The harsh sounds of alarms blared loudly throughout the base, a young Anbu rushed through the darkened hallways, the flaring red lights giving everything around him a much more perplexing appearance, the shadows stretching out just a bit more with every red flash.
The intercoms overhead blared out with the voice of one of the automated security voices. "This is a category seven gama alert. Prisoner escape, I repeat. This is a prisoner escape, cell block E-2-6. All Anbu currently on station, follow containment procedure 2-97-B. Lethal force against this prisoner is not authorized.
The young turtle masked Anbu skidded to a halt as he approached the corridor that led to the cell block the disturbance was reported in. Already the sounds of battle were reaching his ears, even through the solid stone walls that separated them.
His heartbeat was loud in his own ears, feet pounding the unforgiving stone path beneath his feet, his blood rushing through his veins as fear and adrenalin laced themselves within it. A sixth sense, a small little voice in the back of his mind made him take a pause, a minute pause that he himself couldn't really explain why he took, but mere seconds later, barely two feet in front of where he now stood, an explosion of fire and debris suddenly tore through the left side of the hallway, the body of one of his comrades slamming against the opposite wall a few seconds later, the force of the blast knocking him onto his back, the sounds of the world fading, leaving only the ringing in his ears and the harshness of his breathing.
Slowly he stood up, dazed and shaken, his legs trembling as they struggled to hold up his weight. His eyes, hidden by the mask landed on that of his fallen comrades. He took a single step forward in order to help him, but froze as a clawed extension which he could only describe as a foot, shrouded in a blood red, cloak of chakra, layered with hundreds of spiky protrusions almost like a porcupine. The foot was slowly followed by a clawed hand, gripping the edges of the hole, which the owner used to pull herself forward and into his full view. The stones beneath her foot and hand now smoking as they heated up due to the close contact with the evil chakra, four whipping tails extending from her tailbone.
The chakra seemed to have been creeping up her neck when it stopped, drawing jagged borders where the chakra ended and her skin began, leaving her face completely visible. Her hair seemed to defy gravity, possibly due to her massive chakra output.
The Anbu quickly drew his blade, watching as the girl turned her eyes onto him, her eyes switching from red to blue, and even to purple as she stared at him. Her eyes held a strange haunting air to them, a strange form of pleading, begging him for some unvoiced compliance, the sound of footsteps reached their ears, the clinking of armor and metal weapons rattling loudly in the confined space they were in as three Anbu suddenly rushed up 'behind' her, placing her between them and himself, another Anbu soon appeared at his side, the flaring of the alarm seemingly fading into the background as he stared at the young girl, watching as she looked at the assembled men before turning her now blue eyes onto him. A lone tear trailing down her face before evaporating into nothingness.
"Get away." was the faint whisper that he felt reached his ears before her eyes, and the world, were veiled with red.
Aburame Shino stood on one of the towers of the city wall staring across the expanse of land that stretched out before him, separating his men, from that of the Kumo army, a mixture of ninja from Iwa, Konoha, Taki, Kusa, Ame and Kiri held their positions along the recently repaired and rebuilt defenses of the city of Sakai. The young Aburame clan head took a deep breath before he turned at the sound of footsteps, watching as the familiar purple armored Yoshihiro stepped through the open doorway. He glanced around for a moment before his eyes settled on Shino, allowing a small smirk to form over his lips as they did, watching as the Aburame tensed up, probably unconsciously.
The older Shinobi didn't let that deter him as he walked up and stood next to the Aburame without an ounce of hesitation as he crossed his arms over his chest, looking on as Kumo set up its camp. Apparently they had brought everything they needed for a full on siege. But, if Yoshihiro knew Zhuge Liang by reputation. Which he did, well he knew the sleeping dragon was planning something the question is what.
Looking to Shino, who Yoshihiro could tell was observing him from the corner of his eyes, the aged Kage couldn't help but take a jab at the inexperienced commander. "That's a mighty big force Kumo brought out here." He commented. "You think you'll have what it takes to defend this place? Especially considering your master won't be coming to your rescue again?"
Shino adjusted his glasses easily on the bridge of his nose. "As long as your men follow my orders to the letter, then everything will be fine." He said before pausing. "I'm sure you know the price of betraying us."
Yoshihiro's smile only got wider before he threw a sidewards glance at the Aburame, who tensed again at the older mans gaze.
The former Tsuchikage did nothing more than a small waggle of his eyebrows before he looked off to the side again. "Ahh looks like Zhuge Liang has decided to make the first move after all." He said jerking his head a bit.
Shino turned his eyes into the same direction, finding a Kumo ninja waving a white flag back and forth, several dozen feet behind him, a tent was already being put up for negotiations.
The sounds of footsteps reached their ears and this time, both men turned in time to see Yuuhi Kurenai, Maito Gai, Rock Lee and Tenten all make their way through the door and form a sort of semi circle, Toyohisa quickly taking a place next to his uncle as Kurenai did the same with Shino.
"Shino-kun." Gai stated as he crossed his arms. "You are the acting commander of this mission, but I should advise you that this, as you may have guessed may turn out to be a trap."
Shino nodded mutely. "I am aware of that."
"It is customary for the negotiators to bring two or three bodyguards." Kurenai spoke up. "If I may, I think the best group to take with you would be myself and Tenten as we can best cover a retreat. If you must bring a third then the only options remaining are Gai and Lee. And their skills are practically identical to one another so either one you chose to take wouldn't matter."
"What? I'm not invited?" Yoshihiro chuckled, his shoulders shaking with each harsh laugh as the Konoha commanding officers turned their weary eyes onto him. Of course he wouldn't be allowed to join, they all knew why Zhuge Liang had chosen to come here; though none of them said it. He wanted to coerce Iwa into an open rebellion against Naruto and putting Yoshihiro into that tent would just be begging for trouble. He was no stranger to warfare, and he was no stranger to politics. They all needed to remember that because if they didn't well...he just may blindside them all.
Giving a small snort the former Tsuchikage turned and left the Konoha nins, feeling their eyes boring into his back as he did, even so the smirk didn't leave his lips.
Yugito dully tightened the straps of her shin guards, upon her insistence Shizune had finally cleared her to leave the hospital and after much frustration and...And...Stonewalling, it was the only term she knew how to describe it. She still had no idea of Akina's whereabouts something that she could not understand why they would keep from her. She hadn't even seen Tsunade, or Zhuge Liang since she woke up. Though Shizune said that Tsunade was extremely busy, which she didn't doubt considering the state of the village, and that Liang had left for Iwa before she even woke up.
She breathed a heavy sigh, her shoulders slumping in something akin to defeat. There was some veil around her, some drape that had seemingly fallen over the village, over the people she knew, over her friends, members of the jounin and Anbu departments that had come to visit, while she had been asleep. She didn't know why, or what exactly it was but there was this indescribable...trepidation that gripped all of them, in their voices, their movements around her...it wasn't fear exactly but it was a sense of caution that seemed to breed from it.
The door to her room opened, revealing the all too familiar gentle face of Shizune as she entered the room. Her black hair and dark blue kimono contrasting sharply against the pristine white walls of the hospital. The medic woman smiled, her eyes closing as she did before looking at Yugito, appraising her as she let her eyes travel up and down her form before nodding approvingly. "Well, I really don't want you to be going out there so soon...but I suppose I can't stop you can I?"
Yugito moved to shake her head when she paused. "I'll tell you what. I'll stay at the hospital for as long as you want me to, as long as you tell me just where Akina is, or at least what happened to her."
Shizune tensed for a moment before shaking her head. She had been wondering that as well, but all Liang and Tsunade had told her was that she was being treated at a private location and that they couldn't, or wouldn't say anymore than that. But she didn't think it would be best to tell Yugito that. She could bring it up with Tsunade or Liang when he came back. Since they were the ones who knew everything about it they would be the best ones to answer. "I'm sorry Yugito. But you know the answer to that."
Yugito's fingernails dug into the wooden surface of the small table rounding on the medic, prepared to grab her by her kimono and shake whatever answers she wanted out of her. Not a very thought out course of action but all these "I don't know's" and "I can't tell you's" were bringing her to the brink of violence.
But before Yugito could take action however, a sudden wave of chakra washed over the both of them, flaring their senses to life, Shizune apparently felt it as well, seeing how she tensed and her eyes traveled over to the window. The two glanced at each other before running up to the roof of the hospital, being only two floors below it, it was a quick run, and soon the two women were standing on the gravel covered roof of the hospital, watching as black smoke rose high in the distance, over the peaks of the stone mountains to the west nearly twenty miles away from the village, even so the feel of that chakra was unmistakable and Yugito didn't hesitate before leaping from the rooftop, falling to the ruble covered street below ignoring Shizune's call for her to wait, rushing through the crowds of people who stood watching with various expressions of curiosity to worry as they saw the smoke rising to the west
Blood burned like acid in her throat, rising like vomit as she hunched forward and coughed, the crimson liquid bursting from her lips, her teeth clenching with pain as her vision blurred. The burning remains of the Anbu base she had been held in crackling behind her as the fire burned the wood. The harsh orange glow shining hard against her back. The heat of the flames however, was incomparable to the burning agony that was the chakra that currently clung to her like a second skin, hazing her mind with agony, suffocating her, making every breath be as if she was breathing fire down her throat.
Somewhere in her pain filled mind, she recognized that she needed to run. That she had to get away from this place. That soon more would arrive, and that she couldn't fight them all.
She ignored her throbbing muscles as she pulled herself onto two legs, stumbling for a moment before she regained her full balance. She always knew the fourth tail would be draining both physically and mentally, but she never expected this. And she couldn't stop the flow. Even if she hadn't starved herself these last two days in order to make sure she wasn't drugged she doubted she would be able to just keep moving once she stopped the flow of power. But, she had starved herself, and as such she wouldn't be surprised if the moment she cut off the flow she would fall unconscious. Fixing her eyes in the general direction she wished to take she ran, fighting against the instinct to go on all fours as her now clawed feet crunched down stone and gravel as she made her escape from Kumo.
Smoke hung heavily in the air of the war tent Shino stepped into, the four corners of which held torches, giving the inside an orange brown glow, perpetuated only by the mahogany table in the center of the tent, at the end of which sat Zhuge Liang. His white robes reflecting off some of the light of the torches, making him seemingly shine in the slightly darker tent.
Zhuge Liang stood as Shino entered the tent, at his side two Kumo Anbu tensed a bit, preparing for anything that the Konoha ninja may try, but Zhuge Liang wasn't concerned about that. Bowing his head the Raikage decided to greet the clan head. "Aburame-san, I presume."
Shino nodded, bowing his head to the Raikage as Tenten and Kurenai stepped into the tent behind him. "Raikage-dono." Shino greeted back.
Liang looked at the two women at Shino's side "If I may question, Aburame-san. Where is Yoshihiro-dono? I would imagine he would be here to defend Sakai, seeing as how he did such a good job defending it from your earlier attacks."
Shino's eyes narrowed. "No, I'm afraid Yoshihiro will not be joining us in this negotiation. Or in any to follow after this."
Zhuge Liang took a deep breath. "Well then I'm afraid what I have to say is for his ears, not yours, Aburame-san."
"Well then I'm afraid your words will go unheard then Raikage-dono." Shino shot back.
"Oh I don't know about that." A voice suddenly spoke up before the earth beneath Shino, Kurenai's and Tenten's feet turned to mud and the three, now struggling Konoha ninja, were encased in a mud cocoon, which quickly hardened, leaving them exposed from the neck up.
"SHIT!" Tenten yelled as she struggled, conveying her comrades emotions quite strongly with her statement as she thrashed and struggled within her imprisonment.
A boulder sprouted up from the ground to Liang's left and Shino's right, crumbling to pieces, revealing none other than Yoshihiro Shimazu as he dusted himself off from the rubble and stones. Looking to his struggling prisoners and over to Zhuge Liang before he allowed that familiar smirk to form over his lips. "Well now. I'm listening."
Zhuge Liang allowed a strange cross between a smirk and a smile over his features before he spoke, quickly and to the point. "I have heard of what has been done to your young nephew Toyohisa, the seal that keeps him and you as slaves to the Uzumaki boy."
Yoshihiro nodded. "Yeah, get to the point." He said before jerking his head back towards the general direction of Sakai. "They'll realize I'm gone soon enough."
Zhuge Liang nodded. "My seal masters have studied both the Hyuuga curse seal, and different seals we know the Uzumaki boy drew his design from and they have given me this." He paused, reaching into his robe and pulling out a scroll with a seal design on it. "From what we know he used, and the effects his seal reportedly has on young Toyohisa, we were able to determine what his design is, and how to nullify it, allowing you to take your revenge against the Uzumaki for his deception.
Yoshihiro smirked before he made a single seal, and another boulder sprouted from the ground across the table from him, crumbling away, revealing an unconscious Toyohisa.
Shino's eyes narrowed. "I don't understand, how is Toyohisa not dead? You are betraying us"
Yoshihiro smiled. "You should read the fine print boy. The Uzumaki designed his seal so that if Toyohisa, knowingly, tried to betray, or allowed someone to try and betray him, then he would die. But...Toyohisa can't know anything...I've had him unconscious for the last two days. So your seal will do nothing.
Shino gritted his teeth, commanding his insects to eat away at the chakra around his earth cocoon faster. But apparently Yoshihiro had prepared for this and had literally soaked the earth he'd manipulated with chakra it would take at least another three minutes before he'd be able to break out of this.
Yoshihiro smirked, feeling the boy's efforts before he looked to Liang. "Well, get to it." He said, gesturing to the unconscious Toyohisa.
Liang nodded before walking over to Toyohisa, placing his palm on the scroll, over the seal designed on it, there was a surge of chakra before his hand glowed with white fire. Liang formed a quick series of handseals before he used a small blade of wind chakra to cut open Toyohisa's shirt and vest, revealing the seal over his chest. Placing his palm on the seal Yoshihiro watched in satisfied astonishment as the ink faded, the white flames around his palm turning purple as it absorbed more and more of the seal. Finally the seal fully faded and the, now purple, flames formed themselves into a ball in Liang's hand before fading off into nothingness. Throughout the entire process Toyohisa did not even move, remaining unconscious as the seal was seemingly disintegrated.
Turning to Yoshihiro, Liang nodded. "Very good. Now, then." He said before turning his eyes onto Shino, Kurenai and Tenten. "Let us rid ourselves of these."
Smiling a fanged smirk Yoshihiro hefted his war hammer off his back. "Oh please..." He paused standing in front of the still apathetic Shino. "Let me." He finished looking into the boys dark sunglasses.
Yoshihiro let out a small snort/laugh before raising his hammer and bringing it down to crush the boy's skull.
"NO!" "SHINO!" Were the yells from Kurenai and Tenten, expecting to see the boys skull crushed by the massive, blunt weapon but just as the screams left their throats Yoshihiro's hand stopped dead, the metal gleaming surface of the hammer just an inch or so from Shino's skull.
Liang's eyes narrowed, before throwing the table up, between himself and Yoshihiro, mere seconds before the massive war hammer smashed through the wooden surface, smashing into the chest of one of his Anbu bodyguards, sending him smashing into one of the wooden beams that held up the tent, making it lean dangerously to one side. "What is the meaning of this Shimazu!" Liang questioned, several wind blades whipping around his white feathered fan as he stared down the smirking Tsuchikage, watching as Tenten, Shino and Kurenai were released from their earthen prisons, with Tenten and Kurenai taking out their weapons and backing away from the former Tsuchikage, their eyes clearly gauging him like a threat as Shino's insects buzzed angrily.
Yoshihiro's smile widened before he walked around the crumbled mess of splinters and wood, moving towards his downed war hammer. "Well I'm sorry Zhuge Liang but you see...I really was going to take your offer. I didn't even polish my armor last night, thinking that I was gonna have the greenhorn's skull and brain matter all over it today." He said gesturing to Shino. "But you see, just after you took that seal off, and just before I went through with killing the kid. I realized that...young Toyohisa here has a daughter. A cute little girl, who I'd one day like to hear her call me grandpa. And also..." He paused again as he knelt down to pick up his weapon and looking to the now, angered Raikage, merely giving off a strange ironic smile at that anger directed at him. "A little girl. I would like to be able to grow up in a world where she isn't forced to fight." The Tsuchikage let out a breath. "And unfortunately, your offer doesn't appear to include that particular condition."
Zhuge Liang's eyes narrowed into angry slits, his fist tightening around the grip of his fan. "I see Yoshihiro. Very deceptive...very impressive."
Yoshihiro grabbed his hammer with both hands, one hand gripping the end of it, the other at about mid length as he smirked. "You forget Sleeping Dragon...before I was Tsuchikage...I killed a lot of people...in a lot of different ways." He finished before raising his hammer and slamming it down onto the floor, making hundreds of earth spikes shoot out from the ground towards the Raikage.
Liang raised his fan and with a quick, but short wave a lightning bolt shot through the roof of the tent, blinding those within before knocking them back with the force of the blast.
By the time Shino, Kurenai, Tenten and Yoshihiro had gotten back on their feet the Raikage and his two bodyguards had vanished, off in the distance they could already see several Konoha ninja approaching.
Yoshihiro soon felt the distinct pin prick of a kunai against his throat. Looking down he found Tenten was the one currently holding the weapon.
"Stop." Shino's voice cut in.
"Yeah girl stop." Yoshihiro spoke up. "After all; I wasn't the only one in on this." He said the smirk still staying on his lips, watching as Tenten's eyes narrowed before looking to Shino. "You knew?" She questioned incredulously.
"Of course he knew." Yoshihiro barked with his smile still plastered firmly on his face. "Even I would have flinched if that hammer was coming down on my head." He admitted before pushing Tenten's hand away and walking up to the Aburame. "Though even I would like to know, just how you knew." The Tsuchikage said his smirk slipping from his lips a bit as he stared down the Aburame clan head. Shino didn't need to answer, as Yoshihiro soon felt a tiny tickling sensation on his finger. Bringing it up to eyelevel he found one of Shino's tiny little insects resting on the tip. The Tsuchikage smirked before turning and walking towards Toyohisa. "I suppose you're not as green as I thought you were after all." He spoke before both he and Toyohisa sank into the earth, leaving Shino to the angry stares of both Tenten and Kurenai.
Akina collapsed on her knees red smoke seething up from her body, the four tails of red chakra still twitching and thrashing behind her, a contrast to her exhausted state. She could hear the sound of water nearby, her blurry eyes trying to adjust as she brought them back up looking to the general direction she could hear the water flowing from. Finding a small crystal clear creek flowing down the mountain about ten yards away. Her knees shook as she lifted herself up to her full height. Stumbling, almost as if she was drunk towards the gently flowing waters. Coughing once, she felt a dribble of blood escape her lips trickling down her chin. She paid it no mind though, continuing her walk towards the stream before she collapsed onto her knees again her legs giving out after two days of not eating and the current abuse they were currently sustaining due to the Kyuubi's chakra.
Swallowing thickly, the young girl proceeded to drag herself the rest of the way with her claws. Finally, she made it, allowing herself to collapse into the small, three inch deep creek, the cool sensation of water hitting her face again revitalizing her. Opening her mouth she allowed the life giving liquid to flow into it, swallowing greedily, relishing the sensation as it traveled down her throat, it was by far the best water she had ever had the privilege of drinking, once burning agony that had gripped her throat and lungs seemed to vanish, the icy touch of the water driving it back. Giving new energy to the young woman after two days of neither eating nor drinking. She didn't lift herself up, not willing to touch the water with her hands due to the superheated chakra that covered them. Instead she simply lay their, allowing the water to cool her face and drinking down as much as she could with each gulp, allowing herself a brief rest.
It was here she allowed herself to look at where she was. Guessing from her location, she was far west of Kumo, near the white sand mountains, which shielded Kumo from any possible attacks delivered from the northern seas.
The place where she currently sat was like a giant "globe" of stone. The surface was smooth but held a distinct spherical curvature to it. Far in the distance she could see some more of Kumo's high mountain peaks, before those gave away to a seemingly never-ending plain, the so called "Howaito Unabara." The White Sea, named so for the ashen white color the grass held during the day, and as the moonlight bathed down on it. Only during twilight did the color change, almost to a fiery red. But even so, it had retained the name The White Sea despite this peculiar phenomena.
That was her destination, which was her borderline to freedom.
Akina's brief rest was cut off even shorter than she intended at the sound of boots scraping on stone. Glancing over her shoulder she found the sight of one Nii Yugito, breathing heavily, hair disheveled with eyes that stared at her with something akin to disbelief, laced together with questioning and a veiled sense of caution.
The younger Kyuubi Jinchuriki mustered up her renewed strength, pushing herself up onto her feet once more before turning to face the older woman she would have called sister.