Several days had passed since the Ohu soldiers left the Kai Mountains in order to recruit Moss: The Monster of Misty Mountains. When they had arrived just outside of Moss's territory, it had begun raining and it was decided that they should take settle in a cave until it was over.
"Well, that's Misty Mountain right there, Ben." Akatora stated at they all looked at the mountain in the distance. "That's where The Pig lives."
"He doesn't sound so nice if you three call him 'The Pig'." Smith commented.
Akatora snorted. "Hardly. He's tried to recruit us on several occasions in the past."
"Just to expand his territory and gain more power!" Kurotora added.
"Moss only thinks he's something." Chutora said.
"That's where you're wrong." Sniper stated.
"What do yo mean, Sniper?" Akatora asked.
"He's not the jerk you all think he is. He can nice, and we all know that fifty dogs can be consider a big pack. Having a pack of that many dogs means that he has charisma." The Doberman explained.
"Exactly." Ben agreed. "While I don't know Moss the way the com - Sniper does, I know that Moss isn't a bad person." It was odd for him to refer to the commander by his name, but Sniper had assured him that there was nothing wrong with it.
"But Ben..." Akatora tried to say.
"He was willing to try and recruit you three, even though you hate him." The Great Dane pointed out. "He knows what he's doing. Or does he?"
Akatora gasped, definitely not expecting that.
Cross laughed. "That's what point to Ben, Akatora. He's known you all your life. You really have to give it to him."
Gin laughed, then Kurotora shoved a paw in his face to get him to stop. However, the Kai dog's eye widened as he grunted in pain when the Akita bit his paw.
"Note to self:" Kurotora thought. "Stay away from an immortal's teeth. Especially an absolute immortal's."
Everyone laughed at this, and even Ben and Sniper chuckled before returning there gaze to Misty Mountain.
"So," Hyena laid down next to the Doberman. "When where you gonna tell me about your bond with Gin?"
Sniper raised a brow, then whispered. "How'd you figure it out?"
The Weimaraner grinned. "I've seen the way you look at him. I'm surprised it's not obvious to everyone else, but then again, I do know you better."
Sniper chuckled. "That's true."
Gin got up and was about to exit the cave when Great noticed.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"I'm just gonna go look around."
Ben raised a brow. "By yourself?"
"Like hell he is." Sniper stood up and walked over to Gin. "You ain't going anywhere without me."
"Well, what are we waiting for, then? Let's go!" The Akita exclaimed before running out of the cave and into the forest. The Doberman shook his head with a grin before running after the pup.
Ben looked confused. "Is it me, or does Sniper seem rather fond of Gin?"
"It does seem odd." Cross agreed.
Kurotora shrugged, grinning softly as he knew the answer. "Maybe he just has a soft spot for pups?"
Ben nodded, not seeing the Kai dog's grin. "Maybe."
The Kai Brothers grinned at each other. If Ben and the others knew the truth.
Meanwhile, Sniper was chasing Gin around the forest, dodging whatever obstacle was in his way as he began catching up. This reminded him of when he was Gin's age, he would play tag with Shiro all the time, and his brother always caught him in the end. Oh, those were the days.
This whole thing made him feel like a parent playing with their child, probably because Gin was still a pup and Sniper was his great uncle.
Gin himself was enjoying this as well. He hadn't gotten much of a childhood ever since he was a month old, and he had matured to where he hardly acted like a pup at all, but with Sniper, who was still his great uncle, it felt like he was a playful pup again. The Akita had actually forgotten what it felt like to have a childhood. Sniper just made him happy in every way.
Eventually, the two came to a stop when they were inside Moss's territory.
"Well, Gin, looks like I should introduce you to good old Fat Albert." Sniper said.
Gin nodded. "How come you call him Fat Albert?"
Sniper chuckled. "Because he's big and round."
Gin laughed. "Do you ever call him by his name?"
Sniper shook his head. "No. The only other thing I call him is 'Pop'."
Gin raised a brow. "Why?" Sniper froze, and the Akita realized it was a sensitive topic. "Sorry, I -"
"No, it's okay." The Doberman reassured before he sighed. "A few months after I ran away, I ended up here, in these mountains. I met Moss, and he became the closer thing I had to a father."
"What happened to your father? Great Grandpa White Fang?" Gin asked softly.
Sniper looked depressed, and it seemed like he was resisting the urge to cry. "When we had that falling out, he said, "If you walk out that door, don't you ever come back!"
Gin gasped, completely shocked. He knew there was a falling out and things got intense, but for White Fang to disown his son? How could he do that, especially when Sniper just wanted what he thought was best?
"I'm so sorry, Sniper." He said softly.
His mate nodded. "It's okay, Gin. That was a long time ago, too."
"Are you sure?" The Akita asked in concern.
The Doberman nodded again. "I'm sure. I promise, I'm fine."
Gin nodded, not really believing it, but he knew it was best to just move on.
"Who goes there?" A loud voice was heard.
Sniper smiled softly as he rolled his eyes. "Relax, Fat Albert."
"Sniper, my boy!" The large Mastiff appeared on top of a rock wall in front of them, then jumped down, and the ground shook as he landed. "What brings you here?"
"Well, we're at war with Akakabuto, and we need -"
"My help? Of course, I'll help!" Moss cut him off before pulling him into a VERY tight embrace.
Fortunately, the Doberman didn't need to breathe, of course. However, Sniper could still feel his ribs and his spine being compressed. Moss was a very strong dog.
"Let me go!" Sniper yelled in a strained tone, then he sighed in relief once he was released. "Well, that was a little harder than I thought it'd be." He looked at the Mastiff. "Oh, and we did recruit the Kai Brothers."
"Getting all the help you can get, huh?" Moss shook his head. "Oh well, I'll put my personal feelings aside, for your sake." Then he noticed Gin. "And who is this young one?"
"This is Gin." Sniper answered. "It's a long story. I'll tell you later."
Moss nodded. "Well, then we should get a move on. Let me guess, you need more males, right?"
Sniper nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. We'll need as many as he can gather before the full moon in six months."
"Alright then. I get it." Moss said understandingly. "Well, where to next, Sniper?"
Nearly two weeks later, the Ohu soldiers were now entering the woods of Mie. After recruiting Moss and his pack, Sniper and Ben talked it over and decided that they should go to Mie to recruit an old friend of Ben's named Akame: The Iga Lord. Sniper had heard of these ninja clans from an old friend of his back in Shikoku, and he knew that it would be an excellent idea to recruit highly skilled dogs such as ninja dogs.
Mostly everyone was still unaware of Sniper and Gin's immortality, and their bond. The only ones that knew were the Kai Brothers, Moss, Jaguar, an Hyena. Sniper had told Moss and Jaguar of his immortality years ago; Moss, because he was like a father to him, and Jaguar because he was like a brother to him. And Hyena knew because he had managed to get to know Sniper in Ohu and they became best friends. Although, Riki knew of his immortality as well, but, of course, he knew nothing of his son's immortality, or the relationship between his uncle and son.
Right now, Sniper and Gin were standing on a cliff, overlooking the woods and staring at the horizon. The two were soon joined by Ben, Moss, and the Kai Brothers.
"So, this is Mie." Sniper said. "It's beautiful."
"Do you know how many ninjas Akame has, Ben?" Gin asked curiously.
The Great Dane shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I've only met Akame and not his clan, and he never mentioned just how large his clan is."
'Well, since they're ninjas, numbers won't entirely matter, as long as they got good combat skills." Sniper stated.
Ben nodded. "Akame is fast. Very fast. When I first saw him, I thought I was seeing things for a moment. Then I actually got to see him."
Sniper chuckled. "Well, a ninja's supposed to be fast. Anyway, we'll find him later. Right now, a lot of the soldiers are starving."
Kurotora licked his fangs. "Let's go hunting."
Once again, the Kai Brothers were hunting a boar. They tried to catch it as quickly as possible, but the boar had noticed them an ran off. As they pursed it, several of the other dogs tried to get the boar from in front of it. However, the boar easily managed to knock each and every one of them out of its way.
Just when it seemed like it would escape, Sniper came out from behind a tree, along with Moss. Once the boar was in range, the two of them headbutted it. The large animal squealed in pain as it flew over them and landed behind them, dead. Since both of them headbutted it, they weren't injured like Sniper had been that time he protected Gin from one.
Everyone came over and looked at the boar, then they looked at Sniper and Moss in shock and amazement, except Gin, Hyena, Jaguar, and the Kai Brothers. They all knew what Sniper was capable of, and they knew that Moss was also strong.
Gin walked up to Sniper, smiling as he asked. "You okay?"
The Doberman chuckled. "Yes."
"Jeez, you guys are strong." Kurotora looked at Moss. "You too, old man."
"Hey, don't call me old! Otherwise you won't get anything." The Mastiff threatened.
Kurotora laughed. "Relax, old man. It was just a joke."
Moss began laughing, then everyone else joined in on it. The Ohu soldiers began eating the boar that had been caught, except Sniper and Gin, who both decided they weren't in the mood and were now laying together by a tree several meters away.
"Sniper, what was Takahiro like?" Gin asked softly, not wanting to upset his mate.
The Doberman was silent, then he smiled softly. "Well, he lived up to his name. He was kind, open-minded, a good friend. One of my closer friends." He looked over the rock that blocked the view of the others, but he was able to see that most of the boar had been eating. "Huh, now I actually want to eat."
A piece of meat landed right in front of them. The two looked at it suspiciously, then they looked up and saw a dog standing on a branch. Whoever the dog was, he couldn't be seen in the shadows.
"Well, aren't you hungry? Eat." The figure ordered.
Sniper and Gin exchanged a look, then Sniper quickly grabbed the piece of meat before the two of them ran off with it. Like they expected, the figure in the trees began to give chase. They looked over their shoulders, and their eyes widened when they realized it wasn't one, but three dogs.
They stopped in front of a tree, and the three dogs jumped off the branches before landing in front of them. Sniper dropped the meat and stood in front of Gin protectively.
"Who are you? What do you want?" The Doberman demanded.
The dog in the middle spoke. "Do you two belong to that pack?"
Sniper shook his head. "No. We're on our own."
"You shouldn't be here." The dog on the left said threateningly.
Sniper glared at him. "I don't know who you three are, but if you try to hurt my great nephew, I'll kill you."
"You can't." The dog on the right leapt at them, but the Doberman simply punched him, sending him flying into a tree, and the other two looked at him fearfully.
"What are you?" The first one asked.
Sniper's eyes turned blood red. "I'm a demon."
The three dogs screamed before jumping into the trees and disappearing. A moment later, the others came running.
"There you are!" Kurotora exclaimed.
"What are you two doing here?" Akatora asked.
They didn't see Sniper's eyes, because the Doberman had changed them back before they arrived. "A dog appeared, and we lured him here."
"But it turned out two be three dogs and they threatened us." Gin added.
"What'd they say?" Ben asked.
"Not much. Just that we shouldn't be here." Sniper gestured towards the piece of meat. "They left that, don't know why." The Doberman took a bite out of it and began chewing. "What kind of meat is this?" It wasn't like anything he had tasted before, but once he realized what it was, his eyes widened before he dropped the meat and spat out what was in his mouth. "Oh, God!"
"What is it?" John asked.
'I just figured out who they were!" Sniper exclaimed. "My friend told me about them. He said they're Koga dogs, enemies of the Iga dogs. And apparently, they're cannibals!"
Everyone's eyes widened in shock and horror.
"Wait, you're saying there's a clan of ninja cannibals?" Kurotora asked.
Sniper nodded. "I didn't think we'd run into them. This isn't even their territory."
"What do we do?" Gin asked in concern.
"Well, we better keep an eye out. We need to get to Akame, we can deal with the cannibal threat after."
Elsewhere, a canine had entered the Iga House to speak with the Iga Lord, Akame.
"I've come to warn you about a threat." He was a black and white Hokkaido Wolf, with a slashed eye, fluffy cheeks, and grin like markings around his mouth. "Allies of Koga have come to take this house and destroy your clan."
"What? How many?" Akame asked in concern.
"About seventy, maybe more." The wolf answered. "I must go. I'm afraid I cannot be of aid." And with that, the wolf ran out the house and jumped over the wall around it.
Akame, however, looked suspicious. "Something isn't right." The Kishu looked down at one of his subordinates, Kirikaze. "Have everyone on high alert. Be on the look out for any dogs in the area."
The ninja dog nodded. "Yes, Master." Then he ran out the house to assemble the others.
Akame sighed. "We must defend this house at all cost. Kurojaki and his cannibal family, or anyone else will not take it from us."
Meanwhile, the Ohu soldiers were currently searching for the Iga clan. They'd been doing this for nearly half an hour, then they finally found the Iga House.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go." John said.
"Hold on." Sniper stepped forward, not taking his gaze off the house. "It's probably best if we don't go all at once. I'll go alone and speak with Akame."
"I'll go with you." Gin said.
Sniper sighed. "Fine, but stay close to me."
The two of them jumped over the wall, and they saw dozens of seeds with thorns. Sniper picked one up and licked one of its thorns.
"Just as I thought. Poisonous seeds." He looked at the rest. "They must've been expecting trouble."
They walked up to the Iga House, being careful not to step on the seeds. While they were immune, it would be best not to injure themselves. As they walked up to the door, they heard fighting sounds coming from inside, so they opened the door and rushed in.
Inside, Akame was fighting against a wolf. Despite the Iga Lord's skills, the wolf seemed to match him, perhaps outmatch him.
Sniper rushed over and knocked the wolf aside. "Who the hell are you?"
The wolf grinned. "The name's Gaia, and you've just made a big mistake." He leapt at the Doberman, who moved to the side and grabbed him by the neck. Sniper threw Gaia out of the Iga House and into the wall. The wolf groaned as he got up and looked like he could still fight, but then the sound of dozens of dogs running towards them was heard and Gaia decided to flee, jumping over the wall and disappearing.
The Ohu soldiers jumped over the wall, possibly here to investigate what was going on, but they failed to noticed the poisonous seeds.
"Stop!" Sniper yelled frantically, but it was too late. Most of them ended up stepping on the seeds and falling on their sides in pain. The only ones who managed to stop in time were John, Hyena, and Smith.
"Oh, no." Gin whispered in worry before he and Sniper ran over to everyone, stopping right in front of the seeds.
"What have I done?" Akame asked himself when he realized his mistake.
Sniper looked at the Kishu. "Akame, please, tell me there's a cure. You have to have one around, especially if one of your subordinates accidentally poisoned themselves."
The Iga Lord sighed as he shook his head. "We've run out, and the herbs needed for the antidote grow in only one place."
"Where?" Gin asked urgently.
Akame sighed again. "At a lake... in Koga."
Sniper growled in frustration. "Of course it is." He looked at Gin. "I'll go after Koga's Leader, Kurojaki. You and John go with Akame to get the herbs. Smith, stay here and keep an eye on everyone."
"I'll go with you." Hyena said.
Sniper nodded. "Let's go." The Doberman and the Weimaraner jumped over the wall and began making their way to Koga.
Several hours later, the sun had set and it was now dark. It took them awhile, but they managed to locate the Koga dogs, where they saw Kurojaki standing on top of a rock, speaking to his subordinates.
"How do we do this?" Hyena asked.
"Simple. We go in and fight." Sniper replied.
Hyena nodded. 'I'll go after Kurojaki."
Sniper nodded. "Then I'll go after the surrounded Koga dogs."
With that, the two jumped out and Sniper began fighting off several of the Koga dogs, while Hyena ran up to the Koga Lord.
"Who the hell are you?" Kurojaki demanded.
"I'm just a dog who want to prove himself to his pack." Hyena replied.
Kurojaki grinned. "Well, in that case, allow me to help you!" He leapt at the Weimaraner, who managed to duck before slamming himself into the Koga Lord's abdomen. Kurojaki landed on his paws, but then he noticed the Iga dogs and the Ohu soldiers charging towards them an decided to flee. However, Hyena wasn't going to let him get away, so he jumped onto Kurojaki's back and bit down on the scruff of his neck.
The Koga Lord grinned. "Bad move." Then he began running, and even with Hyena on his back he was still fast. The Weimaraner was actually having trouble holding on, then Kurojaki eventually managed to swing him off.
"Finally." He said, but before he could make his escape, someone called out his name.
"Kurojaki!"
Gin, Sniper, and Akame arrived, and they all looked up to see a Borzoi, Wilson, standing at the edge of a cliff.
"Don't tell me that you planned on leaving without your only child."
"What are you talking about?" Kurojaki demanded.
Wilson didn't respond. Instead, he bent his neck down and picked up a small pup that resembled Kurojaki.
The Koga Lord's eye widened in shock and horror. "What are you doing?"
"It's simple, Kurojaki." Wilson replied. "You took my family from me, and now? You're gonna know how that feels." The Borzoi began swinging the pup from side to side, getting ready to throw him off the cliff.
"No, please! Don't!" Kurojaki pleaded .
"Wilson, don't do this." Sniper thought. "He's just an innocent pup. He had nothing to do with the death of your family!"
When Wilson was about to throw the pup off the cliff, Kurojaki ran up to save his son and knocked the Borzoi off the edge. However, Wilson lost his grip on Kurojaki's son, who fell down the cliff with him, but not before Sniper ran up and jumped down, catching the pup by the scruff of his next as they disappeared.
Kurojaki stared down the cliff in pain and grief, but that grief quickly turned into rage as he faced the Ohu soldiers. "You son of bitches! How dare you go after my child!" The Koga Lord charged at them, knocking several of them aside, even flipping Moss onto his back.
Gin decided that he had to put an end to this, so he leapt at Kurojaki, grabbing him by the neck before he began spinning. This tore Kurojaki's flesh and made him fall on his side, completely exhausted.
"Gin defeated Koga's Leader." Akatora stated.
"What a crazy way to fight." Kurotora commented.
"Well, Gin, what do we do with him?" John asked.
"Wait."
Everyone looked to see Sniper carrying Kurojaki's pup, and Wilson standing next to him, all three of them wet, so they must've landed in a river at the bottom.
"I know he didn't have good intentions, but he's still a father." Sniper stated, setting down the pup. The little one looked around for his father, then ran up to him and began licking him, wagging his tail as he did. Kurojaki immediately pulled his son into an embrace, obviously relieved that he was alive. Soon, he grabbed his son by the scruff of his neck before jumping into the trees and disappearing.
"Wait a minute, where's Akame?" Gin asked, looking around for the Iga Lord.
Sniper looked around as well. "Where'd he go?"
Smoke could be seen in the distance, in the direction of Iga.
"It's coming from the Iga House!" Jinnai exclaimed.
Sniper, Gin, Jinnai, and Kirikaze immediately ran to the house, which was now completely on fire. And standing in front of the house with a torch in his muzzle was Akame.
"Akame... what have you done?" Sniper whispered.
"Master, what are you doing?" Kirikaze asked.
"Aren't the scrolls still in there?" Jinnai asked.
Akame nodded, but before he could say anything, someone called out his name.
"Akame!" It was Kurojaki, and he was charging towards them. "You coward!" The Koga Lord leapt in front of the Iga Lord. "What have you done? Were you so afraid of me stealing the scrolls that you decided to burn them?!"
"No, Kurojaki." Akame replied.
"Then why?" Kurojaki demanded.
"Don't you understand? Our clans betrayed each other for these scrolls, and what was the point?!" Akame demanded. "How many of us have died for these scrolls? We've been at war for centuries, and this is the only way this war can finally come to an end."
Kurojaki glanced at the burning how, and it was clear that he knew that Akame was right. And after thinking it over, he spoke. "Let me go with you."
Sniper's eyes widened. "What?"
"Let me go with you." Kurojaki repeated. "My son is all I have, and some of Akakabuto's bears have been spotted in the area. We've chased them off, but it won't be enough. Let me go with you, so I can make this a safe place for my son."
Sniper and Gin exchanged a look, wondering if they should. Then again, after what happened here tonight, they might as well.
"Alright." Sniper said. "But what about your son?"
Kurojaki sighed. "I have no choice but to take him with me."
Speaking of the pup, he came out of the forest, clearly searching for his father, then ran up to Kurojaki before nuzzling him. The Koga Lord smiled at his son and nuzzled him back.
"What's his name?" Gin asked curiously.
"Tesshin." Kurojaki answered.
"Iron core." Akame said, realizing the meaning of the name and Kurojaki nodded.
Sniper looked at Gin. "Well, that's fifty more dogs."
"Where are we going, now?" The Akita asked.
"To Shikoku." The Doberman answered. "I have a friend over there, and there are also fighting dogs. They'll be able to assist us."
Meanwhile, inside a cave, Gaia was looking at the outline of a wolf in the shadows.
"You failed?" The wolf, who had a Russian accent, asked, sounding displeased.
"You don't understand. I think I ran into immortals." Gaia replied nervously.
"What did they look like?"
"One was a blue Tora-Ge akita pup, and the other was a doberman, with black fur and a dark brown muzzle and underbelly."
The Russian Wolf opened his eyes, revealing his violet pupils as he whispered. "Sniper." He chuckled and looked at the other wolf. "You're free to go."
Gaia's eyes widened. "I am? Why?"
The Russian Wolf chuckled again. "Because, you stand no chance against the Doberman. I'll have to see him myself.'
Gaia nodded before walking out of the cave.
The Russian Wolf licked his fangs. "Sniper, my boy. I should've known you'd get in the way, just like Takahiro." He sighed, it had not been his intention to kill Takahiro, but the other immortal may have possessed a threat. "Soon, my boy, you'll see through my perspective."
Author's Note: That was the wolf that killed Takahiro, but why did he call Sniper 'boy'? Odd, huh? Well, let's just say they know each other personally. You all will get to know my OC in the later chapters, and this is not the end for Gaia, I'll make room for him in the story. Remember, I'll be busier next week, so I don't know how often I'll get to update. See ya.