Pucca opened her eyes. She looked over at her alarm clock. It was 9:00! She had overslept! Pucca ran to her wardrobe and put on her usual outfit; red tunic, black leggings and black boots. She put her hair into her trademark style and ran downstairs to apoligize to her uncles. Pucca was suprised to find that her uncles were not in the kitchen. Surely they had to make the villager's breakfasts? She went into the grand hall. No one was there. Pucca started to panic. Where was everyone?

Realising that people might have gathered in the village square, she started to walk towards the exit, but before she could pull the handle, a familiar voice came from behind her. "Quickly! Pucca, over here!" Another familiar voice came from around the same spot. "Pucca, hide!" Pucca span round; Abyo and Ching were hiding behind the service counter. She went to find out what was going on, but Abyo grabbed her and pulled her down.

Suddenly, the doors swung open, and a figure that Pucca couldn't recognize swaggered over to the centre table, where Pucca and her friends usually sat. The figure climbed on to the table and started to laugh. Pucca recognized that terrible laugh; it was Tobe. "Who would have thought," Tobe began "that a mere 15 year old boy could rule this stupid village?" Pucca gasped. Abyo put his hand around her mouth and Ching "Sssh'd" her. Pucca shrugged her shoulders at Abyo and gave him a confused expression. "Tobe has killed Master Soo," Abyo whispered so quietly that Pucca had to strain her ears to hear. "He has also captured Garu!" Pucca's mouth made a perfect 'O'.

Tobe's ninjas were gathered around the table. Pucca realized they were holding what seemed to be bars of gold. Pucca realized in an instant what they were, and furiously hit Ching's arms until she turned to face Pucca. "Hey, what is it?" Ching hissed, "What?" Pucca pointed to the "gold bars". Ching was utterly dumbfounded. Pucca felt both her and Ching shaking. "Hey...um...Abyo..." Ching whispered. "They...they...they have the 'Ultimate Gold Swords of Battle'!"

Abyo also started to shake. The Ultimate Gold Swords of Battle were not your average swords. They were unbeatable.

The swords were usually stored in Ching's father, Chang's, Turtle Training room. Chang always told his trainees, Ching, Abyo and Garu that the swords can kill with a single swipe of the blade. Pucca didn't train under Turtle Training, but she had heard all the stories from her friends. All three of them were petrified. Master Soo was dead, and Tobe had Garu. Surely it could only be a short amount of time before Garu was killed as well? Tobe had always sworn vengance on Garu, and he never stopped trying to kill him. But Pucca had always saved the day, usually with the help of Ching and Abyo, and only very unwillingly the help of Ring Ring. Something struck Pucca's mind; Ring Ring helped out the villagers in times of need , but always said things that made it seem that she was on Tobe's side. Pucca wondered what side Ring Ring would choose, now the villagers were the underdogs. The answer to that was shown straight away.

Just like Tobe's enterance, the doors of the Grand Food Hall burst open and Ring Ring walked in, tossing her long, silky, blue hair one way and another. Tobe rolled his eyes. "Hello hunnie-bun," Ring Ring called out to Tobe. Several of the ninjas started to chuckle, but stopped when they saw Tobe's glare. "I am NOT your hunnie-bun! You are too young for me, you are merely an accomplice!" Ring Ring frowned. "Accomplice? Too young? I'm only 1 year younger than you!" Pucca was confused. She thought Ring Ring had a point. Tobe was in love with Chief, who, like Ring Ring, was 14.

Chief was a pretty 14 year old girl. She was the leader of the Vagabond Ninja Clan, a trio of thieves. They were under Tobe's influence. Tobe had been struck with the Cupid's arrow that Pucca had fired, intending to hit Garu. Something went wrong, and instead of making Tobe fall in love with Pucca( which everyone agreed would have been terrible), he fell in love with Chief. Chief had feelings for Tobe since she fist met him, but when the spell of the arrow lifted, Tobe realised he had feelings for Chief anyway. They were together a week when Policeman Bruce started to track down the VNC, so they had to go on the run. Pucca pinched Abyo.

"Hey! Pucca, that hurt!" Abyo hissed angrily, "What?" Pucca opened her mouth to speak, but at that point the doors burst open. It was Dada. Simultaneously; Abyo, Pucca. Ching, Ring Ring and Tobe all groaned. Dada was a luckless, weedy boy who always made things harder. Dada walked up to Ring Ring. Back to the topic of love, Dada was helplessly in love with Ring Ring, who most definately did not reciprocate the feelings. "I..I..I think you chose the wrong side, Ring Ring, but I still love you," Dada muttered. Ring Ring slapped him. "How dare you, little creep!" Dada burst into tears and ran out of the hall. Tobe and his ninjas fell about laughing. "There we go, you can be Dada's girlfriend," one of the ninjas cried. "Yeah! Who thinks he probably just wet himself?" Asked Tobe. All the ninjas and Tobe put their hands up and laughed even harder, to the point that Tobe started to cry.

"Poor Dada," whispered Abyo. Ching and Pucca nodded. Dada was known to wet himself whenever he got scared or sad. Ring Ring glared at Tobe. "I ain't his girlfriend!" Once, Tobe had stopped laughing, he got back up. "Hey, Ninjas, I just realised something!" Tobe exclaimed, "now I rule this village, I don't have to wear this anymore!" He jabbed at his balaclava, that only showed his eyes. He pulled it off to reveal his face. Everyone gasped. No one had ever seen Tobe without his mask before. He was, truthfully, quite good looking, apart from a scar just below his eyes that looked like a cross. Tobe had shoulder- length black hair. He smiled at the ninjas."What? Why are you staring at me?" he demanded. The ninjas shrugged their shoulders and looked awkwardly away to things like the empty noodle pans or the door leading to the kitchen. One ninja looked at the service counter. That's when he saw a tuft of Abyo's hair sticking up. He instinctivaly lifted his sword. This ninja didn't have a Gold Sword. "Tobe," he started. "Master Tobe! Now I have power, I am a master," Tobe said while studying the large sign reading 'Goh- Rong restaraunt' in Korean. He smirked at the sign then pulled out one of the Gold Swords. He struck the sign and it turned to dust.

Hatred boiled in Pucca as she watched her Uncle's handmade sign, which she helped to make, crumble into millions of small pieces, as Tobe, Ring Ring and the ninjas chuckled. She had to rescue Garu and make sure her Uncles were safe. The only problem was getting out of the hall, and now one of the ninjas suspected that there might be someone hiding, it would be even harder. She glanced over at the door to the kitchen. She, Ching and Abyo could climb out the window. She poked them both and pointed her head to the door. "But Pucca, how?" Asked Ching, "one of the ninjas knows we're here!" Pucca pointed at Abyo's nunchuks. "Of course!" Whispered Abyo, "I can throw these over near the grand doors and we can sneak out the back!" Abyo was about to do his trademark move; ripping off his t-shirt shouting 'HE YA', but realised that probably wasn't the best idea. He threw the nunchuks as hard as he could and he, Pucca and Ching legged it to the kitchen.

Thankfully, they made it. They climbed out the window. "Pucca," began Ching. Pucca shook her head and ran towards Tobe's hut on the other side of the village mountain. Pucca knew if Garu was held hostage somewhere, the best place to start looking would be there.