The Last of the Chiyoi Clan

Chapter 1 "Forbidden Secrets"

Upon the eve of September and the narrowing of life within the forests of the many villages hidden in the land, a ninja sprints with deadly quickness thru the leaves. He makes enough noise to wake the demons of hell but it matters not his fear has thusly overridden his ninja instinct. Further and further he runs, his heart racing, alluring his predator. He turns and stands to take it on and…nothing, no trace of his pursuer.

"WHERE ARE YOU!?!" he screams

His face softens after a moment, he shifts his weight to dart further into the forest and…

"Fire style Pheonix Flame Jutsu!"

Fire Encompasses the area, engulfing the ninja in a sea of flames. The screams of both man and forest echo throughout the land.

A man of moderate sized, long black hair that masks his right eye, partially thin, but well built for his height walks thru the hall of the Hokage for the village hidden in the mist. His sandals, mildly tattered and frayed, drag upon the ground, occasionally stepping on stray threads from his worn shorts. His torso fills an old ANBU uniform and carries a lumpy satchel. His presence was hardly intimidating at first sight, but the eyes that watched him knew full well what he was capable of.

"Mission accomplished lord Hokage, subject has been terminated" the man said

The Hokage pauses then speaks "Well done, you took quite a while to kill him, I was about to send someone in after you, Kiyoshi"

"I like to take down my prey when their at their weakest and strike when they rely on petty desperation." Kiyoshi replied "This one just took longer to scare."

"Yes well.."

"Excuse me lord Hokage" said a small girl with unruly short dark brown hair, green eyes and a fierce scar down her cheek. "but I cannot allow this savage beast to present himself in such a manner to the mist village elite and you, most honorable Hokage, surely you are appalled how this brute presents himself, he isn't even wearing his hunter mask!"

"Easy, simmer your saki Aki I'm off duty and some of your colleagues here should have let you know that I don't take well to people who insult my attire" replied Kiyoshi "Jounine or not, give me a reason and I will kill you."

Their eyes lay locked on each others, Aki slowly twirled her kunai in its holster, Kiyoshi slowly started brushing his hair from his other eye.

"Stop!" said the Hokage "That's enough from both of you, Aki sit down"

The two relinquished their guard and Aki slowly sat down, her eyes never leaving Kiyoshi's

"Good now if I might continue there is a mission of grave importance that has arisen in our affairs" said the Hokage "And considering your record of A rank missions I thought you would be ideal for the job."

"Go on" Kiyoshi said with a hint of exasperated sarcasm

"I want you to take this scroll to the Village Hidden in the Sand"

"The sand village, but Hokage surely they are no allies of ours, at best they are but a nuisance, their thieves plague the road making it almost impossible to trade with them or the leaf village for that matter" replied Kiyoshi

"That is why this mission demands complete success we must form an alliance in which other nations will follow and bring prosperity to the rest of the villages and nations"

"You do know im not that much of a diplomat."

"It matters not of any positive thing you say it depends on you keeping your mouth shut and delivering the scroll without it being stolen and return with anything that they send back."

Kiyoshi cringed but quickly regained composure "Then why send me this seems more like a d rank mission, a c at most."

"This scroll is very secret and contains powers beyond imagination, and although its existence has not left this room I have no doubt that it will reach the ears of many a strong ninja."

"I understand, and accept"

"Wonderful" said the Hokage tossing the scroll to Kiyoshi

Kiyoshi nods and turns to leave.

"Oh before I forget" said Kiyoshi turning around.

Kiyoshi walks up to the table in front of Aki and dropped the satchel he was carrying with a loud thud.

"A little souvenir for you" Kiyoshi said with a snicker and he slowly walked out of the room.

Aki opened the bag and screamed at what appeared to be a severed, burnt, human head.

A few hours later Kiyoshi proceeds in "celebrating" his victory at the Lime Dragon Tavern, in the Village Hidden in the Leaves

"That was wonderful" said an exhausted prostitute laid upon a bed in which Kiyoshi sat at the end

"Yes, well ive been deprived lately" replied Kiyoshi

"Mmmmm me to, had id known there was someone as good as you I would have gathered more strength."

"Oh shame, well here's extra for that time when I picked you up and…well u remember" Kiyoshi said getting up and throwing a few bills from his wallet onto the bed beside the girl.

"Aww don't you want to chat for a while? We could try again in a few minutes."

"No, im afraid I never was all that sociable, goodbye" said Kiyoshi, slamming the door on the girls sentence.

Kiyoshi glanced around the tavern noticing a few patrons at the bar and a man sitting at the table in the corner. The man looks up as Kiyoshi approaches.

"Ahh the great Kakashi I presume?" said Kiyoshi taking a seat at the table

"Leave me be, didn't your mother ever teach you not to bother an jounine and his cups?" replied Kakashi

Kiyoshi twitched "Ahh but what if he fills the cup?" Kiyoshi waves to the bar "Bartender another bottle of sake if you please."

"My thanks for the drink friend, now what do you want if you don't mind me asking?" replied Kakashi pouring 2 cups of sake when it arrived.

Kiyoshi places the scroll given to him by the Hokage on the table"This mission into the sound village, I don't like it, we've never held diplomatic ties with the sand village aside from the chunin exams, why would the Hokage suddenly want to forge an alliance"

"Maybe their paying someone off?" said Kakashi, taking a sip from his sake cup

"C'mon Kakashi I thought you were smart, why would we be paying off the sand village of all people, and why with a scroll"

"Maybe the sand village knows something bad about the mist village and the scroll could be a payoff containing a secret jutsu or training method"

"If that's true than the question is, what does the sand village know, and what is the mist village hiding"

There is a long pause in which Kakashi drinks a few times and Kiyoshi spins the scroll in his hands a few times.

"Maybe we should look at it" said Kiyoshi

Kakashi slammed his empty cup on the table and looked hardly at Kiyoshi.

"What" Kiyoshi said "What better way to find out about this mission than the scroll im supposed to deliver."

"Have you learned nothing of the ninja way, the duty in which they have to the mission, does the great amount of integrity that the Hokage has placed upon you and you'd be willing to sacrifice it for what"

"A lead"

"A lead to what?" Kakashi said "Your death?"

"To something, I could have stumbled on something big here"

"Do not open it" Kakashi said, his eye focused dead on Kiyoshi's.

Kiyoshi was preparing to travel once more into the heart of the sand village. He checks his pack for belongings and ties on his naginata. He was just about finished when the scroll caught his eye.

He glances around, and picks up the scroll off the bed and proceeds to sit down and twirl it in his hands.

"Why cant I see it?" Kiyoshi said "What will one little peak do?"

Kiyoshi began to unseal the scroll. Breathing one final time he rips open the scroll and opened his eye.

It was a map. A regular map of the many nations of the land and nothing else, no writing, nothing.

"Well that's a major disappointment" Kiyoshi said accidently throwing the map at a candle, in which it proceeded to catch on fire.

"Damn!" Kiyoshi yelled grabbing the scroll away and patting the fire out.

It was just then when he noticed something. He held the scroll back facing to the candle and it revealed 2 marked locations on the map and accurate directions to each. And what looked like some strange old script one not known to him.

"It's a treasure map" said kiyoshi to himself.

The end of the scroll had a name, crudely written in the margin Hiro Hakuro, from the name a arrow is drawn pointing to the unknown script.

"I don't know what this is" Kiyoshi thought to himself. "but I bet this Hiro does"

Having made up his mind Kiyoshi seals the scroll and puts it in his bag. He leaves his room and stumbles upon a familiar face.

"Oh hello Kakashi out for an evening walk?" said Kiyoshi

" I know you opened the scroll" said Kakashi

"Ahh well yes I apologize but the curiosity got the best of me, but it turns out there was nothing on it, oh well, dead end." Kiyoshi said turning to leave.

Kakashi stops him with his arm " I'm afraid you must turn the scroll over to me and return immediately to the Village Hidden in the Mist"

"Kakashi I was only…"

"Give me the scroll or I will have to use force"

"Kakashi what's the matter with you? I'm your friend I don't want to fight you"

"That scroll leads only to evil surely you have that much insight, I seek to destroy its existence and purge this land of its corruptive evil."

"Evil?" Kiyoshi thinks, 'what treasure could be evil, and how does Kakashi know about it.

After a pause Kiyoshi speaks "Are you sure that your Hokage hasn't just sent you here to intercept it?"

Kakashi's face tightened "Do not make me fight you Kiyoshi!"

"I will not give up the scroll" Kiyoshi removed his pack and set it down beside him "so I guess you'll have to"

"So be it"

Coming soon

Chapter 2 "Zushido vs. Sharingan"