Hey guys. I can't believe it took me so long to get this up. I'm sorry. I'm going to have another chapter up by friday. I promise. After that I'm going to be gone for two weeks and don't know if I'll be able to get to a computer. Hoepfully, I'll have a few more chapters written by the time I get back. Umm... I'ts midnight over here and my friend had me take a dance class today so I'm exhuasted. Again, I think I got most of the mistakes, but I just went over the last chapter and found quite a few so I'll fix any during the next update so please tell me if you find any mistakes. Thanks.

Naruto deosn't belong to me.


Chapter 7:

Not According to Plan

"Yes. Welcome home Debiru."

Time seemed to stand still as her green eyes widened.

Crimson blood spurted from the elderly councilman's chest, a red stain spreading across his robes. His clear eyes were wide in confusion, surprise, and pain. A strangled gasp escaped his lips and his frail body shook. The kunai glistened menacingly in the dim light.

The man collapsed with a thud and her head spun as time seemed to speed up. Minato had a fistful of shuriken ready, intelligent blue eyes flashing around the area. Hideki tensed, fingers held ready to preform the necessary signs. Ryou dropped to the ground, flipping Debiru over to look at the wound, and tore through his backpack, looking for supplies. Her body moved on its own accord and she felt the bite of shuriken in between her fingers.

"I suggest you put your weapons away and give up now. You are surrounded and I don't feel like having to clean up the mess." The voice was the same that had spoken earlier, smooth and baritone. The bushes rustled as a man stepped out from the shadows cast by the silver moonlight. Kushina felt the group tense, ready for the first sign of an attack.

"Ryou.' The brunette made a slight movement to show he was listening. "Get him out of here and treat him. We'll meet up with you later." Hideki's voice came out in a hiss as he tried to talk to the kneeling medic. Ryou nodded his understanding and gathered the dying man in his arms. His eyes glanced at her own before disappearing into the forest.

The man watched him go with a bored expression. He was tall, maybe a little over six feet. His silky black hair was pulled into a ponytail at the back of his head and cascaded down his back. His shoulders were broad even under the shapeless councilman robes. She tensed as she noticed that his hands were hidden by the long sleeves. His light, grey eyes noticed the movement and a cruel smile seemed unnatural on his square jaw.

"It's pointless you know. He won't survive." He lifted an arm and she saw the armor covering his hand as his sleeve moved. "There is more to worry about than my men in these woods." He signaled and several bodies jumped form the trees, encased in the same armor from head to toe, each with a sword strapped to his waist. They formed a circle around the three Konoha shinobi, watching with sharp eyes. "We'll be finding pieces of their bodies later this week."

Anger bubbled in her stomach and she stepped forward. Minato's hand wrapped around her wrist before she could attack the man. She turned furiously toward him, but his gaze was still locked on their opponent. "Stay calm Kushina. He's trying to get a reaction. He wants you to attack. Ignore him." Giving him a quick glare, she nodded at the blond and faced the black-haired man.

"I knew that," she said defensively. A tilt of the Yellow Flash's lips were the only sign that he had heard her. She felt Hideki move behind her and his hard voice cut through the forest.

"Who are you and what do you want? Why did you attack us?" A low chuckle came from the tall man.

"You're mistaken. I never attacked any of you. I killed that worm Debiru, but I never laid a hand on any of you." The man bowed mockingly, flourishing his hand. "I am Itsuki Jun, captain of the Stone's forces and the Tsuchikage's head advisor."

"That's a lie. There is no 'head advisor'. The council advises the Tsuchikage and you just killed one of its members who was on a diplomatic mission to end this war." Minato growled as he held up his fist full of weapons and aimed it at Jun. The captain raised a perfectly curved eyebrow and chuckled.

"It seems you've done your homework boy, but that is outdated information." He made a dismissive gesture. "The council has been disbanded due to its members plotting against the kage's rule. Debiru and his fellows have been found guilty of treason." His hands slipped back inside his robes and he smiled cruelly again. "Everyone has been ordered to kill them on sight and to get rid of any possible problems that may arise. Seeing as your from Konoha and associated with Debiru, I believe I am justified in saying that you all are a problem."

He nodded and the team of armored soldiers jumped toward them, swords gleaming.


Her breath came in short gasps as she ducked beneath the sword aimed for her neck. Pivoting on her foot, she slammed her leg into her opponent's ankle, wincing at the impact with the armor. The man wobbled, but didn't fall and thrust his sword at her.

She threw herself to the side, earning a shallow cut on her shoulder. Twisting from her roll, she jumped into the trees, running like a bat out of hell. And maybe she was. The fight back there had certainly been hellish. None of her weapons could penetrate the armor when thrown. She was forced to get up close to the Stone- nin before she could injure him. Then, the armor was hard enough to block most of her blows. It hadn't helped that the enemy could handle their weapons with deadly accuracy. Yes, it was hellish. Even more so because her mind was occupied with something else, finding Minato, Ryou, and Hideki.

Kushina grit her teeth as she passed another tree. The stupid Stone-nin had easily split them up, so easily that she hadn't realized she was alone until she was cornered. She could only hope that they were alright. Right now she had to focus on her own battle.

There was a flash of metal as a sword was swung at her torso. The warning came to late for her to properly dodge and she fell from the tree like a rock. She wildly grabbed at the branches whizzing past her. Her hand hit one and closed around it. A cry of pain ripped form her throat as her arm was torn from its socket. Latching on with her other hand before she slipped, she hefted herself up on the branch.

On the branch, she could see the next attack coming from above. Leaping off the branch, she twisted around the attack from the second enemy. Damn. They had regrouped. After killing two of the five after her, she had gone into a crazy run, making the three shinobi split up. The odds were more even then. Killing the two had cost her though, and she was getting woozy from blood loss. It wouldn't be long until the third arrived.

Speak of the devil.

Flipping away from the weapon, she landed on the ground and faced her three opponents. Pain shot up from her shoulder. She tried to move it and failed. Damn, she had dislocated it. A knife cut into the tender skin at her face and landed with a thunk in the trunk behind her. There was the sudden displacement of air and padded arms wrapped around her, holding her in place.

Snapping her head back, she felt it connect with the helmet her captor wore. There was grunt and the grip around her loosened. Grabbing a arm before it could be pulled away when the guy recovered, she tore a kunai from her pouch and shoved it into the space between the armor at the armpit. The man was silent but tensed under the pain. Dragging the weapon, she felt the tension on the arm disappear as it hung uselessly at the man's side, three quarters severed.

Jumping into the air, she aimed a kick at the incoming enemy. He caught her foot and twisted, making her stumble. Phantom pain sprung up in her leg and she hoped the lecher who had attacked her when her village was destroyed was rotting in hell. The second enemy twisted her arm behind her and pierced the kunai into her back. The first let go and she tumbled to the ground. Two swords were pressed to her neck and a kunai to her stomach.

Defiant green eyes glared at the armored nin as the redhead struggled against her captors. Grabbing the hand at her stomach she twisted until she heard a snap. This time the shinobi cursed. The one who had a severed arm took the sword from her neck and shoved it into her dislocated shoulder.

She cried out and jabbed at the man, fruitlessly hitting armor. The sword twisted and widened the wound. Ignoring the pain, she pushed off the ground with her good arm and kicked the injured shinobi in the chest. He stumbled backward while his companion came after her with the other sword. She grasped the sword, rolled away, and jumped to her feet, taking to the trees for cover. Blood oozed from her wounded shoulder and dripped to the ground. There was going to be blood splattered all over the forest at this rate. The three remaining enemies passed under her tree, two swords drawn.

There was the beep of a radio and she froze. One of the Stone-nin dug around in his armor and pulled out a handheld radio. He responded to whoever was on the other receiver and listened to a bunch of mumbled words. He nodded and motioned to his companions. "C'mon. We've been ordered back. It's in the vicinity. We'll let It take care of them for now." The others nodded and disappeared into the shrubbery.

Quirking an eyebrow, the redhead waited a moment before leaping down from the tree. What the hell was going on? Releasing her grip on the sword she had stolen from her opponents she turned to look around the area. Something wasn't right. What was It?

A low growl made her freeze in her tracks. Turning slowly, she came face to face with It.

It was huge beast, at least fifteen feet tall and twenty from head to tail. It had the body like a grey lion, body lithe and feline. It's head resembled that of a human with a permeant look of fear on its face with fangs protruding from beneath its lips. The skin looked sagged and melted, hanging off the bone in clumps. Two long leather wings were spread out to their length and flapped, gusts of wind threatening to make the redhead loose her balance. Its tail was tipped with vicious spikes the length of her arm, dripping with a liquid Kushina wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be poison. It's beady eyes raged with fire as it looked at her from the fringe of the trees.

Her body screamed at her to move, escape, do anything to get away from that thing, and for once she followed its instructions. She pushed herself to her feet and sprinted away from the creature. Without turning she could tell the beast had lunged and was moving toward her, eager for its next meal. The ground shook and the sound the brush being crushed beneath its huge paws pounded in her ears.

She slid her hand into her pouch. Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn! She had used to many weapons on the Stone-nin. She only had a handful left and with an immobile arm things weren't looking good. She ducked behind a tree as the beast lunged at her. The trunk cracked and groaned from the weight. What was she going to do? The beast came around the tree and swiped at her, claws coming closer than desired. She was sprinting before she could think about what to do, her body going into survival mode.

Those bandits had been telling the truth. There was some monster in the forest and it was currently hot on her trail. There was an inhumane roar and she flung herself to the ground as the monster flew overhead. She needed water! She hadn't seen any rivers or ponds when running and didn't have the luxury to go looking for one now.

The beast landed and skid across the ground, turning to face her again. It bared its fangs and growled. The redhead scrambled to push up from the ground before that thing attacked again. Her fingers hit something and instinctively grasped onto it. The beast charged, claws slashing wildly. Jerking her hand up, she held whatever it was in front of her. Sharp claws clashed as they were caught by the sword she had dropped earlier.

Slashing wildly with the weapon she drove the creature back. Jumping into a tree she dug in her pouch and took out a shuriken. Grabbing her useless hand, she quickly formed the hand signs and threw the weapon toward the beast. "Shadow Shuriken Clone Jutsu!" The star multiplied and rained down on the monster. It howled in pain as the hundred of weapons penetrated its flesh and the twisted expression became hideous. Growling deep in its throat, it flicked its tail, several of the spikes flying in her direction.

Kushina didn't notice the projectile though. Her eyes locked onto the tail. There was more on the tail that she had initially missed. Dark blood was smeared over the spikes and a piece of cloth was stuck on to of the spikes. A plate of metal proclaimed it to belong to a Konoha shinobi. Dread slithered into her stomach and kept her frozen.

No. Not now. Not them. Minato. Ryou. Tears made her eyes itch, but she swallowed them. She hissed as the forgotten spikes ripped through clothing and flesh, one lodging in her side. Ignoring the pain, she focused on the anger bubbling inside her and gripped the sword so tight her knuckles turned white. "Bastard!"

She jumped from her perch, sword held above her head. Blood pumped in her ears and she could feel the poison begin to numb her senses. With a scream, she brought the weapon down on the beast, leaving a trail of blood in her wake. The creature screeched and swiped at her. She ducked beneath it, poison numbing her body and the pain. The sword dug into the flesh of the monster's arm and she turned the blade to tear into its shoulder.

It lunged at her, but she disappeared from its path with a twist and leap. The sword dipped into its side and came back drenched in warm blood. A hind leg caught her in the stomach and knocked the wind out of her. She turned to lessen the impact and felt a rib snap. Her vision swam as the poison reached her head. Gritting her teeth, she charged at the wounded monster, sword swinging. The grotesque head reared above her, and the teeth descended. Turning the sword vertical, she plunged it into the soft flesh of its mouth and into the creature's brain and collapsed.


The darkness seemed so inviting, so calm and carefree. She wanted nothing more than to lie there in the darkness. There was no war. There was no destroyed village. There were no dead friends and family. There was no dangerous beast about to kill her. It would be so easy to stay here for the rest of her life.

If it wasn't for that annoying sound.

She couldn't exactly place it. It was almost as if someone had left the radio running on an empty channel, static. Intrigued, she moved closer to the sound of the noise. No. It was more like someone was moving something around. Satisfied at discovering the source of the noise, she turned to drift back to comfortable darkness.

Then the smell hit her. Her stomach betrayed her as it growled loudly. The rustling stopped and small footsteps neared. She wanted to go back to the darkness, but her stomach demanded food. Biting her lip, she looked at her too options. Her stomach gave another moan and she sighed. The darkness would have to wait.

The pain hit her and the brightness burned her eyes. She groaned and the rustling started again. "Miss?" The voice was hesitant and young. Bearing the light in order to look at the new speaker her eyes widened to find a young girl sitting beside her bed. "Are...are you al... alright, Miss?" The room was huge and ornately decorated.

"Where am I?" The girl blushed and bowed slightly.

"You... you are in the medical wing Miss." At Kushina's blank look, the blush deepened as did the bow. "You...you're in the St... Stone Village Miss."


Some interesting info: The creature is basically a manticore with my own spin and "the manticore is the symbol of tyranny, disparagement and envy, and ultimately the embodiment of evil."