So... I'm alive?

I guess, though I'm sure it's probably debatable at this point since my updating is nonexistent...

Sorry, its hard to keep writing after back-to-back twelve hour shifts... But, I digress...

I hope you guys enjoy the chapter.. I know it's caused me a lot of problems, especially with all the writer's block that came up while I was writing...


From underneath the trees, far from the Hidden Stone Village, sat a lone figure, staring out at the night sky. His chilling azure eyes scanned the entire sky while his mind winded down from the passing day's events. It has been approximately two years since he graduated from the Hidden Stone Academy. In about another month, he would be turning fourteen, making him only a year younger than his cousin, Honoka, who was on the same team as him and his best friend Kurotsuchi.

His brow furrowed as he thought of the old man's words:

"Yes, we did sign a peace treaty with Konoha. Yes, it does make me sick just thinking about it and no, I'm not joking, your team is going to the Chunin Exams in Konoha in two months."

What the fumph?!" Sobōtsuchi began before Kurotsuchi appeared beside him, hand over his mouth. The Third Tsuchikage only raised an eyebrow at them before continuing.

"Listen brat, do you trust me?" Sobōtsuchi blinked at him. He stared into the elder man's eyes. The look in his eyes, his tone and seriousness threw Sobōtsuchi off; it's like he was genuinely interested and not sarcastically asking like he usually did. Taking the younger's silence for a positive answer, he spoke. "Believe me when I saw that everything I'm doing has a reason. So you going to Konoha for the Chunin Exams is for a reason, one that I will tell you when the time is right."

"Stupid old man," Sobōtsuchi growled in irritation. He didn't really want to go to Konoha for any reason, much less to take a test that will determine his advancement. He could never pinpoint what about Konoha made him uncharacteristically and unnaturally mad, but he could never keep a smile on his face when even the word Konoha is brought up in his presence. As his thoughts continued the line of thought, he felt the back of his right shoulder start to itch. He ignored it, though; it would disappear in a few moments like it always did.

"Hey," a new, concerned voice brought Sobōtsuchi out of his musings. A ghost of a smile appeared over his face but other than that, he didn't show any response to the voice. "I knew you'd be out here."

"You should. There are only a handful of people who know me as well as you do, Honoka," Sobōtsuchi muttered, turning his gaze to his red-haired cousin. Her dark eyes never moving from her relative's face. She was worried about him, having heard from the Tsuchikage himself about the giant task he had given her team. She had no real qualms with Konoha, but the same couldn't be said for her cousin. He had an unadulterated hatred for that place and even though she didn't have any particular haterd for it, she would go along with the mission, not only for the village, but because her cousin would also.

"We have about seven weeks to train for the exams," Honoka said before forcing a smile on her lips. "Let's make the most of it, Sobōtsuchi."

Sobōtsuchi kept staring at Honoka before a fullblown smile appeared. "Don't worry about me, I'm fine," his eyes hardened but his smile didn't waver. "No matter what, we're all getting back alive and Konoha will regret the day they messed with our awesome village. Even that damned Hokage!" Sobōtsuchi said, whispering that last part harshly. Honoka didn't flinch at the intesity of his tone like she used to; she felt a pang of sadness in her heart. Guilt ate at her heart for knowing an important fact, one that she kew she couldn't tell the blond... yet. When they reached Konoha in about two months, she'd tell him there, where it would be safer.

She knew the truth, the real truth of Sobōtsuchi's parents. All Uzumaki kept in contact through their own spy networks over the years since the demise of the Uzushiogakure. The information wasn't always detailed and were far and few in between but Honoka knew that her distant aunt in Konoha was thoroughly devastated by the loss of her only child, a blond baby boy by the name of Naruto. From her own Uzumaki spy network, she had heard many spins of the tragedy that had occured in Konoha. Though small details differed, the main point was that an outside force had been the cause of the young Uzumaki's death.

However, here in Iwa and even from some of her contacts in Kusa, she had been told how Sobōtsuchi's mother had left the boy for dead, so she could keep the love of the Fourth Hokage.

She refrained from making any rash decisions against or for her relative in Konoha, but she kept an open-mind - and a hoping heart - that the negative things she heard were not founded.

"Boss," Honoka and Sobōtsuchi turned to the new figure that appeared in front of them. He stood in front of them, his black outfit blending in well with the shadows of the night. His piercing blue eyes and shocking blond hair were the only distinguishable features the two could see from the figure. "Kurotsuchi and the rest of the platoon has brought down the cannon fodder. Thanks to Honoka, were managed to seal away their dogs, horses and means of transportation. All that is left is the leader, and he is already running towards the trap you set up," the figure said.

Sobōtsuchi nodded and stood, stretching his back with a low groan. "Let the others know that the mission is over, so they can disperse and inform Kurotsuchi to go back to camp. Sensei should be there and I'm sure she will give him a quick debriefing," the figure nodded before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Sobōtsuchi turned to Honoka after quickly shaking off the memories given to him by his clone. He noticed her shake her head but didn't comment on it. He moved to intercept the leader of the bandits whose camp they just raided, taking note that Honoka had decided to follow him, which he didn't mind.

It didn't take long for him to sense his trap activate and a smile crept over his face. Within minutes, Sobōtsuchi and Honoka jumped down in front of the bandits' leader, HIro Tatsu. He stood still, wide-eyed and his whole body tense. His black hair shifted every once in a while by an unseen force, but his tattered blue shirt and black pants remained undisturbed. Under him was a bright-blue glowing seal that spread out over the area, its diameter easily fifty feet. However, Sobōtsuchi and Honoka didn't seemed bothered by the seal at all.

"Do you like it?" Sobōtsuchi asked as he moved lazily around Hiro, taking in everything. "It's funny, when I set up the seal, I had intended it for it to send a quick, but strong volt of electricity to the person who activated it, enough to knock them unconscious. However, a constant stream of a paralyzing current is good enough, don't you think Honoka?" Sobōtsuchi asked, talking about it as if they were talking about food. Honoka chuckled with a bit of mirth.

"Yeah, that's why I modified the seal," she said, giving him a stern glare. "The amount of volts you set up would've killed the man," she added, making Hiro's eyes widen even more, if that was even possible.

Sobōtsuchi frowned as he turned his eyes to Honoka. He was about to chide her for messing with his seals again but decided against it. Quickly, he took out a blank scroll from his scroll pouch on his left leg and began to scribble on it with a marker he brought with him. It only took five minutes for him to create a replica of the seal he made and went to set it up far from where he once stood. Shifting through numerous hand seals, Sobōtsuchi slammed his hand on the seal and powered it up with his chakra. Walking back to Honoka, he grabbed his bottle of water and tossed it so it would land right on the center of the seal. Not even a second after the bottle touched the seal did electricity roar to life and make the bottle exploded in an impressive and destructive display of its power. Sweat traveled down Hiro's face, thanking a faceless deity that the red-haired teen had changed the trap the blond had set up for him. Sobōtsuchi didn't even face Honoka, knowing that she was giving him the same face she always gave him whenever he overpowered the seals she taught him or changed them.

"Live and learn, I suppose," he said, avoiding to meet her eyes like the plague. He smiled with his eyes closed as he faced Hiro. "Guess that means more to you than me, huh?" with that, Sobōtsuchi's right eye slowly opened and instead of the cerulean tint they usually held, it displayed a bright crimson color. Within seconds, Hiro was struggling to scream, his pupils were dialated and veins all over his neck and head were more pronounced as he continued to try to let out a yell. Sobōtsuchi closed his eye again and sighed, letting the man's screams slowly die in his throat. Sobōtsuchi dropped to one knee and touched the seal with his right palm. The seal stopped glowing and began to retract up Sobōtsuchi's arm, into his sleeve until it disappeared from sight.

By that time, Hiro fell forward, unconscious from whatever Sobōtsuchi did to him before he even hit the ground. When Sobōtsuchi heard the unmistakeable thud of Hiro's body hitting the ground, he opened his eyes and moved to pick up Hiro.

"Come on, Honoka," Sobōtsuchi called out, keeping his head slightly bowed so she wouldn't see his eyes. "Our job's done here," he finished saying before leaving a whirl of wind. Honoka sighed sadly before going after her cousin.

[*.*.*.*]

Onoki chuckled to himself as he read the report turned to him by Sobōtsuchi himself. He expected nothing less from his future successor and ultimate tool. True, it was just a normal bandit, nothing special, but his performance was nothing short of impressive. Had a certain snake in the leaves not come up to him with a proposal two years ago, the boy would've surely been promoted to Chunin, possibly Jonin. And yet, it was for the best, seeing how the fall of Konoha would begin soon. Years of planning and waiting will finally pay off within two months. Yes, everything was finally going his way and he had Akatsuki and Orochimaru to thank.

And yet, he felt disdain creep in his heart at the thought of those two. Orochimaru could not be trusted; at least, not fully. He would have to keep his guard up with that slippery snake. As for Akatsuki, ever since he found out that they were the reason one of his best Jonin was dead, he stopped employing the rotten mercenaries.

Onoki clenched his fist as he looked down at the message he had written down. As much as he hated the damned organization, he felt that he would need their help for his plan. Once the plan went into action, he would need their help so he didn't have to send the letter now. However, he hated having to swallow his pride and asking for it. As far as he knew, they didn't know that he knew that they were responsible for one of his ninja's death. Once Konoha was dealt with, he would deal with Akatsuki next.

"All in due time," the old man counciled himself as he rolled up the message and put it away in the bottom left drawer of his desk.

"Sir," a voice called from behind his door, followed by three pronounced knocks. Onoki called in the person behind his door and found it to be his secretary. "I've received word that Ao is ready to return. Should I send for his usual escorts?" she asked and Onoki hummed to himself, before shaking his head with a smirk.

"Call for my grandchildren and their team. I feel like this would give them good experience, especially considering the circumstances."

"Very well, Lord Tsuchikage," his secretary left without another word and closed the door. It didn't take long for the aforementioned team to arrive, though it took a while for the Tsuchikage to calm down the loud and rebellious blond after briefing him on his next mission.

"Hell no!" Sobōtsuchi declared, glaring at the Earth Shadow. Before he could chide the old man for even thinking about giving them the mission, he was silenced by his sensei. He looked towards his sensei, whose own pale blue eyes calmed the storm within his blond student.

"Old man, as much as I'd like to take such a boring mission, why should we take this mission-" Sobōtsuchi's sensei began only for Onoki to cut him off.

"Deidara, many of your Jonin colleagues obey my every command and never question my motives. I could send them to their deaths and they would not think twice. Those who question me are usually terminated from their job, rank and life. Tell me, why should the same not apply to you?" the Tsuchikage asked, trying to intimidate the rebellious Jonin to obey. And yet, his response came in the form of Deidara nonchalantly cleaning his ears with his right pinky.

"Listen, as much as we love the intimidation techniques, I have other things to do so how's this," Deidara smirked deviously as he pointed a finger at Onoki. "We do this simple B-rank mission, but we get A-rank pay?"

A vein seemed ready to burst in Onoki's forehead. "Why would I do that, Deidara?" he asked through gritted teeth, trying to convince himself not to turn the blond in front of him into dust.

"Because you know this team is better than that. A simple collaboration-archaeology mission to a temple near the border of Takigaure and the Land of Fire? With a team from Konoha on top of that? Any half-wit Chunin team could do it. No, this is beneath our talents and as such, we should be compensated for such a waste of time and resources, hm."

By the end of his speech, Onoki was at the edge of his seat, eyes ablaze at the lack of respect and bluntness of the blond Jonin in front of him.

Sobōtsuchi stepped in front of his team and chuckled sheepishly at the look on the old man's face. "We accept, gramps. We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning," he said diplomatically. Deidara appeared as though he was about to speak but was beaten to the punch.

"Tonight," the entire team looked at the Tsuchikage oddly. "You will leave tonight."

"What-?" Deidara growled out but the glare he was given left no room for arguments. With a defeated sigh, Deidara left, with his team following close behind. Onoki watched them go, his temper slowly dying away before his earlier giddiness took over again.

"My revenge is almost here. Now we'll see how this confrontation between Iwa and Konoha will go," Onoki mused amusedly to himself.

[*.*.*]

Sobōtsuchi grumbled under his breath as he spun a kunai on his right index finger before letting it fly into the air right over him. He stopped and turned around, catching the kunai that was brought back down by gravity.

Honoka watched her cousin repeat the action over and over again for the last half hour; the two always had a spare pack ready to go for such an occasion as this one. So now, all they could do was patiently wait for their sensei and third teammate, one of them more than the other. During the waiting, Honoka couldn't help but pity her younger cousin. He wasn't always so angry - hell, he usually wasn't - but ever since the old man privately met with him sometime before he graduated, Sobōtsuchi had been easier to anger and less patient. Sure, he still treated his friends the same, he would still smile and laugh with them. But when he thought no one was watching, he would let his mask of happiness fall and one of two looks would appear on his face; one of pure rage and another of sadness and sorrow.

Whatever was bothering him, he was determine to shoulder it on his own. Whenever she tried to get him to talk, he would smile and pretend that all was right in the world. Of course, she knew that was far from the truth but she didn't want to push too hard, because whether or not they shared the same blood, he would push back ten times harder.

"Calm down, Sobōtsuchi, before you hurt yourself," she demanded, making the blond pause for a second before sighing and falling into the lotus position. His eyes were shut and his breathing slowed down, almost to the point that Honoka had to wonder if he was breathing all together. Though, she had to admit; she prefered this to what he was doing earlier. She didn't need to think too hard on what he was up to, he would be back to the waking world within five minutes; which, according to her watch, would be when the rest of Team Elite would come.

Like clockwork, Deidara and Kurotsuchi appeared in front of the two Uzumaki the second Sobōtsuchi opened his eyes.

"Well, well, looks like someone isn't happy, hm?" Deidara asked with a skip to his step. Sobōtsuchi spat to the side as he gave his sensei a fierce glare. "Now, now, Sobōtsuchi, is that any way to respond to your sensei?" his response came in the from of a small fireball racing towards his face. With the speed of a veteran Jonin, Deidara sidestepped the attack and returned Sobōtsuchi's glare with one of his own. Though, Sobōtsuchi now looked pleased with himself, exhaling through his nose, letting smoke escape as well.

"Let's go, I want to get this stupid mission over with as fast as we can," Sobōtsuchi said, taking the lead. Deidara usually let him lead, with him just following behind him. Aside from the fact that the kid was a natural-born leader, it let Deidara do nothing and still get credit for being the awesome sensei for such an amazing and talented team.

[*.*.*]

Two days later, somewhere in the Land of Fire lay a boy with wild brown locks stared irritably on the ground. His ninja dog sat beside him, just as bored and irritable as his master.

"Kurenai-sensei!" the boy cried out, his patience finally giving out tp boredom. "When the hell are these Stone-punks coming?" he asked as he fell to his back, staring up at the sky. A strikingly beautiful black-haired woman with piercing red eyes came into his line of sight and he gulped when he noticed her glare directed at him.

"For the tenth time Kiba, this rendezvous point is closer to Konoha than it is to Iwa, so it's to be expected that we reach it faster than them. According to what the Tsuchikage told us, they should be arriving twelve hours later than us," she told him with a surprising amount of patience. The brown-haired boy, Kiba, groaned as he grabbed a nearby stick and haphazardly threw it for his dog, Akamaru, to fetch.

"Kiba!" a feminine voice screeched, causing said boy to freeze and tense in fear. As he expected, a harsh fist drilled the top of his head not a second later. His arms shot up to his new bump and he turned to glare at the culprit. He tried to say something but the jade eyes glaring at him made whatever response die in his throat. "What's the big idea throwing a stick at me?!"

"It's not like I meant to hit you, Sakura. I was just trying to find something to do while we wait-" he received another hit and he groaned at the fresh pain circulating in his head. "What the hell?! Stop hitting me, ya bansh-"

Kurenai sighed at her charges and wished her other two students would appear soon. Suddenly, she felt eyes on her, watching her every move. She looked around, trying to spot something but just as soon as the feeling came, it went, leaving her with her students and a deep sense of paranoia.

"I should knock you out until those Iwa-nins come. Then maybe they won't get the impression that Konoha is filled with loud-mouth idiots!"

"No, it's filled with loud-mouth idiot men and very beautiful women," a voice said, causing the three to turn to the newcomer. Before them stood a black-haired teen with mischievous and energetic crimson eyes and a smile that stole Sakura's breath away. His tan skin seemed soft to the touch and the muscles she could see gave Sakura the impression that the teen in front of her was indeed physical strong. Her cheeks quickly turned a nice shade of pink, blending in quite nicely to her bubble gum hair. And his black, sleeveless muscle shirt and black cargo shorts with orange stripes on the side suggested that he at least knew how to dress.

The newcomer approached Sakura first and swiftly took her right hand and brought his head down, his lips only an inch away from the back of Sakura's hand. His ruby eyes pierced through Sakura's jade eyes, making her blush darkened. "And just who might you two angels be?" just as he finished asking, he softly pressed his lips against her hand and a second red-eyed teen appeared beside Kurenai, doing the same to her.

"Twins?" Kurenai blinked in response, no male been ever been brave enough to do that to her. Sakura's free hand came up and covered her mouth; she was too embarassed to come up with anything to say. Kurenai, however, decided to react differently. She retracted her hand from his grip and stared the double-ganger with as much neutrality she could muster.

"Four-ninths of Konoha's team is here. Presently, we have-" Kurenai began but was interrupted by the two look-alikes.

"Sakura Haruno, top kunoichi of her class and latest apprentice to the lovely and deadly Tsunade of the Sannin," the teen nearest Sakura said, giving another peck to her hand. Sakura managed to maintain her dignity as a kunoichi by not squealing at the two kisses and the cute teen knowing who she was, but failed to not drool over him. The black-haired double nearest Kurenai pointed at Kiba with a noticeable lack of interest.

"That mutt over there is Kiba Inuzuka, current heir to the Inuzuka clan and partner to..." the double trailed off and went into a thinking pose, his right hand on his chin and his left holding his right elbow. Kiba growled as he stood to tell of the newcomers but was interrupted by his twin.

"Akamaru," his other answered, earning a snap and a smile from the second.

"Right, and this beauty over here," a mischievous smile appeared on both teens' lips simultaneously as they glided over to Kurenai, who blinked confusedly at the synchronization.

"Is Kurenai Yuhi, Genjutsu Mistress of Konoha."

"I must say, Miss Yuhi, your eyes are just the perfect shade of red."

"Yes, it's almost as if I'm staring directly into two perfectly-formed, gorgeous rubies," the second double-ganger moved in closer and was only inches away from Kurenai's face. "Would it be too personal if I ask if there's a Mr. Yuhi?" she promptly took a step back and before the twin could follow, the first pulled him back via the back of his collar.

"Calm down, idiot! You don't want to scare off the Konoha ninjas... do you?" the first glared at the end of his question as his double looked away in mock-innocence.

Before anyone could react - though no one would've if they could've, the shock and amusement of the two had held everyone right where they were - two kunai came flying by, hitting both of the twins behind the neck. That snapped everyone back to the real world and each took out a kunai. Before Sakura could cry out for the two cute twins, they burst into puffs of smoke. Every pair of eyes widened at the revelation, Kurenai especially taking it hard.

'No way... they couldn't have been clones. It's... it's ludicrous,' before she could continue this line of thought, four new figures jumped down from the trees above them. The one who apeared in front of the group seemed to be the summoner of the previous clones, matching their description perfectly; with the exception of the frown marring his features. The newcomer who stood to the left was a red-haired girl who might've been related to the first, with the same mischievous smile on her face. To the right was a black-haired teen who kept a stoic expression locked on her face, though Kurenai could see the annoyance sparking in her eyes every time they traveled to the black-haired male next to her.

And the blond coming up to her was most likely their sensei.

"I apologize for my student's idiocy," the man began as he bowed lazily to the Konoha nin. "We don't let him out much so we have to be careful when we do, otherwise he goes and pulls stunts like these. My name is Deidara," Deidara continued, turning to his three students. "You've already met Sobōtsuchi, the idiot in black."

"I'm offended," he said but a swift elbow to his side, thanks to the black-haired female, silenced him.

"The violent one is Kurotsuchi, and the redhead is Honoka," with that, Deidara turned his attention back to Kurenai and spread his arms out. "And we are Iwa's most elite Genin team, Team Elite," he finished and Kurenai could only blink, trying with all her might not to flat out deadpan at the newly arrived team.

'What's the deal with this Iwa team? Don't they still hate us?' she thought, gauging the teams' reaction. The redhead was still smiling, though it was starting to become more forced than genuine. The only male student was lazily looking at them as if he's seen then before. The other was sort of had a similar expression as her male counterpart but kept her other emotions hidden behind her mask. 'True, we've signed a treaty a week or so ago but...'

"My student mentioned that only four-ninths of your team is here. Where are the others? Oh, and the two archaeologists?" he asked in earnest curiosity. Kurenai blinked before remembering their situation.

"The archaeologists needed a break and we were only an hour away so I volunteered to go ahead and rest at the rendevouz point with two Genin, just in case you guys decided to come early, like you did," she answered and gave them a small smile. It quickly faded as she watched Kiba walk up to the dark-haired teen. The teen just stared at Kiba with disinterest, his crimson eyes resting on the wilder-teen with half-lidded eyes.

"What was up with that clone bullshit?" he asked, his nose flaring and eyes boring into the teen's eyes, willing it to answer him. The taller teen leaned forward and a mischievous grin found its way onto his face.

"You're an Inuzuka, so you should somewhat know about recon, right?" he asked and Kiba blinked as he back up a bit; not having expected to be asked such a question. He growled under his breath; the Inuzuka were renowned for their tracking and recon skills.

"Somewhat?" Kiba asked, sounding insulted. Sobōtsuchi eyes narrowed, a mischeivous gleam lighting his crimson eyes; game on.

"Ah, too big a word?" Sobōtsuchi teased, his grin growing into a full-blown amused smirk. He could see Kiba turn red at the jab and thought the idiot was about to attack him. That was, until his teacher placed a delicate hand on his left shoulder. It only took one look to calm him down and back away from Sobōtsuchi. The teen relaxed the muscles in his legs and arms and the seal that was slowly making its way to his hand rose back in their place under the safety of his shirt, though it went unnoticed by all but his team.

"So you sent them ahead to do a little recon of your own?" Sakura asked, earning a smile from Sobōtsuchi.

"Correct, you really are as smart as your records claim," he said smoothly, but to those who knew him, it seemed practiced. Sakura swooned at his praise but kept from glomping him. Sobōtsuchi could only internally shake his head. She had potential - he couldn't deny her that - but she was at the age where boys were really starting to interest her, more than how she most likely was as a twelve-year-old.

"Ok dumbass, stop flirting with Pinky here and get serious; we're on a mission after all," Kurotsuchi chided, moving towards the Konoha nin, roughly shoving him out of her way as she did. Sobōtsuchi raised an eyebrow at Kurotsuchi's odd behavior before a thought hit him and he sighed exasperatedly. He really didn't want to deal with the confusing relationship he and his teammate had at the moment. Did she like him? Did he even like her?

Shaking his thoughts from such troubling thoughts, he turned his attention to the new chakra signatures heading towards them at amazing speeds. Looking around, he noticed that the boy's dog was not beside his master.

'He must have sent the dog off to inform the group during the distraction,' he mused as he leaned back on a tree nearby. He waited patiently, his eyes on the direction of the newcomers. Honoka watched him before facing the same direction just as eight people appeared. Riding on the giant mutt was the archaeologist from Konoha. He wore earthly colors, along with a tan vest, dirt brown boots and of course, a balding head. The archaeologist from Iwa wore similar colors, but wore a vest similar to Iwa's Chunin vest, though not exact.

Accompanying the archaeologists was a group consisting of a black-haired teen with a naturally stoic expression on his face. He wore a a black shirt with black pants, his forehead protector on his forehead with a black band and black ninja shoes. That's where his distinguishable features ended. A katana hung on his back, running down diagnoly, and from where Sobōtsuchi stood, he did not see a guard for it. He had armor-wraps tied to both hands, going up to his mid-forearm and had thick, black straps on his left arm starting from his wrist up to his bicep. His crimson eyes were vigilantly stalking the area with the three tomoes in each eye spinning slowly. 'Definitely an Uchiha'

Beside him stood one Sobōtsuchi had missed the first time he took a quick look at the group. He wore a high-collar dark and pale torquiose jacket that easily covered the bottom half of his face and black pants, tied off with armor-wraps where they met his black shinobi sandals. His sunglasses blocked his eyes from view and he kept a small pack hanging on his back. Sobōtsuchi had no doubt that the male was an Aburame, seeing as he was focused on the bug that landed on his extended finger.

Standing in front of them was one man whom Sobōtsuchi was eager to fight, only second to the Fourth Hokage; Kakashi Hatake. There he stood gazing lazily at the group in front of him as if all of them had disturbed him from doing something he really wanted to do. Sobōtsuchi's fists clenched tight as he fought down the urge to challenge the man right in front of everyone.

Off to the side, was a girl with light brown hair and light brown eyes. One side of her hair was straight and the other side was braided with two circular-designed clips holding the front of her hair away from her face. She wore a white kimono-like shirt with a long right sleeve and a short left sleeve along with baggy violet pants and white ninja sandals.

The last of the group left him... confused, to say the least.

"Sorry, we meant to be here sooner but," Kakashi paused as he spared a glance at the archaeologist from Konoha, who had to sweatdrop at the subtlety. "Someone had to use the bathroom," he finished before driving his hand into his back-pouch and revealing a little orange book. Everyone from Konoha sighed at this except for the fifth member of the new group. Sobōtsuchi couldn't help but ignore all of the conversation going on around him as he focused solely on her. She had long, blonde hair kept up by a purple band, that easily reached her lower back. Her hands remained in the pockets of her tan sweater, giving her an almost careless demeanor, if it wasn't for her keen violet eyes. Almost as if forced, her eyes landed on his ruby ones, locking in for a second before moving to a new target of interest.

Immediately, Sobōtsuchi could tell this girl wasn't who she displayed herself to be. He didn't like her, she was...

'She's fake,' he thought as he moved his eyes over to Ao, who was speaking to the Konoha archaeologist and Konoha ninjas as if they were friends. As much as Sobōtsuchi wanted to spit at the idea, he had to swallow his pride and hatred and just play the part of helpful comrade and get the mission over with. He only had to put up with them for another two months.

"Since we're all here, I suppose we should get this mission started," Kakashi said, earning a nod from Kurenai and Deidara. "If you gentlemen please," he added, letting the archaeologist lead the way. It took majority of the day to find the temple they were looking for. By then, the sun was beginning to set and painted the sky a lovely shade of indigo, orange and pink. Upon examining the old temple, they realized they ran into a small problem.

"So, a door never existed back then or something?" Kiba asked deadpanned as they stood in front of the temple with no visible way in.

"Of course they did!" chided Ao. "They just hid it in an underground path."

"Well that would've been good to know earlier," Kiba muttered under his breath. Though Sobōtsuchi agreed with the mutt, he refused to admit it out loud.

"I know where it is," a soft voice said, attracting the attention of the group. The blonde-haired girl was kneeling down and had a hand on the ground. Her back was turned and when she stood, she faced the group. "It's twenty meters north, it's a cave but its opening is blocked by rocks of varying sizes."

"Good work, Hiku," Kakashi said with an eye-smile. The girl didn't verbally reply, she only bowed and gave a small smile.

'Fake,' Sobōtsuchi deadpanned before returning to his usual neutral expression as the girl shifted her eyes to him before facing forward. With a sigh, he walked towards the destination the fake girl had told them was the entrance to the cave. On the way, he noticed the Konoha ninja start to form little cliques. The Jonin stood beside each other, Kurenai trying to convince Kakashi to put his book away and failing miserably. The three females were idly chatting with each other, the Aburame and the Inuzuka were also in the middle of the conversation, but the mutt seemed more animated in his conversation than the others did. The Uchiha was walking behind the females, his eyes staring off into space but his senses aware of his environment.

His own team stayed together, not talking, not really doing much of anything but following after the fake. It didn't take long to find the entrance of the underground path. The sun had already set and night had taken its place on the world. It didn't matter to Sobōtsuchi, though, he loved the night. He always enjoyed doing missions at night, for it made him feel more in tune with his predator instincts, his animalistic side.

"All right everyone, let's set up camp and rest for the night," Kakashi commanded, earning odd looks from the Iwa shinobi.

"What? The night's barely begun," Sobōtsuchi spoke up, earning the attention of the group. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at him, taking his hands out of his vest's pockets. Before he could speak though, someone beat him to it.

"Sobōtsuchi, stand down," Deidara said sharply, leaving no room for argument. Sobōtsuchi glanced at his sensei, hesitating long before relaxing, crossing his arms and looking away. "I apologize for my student's behavior. He's not used to 'taking the night off', so to speak," he explained. Kakashi's eyes never left the black-haired iwa teen but nodded his head in response to Deidara's apology.

"No harm, no foul," Kakashi said disinterestingly. The three groups of ninja and two archaeologists began to set up their tents and before long, they returned to the center of camp where they began to discuss about who would take watch.

"I'm taking the first, second and third watch," Sobōtsuchi said while outside of the group, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed over his chest. Everyone from Konoha looked at him oddly, even stranger was when no one from Iwa argued or even seemed surprised. His crimson eyes opened, already on the group from Konoha but it seemed like he was staring through them.

"I'll take first watch, too," Kiba said defiantly, taking a seat on a log they brought over to sit on. His eyes drifted over to Sobōtsuchi and narrowed. Sobōtsuchi felt his lips bend upward slightly in a mischievous way.

"I'll take the second," Sasuke offered nonchalantly, earning a nod from Kakashi.

"And I'll finish with the last watch. Everyone else, get some rest," Kakashi ordered and everyone began to enter their tents, except for Sobōtsuchi and Kiba. Sobōtsuchi could already tell this was going to be the longest watch he'd ever go through. And yet, he knew, somehow, it'd be one he'd remember for years to come.

[*.*.*.*]

Sobōtsuchi kept his smile plastered on his face as he watched the sun begin to rise. It had indeed been an interesting night, especially with the Inuzuka. The fool was so susceptible to his words and pranks, it was almost pitiful. The Uchiha boy, who he had finally figured out was the youngest child of the Uchiha Head, was less than fun, seeing as he had been quiet the entire night. One interesting thing Sobōtsuchi had noticed was that the boy kept looking towards the younger females' tent. Obviously, the boy was infatuated with one of them. Though Sobōtsuchi honestly couldn't care less, curiosity and boredom did keep it in the back of his mind.

"Ok, now that we're all well rested, let's decide who's going to go in the temple with the archaeologists," Kakashi looked at his group as well as the one from Iwa. Sobōtsuchi was the first to step forward, and Honoka followed right after. Hiku and Kiba, along with Akamaru, were the next to step forward. Sasuke would've followed but Kakashi's next statement stopped him. "Great, looks like we have our victims."

"Don't you mean volunteers?" Honoka asked, a little put off with how he worded it. Kakashi shifted his eye-smile over to the redhead.

"I'm sorry, did i say victims again?" he said, feigning innocence. His response came in the form of the entire group face-planting at his horribly-shrowded innocence. "Apart from getting lost on the road of life, that seems to be my worst habit," he finished before he led the group of victims towards the cave entrance.

The archaeologists stood within a diamond formation formed by their respective bodyguards. Kakashi took point, with Sobōtsuchi and Honoka at the back, Hiku to the right and Kiba and Akamaru to the left. Sobōtsuchi kept his eyes on the back of Hiku's head, narrowing everyone so often, before he'd look away for a minutes and repeating the cycle. Honoka had noticed this and let him continue to do this before finally making him break the cycle.

"She's kind of cute, huh?" she asked nonchalantly, trying to present a careless demeanor; the only thing ruining that image being a knowing smile on her face. She was disappointed when Sobōtsuchi didn't blush or stutter out a bad denial. He just turned his eyes to her, his crimson eyes flashing a bright blue before returning to their red hue.

"There's something... not quite right about her," he said in a low voice, his eyes returning the the black-haired teen. Honoka blinked, before resting her eyes on the same teen. She did get a vibe that the girl was hiding something, but who didn't? Considering two different groups of ninja from once-enemy villages working together? There were bound to be secrets and precautions taken from everyone in some way. However, Honoka did find it odd that it was this specific girl's secret that bothered her cousin the most.

"Why does it bother you so much?" Honoka asked in a hushed tone. Sobōtsuchi didn't respond, he just kept staring at the girl, while also taking in his surroundings every so often. She noticed his brow kept getting scrunched, as if in concentration, but she wasn't sure if he was trying to figure out what the girl could possibly be hiding or if he was just thinking about her question. She wasn't sure which one to root for...

"No one take another step!" Kakashi called out as everyone froze before they took their next step. "This next part, everyone's going to have to match my every step until I say otherwise. Is that understood?" everyone nodded and began to line up behind the Copy-ninja. The gray-haired ninja took long strides and kept moving from one side of the room to the other. He had raised his headband and kept his lone Sharingan on the ground. They kept this slow pace for another few minutes before Sobōtsuchi felt his patience wearing thin. Sobōtsuchi turned his eyes to his cousin, and he could see her shaking her head. Unfortunately, no one noticed the poor archaeologist from Konoha spinning his arms, trying not to lose his balance.

"Gah!" the man cried as his body began to fall back. Through sheer luck, the archaeologist from Iwa caught him before he could set off any traps. Wide, green eyes stared into the eyes of his savior, who had sweat running down his forehead. The man hadn't worked out in what was most likely years. With a mighty pull, the man from Konoha got Ao back to both his feet. But with what could only be a cruel joke by fate, the konoha archaeologist took a step back from helping Ao and an irregular piece of the floor sunk two inches into the ground. Everyone looked back to the man's foot for what seemed like a split-second before they turned their blank stares to the black-haired teen responsible for what was about to occur. The teen had enough decency to look sheepish by what his action caused before the temple began to shake as if an earthquake hit the area.

Sobōtsuchi ran back to his cousin but he stopped short as the ground between them split and debris fell down from the ceiling above them. He clenched his teeth as he saw a piece of earth the size of a shoe hit her behind her head, knocking her out. Kakashi was by her side within a second, moving out of the way of more falling debris. Sobōtsuchi wasn't given time to demand his cousin back, not with the two non-shinobi archaeologist running around, hoping they wouldn't end up like the redhead. The teen saw the ground underneath them begin to break away, so he slammed his hands on the ground and reinforced the ground with his own chakra-infused earth clumps, acting as a glue to keep their footing solid.

"Hiku!" he heard Kiba shout. He turned just to see Hiku fall into a black pit. The Inuzuka knelt in front of the hole, sweat raining down from his head and staring in naked fear and despair as the female teen disappeared into the darkness. Sobōtsuchi sighed as he jumped into the pit with no hesitation.

Chivalry is dead.

That's all Sobōtsuchi ever heard women say since before he could remember. All they would complain about was how their man was neglectful or rude or some other trivial thing. At first, he thought it meant that they weren't brave or something similar. When he found out it actually meant how a man treated a women, he was slightly disappointed, in both the actual meaning and how many men failed to live up to such low standards. How hard was it to hold the door for a woman?

However, if males had to, say, jump into a pit of darkness after a female who had fallen in, even though said male had no idea what lay at the bottom of the pit, then maybe he would understand. As it were, Sobōtsuchi was nothing if not chivalrous and with all the chivalrous acts he's committed in his short lifetime, he had to wonder how chivalry hadn't been the death of him. The day wasn't over though, he had no right to be so optimistic yet.

It didn't take him long to catch up to the falling teen and he held on to her already extended hand. Sobōtsuchi had expected the girl to yell as she fell, to see a bewildered and fearful look in her eyes and finally, to see relief and some kind of affection begin to sparkle in her violet eyes. To which he would respond appropriately by rolling his eyes and keeping down his breakfast.

He blinked in confusion when Hiku just stared at him questioningly, as if wondering why he was holding on to her hand as she fell deeper into the pit by the second. And then, as if she just remembered the funniest joke, she giggled. She giggled! Sobōtsuchi could not fathom what possessed the girl to giggle at a time like this. Now was not the time to investigate why she was giggling, or why a knot seemed to form at the base of his stomach. He pushed all trivial thoughts and feelings aside - making a mental note to investigate this girl further - and wrapped his left arm around the small of her back. His right arm shot up and he closed his eyes in concentration. He wasn't good at calling the chains that certain members of the Uzumaki were able to summon, but he was adept enough to get it out just long enough to help the two from becoming bloody clumps on the rocks. A semi-transparent chain shot out from his wrist and embedded itself into the wall of the pit, locking itself in.

He looked at the girl in his arm, about to tell her to hold on tight but his words got caught in his throat when he saw the shock in her eyes. Taking it as a sign of her admiration for such a rare skill, he smirked and prepared his legs to hold himself against the walls. He kept a constant stream of chakra flowing at the bottom of his feet, keeping him securely on the wall. He cursed his luck when he felt the walls absorb his chakra. Having no better option, he held on to Hiku, waiting until she had her own grip on the wall. When they were both ready, they began to climb up the wall, hopefully to join their group and fast.

Sobōtsuchi felt satisfied, however; he had saved someone from their death, even if that someone was from Konoha. She was a female first, after all.

Sobōtsuchi and Hiku narrowed their eyes when they saw something coming towards them in incredulous speeds. In fact, there were too things: one was a giant ball of white fur, heading straight for them, the second was a bunch of small rocks and pebbles, with paper attached to the bigger rocks. It didn't take long for Sobōtsuchi to see the ball of fur was actually the Inuzuka's ninja dog, but those rocks, something didn't seem right.

A handful passed by his head harmlessly, and the black-haired teen only had less than a second to catch a glance at it, but what he had seen ran his blood cold.

The white mutt had probably seen it heading their way, which was why he knocked Hiku off the wall, while Sobōtsuchi stood his ground. Kneeling against the wall, Sobōtsuchi ran through various hand signs, sweat beading down his brow as he raced to finish the jutsu before more of the rocks passed his guard. After the last seal was made, Sobōtsuchi gripped the rocks against the wall as if he was grabbing onto loose dirt. With a mighty pull, he dragged a solid wall of earth in front of his body and connected the top to the wall over him. Keeping both hands on the wall, he awaited the imminent explosion from all the paper bombs attached to the falling debris. They landed on the wall, the sound resembling that of rain gently falling on the roof of a home.

Sobōtsuchi knew his earth wall stood no chance of protecting them from the entirety of the blast but he hoped it would at least dimish the damage it would inflict. His instincts yelled at him to fall back and catch up to the girl and the dog. He knew from previous experiences that listening to his instincts had a tendancy to keep him alive and kicking. So, propping his feet against his earth wall and tensing his legs, he pushed himself as hard as he could, ricocheting away from the wall, seconds before it exploded into tiny debris. The heat radiating from the blast was intense, but Sobōtsuchi pushed down the fear swelling in his stomach as he caught up to the other two. He could see a tiny light from a few paper bombs that have gotten past him, watching as it sent the other teen and dog flying into the surrounding earth.

Ignoring the thought of him saving himself, he straightened his limbs against his body so he could reach them quickly. His window of opportunity was closing fast and he had to think quickly. Summoning a clone over him, he gave himself another boost and found himself face to face with Hiku. Both her eyes were half closed, her face contorted into one of pain and concentration. Sobōtsuchi found himself once again staring at the girl in shock. Her left eye, which had once matched her right, was now white, with a hint of lavender mixed in. Her hair was also off, almost as if-

She thrust her right palm up and Sobōtsuchi only had a second to move out of her way as he gripped her other wrist as leverage, just as a burst of compressed air shot up. He looked back and saw her blast had pushed back the shockwave and heat of the explosion over them. Her attack had sent the three falling closer to another paper bomb that had yet to explode, probably set to explode some time after the others. His red eyes widened as he watched the paper slowly light up and release the energy it had pent up.

[*.*.*.*]

Kakashi narrowed his eyes as he jumped away from a boulder the size of a grown adult that had been thrown his way. He retreated back to his group, where Kiba stood in front of an unconscious Stone Village kunoichi and two archaeologists. Opposing them was a small army of... Well, Kakashi could barely believe it himself, but golems of different sizes and build stood defiantly, blocking their path. They stood motionless, ember-colored eyes gleaming in the dimly-lit hallway.

No more than two or so handfuls really but they were more durable than Kakashi had first estimated, and quite more cunning than he gave them credit for. They worked well together, covering for their comrades' openings with a strike or with their own bodies as shields. Kakashi's famed Lightning Blade would be very useful, considering these golems were made from the very earth they stood on. He only hesitated because of the amount of chakra it would take to power such an attack. After giving it some more thought, Kakashi went through the proper hand signs before gripping his right wrist with his left hand. Concentrating on the frequency in which his chakra vibrated, Kakashi felt a storm gather in his body. Flashes of lightning traveled around him, his storm building up more and more as the seconds passed. Opening his left eye, his Sharingan eye spun to life just as he jumped into action. Using speeds gifted to him by good genetics and years of training, the Jonin zipped by all the golems, one by one stabbing into each of them and jumping to the next victim before he could be caught.

Though durable and surprisingly alert to their surroundings, they stood no chance against Kakashi's assault and fell to pieces when Kakashi's lightning broke their bodies apart, bit by bit. Kakashi didn't turn to see the result of his attack; he didn't need to to know he won this one. Covering his precious eye with his forehead protector, he motioned for his group to follow him. Kiba turned back to the pit he watched Hiku and Akamaru fall and jump into respectively before picking up the redhead and following after his sensei. As much as it pained him, he knew Hiku would find a way to meet back with them. She had Akamaru with her so that helped settle his nerves, if only for a while.

Not wanting to be left behind, the archaeologists quickly followed after the three, praying to whatever god would listen to them that there were no oppositions left.

Sadly, it was not to be, as more golems rose from the ground as if rising from water a couple of hundred feet away. The ground under them rippled, until a platoon of them stood. Kakashi mumbled something foul under his breath as he prepared another Lightning Blade to get passed the platoon. He noticed that some of the golems' eyes had shifted to a lighter shade of blue but decided to investigate it another time, when they weren't in a life-or-death situation. Tensing the muscles in his legs, he released the tension and flew forward, right hand cocked back, ready to skewer through the golems. He didn't even get within arm's reach as a row of blue-eyed golems stepped to the front of the platoon and released a current of air. Kakashi stopped short and moved both arms in front of him to protect his face and important organs inside his torso. His Lightning Blade was blown away like a lit candle in a breeze and his body faired no better. He was sent back, back to his group where he collided with Kiba, Honoka and the two archaeologists.

The force of the gale had made the group roll on for what seemed like hours, until a trap door sent them falling before sealing them off. The golems slowly descended into the ground and disappeared without so much as a sound.

[*.*.*.*]

Sobōtsuchi sat up with a yelp of fear. Sweat, blood and grime covered him from head to toe, a few scrathes here and there but overall, Sobōtsuchi was all right. His breathing was labored, each inhalation was sharp and stung his lungs, but he refused to stop; it was the only thing besides exhaling that helped calm him down. WIth each breath, the images of his latest nightmare began to fade into nothingness until finally, the only thing he could remember was the high-pitched yelling of a girl.

A groan snapped him back to reality and the teen turned his head slightly to the right and saw Hiku lying on top of the white beast, both unconscious and full of cuts, bruises and scorch marks. They looked no better than he did, and he only hoped they felt better than they looked. He didn't really want to carry either of them if he could help it.

When Sobōtsuchi tried to get up, his body became paralyzed with pain and he fell harshly on his back. The pain echoed through his body and it was all he could do not to spit a string of colorful words into the world. Deciding to let the pain subside before attempting to stand again, Sobōtsuchi tried to collect his memories, not sure how they ended up battered and bruised -but alive - at the bottom of the pit. And like a kunai to the head, it came to him.

With as much finesse and flexibility as a gymnast Hiku kicked the rock back while grabbing hold of Sobōtsuchi and twisting her body so she could get between him, Akamaru and the rock with the paper bomb. Thanks to the momentum given to her by her actions, Hiku completed a full circle and faced the rock. Not given much time for preparation, Hiku began to trace her arms in front of her, palms out. She emitted condensed chakra from her palms and soon enough, her arms picked up speed and a half-spherical barrier of chakra began to form. Just in time as the paper bomb went off and any debris that would have harmed the three were obliterated upon contact with the chakra barrier.

Unfortunately for Hiku, her barrier did not save her from the intense heat radiating from the explosion. As a result, she could feel the nerves of her hands and arms begin to shoot pain through them. She did not relent, however and continued to protect the three of them from the debris.

Sobōtsuchi could see that she would not be able to hold up her technique for much longer and waited for the right opportunity to act. He felt his will call upon the seals hidden in his knuckles, gathering up the energy stored in them. Still in midfall, he could feel even more energy gathering in his hands. His face contorted into one of intense pain and concentration; he could feel the energy pulsing violently behind its imprisonment, wanting to be free. If he had to put it into words, Sobōtsuchi would describe the feeling as trying to hold back a tsunami. If he didn't get rid of all the excess energy, his hands would probably explode.

Seeing her slow down, he took the chance and grabbed the back of her collar and pulled her back. The act seemed to surprise her, but Sobōtsuchi didn't care; he had a job to do. Placing himself between her and the fiery explosion threatening to swallow them whole, Sobōtsuchi quickly forced both fists forward and with a grunt, released all the energy bottled up in his knuckles and pushed back the heat and explosion. He winced in pain, never having released so much energy at once before. It burned and he wanted to do nothing more than stop, but knew he couldn't.

As a result, he was forced back and into Hiku, who was now pushed back into Akamaru and into the wall. The momentum transfering between the three was not diminished, and hit the wall with an unforgiving thud. The three then bounced around like a ball in a pinball machine until they finally hit the bottom of the pit. Hiku was lucky enough to land on something that cushioned her fall. Akamaru had the misfortune to be the 'something' that cushioned her fall. Sobōtsuchi faired no better than the dog as he fell awkwardly on his side. The froce of his body smashing into the ground caused cracks to form under him but he didn't notice, his consciousness drifting from his grip.

Before he finally lost consciousness, he saw small pairs of eyes watching him from the shadows until they flickered away, like small flames in the wind.

Sobōtsuchi managed to drag his body over to the edge of the pit, using the bordering wall to help him sit up right. At first, he could barely feel anything under his waist, but after giving himself some time to recover, he could feel a stinging, throbbing pain from his quadriceps, all the way down to his toes. As troublesome as the pain was, he was glad he felt anything at all. His eyes landed on the two ninja from the Leaf Village and felt his anger for the village return, just like the itch on his shoulder. Shaking his head, he pushed the feeling down; he didn't need that right now; if he wanted to escape alive, his chances increased if he got the two to help. So he sat there, patiently waiting for his body to recover and for the other two to regain consciousness.

It didn't take to long for his strength to return and he was up to his feet once more, though not without ignoring the pain digging into his legs. Not long after that did the female moan, her voice hoarse and rough. She looked up at Sobōtsuchi as he moved to stand before he felt the urge to laugh and smile rise in his stomach. He comprised and settled with a simple chuckle.

"You know," he began, mirth coloring his eyes. "I thought you were fake when I first saw you. Now I know I was right," Hiku tilted her head to the side and raised her left eyebrow, not trusting her voice to announce her confusion. An amused smirk crossed the teen's lips, eyes shutting from it and he extended his open palm forward, revealing a transparent, semi-spherical object, about the size of a eyeball. Hiku's eyes widened and with speeds Sobōtsuchi had was surprised she still possessed, reached out for the item. But Sobōtsuchi was faster and pulled back his arm. Hiku winced and mentally cursed herself for doing such a foolish action. Her arm limply fell and she was fighting herself just so she could stay conscious.

"Uh-ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you," Hiku forced her head back, glaring at the childish tone in which he admonished her with. He essentially ignored her, opting to study the item in his hand with seemingly boundless interest. "Besides, it isn't worth it, I only managed to find half of your contact," he dropped the contact on top of Hiku's extended arm. Weakly, Hiku shifted her hand to the side, letting it fall off so she could pick it up with her fingers. Studying it, she let out a sigh and let it fall to the ground once more, but had no more interest in it. She looked up at Sobōtsuchi, but was surprised - and angered - to find him holding back a fit of laughter. Sensing her eyes on him, he cracked open an eye, only to fall to the ground, rolling on his sides as his laughter echoed around them.

Though angered, Hiku felt something nagging at the back of her mind. And finally, it hit her. Something about his appearance had been bothering her, but now that she finally focused on it she gasped in surprise, shocked from the sudden revelation that hit her like a ton of bricks. For a majority of a minute, she didn't know if she should be amused, or remain astonished. She decided the former wouldn't hurt.

"Y-You're one to talk," she said, a small smile gracing her swollen lips. This cut the teen's laughter short and he turned to the side that would have him face her. Eyebrow raised, he searched her face for an answer to her cryptic words. Thoroughly enjoying the look on his face, she giggled as she thought how she could best put what she was seeing into words.

"I like the blond hair. M-Much less generic than black," her words felt like ice cold water running through his veins. Did she say... blond? "Did I mention your cerulean eyes?"

All amusement vanished from the teen in front of her. Instead, what stood before her was a teen full of rage, of sadness and spite. And yet, something inside her told her that she had yet to scratch the surface of what was Sobōtsuchi.

"You will speak of this to no one," he sounded deadly serious. And right before her eyes, to her astonishment, his hair and eyes returned to their previous hue. It was odd because she felt him use chakra to cause his transformation, but the spike - however small - she felt was gone, as if he had never called upon it in the first place. What he did to change his eyes and hair, however temporary, was as real as his flesh and blood.

Too lost in her thoughts, she failed to realize his close proximity until she felt his hand grip her hair. Her eyes widened as his face almost split in half from his devious smirk. "It seems I'm not the only one with an issue with their hair," he said, pulling on her hair, revealing lush, indigo hair under the dirty blonde hair that was her wig. His smirk widened as he watched her stare at him as if he had just kicked her loyal dog.

"I can only imagine that your team has no idea of what you really look like," he taunted, holding her hair in her line of sight, but far enough that if she thought to retrieve it, it would be far from reach. And just in case she found the strength to stand-

Without warning, Hiku pushed herself up, gripped the collar of his shirt and forcefully shoved him against the wall ten feet from where they once were. He shut his right eye and gritted his teeth, forcing a yelp of pain and surprise from escaping his throat. He could see an unspoken threat gleaming in her eyes, her rage not restrained by customs and manners, as they had been moments ago. It amused him to no end.

With an audible pop and a puff of smoke, Hiku was left there facing the wall, dumbfounded. She turned at the sound of laughter and seethed at seeing Sobōtsuchi laugh at her expense.

"You have much to learn," he said between his laughs. His laughter stopped abruptily once again when she suddenly fell to her knees, her eyelids close to shutting. He caught her before she hit the ground and rolled her to her back, his right arm supporting her back. Her eyes stared off into space, lost in her thoughts before they moved to him. Sobōtsuchi shook his head as he lifted her up bridal style and moved her back to the mutt, where he placed her against him with gentleness that Hiku had not thought he possessed.

"Tch, idiot," Sobōtsuchi muttered as he moved away from Hiku, leaning back into the edge of the pit. He expected a wall to support him but was surprised when there was no wall to speak of. He hit the ground with a harsh thud and blinked the white spots in his vision away. When he gathered his bearings - and ignored the giggles echoing around him - he looked into the darkness that enveloped his upper body. Reaching into one of the numerous pockets on his pants, he retrieved one of his glow sticks, which had cracked at some point during his fall and was already lighting up the room. He was surprised to see that he was only inches away from falling into another pit. Still on his back, he lazily dropped his glow stick and watched as it dropped twenty feet before hitting the bottom. The red light lit up its surrounding and Sobōtsuchi could see two openings.

Sobōtsuchi was about to get up when he saw movement in the corner of his eyes. Something had suddenly appeared over the glow stick and crushed it with ease. Sobōtsuchi turned to his stomach and watched with wide-eyes as the something shifted what he assumed was a head and stared at the two ember-colored lights shining in the dark below. Nothing occurred as crimson eyes stared back at burnt-orange orbs. Without a sound, the thing began to move, every other step being traced by the liquid contents it had stepped on.

Speechless, Sobōtsuchi turned to Hiku, who had heard something happen and wondered in fear what her companion had seen. There were many thoughts rushing in his mind at a thousand miles an hour, and yet, only one was vocalized.

"What the fuck did we get into?"


Let me know if I messed up somewhere or if you think I should change something... I'm always looking to improve my work and hopefully I haven't gotten too rusty...