Riko thought for a moment. "Well... We all lived, didn't we? No one lost anything permanent, and we walked away better for it... I'd say the mission was a success and a great learning experience..." He shifted, then realized Hiroto could hear the sound of crinkling paper within his gi. He removed the scrolls he had stolen. "And... I learned how to take advantage of a situation. I'm not saying stealing's right, but given the circumstances, anything can be helpful. I do have to say, though... Being kidnapped isn't fun. Neither is having sword wounds inflicted by Jonin. Or both at the same time. I guess that's a part of being a ninja, though."

Genonosuke stared at the pieces of paper in contempt. Aw! Why couldn't I have found some awesome scrolls? Oh well... At least I brought something back. He spoke up. "Well, personally, I agree with Riko. We're all back safe and sound, and we have a few friends and some souveniers for it. We also have some awesome battle stories that'll be the talk of the town for awhile! During the whole mess, I was feeling pretty down, but now that I look back, I think I enjoyed it."

Riko sighed. "Well, enjoy it while you can. We're not gonna luck out like this on every mission that goes wrong. I and Akura could have easily died, and Goukamaru might have slain us all if Rikimaru didn't show up."

Genonosuke humphed.

Akura suddenly spoke up. "Well, I can definitely say I learned a few things about myself." In more ways than one..., she added with a thought.

Rico let out a tense sigh through gritted teeth. This place had him on edge. Something was screaming at him to leave, to run, that something painful would happen if he stayed.

*SHIK*

Hyuu flinched at the sound looking over at Rico'Ki. The young man was kneeling with his wakasashi stabbed into the ground, glaring forward intently. "I should leave. I shouldn't be here. I should go back, its not safe here."

"Well I reaffirmed the fact that I can kick ass!" boasted Kai as he ran a hand through his blonde hair. "I mean, our entire squad effectively stuck it to those Mist ninjas! Heck, the FREAKIN' MIZUKAGE all but THANKED us!"

Daio sighed irritably. "Ignoring Mr. Spastic for a moment...we came dangerously close to losing the whole thing, even with you Hiroto-sensei. That swordsman...Goukamaru...he dealt Akura and Riko fatal blows. We were nearly killed...and honestly, we were asked to do a lot more than we've been trained to do."

"Daio," moaned Suki. "You sound so pessimistic...I think we did okay, considering we were split up. But we managed to get back together in the end, and that's what counted most!"

Hiroto nodded. "All good points...and you Izzy?"

The perverted Genin calmly held up one finger. "One: I learned that picking a fight against a Jonin without some Jonin-level backup is a bad idea." A second finger. "Two: Being a leader means you have to remain cool." A third finger. "Three: Mist ninja are creepy, Hyuu being the exception." And mentally, he raised a fourth finger. Four: Daio and Suki have sexy bodies.

Hiroto nodded again. "And finally Ryu...what about you?"

The Kanshisha male sighed as he folded his hands. "I learned that the life of a ninja...is not as fantastic as I tought it to be. And by that...I mean that the life of a ninja isn't the stuff of fantasy and adventure...it's bloody. I'm not going to back down...but how do YOU deal with it?"

Yagami Hiroto said nothing.

Finally...

"I remember what I'm fighting for. The money we obtained from this mission will help the village...and by stepping the rebellion, we improved relations - although unofficially - with the Mizukage and Kirigakure. You all may have lost some portion of your innocence in that bloody village," He calmly crossed his arms, a warm smile coming to his face. "But you all kept your wits about you; you rightly differentiated between those to show mercy to...and those to fight with all your might. This mission was a trial by fire...and in your sensei's opinion, you all passed with flying colors."

This sent a smile to the children's faces; to hear a compliment from their sensei like that lifted their spirits considerably.

Hiroto calmly turned away, saying, "We'll sleep here tonight...and we'll walk back to Konohagakure. The leisurely pace will do you all good. But as of now, our mission to the Water Country is over...stay around the clearing...but you're all dismissed."

Yagami Hiroto calmly walked out of clearing, glancing at Rico'ki. "So...having some trouble?"

The sound of the familiar but only still foreign voice made him force the weapon deeper into the ground. "Why am I here?"

Hiroto calmly knelt down, his face one foot away from Rico'ki's. "I'm afraid I can't answer that myself...it's something only you can deal with. I only gave you a choice." He stood up, scratching his scalp. "If this land makes you so crazy, you can go back to Kirigakure, where certain death awaits you. Or maybe you can just travel the world on your own...or you could come back to Konoha. It's your choice, and yours only."

Rico closed his eyes and stood up, pulling his weapon free of the dirt. "Half of me says death is less painful. But I feel like part of me in already in Konoha, but I can't figure out what that means."

He was staring more through the ground than at it. "Hiroto. What was my purpose in Konoha? I have vague memories of failure, blurry images of some nameless faces, and feelings about them that can't remember the reason for. If I go with you will I be greeted with cold eyes as I was in Kirigakure?"

"If it were six years ago, perhaps," remarked the Blind Sentinel. "You were a bodyguard for the Yondaime: the Fourth Hokage. A very talented one at that...and you were a heck of a lot less socially awkward."

Rico'ki scowled, which only caused Hiroto to grin. Then, the grin faded. "However...then the Nine Tails attacked..."

A thunderbolt struck Rico'ki mentally as one memory returned, as clear as the sky.

"I'm going to defeat the Nine Tailed Demon Fox Rico'ki...tell the Third that it was an honor serving Konoha."

"WAIT! Where are you going?! IT'S MY JOB TO PROTECT YOU!" roared a familiar red-haired man as the blonde Hokage disappeared into the night, heading off to defeat the Nine Tailed Fox.

"I...vaguely recall it," remarked Rico'ki. "I felt like I failed."

Hiroto nodded. "Understandable...but it was nothing you did. In any case, no one would hate you; only a few would remember, and they can be counted on two hands, maybe one. The hateful stares are saved for a boy..." He shifted his head around, making sure no one was around. Only Rikimaru was within earshot...and he already knew the whole story. "...a boy who the Yondaime sealed the Nine-Tailed Fox into."

Rico'ki blinked. "So...that's what happened to that demon...but why is the boy treated like that?"

Hiroto shrugged. "Some people are idiots...the adults are the only ones who know about the Nine Tails, and they treat that kid as if he were the Demon Fox. Of course, most of the children adopt their parents' way of thinking and hate the boy, without knowing why."

Riko leaned against a tree, deep in thought.

My parents were killed while they were with Rikimaru... I can't believe this... All this time, I thought it was mere chance... ...I suppose I could blame this on Rikimaru for putting them in danger, but that's the same type of thinking that motivated the murderer of my parents. ...It's her fault, no one else's. Riko clenched his fist. "It's her fault..." he said, in a very uncharacteristic low growl. Akura snapped her head to look at Riko, startled.

"Riko-kun...?"

"Akura... The same woman that is responsible for killing my parents was also responsible for the death of your father. ...What are your thoughts?"

Akura looked down at the ground, unsure of what to say. "...All this bloodshed... I don't like it, Riko. Of course I want my father avenged, but... I suppose I have to remember what Hiroto-sensei said."

"I tried so many times to kill her..."

Riko and Akura looked up to find Rikimaru standing by. "She was responsible for more than the deaths of your family and mine. She also killed friends of mine in each village I lived in. When I returned to Konohagakure, I thought she had lost the trail... The moment after she killed Rikoku and Nanami, we looked into each other's eyes, and neither of us could strike the other. I wanted to kill her so badly... Or maybe kill isn't the right word - punish. I wanted to make her scream, feel the pain of those she killed to get to me. But as I looked into her face, I realized that neither of us truly wanted to follow through. ...We were to get married, you know. Shisu and I. Despite the fact she had just killed my best friends and many others in the past... I just... couldn't..."

A single tear slid down Rikimaru's face.

"Uncle Reiki..." Akura said quietly.

Rikimaru steeled himself and looked Riko in the face. "That... that is why... When Shisu is in her final moments, you must be the one to kill her, Riko."

Riko stared deep into Rikimaru's eyes for a few moments, then nodded. "I... understand." Riko felt of his chest, of the faint scars that still remained after Goukamaru's attacks and Rikimaru's healing. He suddenly unbuttoned his upper gi, and took out a kunai, a very serious look on his face.

"This wound that was given to me..." He retraced the kunai along the X mark gently, just enough to slice the skin open and have the blood begin to flow again. "It shows my weakness, and my strength. I swear two things on this wound, one for each of the swords that pierced me." He traced his finger along the mark Mugenjin made. "I swear on this wound from the Blood Flame, that the torrent of revenge in my soul will never be quelled until Shisu of the Village Hidden Under the Lake is dead." He traced his finger along the line of Chaketsu. "And upon the wound of the Chakra Blade, I swear that I shall harm none with my recklessness and fear: I shall protect my friends and guard the innocent with my life. I took my blows only after Goukamaru had hurt Akura. This time..."

Akura shook her head. "I protected YOU, Riko-kun. You don't need to worry..."

Riko shook his own head. "Where was I when you were hurt? Standing like a cadet scratching my side! This time, when danger comes..." He took Akura's hand in his. "Let's do it TOGETHER." Akura smiled, and nodded.

Rikimaru stared at the two for a moment, then spoke.

"Riko."

"Yeah?"

"You've got more ham in you than all the delis in the Fire Country combined."

"Ehh?!" Riko and Akura facefaulted.

Rikimaru walked towards another group, shaking his head and muttering something about "Kids these days..."

Meanwhile, Genonosuke was talking to Hyuu. "So... You're going to live in Konohagakure?"

Hyuu nodded. "Yep. That's the plan. I kinda like this place already. Warm sun, fresh air, rich soil... An abundance of water, wind, earth, metal, wood, and fire and lightning can be made with the body easier than other elements... This place is pretty well-rounded, and seems like a solid place to be during an attack. And if Rikimaru, Rico'ki, Hiroto, and you guys are any indication about how strong everyone else in your village is... There never was a sense of safety and security living in the Mist."

Rikimaru approached Genonosuke and Hyuu, and Genonosuke was suddenly interested. "Say, Rikimaru... Hyuu and I were talking about villages and stuff... That got me thinking. Where all have you been?"

Rikimaru was silent for a second, closing his eyes, then he rattled off a list of names. "Village hidden under the lake, village hidden in the leaves, village hidden in the stone, village hidden in the sand, village hidden in the rain, village hidden in the grass, village hidden in the clouds, village hidden within the steel, village hidden within the wind, village hidden in the inferno, village hidden in the snow, village hidden under the ocean, and village hidden in the stars. And Kirigakure, too."

Genonosuke paled. "That's... fourteen villages..."

Rikimaru smiled. "And I'm wanted by twelve of them. Eleven if you don't count Kosuigakure. Maybe twelve again if Kirigakure decides to come after me, though I think the Mizukage accounted for my and Hyuu's passage too for helping... ...Some of those places were pleasant, others weren't. In any case, I managed to hold them off for periods of time by faking my death, changing my appearance, spreading rumors leading in the opposite direction... All of this didn't fool them for long, but it was enough to get me here. ... ...Actually, out of all those villages, I believe only three are still actively pursuing me, including the rogue unit led by Shisu. Must be because of the multiple deaths of entire ANBU squads. Pity. Some of them should have known better to attack me while in service of a powerful village."

"So that leaves two others... who?"

"Inferno and Star. ...They were the most powerful ninja of the ones I've met and worked for, unfortunately."

Hyuu wrinkled his nose. "And I haven't heard of several of the ones you mentioned, let alone those two."

Rikimaru smiled. "You wouldn't. They were also the most well-hidden and well-protected. The Hidden Inferno village is within a volcano, while Star lies on the top of one of the continent's tallest mountains. Some of the villages I mentioned, especially Inferno and Star, are not sanctioned as official villages. I doubt any but the Hokage have even heard a whisper of their existance."

Genonosuke and Hyuu became deep in thought at they pondered this new information. Rikimaru left the two and rejoined Hiroto and Rico'ki.

"Inferno and Star, huh? I wonder if they'll come all the way to Konoha?"

Hyuu shifted his eyes. "Some ANBU squads are fanatical about their work, I hear. Who knows?"

Genonosuke looked into the sky, and began thinking about his own clan again. My father... He was involved with Kosuigakure. I just know it... Genonosuke had decided; he would confront his father about the ordeal later at his home.

OOC: If I'm messing with continuity too much, Ultra, let me know. o_o

Rico shock his head, "Then they are no better than those I've left behind. However, I feel two strong emotions when I look at this place. One of an almost childlike sense of security, as if I was a small boy in my parents arms. But the other is a forboding sense of danger, the inability to let my guard down."

He sighed and put his weapon away, "Two exact opposite emotions of the same place. I can only assume both are tied to certain people, or groups of people. But I have memory of who."

He looked up finally and turned his head slightly to one side, "Hiroto. Who were my friends? If I'm to return I do not want them to think I'd forgotten them. I... remember a few faces. One had a scar, across his face. Eh, here." Rico'ki made a clusmy slitting motion across the bridge of his nose. "I also remember playing some kind of game with a boy. It was a strange vision because I'd never met any children in the Mist village that played strategy games like old men."

He paused staring at the sky as Hiroto nodded taking in the clues the amnesiaic ninja was letting go of. "Then theres one that I don't understand. All the visions with him in them felt positive, yet thinking about it makes my stomach upset. All I remember is these bright blue eyes and blond hair, even with meditation I have never been able to remember anything other than that." He sighed, "Those were three memories that were strong enough to survive. They only one I remembered clearly was what happened when you were captured, I assumed that was who I was."

OOC: Messing with continuity is hard when you're creating new villages. You're safe DDK.

xxxx

"Hmm...the first one is a Chuunin named Iruka. He's a first-year teacher for the Ninja Academy. Pretty easy guy to get along with." He frowned as he scratched his chin. "The second one is a bit tricky...I can't seem to recall anyone like that. You'll have to ask around for that...but the third one..."

Hiroto turned to the former bodyguard. "It can only be one of two people...the Fourth Hokage...or the boy who the fox was sealed in: Uzumaki Naruto."

xxxx

Later that night, everyone sat, gathered around a large bonfire. A few dozen sticks were stuck into the ground, each one holding a catfish.

Genonosuke tried to resist drooling. "Man...been awhile since I had fresh catfish."

"As in, right before we left on the mission?" answered Riko with a smirk. Genonosuke merely sweatdropped out of response.

Hiroto smiled as his nostrils flared. "Very nice catch Reiki."

"I had help from Hyuu and Riko," remarked the blue-haired ninja as he shifted his two fish around, letting the fire cook the raw side of his fish.

Izzy smiled as he glanced at Reiki. "You know...I have a nickname for you: Multi-Ninja. Cause, you've been to all those villages and whatnot."

Reiki blinked...and then he laughed. "Ha ha ha ha! My...first nickname I've had, I must say."

The mood was pleasant. Even Rico'ki, as sullen as he was, wasn't as grumpy as before. Probably because he was hungry, and he had fond memories of catfish, which weren't native to the Water Country.

Akura, meanwhile, was silent, staring intently into the fire...it was mesmerizing...somehow...

"Akki, you okay?" asked Riko as he looked at her curiously. Akura did not reply, her eyes were still fixated upon the flames.

Then, as the flames reflected off of her red irises...she gasped.

The image of a demonic Oni demon was revealed to her in the flames...and it chuckled an evil chuckle, chilling her soul. No one else saw what she saw...or heard what she heard.

Suddenly, it murmured, "I SEE YOU...LITTLE GIRL...HU HU HU HA HA HA HA!!!"

And Akura screamed.

xxxx

OOC: You don't mind, do you DDK? Just offering some extra juice for a potential plot you hinted at with Akura's old vision, where she was all demony and stuff.

OOC: Not at all. This provides an excellent opportunity, and is something I probably should have done earlier.

Uh... placeholder post? BATHROOM!

Back.

IC:

Akura was lying on her back, staring intently into the flames. Tha-...that was... just like she said.. The Oni... I...I...I..

"Akura." Reiki's gentle, yet firm voice forced her back to reality. Everyone was staring at her intently.

"Akura... Could you come with me?" Reiki asked, softly.

Akura could only nod at this point, and followed her uncle as if in a daze. They walked about thirty yards from the clearing, and then stopped under a tree. Rikimaru twitched. From the sounds behind him, Genonosuke, Riko, and Izzy had followed them. No matter, this concerned them too.

"...Was it the Oni?" Rikimaru asked, plainly. Akura's eyes registered shock, and he nodded. "Yes, I know. I knew ever since you were born... The white hair, the red eyes... Just like the story of Chuusi Bachiwaka before she left Kosuigakure. I've made trips to Konohagakure every now and then to check on you, and just recently, I felt a very strong, a very... evil energy within you, like the Oni was awakening..."

KILL HIM. came a voice in her head. She instinctively reached out...

Rikimaru grabbed her wrist and shook her. "AKURA. Wake up..!" He then slapped her face, and her eyes lurched back to normal.

"W-what did I...?"

"Akura, listen to me. The demon inside you, the Oni... It's getting stronger. Whatever you do, you can't give in!" Rikimaru's look was very fierce at this point. "Do you understand me, Akura?! At the Hidden Star Village, we were taught seals to counteract things like this, but I never finished my training. If you can hold out until I develop the skill on my own... Can you do that?"

Akura slowly nodded. "Good girl. Let's go back, then. And try to smile... Frowns don't look good on you, kid." Reiki's smile reassured Akura, and reminded her of those few and pleasant days when she would play with her uncle...

Riko, Genonosuke, and Izzy barely made it back before the others. They were chatting amongst themselves busily, but more than all, Riko and Genonosuke were discussing what they knew about Oni from their clan's demon hunting history.

Akura slowly sat down and smiled at everyone. "I'm sorry, everyone. I..I was sort of having a daydream-ish nightmare..."

Riko looked worriedly at Akura, and put his arm around her shoulder, and pulled her in. He whispered into her ear, "Don't worry Akura. We'll help you, no matter what."

So, the visions were true. I'm not who I thought it was. That means I have much to attone for, is that what he meant. Master contacted me at the shrine and said the years had turned me away from the path, I ignored him because I thought there was no other path for me.

I've never had these feelings to my memories, not until recently. This one confuses me the most, how can it stir up such strange feelings in me.

Rico watched the goingson with little understanding of them, but there was something familiar about them. Friendships between the children, friendship was only a word to the young man at that moment. His stay in the mist village had broken him of all but warrior instinct. Something he hated and fought against with all his willpower. And now to see this, he wanted to remember.

"I wasn't like this. I was happy, I know I was happy because I want to be happy. Killing and fighting doesn't make me happy so I know that thats not who I am." Rico muttered out loud. Who am I? Will Iruka know? Even if he does what good will it do? What is my purpose? I failed to protect the 4th. Was that my only purpose?

He sighed to himself and squeezed his knees closer to his body. No, it wasn't. Master was trying to tell me that and I wasn't listening. I feel like I was important to people.. but why?

Akura slowly sat down and smiled at everyone. "I'm sorry, everyone. I..I was sort of having a daydream-ish nightmare..."

Riko looked worriedly at Akura, and put his arm around her shoulder, and pulled her in. He whispered into her ear, "Don't worry Akura. We'll help you, no matter what."

His instincts had had his senses in a heightened state of alert since the vision had started coming. The whisper may as well been an anouncement. In his mind, it was, but the voice was much more childish than Riko's and much more annoying. "Ha! Don't worry about being weak Rico-kun! I'll help you! No matter what!" The voice was loud familiar and sent a sharp pain down his spine making him jerk his legs out flat and grab this log he was sitting on with both hands, his eyes wide with shock. A cloud seemed to cover his eyes, he saw himself and a few others. He was smirking at that same blond boy he'd seen before. "Eh hehe, don't look at me like that kid. Can't you go pester Iruka today? I promised Shikamaru he could beat me a few more times today." More figures seemed to fade in, all familiar, the two kids seemed to be polar opposites. The blond one glaring at him with flaring annoyance and the other quietly staring at a board with pieces on it muttering something about there being too many troublesome people to concentrate. He didn't fully understand what was happening but the man Hiroto had called Iruka seemed to be amused by it all. That is untill he heard himself again with the same mocking tone, "Come on Naruto, he told me he was taking you for ramen later."

It faded as the blond boy was latching himself to Iruka. He saw himself laughing, it all seemed to be what he wanted. A semi-normal life. Friends, people that looked up to him, everything he thought he'd never deserve or hope to attain. Was it all in konoha? The cloud was gone from his eyes but not from his mind.

He looked around at the others before muttering out lowly, "Was I... Like you."

Hiroto's mind was in a state of deep thought...and one of enjoyment at the same time. For the former, he was concerned about what had just happened to Akura. He planned to talk to Reiki about it later on.

As for the latter...the change of tone in Rico'ki's voice...it was reassuring. Good...he's already on the road to recovery. The Blind Sentinel grabbed a fish, saying, "They're done everyone; dig in."

Cue a satisfying, if slightly messy dinner.

xxxx

The next day.

The twelve walked along a dirt road, traversing further into the Fire Country. It was noon, and they had already passed a few small towns on the way back to Konohagakure. The forests had grown slightly thicker along the sides, and the pines and oaks began scaling to ever taller heights.

Suddenly, Riko's ears pricked. "I hear water..." He rushed off the path, moving through several rows of bushes...and then he came to a stop along a riverbank.

He was in awe; the massive river was at least 100 yards from bank to bank, moving with a great speed to the west. On the other side of the river stood mighty redwood trees, higher than any Riko had seen before. The water was crystal blue, and large rocks jutted out like miniature islands, causing white foam to manifest around them. And even from there, the boy could see salmon swimming up river to mate.

The blue-haired Chakuya gaped in awe as the other twelve joined him. "This...is this the Evermore River?"

"Yes," answered Hiroto. "The largest river in the Fire Country, running from the mountains on our northern borders to the sea on our western shores. And I think it's time we take a small break."

(OOC: I need a roleplay since the others ones I've been in have gone dormant for some reason, this looks as good as any. So, I'll apply for a character- read the story and be with you by this afternoon.

-

Name: Hiro Ediakai'ual
Age: Early-to-Mid Thirties, actual age unknown.
Appearance: Fiery red hair that is roughly worn, that drags to his neck. It's preferbally long. He wears a short black cape, along with a black tanktop, and dark blue pants. Boots fashion his attire and he bears long leather guantlets; colored dark blue. A firm belt goes across his waist and then to his shoulder. He bears a long katana on his waist belt. A firm sleeveless trenchcoat colored black is over his attire as well. The string that keept the trenchcoat closed are colored dark blue.
Personality: Generally gloomy, but has a firm grasp on life and acts good natured in check. He is an observer as well and odesn't go fists flying into things.
Jitsu Art: Genjutsu
Special Jutsu: None
_______________________________________________

Alright, theres the profile- I'll read over the RP now.)

Erm...okay. Welcome aboard then.

IC Later tonight.

Edit: That is, if someone else posts. >>

The river was always so calm. Serene. That's what Hiro Ediakai'ual believed. His eyes looking down slightly as he sat on a large boulder on the hem of the river. His long red hair firmly tied with a black headband to keep it out of his eyes. He tapped on his knee, with a sigh he looked up in the direction people were approaching.

"Hmm?" he muttered.

OOC: Make up your mind! XD

No seriously, welcome aboard. How's the RP look to you?

xxxx

Riko smiled with wonderment at the absolutely monstrous size of the river. Man...it's huge...

He quickly yelled, "Suiton; Suisuberu no jutsu!"

A few moments later, he was skimming across the water, looking more like an ice skater than a ninja. That's how free the water made him felt; whenever he performed this jutsu, he alwasy felt like a higher being of sorts. He didn't know where this feeling came from...he just knew that he felt it.

Geno snorted as Riko did a flip in the air before landing on the water, still gliding along as fast as ever. "Show off."

"A good one at that," remarked Izzy as he sat down in the grass, watching the salmon swim upward. Suki took off her footwear and put her toes in the water, giving her a chilling sensation. "Ah...wonderful..."

As Riko suddenly did a cartwheel, he saw Hiroto in front of him. Standing on the water.

The blue-haired Chakuya blinked as the Jonin looked at him up and down, as if measuring him.

Then, he said, "Ah...I see."

Riko blinked. "Eh?"

"The method I'm using to stand on the water is a simple matter of creating a tiny cushion of chakra beneath my feet, preventing me from sinking or falling into the water. But you Water Glide jutsu..." He smiled as he stared at Riko's feet."You've actually used your chakra to densify the water to a degree where your body can't even break the surface. With this jutsu, you're incapable of even falling through the water, unless you stumble or lose your concentration. This method uses less chakra...and seeing as how you're actually touching the water, friction is greatly decreased, allowing to glide along at high speed. Very impressive." Hiroto turned away, walking towards the river bank as he said, "This is why I wanted you to perform the technique back during my test...I wanted to see exactly how it differed."

Chakuya Riko blinked out of slight confusion. "Erm...thanks?" He continued gliding along.

As the Blind Sentinel neared shore, his ears suddenly twitched. Footsteps on the leaves. Branches being pushed aside. He glanced in the direction of the noise...and stared at the trees roughly twenty yards away from the main group. Well hello...who's this?

xxxx

Rikimaru the Multi-Ninja (:P) tilted his head at the sight of the red-haired (or is it blue?) man walking out of the forest. "And who might you be?"

xxxx

OOC: Like my explanation of how the Water Glide technique works DDK?

ooc: right, as I've said to at least one person I'm gonna post my characters techs now so people can RP them effectively, I'll try and post later tonight THIS IS NOT A PLACEHOLDER POST.
All three characters have the normal low level jutsu

Also i'll go bck and translate names later, or people can suggest some. ^__^
Suki:
I decided to dump her initial specialist jutsu because it was performing things I think even a Chuunin might have trouble with

Fuuma Shuriken "The shadow windmill"
Suki throws a Large shuriken which is hiding a second one in it's shadow

Suki CAN create fire from nothing (like sasukes fireball attack) but I can't think of the name right now
she may recently have learned how to perform the fire style, art of the dragons breath, phoenix technique,in which shurikens are concealed in the fireballs.

Kagemane-no-jutsu "Art of me and my shadow"
Suki is going to learn this in the near future when we have been in konoha for at least a day.

Diao:
Diao specialises in Illusion jutsu so will probably have higher levels of those than others, but lower levels of everything else

(bloodline level one) banmoku Kon no jutsu "many eyes of the soul"
through eye contact, Diao can discern her targets greatest fear, and through the use of other jutsu, recreate it

(Blood line level two to manifest in near future) "piercing eyes of night"
the same as level one but Diao dosn't have to look into the opponents eyes

"strands of the ebony spider"
Diao can use her chakra to manipulate her hair, turning individual strands into sharp needles, she can also stretch strands of her hair ,allowing her to say, stretch them between trees and stand on them, giving the illusion she is staning in mid air.

Kai:
Doton; Dotonoonyuudou no jutsu "Earth giant"
Kai forms huge stone hands to appear from the earth to grab and crush his foes

"tenacity of the ogre"
this is a kind of bloodline, it is a technique which functions without thought (like gaaras sand shield) most of Kai's chakra is used increasing his body strength, this has the side effect of, Horns, catlike pupils, tough skin and a larger stature, this draws chakra from his other techniques making them less effective (like his earth giant technique having a maximum of two hands) but allows him to tap into chakra to increase his speed, strength and toughness giving him the ability to use tougher hand to hand techs (Konoha whirlwind etc) this is a permanant change and will appear in the story

Kai has several minor techniques to shape earth and plans to learn many more, at the moment he's bugging Riko to help him invent a variation of the water clone, but for the earth element.

hope this helps everyone
feel free to chew me out for inventing stoopid techniques.
incidently, I've been giggling at this for the whole RP, Did you know (in MtG at least) that an Akki is a japanese goblin? they have shells.
also a few weeks back I obtained an actual leaf ninja headband, jealous?

OOC: We have a problem Smeggedoff; particularly, Kage Mane no jutsu. It is a technique only members of the Nara family know (as in, Shikamaru and his ilk). It's not a Bloodline Limit, but Suki would have to be a member of the Nara family to know this technique.

Aside from that, everything seems okay.

OOC: Yeah, Ultra. That's better than I could have come up with, anyway. =P

@ Smegg: The translator we've been using says Akki can mean demon, and I thought it was a nice little poke. Good that someone finally noticed. =P

ooc: crap, really? nuts, I like art of me and my shadow too.

how bout "art of walking the shadows"?
a technique in which suki can jump into one shadow and out of another

sounds like it could be too powerful, bah I'll try and think of a decent one during never mind the buzzcocks, that or some reason for Suki being linked to the Nara family...stupid nara

OOC: Don't diss the Nara family around Rico, well at least not after Mr. Amnesiaboy gets his memory back. You know Rico had to have some family to stay with. He's too spoiled to live with the orphans afterall.

And playing this angst-pile is killing me. I see hilarious opportunities for smartass remarks, but with Ricobutt in this emo mode I can't make them. Someone slap some sense into that coppertop moron.

ooc: wasn't dissing, just venting my own frustration 😛
how close a tie do you have to have with a family to know a technique? if it's a last name basis only I'm boned, however otherwise I realise Suki's history is surprisinly open ended, someone has been slacking it seems...oh wait, tis me

heck, I'm almost desperate enough to look for connections such as Suki's Aunt is married to a Nara....haaaaang on *strokes non existant goatee and goes to do math homework*

edit: anyhoo, I said i'd post, so before I go to bed

IC:
Kai, ran to the riverbank and dunked his head, he then sat back and rubbed his forehead, someone must have hit him, he reasoned, he seemed to have two bruises or something blooming on his forehead

Diao looked at Rico'ki "what are you afraid of?" she asked as if it was the most natural thing in the world
"fear gives an insight into someones subconcious, and I'd rather be told than to simply take the answer"

OOC: Someone in the family would have had to have taught the technique to someone not in the family, I think. Sometimes, though, it's better for the actual family members to have these techniques. Remember Chouji? Kakashi could use his family's techniques, but Kakashi's not fat, so it'd be likely he'd kill himself. Don't know how that would apply to shadows and the Nara's, though.

ooc: chouji's not fat! he's pleasingly plump! *bricked*
no seriously though, if necessary or just too much of a pain in the arse to other people, Suki can loose the tech, I just need a suitable replacement really

Rico looked thoughtful for a few moments then blinked at the ground, "I think, I'm afraid of you."

OOC: Instead of Kage Mane, how about simply adding chains to the bottom of Suki's spears so she can pulled them back after throwing them? Or to use them as a swing after chucking them into a stone wall. Think about it.

xxxx

Daio remained silent as glanced at the water. Her skull-shaped pupils stared back at her, almost mocking her for her difference. "I wouldn't blame...my eyes would make most people outside of my own clan afraid. I suppose that's why I'll have to get married to one of my own cousins or someone from another branch house of the clan...because it'll help keep the bloodline pure...and I doubt anyone else would want to spend their life with someone who looks like me."

Izzy's ears pricked at the sound of this...and he didn't bother to turn. The story was pretty much like his own, except he had been an orphan since his early youth...and he himself doubted he would ever get a girl. Maybe that was why he occupied himself with girly magazines. Man...this bites...

Daio smiled slightly, chuckling nervously to herself. "I suppose it doesn't really matter in the short term though."

Rico'ki was silent...and then he turned his face to the newcomer. "..."

Akura watched Riko glide across the water with interest. Something was bugging her... Then she realized what it was.

When Chuusi had possessed her during the fight with Haku, she had used the Suisuberu no Jutsu! Chuusi hadn't known the technique, Akura was sure of it... Had Chuusi pieced together the jutsu from memories of Riko and educated guesses? What else had her ancestor's restless soul found within her?

She suddenly noticed movement near the river, and turned to look. A man seemed to be standing some distance away.

Riko also noticed this person, and glided down the river to meet him. Riko could see a headband from this distance, but he couldn't tell the origin of the person from this distance. He called out, "Hello! Are you from Konohagakure?"

Genonosuke looked at the new person with a bit of contempt. Huh. Just what we need. Another potential enemy. I don't remember seeing him in the village before...

Rikimaru stood, puzzled. This man hadn't spoken yet, and appeared to be in thought. He decided to take his chances, and called out shortly after Riko did. "Hello, stranger! Are you friend or foe to we Ninja of the Leaf?" Rikimaru narrowed his eyes as he looked the man over. There was something about him...

ooc: bah, mebbes there'll be an opportunity to learn me-and-my-shadow later in the RP, also chouji's attack is actually comprised of two techniques
art of expansion
and art of the human juggernaut.

if they knew them any could use either, but the first one consumes caloric energy so you'd bereeeeeeealy hungry after, and the human juggernaut, would yeah prolly kill you if you weren't built for rolling.

and I think I'm gonna trade suki's spears for a p[ir of lrge shuriken, they suit her character more (not she hasn't actually used her short spears in the rp yet)
the shurikens will be attatched to her wrist in a folded state (looking like armblades) when not in use and they have a chain attatched to the centre (allowing her to fling them out and pull 'em back like a giant yo-yo)

so, in conclusion her jutsu will be

"fire element: hellfire pinwheel technique"
Suki funnels chakra into her shuriken causing them to rotate rapidly and burst into flame, this means they will ignite combustibles and leave nice scorch marks and fire trails in their wake.

Suki can perform a variation of the jutsu where se uses chakra to roate the blades without setting them on fire, this can be done when the blades are attatched to her arms for an effective close combat weapon.

this laso means I'll be changing suki's costume soon, especially her hair, as long braids and spinning blades do not mix

The red head snerked, "Your eyes, I hadn't noticed till just now."

Diao looked confused. The meek looking ninja shook his head, "I'm afraid of all of you. Because this is too much like a dream. For the past few years I've had visions of a life like yours. People that were important to me, and people that I was important too. Family, Friends, things that I didn't think I deserved or would ever deserve in the Mist village." He looked down, "Now, the visions seem to be true. Watching you and the others, I'm afraid. I think I'm afraid of failing."

Quote:

---

And playing this angst-pile is killing me. I see hilarious opportunities for smartass remarks, but with Ricobutt in this emo mode I can't make them. Someone slap some sense into that coppertop moron.

---

OOC: Okay.

xxxx

Hiroto steped onto shore, saying, "Pardon me, Mr. New Guy, but I need to do something real quick." The Blind Sentinel calmly walked over to Rico'ki...

THWOMP!

...and smack him on the skull with his right fist. Everyone else blinked as Hiroto continued to whack Rico'ki's head in a seemingly comical fashion. Ryu asked, "What are you doing?!"

"Knocking some sense into him. Moping, whining, moaning...not exactly something a guy with supranormal hearing wants to listen to."

Daio frowned as she watched Rico'ki's eyes shift slightly...and narrow. "I think you're hurting him."

"I know," casually remarked the Jonin. "This is something I do to anyone who gets in too foul a mood; I hit them until they finally snap. Don't know if it'll work on Rico'ki or not, but we'll definitely find out, eh?"

Riko sweatdropped at the grin on his sensei's face. ...goofball. Come to think of it, it's been awhile since I saw him act goofily...guess we were just too on edge during the mission.

Sure enough, Rico'ki's eyes continued to narrow...an annoyed expression came to his face...and then...

The young man simply fell over, unconscious. Hiroto had forgotten he wasn't one of his genin and didn't have the physical toughness of a ninja. But in either case he'd accomplised the same means of shutting him up.

For Rico however, the little nap was a whole knew meaning to the phrase, "A trip down memory lane." Oblivious to the outside world his mental wall has been weak while talking to Diao, the rough play by Hiroto had broken it. The combonation of his willpower weakened and even the playful whapping by Hiroto had flooded his mind with everything he'd supressed during his mission as a Kiri-nin came rushing back overloading his brain.

Kai knelt down next to Rico'ki and began poking him
seconds later diao dropped the large tree branch and Kai was on his back twitching
"idiot" she muttered

Hiroto sweatdropped at Rico'ki's prone form. "...whoops."

Genonosuke couldn't help but snicker. "I think you overdid it Hiroto-sensei."

Hyuu merely raised an eyebrow out of slight curiosity. This is the Blind Sentinel? He's more of an oddball than I thought he would be...

Meanwhile, Reiki was still waiting for the newcomer to respond.

xxxx

OOC: Hello? Mike, you there?

At this point, Reiki realized that around his head was still the hitai-ate of the Mist. He humphed, and turned away from this new person as he switched this headband with the one on his belt -- He was a full-fledged Leaf Ninja again. He laughed within as he thought about this. Leaf Ninja... 'again'... It's not like I ever left the Hokage's service, though. ...Will I truly be able to stay in Konohagakure? Shisu is still pursuing me, I know it.. And... and I know I won't be able to kill her. Just like before, when she killed Rikoku and Nanami... She will, however, try to make me suffer. ...The children will need to be prepared. Heavily.

He suddenly came back to reality, and turned towards the stranger again. "Huh..." the Multi-Ninja thought as he looked at the man's figure. "Maybe he's deaf? I'll try sign language."

Reiki began to make a series of hand signals he knew, in hopes the man would understand them.

ooc: I don't think mike's logged on

ic: Suki tapped hiroto on the shoulder "uum, Hiroto sensei? all things aside, shouldn't we be reporting back to the hokage now?"

Hiroto nodded. "I suppose so...we'll probably have to cut back on our leisure walk. We're actually early as is; the Hokage doesn't even know what we've been through." He glanced once more at the strangely silent newcomer. "Well, whoever you are, hope you have a good day." He gathered everyone around - with Izzy and Geno holding onto the unconscious Rico'ki - as he performed the necessary katas and slammed his hands into the ground. "Doton; Tsuchidan no jutsu!"

Moments later, the bullet-shaped slab of earth lifted into the air and rocketed off to Konohagakure, leaving Hiro behind by the Evermore River.

The man was silent, as if contemplating what do next.

(A/N: Sorry Mike. You could just walk to Konoha, but we've gotta keep things moving.)

xxxx

Konohagakure.

Sunset.

Hokage's Palace.

The Third took a small puff from his pipe as he read some papers; the Hyuga clan was asking for some more land, as another branch house had recently been added. Hmm...this'll require that another clan give up some land...what to do...

BOOM!

The Third paled as an earthen bullet rammed through the walls. It disintegrated into soil and pebbles; when the dust faded, he could see twelve people sprawled along the ground.

Hiroto chuckled as he shook his head free of dirt. "Whoops. Overshot my landing."

"Hiroto?"

The Blind Sentinel turned his head, staring at the Hokage with a surprised expression. "Oh. Hello Hokage-sama." All the members of Special Squad One immediately snapped to attention.

The Third looked at the group...frowned at the sight of a Mist Chuunin...gaped at the sight of the unconscious Rico'ki...and blinked at the sight of Bachiwaka Reiki. "...children. Leave us. That includes you, ninja of the Mist."

Hyuu was silent as he was led out of the office by Genonosuke, leaving with the rest of SS1's Genin. This left Hiroto, Reiki, and the KO'd Rico'ki. "Well...this is certainly a surprise. Not only are you here a few days early...but you have some tagalongs. Explain to me what happened."

"Gladly," replied Hiroto.

Genonosuke humphed as they left the Hokage's office. "Geez... We became ninja, went through all that, and still we're just 'children'. Life's unfair, I tell you."

Riko looked thoughtful for a moment, then replied, "You'd rather be treated like an adult, then? Or a Jonin? Jonin are expected to cope with many of the things we saw on a daily basis... No offense Geno, but I don't think you - or any of us for that matter - are ready for that kinda responsibility yet."

Genonosuke simply glared at Riko, but nodded. "I...guess so. But you know? I think we're a hell of a lot closer to adulthood than we were before."

Riko shrugged, then pulled out the scrolls from earlier. "Let's see.. Huh? Oh wait..." He turned towards Kai. "Hey, Kai! Didn't you want to see how the Mizu Bunshin was done?" Kai suddenly looked interested and nodded. Riko looked around, and noticed a puddle of water under a water faucet. "There's just enough water there for one clone, albeit a much weaker one than normal." He focused his chakra, and performed the necessary hand seals. "Mizu bunshin no jutsu!" he exclaimed, and the water leapt into the air and formed itself into a human shape. The result was not what Riko expected. Due to the lack of water, the Bunshin had assumed a much skinnier version of Riko. The young Chakuya was so shocked, he lost his concentration and the clone fell apart. Whoa, he thought, that was me? Huh... Maybe I can look something like that one day.

Kai looked happy at this, but Hyuu seemed more interested in the scrolls.

"You took those from the Kirigakure library, I assume?"

Riko nodded.

"...May I see them?"

Riko handed the three scrolls over and Hyuu looked them over. "Huh. Interesting... You have pretty good taste. The Water Clone, the Water Dragon Blast, and the Puddle Hiding jutsus... These three techniques have proven invaluable to Mist Ninja time and time again." Hyuu handed them back. "If you're going to learn about the ways of water jutsu, you can ask me or Rikimaru, I'm sure. Of course, that's assuming I get to live here... I know not the temperment of your Hokage, but I didn't hear malice in his voice when he spoke to me. Either way, I can't tell what he's going to say to my question."

Akura, meanwhile, was suddenly thinking of Diao. Her attention had been caught earlier once Diao began speaking about herself, her eyes, and people that feared or shunned her because of them. I wonder if there's anything I can say to cheer her up... she thought. I definitely know what she's going through, but as for people outside the clan to marry... I suppose I've always been lucky in that I became friends with Riko. ...I've never thought about it before, but I can't imagine being with anyone else. Finally, Akura spoke up. "Um, Diao..." Diao suddenly looked at her. "We've all been on the same squad all this time, but I don't think I really asked you... Do you want to be friends?"

Genonosuke, too, had his attention distracted. This time, on Suki. He was trying to work up his nerve to ask her out, which was really odd. Genonosuke had no trouble getting other girls his age to fawn over him, but the girls in this squad hadn't paid attention to him, and this one... Suki... she was different. Definitely. And hot. And funny. And intelligent. And... What the hell am I thinking? Grr... Well, I might as well ask her. If I get rejected, I get rejected. He walked over to Suki, trying to put on a very unsuitable calm and serious look. "Hey, Suki!" he called, and she looked at him questioningly. "Uh, I was thinking... how about after this mission is officially over, I take you out to eat or something?" Smooth, Genonosuke. Real smooth. He mentally slapped himself, but waited for her response.

Suki, feeling a bit hungry and thinking it to be only a friendly invite (and not suspecting any ulterior motives), cheerfully said, "Sure! Just as long as it's not wasabi."

Geno blinked out slight shock; she had said yes. Whoa. Weird. "Um...does Ichiraku Ramen sound good?"

"OF COURSE! It's the best ramen shop in the village!" Suki quickly ran off, leaving Geno in her dust. The confused swordsman yelped, "W-w-wait up!" He took off after her.

Izzy's jaw dropped out of disbelief. NO. FREAKIN'. WAY. How come inviting a girl out for food never worked for me?!

"Huh. Suki actually fell for it," muttered Kai.

"Fell for what?" asked Akura.

Kai snorted. "The old 'invite the girl for food' data trick! I can't believe Suki was dumb enough to fall for it."

"She's not dumb," retorted Daio. "She's just very cheerful and friendly. Besides, this is probably an opportunity for free food; she's not one to skip out on that."

Riko was silent as he watched his cousin down the hall to catch up with Suki. Hmm...I hope it goes well.

Ryu commented, "I wonder how long they're going to be in there..."

/30 Minutes Later/

"THEY'RE STILL IN THERE," grumbled Kai.

"Yep," muttered Ryu.

xxxx

"So...that's what happened?"

"Yes sir," remarked Hiroto. "And might I add that we shouldn't except business from Gato Shipping & Transport again? They're rathor unsavory."

The Third frowned as he folded his hands, his pipe trailing smoke. "Hmm...very interesting..." So much happened in this mission...I put those children into too much risk. Yet they come out more refined than ever...they helped stop a coup...and a Mist Swordsman was felled by their hands... "I suppose the creation of Special Squad One has proven to be a boon so far, wouldn't you agree?"

Hiroto nodded. Then he glanced at Rico'ki, who was laying on a small sofa. "What about him?"

"Leave him there," remarked the Hokage as he took another puff. "I want to speak to him when he awakens. As for you Reiki..." He glanced at the Multi-Ninja. "I want you to remain seated. I want to speak to both you and the Mist ninja personally; he said he wants to join Konoha...I'll have to speak to him first. Seeing as you were in Kirigakure, I'll want to cross-evaluate him."

Reiki nodded.

Hiroto calmly reached into his vest and pulled out the $10,000 check. "Here."

The Third calmly said, "Thank you. You are dismissed." The Blind Sentinel nodded as he walked away, exiting through the door. Moments later, Hyuu walked in. "Yes sir?"

"Take a seat."

Hyuu nodded as he sat down. The Hokage said, "So...tell me why you want to defect from the Mist...and join the Leaf."

xxxx

Hiroto stared down at the six other Genin of SS1 oddly. "You're still here? I dismissed you after we got in the Fire Country. Go home. Have fun. Go and eat like Geno and Suki. Something. Relax; you all need to unwind after the mission."

"...you heard Geno and Suki leave?" asked Kai.

Hiroto smirked. "When you're only thirty feet away, a door doesn't really make much of a difference to me." The Jonin calmly opened a nearby window and jumped out.

The six Genin were silent.

Then they stared at each other.

"So...I guess we leave," muttered Izzy. The others nodded.

Moments later, Riko, Akura, and Izzy left together. Daio and Kai left for their home. Ryu exited through the window, heading for the forest on Monument Range for two reasons: to reacquaint himself with the animal life...and to see the Honorstone, to remind himself of how close he and the others had come to getting his name on that wall.

Akura suddenly realized something as they were walking - Diao hadn't answered her. Had she been distracted by Genonosuke and Suki, or did she not simply want to answer? Whatever the case, Riko interrupted her thoughts.

"Hey, let's go join Geno and Suki."

Akura blinked. "Huh?"

"It's not like they're on a date or anything, though Geno would probably prefer it that way. I feel like some ramen with cheese, you know?"

Akura's eyes lit up at the mention of her and Riko's favorite food. She piped up, "Oh yeah! And maybe with some spices this time! I haven't had good ramen in a while!"

Izzy blinked as he observed Akura. "I don't get it... Geno asks Suki out, she goes. Riko asks Akura out. She goes."

Akura turned her head to Izzy. "I don't really look at it as 'going out', you know? Going out to have ramen together is just one of the many things I enjoy doing with Riko-kun... I'm really grateful for his friendship."

Riko blushed, and said, "Um... I'm grateful for yours too, Akki-chan..."

Izzy blanched, and said, "What about me, huh? What am I? Chopped sushi?"

Riko shook his head. "No, Izzy. I appreciate you being there too, man. It's just... Besides you and Akura, and maybe Genonosuke if you count him... You never can tell... I've just never had too many friends. I always thought it was the way I looked... I mean, I'm not FAT... But I'm bigger than the rest of you. Combine that with my long blue hair, and the fact that I grew up under one of the lesser liked clans in the village... ...Genonosuke broke free of that, though. People liked Genonosuke, despite him not being the smartest. He's always had this open, friendly attitude to most people, and-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Riko. How did we get from the subject of appreciating friendship to Genonosuke's social life?"

Riko shrugged. "I've just been thinking lately. I've always been one of the quietest ones... Made great grades, mastered the basic jutsus before anyone else... But I've never really had FRIENDS before you two. Genonosuke took longer to master jutsus, but his combat ability managed to keep his grades up. Still, he's as dumb as a rock when it doesn't come to battle or making traps... And he gets all the friendship and praise. 'Genonosuke, you're so cool!' or 'I'm so proud of you, son! You show all those whimpering idiots out there whose boss!'. And he comes around and goes from the least prepared of us Genin to killing a Mist Swordsman..."

Izzy was gaping. "Wow, Riko. It sounds like you HATE Geno or something."

Riko shook his head. "No, not at all... If there's any Chakuya I don't like, it's Tatsuya, my uncle. He pretends to be good on the surface, but I've heard some of the things he's said before, and... Well... About Genonosuke, I just kinda... envy him sometimes. Though... I don't even want to think about what my uncle will do once he finds out Geno's killed one of the Mist Elite."

They kept walking along, silent, until Akura spoke up. "Don't let it bother you, Riko-kun."

Riko looked up, surprised. "What, Akki?"

Akura smiled. "Genonosuke. Or Mr. Chakuya. Or any of it. You're you, Riko-kun. That's all that matters to me. Big or small, long hair or short, quiet or talkative... You'll always be Riko-kun to me."

Riko smiled. "Thanks, Akki-chan."

Izzy sighed, muttering, "Now, see, why couldn't I have a girl fawning over ME like that? You guys have all the luck."

They approached the ramen shop, and went inside. Genonosuke and Suki were sitting at a table together. Genonosuke looked rather nervous, while Suki was chatting about something or another; probably her shuriken techniques. Suki smiled, and said, "Oh, yeah? Didn't you say you wanted to ask me something?"

Genonosuke gulped, and began to say, "Uh... Suki... Um, well... do you... do you want..."

Suki looked over Genonosuke's shoulder and waves. "Riko! Izzy! Akura! Over here!" Genonosuke's eyes nearly popped out of his head, and he facefaulted. Akura and Izzy smiled as they sat down while Riko went to order. "Hey, Riko! I'll have whatever it is you and Akura are getting, ok?" Riko gave a thumbs up and rattled off the order for three Ramen with Cheese bowls and pepper seasonings.

Suki turned back to Genonosuke. "You were saying, Geno?"

Genonosuke sweatdropped, and said, "Uh... Do you want... another bowl of ramen?"

Suki's eyes went wide and she exclaimed, "Sure!". Genonosuke sighed as he waved his index finger at the front to place another order. Dammit... She makes me tense up when I talk to her... I guess that's why I asked her out. I've never felt this way before... It's kinda weird.

Riko waited a minute after their order had arrived, and picked up Suki's bowl too. He walked over to the table and began passing it out. Izzy and Suki immediately dug in, and Akura applied salt to the noodles; Riko added curry powder.

Izzy suddenly looked up from his bowl of ramen, and asked, "Hey, Geno... Riko said something about the Chakuya clan not being liked. What-"

"IZZY!" Izzy's face turned blue as he looked at Riko, who now had a vein bulging out of his head. "Why did you even say anythin-"

"It's ok, Riko."

"Huh?"

Genonosuke's face looked serious. "It's ok. I had been wondering about that, too... The answer is, I don't know why our clan isn't liked very well. Everyone knows my father is a showoff and a bigot when it comes to other clans. But.. I don't think that's quite it. I think it has more to do with that story Rikimaru told us. The one about the Village Hidden under the Lake?"

Everyone nodded.

"I think it has a lot to do with that. Our clan and a few other clans they called into arms slaughtered a tiny village that couldn't defend itself. That's what Rikimaru said, anyway. I always had the feeling that if not for our smithy..."

Riko nodded at this. The Chakuya Smithy wasn't just for the clan's use. The clan supplied Konohagakure with many of its kunai, shuriken, and they even made custom weapons for some ninja... for a price. Most people didn't know or care about this, though. The Chakuya clan was a relatively small one now - many of the Jonin and Chuunin that had been in the family had been killed after they failed to seal the Nine Tailed Fox away six years ago. The reduced size of their clan had diminished their reputation in Konohagakure, but they were still important because of their skill in making weapons.

"If not for our clan's smithy, I think things wouldn't be the same today." Genonosuke ended it, curtly.

The rest of the meal went by silently. Suki patted her stomach after finishing her - what? Fourth? Fifth? bowl of ramen. "Aaaah..." she sighed, "That hit the spot! Thanks, Geno, it was great! See you all later! Bye!" "...No problem." Genonosuke said quietly as Suki ran home.

"The bill, sir." Genonosuke had just been handed the check, and he fiddled around his his clothes. Then it hit him.

"Aw, man! I didn't bring any money on the mission!" The look of utter terror on his face was priceless.

Riko shook his head and Akura sighed as she pulled out her purse and paid the owner. Izzy scratched his stomach and yawned. "Maaan. I'm tired. I'll catch you all later. I'm gonna go home and take a nap. Later, Riko, Akura. Yaaaawn." Izzy walked out of the shop sleepily. "Thanks, Akura!" Genonosuke said, greatfully as they left. "I'll pay you back, I swear it!" Geno and Riko waved goodbye to Akura as they went their seperate ways. Finally, the two Chakuya boys reached their house. And both of them dreaded what was to come.

"Genonosuke! My son! You've returned home successful, I see!" Tatsuya's big grin spelled Genonosuke's doom, he knew, for he was to be expected to tell the story. "Tell me how your rescue mission went!" Tatsuya said as he practically lifted Genonosuke and plopped him in a chair. Riko shook his head and walked upstairs to his own room, and hopped into his own bed for a short nap.

"Well, father, I..." Genonosuke began telling the entire story, of how the B mission had started, and how it got upgraded to a Super-A, and of Goukamaru and Zabuza and Riko and Akura getting kidnapped, and the coup against the Mizukage, and finally Goukamaru's death by the hands of Genonosuke.

Tatsuya sat smiling at Genonosuke for a while, then spoke up cheerily. "That was a great story, son, but tell me. What really happened?"

Genonosuke shook his head angrily. "That IS what happened, father. And I have the shards of Goukamaru's blades to prove it." He tossed the bag of shards to his father, who hesitated, then opened it. He pulled out two fragments, one of each sword, and examined them closely. "Geno..." he said quietly. "These are fragments of swords that have slaughtered hundreds of ninja... You truly killed a Mist Swordsman?" Genonosuke nodded.

Tatsuya grinned and tossed the shards back into the bag and handed it back to his son, before picking the boy up and squeezing him with one arm. "This is incredible! MY BOY, Genonosuke! He killed one of the seven Mist Swordsmen!" Gennosuke wormed his way out of his father's grip, and said quietly, "You do remember that I told you I was helped, right father?"

Tatsuya smirked. "You didn't need their help."

Genonosuke's eyes glared at his father. "I didn't tell you WHO helped me father. An old friend of yours."

Tatsuya raised an eyebrow at this. "A friend of mine? In Kirigakure? You're joking, I hope."

Genonosuke calmly said, "I've told you my story, father. Now tell me yours. I want to know what happened at Kosuigakure."

Tatsuya's eyes widened into shock. "You... You..." Acceptance. "...Reiki. Reiki was the Jonin you described, wasn't he?" Genonosuke nodded. Tatsuya turned away angrily. "It happened as he told you, son. But I admit it proudly. Anyone who attacked a member of my clan, especially my own brother... They deserved no mercy!"

Genonosuke said quietly, "And you didn't know it was Reiki who attacked uncle Rikoku, did you?"

Tatsuya nearly fell down. "Reiki... He was the assassin who nearly killed my brother?!"

Genonosuke replied, "Well, who did you think it was?"

Tatsuya was silent for a moment. "I knew of Kosuigakure. It was a village not too far from Konohagakure... In fact, very close. A day's walk, or a faster run. I had thought their ANBU unit, a team of elite assassins, had been sent. I never thought it was Reiki..."

"And so the clan killed everyone associated with the ANBU unit, and then anyone else who tried to stop them."

"Watch your tone, boy. Yes. We're not a big clan... But we have sources. I knew who the ANBU unit's leader's family were. And I killed them one by one in revenge."

Genonosuke's eyes widened. "YOU killed-?"

Tatsuya growled, "I'll say no more of it. ...Knowing that Reiki was there, I'm really not in the least surprised Goukamaru died, though I am proud it was by your hand. You did an excellent job, son, and we'll celebrate accordingly later. But do not speak of Kosuigakure again. I forbid you from it." Tatsuya left the room in a humph.

Genonosuke sighed. That didn't go well... Well, anyway... With that out of the way, I'm more concerned about these. He held up the bag of shards. I can feel ...evil... in these shards. I don't know how to explain it. I'll go talk to Aunt Kukuru, I guess. Genonosuke proceded to head to Kukuru's house.

Kukuru lived in a small house for rent within the inner part of Konohagakure. She was just cooking lunch as Genonosuke burst through the door. "Aunt Kukuru!" "Geno?"

She raised her eyebrow as Genonosuke set the bag of sword shards onto the table next to her. "This bag... I feel evil from it. Why?" He immediately opened the bag and dumped the shards onto the table.

She took her bacon off the stove, and wrapped raw fish with it. "Want some?" she offered. Genonosuke shook his head, even though she had made his favorite food; sushi wrapped in bacon. "I just ate, sorry. Can you save some for me?" Kukuru smiled and nodded, then looked at the shards again.

"I assume these were parts of a weapon or two... Ah, yes. Here are the hilts." She picked up a shard and examined it closely. "I see..." "What is it, Aunt Kukuru?"

She placed the shard down. "Where did you get these?" Genonosuke quickly told her everything. "Just as I thought... These swords have tasted much blood. The evil you and I feel is not a sentient evil, mind you, but rather... Let me explain. Chakra flows throughout the body. It has its own system that it travels through, similar to blood veins but not quite as physical, called the Inner Coil system. However... our flesh, our bones, our brains, and our blood... All of these, too, are saturated with chakra. These blades have killed so many, and absorbed so much chakra that this Goukamaru you speak of was able to influence and shape this absorbed chakra with his mere emotion. He left a sort of... imprint of himself, I suppose you would call it. It should be easy enough to purify, simply by extracting the chakra and allowing it to dissapate."

Genonosuke nodded, pretending to understand. He didn't really know about the finer points of chakra, but he was sure Riko would have found whatever Kukuru had just said fascinating.

She bit into a piece of fish, and then formed a one-handed kata. She mumbled the name of the jutsu, but Genonosuke couldn't hear it through her full mouth. Suddenly, the sword shards began to glow, and a blue energy suddenly began to course of them, gathering into a ball above the table. Soon, a sphere the size of Genonosuke's head was floating over Kukuru's table as she calmly bit into her fish again. She swallowed, and then freed both hands. "Ok, now to complete the technique." She formed a strange seal, one Genonosuke had never seen before. Suddenly, the blue sphere burst into black flames and violent wind coursing through the kitchen. Genonosuke blinked at the dust settled. It had appeared that the flames were only ethereal, but the wind had certainly been real enough. Objects lay turned over everywhere in Kukuru's kitchen as she sighed.

"Another mess to clean up. Oh well, I believe you got the desired result, eh?" Genonosuke bowed. "Thank you, Aunt Kukuru." He swept the shards and the hilts into the bag, and quickly ran home.

"That boy..." Kukuru murmured, and began to laugh heartily.

By this time, Riko had woken up and was practicing his jutsu out back on the pond. Four Mizu Bunshins surrounded him, brandishing their Bo staves.

"If I'm to get any better..." Riko mumbled, "Then I'll need to train! And hard! I'm going to train so that I won't be helpless to protect Akura like before... And I'll train to prove to myself that my promises mean something!" The four water clones rushed at him over the water's surface with incredible speed.

ooc: dang, umm the reason Diao didn't reply to akura was...I was asleep, but I forgot to sign of the mobius forum ^__^;

IC: Diao walked home slowly, she had had a chance to make more friends but her reluctance had blown it, she stopped considered something and by the time kai had turned around she had disappeared onto the rooftops.
he shrugged and kept walking, the bruises on his forehead had graduated in bumps and then his stomach growled, he forgot all about Diao and ran home to raid the cupboards.

Suki was on her way home too when she passed the library and did a double take
"I wonder if those scrolls I wanted are back in?" she walked towards the door and almost knocked over a small child with long pink hair "oops, sorry sakura"
she could swear, that child read more than she did

Genonosuke sighed as he plopped down onto his bed, holding Kintetsu above him. On the floor beside his nightstand was the bag containing the shards of the Double-Blade's swords. Hmm...maybe I should go ahead and merge Kintetsu with Chaketsu's fragments. He still debated whether or not to include Mugenjin's; the idea of a saw-tooth blade didn't really appeal to him. A blade cut should be clean and even; not bloody or raggedy. Even so, the advantage of quick and easy fire WAS appealing...no no, not if it meant he used human flesh as fuel. That wouldn't work at all.

"Hello."

Genonosuke tilted his head to see Hyuu standing in his room, an open window behind him. "Hey Hyuu...what brings you here?"

The Mist Chuunin smiled as he pointed at his hitai-ate...an that's what made Geno pale.

It was a Leaf hitai-ate.

"The Hokage allowed me to become a Leaf ninja. I have sworn my loyalty to Konoha."

Genonosuke laughed out of joy as he sat up. "That's awesome! Do you know where you're gonna live yet?"

"Until permanent housing is arranged, I'll be living in the Hokage's Palace." Of course, this elicited a look of shock from Geno. "And if that wasn't good enough, the Hokage said if your sensei agrees, I can join your squad."

"Man...this is just too freakin' sweet to be true." Genonosuke chuckled at the thought of a freakin' CHUUNIN being part of their team.

"Of course, due to regulations and all, I'm back down to Genin level."

Cue facefaulting by Genonosuke.

Suddenly...

"Psst! Hey! Geno!"

Genonosuke sat up...and saw Suki hanging out the window. "Huh? Suki? W-what are you doing here?"

The scantily-clad girl giggled nervously as she pulled herself onto the windowsill. "I was on my way home from the library, and well, you see..." She pulled both of her short spears from the sling on her back and dropped them to the floor. "I'm just not that big of a fan of spears...think you might be able to exchange these with your clan smithy for windmill shuriken?"

"Um...well, you see..." Genonosuke stuttered helplessly, causing Hyuu to arch an eyebrow out of curiosity. "Uh, y-you see...I, um...well...yeah, s-sure thing."

"Great!" cheerfully said Suki as she flipped backwards from the window, landing on the ground below and running off.

Silence.

Hyuu glanced at Geno with a sarcastic eye and asked, "Lovestruck, are we?"

"Aw shut up," lightheartedly muttered Geno.

xxxx

The Hokage sighed as he stared at the paperwork on his desk. Sometimes he felt very fatigued by all the writing he had to do. Oh well, it was part of the job.

He glanced over at Rico'ki; the man was still asleep. He had already dismissed Reiki and Hyuu, leaving Rico'ki the remaining 'visitor'. The Third sighed; judging from what Hiroto had told him during the debriefing, their plan to make him a spy had been ill-conceived. I should've known better...but hindsight is 20/20.
Knock knock.

"Come in."

A small boy of seven walked in, carrying a folding Shogi board. His expression was that of an annoyed person, and his hair was neatly tied with one band, giving off the impressin of a pineapple. His clothes were rather simple; white T-shirt, black pants, and wooden sandals. "Hello Hokage-sama."

"Hello Shikamaru," replied the Third with a warm smile. "I had forgotten today was the day for our weekly game."

The young boy sighed irritably as he walked into the large office. "This place is too long for someone to walk from my house."

"You saw that all the time," remarked the Hokage with a smile as he watched Shikamaru put the board up; the boy hadn't even realized Rico'ki's presence yet. "Shall we begin?"

"Of course sir," replied the young Shikamaru as he set the pieces up. Within minutes, the two were in a heated game of Shogi.

And all the while, Rico'ki began to stir.

xxxx

Creak...creak...creak...

Juuli sighed with pleasure as the noises stopped. She emerged from her room, fully clothed. "Ah..." The solace she gained from those moments...was little. It was all she could do to ease the suffering of Genki's passing...to have his image with her...

Knock knock.

Someone was knocking on her front door. It must be Akura. She ran a hand through her sweaty hair, opening the door to let Akura in.

Only, it wasn't Akura.

The sight of the person at the door made Juuli gasp out of shock. "...you."

"It's been awhile," said Bachiwaka Reiki.

ooc: a quick note, according to the jutsu list provided by ultra, Fuuma shuriken doesn't exist, however Kage shuriken does the exact same thing, all I can say is that Fuuma shuriken must not be the name of the technique, but instead a sort of nickname or something *shrug*

ic: Diao quickly found herself on akuras roof, just in time to hear reiko knock on the door it seemed.
Diao decided to sit and wait for Akura to return home so she could apologise

Genonosuke sighed as he looked at Suki's spears. "Windmill Shuriken, eh? She wants a couple of Fuma?" he grinned. "I can't blame her. They're pretty effective weapons when used right." He turned to Hyuu, and smirked. "You coming?"

Hyuu shrugged. "I might as well. I don't have anything else to do right now."

The two Leaf Genin leaped out of Genonosuke's window and went to the back of the the Chakuya's small estate. Hyuu raised an eyebrow as they passed the lake; Riko was staff-training furiously with his Mizu Bunshins. Genonosuke smirked, and muttered, "He never wanted to train against ME..." Hyuu replied, "Honestly, that's a very good way of training. Not only can you precisely control how your opponent attacks you allowing for exact training, but the strain of focusing between your own attacks and those of the Mizu Bunshin -- especially four of them -- is enough to make any warrior improve upon himself eventually."

Genonosuke shrugged. "Sure, sure. Riko has his style of training and I have mine." They kept walking and eventually entered the Chakuya clan smithy. The smithy was seperated into three parts; the furnace, and two seperate weapon storage areas that were ventilated to keep the weapons cool. Hanging on the walls were weapons of all sorts; swords, axes, spears, naginatas, metal fans, and even unwieldy looking clubs. Kunai hung on bars extending from the walls, ten at a time. Shuriken were arranged neatly into pouches, thirty to a medium-sized bag. And in the middle of this metal madness, the main masterpiece: The Chakuya Forge. Taking up at least one third of the smithy within the third room was a gigantic furnace with an anvil the length of a coffin and the height of a man's waist nearby.

"I'm sorry, but that anvil looks like it's compensating for something." Hyuu remarked. Genonosuke grinned, and playfully shoved Hyuu. "Shut it, you. I'll have you know an anvil of this size is necessary for some of the ridiculous custom orders we get from time to time."

Genonosuke looked through the various stockpiled weapons and frowned. "Darn. These Fuma are all custom-made and reserved. I guess I'll have to forge some myself." Hyuu raised an eyebrow. "You can do that?" Genonosuke grinned. "Yup. When members of the Chakuya clan turn eight years of age, we are taken to the Smithy to forge a weapon, then practice training in that weapon. Riko got out of it by forging an iron bar that was too heavy for him on purpose... My father didn't push the subject and allowed Riko to craft a Bo out of wood. Anyway, the point is that all Chakuya men know how to use this smithy." Walking towards the entrance to the furnace room, Genonosuke picked up a pair of blacksmith's tongs and a smith hammer. "Hey, Hyuu? Can you get the Fuma mold for me? It's next to that set of katars. Thanks." Hyuu grabbed the mold and followed Genonosuke into the furnac room. The sweltering heat almost made him change his mind about stepping in, but he did.

Genonosuke grinned as he quickly set the materials up and pumped the bellows a little. "We keep the furnace always on at a lower temperature so we don't have to wait so long when firing it up." he explained. Hyuu sweatdropped at the mention of this heatwave being a 'lower temperature'. Once the heat had risen a little, Genonosuke put on some working gloves. "Time to get started." he said with an inspired look on his face. It was time to make some custom-order fuma shuriken, and he wasn't going to let Suki down!

xxx

"Are you sure you don't know a man named Higarashi, sweetie?"

Akura shook her head as the old lady finished her question. "No ma'am. Never heard of him."

The old lady's face creapt into a gentle smile, and she ran her fingers through Akura's hair. "Such fine hair, lass... My hair was a color like this once... Ah, for those days... But, lass, are you sure you don't know a man named Higarashi? Or... Wait a moment, I'm sorry... Now, what WAS his name? Rokimaru? Or his other name... Recki.... Ricky?"

"Reiki?" Akura had spoken without thinking.

The old woman snapped her fingers and smiled. "Yes, child! That's the name! It seems you know him after all?"

Akura realized this woman was looking for her uncle. Could it be...? Was she a member of an ANBU unit? Akura's eyes trailed upwards and she saw the trademark headband of a ninja, but the old lady's hair obstructed the symbol. Akura quickly covered herself.

"Um, I DID know A Reiki, ma'am. He was my uncle who left the village a while back... Four years ago I think..."

The old woman suddenly looked disappointed. "Oh... That's too bad, dearie. I was certain he had come here... Well, thank you anyway, lass." The old woman began to walk, hobbling on her worn cane. Akura blinked. This old lady seemed completely harmless, and yet... Yet she was wearing a hitai-ate of some sort. Who was she?

xxx

Juuli had paled at the sight of her brother-in-law. "C-come in, Reiki." she said, quieter than she thought she had. "Let me pour you a glass of-" Reiki shook his head as he closed the door. "That won't be necessary, Juuli. ...?" Reiki sniffed the air. Jutsu smoke, water, and a few smells recognizable from his more loving days in Kosuigakure... "What the-? You're STILL having sex with Water Clones?" Juuli flushed out of embarrassment. "Well, nevermind... That's not what I came to talk to you about. It's Akura." Juuli looked down and sighed. "From the look on your face, it seems you probably already know. Well, she's manifested." Juuli suddenly looked up with shock. "...what?!" Reiki's face looked grim. "The Oni's powers have begun to manifest themselves within her - she's begun the use of high level jutsu... The infamous invisibility jutsu of Chuusi, the Meimei. And a powerful Genjutsu that I could feel from outside Konohagakure's walls... And yesterday, she saw and heard the Oni while gazing into a flame."

Juuli suddenly decided to pour herself a drink. A very strong drink. Reiki grabbed the shot glass and the bottle, and smashed them into the sink; their contents flowing into the drain. Juuli gasped in both shock and desperation. "No, Juuli, I don't think you should be doing that anymore." he said, quietly. "I'm still being pursued by hunter-nin, you realize. I won't be able to be a full-time uncle for awhile. She needs you, Juuli."

Juuli slumped to the floor. "I...I need Genki..." Reiki looked at his sister-in-law with pity. "We both miss him, Juuli. But now is not the time to drown ourselves in past memories and alcohol. Now is the time for healing. Healing of my mind, healing of your body, and healing of Akura's soul." Juuli looked up, tears streaming down her face. Reiki kneeled and touched her chin. "You, Riko, and I are the closest ones to Akura. If she loses any of us, then I fear what might happen to her. Now, listen. I've been going over the techniques of the spiritual Star Village in hopes that I can train myself to seal the Oni away for a time. However, in the end..."

xxx

Riko slid to a slow as he observed the smoke coming out of the smithy. "What is Geno doing...?" Riko muttered to himself. "Oh, well. I have to get back to training. I wonder if this idea would work..." He quickly began experimenting with his Mizu Bunshins. If he could get this to work, then...

OOC:

Smeggedoff: The Fuma/fuuma is a TYPE of Shuriken. Sasuke uses that particular type against Zabuza to free Kakashi.

ooc: schweet, the more you know I guess. so the attack is Kage shuriken "the shadow windmill". Thanks DDK

Yagami Hiroto sighed as he walked through the village, taking in all the smells. Ramen stands...villagers...the marketplace...musty old buildings...the waste left by a dog on someone's front lawn (he could've done without that). No place was like home.

"Excuse me sir?"

Hiroto looked down at the old woman (judging by her smell and the tone of her voice in any case). "Can I help you?"

"I'm trying to find a man named Bachiwaka Reiki...I heard he was back in the village, and I wanted to say hello."

Hiroto nodded as he reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a map of Konohagakure. He expanded his senses...and pinpointed Reiki's unique chakra. Ah. He's at Juuli's. "He should be at Bachiwaka Juuli's house...use this map." He didn't need it anymore; he had already memorized the village layout. Plus, he was blind.

The old woman smiled. "Thank you sir." She calmly walked away, using her cane for support.

Hiroto frowned as she walked away. Something was off about her...

xxxx

Bachiwaka Juuli frowned as she stared at her kitchen window, a sad look on her face. "...will my daughter be okay?"

"The sooner we act, the better," replied Reiki. "The Oni feeds on negative emotions though...so Akura's mental and emotional state will have a definite impact. You should start talking to Akura...and no more Water Clone intercourse. It's not healthy...for you or Akura."

"...you're probably right."

Knock knock.

Juuli wiped away the oncoming tears before opening the door. An old woman with a wooden cane greeted her. "Can I help you?"

The woman stared past Juuli...and at Reiki. A grin came to her face. "I found you...Bachiwaka Reiki."

The Multi-Ninja frowned. Who...?

xxxx

OOC: BAH. I had a huge part with Izzy and the Pervert-Sennin, but it got ERASED. XO

Diao heard the knock and edged forward on the roof to see if Akura was home

meanwhile, Kai, having finished his meal had began work on converting the water clone jutsu into an earth clone jutsu

Reiki's eyes bulged as he got a better look at the old woman.

"No... Yashi..."

Yashi smiled, revealing a nigh-toothless grin. "Hello, again, Reiki. We of the village hidden in the stars have been looking for you. I still don't know why you left... You have no idea how much that hurt your friends in the village."

Reiki's face turned into a glare. "Forgive me if I don't condone trapping people's souls in glass orbs for research."

Yashi sighed, expecting such a remark. "Ah, well... I don't suppose you'd come back to the village, at any rate?" The look on Reiki's face gave her the answer. "I guess it's inevitable then, Reiki. You've dishonored the village, and gotten away with a few of our secrets, too. The punishment, as dictated by the code of our village... is to face our ANBU unit in battle. We're not a malicious village when it comes to hiding our secrets, Reiki... If you can defeat our ANBU, under my leadership, then you have earned the right to keep them. If not, you die. Plain and simple."

Reiki frowned, taken aback. He had expected direct assassination instead of a proposed fighting match. "By defeat..."

Yashi smiled again. "No, Reiki, I don't mean 'kill'. Despite the practices of our village that you find so unsavory, we value the lives of our people. By defeat, I mean battle into submission. You might find that a little difficult to do with me, though... hehehe..."

Reiki grimaced. He knew Yashi was probably one of, if not the most powerful Star Ninja. She was not to be underestimated at any cost. "So then... You're saying you want me to 'earn' my leave of the Star village?"

"That's the gist of it, sonny. I'll give you one week to prepare yourself. Let us meet... let's see. I believe there is a forest on the mountainside within Konohagakure, correct? Let us do battle there. It is a fair ground."

Reiki didn't like this, but he nodded. "Very well... Yashi."

Yashi quietly left, and Reiki heard movement from above. "Someone's on the roof..." he said quietly, but he smiled. "The chakra presence feels like Diao... Heh. I wonder if she's waiting for Akura?" He spoke up with his normal voice. "Well, Juuli... It looks like I'm going to take my leave. If I had only known the Star Village's policy on that... Hm. I suppose it's a good thing Yashi found me and not Glaive."

Juuli raised an eyebrow. "Glaive?"

He shook his head, remembering things about this particular person. "Head of the hunter-nin unit of the Hidden Inferno Village. The people of Inferno were... rough, I suppose you could say. Can't blame them, given the environment." He looked out the window. "Well, I suppose I should leave. I'm going to have to train hard if I want to come out of this challenge alive."

Reiki quickly left, and Juuli whispered, "Be careful, Reiki..."

xxx

"Heh. See you around, kid." Reiki said as he ruffled Akura's hair as she passed by. Akura smiled, but then felt something. Huh? She looked up as she approached her house, and saw Diao sitting on the roof. "Diao? I wonder..." Akura smiled warmly and waved. "Hello, Diao!"

Diao silently stepped off the roof landing in front of Akura
"I apologise for my rudeness before, in response, I would love to be friends"
she then brushed her hair from her face and gave Akura a very rare (if slightly creepy) smile