It was quickly decided that they would leave the library posthaste. Of course, this was after that the girls had decided Riko's punishment. Let's just say it involved Daio's Bloodline Limit, a Henge, and some tickling. And that's all you need to know.

xxxx

"Now did ya learn your lesson?" said Suki with a giggle.

"Yes," murmured Riko, his eyes still swirly. "Don't ever do that again..."

Geno smirked. "I don't know. I found it funny."

A quick nod from all the males confirmed it. Even the calm Ryu had smirked at the sight of the girls' torment of Riko.

Hyuu glanced upward towards Monument Range, glancing at the four heads. "So...who are those men?"

"They are the four Hokage," answered Riko. "From first to last, and whenever a new Hokage is inducted, his face is carved into the wall."

Akura piped in, "Or her."

Geno snorted. "A WOMAN Hokage? Like THAT would ever happen.*" This earned him a quick glare from Daio; that shut him up immediately.

Izzy, as it was, had been glancing at the Icha Icha Tactics book...and ironically, the main title on the page was this: HELL HATH NO FURY LIKE A WOMAN SCORNED. Whoa. Creepy.

"Who are they?" asked Hyuu.

Kai said, "He is the First Hokage, the Shodai...the one who founded Konohagakure."

"And the grandfather of Tsunade the Legendary Leaf!" chirped Suki.

Kai continued, "The next one is the Second Hokage, the Nidaime...he was the First's younger brother, and he taught the Third."

Riko added, "He was also a master of Water techniques...I heard he was able to create water with his chakra alone."

"The third one...is the Hokage currently serving. The Third Hokage, the Sandaime...he taught the Legendary Leafs. I might also add that due to all of the jutsus he had learned over the years, he's garnered the nickname of 'God of the Shinobi'." For a moment, Kai chuckled at how smart he sounded; history hadn't really been his thing back at the Academy, but Hokages had been the only subject worth learning, seeing as how they were the strongest of all Konoha-nin.

"And the last one is the Fourth Hokage, correct?" asked Hyuu. "Why isn't he serving right now?"

Silence came from the group. They ALL knew this history lesson.

Kai calmly said, "The Fourth Hokage was a student of a Legendary Leaf...due to a jutsu where he could teleport anyone in the blink of an eye, and his yellowish-blonde hair, he was known as the 'Yellow Flash' of Konoha. He taught the famous Kakashi...and he was regarded by all of us as the most powerful shinobi ever produced by the Hidden Leaf."

"Then where is he?"

"Hyuu..." muttered Geno, his eyes closed out of sorrow. "Six years ago, a powerful fox demon came out of nowhere and attacked Konohagakure. This demon - the Nine-Tailed Fox - was so strong, his tails, with one swing, could cause earthquakes and tsunamis. A lot of ninja died trying to stop the Demon Fox...but it took a sacrifice by the Fourth to eventually destroy it." If only they knew the truth...but that is a story for another time.

Akura gulped as she glanced down her shirt at the 'Understanding' character on her chest. The Oni demon within her...what if it broke free? Would it require a sacrifice of another powerful ninja to stop it? What if Riko were to die? Riko-kun...

Ryu calmly said, "The history lesson is fine and all, but I'd rather we not dwell on that. I may not always seem cheerful...but I don't want to be miserable all day."

"And a good way to end that is to eat! Let's get lunch!" exclaimed Suki.

As the nine Genin started searching for a restuarant, Hyuu dryly commented, "Well, at least you have better luck with Kages than the Mist...ever since the Mist's inception, we've had 25 Mizukages."

"25?!?!" exclaimed Izzy. "Why so many?!"

"Because they usually end up being assassinated."

This silenced Izzy.

xxxx

They are special...very special, thought the Blind Sentinel with a quite expression.

Hiroto smiled at Rico'ki's statement. "Well...they would naturally object, considering that they're pretty skilled...for Genin. However, seeing as how I'm their 'boss', so to speak...I have no objections."

xxxx

*Of course, we know different. 😛

OOC: I'll leave Riko's fear to you DDK. ;P

Riko shook his head, still trying to recover from the shock of Diao's power. His worst fear... that was seeing his friends fall in battle, as he had reaffirmed to himself during Hiroto's testing of their abilities on their first real day as SS1, and when he took the vow to protect Akura. Of course, Diao couldn't mimic this fully with a Henge, so the result was something like a Zombie Akura chasing Riko around, and finally pinning him down for the tickling. It hadn't been pleasant, but it was quite funny to the girls.

"Hey, why don't we take Hyuu out for ramen?"

"Wouldn't that ruin the purpose of Hiroto-sensei giving us free food later?"

"Oh, yeah..."

Genonosuke thought for a moment. "Hey, guys... Let's take Hyuu to the Honorstone."

Everyone suddenly looked at Genonosuke, then they began to nod in agreement. They began to climb the now familiar path alongside the monument to the Hokages. Before long, they were atop the mountain, and as they began to enter the forest, they came upon a strange sight. Reiki was some thirty odd yards away within a clearing, with only his head above soil. Hiroto, real or perhaps a Shadow Clone, was watching him.

Reiki looked entirely comfortable in the ground, as if he were sleeping. Akura sweatdropped at seeing her uncle like this. Suddenly, Reiki's eyes snapped open, and he shot out of the ground at a high speed. "Easasu no jutsu!" he cried as he formed a hand seal. And... He stopped.

Reiki was suspended in mid-air, standing on seemingly nothing. In truth, he was swirling wind underneath his feet in a spiral motion, keeping him aloft. Reiki looked to his right, and confirmed a suspicion. He had been watched from a distant vantage point.

Kentsu cursed as Reiki spotted him, and quickly disappeared out of the forest and over Konohagakure's walls. Reiki released the jutsu and landed squarely on the ground. "It's just like I thought." he told Hiroto (or Shadow Clone Hiroto). "The Star Ninja are observing my training. ...Hm?" He turned and saw the group of Genin approaching.

Hiroto merely nodded as they came closer. "Taking Hyuu to see the Honorstone, then?" They nodded, and quickly passed by. However, Hiroto grabbed the back of Riko's gi and held him up. "You all haven't gotten in any... trouble yet, have you?" he asked, in a feigned suspicious tone.

Riko gulped and stammered, "N-no sir, Hiroto-sensei."

"Are you suuure?"

Riko gulped again and nodded. Hiroto dropped him. "Go on, then."

Hiroto sighed as Riko ran off. The boy had clearly been terrified for a moment, but his body gave off no signs of lying that were distinguishable from fear. One might think Riko was lying, but in fact, Kukuru had said the incident had not been a problem. To Riko, it wasn't a lie, but he was afraid nonetheless. Still, Hiroto knew something had happened, or almost happened anyway. He'd check it out later.

A bit of walking later...

"Honorstone, huh?" Hyuu was gazing on the large, black stone. "Are these the names of your village's greatest warriors?"

Genonosuke looked upon the stone, and said quietly, "You could say that... Though not the way you meant it. These ninja were all killed in service of the village."

Hyuu was silent for a moment. Such a thing would have never been a factor in Kirigakure, where things were so bloody. "I see... So these dead ninja are honored. Huh. I used to call myself a realist, when I compared myself to accepting Kirigakure's ways... but... I think I like the way this place runs."

Riko once again felt that familiar chill as he gazed upon the Honorstone, but this time for a different reason... Would any of SS1's name be enscribed upon the stone while he lived? Would he see the day his friends joined the honored ninja of Konoha? Or would it be the other way around, with Akura sadly gazing at his own name? He tried not to think about it.

Hiroto suddenly put a foot back on the railing. "I'll leave you to your thoughts...I've got Genin to watch." The Jonin disappeared without a trace, leaving Rico'ki alone.

xxxx

"Well, how do we follow up with the Honorstone?" asked Izzy. "I mean, we've visited the library, done a history lesson on the Hokage of the village, and visited the Honorstone. What else is there? We've already ruled out eating."

"Don't forget Zombie Akura," added Geno.

Riko frowned as he muttered, "Yeah yeah, I know."

"And Riko toppling the bookshelves over," continued Hyuu.

"I GET it..."

Akura couldn't help but giggle. Aside from the somber mood brought upon them by the Hokage history lesson and the visit to the Honorstone, the day had been a cheerful one. But what else was there to make it better...?

"How about we just walk around?" offered Akura. "If nothing else, it'll help Hyuu know about the village he'll be protecting."

That seemed as good an idea as any...so they began the trek down Monument Range, touring the village of Konoha. The marketplace, the farms, the residential areas, the parks...unfortunately, there was one side-affect.

Stares.

Shiake Kai's frown grew ever deeper as most people shied away from him or looked away; his appearance frightened them. He couldn't blame them.

Daio, however, managed to console him by clutching onto his hand; it was enough to make him endure the stars. Kai chuckled. "Heh...so my sister can be more than annoying sometimes..."

"Just shut up," retorted Daio with a light smile.

xxxx

Sunset.

The nine Genin had circled all the way around, ending up back atop Monument Range.

"I must say," thoughtfully said Hyuu, his eyes gazing up at the sky. "This is a very pleasant village...I might be able to sleep in relaxation for the first time in years...in the Mist, you always had to worry about someone sneaking up on you...to stab you in the back."

"Told you you'd like it," cracked Genonosuke.

Suki sighed as she sat on the ground, rubbing her red hair. "Well...that's a day well-spent."

"And it'll end well for all except one."

Everyone turned around to see Hiroto. A cruel smirk was on his face...and he was staring at Riko. "I've been trailing you nine children for most of the day...heard a 'library' incident get mentioned several times. This means that someone told a little bitty fib."

Riko was suddenly wishing he was somewhere else right now. Uh oh.

"Seeing as how it was only you, everyone else still gets free food...but for you Riko, you have to join me in running 50 laps around the village!" Riko's jaw dropped. "Of course, that's after I do this..."

He performed the sign of the Tiger. Ryu frowned. "What are you doing?"

"I once won a bet with Hatake Kakashi...my winning bet was that he'd teach me his most powerful technique. I had hoped he'd teach me his Raikiri technique...but all I got was this crummy little tidbit. Sure, he wormed out of our agreement...but for this, it'll suffice." Hiroto smirked wickedly.

Riko was sweatting profusely. What technique did the Jonin have in mind?

Hiroto roared, "NOW...FOR KONOHA'S MOST SECRET AND MOST SACRED TAIJUTSU TECHNIQUE!" He disappeared...

...and reappeared behind Riko. The blue-haired Chakuya blanched as he tilted his head...

"ONE THOUSAND YEARS OF PAIN!!!"

...just in time for Hiroto's fingers to ram themselves up Riko's butt.

Riko's face went from O_O to >_< to >XO in a flash. "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" He landed several dozen yards away in the forest.

The other eight Genin were silent.

Then Geno, Izzy, and Kai (in a refreshing change of pace for the hanyou) all fell to their butts laughing. Akura and Suki fell into a fit of helpless giggles. Daio laughed a few times. Ryu smirked. Hyuu sweatdropped. He truly IS an oddball.
"Now you're all dismissed; make sure to have a good night's rest. Cause Riko sure won't be getting any." He disappeared, grabbing Riko, and leaping away from Monument Range.

The eight Genin were left alone.

xxxx

Hiroto - carrying an aching Riko - landed outside of Konoha's walls, letting the Chakuya fall on his butt. "Okay, if you want to get home before midnight, let's start running."

He kept moving, as did his thoughts.

"Hmmm, other guardians in theroy are elsewhere in this place as well. The girls must have found defenders by now." he thought. As he did such, he didn't stop heading for the direction that the cretin and girls went.

It wouldn't hurt to be sure.

He couldn't get the way his old friend had been acting out of his mind. Iruka wandered through the streets trying to clear his mind. Then noticed it, he though it was a decoration at first. Then the realization made his heart skip a beat. On the balcony a few blocks away he could see someone standing on the rail, in fading light he could see the telltale red hair.

Dammit, that idiot. Going to kill himself? He cursed to himself speeding off toward the emotionless young man. Several others were watching too, all unsure what to make of the spectacle.

Rico spread his arms out like a bird, the dropped like a rock toward the ground. Iruka was blur but one that was too late. He stopped ready to mourn but then raised an eyebrow, the young man's body was floating just above the ground, much to everyone's shock. He turned his head towards Iruka and smirked, his short ponytail drooping towards the ground. He closed his eyes and lowered himself the final few inches to the grow, then slowly got to his feet.

Showing off? Went through Iruka's mind well he was drenched in sweat, open mouthed, and wide-eyed with one eye twitching uncontrollably.

Rico took a mock bow as the unlookers either groaned in disgust or clapped for the display of power.

OOC: I've got a HUUUUUGE post coming up that will fast-forward everything to the day before the scheduled battle. No post until I edit.

Okay, here we go!

xxxx

"Well Rico'ki, I must say I was a little 'surprised' by your stunt," muttered Iruka.

The redhead said nothing as he glanced at his feet, part of him wondering why he had showed off like that. "Guess I was bored."

Iruka sweatdropped. "Boredom...is it?" The Chuunin sighed as he pointed at his vest. "Well...you've been gone for a few years, so you probably didn't know I've become a Chuunin."

Rico'ki shrugged. "Eh, not really that surprising." Actually, it made him feel glad on the inside. Even though he couldn't quite remember exactly what Iruka had meant to him.

"Now...tell me about you. You've been gone for a long time. What happened to you?" The young man's face had more than a scar etched on it; worry and concern was as well.

Fokkusu Rico'ki stood up, staring at the village skyline. His thoughts were still in a jumble; for instance, what exactly did this man mean to him? The memories were fond...but why?

"Listen...I'm not quite sure that I'm still the same person you knew those years ago. I'm not even sure I can still be that person." Rico'ki glanced back at the young man. "More time. That's all I need...all I need to sort these things out." With that said, Rico'ki departed.

Iruka sighed with worry.

xxxx

Hiro had been looking for hours now; the ogre had, more or less, effectively disappeared. And he had been in the village now for over a day. An ogre wasn't exactly a hard thing to find in a human village...there'd be screams to lead the way.

It was possible that the cretin had left the village. Perhaps I should go...see if I can find it...

His eyes caught something.

Hiro ducked into an alleyway and looked out, his red hair slightly unkempt from all the walking and searching.

He saw a group of eight people. Two of them were the girls he had seen earlier...and the ogre was with them.

Wait...

It wasn't the ogre...or was it? It looked different...smaller now, with a more bipedal frame. The sheer savagery it had once possessed was gone, replaced by a morose expression. It even wore CLOTHES for goodness sake.

Hmm...odd. He would shadow these children...watch them from afar. See if the beast made a move. Until he made a decision, he would stay out of sight...and hopefully, out of mind.

xxxx

Midnight.

Riko was on his back, panting and sweating like crazy.

Lap 21.

Hiroto squatted down, staring intently (if he could. *Blind joke*) at the young Chakuya. "Tired already? There's a Genin in the Academy that can run 500 laps."

"You must mean Lee," gasped Riko, his breath coming out in short puffs. "And he can't even perform basic ninjutsu or genjutsu...Taijutsu is all he's got."

"True that, but your physique leaves a lot to be desired." The Jonin sighed as he stood back up, stretching his knees. "We'll take a small break...even though this is the fifth one."

Riko would've facefaulted if he could. He was too dead tired.

After a few minutes, Hiroto asked, "Do you love Akura?"

That immediately made Riko gag, even though nothing was in his mouth. "W-wh-what? Where'd this come from?"

"It's okay; no one else is around."

The unexpected question had sent Riko's heart beating...but the truth was that he did love her...but not in the simple way that most crushes were. It was a different kind of love...a deeper kind. Something that he couldn't quite explain. As if they were bonded on a level deeper than flesh or mind...down to the soul. "Well...yes. Of course. But why ask me?"

The Jonin frowned as his voice took on a serious tone. "Listen; don't tell this to anyone...in five days, an ANBU unit from the Hidden Star will arrive to settle an old score with Reiki."

Riko blinked. "Huh? Hidden Star?"

"A very secretive ninja village...and they specalize in sealing techniques. Very powerful seals. And I made an agreement with one of them." He held up one finger. "If Reiki were to win...the Star would loan us one of their sealing specialists to us for Akura. To seal the Oni within her with a more powerful seal. As it is, the one you gave her is insufficient for the long term."

"Then why worry?" asked Riko, not sure where the argument was going.

"It's if Reiki loses...and he has to seal the Oni himself."

Riko blinked out of confusion. "Why worry? He can seal the demon himself, right?"

"It's possible, yes...but his control is lacking. I doubt he can master it in the time he has...and I'm worried he might mess up. Make a mistake." The tone...was very unsettling to the young Genin. "If he somehow fails...and he undos your seal by accident...or worse, creates a leak for the Oni to seep through..."

Riko frowned. The situation from yesterday roared to his mind...Akura...had looked so otherworldly...imagining if the Oni took full control of her was too much to bear. "...then what...?" He was talking...as if afraid of what the answer was.

"Would you be able to live with the fact that I might have to kill your best friend?"

The full reality of the situation hit Chakuya Riko like a Water Dragon Blast. Akura...being killed for the sake of the village...it drew a lot of parallels to what the Fourth had done for the village to destroy the Nine Tails...but this was far more personal...and far more harrowing. "No...no...you can't. It won't happen. It CAN'T!"

"I'm not saying it will. I'm saying it might...and if it does, I'll have to do what I need to do." He left it at that...but then he continued. "However...the physical, mental, and emotional state of the Oni's host is critical...it's possible Akura might be able to keep the Oni contained by diminishing its might. But to that, she needs her other half: you."

Riko was still as Hiroto looked at him, shifting his hitai-ate up to show his eyeless face. "I swear upon my missing eyes that I'll make sure Reiki's ready to face the Star ANBU...as long as you make sure to keep strong for Akura. The Leaf protects its own...understand?"

Riko nodded, his eyes beginning to tear without him realizing. ...what a great man. I'm lucky to have him as my sensei. He thought of the other members of SS1. All of us are...

"You can make up the last 20 laps later. You should rest." As Hiroto turned to leave...

"No...I'll finish my laps Hiroto-sensei." Riko groaned as he struggled to his feet, green eyes filled with determination.

Hiroto smirked as he shifted down his hitai-ate. "Good."

xxxx

Genonosuke looked at the new hilt for Kin...sorry, Chakentetsu. It was three inches longer than before....and it was jet-black, lined with golden strands of metal. Also - to compensate for the blade's new length - the blade was in a new sheath, colored black and etched with the characters for 'chakra' and 'iron' in silver paint. I've got to break this guy in...it's different from Kintetsu, so I need to retrain myself.

He got out of his night clothes and put on his ninja outfit. A new day...

He walked outside...and blinked at the sight of Riko - holding his bo staff - staring at him. "We train."

Genonosuke blinked at the sight of the dark circles under Riko's eyes. "Dude, have you been awake all night?"

"NOW," muttered Riko as he clenched tightly onto his bo staff.

Then he fell on his face, falling asleep immediately.

Genonosuke could only raise an eyebrow.

xxxx

Reiki yawned as he sat up, his joints feeling sore. All the training was starting to take its toll."

"Awake at last."

The Multi-Ninja blinked at the sight of the Blind Sentinel standing above him, looking like a monolith from his vantage point. "Morning."

"We train now." He launched a punch.

CRASH!

Reiki had barely managed to roll away, dodging the punch from Hiroto's right arm. His metal-encased fist broke a tree in half. "What are you doing?!"

"A shinobi's true skill only manifests itself in the midst of a life-or-death battle. Those are the words of the Third Hokage." Hiroto scowled, if only he had his eyes for the intimidatio factor. "In five days, the Star ANBU will arrive. It's likely most, if not all of them, will be stronger than me. If you can't hold your own against me, you won't stand a chance."

Reiki was silent as Hiroto's arm-blade showed itself. The Blind Sentinel smirked. "It's time to take off the training wheels. No more training...it's time to get stronger by getting thrown in the fire."

Yagami Hiroto dashed at Reiki, who quickly pulled out his katars.

xxxx

The days passed...Hiroto continued to push Reiki to his limits...then past them...then break those new limits...

And all the while, the various ANBU units slowly began to converge towards one point: Konohagakure.

Now we come to the final day before the date of the battle...

xxxx

...and we start it off by looking at Izzy, who's reading more of Icha Icha Tactics. Huh. Never thought of that as a possible gift for Daio. He was in his room, sitting on his bed in his boxers.

He flipped the page.

CHAPTER 8
SEX & YOU: HOW TO PLEASURE YOUR WOMAN...AND YOURSELF

Izzy blushed. Um...I don't want to go THAT far with Daio yet...
He read it anyway. Sure enough, he began to fantasize about Daio and himself in those 'positions'. Holy crap...oh man oh man oh man, oh geez...

He frowned. Something felt off.

He glanced down under his sheets...and blinked out of shock. "Well...THAT'S never happened before."

And I shall end the post here.

xxxx

OOC: supershadow, Izzy's become a man! >:P

EDIT: Fixed Rico. Also, Izzy's 12 (the age where people graduate from the Ninja Academy...at least, that's how old Naruto/Sakura/Sasuke/Shikamaru/Ino/Chouji/Kiba/Shino/Hinata/Lee/Neji/TenTen were when they graduated from the Academy.). That's kind of the age where puberty hits. Oh well.

EDIT 2: It is done DDK.

EDIT 3: Strike that, Izzy's 14. Not really underage. o.o

OOC: Just because something happens doesn't mean its appropriate for an all ages messageboard. Breech's titties don't belong the board and niether does Izzy's hoohoo.

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

Rico hadn't spent his days training his body, he'd never done that. Muscles were only needed for people that were either bullies, vain, or lacking in mental strength, so said the faith of Tengoku.

He sat crosslegged not far from the safety of the village. It was an exercise that only those born as masters of the will used to train. One a normal person would marvel at. One that pushed all aspects of a tengoku noble's mind. It was called terekineshisu and involved several steps.

The first was to connect yourself to all energy within a 15 yard area of yourself. Next was to focus some of the energy into every rock in the area and use that control to lift them into the air. Third was to force all the remain chakra into yourself and lift your own body into the air. The fourth and final step was the hardest and reserved only for those with years of experience and mastery over both their own chakra and ambient chakra. This step was only attainable if you were able to not only distinguish between the two types of energy but also control them independantly as well. The final step was to maintain the rocks and yourself in the air, open your eyes, and use your willpower to move chakra such that the rocks themselves were controllable within your space.

Floating, it was a feeling of freedom, but this was no pleasure cruise the amount of concentration this alone took was massive. The mental energy required was so great that the area seemed bathed in a blueish glow that no explainable source. Rico opened his eyes, then squinted hard to keep all the objects and himself from falling. He slowly lifted an arm and moved it, causing a larger stone to shift postion. He was sweating badly, the strain was already too much. He ignored it continued, slowly, one by one, he startign pushing the stones into motion.

OOC: I was only contending with the 'underage puberty' part. Nothing more.

(will IC later)

OOC: They're underage. Even in Japan.

OOC: Just to let you know, Ultra... I had changed 'hilt' to 'sheath' in my earlier post... I think I was half-asleep when I typed it. ^_^;;

But... hilt works too, you know? A longer sword needs better balance, so...

HUH?! A...Hoohoo? Are you serious Rico? Noice. It's called a googoo by the way. ANd I will post later. I gotta go tuh school...which is most unpleasant. A real inconvenience. Later guys.

OOC: Hey, Ultra? I changed his hair back to red because I had confusion at the beginning of the RP because I was on GAIA and this at the same time. My GAIA avatar has blue hair. Oh and a bit on topic with your off topics, age of consent in Japan is like 15- but yeah, agreed their are board rules.

IC:

Hiro nodded in conjunction with himself. "This just doesn't seem right, agreed I'll have to watch them...unseen, unheard, unnoticed." he said quietly to himself. As if echoing his thought only a moment earlier.

He nodded to himself.

OOC: Age of consent wasn't exactly what I was disagreeing with; it's the fact that 12-13 (give or take a year) is the time where most people undergo puberty. And that means changes in the body.

And yah, I changed the hair back. xx;

xxxx

Kanshisha Ryu was silent as he stood upon a building, watching Chakuya Riko and Chakuya Genonosuke practice dueling (with Akura watching in silence). What was impressive to him, however, was the fact that Riko was fighting with a strange ferocity. "Huh. Odd."

It was weird how tense some of the people in Special Squad One were acting. Daio and Kai were understandable; the latter had just become a hanyou. Hyuu was still adapting to life in the village. He had heard all the details about the ogre/Oni incident from Riko yesterday, so Akura was another given. However, it didn't explain Riko's sudden devotion to training...or Hiroto's absence.

"Very odd," muttered the Kanshisa as he took off for Monument Range's forest to practice his archery. He had to make sure he didn't get rusty; skills were like flowers...you had to tend to them so they would grow. Without constant care, the flower would die.

As he entered the forest of Monument Range about twenty minutes later, he was about to search for a suitable tree to use as a bullseye...when he heard sounds.

Sounds of battle.

Hmm?

Ryu cautiously advanced towards the sound of the conflict...who was fighting? And all the way up here on Monument Range?

He peered through a thrush of bushes to see a clearing.

And that's how he witnessed the battle between Reiki and Hiroto.

It would have be awe-inspiring to him if the strain wasn't racking his mind. Another rock set in motion around him, and another, each one causing the glow to intensify. How many now? Twenty? Thirty? He'd lost count, his mind too focused on maintaining control.

Suddenly he woke up, rolling over an looking at the sky. I passed out. When? How long did I maintain it? Or does that even matter, without a master I won't even be able to figure out it. A student isn't meant to figure things out on their own.

He sighed and lay back, mentally exhausted.

Kai was stretching in the Shiake gardens when Diao walked out of the back door "what are you doing?" she asked
"training, what does it look like?" he retorted "Hidetsugu convinced me to take a break from creating the earth clone jutsu and taught me a pretty cool wood jutsu"
"Hidetsugu?" Diao asked sceptically
"oh yeah, he's our Great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-
great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-
great-great-great-great-Grandfather" came the answer
Diao continued to look skeptical
Kai sighed "just watch"

Kai centered himself and began to do some breathing exercises, he then formed several hand seals before kicking one of the nearby trees in the garden, as it toppled towards him he caught it over one shoulder and a shock ran along the tree stripping it's branches
Leaping high into the air he yelled
"Uddo; Konoha Nobara!" (wood element, wild rose of konoha)
and hurled it like a spear towards the ground, about the height of two peaople above ground it suddenly peeled back in layers forming into a wooden rose, and from within the petals about a hundred wooden spikes zoomed to the ground spelling out the words
DIAO SMELLS LIKE A COW!
in ten foot high letters

Diao stared at this in shock for a second then
"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

ooc: sorry if this is show offy, but I had the idea for this jutsu and thought it sounded really cool

OOC: Forgive the awkwardness, I'm not used to controlling one of someone else's main characters in a fight. Correct me as needed. =P

"Ninpou; Renzokuken no myaku! Art of the Continuous Blades of Pulsing!"

Reiki began slashing the air at high speeds with his dosukunai. Ryu could see... something seem to come from his blades. Hiroto quickly moved, and the ground began tearing itself into pieces rapidly, bursting each time Reiki threw sliced his weapons.

Hiroto formed a hand seal, and said, "Doton; dobossuru no jutsu!"

The earth beneath Reiki's feet suddenly gave way, and the Multi-Ninja began to sink into the temporarily softened and stickied soil. Hiroto suddenly leaped at Reiki with his arm-blade extended.

Reiki's eyes suddenly blazed as he formed the sign of the Hare. "Hoshitateharaise no jutsu! Star shield of retaliation!" A golden orb materialized around Reiki as Hiroto stuck, and a shockwave from within burst forth, sending both Jonin flying. Hiroto flipped to his feet from the air, and Reiki steadily stood up from where he had landed. They both rushed at each other in a shower of sparks and flying metal.

<b>CHING! SHING CLING SHRING CACHING SHIIHHHHHIING!</b>

<i>TSIT!</i>

Hiroto now had a light gash across the part of his chest not protected by his Jonin vest. Hiroto held up a hand.

"I know we didn't go at it today like we have been for the past few days... but I think you're ready."

Reiki sighed, and mumbled, "If you think so..." He stretched his back and put away his dosukunai.

"Reiki."

Reiki turned towards Hiroto. "Hm?"

"...Despite my training, there's still a chance you could die out there. I want to go ahead and get this out of the way. It might be my last chance to do so."

Reiki raised an eyebrow, but before he had a chance to say anything... He was already being spun on Hiroto's feet, sans the typical throwing into the air.

"Waaaaah! Hiroto!!!"

Hiroto chuckled. "I normally wouldn't do this to a fellow Jonin, but this is a special occasion. Now, go get'em." He dropped Reiki to the ground. Ryu could practically see Reiki's eyes swirling in his head. A sweatdrop could almost visibly be seen going down the Leaf Genin's head.

"And live... For your niece's sake, if for any other reason." Hiroto said, as he stood up. Reiki could barely nod as he stood up.

xxx

Yashi looked at a watch on her arm (analog, of course), and then at the position of the sun. "Five hours." she said. "The sun will be directly overhead, and it will be time to prepare for tomorrow."

Kentsu and Nappu nodded. In the distance, a group of three Star Ninja were talking amongst themselves, while roasting a deer for lunch. These were the other three that would test Reiki...

Tosu, the No-Armed. Just as his name implied, his body was missing two appendages of the armicular variety. Unlike the others, he was wearing nothing over his chest; it was bare, and one could clearly see the scarred tissue over where the Ninja had lost them in battle. His wild black hair grew long, uncombed, and unwashed, as he did not let anyone else groom him. A scar shaped like an L marked his left cheek. Tosu's lower body was also lightly clothed; above his legs were simple shorts, and his legs and feet were wrapped in bandages. He wore no shoes, though he didn't need them. His feet were as tough as steel and could topple a stone wall with ease. Embedded within his belt was a small glass ball, smaller than a balled fist, enacased inside of something that resembled an eagle's talon. A sort of grey smoke wafted inside of the ball, and a pale light emitted from it.

Buugen, the Pellet Master. He had long, blonde hair, and a delicate face. In fact, as was the case with most Bishounen or Bishoujo, he was often mistaken for a woman. On his hands were gloves with palms designed to look like demons with gaping maws, a touch he found most endearing. But more than that, Buugen's gloves were connected by very thin, but strong threads: a type that conducts chakra very easily. These threads led down to within one of many pouches at his side. This particular pouch carried a glass ball similar to Tosu's, but though one could not see it here, the light within this orb was a dull brown. The purpose of this particular Hoshi Orb was to allow him to charge the pellets he kept in the other pouches with energy to make them explosive, magnetic, or even imbued with elemental energy like ice or lightning. Such was the power of a Hoshi Orb. Each pouch by his side was different; some had markings such as 'C1', and others had different various symbols on them. Buugen often claimed the gloves were in fact real demons, and were actually the ones responsible for charging his clay pellets. Everyone knew he was joking, but did he think so? Who knows.

Mishimo of the Tortured Soul. Similar to Tosu, his hair was long, black, and wild. However, Mishimo's was neatly combed and very stylish, extending into spikes that almost looked sharp enough to cut you (in actuality, they were. It's all in the hair spray). Around his shoulders were curved sheaths with handles jutting out; these were his battle sickles, a staple of his image as the Village's number one soul reaver. His thin eyes shifted around the fire, the purple markings underneath them glinting metallically. Mishimo's left glove had his personal Hoshi Orb embedded within it, a ghastly pulsing thing with purple smoke swirling in it violently, thus the reason Mishimo got his moniker - It was highly rumored he had extracted this particular soul after weeks of excruciating torture. Such was not necessary to extract a soul for the Hoshi ritual, but some said that Mishimo did it for the sheer pleasure of performing the torture.

It was almost time. A quick lunch and twenty-nine hours later, and they'd kill Reiki in single combat and be on their way home. No problem, right?

xxx

Glaive stood on a beach, confused. "Where am I? And what the hell am I doing with this @!#$ tied to me?" Using a kunai from his pocket, he cut all the ropes binding the wooden planks and boat mast to his body. He sniffed the air. "I smell earth and leaves on the wind..." Very odd, considering he was on a beach. He squinted, and was able to make out a forest in the distance. "I don't know what happened, but I'm getting closer. I know it. The day of reckoning is here, Reiki!" Glaive ran full throttle for the forest, somehow knowing he would soon find his nemesis.

xxx

Shisu held up a hand.

"What is it, lady Shisu?"

Shisu's nose wrinkled as she saw an all too familiar sight. "Star Ninja, I can see those sickening orbs from here. And it looks like Yashi's there. They're here for Reiki... Taking them on would be suicidal, considering their powers. Let us wait until Reiki has taken care of them, and they he are weakened."

"Yes ma'am!"

Shisu frowned. This wasn't going according to how she had imagined... If Reiki was too weak to kill her... She would have no choice. She shook her head. "But no one can escape their fate..." she muttered. The various hunter-nin next to her verbily agreed, thinking she was talking about Reiki, not herself...

Ryu calmly left Monument Range, thinking about what he had just seen; his sensei and that 'Riko+20 Years of Aging'...had been fighting. Training by the looks of it.

I wonder why...something's going to happen soon. Too much had happened recently for that not to be the case.

The Kanshisha sighed as he made his way for the village walls; he'd practice his archery elsewhere.

As he calmly glanced around for a suitable tree, he suddenly took note of Rico'ki lying down in the grass. Hmm? He cautiously walked over to the redhead, staring down at him. "You dead?"

"Probably," The young man said without opening his eyes, "But you don't sound like any angel I've heard of."

"If that were the case, I'd probably have to be dead as well," muttered Ryu as he stared at Rico'ki out of curiosity. For the life of him, he couldn't quite understand this man; a former spy for Konoha that had gouged out his sensei's eyes to prove his trustworthiness to the Mist...and then returning to Konoha with them. He was not a ninja, yet there was great power within him. "In any case, Hiroto-sensei seems to trust you...even though I don't. It's hard to trust someone who gouges out your sensei's eyes."

"Are you aware of the circumstances?" muttered the redhead as that painful memory lanced back into his head.

"Yes. Doesn't make it any easier to trust you; not many men would be able to do that to someone close to them," replied Ryu as he sat down in the grass. "Now...what are you doing way out here?"

OOC: Hey guys. I have returned. I was thinking about Izzy's age and decided I want it back to 14 Ultra. I know, everybody graduates at 12, but 12 just seems too young. Let's just say he enrolled at the academy two years later than other people. I'm really not aloud to be on the computer so I'll have to post another time. That's okay 'cause I'll get to think about how Izzy will charm Daio...or IF he'll be able to charm Daio (which he should). Anyway, thanks for being so patient.

OOC: Well, we could just say that he was held back two years, thus his age of fourteen...

(will post later)

EDIT: A quickie for now.

xxxx

The Third frowned as he stared at the two people in his office.

One: Hatake Kakashi the Copy Ninja.

Two: Jiraiya the Toad Hermit...and his former student.

"So...are you positive?" asked the Hokage.

Kakashi nodded. "Hiroto's spoken to me of this; ANBU from other villages will arrive, seeking Bachiwaka Reiki."

"Not surprising, considering how many villages that man's frequented," remarked Jiraiya, his tone and face utterly serious.

The Third sighed as he rubbed his head. "This could be dicey...multiple ANBU would be a great task, even for all of our top-level ninja...with the exception of Reiki's duel with the Star ANBU, we should deal with the other ANBU prematurely. To end the trouble before it comes."

Jiraiya suddenly spoke up. "If I may suggest something?"

"Go on," remarked Sarutobi.

"Let Hiroto and Special Squad One deal with the other ANBU on their own. We'll keep reinforcements around Monument Range to move in if things go bad."

Kakashi and the Hokage's eyes narrowed. "No disrespect meant," muttered the Copy Ninja. "But asking eight Genin, a Chuunin-turned-Genin, and a Jonin to fend off twenty ANBU at LEAST is asking the impossible."

"Not necessarily," replied Jiraiya with a wise smile. "Think about it; they're all coming here for one purpose: Reiki's extermination, save for the Star ANBU. They don't care about interfering with a duel if it means getting their target. ANBU will target ANBU in an attempt to get to Reiki first. Secondly..." The Pervert-Sennin chuckled as he thought of Izzy, the Pervert-in-Training. "There's something about the children of that squad...they're special. Very special."

The Third frowned...then sighed...and then rubbed his temples. "Forget what I said...it WILL be dicey...but considering the nature of Special Squad One, it's possible."

"Sir!" exclaimed Kakashi.

"Those children, despite being ninja for less than a month, have already gone on a Super A-Rank mission to Kirigakure. They helped to stop a coup, and one of them brought down a Mist Swordsman. This will be more difficult, no doubt...but Jiraiya's right. Those children are special...and I have no doubt that Rico'ki will try to help."

Jiraiya smiled. "Don't worry...those children won't die."

"I hope so," muttered the Third as he inhaled from his pipe.

Kentsu stared at the black rock within the forest with an interest. The Honorstone... To think they had one here in Konohagakure as well...

"Kentsu."

Kentsu turned his head, and Reiki was standing nearby. Reiki continued.

"Is it almost time, then?"

Kentsu nodded. "Yep. Can't say I'm overly fond of this whole thing... We were great friends back at the village, you know? You, me, and Nappu... We brought other ANBU that weren't, though, so it'd be easier to do this. You have to understand... We don't care as much about the secrets you took - many of the techniques you were talk are hard to perform without a Hoshi Orb anyway. It's..."

"It's a matter of honor?" Kentsu nodded.

"Yeah. Basically, you spat in the face of our village. Didn't tell us goodbye or anything, you know?"

"That sort of thing tends to happen when being chased by other ANBU squads."

At this, Kentsu chuckled, then began to laugh. "Hahaha... You've got to be kidding me. All this time, you've just been running... Running from your problems, running from your past... And finally, you're facing up to it. Well, in any case, good luck. The best case scenario is that you win, and everyone lives. As far as secrets are concerned, if you were able to defeat us, we wouldn't have been able to kill your killers either."

Kentsu looked down at the Honorstone. Reiki took notice and spoke up. "...It's just like back in Hoshigakure, isn't it? The stone, I mean."

Kentsu nodded, though... "There were much fewer names on our own Honorstone. We look out for our own."

Reiki nodded, but said, "It's not like Konohagakure doesn't. Hoshigakure is just too hidden to be involved in much conflict..."

Yashi walked into the clearing. "Higarashi, Kentsu. We have prepared the battlefield. It is to take place in an area some distance from here, within a clearing, to avoid damaging any relics of this village. Tomorrow is sure to be a hard day. Will you join us in warming up, Higa-, ...Reiki?"

Reiki mentally raised an eyebrow. To think that this sort of situation would occur... An ANBU unit after his blood, asking if he would like to warm up with them before their battle... Compared to what many had, this must be a rare treat indeed.

"...Sure." They began to walk, but Reiki spoke again. "And what about spectators?"

Yashi laughed as they went along. "Spectators? This is not a mere sport, Reiki... But we have arranged to let your Hokage know the place of battle. Any 'spectators' there will likely be ninja he's assigned to make sure we honor our fighting terms. There could be others, I suppose."

They eventually emerged into the clearing, and Reiki looked around with surprise. Along a wide area, a square made of ribbon had been stretched along the ground, with a post at each of the four corners.

"The poles you see here are a handicap, for fairness." Yashi said, with a smile curling around her lips. "Together, they erect an invisible field within the battle area that prevents the use of healing chakra. Since you have no Hoshi Orb, we would find it dishonorable to allow healing chakra when we have that power. You may heal between matches, if that is what you desire, but not during. This is assuming you live past fighting Tosu." She indicated the bare-chested man with no arms practicing within the square.

Reiki looked high at the sun. It was nearly noon, meaning that soon, there would only be one day between him and the battle.

"Failing. Seems thats what I'm best at." He replied plainly. Then narrowed his eyes, "The truth is, I remember things now, but I don't feel like I did them. I've met two of my friends. One didn't seem to remember me, the other seemed to care about me, but I didn't return the feeling. I remember being happy, I remember my friends, but I don't remember... me." He half shrugged.

Atop Monument Range...within the forest...outside of the clearing designated for battle...Yagami Hiroto observed with interest.

Hmm. I wonder how formidable that field is...

The Jonin was silent as he let his hearing and chakra senses do all the observing for him. Tomorrow was a big day.

xxxx

"I guess that would be a horrible feeling...not knowing who you are, not knowing if your memories are real. Can't say I know what it feels like." Ryu was silent; talking with this man would give him a greater insight into his thoughts and psyche. For all he knew, he might even discover some secrets about the redhead. "Now...what are you doing out here? Before 'failing', as you put it?"

"Failing. Failing at trying to train myself." Ryu said nothing. "I was playing with rocks." Rico finally answered. As if to demonstrate he looked to one side flicked two finger toward Ryu, sending two small pebbles at him.

SMACK!

Ryu gagged as the two pebbles slammed into his forehead, sending him reeling. The Genin groaned as he clutched his forehead - which now sported two small cuts - moaning from the shock. Finally, the pain dissipated...and he managed to gasp out, "How did you do that?!"

OOC: Sorry, thought you fast-fowarded TO the day of the battle. I went back and corrected as needed.

Rico smirked, "How did you think I survived the Mist Village? My strength? I have some... 'special' skills."

"I mean, I would understand if you used an Earth jutsu to manipulate the stones...but you didn't say the jutsu's name. Nor did you use any hand signs to focus your chakra. How did you that anyway?" Ryu was now DEFINITELY curious as to what this man truly was.

xxxx

Akura was understandably surprised; she had NEVER seen Riko fight as hard as he was right now.

For three straight days;; non-stop training with Genonosuke, occaisonally mixing it up with Hyuu or Izzy. Using his unbreakable bo staff, he had dueled against Geno and his new Chakentetsu blade.

Unreal; when the heck did Riko get so motivated? Genonosuke wondered as twisted his blade to avoid a downward swipe from Riko. The swordsman frowned as he jumped away; it was his turn to get on the offensive. "Take this Riko!" Using his chakra, he charged his blade...and swung.

A scythe-like wave of blue chakra zoomed towards Riko.

"You noticed huh." Rico suddenly looked somewhat anxious, "Probably be better if you forgot about it. Theres a reason you saw me flashing seals and firing off names before. Shouldn't be hard to figure out, what do you think would happen if there was actually chakra everywhere? What do you think would happen if there were people that could control that chakra with their minds?"

He let out a breath and glanced around cautiously while he waited for the ideas to sink in.

"HAH!" Riko spun his Bo, focusing his chakra into it, then swung the end with the metal ring at the energy wave. There was a brief flash of light, and Genonosuke blinked as his energy slash dissapated. Riko wasted no time, and charged foward. Genonosuke brought Chakentetsu up and parried, then did a turning slice.

Sweat dripped off of Riko's brow as he blocked Geno's strike, and then he held the Bo vertically.

"Futon; Tsujikaze! Whirlwind!" Genonosuke raised an eyebrow. Riko focused his chakra, and began to spin the Bo, then faster, and faster... The wind began to pick up...

Geno suddenly found himself losing footing, being pushed back by the sudden force of wind Riko had created.

Riko suddenly shifted the Bo to twirling around his head, then stopped spinning it and struck the ground. "What the-?" He didn't form a hand seal?! Is that some sort of ninpou/jutsu combination?Genonosuke shot into the air as a miniature whirlwind picked him up. Riko leaped, not too far after...

THWAP! SLAP! CHING! TCH, TCH TCHTCHTCHING, THWAP!

Genonosuke and Riko struck and parried in the air, and as they were falling. Genonosuke's thoughts were wild as he gauged his cousin's determined face. Damn... He's much better than he ever was! What the heck is driving him on like this? Is... is this because of Akura? Genonosuke landed on his feet, and grimaced. Several parts of him were aching, though he didn't know why... He had blocked all of Riko's hits... Was he tired from all this training?

Riko smiled. From the look on Genonosuke's face, his speed training had paid off. Thanks to this intense training, he was now able to form a kata while appearing to do something inconspicuous, such as twirling his staff. Now it was time for the coup de grace.

Riko looked at the pond, then poofed away his Bo staff. He began to form several katas, close to two-dozen. Genonosuke gaped, recognizing what Riko was going to do. That attack! The same one he used on the ship, and that Hyuu used at Kirigakure!

"Bird!" Riko yelled, forming the last kata, and the water in the pond began to churn. A dragon made of water shot out of the surface, and converged on Genonosuke. The young Chakuya heir could barely move...

Nothing.

The water went straight through him, and he fell to his buttocks. Riko was laughing at this time, having fooled Genonosuke for the second time with his Suiryuudan Genjutsu, an illusion of performing a high level attack. Hyuu smirked as he watched this.

Genonosuke humphed, and gripped Chakentetsu as he stood up. The blade wasn't as conductive of chakra as Chaketsu had been, but it was much, much more responsive than Kintetsu had been, allowing him to refine the energy blade technique he had worked himself up over after he had just met Hyuu. This also meant the sword transformed itself faster, to Genonosuke's delight. In fact, Genonosuke had become so adept at transforming Chakentetsu, he had developed a one-handed kata especially for this purpose.

And in his recent training, he felt something... different. His body had become stiff at times, especially when he awoke in the morning. He had thought that perhaps he had been training himself too hard against Riko, but this didn't seem to be the case... Was it the Tetsuhifu?

xxx

Reiki sighed as he sat on the ground. He was exhausted from all this training and warming up, to speak the truth, but this was a pretty valuable opportunity to observe his opponents for tomorrow. He had been here for an hour or so, what good it had done him.

Strictly speaking though, Hoshigakure's ANBU unit seemed to be very, VERY unorthadox compared to just about every other unit out there. It wasn't everyday that an assassin offered a formal invitation to a duel that almost seemed friendly... Almost.

Mishimo was eyeing Reiki greedily, in almost the same manner a hungry wolf would eye a succulent young calf. The scythe-wielding Star ANBU laughed as he noticed Reiki's stare - For the duration of the warm-up and battle here in Konoha, the Star Ninja had removed their golden masks. This allowed Reiki to see Mishimo's creepy expression. The Tortured Soul pointed a finger at the Multi-Ninja. "You're next, fresh meat. Hehehe." He said, lowly, and produced an empty Hoshi Orb. Reiki simply frowned, and stood up.

"I'll be going now, Yashi."

The old leader of the ANBU simply smiled. "Very well, Reiki. Peace to you, then."

It was strange... These people who were here to kill him... Old friends and strangers alike treating him almost like a friend. And he HAD been a friend to Kentsu and Nappu, but this was still unexpected. ANBU were usually expected not to let personal feelings become involved.

The Star-Wind and Star-Fist nodded to Reiki as he passed by. Reiki didn't know where he was going, but he eventually ended up in Juuli's house. The reconstruction had been completed, and the home was more brightly lit than before, it seemed. Juuli asked no questions as he walked by, and without even realizing how tired he had truly been, he threw his clothes off, stumbled into her shower and turned the cold water on. The shock of the cold water soothed his aching muscles and his tired skin. He lifted his head and opened his mouth, thirsty, but as he tasted the water he reconsidered and spat. After simply standing in the shower for a while, he turned the heat on and began to bathe.

He emerged from the bathroom feeling quite a bit better, but he was still tired. He feebly waved to Juuli, and leapt onto the couch, falling asleep nearly in mid-air.

Ryu frowned...and the full consequences of what Rico'ki was saying sank in. "I get it..." He's capable of that? "No wonder you're so powerful. From what you're saying, I take it you haven't perfected such power...what if you did?"

xxxx

Meanwhile, a Shadow Clone of Hiroto's was watching Riko and Genonosuke's duel. A smile was on the Jonin's face. Looks like he took my advice to heart.

With a puff of smoke, the clone disappeared.

"Therein lies the check and balance. Well one of several. Complete mastery of "Will", or ambient chakra, requires complete mastery of willpower. Only someone with total focus, total control of their mind, could be said to to have that."

He sighed, "My... form, is also a result of the genetic inheritence. A side effect of whatever allows a person to sense and manipulate that ambient chakra, is a hampered muscular system." He looked down at himself, "I'm starving right now, but I'm too confused to eat. Even if I was back to my normal weight it wouldn't change anything. I'd still be physically weak. My body's muscles don't develop properly."

He grunted, "I'm rambling. If I perfected the power of will, I would be a sage. I wouldn't be sitting here trying to find why I exist, I'd know my purpose, I'd know what important to me. I wouldn't be wondering who I am or why people look at me like they do. I'd know, and it wouldn't bother me. I'd fight only to protect those incapable of doing so themselves. I'd fight for my friends, and my family. I'd be a Master of Tengoku." He snerked, "Like that'll ever happen."

Ryu squinted, as if glaring as hard as he could at the redhead. "Is that so? You certainly seem to lack willpower." I wonder...would it be possible for a ninja to obtain mastery over 'will'?

Rico'ki chuckled. "You're blunt. I like honesty."

"...then you should be honest as well. What's your connection to Hiroto-sensei?" asked the Kanshisha male.

Rico narrowed his eyes looking thoughtful, "I, don't remember. I don't remember anything before being forced to stab his eyes out."

He shook his head, "As for ninja and tengoku. They are oil and water. Ninja learn the physical. Strength, stealth, anatomy, and weapons. Their only connection to chakra is the chakra in their own bodies, combine that power with their physical abilities and you're more than a match for any will users left alive.

Tengoku... What was it my teacher said? It was originally founded by those frightened by the nationalistic attitudes of the different countries and villages. Their wars and rivalies spawned a need for some kind of regulatory force.

It was a belief and a hope that only those with no loyalties could use the power of will effectively. I was told that it is the most powerful force in existance, and thats why whatever side I am on will win."

He paused and sighed in frustration, "Sounds pretty arrogant and stupid, huh."

"Only if you don't have the power to back those words up. Then they become truth." Ryu frowned as he glanced down at his feet; ninja learned three different arts...

Taijutsu: Physical Skills

Ninjutsu: Shadow Skills

Genjutsu: Mental Skills

"I wonder...if this 'Tengoku' was created by a master of Genjutsu...who was able to use mental abilities to utilize more than just his own power." Ryu sighed as he rubbed his neck; how long had he been talking now? It was already late in the afternoon. "Although, if I may say so...judging from what you're saying about these 'Will users', they don't sound that much different from ninja. Then again, there's a lot about the ninja arts I've yet to learn...but that's what practice is for." He reached into a pouch and pulled out a few dozen seeds of grain, tossing them into the air. He calmly whistled a few tones.

WOOSH

Over twenty pigeons and jays flew through the air, gulping all of the seeds in midair. Ryu sighed as he licked his lips; if he was to be a more skilled Beast Tamer, he needed to move beyond birds. "I wonder if Will users had mastery over the chakra of those who lived as well..."

Rico'ki watched the birds with some degree of discomfort, "I don't know. We were forbidden to directly manipulate other human being's chakra. It goes against the teaching of using our abilities for defense."

"So...Will users are reactionary. Always on the defensive, never acting until trouble comes to you first?" asked Ryu.

"That's the basic gist of it all, I suppose," replied Rico'ki. Part of him was feeling a alleviated; it was comforting to explain his whole philosophy and way of life (at least, that which he could remember of it) to someone else. Especially a young person who was genuinely curious.

Ryu calmly grabbed his bow, reached for an arrow, and cocked it. "If that's the case...then I take it you never take the initiative. Never taking the offensive, going for trouble where it rests. In our recent mission, our job was to rescue someone from a prison...but as a side-effect, we saved Kirigakure, bloody as it is, from becoming an even greater haven of suffering and blood-letting." He let loose the arrow.

TWANG

The arrow embedded itself with a loud 'THOT!' into the side of a tree nearby. "It would seem that Will users could be great peace-keepers like ninja...but I suppose it would go against your teachings, would it not?"

"What is the answer? You ninja's very frequently have your own kind turn on you. They take initiative like they're taught and kill a lot of innocent people. As much good as you do, you cause just as much pain." He sighed, "The same is true of us. What there is left of us anyway. So afraid that one of us will turn to evil that we choked our own ability to protect on laws and protocol."

"It would seem both ninja and Will-users have their kinks to work out." An ironic chuckle emerged from Ryu. "Then again, there was a Great Ninja War that lasted before the inception of Konoha to before the coming of the Fourth Hokage. Can't really recall a Great Will War."

Rico'ki actually found himself smiling. "I suppose so. But ninja have much greater numbers than Will-users."

The Genin was quiet as he reflected on the stuff he had just learned from the redhead. He seemed dangerous in a certain way...but he was confused and wondering what his purpose in the world was. Almost like...a lost child...without his mother to hold his hand and a father to guide him...

"It's getting late," remarked Ryu as he gazed at the setting sun. "Do you want to return to the village with me? It wouldn't be wise to stay outside of the walls after dark."

Rico nodded and clumsily got to his feet, "Sometimes I think I'd be safer with animals than humans. Funny, I'm supposed to be protecting people and not only am I too weak, I can't even stand people enough to protect them. I'd give several organs to find out what the hell happened to me and how to reverse it.

Still I guess grass inside the walls is better than grass outside."

"Animals lack rational thought...they can kill, but they lack malice. A tiger or a bear kills to defend itself or to feed...but never for the mere sake of it. That's one thing I'd prefer animals over humans..." Kanshisa Ryu sighed as he walked alongside Rico'ki back to the village.

The Will user was pleasantly surprised; he had not expected to end his day with a conversation with one of Hiroto's Genin. And a surprisingly well-learned one at that. Either that, or the boy had common sense. Ha. That name's an oxymoron.

As the two neared the village gates, Hiroto - having left Monument Range when Reiki had departed - was standing upon the walls, observing from afar. Hmm. Perhaps I should arrange for the others to talk to him as well...conversation can be the simplest of therapies.

He disappeared as the sun set below the horizon.

"Yeah but all that huddling to stay warm, that fur's gotta itch like crazy ya know." He heard himself say. Rico paused and suddenly looked pale. He didn't know where that had come from, suddenly he felt a tingle of fear run down his back.

Ryu arched an eyebrow as he stared at Rico'ki. "Well, that certainly came out of nowhere. Never thought you'd be one for sarcasm."

However, Rico'ki was silent, staring straight ahead.

Ryu stared straight ahead as well.

He saw Kai the hanyou exchanging money for a slab of raw beef at the butcher's. Understandably, the bald man in charge of the outside booth was frightened...a fact not lost on Kai, who quietly took the meat after handing the money over. The half-ogre/half-human calmly walked away, staring once at the two before disappearing from the line of sight entirely.

And all the while, above a nearby rooftop, Hiro watched the hanyou in silence. "..."

He seemed to act as if he hadn't said the comment, instead just shrugging once he'd recomposed himself, "I suppose I should find somewhere to rest."

"I suppose...I'd better be getting home myself. Farewell." And that said, Ryu leapt away, leaving Rico'ki behind.

xxxx

Akura and Riko stared at the slumbering Reiki in silence.

"...something's going to happen tomorrow."

Riko glanced at Akura, the one who had broken the silence. "You think so?"

Akura nodded as she glanced down her shirt at the seal on her chest. "I...hope what happened to me the other day won't happen again..."

"It won't Akki." The blue-haired Chakuya clenched tightly onto the frail girl's hand, causing her body to flood with warmth. "I won't let that happen to you EVER again. I promise."

The white-haired girl smiled as she stared into Riko's green eyes. A promise... "Um...would you...like to spend the night? A sleepover?"

Rico'ki watched the boy leave, "Home." He furrowed his brow. No money and no friends meant he was serious about the grass comment earlier. He walked off through the emptying streets aimlessly.

That's when he suddenly felt a hand latch onto his shoulder. The redhead turned around to see the face of a smiling Chuunin with a scar on his face.

"Need a place to crash?" asked Iruka.

Rico'ki felt himself smirk, "Part of me wants to say no and sleep on the grass just to act tough. Fortunately the rest of me isn't that stupid." He looked serious again shortly though as they started walking mumbling out, "Iruka... I'm sorry for running off earlier. Things are just a little confusing right now. As if I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing."

"I sometimes feel that way; not knowing where I am or what I'm supposed to be doing. Fortunately, I usually wake up by then." Iruka chuckled nervously as he scratched the back of his head. "Okay, that was a bit of a bad joke. Come on; I'll grab you a bite to eat."

"Free food sounds nice," replied Rico'ki with ever so slight a smile.

xxxx

Hiroto calmly cleaned his gauntlet with a wet rag, his face stoic and silent. His mind, however, was much more active.

/Flashback/

"Please tell me you're joking."

"And?"

/End Flashback/

Hiroto spat as he sipped some water from a small canteen. "I'm not going to let any one of those children die."