Although the Leaf-nin noticed that the conversation between Raiku and Furījia ended sooner than he expected, he decided that he wouldn't comment on it.

"Hey Raiku, its good to see you again," Taiyo said with a warm grin on his face before deciding to address Raiku's offer, "I'll come with the two of you, I came to help out around here after all."

 

[kyuukestu]

Furījia

The gravity of the situation was not lost on Furījia, but neither were the wiles of her mother. The wounds the village had received were fresh and still oozed with the fear and resentment from the citizen; but, the Hyūga heiress, feeling rather useless during the attack itself, was adamant in redeeming herself in the after-care. Retrieving the prisoners was the least she could do and, given all that had happened, the Lady Hokage likely hadn't the time to spare watching a few prisoners...or so Furījia convinced herself.

"We're not interrupting her...we're taking some troubles off her hands."

The Sound prisoners were vital to Hyūga interests. Furījia didn't know why that was, but she felt it was so. If not, then her mother wouldn't have taken them in and treated them so well. Even naive as she was, she knew prisoners were usually not given the level of freedom and privilege that the Clan had been showing to Kiro and Tayuya.

Regardless, the conversation turned away from such series topics as Taiyo arrived and professed his intent to help. It was nothing much, but nonetheless, Furījia appreciated his sentiment.

"Thank you, have you checked on your family yet, Taiyo?"

 

[sSoul]

Taiyo
The Leaf-nin was glad to know that his assistance wasn't going unappreciated, and he also appreciated the sentiment behind Furījia's question. There was just one problem: Taiyo had yet to check-up on his own family. Between helping Sakura rescue her friends and visiting the Hyūga manor to check up on the hieress, he completely negleted Susei and his mother.

"Yeah, they'll be fine," Taiyo tried to sound as casual as he possibly could, so he would feel even worse if he got exposed now.

I'm a terrible son...and a terrible big brother too....

Best case scenario, mom's gonna kill me...

 

[SageNeb]

Raiku thought about what Furijia said for a moment and agreed, but it wasn't something he had to comment on so he decided not to and to just reply to his friend.

"It's good to see you too. Your family should've been evacuated by the police so no need to worry like you said. I guess we should start moving, unless there's more to talk about?" Raiku asked, just to clear up anything else that might be important between the three.

 

[kyuukestu]

Furījia

"Alright," Furījia nodded. If Taiyo said they'd be okay then who was she to argue otherwise? Raiku had made a valid point as well, most of the citizens had been evacuated during the attack, so Taiyo's family was likely safe.

In any case, Raiku's follow-up had reminded Furījia that she had a job to do and the swifter the better.

"He's right, we should get getting. Hold on..." The girl pulled away from the conversation, activating her Byakugan and scanning around for Tsunade.

"Found her! Let's go."

Furījia took to the roofs, leading the other two in the direction of the Hokage. She knew the prisoners' statuses were somewhat special and without her mother here, the Hyūga could very well lose custody of the prisoners. In order to prevent that, she wanted to get to Lady Hokage first. However, there was something that tickled at her curiosity.

"By the way Raiku, do you know why the Uchiha haven't done anything about Kiro?"

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

“No time like the present, don’t you say?~”

Hama winked at her eager student, wanting to pass on her knowledge in detail to someone who could handle it. Kai would never have had the patience to learn or use the ice needle and weaving, not to mention lacked a certain key element.. Tsuki on the other hand...this was going smoother than expected.

“We have a lot of lessons to cover, so make sure you have enough ink in that pen!~”

With that, She would take Tsuki outside with a guiding hand, beginning the special cram course for the chunnin exams.


.....


H̀̀ͭͭeͬͣ̊h͌ͭͨ̇̾̄̾ȇ.̿̿̓ͣ̂̏̉.͗.̏̆̀̚i͊͋̔̂̑̊f̐́ͥ yͮ͊̆́͊oùͮͣ̿ͭ ̌́s͊ȃͦỳͩ ̔ͮ̓sͣͮ̇ͭͬ̄͛o̓͛.ͮ̆͋ͯͮ͒ͯ A͑̈ͪͧ͌̅f̈͋t̍e̚r̈̑ͯ̄ͥ̂̒ ͫͬ̓͋ͦ̈́̇aͭ̐lͤ̓l͛̓̊̀̄̓̌,ͫ͛̓̌͆̓̚ iͩ̈́ͮͪ̈̈́̈́t ͯ̿ͧ͌ͨͣIͨ͑Sͯ ̆̏͗̑̎yo̅̽̿ͫ̅uͩr̉ͥ ̑͌b̎͋̀í̓r͌̿t̀hͤ̓̈́͊̆ͭrͥ̏̄̍͛̈́iͪͯͪ͌̅̅g̊̇ͨ̾͒̓̇hͮͫ́̇ͬ̅ͬt ̃ͤͬ̔̏a̽̓fṫ͒̀ͦ̏̒̚er͋ͨ ͋̋al͊̓ͣ̏́̚l͆.ͯ̿̚”ͩͧͫ̃ͣ B.O.S.E.C. Chuckled distortedly.

̋̿̆̄“̒̈͛̈́͂B̏͂ȕ̀̽͛ͦ̇̋t ͊̑i̍͛̿̇ͥ͂f̓̐̓ͯ ͛̈̍̏̃Iͥ̽͐̏͗’̀͊̾͒̆ͩͮmͩ̂ ͊ͮͥͭ͛͗̇c̒ͪoͧͩrͦ̚r̃̎ͦ̋̃͛͆ě͆͗͑̐͐c̿̔͆̃̈́t͆͛̍̊̔̚,ͭ̄̍ͨ ͑ͦ͑̎͗̅wͬͪ͒̈̎́̌eͦ̄ͬ͆̓rͥe ̾̈́ͧ͂͒́y͗ͪ̄̊̒́̓o͒͗͑̆ͣu ̎ͫ̂̏̄̔̈́n͒̋ͤ̑̇̃otͥ͑̀ͤ ̐ͩf̒o̅̉rͫ̓ͬcͪ̔ͧ͐͗eͩͥ̍d ͌̓̓͗̇̚tͧ̃o͐͛̾̈́́ͯͨ ̋̄̂ͪ̓ͧ̋f͊͑͒̒̃̿̔l̇ͯ̿e̍ͮe̾ ͑́̒ͤd́u̍ͬ̀̆̊̓ͪeͪ ͛͆͛͋̉t̏͂o ͨ̆̓ḃͩ͛̌e̾ingͣ̌̾̀ ͂ͮ̐aͤ̓͗ ̂̅͂c͂̋o͂ͣͭ̄n̉̌̈̄̇̉̇v̊̂̀́͌iͫ͒͌͊c͛̚teͫ̑d̀̉̓̄ͬ ͊ͪf̔̀̚e͛ͧ̿l̓̂̈̒̒̚ò̅nͬ̑̽̉̅͂? ͋ͨ͆̄͊̈́ͥHͦ͒mmͦ?̏̏ͣ̌ ̓̐̋̊̾̿̚Tͭ͂h̾̄͋̂ͧͬͬiͮ̌̌̊ͥnk ́͒͐ͫ̓̆̎ÿ͗ͨ͗̇͛oͪͩ̊̆̔ͪu̓͂ͪͩ͒ͪͦ ͨ̒̉͂ca͗ͭ͆̿̊n̏ͯͫ̚ ͌̇ḧ́̈́ͥ̃͑̚a͆̇͋n̚d̓̽̐̉lͥ̂eͦ ͫ̇̾̏rͤͦ͆́̐̚̚et͊́͆̇͋ͫurͥ̽ͨ͛͗n͋i͐̎̄̽ͧ̐n͌ͭͮ̀̀̍͊ǵ̅?̍̈ͩ̿̅”ͤ

The artificial intelligence rested it’s head on the back of it’s semi formed hand, partially clipping through it, awaiting it’s master’s response

 

[SageNeb]

Raiku followed Furijia and jumped to the roofs as she had seemingly discovered the person they were looking for, not surprising for a Hyuga. However he was sort of surprised by her question. He had asked the same himself, but his answer was definitely not something he can tell just anyone who asked.

That's the kind of stuff I meant when I said if there's anything else to talk about... Well, kind of. I guess I'll just tell her what I thought in the beginning.

"It's quite simple really. His father defected from the Leaf so he doesn't deserve to be taken in by the Uchiha..."

 

[Retro Master]

“Please take care everyone.”

Now that both threats appeared to be gone, Katsuyu bid her farewell to those present before disappearing in a puff of white smoke. Turning around now, Tsunade had heard the voice of Ichiko call out to her. It wouldn’t be long before more assistance showed up. Unfortunately, there was no time for Tsunade to waste dawdling around here. If her suspicious were true, then they would have a major problem on their hands. Tsunade had to find out now or else it would be too late if it wasn’t already.

“What I would like us to search every inch of this village for that pest. However, there is something I must check first. Ichiko, please do me a favor and let the clan leaders who show up know there will be an emergency council to discuss today’s events. I must check on those Sound prisoners now and I’d like for you to come with me Jiraiya.”

With that, Tsunade jumped off the roof of the academy building and began to make her way towards the area the prisoners were sent off too. As skipped across the building, Tsunade took notice of some children heading in her direction. On closer inspection, she recognized Taiyo alongside the daughter of Hinagiku. The young Uchiha looked familiar as well. Tsunade didn’t have the time to stop and continued onwards while speaking to their little group.

“Why are you here? It’s dangerous for you kids to be wandering around at a time like this.”

————————​

‘Someone is tailing us huh. He must’ve heard something.’

Kiro did recall that the Sound ninja did have a heightened level of hearing. It was a neat ability to have. Perhaps Kiro could pick up on it now that he was finally with them. As for the one tailing them, they must’ve been pretty skilled to come this far without being noticed by either of them until now. However, it appeared Kabuto believed he could handle them with just a clone. If that was the clone at least. Kiro supposed it would be best to trust Kabuto knew what h was doing and stayed quiet for now.

 

[Godjacob]

"Naturally. I think after this we need a discussion..." Jiraiya muttered, as he moved down to follow Tsunade as the concern over prisoners had not been at the forefront. But more concerning had been Orochimaru's ability to slip in and our of the village with ease on now two occasions. First under Minato's watch, and then Tsunade's. Jiraiya had a great deal of respect for both but the fact remains under either watch Konoha's defenses had been compromised.

Had there been something in the defense system that had been overlooked? Had Orochimaru slipped agents inside without either previous Kage's knowledge? Whatever the case something needed to be changed and changed sooner rather than later.

The Clan Heads in turn finished off the last of their snakes, a slight optimism one may have gotten lucky and gotten the true snake sunk like a stone as now the matter of making sure all were safe had to be focused on. Though the future meeting to come they had yet to be informed on would dominate their future schedule.

 

[kyuukestu]

Sagisō

The skillful star grunted as she hobbled over to the treeline. With Katsuo six feet under and Amari preoccupied with his resuscitation, it had fallen to Sagisō to take care of herself: the first order of which was replacing her clothing.

The Nadeshiko was no stranger to the wild and at a glance had already identified impromptu materials that could be cobbled into basic clothing. The village hidden in leaves indeed held up to its moniker and leafage abounded in its vicinity. It took Sagisō no more than a few minutes to collect a selection of large leaves and thin vines.

The leaves would become apart of her clothing and the vines could be used to hold them together. She had no intention of making vests of vegetation; but, the greenery would become a critical part of her clothing. Even if she managed to hunt down some small game and repurpose their pelts as garments, the constraints of time and environment meant that her work would be shoddy. The leaves would act as a barrier between her skin, wounds, and fresh pelts; the latter of whom could carry all manner of nasties.

Sagisō swept the surroundings with her Byakugan. She picked out two rabbits whom she estimated to both have enough fur to make her clothing and enough meat to be dinner. With the chakra she had remaining, she found no difficulties in swiftly dispatching the creatures. She spent the next fifteen minutes skinning the creatures and removing their tendons. With that accomplished, she cut the furs into smallclothes and lined them with vegetation. She withdrew a senbon and, with the tendons as threading, made quick needlework of the garments.

Satisfied with her workmanship, Sagisō slipped on the makeshift bra and fastened it with a vine. The process was repeated until she had a decent-sized loincloth, which she wrapped around her hips and fastened. She gave her clothing a few firm tugs to confirm their integrity and then hobbled back to the clearing.

Furījia

"I see..."

Raiku's response had slightly befuddled the heiress, but she chalked it up to a difference in Clan culture. She knew that the cultures between the Clans varied far more than one would first suspect. The Noble Clans especially were institutes whose age surpassed that of the village itself and many of them had retained traditional idiosyncrasies.

No more small-talk was had as the trio approached the Fifth Hokage who spotted them almost immediately.

Furījia caught the Hokage's attention with the grand gesture of greeting: she lowered into a deep bow, almost kowtowing.

"L-lady Fifth," She greeted but would not rise from her bow until told to do so. The gesture was perhaps overly formal, but it allowed the lass to conceal, even slightly, her nerves as she addressed the Hokage. "The Sound Prisoners were under the...errr —custody of the Hyūga Clan and so we'd ummm, we'd like to have them back."

 

[DarkHydraT]

Taji sighed as she looked around the room. She grew up here and although her childhood wasn't ideal, she was safe here. Indeed, was. This morning her safe haven was forcefully ripped from her hands and she had to try and survive by herself. It was a cruel fate, and one that no parent should give to their child. After raising them to adulthood and keeping them safe, they get tossed out without a second thought because they aren't exactly the same as you envisioned? The kunoichi could not understand it, and she probably never would. A bright flash snapped her out of her thoughts, and she quickly emptied the cup and put it back in the cupboard before joining her friends.

"Seems like you got everything. Good job, I'll cancel the genjutsu. You four go to Kenji's house, I'll follow right behind." Curling her fingers into the seal of confrontation, Taji threw one last glance at her old home and family before finishing the job. "Kai!" The genjutsu was cancelled, the bridges behind her were burned and the Kumo kunoichi had to adjust. If she didn't, who knew what could happen?

 

[Retro Master]

“I see...”

After Furījia had stated their intentions, Tsunade briefly wondered why the Hyūga were so intent on holding the prisoners. Even more so than the Uchiha clan. Tsunade hadn’t been there when the Hyūga Head offered to take the prisoners in. Even after Tsunade had taken on the duty of Hokage, she let it be. Brushing the reports from a previous mission aside, she couldn’t deny that Hinagiku had done a fine job watching over the prisoners for the most part. The only question was if the Hyūga could do so even without her presence in the clan.

“While I certainly have no issues with allowing them to return to the Hyūga with you, I need to make sure the prisoners are still secured first. I’m heading to their location now and you are welcome to follow.”

Tsunade replied to Furījia as she continued towards the holding the cell the prisoners were sent off to on her orders. Soon enough, Tsunade arrived at the site and found herself muttering a few curses as she saw the view. Landing in front of the holding area, she could see a number of Anbu bodies laying outside in a pool of water. Her instinct as a medic took over and she quickly went over to check the bodies.

‘Unconscious. Are the rest too?’

A sigh of relief escaped her lips after she checked a few of them. They were all still alive. In fact, most of their injuries seemed minor at best. The perpetrators had been skilled enough to avoid killing this squad of Anbu. A faint green glow emanated around Tsunade’s hands as she placed them on the forehead of one of the Anbu. She wanted answers and would get them once this Anbu regained consciousness.

“T-the r-rain... they am-ambushed us... S-sound ninja...”

From the stuttering of the groggy Anbu, Tsunade was able to discern what had happened even with the brief explanation. The Sound ninja had used the cover of the heavy rain to stealthily make their move. Somehow, they had managed to sneak into the village, completely undetected, and skillfully take down a group of highly trained black ops without killing them.

‘Have we underestimated their forces?’

Her brows furrowed with a hint of annoyance. Either way, this was still unacceptable. The current defense measures of the Leaf needed a major rework. Especially if this was all indeed the work of an outside force such as Otogakure. The fact that none of the Anbu had been killed by the Sound ninja was also a bit strange. However, Tsunade would save further speculation for later and made her way to the door of the holding cell. Unlikely as it may be, there was still a chance the prisoners could be in there.

When Tsunade opened the door, she was met by a flood of water. The two Anbu stationed inside were both unconscious as far she could tell. The most noticeable thing was the open door to the cell where the prisoners were supposed to be held. Although Tsunade knew it was fruitless, she still looked in the room anyways. There was no one inside.

“Damnit!”

Not a moment later, the front door was suddenly sent flying outward as Tsunade stormed out the building. As evident by the kick, she was furious. Yet, when Tsunade spoke, to no one in particular, there was a tinge of worry mixed into the anger of her tone.

“The prisoners are gone. Orochimaru now has the sharingan.”

Orochimaru had said he was the wind that would move the windmill of change. As the dark gray clouds continued to hang sorrowfully over the Leaf, the calm air of the day before had now swirled into a tempestuous gust. The windmill was moving and a storm was brewing...

 

[Mystic Zander]

“.....y-yes!”

Ichiko hesitantly replied to the Hokage, annoyed by the lack of combat initiative she brought to the table.
Notify the clan heads? That wasn’t enough. He had to be stopped.

“Sotura...your services are no longer required...thank you.”

Poof~

In an underwhelming puff of smoke, the monstrous Kraken beneath the burgundy haired Shinobi, vanished without a trace. The frustrated Water-Nin landed roughly on a nearby rooftop, curious to see what her ‘partner in crime’ had been up to.

“Where the hell were you back there?!”

“Busy gathering...samples.”

——

Rittsu hadn’t noticed the presence ahead of her, she hadnt even been attempted to keep a vigilant eye on her surroundings, so when Kabuto popped out from behind the tree line, it threw the mentally torn girl for a loop.

“...well...I’m pretty dangerous...”

The young kunoichi began churning her chakra as she noticed the iconic headband adorned by assailants of Orochimaru.

“What do you want?”

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

“Dangerous you say...” Kabuto adjusted his glasses. “Show me.”

Calling her out on the fact, Kabuto looked on, the girl’s chakra beginning to flare as she demanded to know what he wanted.

“Considering it testing a theory. You could say I have a eye for people. I want to see if it was accurate.”

 

[Mystic Zander]

“Haha haha! HAHAHA!”

Rittsu burst out into hysterical laughter in response to the proposition laid out before her. What were the odds of something like this occurring now?

“You want me to show you?! You wanna seen what I’ve become in hopes of receiving recognition?!? FINE!”

Wshh~

Ah...and just like her brother, Rittsu demonstrated the same astounding speed Katsuo had many times prior, vanishing in an instant. Only, something was different...Rittsu...was just a little bit faster.

With the girls chakra now ablaze, she had no problem acclimating to the space around her, instantly hiding her presence among the trees.

Crack~ Ffffsh~ Crackle~

Rittsu could be heard moving amongst the dense foliage, a little rustle in the bushes here, a little snapping of twigs there, but most of all, was the rocking of the tree branches just above, causing a light shower of leaves to rain down atop the inquisitive sound ninja.

The young kunoichi was up to something, but had no intention of sharing what that might be.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Kabuto blinked as the Kunoichi vanished into the trees, seeming condescending in the way she was going to show her power to him. Suddenly, sounds came from bushes, twigs, and branches. Her real position remaining unknown.

“Hide and go seek. That’s your power?” Kabuto said, not impressed at all, weaving a few handsigns. “Spewing Cyclone Justu.”

Casting his justu, he produced a small cyclone of wind around him, Kabuto in the eye of it. In a burst, the wind gave a pulse, which would push everything around his close surroundings just enough to flush the girl out of her cover.

 

[Mystic Zander]

Rittsu pressed backwards, further in the tree line, rather than countering and revealing her location. She wasn’t ready to make her presence known just yet, and there was no way she’d be discovered so easily.

As all of this was occurring, three leaves, seemingly insignificant in any way, whipped through the air around Kabuto’s cyclone, masked in the storm of foliage his jutsu had swept up.

“Lightning Style! Electrical Overdose!”
​

Rittsu, now a considerable distance away from the actual fight, cast a jutsu in preparation for her next move.
The low-ranking Jonin’s arms were coated in a solidified, thick cloak of crackling lightning chakra all the way up to her shoulders. These ‘lightning gauntlets’ spit and sputtered excess lightning, which seemed to be soaked back up into Rittsu’s body.
It wasn’t at all clear what she intended to do in this state, but it was clear that It would have devastating consequences.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

“Hmm...is that so?”

Not seeing his target, but rather hearing the crackling of electricity, Kabuto knew she was preparing some kind of counter attack. The Cyclone having dispersed and left a clearing for himself away from any possible hiding spot within close proximity to him, this left time to spot her if she planned to blindside him from the foliage.

“I won’t wait forever.”


.....


“Now one thing remains...”

Palentra pointed to an unconscious Zaku, sprawled out on the cave floor. Kou rubbed the back of his head.

“Oh. Um...that’s a good question...”

“I don’t trust this one, child” Palentra Spoke. “He shall not stay here. Even if you trust him, I cannot jeopardize the rest of your brothers and sisters based upon that.”

“Yeah...that’s fair I guess...” Kou kicked the ground. “Well then...what should we do?”

“Luckily, he is unconscious. I will bring him outside. You will come with me and join him. After you are outside with him, you can bring him toward that village you two share a dwelling in. That’s where you can explain what happened.”

“Well uh...how do I do that? Lie?” Kou questioned, watching the elder rat nod. “I guess I can do that. Though I don’t like it...”

“Lesser of two evils my son. Here, i’ll make a bag of something for you to eat on your way back.”

Palentra stood up and walked to another end of her cave, her children following suit. Wyatt, the newly named rat watched Kou look back at Zaku, who still lay nearly lifeless.

“It’s okay boss, at least we are safe now...”

 

[Mystic Zander]

The moment Kabuto dispersed his cyclone, the three insignificant leaves were engulfed in a puff of smoke, quickly revealing each one to be a clone of Rittsu.

The clones, all tagged with a single explosive tag on each other backs, were now nearly in arms reach of Kabuto.
They charged all at once, lashing out with a flurry of kicks and punches from every angle.
If Kabuto were to attempt fleeing, the clones would detonate, creating a hellish explosion of heat and lightning.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

The leaves, having been thrown back a small distance gave Kabuto a small moment of clarity as they transformed into clones. He quickly saw the sizzling paper bombs on the tags. If he were any other ninja this would be a deadly situation...luckily he wasn’t any run of the mill ninja.

“Chakra dissection blade!”

In one fell swoop, Kabuto would expertly Slice through each of the clones, using his justu to not only slice the bombs in half before they could detonate, but also splice the chakra keeping the closest stable, defusing both the bombs and the clones at once.

“This is what you wanted to show me?” Kabuto spoke to the treeline, wait right by for the clones to poof. “Maybe my theory was wrong.”

 

[Mystic Zander]

Rittsu dashed forward, using the time her enemy was preoccupied with the clones to clear the gap between them and gain momentum.

“Wind style, huh? Annoying.”

The lightning-empowered girl shot towards Kabuto from behind like a rocket, displaying even greater levels of speed than prior. The end of her lightning gauntlet morphed into a large spike as she reared her fist back.
By the time Kabuto had sliced clean through the last clone, Rittsu was mere centimeters away from shooting through his body like a bullet.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Kabuto’s eyes narrowed, seeing Rittsu charge in after her clone distraction took hold. He kept his dissection blade pointed at her and dropped something from his right hand. As she attacked him, she’d destroy the clone in one blow, but have her hands go numb, the chakra scalpel having temporarily shut down her nerves.

The clone, now dispersed, dropped the item in his right hand...a lone Kunai. It pointed toward a specific direction, a red tip on it. It was almost as if he was telling her to go in that direction...

 

[Mystic Zander]

Rittsu hadn’t expected the chakra blade to have such a devastating effect. Almost instantly, she felt her motor controls flip out of whack, causing her legs to buckle underneath her.

“Tricky bastard...some form of...paralysis maybe. Heh. All too familiar.”

Rittsu, now propped up by the solid lightning gauntlets which hung at her sides, fumed in anger at this devastating oversight in her approach.

“If he thinks...this is gonna do me in...he's in for a rude awakening!”

Rittsu’s limp frame twitched slightly as she her chakra went into overtime, weaving the damage in her gauntlets closed.
Moments after this occurred, the young girls figure arose from the ground abruptly, now upright and facing the direction of the kunai.

Only...something was odd about her. Her head hung lazily to the side, and her feet dragged along the ground beneath her. Her shoulders were hunched upwards as if she were shrugging, and her arms were out at her sides, still burning with the energy of Electrical Overdose.

Rittsu had began puppeteering her own body around via the chakra cloaking her arms.
She was after a target, and something as trivial as losing control of ones body wasn’t gonna stop her.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

“We should be well on our way by now. It’s a straight-shot after this Bend...”

Kabuto’s hearing picked up movement far behind them. At this point, he knew there was only one person it could be.

Looks like she accepted the little invitation... Kabuto smirked to himself. Have to admit, she is energetic and determined, two traits Kiro is lacking. I wonder...