OOC: WHAT?! DELETED?! RECOVER IT! NOW! NOW I SAY! But seriously, that sucks. That's why I always copy and paste. Gaia always screwed up on me, so I learned to do that outta habit. And on the topic of Gaia, I'm trying to get enough gold to show you exactly what my character looks like. But something struck me as odd. You seemed to know my character's hair color without me ever mentioning it before.

Anyway, sorry I've been gone for so long. I've been on a bad sleeping schedule and the only time I was awake was when my parents were asleep, and they have me locked out of the desktops so I was unable to get on.

I was reading everything you guys wrote and I laughed pretty much the whole way through it. Especially the part with Gen and Suki.

The way this roleplay is written is great 'cause I really can picture all of it in my head. The characters, their relationships, everything s working out even better than I wanted them to.

And somehow Ultra knows exactly how I am because Izzy's personality is almost exacttly like mine. Again, strange.

Anyway I want Ultra to try and repost or recover that last part about me, because I don't know what to do currently, and Ultra always writes something perfect for me to work off of.

(OC: Back, I had quite the lot to do since I joined and yeah, Ultra I noticed I had red hair at first and then blue. Funny. My apoligies, he does have red hair however and I have to read up on what I missed. Once again, apologies.)

"Heh." he smirked as he saw the group leave, at that given momment he had only been observing them. They were ninja, at most observation. He snorted, lightly. Simply. With that noted he stood up from his posiston on the boulder and looked to the sky as he walked foward- towards the direction they went. Only coincidence though was why he was going that direction. It eventually led him to where he was meant to go. Konohagakure. That was the name. Wasn't it? Yes, he was pretty sure that was where he was standing in. He breathed the air in for a bit and then leaned aganist one of the pillars in the place.

"Hmmm..." he snorted.

(OC: Well that's feasible I guess, lets see if I can get more active now.)

ooc: ahhh, the social interactions we get on thi show..uh rp, hey mike, say a different colour next...just for fun..dare ya? *thwapped*

IC: Kai suddenly felt dizzy, he nearly had the altered hand seals finished but he decided he had to take a break, scaling the outside wall to the rook he breathed in the cooling air, suddenly he clutched his head as he felt like it was going to split open, and he blacked out and dreamt of blood and hideous laughter
"come to me my ogre servant" the sinister voice cackled

ooc: um DDK?, again I'm going of MtG here but ogres are the traditional servants of the Oni, so to borrow a device... if you mind too much just say and i'll have kai wake up in te morning and chalk it up to a cheese nightmare

OOC: Sure. Go ahead with whatever. =P

OOC: Well supershadow, Izzy's hair was never mentioned before. As in ever. I had to come up with a hair color to differentiate him from the others (and nothing too outlandish), so I went with reddish-brown. If you have other ideas for his hair color, I'll go back and edit.

And glad to see you're still here Mike. No need to apologize, real life has its own priorities.

And seeing as how we began the RP in the end of September, we've gotten 300 posts in little over two months. So woot.

And Smeggedoff, this actually presents an opportunity for a future mission I have in mind...revolving around Kai and Akura. (begins thinking)

xxxx

As Reiki walked forward, a voice suddenly interrupted him.

"So...past finally caught up with you?"

Reiki didn't need to turn to know it was Hiroto. "You followed the woman?"

"I'm the one who directed her to you." Upon 'hearing' the Multi-Ninja glare at him, the Blind Sentinel shrugged. "I can't see. How was I supposed to know she was wearing a Star hitai-ate?"

Reiki sighed as he glanced at the ground. "Yes...but this is bad news either way. Even though I have a whole week, I won't be able to handle a whole team of ANBU on my own. Especially Star ANBU...no offense to Konoha, but the elite of the Star is greater than that of Konoha's elite, save for the Hokage...I doubt even you or Kakashi would be able to hold your own."

"True, but I'm not fighting them." Hiroto chuckled as he flexed his armored right arm. "Don't worry...to pass the week, you can spend time training with me."

"But what if-?"

"Another mission comes through?" interruped Hiroto. He dismissed the worry with a wave of the hand. "I'll burn that bridge when I get to it. Till then..." He pointed to Monument Range. "Race you there."

xxxx

Izzy grumbled as he walked along the sidewalk, passing the nearby Spa. The incident with Suki and Geno had somewhat soured him, mostly because of his bad luck with woman. Some people had all the luck. Meh...

Suddenly as he passed an alleyway, he noticed something odd.

A large man was sitting down, looking through a peephole in the alley's wooden fence. He wore a red robe over his white shirt and green pants (which were to his waist by a brown rope), and wooden sandals covered his feet. His white hair was bushy and long, going down to his back; a silver hitai-ate was around his forehead, sporting two small horns and the character for 'oil'. He had some facepaint one; two red lins going down from his eyes to the bottom of his face, which, combined with his black eyes, lended an air of calm wisdom. Of course, that was counteracted by his perveted grin and the drool coming down his lip.

Izzy blinked. What's with him?

The man wiped away the drool and began writing in a notebook. His eyes suddenly became stern as he wrote, as if concentrating on something vital.

The boy approached the old man silently as he asked, "What are-?"

"Quiet," muttered the man as a hand slapped over his mouth. He continued looking through the peepholes, watching and writing notes.

Izzy frowned as he grabbed a kunai, carved out his own peephole, and looked in.

HE JUST ABOUT HAD THE MOTHER OF ALL NOSEBLEEDS.

He was looking on the female section of the Spa's hot springs...and all the woman were...NAKED. Sure, Daio and Suki were nothing to scream at...but Izzy had NEVER seen a full-grown woman baring it all before.

Holy crap holy crap holy crap holy crap holy crap holy crap!!!

"So, a fellow pervert," remarked the old man as he noted Izzy's shortened breaths. "Just be quiet...I'm writing notes for my next book."

"What book?"

The old man handed him a small book...and Izumo's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. He recognized the book...because he had a copy of it.

Make-Out Paradise Volume 5.

"YOU WRITE MAKE-OUT PARADISE?!?!" exclaimed Izzy.

"QUIET!" roared the man as he knocked the fence angrily.

....creeeeak...

The fence fell, revealing the two to the women in the hot springs.

Silence.

"EEEEEEEEEEK!" shrieked the women as they covered themselves and threw stuff at them (this included rocks, sandals, and bottles of perfume).

"Time to flee!" yelled the tall man as he grabbed Izzy - who gaped at his full height; he was easily taller than Hiroto-sensei by more than a head! - and leapt away.

xxxx

A warehouse.

The old man sighed as he let Izzy drop onto the roof. "Well that's a letdown. I didn't get all the notes I needed."

"I'm very sorry sir..."

The pervert merely smirked as he said, "Forget about it. Besides, I'm more interested in the fact that you've apparently read my books."

"All the volumes in fact," replied Izzy. The old man blinked out of surprise; the Genin continued, "Um...you never put your name on the book. You just put 'A Lonely Man'."

The old man smirked. "Well...seeing as how we're fellow perverts and skirt-chasers, I'll tell you. I am Jiraiya."

The name immediately clicked. Izzy's jaw dropped as his breath became short. "Holy CRAP...YOU'RE THE JIRAIYA?! AS IN STUDENT OF THE THIRD HOKAGE? AS IN THE TEACHER OF THE FOURTH HOKAGE?! AS IN ONE OF THE THREE LEGENDARY LEAFS?!?! THAT JIRAIYA?!"

"Well, I don't want to brag," replied the Sennin* with a grin.

Izzy paled as he turned around. "Oh man...this is freakin' SWEET. I can't wait to tell the others! Wait till' Hiroto-sensei hears!"

"Did you say...Hiroto? As in Yagami Hiroto?"

Izzy turned around to face a suddenly serious Jiraiya. "Um...yes..."

Jiraiya smiled. "Then you must be a member of Special Squad One..." Very interesting...

An idea suddenly came to Izzy. He could...maybe...he could! He could do it. "Jiraiya-dono?"

"Yes?"

Izzy bowed down, much to the Pervert-Sennin's shock. "Teach me! Give me all advice on women! Your books show that you know much about them...how do you do it? How do you get a girl to like you?"

Jiraiya was silent. "Hmm...what makes you think I'll teach you about the rigors of love, lust, and romance? I've met plenty of perveted men in my day who wanted my advice, but not just any pervert can have my advice."

Izzy frowned. What could he do to impress a pervert like Jiraiya? Think think think...I got it!

"SEXY NO JUTSU!"

xxxx

Jiraiya's ensuing nosebleed could be seen from a mile away.

xxxx

A puff of smoke, and Izzy was back to normal. "Um...sorry?"

Jiraiya gasped as he sat up, his eyes wide with awe. "You truly ARE a pervert to make such a desperate technique like that. Do you play with yourself in that form?"

Izzy paled and blushed. "What? NO!"

"Hmm...not quite super-pervert yet...but I will only give you my knowledge if you become a super-pervert." He raised one finger. "Lovesick fools like you usually have an object of affection to make you so desperate. Is there a certain woman you want?"

Shiranui Izumo frowned as he thought about the three girls closest to him. Akura was about as close to Riko as anyone could get. He probably wouldn't stand a chance against Suki with Genonosuke chasing her at the same time...so that left...

"Shiake Daio."

Jiraiya nodded. "I see. In that case, you must do something to earn my knowledge and advice..."

Izzy was silent.

Suddenly, Jiraiya got an '' face and roared, "YOU MUST RAID HER UNDERWEAR DRAWER!!!"

Izzy immediately facefaulted.

xxxx

OOC: Mwahahaha. >=D

ooc: :O
everyone's minds have degenerated but mine...who am I kidding WOOO panty raid!

IC: a loud crash could be heard at the bachiwaka residence#
A large hulking figure had just crashed through the wall, huge horns sprouted from it's forehead, tusks sprouted from it's lower jaw, spikes running down its spine and a huge mane of hair crowning it's head and reaching to the ground
"give me the girl" it rumbled
Diao twirled her scythes and stepped in front of Akura
"no"

the creature roared and leapt foreward at tremendous speed, Diao leapt aside spinning and kicking it's head, diverting it's path into a nearby wall, it was then she noticed the ragged hitai-ate hanging from one of it's spikes

"EEEEEEK!" Akura screamed as the ogre came into view. It stared at her as she backed away.

xxx

Riko suddenly felt a sharp pain going from his right shoulder to his left side. "Ugh...What the?!" He barely managed to keep the water dense enough to stay upon as he flopped to his knees. "The Chaketsu wound... ...Akura? AKURA!" The pain faded as he suddenly leaped up and sped away towards the Bachiwaka residence.

xxx

And then it had been knocked into the wall. Diao had saved her... Bachiwaka Juuli stared, horrified, at the creature that had broken into their house. Diao, meanwhile, was staring intensely at its horn, where a shredded hitai-ate was hanging.

COME TO ME. Akura suddenly heard in her head, and the ogre began to stand up again, grunting. It looked at Akura and Diao, and its eyes began to glow. It raised its arm to strike...

"! Riko-kun!"

"Onifuu! Chakuya-batsu Hairu no jutsu! Jigoku nanatsu hairu!" Riko came flying into view as light shot from his hands and bound the creature in place. "Ogre seal... Chakuya Clan Exile Technique! Banishment to the seven hells!" The light squeezed around the ogre, but something was wrong... Riko raised an eyebrow. "It's... it's not being banished..." Suddenly, the ogre roared in pain and the light bindings shattered. It ran out of the house and into the night. Riko was stunned. "It wasn't banished... That means... It wasn't a demon... or a full-fledged one... Some sort of half-demon?" His mind quickly snapped back to realtiy. "Akki-chan... Are you okay?!" Akura was breathless from what just happened. She simply nodded.

OOC: And you don't mind this, Smeggedoff? I had to get the clan's techniques in there somewhere. >_>

ooc: no problem at all, it was v cool
ic: Diao turned to akura and knelt next to her making sure she was okay
she glanced up at Riko "that was a leaf hitai-ate, try and find Hiroto-sensei, he was here a minute ago"
she turned back to Akura "why was it after you?"

OOC: Mmm..panties...lol. Kinda reminds me of that MTV show RoomRaiders...but with ninja!

That part about playing with himself while in sexy-jutsu form was great 'cause me and my friend saw Naruto do the sexy jutsu and laughed. I said, "NOW HE CAN LOOK AT HIMSELF NAKED!!!"

IC:

"WHAT?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?! Her underwear?!" He thought about it for a minute.

With all of my jutsu techniques, it'll be no problem. I can sneak in there, get some panties, and bring em back as proof. And if anything goes wrong, I'll just transform into her mom and say I was doing laundry or something. Yeah...that's the ticket.

"Okay dude, ya got yourself a deal. Any specifics on this mission? How many? When? Do I have a time limit or deadline or something?"

Riko was hesitant to abandon Akura, so he looked out of the hole in the wall the creature had made. "Hiroto-sensei, huh? Great. He could be ANYWHERE..."

Akura suddenly closed her eyes and concentrated. "...The Honorstone."

Riko suddenly looked at Akura. "Huh? You sure?"

She shook her head. "No. I can't sense them... I'm just guessing, really... But it feels like a good guess. Doesn't Hiroto-sensei like that spot?"

Riko nodded. "I guess the Honorstone is a good place to look... The Hokage's palace is, too. I suppose I should tell the Hokage, but he'd likely call the Chakuya into a demon watch. Just another thing to make my uncle boast over... And I'm pretty sure this is isolated. Just one... half-ogre? I don't know what that thing was, but I could only feel one of them with my demon-sensing techniques. ...I won't bother the Hokage. The Honorstone it is." Riko suddenly took off in the direction of the mountains, shouting to Diao, "Look after her, ok?"

Akura thought for a moment, then whispered, "I don't know why that ogre was after me, but... I think it had something to do with..."

"With what?" her new friend asked, concerned. Akura simply looked up and into Diao's eyes. Diao couldn't help it... She SAW it.

"Oh my god..." she whispered.

xxx

Riko was thinking as he reached the top of the mountain. "That ogre was after Akura... Oni's are the traditional masters of ogres... This is NOT good. Akura's not strong, and I don't even know what kind of crappy seal is holding that demon in place! If it's gaining this type of power..." Riko suddenly caught a glimpse of Hiroto in a clearing.

"Impressive speed." Hiroto remarked as he quickly blocked what appeared to be invisible strikes. Riko raised an eyebrow. What the...? Suddenly, Hiroto's invisible assailant stopped. Reiki. There were small whirlwinds surrounding his feet that had been aiding in his movement. The small winds stopped. "The Wind Foot jutsu..." Reiki said, smirking. "A true masterpiece of Fugakure." Hiroto's ears twitched, then he popped his neck. "Hm.. Good, but if these ninja are as good as you say they are... You'll need more than that. Much more." Reiki nodded. "I have many more jutsu from other villages, but I need to refine them." Hiroto held up a hand. "We have a visitor." He indicated Riko standing twenty yards away.

Diao's lips thinned,
"we should get you somewhere defensible, perhaps Genosukes?"
they both climbed to their feet "even just somewhere with all four walls would do"

The ogre was clinging to a wall several streets away, burn marks ringed it where Rikos jutsu had hit, the sweat was steaming off it and it's head was spinning
it dropped to the ground at tried to find the girl again
Kai battled back for a moment "NO!"
it yelped as it tried to jump, but it's legs stiffened simultaneously and it crashed to the street below, shook its head and bounded off

He looked at the cretin, the ogre that was frantically trying to chase them. He scratched the back of his head as he slowly began to walk next to the two. "What do we have here?" he said smugly with a grin as his right hand gripped the handle of his blade; which was still concealed.

"Hmmm.."

OOC: Eh, Mike... The ogre was 'several streets away', Akura and Diao hadn't quite left yet, and your character came out of nowhere to Diao and Akura's side. o_o Sorry, but... You know? Ah, *shrug*... It'll work out.

(OOC: I only see one problem, and that's the confusion of the location of the two and the orgre. Me being in the place of Konohagzuke or whatever it's called is mentioned earlier- I said my char walked their earlier.)

OOC: Actually, when you think about it Mike, your character got to Konoha awfully quickly; the only way that everyone else got home so quickly was due to the fact they rocketed home on Hiroto's 'Earthen Bullet'. Going on foot, it would've taken about a week to get there.

Your character must have a super-speed technique or something. o.o

(will post later)

(OC: We'll I've seen and heard of worse plotholes. Lets just work with it. XD)

OOC: We could say the ogre bounded off towards Akura and Daio again. Hey, ogres don't really need to make sense of things; they just fight fight fight. Besides, the Oni DID say 'come'.

xxxx

The ogre, having run away, was not expected to return.

But it had bounded back...towards Akura and Daio.

The massive demon glared at Hiro, snarling; bloody spittle ran down its lower lip. As if it were demanding Hiro to move aside.

The red-haired man chuckled. "Feisty. I have no intention of letting you kill these young girls, at any rate."

The ogre roared as he pounded the ground. To Hiro's shock, an earthen hand erupted from the ground, enclosing tightly around him. Satisfied that the annoyance was gone, the ogre looked back for the girls.

They were gone.

Roaring, the ogre leapt away.

Ten seconds later, the fist disintegrated, leaving Hiro covered in a pile of dirt. "...unpleasant." He calmly dug himself out and went on his way, hoping he'd run into them.

xxxx

Jiraiya looked at Izzy with a look of confusion. "What? Did I stutter? I gave you an order. No strings attached. NO QUESTIONS! Move it you bum!"

"Y-yes sir!" yelped Izzy as he took off for Daio's house. This left Jiraiya smiling. Smart enough to ask for the mission parameters...Hiroto's done SOME good with those eight children. He just sat there, waiting for Izzy to return.

xxxx

"An ogre?"

Riko nodded. "Yes Hiroto-sensei...an ogre."

"Not an Oni?" asked Reiki. Once the Genin shook his head, the Multi-Ninja frowned. "Hmm...this isn't good. If it isn't Akura...then who could it be?"

Hiroto's frown deepened. "Hmm...demon chakra is a lot harder to pinpoint than human chakra, considering its demonic nature. But the sheer evil energy coming from it is more than enough to make up for it. I have a suspicion about the ogre...but I can't be sure. Let's go." Hiroto leapt away, with Reiki (carrying the much slower Riko in his arms) following.

xxxx

Genonosuke smiled as he pulled the now solidified Fuuma Shuriken off of the cooling rack, admiring their smooth surface. "Perfect."

"Not bad," remarked Hyuu. "I wouldn't mind using those weapons myself."

Geno chuckled as he folded the windmill shuriken up. "Not for you. Let's go." He exited the Chakuya Smithy...and blinked at the sight of a panting Akura and Daio. "Huh?"

Akura panted and gasped. "Genonosuke...we're...being chased...by an ogre."

"RAAAAAARRGGGH!!!"

Everyone paled at the sight of the beast stomping over the wall of the Chakuya estate. It was the ogre.

"No...he caught up with us..." muttered Daio. The beast was following her...because...she knew who the ogre was...but it couldn't be him...but it could...she knew...after seeing into the eyes...she had known. And considering their family's history...she wasn't surprised. But it didn't stop her from being scared.

Hyuu and Genonosuke stood protectively in front of the two girls. "I don't know this guy's story, but I can seal it away!"

YOU WILL DO NO SUCH THING.

Everyone paused at the sound that rang through their minds. Even the ogre seemed to pause. "Where'd that voice come from?" asked Hyuu.

HU HU HU HU.

Everyone suddenly froze as a demonic aura came from around Akura, forming the shape of an Oni demon...and her eyes became completely red. Not just the irises...but the whole eye, leaving only the pupil...and it was pure white, like her hair. She wasn't even speaking, the voice came from the aura itself. IT'S BEEN YEARS SINCE I HAVE HAD A SERVANT. MY LUCK IS STARTING TO GET BETTER.

The ogre suddenly knelt, pounding his chest. "Rargh!"

YES. Akura smiled, as did the demonic aura. NOW ALL I HAVE TO DO IS GET OUT OF THIS BODY...THEN I CAN WREAK HAVOC AGAIN.

Genonosuke's color drained from his face. "Holy crap...it's the Oni..."

The Oni aura grinned evilly. KILL THESE FOOLS.

The ogre snarled as he clenched his fists, growling at Genonosuke, Daio, and Hyuu.

Suddenly...

"KONOHA HASAI ASHIGE!"

A foot slammed into the back of the ogre's head, sending the head straight into the ground. The one behind it was none other than Hiroto. He quickly pulled a small scroll out of his vest pockets and bit into his thumb. "I hate to use Henpuku-Sou's special Sealing Scroll...but in this case, I don't have much of a choice." He unrolled the scroll - it was lined with lines of text - and rolled his bleeding thumb along it. The text suddenly glew as Hiroto rolled the scroll back up, slamming it onto the ogre's neck. "HENPU-SHI-RU!"

The scroll glowed red as it melded with the skin of the ogre. The beast suddenly pulled his head out, roaring...and the scroll suddenly glowed even more brightly. The ogre roared as the red light wrapped around him, encompassing him completely. The beast snarled as he struggled...but then the struggling stopped...and then he shrunk completely. When the light faded...Kai was there, unconscious.

"Kai," muttered Daio as she knelt beside her brother, hugging him tightly. Now on his neck was a bat-shaped mark.

Hiroto grimaced. Four favors for Henpuku-Kami just to get that sealing scroll from his priest...oh well. At least it works. Not like I'd get to use it again. "I thought it was Kai...I've looked up on the histories of the eight Genin of Special Squad One after the group was formally created. I was interested by a lot of the stuff that had happened...particularly the fact that generations ago, the Shiake clan once bred with ogres to strengthen the blood. Looks like some remnants of that blood have remained."

Everyone paled at the revelation...except Daio. She knew her family history. It was primarily why her eyes were like this; a side-affect of the ogre blood's remnants within her veins.

"Even so, I've never heard of a Shiake male actually turning into an ogre..." He then glanced at the Oni aura swirling around Akura. "Then again, I believe I have you to blame for that."

GUILTY AS CHARGED. Both Akura and the aura smirked. THAT SEAL WON'T STOP THE TRANSFORMATION FOREVER...MY POWER WILL FORCE THE OGRE WITHIN HIM TO BREAK FREE.

"Not if we having something to say about it."

Everyone looked up at to see Reiki and Riko standing atop the Smithy. Riko leapt down in front of Akura, staring at her intently.

Akura flashed a set of fangs at her dearest friend. The Oni chuckled. HU HU HU. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT ME?

Riko was silent...and then he hugged Akura's body. He ignored the chill and the negative energy emanating from the aura...he only cared about Akura now. "This isn't you Akura...wake up."

The aura angrily swirled around Akura's body. The Oni roared. YOU FOOL. YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING TO ME!

"Akura...please wake up...I'm here for you..."

xxxx

OOC: No complaints?

OOC: None. =D

IC:

"Maybe he can't..." a faint voice came from the wind. "But I can." Everyone jumped back as a person materialized from thin air and raised her hand. The aura stopped swirling, but Akura's eyes were still red. "...YOU AGAIN. the Oni muttered, its weakened voice now a distorted version of Akura's. The person was whispy, ethereal, like a ghost. Bachiwaka Chuusi was hovering above the ground, glaring at her possessed descendant. Oni-Akura smiled. "Well, you can weaken me, Chuusi... But you can't release my hold on her body! HU HU HU-" Chuusi's ghostly emerald eyes shone. "Wanna bet?" She then flew through the air, and through Riko and Akura. "URGH?!" Akura's eyes suddenly returned to normal, but with a blank expression in them. Likewise, Riko's eyes had gone lax...

xxx

Akura stood within blackness, a blackness not unlike the part of her soul that Chuusi had talked to her within earlier. But this darkness... it was different. This was where the Oni was, within her... And in front of her... the Oni itself, appearing to her only as a pair of red eyes.

Riko suddenly found himself kneeling in an unknown location, Akura standing next to him. "Riko-kun!" she cried and hugged him. "Akura!" he exclaimed. "...Where are we?" And then he noticed the eyes.

"NEED I REMIND YOU, CHUUSI, THAT I AM AN ONI? A DEMON, WHO, IF I RECALL, COULD NOT BE KILLED OR BANISHED WHEN I POSSESSED YOUR OWN BODY?"

"Need I remind YOU, that your power is only a fraction of what it once was?" Riko and Akura turned to find Chuusi standing there. "This is... Chuusi?" Riko whispered. Chuusi was, in almost all respects, an older doppleganger of Akura, save that she had the trademark emerald eyes of the Bachiwaka clan.

"SO WHAT? I'LL GET MY POWER BACK IN TIME. HOWEVER, THE REST OF YOU ARE NOT SO FORTUNATE. YOU, BOY, WILL BE AN EXCELLENT SNACK TO EASE MY HUNGER.

"Chakuya Riko!" Chuusi yelled. "I brought you here for a reason! A sealing technique on this plane is far more effective than outside!"

Riko's eyes went wide, and he nodded. "..I don't have the strength for a big one yet... A temporary seal'll do."

A large hand creeped out of the darkness. Akura felt herself growing weaker, and she fell to her knees. "Akkifuu; Demon seal;"

Various katakana appeared on Riko's hand, and he thrust it foward into the Oni's approaching palm.

"GROOOOOOAAAAAAAARR!!!!!!"

The hand suddenly shot back, and Riko raised both hands high. The Kana's for Love and Understanding appeared on Riko's hands, and several more appeared on each of his fingertips. "For Akura!" he yelled, and performed a Twelve Kata Seal. "Bird! Tiger! Monkey! Ox! Dragon! Dog! Rat! Horse! Hare! Snake! Ram!" His hands suddenly glowed with light and he pointed his fingers. "Chakuya-batsu ichijiteki hairu no jutsu! Chakuya clan temporary banishment technique!" A beam of light with a kana on the end shot out of each of his fingers and from both palms and wrapped around the darkness hiding the red eyes. The Oni began roaring in pain anew.

Chuusi smiled. "This is your chance, Akura! Fight the Oni's power!" Akura gulped, and began to shake her head, but she noticed the look in Riko's eyes. "...For Riko-kun..." She concentrated, willed herself; she would break free... Riko's smile made her throw away her worries. She embraced Riko tightly, and held on. "I won't give up, Riko-kun. For me, for Kai, for Chuusi..." For Riko... "I'm here for you, Akki-chan... I'll always be here for you."

xxx

There was a bright flash of light, and Akura and Riko fell to the ground. Oni, specter, and auras vanished. The only difference from before, was that now on Akura's chest... right above her heart, was a large kana for Understanding in red.

Tatsuya frowned as he surveyed the situation in his backyard. Whatever the hell had just happened, he didn't like it, and it looked like Hiroto was there, too. And... and Reiki. "Well." he said with a grunt. "This is turning out to be a fiiine day. Indeed." He began walking over to the mass of people.

Reiki was leaning over Akura's fallen form. "...This looks like the seal that Gaara has..." the Multi-Ninja muttered. It had been three years since he had been to the Village Hidden in the Sand, but he recognized this type of seal anywhere. "The difference though..." he muttered, "Is that I can tell this seal's temporary. I'm still going to have to master the Star Village technique..." He glanced over at Riko, and then at Kai, and then at the approaching figure of Tatsuya.

"Great day, huh, Hiroto?" he asked, with a forced smile.

But Hiroto was gone. Reiki blinked out of confusion; where had he gone?

"So...things have gotten quite hectic, haven't they?"

Everyone looked around to see Chakuya Tatsuya, staring at them quietly. "I'd like a bit of an explanation as to what's going on...mind telling, Reiki?"

The Multi-Ninja frowned...and he began a recap.

xxxx

Two miles away from Konohagakure, Yashi was regrouping with two Star ANBU; the only difference being that their masks were white-and-gold, with the symbol on the forehead being that of the Hidden Star Village: one large star, with five smaller ones near each vertex.

"Did you find him?" asked the left ANBU.

Yashi nodded. "Don't worry...I found him. And in a week's time, he'll be back in our hands."

"Reiki has a habit of surprising people."

The three turned to see Yagami Hiroto walk into the small clearing the three were in. The Leaf Jonin's hands were above his head. "Don't worry. I'm not here to start a fight...merely to bargain."

"You can forget about arranging a change of date," remarked the right ANBU. "The battle has already been finalized."

Hiroto nodded. "I know. I'm merely here to add a little spice to the agreement...specifically, what would happen if Reiki wins."

Yashi was silent...then she muttered, "Go on."

"We've had a bit of demon trouble recently...and a girl is undergoing a lot of stress because of it. A relative of Reiki's." Hiroto held up one finger. "I don't know if Reiki will fully master the Star's sealing technique within a week...and I don't think he will, honestly. Besides, if it goes wrong, I don't want to entertain the possibility of him accidentally unleashing the Oni."

Yashi nodded. "Onis are indeed troublesome."

"So if Reiki wins...I want you to supply us with someone who has mastered the Hidden Star's sealing technique, and for that someone to fully seal away the Oni. After that...that someone is free to go. Nothing more." He held out a hand. "Do we have a deal?"

Yashi frowned...and then smiled. "Demons are trouble for everyone. It would be no problem to 'supply' a sealer to you, at least until the job is finished. Of course, that's only if Reiki wins. So yes...we have a deal."

Hiroto smiled. "Thank you. I also give you my word that I won't interfere with the battle between you and the Star ANBU." The Blind Sentinel departed without saying anything else.

Tatsuya glared at Reiki. He was going to ask if what Genonosuke said earlier was true, but something else caught his notice... Akura and what was unmistakably the demon seal Reiki mentioned. "Hmph." Tatsuya grunted. "She didn't have that kanji before. In my experience, this sort of thing only happens... Ah, forget it." He ran his finger along the kanji. "...A temporary seal. Who did this? Geno?" he looked questioningly up at his son.

"N-no sir. Riko did, I think."

Tatsuya raised an eyebrow. "Riko performed a seal like this? ...Lucky, I'm sure."

Reiki's mind was on something else, now that his niece was safe. He was sure Hiroto had been beside him only moments ago... Or was it his imagination? Ah, he had probably gone off to tell the Hokage or something about this incident. Reiki looked at the collapsed forms of the Leaf Genin. "...Riko and Akura will be out for a few hours." he said, quietly. "They're spiritually exhausted now, I'm sure." He turned his attention to Kai, who was bleeding and moaning in pain. "But this boy... He underwent what was probably a very painful transformation." Reiki placed his hands on Kai's chest and began to channel healing chakra - another specialty of the Star Village. "...I don't know when he'll wake up. It's best that you take care of him." he said, looking at Diao. She nodded. Genonosuke walked up to her. "I'll help you carry him. I have to take Suki some weapons she ordered..."

xxx

Glaive was not a happy panda. Currently, he stood on a boat heading for the Fire County. It wasn't even big enough to be called a ship... It would probably take weeks to get there at this rate. "Reiki..." he said quietly, but with a fierce fire in his voice. "I may be the only member of my unit left, but I won't stop searching for you... Not until I repay you for what you did to me..." He shifted, looking at his left arm... Or rather, the mechanical monstrosity that he was able to operate with his chakra. "I don't even care about killing you anymore... But I WILL avenge the loss of my arm." he whispered, bitterly.

"Talking to yourself ain't good, ya know?" came the irritating voice behind him. He turned and glared at the lone boatman who was taking him. "People might think yir crazy, or worse!" Glaive was silent, and then...

WHIR. Cha-chink. SHICK!

The boatman's body fell over the port bow. "No one interrupts my monologue." he said, with a determined, almost scary look in his eyes.

xxx

"And you had Riko do it?" Kukuru asked, her eyes closed.

"Yes." Chuusi's voice responded. "I'm not as strong as I was in life... and with the activity I've been doing lately, it'll only be a matter of time before my energy just leaves me... I won't be a part of the afterlife... I'll just simply disappear."

Kukuru opened her eyes and looked at the shrine with worry. "Chuusi... You can't let that happen..."

"There was another reason I brought Riko into the realm of Akura's soul. His bond with her... That's what ended up bringing her back."

"His bond with her..." Kukuru thought, a pain she had once thought gone piercing through her. "His bond..."

"Are you still thinking of 'him', Kukuru?"

"...Yes."

"He's been dead for a long time, and his spirit was not as restless as mine."

"...I know."

"..."

xxx

Shisu, the Black Eel, crossed the borders of the Fire Country. The remnants of her followers joined her at her heels.

"You're sure he's here?"

Shisu sighed, nodding. "Yes, he's here. He's back in Konoha, I know it. And he won't be leaving..."

xxx

Yashi watched Hiroto leave, then turned to the left hunter-nin. "...Are you sure the other three will be arriving, Kentsu?"

The Star Ninja adjusted his hitai-ate, and began brushing his golden hair with a pocket comb. "Yes, ma'am. Tosu, Buugen, and Misimo are all heading here. Our best ninja in the squad..."

The other hunter-nin, Nappu, frowned. "Reiki does indeed have a reputation for surprising people. I remember when he refused to use a Hoshi Orb, and when Tarisu tried to force him, he shot a jet of water from his mouth, and froze the poor guy in a chunk of ice."

Yashi smiled. "Yes... Higarashi... I mean, Reiki... he was always such a riot. That won't matter now, though. ...I do hate that we have to kill Reiki. There's no way he can win against us, even if we ARE doing single combat."

Nappu grinned. "There's no way he can stand against us... Heh. Tosu the No-Armed, Buugen the Pellet Master, Mishimo of the Tortured Soul, Kentsu of Star-Wind..." He then pointed to himself. "I, Nappu, of the-"

"Big mouth." Kentsu snorted.

"...Star-Fist... And you, lady Yashi... Our leader. Yashi the Eternal Star."

Yashi frowned, and said, "Yes... Yes indeed..."

Kentsu suddenly looked thoughtful. "He was Higarashi in our village, Rikimaru in Kirigakure, and Reiki here. He's had so many names... He's a renegade from several villages, isn't he?"

Yashi nodded.

"So what happens if another ANBU unit shows up while we're fighting him."

Yashi answered quietly, "Anyone who interferes is killed. Even if they have the same end goal. Anyone."

xxx

And so, Reiki's fate approached, though he knew not of the others approaching. He only knew that some day, a meeting was inevitable. And on that day, things would change...

ooc: FRICKEN SWEET!

ic: Kai stood in the darkness, alone...after what felt like years, but all at once the ogre was standing opposite him. It looked harmless and frightened, like a caged animal. Kai looked into it's strange eyes and understood
"I'll protect you, but we must potect everyone else"
he reached out his hand and was greeted by a flash of blinding light.

Kai groaned and sat up clutching his head, he was bigger now and covered in muscle, noticeably his arms were longer and out of proportion, his skin was the brown of earth and leather and a short pair of horns protruded from his brow
he stood, a good foot taller than his sister now, he looked at everyone "I bet you, forgive me, and Hidetsugu the oni was no excuse for what we did. If the hokage should choose to banish me I wouldn't be surprised"
he turned and began to walk away slowly

Suki hummed quietly as she thumbed through the pages of a small book. She made it a habit of visiting the Shiakes daily; why Daio and Kai hadn't gotten back to their house yet was beyond her. Oh well. I guess they're out having a party or something.

How wrong she was. Moments later, the front door opened, revealing none other than Genonosuke and Hyuu, followed by a miserable-looking Daio. "...what happened?"

"...something big," replied Hyuu. As the former Mist Chuunin walked into the kitchen, Geno quietly reached into his knapsack. "Here...the Fuuma Shuriken you ordered."

Suki quietly accepted the large shuriken with a nod. "Thanks." Geno nodded back as he followed Hyuu, leaving Suki alone with Daio.

Daio was silent, but her eyes were weary and brimming with unshed tears; she was undergoing a lot of stress right now. The scantily-clad Genin put a hand on the shoulder of the female Shiake, saying, "You should get some rest."

"I should," muttered Daio as she trudged up the stairs, weakness showing with every step. Something about the whole ordeal had worn her down to the very bone...she had no idea what was in store next. Her brother had turned into an ogre...then turned back after the seal...and then again into a strange mixture of the two.

The blood of the Shiake had fully taken hold.

As much as the two siblings annoyed each other, Daio knew this was going to have repercussions. Big ones. And now, Kai was gone...maybe for good. "...Kai."

She trudged into her room, locking it shut behind her. She calmly disrobed from her shinobi uniform and her undergarments, reaching for a long nightgown in her dresser drawers.

Meanwhile, Izzy was propped up against the ceiling corner, hoping that:

1) Daio wouldn't see him.

2) He wouldn't groan duen to seeing Daio's naked body.

Thankfully, the perverted Genin was safe; Daio laid down in her bed and turned over, going to sleep without much fuss.

Izzy sighed mentally. Safe. In his pockets were two things: one pair of purple panties, and one white bra. He quietly hopped down and went for the window..and stopped.

Daio was crying.

...why?

The young boy remained silent as he turned around and got closer, looking at the tears leaking from the sleeping girl's eyes. ...she looks so sad...

The Shiranui was very surprised. He had never seen Daio act anything other than detached before...so this was quite a shock to him. And it was something he didn't look. People shouldn't have to be sad.

So Izzy wiped away the tears with his thumb and lightly kissed her on the ridge of her nose. Surely enough, her saddened frown decreased...and that was good enough for Izzy. After all, Daio wasn't really one to express emotion.

Okay...to Jiraiya! thought Izzy as he leapt away into the night.

xxxx

The Hokage sighed as he stared at the hole Hiroto had made earlier with his Earthen Bullet. Meh. I hate maintenance...I'll have to get it fixed.

His weary eyes then drifted to Rico'ki, who was still unconscious. I wonder if he'll ever awaken?

xxxx

Kai sat on the very edge of the Second Hokage's head, staring out over Konoha. He had long ago been told about the possibility of taking on the characteristics of an ogre...and now that it had happened, he didn't want it. Forget his stupid blood; he didn't want anything to do with this.

Man...how am I gonna face Hiroto-sensei now? And the others? And Daio? The hogre (or maybe ogan. 😛 ) pounded the rocky ground angrily. "This sucks..."

Silence. The only sound was the sound of crickets.

"You've...changed a bit."

Kai turned around - his skin actually sounding like twisting leather as he did - to see Kanshisha Ryu, holding a bow and arrow. "Why are you here?"

"Practicing." Ryu turned around and fired in arrow. A bullseye was painted on a tree 70 yards away. He nearly hit center. "Still need more practice."

Kai snorted. "Then I guess you haven't heard about today. You're lucky." The hogre clenched his fist angrily. "How am I supposed to show my face now...?"

Ryu said nothing. He merely stood and walked away...before finally speaking. "I don't know. That's a decision only you can make...but I'd prefer people I know and trust than living alone." He calmly went back to practicing.

Kai the hanyou (there we go; the term for half-demon) was silent as his fellow Genin walked away.

xxxx

"So...that's what you went and did?"

Hiroto nodded. "Yes." He stretched his arms before replying. "Given the circumstances, you can't really waste time trying to master a technique for something you might not be able to adequately perform."

The blue-haired Bachiwaka frowned at Hiroto's logic. "True...so I guess all I have left to do is train?"

"Bingo," replied the Blind Sentinel as he began to walk towards Monument Range. "ANBU wear masks, so combat against me will be better-suited...but you also have to train knowing that other ANBU might make a move on you...and if that happens..."

All bets are off, grimly thought Reiki.

OOC: Holy jesus crispies. Guess I'm the only one with family crap to do on holidays.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Gone so long you found someone else to beat the pants off, huh?" The smarmy voice made the Hokage do a double take at Rico's form. The young man had indeed stirred without him noticing, but the pained and tense expression was gone. In fact he looked like he'd never left.

Kai sighed and leapt from the head of the 2nd hokage, bounding across the rooftops until he got to the shiake residence he quietly climbed down the walls untill he got to his window, once inside he rooted through his drawers until he found a large key, about a foot long.
quietly padding down the hallway he cam to the door of his fathers room and entered. The room was neat and tidy, the way it was the day his father left. Kai slid aside a paper screen to reveal a large keyhole, and in doing so he remembered his fathers words.
"when you are strong enough to turn the key, you will find yourself inside"

Kai inserted the key and easily turned it with a click.

* * *

Across town Suki caught up with Genosuke, "um hyuu? can I speak with Geno?" she asked with a smile, hyuu just nodded and busied himself across the street with a shop window
Geno started to stutter and mumble and Suki just giggled "thanks" she said
and then she kissed him

* * *

Several hours later at dawn Diao awoke, she rubbed her eyes, and out of intuition, dressed quickly and climbed to the roof, the figure there told her she was right.
Kai was asleep there, dressed in a black shroud, his horns protruding and his eyes visible, he was wearing new clothes consisting of straps and belts. Around his neck was a large iron collar bearing the symbol of Konoha.
she crept closer, noticing something was clutched in his hand, liberating the piece of paper she gasped, printed on it was a portrait of Kai as he was just yesterday and a message in her fathers handwriting
"never forget, you are Kai Shiake"

ooc: thet's my quotient of Mush for the year, ah munna throw up KThxBai

OOC: Actually, the big gathering was at my house this year.

xxxx

The Third was more than pleasantly surprised by Rico'ki's remark; he was astounded. Especially considering what Hiroto had told him. "Well...I suppose you could say that. I'm surprised to see you as good as 'old', shall I say."

Rico'ki smirked. "Quick witted as ever...Shikamaru still playing shogi?"

"He's gotten better since you left. He's smarter than most of the people I meet each day; a legitimate genius," answered the Third, his eyes studying Rico'ki's frame extensively. I'm sure Hiroto will want to see him now... "So tell me Rico'ki, with your own words..." He pulled open a drawer, pulling out one of the many scrolls Rico'ki the spy had delivered over the years. "...what is the situation in Kirigakure? I'd love to make small talk, but let's get business out of the way first."

"First...one question."

"Go ahead."

Rico'ki pointed at the large hole in the roof. "I think you need to fix that."

The Third sweatdropped at the sarcasm in Rico'ki's voice.

xxxx

Jiraiya looked at the stolen undergarments with a cursory glance. "Hmm...not bad. Took you long enough though."

Izzy sweatdropped. "Well...I kind of had to avoid being seen..."

"But even so, your perverted ways have shined through!" boasted the Pervert-Sennin as he whipped out a small blue book with the image of a 'Thinker man' on the front. The title: Icha Icha Tactics. "This is my personal handbook for all tactics in handling that fickle creature known as the woman. You have two weeks...if you can't get a date or a kiss by then, I'll flunk you. You don't have to sleep with her, because you're still young."

Izzy facefaulted again. "Um...thanks." The young Genin quietly hopped away, leaving the Frog Hermit alone.

The Sennin chuckled. "Spirited kid." He turned his attention to Monument Range, where he could sense Hiroto and Reiki fighting each other, training. The wheels are turning...and trouble is heading this way. I can only hope they're prepared.

The Legendary Leaf disappeared in the night.

xxxx

Genonosuke paled, blushed, and gaped all at once at Suki's kiss on his cheek. "Wha-wha-wha-what was that for?!"

Suki shrugged. "Well, I wanted to thank you for the new shuriken! And I don't really have any money, so...yeah."

Geno could only blink repeatedly...and then he stuttered, "Uh...you're...w-welcome..."

Suki smiled as she leapt away. Hyuu smarmily commented, "Quite the smoothie."

xxxx

Morning had come to the Fire Country...

And the Inferno, the Star, and Shisu weren't the only ones interested in Reiki. After all, he had been part of many other villages.

And intelligence had finally started to drift in to the other villages through their sources...and eventually, ANBU units began to move in discreetly towards Konoha.

ANBU from Sunagakure: the Hidden Sand Village.

ANBU from Kusagakure: the Hidden Grass Village.

ANBU from Iwagakure: the Hidden Stone Village.

And so on and so forth from the Hidden Ocean, the Hidden Cloud, and the Hidden Steel...ANBU from those six villages had Reiki on their hit list too.

And he was finally back in their sights.

xxxx

OOC: Fixed.

OOC: JIMINY CHRISTMAS GUYS! What an eventful chapter. The characters are so believable. I get really into this roleplay. I feel for some of the characters dude.

And Ultra, yet again, nailed it. Showed that Izzy's a loving, caring kinda guy, and just not a girl-crazy, voyeuristic pervert.

And what did Smedgeoff mean in her OOC? Leaving the rp again?

IC:

Izzy sat in his boxers on his bed and read the book the sennin gave him. Hopefully this will help me put the moves on Daio. I used to think I should just be myslef, but apparently that doesn't work. This is my last resort. He remembered Daio for a second and her crying. Why was she crying like that? I've never seen her cry before. Or even look sad for that matter.

The worst part is that seeing her cry made him want to cry. He doesn't like to cry or see other people cry.

ooc:

Quote:

---

And what did Smedgeoff mean in her OOC? Leaving the rp again?

---

O.@
I'm a he

I was just commenting my post was full of mushy stuff
as far as I know I have no plans to take a hiatus again anytime soon

"Doton; dotonjitenatemi no jutsu! Earth element; Earth Spin Strike!"

Reiki dug the toes of his right foot into the ground, and spun in place. Almost immediately, the earth gave way and he was underground. Hiroto raised an eyebrow. Suddenly, Reiki swam through the ground at a high speed. Hiroto merely formed a kata, and Reiki found himself suspended above the ground within a ball of earth.

"You'll have to do better than that." Hiroto remarked. Reiki concentrated, and then broke feel of the earth ball, his arms and legs encased in chakra-hardened soil. He began to throw punches and kicks at the other Jonin with lightning speed. "...Are you even TRYING, Reiki?" Hiroto asked, as he casually blocked the strikes, then countered with a sweeping kick, knocking Reiki to the ground. Reiki sighed as he sat up, brushing the earth off of his arms and legs. "I dunno..." he said, quietly. "...I guess a lot's on my mind. I haven't faced the Star ANBU in battle before, but I understand completely what they're capable of..."

Reiki stood up, and then thought for a moment. "Many of the advanced Star techniques revolve around using Hoshi Orbs - Glass balls that have... ...the trapped souls of Hoshigakure's victims within them. It's possible to use these Star techniques without a Hoshi Orb, but it's taxing. ...The Hoshi Orbs... They're basically an alternate energy source for the user, as you might've guessed. Being able to fight for hours without using more chakra than it takes to move around... That is the secret power of the Star Village, and why their village's techniques revolve around sealing, healing, and defense. With such power at their disposal, the warriors there are able to make up their own fighting styles with little effort. For example... There is one among the ranks of Star known as the Pellet Master. His fighting technique involves using clay pellets of various sizes and compositions that he carries around in bags, and charging them with energy from a Hoshi Orb to make them explosive, or even have other effects depending on his mood."

Hiroto smirked as he heard this. "Pellet Master, huh? Heh heh... Interesting name, but that fighting style does sound as if it would be effective... at long range, anyway."

Reiki shook his head. "Short range too. He's not afraid to throw his own pellets at his feet if that's what it takes. ...He can just use the Hoshitate - the Star Shield jutsu, if need be."

Hiroto frowned. "Then I suppose the solution would be to take out their source of energy."

Reiki thought for a moment, then said, "Maybe, but Star Ninja are trained to protect their Hoshi Orbs. It wouldn't be very easy..." "I wouldn't expect it to be, from your description of these people." Hiroto replied.

"...Let's keep training." Reiki said, and then formed a hand seal.

xxx

"Lady Shisu... We are not far from the ruins of Kosuigakure." one of the rogue Hunter-nin reported.

"...Let us visit it, then, and take some time to prepare. Reiki is no pushover, and he will likely have Konoha's elite to help him."

"Ma'am!"

OOC: Uh, Ultra, you said 'Ocean' twice. Let's assume the second 'ocean' is the Hidden Steel Village. Also, I think the Hidden Cloud village appears briefly in either the anime or manga, but I don't remember the details. In my head, it's the place Reiki learned Thunder Jutsu, but it could very well be based around something else.

OOC: Fixed the other Ocean to 'Steel'. And thank you supershadow.

The sound of something streamlined pierced the air. Even in his still rather stunned state Izzy was alert enough to hear it, an arrow struck the ground in front of him with a dull thud. Someone was watching him, they couldn't have been there long though as the perverted but powerful old man would have detected him.

Why didn't I sense him? I wasn't that out of it. I still can't sense anything, not one bit of chakra. This might be bad.

As if to confirm his fears he heard a purposefully loud thud behind him as someone landed. Turning around he saw someone slightly shorter than himself dressed in black leather clothing of some sort which acted as a black mask for the lower half of his face. The only visible section was his upper head. Trying to gain as much information about his opponent as possible he took in his appearance again. Messy black hair, light blue eyes that were easy to see in contrast to the rest of him, pale skin, he was holding a simple bow with a quiver also made of black leather, and of course he was shorter than Izzy so he had to be a kid like him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rico's nose wrinkled, "Hiroto would know better than me." He looked hesitant to speak, almost as if the smarmy attitude was faltering and he was straining to maintain his sarcastic bravado for some reason.

"I'd sensed something coming, I thought it merely uneasy due to my... dreams. There was a coupe, yeah, but there's something else. Something more dangerous, the leader of the coupe has a kid thats packin a lotta power. I was too... preoccupied to learn more."

OOC: Oh, almost forgot something DDK; seeing as Gaara is just as old as Naruto, he wouldn't have even been born eight years ago, which was the time you said Reiki had last been there. Maybe you can shorten it to five or four or something like that.

xxxx

"Who are you?" asked Izzy, a tone of bravado coming to his voice. Truth be told, he was a bit on edge...after all, the kid had just tried to pierce him with an arrow.

The kid said nothing.

"Why did you attack me?" asked Izzy, this time pulling out a kunai.

The kid still said nothing.

"Who are you?!" asked Izzy again, yelling once more. He prepared to throw the kunai, aiming to incapacitate him.

The kid merely cocked an arrow and aimed as well.

A standoff.

xxxx

The Hokage smiled. "I see...well, Hiroto has already spoken to me about the coup. I just wanted to hear from you...after all, it's been quite a while after all."

"I suppose you could say that," remarked Rico'ki.

The Third calmly glanced at a small, old-fashioned clock hanging onto the wall. "My goodness...1:49 AM. I need to get these old bones to bed...you can stay in the Palace Guest Rooms for the meantime."

"Well...can't say I can turn down a free bed," remarked Rico'ki as he calmly walked out. "I remember my way...so take care."

Sarutobi merely smiled as Rico'ki left. Well...at least he's back to normal...I suppose. Only time will tell.

Several minutes later, after navigating his way through the fairly small palace, Rico'ki entered the fairly large guest room; 1 of 8, to be precise.

Furnishings were quite decent; plush blue carpet with red rugs, large windows lined with ivory, a King-size bed with black sheets and pillows bearing the symbol of the Leaf, and a personal restroom. There was also a small bureau at the foot of the bed, for storing clothes whilst staying there.

Rico'ki immediately fell onto the bed and spent his time staring at the ceiling...thinking.

xxxx

Genonosuke was tired. He was also alone; Hyuu had already left to sleep at the palace.

Truth be told, he was still quite creeped out by what had happened earlier...Kai turning into an ogre...Akura's inner Oni making itself known...and Riko somehow sealing the Oni away, at least for the time being.

He didn't know why, but big things were about to happen...he was sure of it.

He wanted to be prepared for whatever was coming.

Which was why he was going to forge the new Kintetsu tonight.

The shards of Mugenjin and Chaketsu were in separate piles. Kintetsu was sitting on a table next to them...and the forge was almost ready.

Now's the time to move ahead...and get ready for future challenges. I was lucky against Goukamaru...but using his blades, I'll forge a new weapon...I'll grow stronger...and prove my worth to Tatsuya.

His blade would be stronger than ever...and then, he would challenge his father for Jintetsu. Whether or not he was ready was beside the point; after the previous day's events, he wanted to be as ready as possible to defend those dearest to him. Riko...Akura...Suki...Hyuu...and everyone else...

The forge was ready.

Genonosuke grabbed the shards of Chaketsu and put them into a melting pot. ...with my new sword, I'll defend you all.

He went to work without pause.

A chuckle, one that almost sounded too deep to be coming from the rather short archer. "I want information, not your life. Who was the redhead you were traveling with?"

Izzy blinked; redhead? Who was he talking about? There were a lot of people with red hair...so who? But people with red hair that he had travelled with...that narrowed it down considerably.

"You must mean Rico'ki," stuttered Izzy. Without thinking, he muttered, "Um...he's at the Hokage's Palace..." Suddenly, the kid in black was gone. ...okay, that was weird.

Hoping it to be nothing more than a hallucination, he began reading more of Icha Icha Tactics.

xxxx

Rico'ki was on the very verge of sleeping...

"Rico'ki."

The redhead suddenly sat up to see a silhouette in the darkness. "Hmm?"

The kid in black merely smiled.

OOC: Huh, I was thinking Gaara was a bit older than Naruto. Oh well. It doesn't even fit into my own timeline, now that I think about it. I'll fix it after this post.

IC:

Genonosuke thrust Kintetsu into the flames with a pair of tongs, and held it there, long enough for the blade to become red-hot. He placed Kintetsu into a special sword-mold, and began to pour the contents of the melting pot into the mold.

"What are you doing up at this hour, Geno?" Tatsuya's voice boomed through the smithy. Genonosuke was silent, and began to use his special Kinkimikaeru jutsu to fuse the softened metal with the liquid metal.

"...You're reforging Kintetsu? ...What's with the melting pot, then?" He then noticed the shards of Mugenjin laying in a pile. "..!!! Boy, you..." Genonosuke removed Kintetsu from the mold, holding together the metal with his power, then began to shape Kintetsu with a smith hammer.

"...I see, then. You don't think your family's legacy is good enough, then?" Genonosuke paused. "...I don't blame you. You used the shards from the chakra sword, right? I could feel the chakra-manipulating power of the shards when I looked at them. ...Despite the legacy passed on by our family, we Chakuya have always strived for perfection in our weapons... You're the first to actually do something about it, though."

Genonosuke held up Kintetsu. Its blade was longer, and it now shone with a bright, silvery luster that could be seen even with the blade currently glowing red. Genonosuke spoke. "Father. I've thought about this for a while. Kintetsu is a suitable weapon, and as you say... I've simply made it into a more suitable weapon. ..."

"Give it a new name."

"Huh?" Genonosuke looked at his father, quizzically.

"Give it a new name. It isn't Kintetsu anymore, so it needs a new name, given to it by its forger."

Genonosuke nodded, and held up the blade again. "Then... Then this sword will be known as... Chakentetsu, the blade of Chakra iron."

Genonosuke and Tatsuya walked into the cooling room with custom weapons(the other having Konohagakure's normal orders like shuriken), and Genonosuke clamped the hilt of Chakentetsu to a sword-bar. Tatsuya spoke again. "...You made the sword longer than it used to be. I'll have to make you a new sheath and hilt." Tatsuya began to leave, but Genonosuke turned to him.

"Father. ...I want Jintetsu, too."

Tasuya glanced over his shoulder. "You need to be considered mature before you can have that blade, too. Even if you were to somehow best me in combat, I couldn't give up the sword to you... Clan tradition, as you know."

Genonosuke was silent for a moment, and then asked, "How can I be considered mature?"

Tatsuya opened the door to the smithy and began to walk out. "You must manifest the first level of our clan's bloodline limit: The Tetsuhifu; Iron Skin." With that, Tatsuya left into the night.

"..."

xxx

Riko sat next to Akura on Juuli's couch. Juuli had shocked Akura by hiring some repairmen with the remnants of the alcohol fund she had set aside, and for now, the men were setting up temporary walls of plywood - it was too late into the night to begin full-blown construction, lest the neighbors riot. Still, they needed walls until the construction was done, so the men had agreed to come on over and worked on it.

"Akki..." Riko began, but he couldn't think of anything in particular to say. Akura was silent, but snuggled up to Riko, tired. He put his arm around her, and ran his fingers through his long, spikey hair. It had been a loooong night... That stuff was pretty intense, but Akura seems ok now... ...Man. I think the only reason I was even able to do that type of seal was because we were within Akura... I hope I'm not expected to do that again... Though, for Akki... I'd probably face ten Onis.

"Would you like anything to drink, Riko?" Juuli spoke up, rather in sort of feigned cheery mood. Akura shot up and yelled, "MOM!" Juuli laughed and shook her head. "No, dear, not alcohol..." Juuli opened the fridge. "Let's see... We have orange juice, bottled water, some of this new powdered fruit drink stuff all the kids are drinking these days..." Riko and Akura sweatdropped. "I'll have water, please." they said simultaneously. Juuli shrugged and got two bottles of water, and handed them to the kids.

"...PPFFFT! GAH!" Riko and Akura choked as they drank the water. Riko looked at the bottle with suspiscion. "What the heck? Pure Spring Water my..." Akura spoke up. "It does indeed taste quite strange..."

Juuli sweatdropped. "Uh... Sorry, it was a cheap brand. I guess you can water your plants or something with them, Akura." she said, removing the bottles from the fridge and pouring the two kids glasses of orange juice.

xxx

Shisu unwound her silky, black hair from the bun she had it in and looked around Kosuigakure. It was much like it had been left... The buildings were intact, sunlight still shone from the light-gatherers... The main difference were that the bodies of the village's inhabitants had long been decomposed, and the unnatural ecosystem had taken over. The former town was now a jungle, with rabbits, deer, and birds literally almost everywhere, starving due to overpopulation and overharvesting of food sources, with no natural predators in sight and no escape from the enclosure of the cavern. The only exception seemed to be the deer, who had plenty of grass to munch on, fueled by the other decomposing animal corpses.

"Lady Shisu! What will we do?"

Shisu was silent.

"Lady Shisu?"

"Let us stay here for a few days. We can stock up on venison and other supplies, and prepare ourselves for what's to come."

"Yes ma'am!"

"Dismissed!"

Shisu watched as her followers broke off and explored their former home. "..." She began walking, in which direction she did not know, but she soon found herself in her own home. Everything inside was layered with thick dust, and spider webs crawled all over everything. She glanced over at the sink, and turned it on, then formed a hand seal. Soon, water was spraying everywhere, shredding the spider webs and washing the dust off the various things. She walked upstairs, burning spider webs the water couldn't reach with minor fire jutsu.

She walked into her old bedroom and winced as she noticed a picture on her bedside table. She almost casually picked it up, as if it were still before that day... She wiped off the dust and felt old pains coming back as she saw herself, Reiki, Genki, and various people posing idiotically for the picture. So much had changed since that day... "I feel so... empty..." she said aloud, without meaning to, but then continued. "I wish I didn't have to do this... All those years ago, when I killed Chakuya Rikoku... Rikoku was my real target, though Reiki didn't realize that. Reiki hadn't truly been at fault, I had found out... It was all that damn Chakuya's fault!" She raised the picture, as if to smash it, but she set it down and sat on her filthy bed. "I didn't even authorize the poisoning of Genki... They went ahead and did it without my permission, expecting praise. ...It was lucky that I supplied Genki an antidote in time, but I found out he died years later from an illness, probably caused by the lingering effects of the poison that had taken hold before I got there..."

She sobbed as she lay on her bed and curled into the fetal position. "Dammit! Why do things have to be like this...?" She breathed in, gasping, "I don't want to have to kill Reiki, but I killed his friends, and it was partially my fault for Genki's death..." Her ragged breathing slowed and calmed, lending her the former hardened air she had. "It'll be alright, though... When I go to Reiki, I'll be going to my death. ...It's fate. And no one can escape their fate..."

She stood up and performed a wind jutsu, removing the dust from her clothing. She looked at the picture from before, then smashed the glass, and put the photograph into her bosom. She dried her eyes and quickly left the house, barely remembering to turn the water off.

(OOC: Meh, 10 minutes of class left and not enough time to post. Gah. I'll post tonight, but first I gotta catch up- I can read in that much time. I'll see you guys when I can. This weekend was funny; Sunday; the internet was out almost all day. >>)

(OOC:

- Uh huh, I did too. Then there was family stuff on some portion of friday and then there was internet outages on Sunday. Fun.)

He was already asleep.

"Ricky-kun..." His eyes looked a lighter shade of blue in the light of the room. "What the hell did you do to yourself? Pale and skinny, you half killed yourself training your mind." He walked over looked down at the young man before reaching down and touching his cheek, "Rick I..."

Rico blinked awake looking around, "Adei?" There was nothing there. He flopped back down and sighed thinking, The more I remember, the more painful this gets.

OOC: I have a new idea; voice actors.

That's right, in OOC-notes, list the voice actor for your character. It helps with visualization.

For Hiroto, the VA is Steven Jay Blum, the infamous voice for Spike of Cowboy Bebop fame (and, more recently, Mugen of Samurai Champloo.

xxxx

7:00 AM

Rico'ki was silent, a pillow over his eyes. Sunlight filtered in through the windows.

"You still there?" mumbled Rico'ki.

No answer.

"Hello?"

Still no answer.

Rico'ki immediately sat up. Adei was still sitting there, smiling. The redhead grimaced as the kid replied, "I knew you wouldn't wake up if I answered."

xxxx

Hiroto glanced back at Reiki; the blue-haired man was slumped against a tree, sleeping soundly. After the late-night training session that had lasted for the entire night, it was understandable.

The man yawned slightly as he walked along. Without his eyes, it was surprisingly easy to stay awake much longer; the fact he had trained his body to stay awake for longer periods was also helpful. But after tonight, he would sleep. A lot.

Hmm...I should gather Special Squad One. The Jonin paused; what of Hyuu, the Chuunin from the Mist? From what he had heard from Kakashi - who had spoken with the Hokage after Shikamaru's game - the boy had been turned into a Leaf Genin...and that if he had his approval, he could join SS1.

The Jonin had already made his decision.

He quickly created nine Shadow Clones; he needed to gather up his squad.

xxxx

Fifteen minutes later, atop the Third's head on Monument Range...

Hyuu, Riko, Geno, Akura, Suki, Daio, Kai (who had been a bit more difficult to carry), Izzy, and Ryu were dropped onto their butts by Hiroto's Shadow Clones.

"You could've been a bit gentler," muttered Geno.

As the Shadow Clones dissipated, Hiroto stared at Kai with his eyeless gaze. The hanyou tilted his eyes away, as if ashamed of the fact Hiroto was looking at him.

Of course, the Jonin was not content with this. "What are you ashamed for?" Kai blinked at Hiroto's terse tone. "Your transformation was beyond your control; you can't feel sorry for yourself because of your ancestors' actions. The ogre blood within you has manifested itself; I can understand how it would make you feel ashamed. Others who wouldn't understand might treat you as less than human. I can understand your fear, considering the Nine Tailed Demon Fox that attacked our village six years ago...but it has no affect on who you are. You are still Shiake Kai."

Kai was silent...and then he bowed, his deeper voice coming through. "Thank you, Hiroto-sensei."

Izzy was stock-still; Kai had turned into a half-demon? Suddenly, a revelation hit him; was Kai's transformation the reason why Daio had been crying last night?

"Now with that out of the way," continued Hiroto, his lips curling upward into a grin. "Now we can move on to the newbie."

Hyuu blinked as Hiroto pointed at him. "Um...technically, I am a Chuunin-level ninja...so I'm not really that 'new' to-"

"SILENCE!" dramatically roared Hiroto, silencing the new Leaf ninja. Hiroto immediately created seven Shadow Clones, a smirk coming to his face. "Now, since you're new and haven't been here that long, I'll have to introduce you the old fashioned way...HAZING."

Hyuu blinked as his arms were grabbed by two Shadow Clones. "Wha-?"

He was thrown forward.

Two other Shadow Clones grabbed him again and tossed him upward.

Two more Shadow Clones spun him around in midair.

The last Shadow Clone pushed him downward...

And he landed on Hiroto's feet in a daze.

Cue the infamous spinning.

Moments later, Hyuu was on the ground, dazed and confused. Geno chuckled as he knelt down, saying, "Hiroto-sensei's a bit...different from other Jonin."

"No kidding," murmured Hyuu as he dizzily sat up. "Nothing like the Jonin in Kirigakure...they're all serious and bloodthirsty..."

Hiroto smiled. "Good. Then I succeeded." The Blind Sentinel turned away as he dismissed his Shadow Clones. "Konohagakure is far different from Kirigakure...as are those who protect it. I wanted to make sure any preconceived notions you had of us were wiped away before you became a part of Special Squad One."

"So...he's a part of our group now?" asked Riko.

"Well, it does make it easier to create teams," replied the Jonin with a smirk. "And I have a mission for you all today...and depending on how you carry it out, it can be a D-rank...or an A-rank."

The nine Genin (well, eight Genin and one psuedo-Genin) paused; what mission did Hiroto have in mind?

"You will all give Hyuu a tour of Konoha...but if you get in trouble, expect a heaping load of workouts tomorrow!" Hiroto immediately smiled. "And if things go smoothly...well, let's just say free food is in your future."

Suki pumped her fist. YES!

"And that's all. Mission start!" And Hiroto was gone.

All nine Genin were silent.

Finally, Hyuu asked, "So...where to?"

xxxx

Reiki sputtered as water was splashed on him. "Wha?!"

Hiroto's face greeted him. "Time to continue training."

OOC: There was nothing there man, I let ya go ahead an move him there but Rico's not ready yet. Believe me.

VA's... I'll have to think on that one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Aid..." His body started shutting down. His vision blurred and he threw up over the side of the bed.

"Rico-kun!" He felt someone grab him and keep him from falling out of bed, the voice was familiar and worried. But not the one he'd heard in his mind not a few moments ago.

"Rico'ki? Are you alright? Should I send for help?" The voice seemed to calm him down even though he didn't recognize it yet. The young man steadied himself and stopped shaking, then looked up blinking to try to get his eyes to focus on the face in front of him, "Iruka? When did you..." Rico'ki coughed a little and sat up. "I'm fine, must still be in shock thats all."

What the hell is going on, two visions of him in the same night? Whats going on here. He ground his teeth as was his habit when in deep thought.

OOC: Ah. But this is fortunate, this post of yours gives me more to work on.

xxxx

Rico'ki grimaced as he got to his feet, feeling a slight twinge of pain in his mind. Hmm...memories...visions...recollections...why am I always haunted by them?

The Chuunin frowned as he stared at his old friend. "Rico-kun, I wasn't aware you were back until this morning. Where've you been?"

"You don't know?" Rico'ki sighed as he ground his teeth some more. Guess he wasn't considered high enough on the ladder to merit being told. It was understandable; spies were a very 'subtle' matter that needed to be handled with discretion. "If you'll excuse me."

Rico calmly left the guest room, walking down the hallway as he remained in deep thought.

And throughout it all, Adei had disappeared without a trace.

xxxx

Rico'ki stood on the palace balcony, overlooking the bustling village of Konoha. More memories began to assault him...one stuck out...one of a young boy no older than 3 playing Shogi like a veteran...

Who are these people?

"Hey."

Rico didn't need to turn around; the voice was familiar enough, even to him. "Hiroto."

"How ya feelin'?" asked the Blind Sentinel, his body propped up on the balcony rail by one foot.

OOC: Voice actors huh? I haven't given it much thought, but I think these fit:

Riko: Haley Joe Osmond: Voice of Sora from Kingdom Hearts. The 'I see dead people' kid.

Akura: Let's see... I can't think of a good voice here. Probably either the lady who does Flonne from Disgaea, or the voice of the smoking girl from FLCL.

Genonosuke: ARE YOU ASKING FOR A CHALLLLEEEEEENGE?! Er, actually... Let's see. David Gallagher, voice of Riku from Kingdom Hearts, seems to fit here IMO. Geno's only twelve, so maybe a little lighter.

Hyuu: Voice of Leon from Kingdom Hearts. Something quiet, yet strong. That's Hyuu for you.

Reiki: Gordon from Disgaea. NOT XD. The audial images burn... Anyway, Cam Clarke, voice of Kratos from Tales of Symphonia, but with a lighter range in his voice.

Shisu: Voice of Etna from Disgaea. Etna's voice actor was so good, IMO... She overacted, but it was natural overacting, the kind you'd find in actual conversation. <3 her.

Glaive: Albel from Star Ocean 3. I forget who the voice actor is.

Yashi: Generic old woman voice. O_o And write off the other Star Ninja as you imagine them.

IC:

Glaive hadn't slept the previous night, nor had he ate. In fact, he had done neither in the past week. There were supplies on the boat, but he cared not. All he cared for was reaching the Fire Country. Needless to say, he looked a bit ragged.

Glaive stood six feet high, dressed in a filthy jumpsuit of dull red. His flaming orange hair messy and uncombed. His flame-painted hunter-nin mask, of which only the upper half and a fraction of the left cheek were intact... And his left arm.

The mechanical monstrosity didn't normally make noises when it moved, but Glaive had not oiled it, and so it made exaggerated, irritating noises whenever it whirred to life. It was three times as large as a normal arm with gears visible at the joints, and within its confines lay several items whose potential was wasted - a small scythe-blade which he had used to merely gut the boatman earleir, a shield that formed together from different pieces in the arm, dart throwing mechanisms, and ungodly strength from being a machine solely manipulated by chakra. He didn't care about any of it. He began mumbling to himself about Reiki.

Glaive swung his trademark weapon, a glaive spear, and sliced the boat's mast in half. It was a tiny thing, extending about ten feet high in total, but Glaive didn't care about the height. The size of the sail was perfect. The rest of this boat was slowing him down... He began ripping the boat apart, and binding pices of wood to his arms and chest with strands of water-proof rope. Finally, he tied the mast to his back, and leaped off the tiny, and now useless ship, laughing, and yelling, "I'M A BOAT!!!!! HAHAHAHA!".

Glaive was dirty. Glaive was angry. Glaive was insane.

xxx

"Where to?" Hyuu asked. Riko thought for a moment. "How about the library? I can introduce you to Aunt Kukuru, and show you some of the old books I read. And come to think of it, I never really looked at the scroll section either... You might can learn something about Leaf techniques or culture."

Hyuu shrugged. "Sounds like a good place as any. Let's go then."

Genonosuke stood in front of the group and held up a hand. "Wait guys... Remember what Hiroto-sensei said? If we get into trouble, we're going to be in for a work-out. And when Hiroto-sensei says a workout, it'll be a WORK-OUT, like lifting boulders with our teeth or something. Follow? I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd rather have the free food than the free torture. So... Don't touch anything, ok guys? Especially you, Kai. You've gotten bigger and stronger, and if you accidentally bump a bookshelf or something, I'd hate to see what would happen."

Riko frowned. "Sure, Geno. Make him feel better, why don't you?"

Genonosuke shook his head. "I'm calling it like it is. We have to be careful. We can't mess up anything in the places we go to, and we have to avoid, say, fights on the street at all costs."

Everybody sweatdropped. Genonosuke yelled, "Well, we have to account for everything! For all we know, a raging demon could stomp through the village right now, and we'd get in trouble for it! So, if there's a fight, stay away from it. If you screw something up, fix it as fast as you can. That's all I'm asking. Akura's not in any shape to work out like that anyway..."

Everyone was silent, full well knowing what happened to Akura not one day ago. Akura didn't know what to say, so she simply bowed, with her hands folded, and whispered, "Thank you."

At the library, Riko was talking to Kukuru. Hyuu was twitching nervously as she introduced herself. "I am Kukuru White." she said, extending her hand. Hyuu hesitated, then took it, mumbling. "Doten Hyuugaza. Er, Dogaza Hyuuten. Sorry. Uh, call me Hyuu?" Kukuru laughed and nodded. "Pleased to meet you, Hyuu." Hyuu wandered off and Genonosuke followed him. "And you talked about ME being a smoothie?"

Hyuu twitched. "I...don't know what you're talking about."

Genonosuke smirked. "Oh you don't, do you... I can tell from here that you like her. It's SO obvious!"

Hyuu's face began to take on the shade of a ripe tomato, ready to burst. "You... I... er, I mean... ...It's that obvious, then?"

"TOO obvious. I swear though, it must be LOVE season or something. And the girls don't even know! We'll have to overcome our nervousness and do something about it later, ok? I know Aunt Kukuru, and I can put in a good word for you."

Hyuu sweatdropped, and replied, "Uh, sure. Ok. ..."

Kai shifted nervously, visibly staying away from the bookcases and anything he could splinter easily. He reached up almost casually and scratched the Henpuku seal on his neck, then frowned.

Meanwhile, Diao and Akura were sitting at a table, and Akura was showing her some of her favorite books. Diao sweatdropped. "You... do seem to like your romance novels, don't you?" the skull-eyed girl said. Akura smiled and nodded. "Some of these are just great... See, there's this one right here is a fantasy-romance where the main hero is a foreigner who can control something called 'magic' and make things like fireballs and lightning without hand seals. His personality is really dashing, too... He ends up fighting all these rogue ninja for his love's hand... It's all so exciting!" Diao sweatdropped. Suki was sitting near Diao and Akura, but not really paying attention to the conversation, too absorbed in the text she was reading.

Ryu was silent. He stared at the plants under the various windows. He frowned as he examined the slightly brown edges of their leaves. They were being underwatered. "..." He fished a canteen out of his gear and began to pour his own water out into the soil, and brushed the plants gently. The plants seemed to respond to his touch, and stretched up a little, greening.

And during all of this, Riko had dragged Hyuu away from Genonosuke and was showing him various books. "I see..." Hyuu remarked. "So this is where you learned most of your chakra controling methods. Some of these look really inefficient though... More like simple training methods instead of actual techniques for battle use." Riko sweatdropped.

xxx

Reiki sighed. It was good getting back into the flow of battle again. There were so many jutsu he had left unused after his time spent in those villages... He looked at Hiroto. He had seen two of them when he was woken up, one of which had headed to the Hokage's Palace. It was impossible to tell which was real, but it didn't really matter.

Reiki popped his neck, then cracked his knuckles. "I think I've warmed up... Now for the good stuff. Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Four Reikis appeared next to him. A good number, as not as much chakra was used compared to making, say, eight clones, and left plenty of energy for battle.

All five of the Reiki's shouted, "Taijutsu; mashiroryu no rendan! Performance of the White Dragon!" and leapt at Hiroto. Reiki saw Hiroto's response, but kept on moving; it was actually better for him to practice this move on a replacement log.

The first Reiki kicked the fake Hiroto into the air, while the second leaped above the target from the first's shoulders. Performing a smashing kick downwards, the second Reiki slammed the dummy into the third Reiki's overhead two-fist strike, which sent it flying towards the fourth Reiki, who reinforced his neck muscles and forehead with chakra and head-butted the dummy, then grabbed its clothing and tossed it into the air. The fifth Reiki was waiting and locked the fake Hiroto's joints with a grappling technique, then piledrived him into the ground, and leapt up, where the four other Reikis converged upon the spot with flying heel kicks. There was a poof of jutsu smoke, and where Hiroto had landed was a log ground into fine powder.

Reiki landed, and judged himself mentally. Five seconds...? Damn, that was too slow...

Hiroto suddenly had Reiki in a headlock. "Wha?" "You didn't think I'd let you do the only attacking, did you? You left yourself wide open for this. NOOGIE NO JUTSU!"

Reiki gritted his teeth, and sweatdropped, then thought for a moment. "Oh yeah? Well, you didn't pin my arms, so you left yourself wide open for THIS!" In a display of raw playfulness unseen since his days with Genki, Reiki yelled out a familiar technique. "TICKLE NO JUTSU!".

Kentsu sweatdropped as he observed the 'training' from afar with a pair of binoculars. "...Goofballs..." he muttered.

OOC: For those of you concerned about Glaive's sudden character change, don't be. =P

(OOC: I don't know about a voice actor, but I'd have to think about it...)

IC:

Hiro shook his head and repeated himself. "That was very unplesant and unexpected." he said as he regained his posture. "Now to find that cretin and those girls..." he mumbuled as he took off to find them.

"Hmmm.."

(OOC: For VA's could they be real "regular" actor's as well?)

OOC: It doesn't matter, just as long as you feel the voice fits.

(will post later)

Iruka shook his head sadly after Rico had left, Not the same as he was. His eyes are still there but they're hidden under whatever he's gone through.

"If you must know, horrible. I thought if I could meet the people in my dreams everything would be fine." He muttered staring at the balcony floor.

"Oh really? You expected people to throw you a parade?" Hiroto smarted off with no real tone. Rico closed his eyes, "No, but they did anyway. I just brushed off that Iruka guy like a stranger. Because he was one to me. I saw the boy I used to play Shogi with, he looked like he wanted to say something, he looked like he wanted me to say something. But I didn't." Rico'ki shook his head, "What is wrong with me. In my mind I can see this person thats making them laugh, someone they like to be around, someone they trust. I can't even stay in the same room with one without screwing things up. I'm being cold, callous, insensitive, and acting..."

"Like a ninja." Hiroto finished the sentence for him. Rico'ki scowled, "I know I wasn't like that. I know I wasn't one. Why was someone like me sent to a hellish place like Mist?"

"Because you wanted to do something worthwile...and because after the attack of the Nine Tails, you withdrew into yourself," answered Hiroto. "The Hokage had hoped that if you were given a meaningful purpose again, you'd come out...unfortunately, that wasn't the case."

"So this happened before I left. Thats why that boy seemed so hesitatant to say anything to me." He leaned on the balcony, "I don't like this. It's like I'm in someone else's body. I can remember how I was but I can't be that person. It's like Rico'ki is in me but he doesn't want to come out. I can see why they sent me, but thats not what I want. I think, I think I DO need to find a meaningful purpose. But a ninja? No thats not it."

He tensed a little, "Why is it so hard for me to be myself? What the hell was so important that it caused this? I wouldn't let some idiot running off to his own death effect me like this. Something like that doesn't concern me."

"Well, that was certainly the case when the Fourth perished sealing away the Kyuubi," murmured Hiroto, a stoic expression on his face. "The fall you experienced after that - emotionally speaking that is - was unexpected by anyone who knew you personally."

The Blind Sentinel sighed as he leaned against the railing, the wind ruffling through his hair. "All I know is that part of the reason behind your emotional fall was not only due to the Fourth's demise...but also because of 'Tengoku'."

Tengoku.

It rang throughout Rico'ki's head.

Rico soured, "A dead religion whose abilities are only used by ninja, to kill. Willpower was never intended to be used so recklessly, so violently. Master said the only good thing was that Will masters aren't taught, they're born. Because there is no way to learn or develop the ability to control chakra with sheer will, only a few ninja exist with it, usually they either become Kage or Demons. Either is an insult to what was once the Tengoku way of life."

His nose wrinkled slightly into a semi-sneer, "How did you find out about Tengoku? I wouldn't be stupid enough to trust anyone...."

"How come you get to go! I'm going to be a great ninja so I should be going to!" The youthful youth caused mixed emotions in his mind. He saw himself again, the smile was gone from his face but he could still see a kind of happiness in his own eyes even though his expression was depressed, "Heh, you'd have to start training at the ninja academy first, and pass you tests before you could go with me kiddo." The voice had a face this time, it was the blond haired boy he'd seen in his nightmares back in the Mist Village, "I've been here longer than you though, you haven't trained at the academy yet either." The boy plopped down in a pouting fashion.

The boy snorted, "If you guys were that powerful you shoulda just kicked their butts." Rico shook his head, "Tengoku teaches us not to abuse the power we have. We exist to protect people that cannot protect themselves. We exist to help when and were we can." He saw himself make a half hearted attempt to look cheerful and finish explaining that to be reason he could go and the boy couldn't. It confused Rico'ki, why would he take time to explain that to someone, why would he trust someone like that? Had he told others? For what reason.

Hiroto cocked his head to the silence, it was obvious the young man was in deep thought as he'd trailed off mid sentence.

"Maybe you didn't think it was stupid." Hiroto's voice brought him back to reality and out of the daydream-like flashback. He sighed, "I just can't seem to understand. Should I try to talk to Iruka again?"

Hiroto sighed as he scratched his ear; the sunlight shined off of his right arm's gauntlet, casting a silvery shine. "I'm not quite sure. You do what you feel is right; considering what you've been through, you deserve that much. Besides...a little walk through the village might be just what you need."

Needless to say, Rico'ki's position that ninja used the power of Will to kill and nothing more...well, he couldn't argue at all. A lot of ninja abused their powers, and Konoha had its own share of unsavory characters. Orochimaru - a former Legendary Leaf and an outcast - was a prime example. Even so, Konoha was a good deal better than most. Besides, Hiroto wasn't a disciple of Tengoku. "As for your position on abuse of power by ninja...I can't dispute that. However, there are those who still show restraint, even if they aren't followers of that philosophy called Tengoku. I can't say whether or not you'll feel at home as much as you once were...but if you utilize a different kind of willpower - the kind from within that makes you endure and persevere - then you might be able to regain what you lost."

Rico'ki was silent to Hiroto's words.

"But hey, what do I know? I'm just a blind fool with a oddball personality," finished the Blind Sentinel with a grin. Speaking of oddballs, I wonder how the others are...

xxxx

"Bad idea..."

"I can reach it Hyuu."

"You're not tall enough Riko. Get a ladder."

"Trust me Hyuu, the scrolls aren't that far up."

"You're gonna make it fall over. Shelves aren't meant to support humans..."

"Come on, it'll only take a few seconds."

"..."

"See! And you thought I couldn't climb up here."

Creeaaak...

"Um...Riko?"

"Yes Hyuu?"

"I told you so."

The bookshelves began toppling like dominoes.

Moments later, almost all of the bookshelves were toppled over, and books and scrolls were toppled over each other. Some of the unfortunte ones (Akura, Kai, Suki, and Geno) were trapped under a mound of books. And from somewhere in the midst of all those books, a frightened Izzy shouted, "It wasn't me!"

Genonosuke had a sweatdrop bigger than his head at about this moment. He felt a weakness in his knees, and he began muttering, "N-no... NO! This isn't happening, this can't be happening! I don't wanna die..." Muffled cries came from under the bookshelves. Genonosuke rushed over and tried lifting one of the shelves, to no avail.

Kukuru sighed and formed a hand seal. "Uddo; tananihonwonoseru no jutsu!" The shelves suddenly flew back to where they had been, and the books began realigning themselves on the shelves in the order they had been. Genonosuke gaped at Kukuru, who smiled, and said, "Hey, they didn't make me librarian for nothing! Don't worry about this, it's no problem for me. Just be glad I was the librarian on duty."

Genonosuke breathed a sigh of relief, but Riko was working up a rather large sweatdrop himself. The girls were eyeing him rather angrily...

He sighed, "Thats another trait that was valued by us. Real willpower, the ability not to be corrupted. Thats why I keep ending up here I guess. It's home, oddball or not." He looked thoughtful for a second, "Your students, they most be special to be sent on missions like that."

Hiroto cocked his head as if interested in what Rico had to say. The young man looked hesistant, but finally took in a breath, "Would you think they would object to a bodyguard thats failed in the past?"

"Ninja don't need bodyguards." Hiroto said quickly. Rico nodded, "True, but according to my beliefs... children do."