ChapterVI – Fateful Encounters 1

In the abandoned section of Eastern Izanami, Kurogane was waiting on top of a decrepit 5-story building. He surveyed his surroundings: broken down buildings, crumbling structures, abandoned streets. If memory serves, this was where most of the battles during the uprising occurred. Due to the damages done, it had become uninhabitable. No one in the vicinity, just a few abandoned blocks.

The perfect place for training.

A presence was felt and it was approaching him at alarming speed. It's him alright.

In a flash of orange and black, Naruto appeared on top of a building on the other side of the street. His mop of blond hair made him easy to spot.

"So, Naruto," Kurogane called out. "You're ready?"

"Yup!" was the other's reply.

Thus, Kurogane began the seals, black chakra surrounding him as he performed.

"Tasogare Ryong (Twilight Dragon) Legion Summon Jutsu!" he ended the jutsu with a special seal used only by the Ryong clan.

The black chakra had spread out and disappeared into the shadows surrounding Kurogane and it seemed that the shadows themselves became alive. Dozens of what looked like pairs of eyes appeared, followed by movement, in the darkness.

Creatures, lots of them, spawned out of the dark and they seemed to be made out of the domain from whence they sprang from. And they poured out in legions.

Their master surveyed over them.

The slender ones, humanoid in shape but had a dragon-like appearance, dressed in lightweight armor and wielding spears. The Dragoons, thirty in all.

The heavy built ones wearing medium weight armor, similar to the Dragoons but had a more robust physique, having blades attached to their limbs. The Warriors, forty of them.

The wiry ones, sharing a similar physique with the Dragoons, wearing what appears to be tattered cloth and wielding death scythes. The Assassins, another forty.

And the small bird-shaped ones bearing resemblance to baby dragons. The Drakelings, another forty.

All in all, one hundred fifty Tasogare (Twilight) Legionnaires…

…against one Uzumaki Naruto and the Kyuubi.

Kurogane stared up at the sky and saw that it began to rain.

He gave his soldiers the signal and they howled and roared in agreement before launching themselves at the blond shinobi.

It's show time.


"What a gloomy place."

Haruno Sakura strolled through the quiet streets of Izanami. Not that it's quiet because there were no people around – there are a few civilians and bystanders. It's just that this place exudes a strange aura: a feeling of sadness, though there is nothing to be sad about; a feeling of guilt, though there is nothing to be guilty about; and a feeling of regret, though there is nothing to regret about. In short, this place dampens her spirits.

Looks like Huang-san wasn't kidding when she told her about this place.

Big dark buildings, gray skies, moody townsfolk.

Heck, probably the only bright thing to be found around here is Sakura herself with her pink hair and new ensemble. She was wearing a bright pink long-sleeve cotton sweater underneath a pinkish red hooded vest. Behind her vest was the kanji for 'Sakura Blossoms.' Her light red skirt was worn over her pinkish, nearly skintight pants decorated with sakura petal designs. Her shoes were light pink as well.

She felt the humidity around her and looked up at the sky. It was going to rain.

"Great," she muttered, bringing her hood over her head. "Another downer."

But that wasn't her only problem, aside from being a drag this place also reminded her of him…

Uchiha Sasuke.

"You are still annoying…"

And the pouring rain wasn't really lightening up her mood.

But that would be the least of her problems, she was being followed.

She had noticed a certain chakra following her ever since she left the hotel recommended by Huang. Even while strolling around Western Izanami, she could sense that certain chakra following her wherever she goes.

She shoved away the depressing thoughts away and tried to come up with a plan. She can't react or anything, that would only alert the stalker. So she just continued walking along the way.

Something in the weapon shop window caught her attention and she went in to check it out. When she stepped out, she decided that it's time to put her plan into action.

Sakura went back to the hotel where she was staying and, instead of going back to her room, she went to the roof.

She noticed that the rain had stopped a bit as she stood there on her spot. She was sitting at the edge, watching the people down below as she waited for him or her or whatever. She sensed that it was only one person. Nothing she can't handle.

There was a splash of water behind her.

"What took you so long?" she asked as she straightened up and turned around.

She was right, it was only one. The person was wearing a dark-hooded raincoat so it was hard to tell who it was. But she could see from the physique that it was a girl about her age.

"Who are you?" she asked. "And why are you following me?" She readied herself in a combat position: she had her legs bent a bit while her right foot was leading, herr hands were bent a bit while clutching three kunais at each hand – one kunai intertwined between fingers.

Her stalker didn't reply and, instead, silently mocked her.

Great, it wasn't just the city that kept reminding her of Sasuke. This idiot had to come along and remind her what he was like whenever she tried striking a conversation with him.

This is so unfair.

And harsh.

Not to mention mocking.

After a few moments of silence, the stranger raised her right hand towards her. This caused Sakura to tense.

She could hear a strange sound, similar to that of paper being torn apart, coming from the hand. Then, three purple projectiles were shot at her.

"Damn, got to evade!" Sakura quickly moved to her right but that proved to be a mistake. The stranger appeared right in front of her as she heard the projectiles whiz past her left side. "That was…" she thought, but she didn't finish. She felt the stranger's arm rest on her stomach before she was pushed to the roof of another building on the other side of the street. "…fast."

She skidded across the wet roof, her clothes getting wet and dirty, before she regained her composure and plopped down to a sitting position. She could feel a pressure on her stomach where the stranger's hand had touched. It didn't really hurt much but it was enough to make her cough and choke.

She forced herself up on her feet to see that the hooded girl was standing a few feet away from her, and she was holding all six of her kunais she had held earlier.

My kunais! Sakura suddenly realized she must've lost them when she was hurled off by the hooded girl.

The hooded girl held out her kunais towards her, then tossed them down where they embedded themselves on the cement. As if showing that she doesn't need them.

Bad mistake.

"Bind." Sakura muttered.

There was a puff of smoke and what looked like a dozen pieces of long cloth emerged from the kunai handles leaped at the enemy, snaking around her arms, legs and body. As the cloths bind her down, several glowing kanji emerged on it.

It looks like those 'Spellbinding Kunais' she bought earlier at the weapon shop downtown certainly did their job. The storeowner explained that the kunais have the ability to subdue the target by engulfing them in a spellbinding cloth that binds them down and prevents their use of chakra, hence the name. It was said that a single 'spellbinding kunai' is enough to trap a full, grown elephant in its snare.

Guess this is what happens when six of them were unleashed on a single human being. A teenager, no less.

The girl was still standing, though; covered in strands of cloth. But she was still struggling to keep herself on her feet.

"She must be tougher than I thought," Sakura thought, but after what she did earlier to her, she didn't need a reminder. She walked right up to her.

"Time to find out who you are," she said. But a part of her shoved that idea away in favor for beating her up – no doubt it was Inner Sakura. Sakura didn't listen to her inner self.

She yanked the girl closer, causing the hood to be forced back –

- only to reveal Sakura's own face underneath it.

"What? Is this a henge?" She stared in surprise and hesitated.

But that was her mistake. The look-alike's eyes –which Sakura had been staring at – turned into a color of violet with slits for pupils. Then, Sakura was pushed back by a violet chakra which emerged from the girl.

As the pink-haired shinobi surveyed the scene before her, she was reminded of the fight that Naruto had with Neji before. When her teammate's chakra holes were sealed, he used a certain red chakra to force them open. Sakura could tell that red chakra wasn't natural, but she could tell that it was powerful.

This girl's violet chakra was no different.

Sakura watched in horror as the chakra consumed and burned the 'binding cloths' that held its user while it emanated a sickening, poisoning aura that almost made Sakura weaker. Not to mention throw up.

"Impressive," the girl said, but it sounded more like a cry of a bird than that of a human being. "You caught me off gurad there."

Sakura forced herself up on her feet again, drawing two regular kunais and positioning herself to the battle stance she had before. She didn't know what to do in this situation, with her opponent wielding an inhuman – not to mention nauseating – chakra. All she has were a couple of kunais to defend herself.

Wonder if she can do that superhuman thing Naruto did before.

"Relas, I'm not going to kill you. At least, not yet. "she said, her voice becoming more human as the chakra receded. "Besides, you're worth nothing to me if you're dead."

"I'll ask you one more time: what do you want?" Sakura said, hoping that this time she'll answer the question.

"I'll make it simple for you," the other girl said. "You are just bait."

Sakura watched as the fake-Sakura ran towards her while making the seal for the Clone Jutsu. A couple of clones appeared in front of her…

…and Sakura made short work of them.

"Bad mistake girl." Fake-Sakura's voice said from behind.

Sakura turned just in time to grab the fake's left arm, preventing a kunai from burying itself into her midsection.

"That's the best you could do?" Sakura mocked. "And, hey, isn't that a little too clichéd?"

She tightened her hold on the fake's hand, making a bone-crunching sound. The fake screamed in pain as she dropped to her knees, letting go of the kunai.

Of course, healing jutsus were not the only ones Tsunade taught to Sakura. The Cherry Blossom even possessed her mistress's monstrous strength.

Sakura smirked, "Bet you didn't see that one coming."

The fake, however, laughed sinisterly.

Sakura was a bit taken aback. "What…?"

The fake raised her head to meet Sakura's. Her eyes have returned to the sickening color of violet with the slitted pupils. "Saw it coming."

Sakura felt a searing pain in her right hand, the hand which grasped the faske's injured hand. It felt like a thousand needles suddenly stabbing into her palm, followed by a strange numbing sensation. She quickly let go and back off. Checking her hand for any signs of injury, she saw that there were a few scratches, stab wounds and a little blood. It didn't look fatal, but it was enough to make her feel numb.

But what caused it?
She glanced at the fake, who seemed to be giggling uncontrollably as the sickening chakra began enveloping her again, thought it was much fainter this time. Sakura could see that there was something protruding out of the girl's arm, poking out of the raincoat's sleeve, where she grabbed. It looked like a bunch of feathers but it seemed sharper and harder. They slowly retreated back into the inside of the dark cloth, making a familiar ripping sound as it goes.

"Who – no – what is she?" Sakura thought. No way an ordinary shinobi can pull a trick like this. Well, there is Orochimaru and Gaara of the Sand. But they were exceptions.

Then, an image of Naruto, along with the rare times when he showed an inhuman strength that was so unlike him, flashed through her mind. Could it be that Naruto…

But she never finished her train of thought, the numbing sensation had grown worse and it had spread though out her arm. She couldn't move her arm, much less feel it.

"That-really-hurt." The fake giggled, still holding her injured arm. Her face had a maniacal expression to it, her eyeballs looking like they were about to pop off. "But-it-felt-good"

Sakura staggered, the numbing sensation grew much worse and it seemed that it had spread thought the right half of her body. The fake's comment kind of freaked her out.

"Consider yourself lucky." The fake continued, finally stopped giggling. But her voice resumed the bird-like characteristic. "The poison I used on you is one of my weakest and it only paralyzes, not kill. Though you will go unconscious after a few minutes – or seconds."

Sakura didn't need to hear it from her, she could already guess what the poison – or whatever it is – is doing to her. She is a medical-nin after all. She knows a self-healing jutsu that cab cure poisons like these.

Too bad her right hand wasn't agreeing with her, along with the right half of her body.

Sakura's right leg finally gave away, and she was on her knees.

"But, before you go." the fake said. "I like to give you a little something for making me experience the pain I felt earlier."

A familiar ripping sound caused Sakura to look up. She saw the sharp jagged feathers poking out of the spaces between the fake's knuckles. She walked over to where Sakura is and gloated over her. "Don't worry; I'm sure you'll enjoy the pain as much as I did."

The feathers flashed dangerously above her, a random thought hit Sakura saying that this girl is a freaking masochist.

A less random thought hit her that a flash of blue and black appeared between them and forced the fake away.

"Cixi, that's enough." A male voice said, and it was a familiar voice. Very familiar.

Sakura looked up at her rescuer, who had his back turned on her. Thought her vision was blurring, she could see a blurry figure wearing blue and black. And he stared back at her with Sharingan eyes.

"Sa-suke-kun?" Sakura muttered, before she finally yielded to the effects of the poison, lulling her to a deep sleep.


Not for the first time, Naruto was in trouble.

Big trouble.

At first, they were only one hundred fifty of them, in less than three minutes half of them were already gone. The remaining guys, however, were no pushovers. They seemed to be faster, stronger and smarter than their fallen brother. And they have surrounded him in all sides.

"Can't you guys give me a break?" he complained as he disemboweled a couple of Dragoons, their dark mass evaporating into the air after their defeat.

He was on top of a tall skyscraper facing off against the remaining seventy five – okay, seventy three; the other two were killed earlier. Naruto stood his ground, hardly noticing that the rain had stopped.

Battered and bruised but still not beaten.

He decided earlier not to use his Shadow Clones in this training session, what he is aiming is how he can handle on his own. And from the looks of things, he didn't do too bad.

There was a rustle of movement to his left and he turned around just in time to avoid a fatal slash from a Warrior's arm blade, barely missing his face. Since the enemy lunged itself at him during this attack, this gave Naruto the chance to drive a kunai through that Warrior's neck, decapitating it. The shadowy warrior evaporated into the air before it fell to the ground.

Three Assassins followed suit and simultaneously attacked him from three different directions. Naruto jumped just in time to dodge their attacks and landed mockingly on top of their tangled scythes. Overhead, a dozen Drakelings were waiting for a chance to swoop down on him. He felt the weapons that he was standing on lower and forced up, launching him into the air into the waiting Drakelings. Naruto finished the Assassins by shooting a kunai in each of their faces as he was forced up.

As for the Drakelings, a few shuriken made short work of them.

A group of three Dragoons that followed next was another thing. Using their signature ability, they teleported a few feet above Naruto, and descended towards him, spears at the ready. The first one threw its spear at him, but Naruto caught it and used it to slash away at its owner. As the other two came closer, he twirled around to create enough force to cut through both Legionnaires. After that, the spear evaporated from his hand.

He 3was nearing the ground, where a black mass of Tasogare Legionnaires were waiting for him. He pulled out a 'Napalm Kunai' and threw it at the gathered Legionnaires. The ones in the middle of the mob were unlucky enough to be caught in the explosion, their shadowy matter disappearing into the air. This left an opening where Naruto landed, only to be surrounded by what's left of Kurogane's forces. He surveyed around to see what's left of them.

"Forty," he thought, he can still take this.

But before he could even make a move, a sudden gust of win swept by, followed by a nauseating chakra that made Naruto shudder. Even though he doesn't know where that came from, he knows who it belonged to.

"The Zhen?" Even Kyuubi got anxious.

The Legionnaires stopped and began disappearing, evaporating back into the shadows.

Seems that Kurogane had noticed too.

Speaking of which, a mentioned character appeared behind him. "It's Cixi the Zhen."

Naruto nodded. "Do you think they're back?"

"Let's find out," Kurogane stretched out his right hand to the side where his shadow is and – if it was possible – the shadow grew darker, like it became a pool of black. There was a ripple in the middle and a katana can be seen rising out of the dark. Naruto eyed Kurogane as the latter took the blade.

"Don't worry. I won't pull Tasogare out unless I need to. Just being cautious." He assured him.

But Naruto wasn't really assured.

"That guy doesn't even knmow what 'cautious' means."

And neither was Kyuubi.


The fake Sakura, Cixi, stared at disbelief at the scene before her.

She watched him gracefully catch the pink-haired shinobi of the Leaf before falling to the ground unconscious and letting the girl lean on a nearby wall. Then, he glanced back at her, Sharingan activated, and asked whjat did she think she was doing.

Not only did he ruin her fun, he had hit her a good one on the face, which now looked like a warped version of Sakura's face after being messed by a blender.

Using her right hand for the jutsu, Cixi willed her bodily fluids to change her face's anatomy back to its original form. The pink hue of her hair darkened a bit to a shade of violet and it lengthened pass her neck. Her eyes retained the color of green but their expression became much colder.

Overall, she looked like an older version of Sakura and had the air of a femme fatale assassin.

"I'm asking you ojne more time, Cixi," she heard him say, his voice more serious. "What did you think you were doing?"

She closed her eyes and opened them again, their color no longer green but violet with a slitted pupil. "I should be asking you that," she said with equal seriousness, her voice having the likeness of a bird's. "Uchiha Sasuke."

She examined the prodigee before her. He was wearing a black hooded jacket, black pants and black shoes. Those clothes had blue lightning markings designs crisscrossing across the garment. At the back was the gothic kanji for 'Avenger' covered with electric current designs. The Sound headband protector wrapped around his right arm. Also, the katana he is clutching on his left is worth noticing.

"I asked you first Cixi." The dark-eyed shinobi said, his grip on the katana tightened making a threatening expression.

"Hmph." She was beginning to be annoyed, but didn't want ot fight. This guy is someone who shouldn't be trifled with, being personally trained by the Snake Sannin. And being an Uchiha prodigy with the Sharingan to boot.

"Even with Zhen, I won't have a chance against him." She thought.

She sighed. "I'm just going to use her as bait to get the Kyuubi-container, that's all." Eyeing Sakura. "Don't worry, she won't get hurt. Besides, capturing the Kyuubi-container is the highest priority. It's an order given by Asura-sama."

Then she felt something touch her back.

"You orders," she heard he reply behind her. ",not mine."

She didn't need to turn around to guess that the Uchiha was behind her, his katana touching at her back. Also, as she gazed to where Sakura is leaning, Sasuke was no longer there.

"That…was…fast…" she gulped.

"Don't cross me, Cixi." He said. "Even with the Zhen at your side, you still don't have what it takes to beat me."

"Hmph. Slice and dice me all you want, but I won't die that easily. Besides from killing, the Xhen's poison's can also be used for curing. I can regenerate thanks to that." She said. "And besides, I enjoy pain."

There was snicker behind her. "After I'm through with you, you wouldn't feel pain anymore." There was the sound of the katana being withdrawn from its scabbard. "Much less have anything left to regenerate from."

Cixi felt a presence near them; it was strong no mistaking it. She turned her head to the direction where she felt it. She also noticed that Sasuke had noticed it, too.

"There's two of them." He said.

"The Kyuubi-container and the Dragon Avatar." She replied, hearing the katana being slipped back into its scabbard.

She felt him tug her raincoat hood and pushed her away to the opposite direction.

"Get out of here." Sasuke said. "I'll deal with this."

She looked back at him in disbelief. Not that she was grateful to him for covering her, she just doesn't want to in his debt.

"Leave Sakura and me here." He said, glaring at her with his eyes, now back to onyx. "I'll handle this."

She sighed again. "Fine, you're on your own here."

In a flash of violet-pink feathers, she was gone.

"It's your funeral, Uchiha."