A/N: Yo! Next chapter up. Uuuuuuuh… yeeeah. That's all I gotta say. Have fun!
Naruto slumped up to the city gates, yawning. The sun hadn't even risen yet and the record keepers weren't at their station yet. He rubbed his eyes and stretched. "Did we have to leave this early?"
"Yes," came a quiet voice. Naruto jumped and looks to his side. Ray stood right beside him and Naruto fell. "When did you get there!?" he shouted.
Ray shook his head. "About ten seconds ago."
Naruto looked him over, this guy didn't really look like a ninja at all. He had leather boots instead of sandals on, black pants and a black leather vest with a plain black long sleeved shirt on, a skull necklace around his neck. His hair covered his left eye. His hands had fingerless gloves with studs on the knuckles. A headband that had a small castle decal on it had been wrapped around his right arm. A leather guitar case was strapped around his back, it had two extra compartments on it. All in all he really didn't look anything like a normal ninja.
Standing next to him holding his hand was the princess in a kimono that was the same as the day before but pink. She was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. A few minutes later the rest of the group arrived. "So where are we headed?" Shikamaru yawned.
Ray answered, "There's a port village north west of this one that's on the border of the lands. If we go nonstop it should take us the majority of the day to get there. From there we take a boat to a city that's near the kingdom."
Sakura looked at him, then the princess. "Hey Ray," she said questioningly, "The princess, can she keep up in that?"
"Don't worry," he answered. "Watch. Princess if you could." He handed her a paintbrush and she quickly and gracefully made a seal on the ground, then stood in the middle of it painting the character for transportation on her hand. Ray kneeled to the ground and made hand symbols faster than the human eye could see.
"Allow me to show you the kind of jutsu I use…. Darkness style, Seal of the Dark Globe."
A dark aura shot up, surrounding the princess. She smiled and waved as the aura quickly turned into a ball around her. Ray tapped the ground, there was a poof of smoke, and when it faded the princess was surrounded by a ball of some kind of darkness. It was see through and she waved.
Everybody's jaw had dropped as the ball floated above Ray's head. He looked up touching it. "Are you alright princess?" he asked.
She nodded and looked over. "This is a special jutsu he came up with," she explained. "I could never keep up, but with the help of his chakra this ball follows him and protects me. It also gives me great shade."
Ray looked over to the group. "Is everyone ready? We have a long way to go today."
"Yes!" They all shouted in unison.
"Alright," Ray nodded. "We leave."
Then all at once the entire group disappeared into the darkness of the early morning.
However, just outside the village gates somebody was hiding in a black cloak. The hooded finger raised a delicate finger, a dark aura shot off from it.
"Master," said the cloaked woman. "They're preparing to come."
However, at the same time at the Kingdom of Ishia…
The long white haired man walked through the dungeon. It was a dank dark place, looked as if it hadn't been used in decades. Water dripped from pipes and it smelled like crap down there. Aizen couldn't stand it, but he bared with it as he stopped at a prison cell. Looking inside there was a man there. He was slumped over, his hair snaking across his shoulder, his beard destroyed. Even in royal garments he looked poor and broke. The man looked up at him however with fiery red eyes.
Aizen chuckled a little. "Come now King Tobizaki. Surely you can tell me where it is. After all if you give it to me I can leave your kingdom peacefully."
The king shook his head and glared. "You may leave the kingdom, but you will spread darkness across the land. I know your kind all too well."
Aizen laughed. "Ah it seems you have caught me. It's alright though. I could kill you at anytime."
"That's the thing though. You won't kill me. You have to keep me alive. Otherwise you will never know where it is."
Aizen stopped laughing, and looked over the king, then smirked. "Your right," he said wickedly, "but I can make you wish I would kill you."
He lifted his hand, seconds later King Tobizaki Isou began writhing and yelling out in pain. Aizen just laughed, he loved to watch a person squirm under his power. That's when he knew he was better. He was the strongest. He deserved power.
"Master Aizen!" came a deep voice. A large man in one of the hooded cloaks appeared, bowing at Aizen's feet. "We have a messege from Takina."
"Oh?" He snapped and Tobizaki fell to the ground, breathing hard. "Let's hear it," Aizen ordered.
The man nodded taking out a small scroll and opening it. It had a seal on it and the man made a few hand signs, putting his hand on the seal. A dark aura sphere surrounded the scroll until an image of the woman in the hood appeared.
"Master Aizen," her voice said, it sounded a little fuzzy. "Takina reporting. The princess has been found as well as the boy you requested us to follow. They have gone to the Leaf Village and have gotten aid from ninja of the village."
Pictures of the ninja appeared in front of her. "These are the ninja they have requested help. It appears that they are headed, with the princess, back to the Kingdom and should arrive in the next few days at the pace they are headed. I will continue to spy on them until further orders."
The figure disappeared, Aizen's smirk turned into a wicked smile as he laughed. "They come back here to try to save the Kingdome!? Ha! Wait… this is perfect…" He went to the king, opening the cell grabbing him by his collar.
"Look well 'Your Highness.'" He showed him the picture of his daughter on the transmission. "This is the last you will see of your daughter."
"W..what do you mean?"
He smirked and looked over to his servant. "Roshido! Give Takina an order from me." he looked over to the King. "Kill Princess Isou… using any means necessary. Tell her to attack at midnight unless told otherwise."
The king's face dropped as the larger man disappeared Aizen let him go and walked out locking up his cell. He looked over to the king. "You have until midnight tonight Tobizaki."
Aizen walked out and King Tobizaki slumped to the ground. "My daughter… damn it." He clutched his fist and hit the ground, but realized something as he looked at the scroll in front of him. The ninja there. He's heard of them. They were all great ninja. Maybe there was a chance. Could he risk his daughter's life though? And why would Ray bring her back instead of keeping her there?
Later that evening
Naruto jumped up holding a bowl. "More please!" he shouted. A waitress bowed and left the room to get him more food. Sakura face palmed.
"Naruto could you be anymore embarrassing?" she asked a little annoyed.
Shikamaru picked his ear with his pinky not really paying attention. Neji and Ray quietly ate their fried rice and the princess giggled a little bit at Naruto. Ray stopped eating and looked to the princess a little stunned. Shikamaru noticed this, then looked at the princess, then back at Ray. He put his bowl down.
"Ray," he asked, "you alright?"
Ray shook his head a little. "Yeah. Just fine," he reassured. "just a little tired is all. Don't worry about me."
Ray stiffened up, his eyes went narrow and he looked down at his food.
Someone's near. Just one person… and some dark chakra.
He looked around. Naruto was laughing as Sakura was trying to calm him down. Princess Isou giggling along with him. Shikamaru had been leaning on the wall with his eyes closed, possibly asleep. Neji looked over to Ray and nodded. He knew too but shook his head.
Ray studied the chakra. It wasn't moving, as if it were waiting for something. What was it waiting for though? He stood and went over to the princess, kneeling. "Your Highness it is your bedtime."
She looked over at him. "Do I have to Ray? It's very lively out here tonight."
He nodded and Isou stood holding onto his hand. "Okay then." She bowed. "Goodnight everyone. Very sweet dreams to you all."
Ray took her to her room, a few minutes later he came back sitting on his pillow and looked around the room. Sakura looked over to him. "What's going on?" she asked.
"There's somebody here."
"There is?"
Neji nodded. "It's faint. I can hardly sense the chakra, but someone is definitely here."
Ray put a hand on the table. "The chakra they are using is the same chakra I use. It's dark chakra."
Sakura put a hand on the table, interrupting him with a stern look. "Hold on, what's dark chakra? I've never heard of anything like this."
"It's a special chakra. There's only two ways to obtain it. The first is through natural means. You must be born with it. I was that and so was the man that took over the kingdom, Saito Aizen. The second is through artificial means. The chakra can be transferred through a dangerous surgery. However if the person lives they have the chakra within them and can control it then and there. It is a powerful chakra that can produce powerful jutsu. Don't underestimate it."
Naruto sat down. "So who's following us."
Ray shook his head and eyed the door to the outside of the room. "I don't know. The chakra is relatively weak though. I think it could be one of his follower. Possibly the demon summoner."
Everyone looked at him questionably, but he didn't change his glare. "Don't take these people likely. Shikamaru, your in charge but I know these attackers. I suggest we keep watch. They're after the princess."
The two young men looked at each other. Shikamaru was the first to speak after a minute of silence. "Sure. I get it. Alright. Neji and I will take the post outside her room door. Neji use your Byakugan and search for this person. You'll be our eyes in the sky. Sakura I want you on the inside door and guarding it just in case. They're bound to come in from the outside but just in case it's the inside. Naruto, you'll be with Ray inside her room. If they get in your our last chance."
Everyone nodded in agreement and left to their post. Ray turned out the lights in the main room, then they waited as the partially full moon began to rise.
Isou woke up not too long after. "Ray?" she asked. "Is everything alright?"
He sat next to her, propping his knee up and resting his arm on it. "Yes madam. Please rest"
"It's alright. I'm really not tired. I'd like to stay up if you wouldn't mind."
Ray looked over to her with an expressionless face. "As you wish."
Naruto looked over. "Hey Ray, why would they be after her right now? If the dark… thing is in the kingdom wouldn't they be there?"
Nobody talked, the princess looked down and Ray looked to the window. Naruto looked at them but didn't question it anymore after that. They all waited there, in the silence of the night.
