Thank you for the reviews! So far everything seems pretty positive. So this chapter is going to explain what has happened to Sasuke and Kou. Kous kekkei genkai will also be explained. At this point the War between the shinobi nations and Madara has just begun.

Dancing Spirits

They said war was necessary, they said it was a matter of the world's security. The monks always looked for peace. That's what they had taught her, peace through a sound and balanced mind. Kou was far from sound and balanced at this point. Now seventeen years old she was the Spirit Guardian, the master of the spirit connection technique and blind.

As she sat on top of a cliff she could sense the life and energy around her. She knew there was a waterfall next to her and a large pool of water below. She knew there were mountains, forests and various animals around her. She knew all this without actually seeing.

A lot had changed since the day her mother died. Now that she was older she had grown in many ways physically and mentally. She still had her long black hair, but it was tied in a low braid and reached below her shoulder blades. Her eyes were no longer blue, because of her blindness they were a ghostly white and her pupils were gray. She was taller, but was still the shortest person in the village. She wore a white long sleeve shirt with a dark blue wrap that started at her chest and went to her hips. There was a smaller red scarf tied on top of the blue wrap just below her chest. It had been her mothers. She also wore spandex shorts that stopped above the knee, and her ninja pack was strapped around her right leg.

Her training had been rigorous and successful, but she still had a long way to go. Her body was toned, although the monks complained that she was too skinny sometimes.

She had written to Sasuke as much as she could. She knew about the Uchiha massacre, Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, the mission to Mist village, and his participation in the Chunin exams, but the letters had stopped coming when she was thirteen. She remembered the last one perfectly; in fact she had it memorized:

Kou,

The village is finally getting back to normal after the attack. No one except Shikamaru was named a Chunin. It's unfair. They sent me to defeat Gaara and I failed, I guess that's why I wasn't promoted. Naruto wasn't promoted either despite the fact he defeated Gaara.I don't know how a loser like him has improved so much.

Itachi came though. He was looking for Naruto for some reason, we fought and I was defeated miserably. I can't believe it. After all this training I am still not strong enough. Itachi said I didn't have enough hatred. I can't help but ask myself how I can get stronger while still playing ninja around here. I need to train, to hate, I need to defeat Itachi for my clan. I need to break these bonds that make me weak.

I'm sure this letter has upset you a bit but you're the only one I've ever been able to talk to, although I think I have relied on you too much. I think it's time I leave this place and learn to harness the power of my curse mark and sharingan, Kakashi is holding me back from my true power.

I hope we are able to fight each other someday from what you've told me it sounds like you're getting really strong. I don't know when I will write next, or if I'll ever be able to write again.

Good Luck Kou.

Sasuke

He had never written after that, but she knew what had happened. Master Daichi had received word to look out for Sasuke and Orochimaru. Apparently he had gone to that ugly bastard to gain his much desired power; after all it was that horrible snake who had given Sasuke the curse mark. Kou had been quite upset, but promised to one day help Sasuke if she ever saw him again.

She was stuck here, at this stupid monastery. She was isolated from the rest of the world, because of Akatsuki. She was the guardian of the Spirit World and the tailed beasts had originally been created by her ancestors. She was dangerous to their mission because part of her gift was the ability to seal the demons back into the Sprit World. She had yet to learn this jutsu but Akatsuki didn't know that.

Despite the fact she had yet to learn the sealing jutsu Kou had still learned a lot about being the Spirit Guardian, and the kekkei genkai that came along with it.

Flashback

"Kou AGAIN!" said master Daichi sternly. He was getting older but he was still lively and agile.

"Master how am I supposed to hit you? I can't see!" yelled Kou.

The two had been training for hours, during which time Kou had finally been able to awaken her kekkei genkai.

"This is the effect of your kekkei genkai. You are permanently blind once you awaken your power, but your connection to the spirit energy around you is heightened. You must use your sharp senses to connect with the earth and feel my movement," replied Daichi calmly.

"Wait you mean I'll never see again!" yelled Kou frantically as she began waving her arms in the air.

The monk walked over to his student and calmed her. "I'm afraid that is the truth, but if you learn to control your senses and your connection with the spirit energy around you, then you will never need your eye sight. In fact you will be better off without it."

Kou calmed down and thought about what he had said. "If my mother trusted you, then I will trust you," she said solemnly.

"Good now try again. It might be easier to connect with the earth if you take your ninja sandals off," suggested Daichi.

End Flashback

Kou had learned with time what the positives to her kekkei genkai were despite her blindness. She had found that she could connect her chakra with the spirit energy of the living things around her. All life had spirit energy and by connecting her chakra with it she could see without actually seeing. She could jump from tree to tree just like any other ninja by sensing the trees spirit energy, and locating it. Originally it had taken her time to actually locate everything around her. Now she could do it instantly, and without using too much chakra.

She could also detect people and their movements by connecting with the earth and feeling their vibrations. This had also been difficult to master, especially if there were multiple people attacking. She had learned to shut out outside noise and solely focus on individual movements. She could even detect people diving at her from above by listening to the fabric of their shirt whistle through the air.

That was the other advantage to being blind. Her other senses such as hearing and touch were heighten tenfold. She could tell when a person was lying, because she could hear their heart rate quicken. She could feel the heat of a candle flame from fifty feet away, and she could smell the temple's incense sticks from half a mile.

The other thing she had to learn was molding her chakra with her elemental affinity, which was earth. She could connect with the earth's sprit energy and control it however she pleased. Other sprit guardians before her had been able to control fire, water or wind. Being able to control earth had been especially useful, because she could pick up on the vibrations of people's movements easier than the other spirit guardians had, and she could sense these movements at greater distances. While other guardians had used a spirit staff to walk during their daily activities, Kou could simply walk barefoot and achieve the same effect of knowing where everything was and not run into objects.

As Kou sat at her favorite spot she sensed the temperature change and realized the sun was going down. It was the one thing she missed the most about seeing, she missed the colors of the sunrise and sunset. She didn't dwell on this depressing thought for long she could only think of the uncertain future that seemed to be sitting heavy in and around the monastery.

The War that had seemed inevitable had begun and Sasuke seemed to be in the middle of it. She had been told about his attack on the Kage summit, the summit she was supposed to attend but at the last minute her master Daichi felt it was unsafe. Apparently Madara had been there in hopes he could have taken her. Her location had been kept a fiercely guarded secret. No one aside from the monks that lived at the monastery actually knew her village's location.

It was a small village with a giant temple at the center. She was still the only woman here, but she had grown close to the young monks around her age. A large statue of the Buddha was inside the temple. He was positioned in a meditating position and was decorated with various flowers and incense from rituals. What many people including many of monks didn't know was that the statue was also the gate to the spirit world. It is the only gate in the world and Kou had only recently learned to open and enter it to meet with leaders in the Spirit World.

That was her job after all to make sure demons and evil spirits could not enter the living world, and if any had managed to trespass it was her job to take them back. Instead of ninja missions, she was sent with groups of ninja monks to capture the evil beings, but instead of sealing them right after they were captured she had to return them to the temple, open the gate, and return them herself. The "on the spot" sealing technique was the final jutsu she had to learn, but it wasn't easy. It required a lot of spirit energy and chakra, and they had to be balanced correctly or she could be killed instantly.

"Troublesome," she said to herself as she was deep in thought. That's what life was at this point. She didn't know the exact details of everything going on, but she could sense everyone's uneasiness.

She heard someone's footsteps coming and quickly identified they belonged to master Daichi.

He had grown older gracefully. He was still agile for his age and wore long yellow and dark red monk robes. His eyes were the color of coal, and h is goatee was now all gray. He had a few wrinkles now but Kou knew he could be a fierce opponent.

"I can detect your mind is troubled Kou. What has you concerned?" he asked calmly approaching her slowly.

"My best friend is an international criminal and there is a war going on that I know nothing about, and yet I could stop it instantly if I could just master that jutsu," replied Kou disheartened. She pulled her knees closer to her as her teacher sat in front of her.

"My dear you have mastered many of these techniques faster than any of your ancestors. No one before you has ever had such urgency at such a young age," consoled the wise monk. "The other spirit guardians were much older and more experienced during the other wars. No one is blaming you."

"I know. I am trying," she said.

Daichi looked at his student with an understanding expression. He was also doing his best to teach her as fast as he could, but the sealing jutsu was not something that could be rushed.

"I have some good news for you. The nine and eight tails are currently in hiding and the hidden villages have united to form an army," said Daichi.

"How is that good news?" asked Kou quizzically.

"Well at least it has nothing to do with death or betrayal which has been the most common news we've received," replied her master with a smile.

Kou couldn't help but smile back, "Yeah I guess. I'm sure they won't be able to hold Naruto though. From what I've heard about him from the stories and Sasuke, he seems very determined, head strong and powerful."

"You are probably right," the monk replied his smile not leaving his face. "Hopefully Master Bee will teach him to harness the nine tails. I heard Naruto loses control if angry."

Kou laughed, "I remember Bee I wish Naruto the best of luck if he has to train with the ninja world's weirdest rapper."

Daichi's smile faded, "Master Bee is a capable teacher and has full control of his tailed beast. If both can control their respective beasts they could be a great ally to the war."

"So could I if you would let me," said Kou as she crossed her arms and frowned.

"Patience child, your time will come," her master replied touching her on the shoulder. He was proud of her development as a ninja and as a person. He knew she was not blood thirsty for battle; she simply wanted to end the war before it could take lives. The monks had always preached peace and to value all life and she had obviously taken that lesson to heart.

"I guess that is why we named you after the very thing we value most, peace," he thought.

Suddenly he saw his student's demeanor change. She stood and her face showed concentration, she had activated her kekkei genkai towards the forest behind them.

"We have an intruder," she said sternly to her master.

Daichi knodded and both quickly ran into the forest to investigate.

Obviously there was a lot of information in this chapter. I hope I didn't make it boring or confusing. It makes sense in my head cause I thought of it lol, but if there are things that aren't clear I will do my best to explain them in later chapters. I couldn't give it all away at once now could I? Would Love some reviews!