A/N:

Afternoon everyone, so as to try and keep this to a minimum (and since you guys already know what I usually say at this point), I'm gonna skip the pleasantries and cut straight into the nitty-gritty.

Viewer Response: Watching the numbers, it's gone up a little bit, though not nearly as much as we would have liked (though some numbers have actually decreased). Lets kick it up a notch this chapter and break some records!

Aeron's name: Now, this is something we kind of put off until recently, but Aeron's name isn't pronounced exactly as you may think it would be since it wasn't introduced as a Japanese name, per se,. In Japanese, the name is pronounced "ah-ey-ro^-n" (^=short sound), almost like "eye-roh-n." We felt it was necessary to include this tid-bit of info given that Aeron will be making a more frequent appearance through the story from this given point onwards.

With my little spiel done, on with the show!

-Crenshinibon

*Jutsu: Curious about a technique? Just press Ctrl/Command + F and search for the second occurrence of its name to be directed to the glossary!


Inherent Demons - Book One - Arc Two

Chapter 7

Borne of War

A peaceful tranquility hung over the surrounding forest of Konoha with the warm spring air blending the optimal atmosphere for a perfect day. Falling down below the sky's crest, the calm was disrupted as several large explosions echoed across the land, sending the inhabitants into a frightful scamper across the forest floor or an escape through the open air. To the east, large plumes of smoke drifted lazily upwards from Konoha as the created fires consumed all that they could, adding to their destructive force. Several of the village's resident ninja dropped near the conflagrations, searching for any citizens that could be in need of help as the sounds of battle danced all around them.

Abruptly, another large explosion erupted from further into the village as a gargantuan three-headed snake carved a path through the feeble structures beneath it; each head methodically stretched out independently in various directions to maximize the chaos it could beget as it crushed buildings and ninja alike underneath its titanic body. The veritable tide of Suna shinobi, with the aid of Orochimaru's summon, cut swaths through Konoha's ranks, overpowering the feeble resistance as they pushed further into the village. As the defense began to progressively solidify in coordination, the offensive slowed to a crawl, though the three-headed reptile stood unopposed as it pushed on, forcing all out of its path.


Aeron jumped from branch to branch, growing increasingly concerned as he drew nearer to what he knew was the jinchūriki, Gaara. After dissuading both of his siblings with as little lethal force as possible, he garnered the information he needed, but that did little to set him at ease; nor was he expecting how forthcoming the two had been with said intelligence. He could see that they cared for their little brother, despite his inner demon, or how oblivious he seemed to it. The clone he left would ensure that the two made no move to interrupt him, but it was just a precaution—he felt sure it would never come to that.

The overwhelming bloodlust that pinged his mental sensitivity guided him to intended target when he saw the boy through a break in the canopy, trudging slowly along, dragging his feet across the ground. Having witnessed the boy's earlier display of his sand wall, Aeron chose to drop down at an acceptable distance, knowing full well that Gaara wouldn't be as easy as his siblings. But that was beside the point; and so he began walking.

"Gaara," Aeron called out, causing the boy to stop after taking one final half-step. Gradually, the auburn-haired boy turned, giving the man a vicious, crazed glare. 'His priorities seem to be askew… and I doubt it's because of their mission.' The man accepted the look with a slight descent of his own eyelids.

"You...," Gaara slurred as he turned fully towards Aeron, revealing that he had one hand tightly gripping onto his forehead and covering an eye. Aeron glanced up and down Gaara's body, taking in all the details before him.

'Hmm…' In thought Aeron chose to remain silent; he let his lack of response prompt the boy. 'I wonder if it's the boy or the Shukaku imprisoned inside of him,' Aeron thought to himself as he casually put his hands into his pockets—"You don't want to do 'whatever' your mission is supposed to be," he stated, returning the glare with a blank, neutral stare.

"Go... away...," Gaara managed, cringing against some sort of inner pain; the intensity of his pain seemingly borne an autonomic convulsion, sending him to grip onto his head even more than before. Aeron watched the strained expression that crossed Gaara's face as a wince, bringing a knowing sadness to show. A sudden memory of Gaara's stare at Naruto brought a question to mind.

"Why do you want to kill Naruto?" Aeron inquired, dismissing any useless preamble.

"I must kill... to prove my existence... I must kill to have… purpose." Gaara pulled his hand from his face as if he'd simply lost the will to hold it any longer, hanging the arm loosely at his side with both eyes sealed shut. "We both have monsters inside of us," he wheezed, with each eyelid slowly peeling back, revealing two dilated, bloodshot eyes, "if I kill him, I can feel alive; in his death, I will have affirmed my existence!" His face took on a sadistic quality as he stared shiftily at the ground before him, gradually raising his general view up towards Aeron. "But if I have to kill you to get to him, Mother will understand, your blood will mingle with the sand and make us stronger; then we will kill him too." As Gaara finished, sand exploded from the gourd's single opening as a solidified stream, blasting the cork that held it off into the woods unknown as the granular weapon sped towards Aeron's still casually held frame.

As the sand was almost upon him, Aeron withdrew his hands from his pockets, and with a practiced hand ran through a quick series of hand-signs. "Jōton: Jōki Nagare!" Moisture built up in his esophagus, heated through the use of his chakra to create a hot gas that filled his mouth in a rush, puffing out his cheeks rapidly; with a powerful push, Aeron expelled the built up steam into a compressed spate towards the sand, both piercing and dispersing the sand away and simultaneously filling it full of moisture, causing it to fall uselessly in clumps on the ground between them. Once the sand was dealt with, Aeron promptly ended the jutsu, expelling the last of the steam from his mouth before crossing his toned arms across his chest.

"Life is validated by more than simply conquest over others."—Mentally he spared a resigned glance towards the village under siege behind him… and what it held—"It is filled with wonders that one'd never hope to find by limiting themselves to the solitary and destitute existence of being through the extermination of others. I can only imagine what forced you into that way of thinking, but I can tell you from personal experience—it's not living," Aeron said as he watched the clumps of sand begin to retract towards Gaara, slowly draining itself of the added liquid to return to its previously unencumbered state.

"You know nothing!" Gaara shouted. "To live only for myself, to love only myself—it is the only way to live!" As he finished, the renewed sand rushed at Aeron once more, branching off into two amorphous arms that swung around to pincer the man. Aeron stood still as the sand approached, making not the slightest move as the sand pierced his body, but oddly enough, he didn't scream in pain as Gaara expected, instead, he smiled. Aeron's body exploded into steam, once more plaguing the sand with the heated liquid, causing it to fall uselessly to the ground. Surprised, Gaara frantically searched around for his target.

"I was almost like you, once," Aeron said, standing directly behind Gaara with his back to him. Gaara quickly swung around with some of his sand leading the way, but as he did Aeron powerfully pushed off with his feet into a front flip, expertly turning as he did to land—in perfect balance—on his feet looking straight at the shaken Gaara. "…However, unlike you, I found things to keep me going: people, dreams, hobbies—among other... things," Aeron summarized, before he lifted his chin slightly in gesture; "So, tell me, what made you like this? Daddy didn't discipline you? Mommy didn't love you?" he asked with a slight tilt of his head.

"Shut UP!" Gaara yelled, the rumbling earth beneath him springing to life as it rebounded, turned to sand, swirling around its enraged manipulator leaving stray particles dotting around, messily artistic. Aeron lifted an eyebrow and let out a high-pitched whistle at the cyclone of sand before him. Gaara's right hand shot out towards Aeron, twisting at the wrist to the left as he sharply bent his fingers inward to show an open palm, "Sabaku Kyū!"


Sasuke cut sharply to the left as he saw several Suna ninja jump across the roofs ahead of him, pressing his shoulder against the rough stone of the nearby building. Peeking his head out, he watched the shinobi fly by, completely unaware of his presence. Breathing a sigh of relief, he glanced over his shoulder, ensuring that his passenger was still secure, before dashing out into the open through the street; his vision constantly shifted around him, taking in the various scenes of death as he cut down an alley, keeping as low-key as possible.

His surroundings flitted in and out as he felt himself being carried, to where? He couldn't guess, but neither the death around him nor where he was going were important as the darkness took him again, bringing him back to his inner thoughts. The one thought that filled every crevice of his mind... was Naruto. He had everything planned out, the fight was won, his tenketsu closed... but Naruto, or rather fate, had other plans. The terrible image of the red chakra was burned into his mind and the overwhelming bloodlust was unlike anything Neji had ever experienced. What was that strange power that Naruto had…? As he continued on that particular line of thinking, another question was brought to mind… a question about a subject Neji always fortified his defenses for, waving its definitive banner high in everyday life…

Was it fate?

Sasuke glanced over his shoulder, sensing that he was being followed as the sounds of battle raged around him. "Damn," he muttered, panicking in search of the best possible route to take. Lifting his vision skywards, he stared at the rooftops, knowing he would be opening himself to any possible attack if he chose that path. But so would his pursers. The alley's were far too small and could possibly lead to a dead-end… and the road left far too many unknown areas for enemies to appear from. That made up his mind, then.

He sighed, kicking off onto a lowered awning before clearing the short distance to the rooftops, and then securing the heavy leap with a tactile grab, kneeling forward to lean; as he rose and stood in the open, the full gravity of the attack fell with force onto his already burdened shoulders. Dark plumes of smoke continuously billowed up into the air in several areas around the village, the screams of the dying were incited in his mind, but what occupied his current attention was the monstrous snake that thrashed its way through the village, leaving death and destruction in its wake. One of the heads seemed to turn towards him, almost as if sensing his presence, and held him in its gaze. The same damning feeling of fear began to creep over him as his mind instinctively drew upon the image of Orochimaru, giving him the same attentive stare the snake had.

"No!" Sasuke shouted in defiance at both the snake and the mental image, suppressing the fear with anger. A sudden motion to his right revealed the several Suna shinobi that he knew had been following him, two of which had arms pulled back and kunai in their hands. "Tch," he muttered, immediately bolting across the rooftops towards his destination, hoping that there was some kind of guard around the hospital that could help him. Instinctively, he jumped to the side, dodging one of the kunai that would have impaled Neji's back, but the simple adjustment had another kunai stabbing into the back of his thigh, nicking a sample of blood. As he feet once more touched the ground, the sudden, sharp pain from the protrusion caused him to stumble, catching himself in a half spin as he watched the Suna shinobi approach. Sasuke bared his teeth against the pain, wondering just how he was going to get himself out of the situation he found himself in, finding himself with a hard question: stand and fight or leave Neji and save himself?


The sand circled and compressed around Aeron's body, forming an inescapable sand prison. "Sabaku Sōsō!" The sand quickly compressed around the unfortunate man's body as Gaara increased the pressure to liquify his body, blood erupted from the sand, but was quickly replaced by... water? The entirety of the sand began to stain dark as water destabilized the prison, causing it to fall in clumps to the ground, revealing the now distorted prison to be empty.

"If sand's all you have, then this isn't going to be nearly as much fun as I thought it was going to be," Aeron remarked, walking around from a tree several meters away. Aeron stopped suddenly and bashfully began scratching the side of his head. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. I should stop teasing the kid," he said aloud. At the unusual comment, Gaara's eyes began to weave back and forth through the woods, attempting to find who the man was talking to and why he felt no other presence nearby.

Noticing Gaara's search, an amused chuckle had the man's shoulders slightly bobbing in laughter. "You're not going to find anyone out there, Gaara," he said, bringing the auburn-haired youth's full attention back onto him. Lifting his right hand up, Aeron lightly tapped at his temple with a single finger in indication of what he meant. "You're not the only one who hears voices in their head." As he finished the statement, he quizzically cocked his head to the side. "You know I didn't mean it like that. There's no need to sulk!"

Growing frustrated with Aeron's chiding lunacy, Gaara eyed the ground beneath Aeron, focusing his chakra."You're annoying, Gokusa Maisō," Gaara hissed as he willed the earth beneath the older man into a sand whirlpool, attempting to pull him under. For the first time, alarm crossed Aeron's features, bringing a crookedly satisfied grin to the boy's face as Aeron attempted to pull himself free before meeting a sandy grave. As the large form disappeared under the sand, he was sure that he was finally rid of the nuisance—

"Jōton: Chikyū Rikisen!" The sand ballooned out from its epicenter before exploding, expelling Aeron from the earth's depths, slamming him roughly against a tree while simultaneously knocking Gaara back from the explosion's concussive force. Restoring his posture without much difficulty, Aeron gingerly rubbed at the back of his sore head, groaning as he did. "I meant to do that...," he half-heartedly remarked, cringing against the pain as he returned himself to his feet. "You almost had me there, kid, but as you can see, I'm not going down that easily."

Gaara, at first, sat completely still, with his head hanging forward, eliciting a curious look from Aeron. "Ha…"—Gradually, laughter could be heard, steadily growing in tempo; though filled with joy, it was twisted by the malice in its tone. "Yes! You will be a worthy offering to Mother!" he laughed, unaware of the subtle change in one of his eyes, though it stood out clearly for Aeron to see. The entire sclera of his right eye had gone from pure white to pitch black and his normally aqua colored iris had changed yellow with a four pointed star pupil with four dots circling it—the eye of Shukaku.

"You know, you and Naruto can't really rely so much on those bijū you have inside you, unless you can fully comprehend them for who they are instead of simply viewing them as power sources," Aeron said to the crazed look his opponent graced him with.

Gaara merely growled in response, bearing his teeth at the man as his eyes held him firmly in his unmoving gaze.

Simply shrugging at his response, Aeron closed his eyes, focusing inward as he tapped into the vast wealth of chakra that pooled, dormant. As he did, red chakra began to circle around him in a swirling vortex, growing more and more concentrated as the seconds ticked by. He maintained the chakra flow even after he was sure he made his point, feeling the need to exercise his control over the long-since used power. After its continued use for several more seconds, Aeron ceased its flow, causing the vortex to gradually die off, dissipating into the wind. Aeron opened his shut oculi again as he gauged the boy's reaction and the seemingly thirsty look in his eyes brought a disappointed frown to his face.

"Ryūsa Bakuryū," Gaara simply responded as the earth behind him began to churn and crumble into sand; trees toppled upon loosing their firm grip in the now loose ground beneath them, adding their bulk to the steadily increasing sand. Suddenly, sand shot upwards for seven meters before it stopped, reaching its peak. The large wall increased in its length far beyond Aeron's sight, ensuring that the was no possibility of escape before it surged towards him.


Sasuke grimaced against the pain as he dropped his hand into his kunai pouch, drawing forth one of the blades and holding it out before him, standing his ground against the oncoming intruders. Shinobi cut off to both sides in an attempt to surround the lone boy, and as they all came in around him they... stopped? Sasuke furrowed his brow in confusion as the observed his would-be attackers strain against some unknown force.

"Are you alright, kid?" called a voice, bringing Sasuke's attention towards its owner. Looking much like Shikamaru, Sasuke had an easy time guessing at who the man slowly walking towards him was; that coupled with the extended shadow that had latched itself onto each of his attackers clearly marked him as the leader of the Nara clan. Sasuke nodded in response, too taken aback by his sudden rescue and impressed by the master of the shadow.

"These Suna guys are like rats, so troublesome," Shikaku said aloud, moreso to the ninja themselves than to the stunned Uchiha youth. Glancing over to Sasuke, he noticed the unconscious Neji resting on his back. "You should probably get him to the hospital, if you aren't going there already. The way is clear, I'll hold these guys here, so you have nothing to worry about."

Sasuke looked between the suppressed ninja and Shikaku before nodding his agreement, promptly turning on his injured leg and dashing across the rooftops towards his destination. Shikaku watched the two boys depart with a growing concern, worried for his own son's predicament, given the chaos that had descended upon the village. 'He'll be fine, he's a smart kid,' he smiled before turning back towards the trapped shinobi. Running through the simple combination of seals, he held the 'Ne' sign, a somber look covering his face as he watched the fear in the men's eyes. "Kage Kubi Shibari no Jutsu," he said, causing the shadows at their respective feet to snake its way up their body in the shape of an arm as a hand grasped at their necks, choking them as they struggled for breath. One by one, they succumbed to the suffocation, falling lifeless to the ground as he recalled his shadow from the bodies. Shaking his head at the grizzly work, he glanced over to the enlarged form of one of his long-time friends and started off, making his way towards him.


The wall of sand cascaded, amassing a force that encompassed all angles and swallowed Gaara's form, though Aeron was sure that he was unaffected by the jutsu. With Gaara out of sight, Aeron immediately heated the moisture that he had been steadily building, having, in foresight, propagated a spawning of his chakra throughout most of the affected area. "Kiri," he whispered—The dome-like area of effect exploded into steam at his beckoning, blanketing the area with an impenetrable steam-fog, rolling out as an ocean to skirt the the sand still pressing towards him, filling itself once more with moisture.

He knew however, that while he didn't have the time to create the liquid he needed to make the sand ineffective, his other foremost solution would prevail. "Katon: Zenchō Tōrō!" Aeron boomed; he channeled a massive amount of chakra into his right hand, then with a single burst, he released it all at a focal point above his open palm that he jutted out, creating a small, dense, extremely heated ball of fire-natured chakra. "Here goes nothing," he managed just as the sand washed over him—the great wave surged, falling over the earth with a resounding collision, and spreading for many meters before stopping as its driving force ceased—

Ceded, and once over seeded by the quantum force, a hollow hum rang out—As soon as the wave had passed over him, using the chakra ball in his hand, he caused the latent energy that he had been building up in the mist to explode, triggering explosions all across the sand—Powerful isolated explosions detonated out of seemingly nothing, erupting the mist out to halo the bright fireballs that punched their way out of the sand. Heat waved, surging all around that same epicenter that stood unmoving, reinforcing itself upon the ghostly glow breathing below the surface; the fire had its own breath, and it welded the near entirety of the veritable, granular tsunami as it fell and after into glass where it stuck, frozen.

—Having turned the sand into such a fragile form, with a powerful thrust of his arm, Aeron broke free from his spherical prison that isolated him from his deed, and made his way atop the glass surface; he climbed silently, taking in the smooth, airy storm that was only in its abrupt immortalization. After having reached the top, subconsciously mesmerized he waited very calmly; moments later, Gaara materialized from the remnant sand, still unbeknownst of the world that lay about, after the stillness had come to a final halt, bringing his hands together to complete the jutsu and crush his opponent, but surprise overcame him as he turned back to where he knew the man to be. The glinting glass forest that met his eyes stole the light from the sun, which was intensified even more by the thin mist that still hung in the air, though much had been consumed in the explosions. With each explosion, sand had blossomed out and solidified in the air, creating flower-like sculptures that decorated the canvas of the field. Amongst it all, Aeron stood with his right arm bent at the elbow, holding a glowing light source and his left arm hung lazily at his side. Deftly, he leaned over, and with a simple blow, extinguished the plasmic aura.

"For a kid so filled with anger, you sure can make some pretty stuff," he stated, surveying the area around him; his face betrayed a weary happiness. Gaara's brow, though, furrowed with anger as he held his hand out towards the man, attempting to crush the man with the bounty of sand at his disposal, but when nothing came, a supremely baffled look overcame his features. In response, Aeron lifted one of his feet and powerfully drove it into the glass at his feet, causing the area to explode in a shower of light as the splinters reflected and refracted the sun off its many sheer faces. Once the light show was complete and the glass covered the ground, Gaara became aware of why nothing had come to his call; even the sand underneath had been turned to glass, leaving absolutely nothing left for him to use except the pitiful amount at his feet.

"Face it, kid, you're not going to defeat me," Aeron asserted with certainty in his semi-deep voice, once more crossing his arms before his chest.

"How... how are you so strong?" Gaara questioned, fear growing slowly inside of his as this man continued to foil all of his attempts.

"It's simple: as you stated, you fight only for yourself, love only yourself. I fight not only for myself, but for everyone else that I hold dear—that includes the little blond runt, Naruto, that you want to kill!" he shouted in response. "I grew up in a place that had a very similar ideology to yours, which is why I left everything that I had behind and found a new home here, and cultivated it with people that I love; I'll be damned if I let a little punk like you take that away from me!"

Growing frustrated, Gaara unconsciously clenched his fists as he searched the words for the answer he sought; unconsciously he shook his head, jerking; yet, he found nothing… the emptiness simply added onto his mounting irritation. "Love is an emotion, one that power is not derived from, saying that is pointless. There has to be something that is fueling your power, what is it?" Gaara managed, his changed eye squinting dangerously as he verged closer to an emotional explosion.

Aeron closed his eyes and shook his head at the repeated question, letting out a soft sigh to emphasize his disappointment as he held his stare on the boy. "My power is my own, and it comes from the will to defend those I care for. While I may be unlike others, I, unlike you, don't need to rely on anyone else's power in order defeat you." As he finished, he uncrossed his arms and extended them out to his sides, exposing himself fully to the auburn-haired boy. "Just plain-old me and nothing else, Kyōfu Aeron."

A scream erupted from deep inside of Gaara, who brought up both his hands to cover the entirety of his face as he hunched over, wailing into the air. Aeron could do nothing but watch, knowing that Gaara was falling further and further into the realm of insanity as he relied upon the Shukaku's power. He observed the sand begin to flow up from around him, circling and then solidifying into a thin spherical dome, cut off from the outside world, but he could still hear the muffled screams coming from inside.

"It's about time we ended this game," Aeron said aloud, making his way towards the orb with a determined stride. Nothing moved to intercept him as he drew closer and closer, stopping several meters away and extending his arm out towards the dome; focusing on the chakra that still ladened the air inside the dome, he concentrated the steam and expanded it, filling the small area completely. After seconds of inducing the steam to supersede the sand bubble's context, the dome began to fall away as it faded outwards like a vanishing bubble, weakly dropping its form, clumping on the ground as the atmosphere ate at its solidity, revealing a panting, sweating Gaara, portions of his body falling away as the sand armor normally present on his person succumbed to the aggressive humidity.


A raven-black streak sped by, crossing over near the flimsy aluminum and iron lattice that filed the perimeter of Konoha's primary medical facility, the central hospital. On a treacherous step, still unevenly carrying cargo that doubled his weight, the dark-eyed Uchiha rounded the final bend of the fence, turning into the rugged grounds on a tilted, wrapped ankle; in the back of his mind he was still nursing the dull stab that migrated from his lower hamstring. Pattering steps led him leaning side to side up the chipped walkway, his head constantly turning and scanning—he was truthfully nervous, aside, straight past the faded grass and ignoring each metallic point in the air the sky looked to be not the color of midday, but of the smoke that hovered. Whether actual or illusory, the mixing hues of smoke seemed a condemning shroud.

Instead of entering through the front passage, Sasuke opted to split off to the right, grimacing while his passenger's dead feet kicked at the backs of his knees. 'You aren't worth it…,' he threatened mentally, wanting to turn his head back; again, instead he leapt up to granite outer-frame of the first floor window's sill, using it as a platform to leap to the second story, throwing a damp hand out to palm the surface; the unsettling feeling of the old paint set to heat as the object of his hand's swaying rubbing whilst he climbed still felt prominent, even with the trace chakra he channeled through deftly to make the climb more feasible. Soon, with a glance against the backlight of the sun to his left, he swung, looking through his bangs confirming his satisfaction with the neat slide he made directly into the room. Landing, he pushed forward, taking only a cursory second to check the room for occupants.

For the first time since leaving the arena at his sensei's order, he felt remotely at ease enough to sigh some of the pressure from his chest. He tilted his neck, snapping out a kink as he strode to the bed, tiling right and letting the boy gently slip onto the plain bed. It was made. His sandals tapped against the ceramic tiling while he led himself to the wall, stopping to lean against it for the moment, he grasped at a wrist, tugging at the wrapping with a thumb and forefinger as he thought amid the light distraction, 'I wonder what happened… with them.' Sasuke swallowed a lump over his chaste glance in the mauled Hyūga's general direction; 'And Kakashi… where—' He shook his head. '…I guess I just need some air,' he thought, before realizing he was pinching the bridge of his nose, squinting sharply; with that, he released a short breath. 'I should go find someo—…'

'What was that…?!' The boy's onyx eyes snapped open; the room was silent. Why was the hospital silent? … In a rush, Sasuke noiselessly cleared the bed, sailing over its new occupant, and flew towards the shut door, stopping just before it with a hand pressed tentatively ahead.

Sasuke felt his heart stop when the door responded, pulling slightly backwards, before with a creak of its hinges, opening entirely. It opened slowly, then all at once, revealing a relatively tall young man with silver hair that he tied back in a tight, hanging ponytail. He donned almost entirely in a faded purple, mitigated by gray featural aesthetics that tied the uniform together, distinguishing from, but not masking the man's even skin tone that went all the way up to his likewise black eyes, hidden deceptively behind functional, clear glasses.

"Why, hello, Sasuke!"

In lieu of his nigh heart trauma, Sasuke paused to regain words, his mouth gently agape. This quickly righted to a sneer. "Kabuto…?" he asked; truthfully, as his cognition realigned… he developed a sneaking distaste for the situation. Something was not right. This, Yakushi Kabuto, that he had encountered during the first portion of the Chūnin exam along with his squad, who had also been disqualified, now stood before him, casually as ever greeting him with his gloved hand.

"I need to locate the staff, excuse me…," Sasuke remarked, making to move past. The man stopped him with a gentle, yet firm placement of his hand on a shoulder.

"No need to be so stern! Loosen up." He completed the statement with an eye-squinting grin.

"I don't have time to chat with you. If you d—"

"So, how has your injury been since the forest? In your match you seemed pretty sick! Are you feeling alright?" Now, along with the bombardment Kabuto's eyes fixed Sasuke's own, leading his gaze around seemingly in revolutions before settling firm ahead. "Woah-ho!" he interjected happily, pulling the teen's body upright, who had unknowingly begun tilting backwards; "Can never be too well, hmm?"

"I'm fine," Sasuke finally responded, shaking the now-compliant hand off of his shoulder. His gaze flitted to the floor, studying Kabuto's stance. 'Why is he here…?'

"Anyway," Kabuto started, rising Sasuke's focus back to his face, "it was nice to see you. I'll grab a nurse!" Expeditiously, he spun on his toes, raising a two-fingered fist to his forehead to mime scouting.

"Hey…," Sasuke distantly heard the man call… Kabuto was getting a nurse, because that's what he needed to do.

Backing away from the door, the Uchiha continued a scaled dragging of his feet until he collided with the table situated against the wall, which caused him to stumble, but not fall, bracing with a reversed palm against the thin wood. It took a moment, but he patted his way against the wall, easing himself down to a seat. Now, he was somewhere in the back of his mind, staring absently at the floor.


"You should stop, Gaara, I really don't want to have to hurt you, but if necessary I will," Aeron stated, watching as more and more of his armor decayed.

"How... how can you stand to fight... for people that don't care about you?!… For people you don't even know?" Gaara questioned in between breaths, his body wilting due to fatigue.

Aeron smiled slightly. "Whether or not they care about me, I will still protect them with my life. I am a better person by simply having them apart of my life, whether it be in passing or if they express the same level of affection that I give to them. We all exchange that energy with each other, just as human beings…" Aeron's smile brightened as he stared up into the sky, thinking of the unconscious blond. "Naruto's the same way, despite everything that he's been through, he always strives to make friends with everyone and surround himself with people he cares for and return that back to him. It's something that you don't seem to understand." Aeron returned his vision back to Gaara, still holding the pointed grin on his face. "Until you realize that your barrier is merely a glass ceiling, you will never have the courage to break it; and you will never defeat us."

At the proclamation, Gaara rushed towards Aeron, driven by anger and confusion. Cocking one of his small arms back in an attempt to punch the muscled man, the blow was stopped as a large hand covered the small—in comparison to his own—frail limb.

"Sorry to do this to you," Aeron stated, quickly moving his hand covering Gaara's own to pick him up by the front of his shirt, easily holding him at eye level. Quicker than Gaara would have expected a man of his size to be able to move, Aeron pulled his free arm back and launched it forward, smashing his solid fist into Gaara's face. The pain that surged through him was beyond anything that he had ever felt, but was quickly rekindled as the arm retracted and surged forth again. The secondary punch, compounded by the fatigue fully setting in, forced his retreat into the realm of unconsciousness, unable to keep himself from slipping into the darkness... where it waited.

Aeron held the limp body aloof, knowing full well the torment that Gaara would likely face at the hands of Shukaku. Bringing a hand up, he placed it against Gaara's head and closed his eyes, channeling chakra—both his own chakra and the red chakra—through his arm and into the boy's body. After several seconds, he reopened his eyes and nodded in at his handiwork. "That should hold Shukaku at bay until the kid wakes up." Satisfied, he gently placed the boy over his shoulder, turned on his heels, and charged into the forest, skating across the altered landscape.


Hiruzen breathed heavily after successfully deflecting another of Orochimaru's jutsu, his old heart thumping laboriously in his chest. Much of the formerly tiled roof he stood upon was stripped bare by constant exposure to jutsu that Orochimaru and he had thrown at one another, though the barrier created by Orochimaru's disciples—much to his disappointment—still stood, keeping him imprisoned inside with his former student. A movement in his peripheral drew his attention as a large toad materialized out of nowhere and began to fight off the three-headed monstrosity that had been wreaking havoc in the village for far too long. A satisfied smile grew on his weathered cheeks, despite how fatigued he was from the drawn out fight, knowing that Jiraiya was helping the village to see another day. In the same direction he was looking, his eyes fell upon the three coffins that he knew had contained the previous Kage, stopped halfway by a large rock formation he had managed to create before they had finished surfacing; he knew he wouldn't have been able to hold out nearly as long as he had if he had let the reincarnation come to completion.

His Anbu stood ready to help whenever they were able, but he knew the possibility of that happening was unlikely; his old body was failing him and he knew that whether or not he was able to finish Orochimaru, it was unlikely that he was going to live. Several cuts were scattered over his body—most minor, some major—that he received from Orochimaru's jutsu or from the Kusanagi blade that he wielded from time to time. Several of Orochimaru's skins he was forced to shed littered the roof in tribute to his own successful attacks, but the body he now wore stood unfazed and amusingly unimpressed with the old man's efforts, seeming to know that he was at his end. He gripped tightly onto the adamantium staff which his old friend, Enkōō, Enma, had transformed into in an effort to even the playing field.

"Enma, my old friend, I need your help one last time," he stated, slamming the butt of the staff into the roof as he ran through a stream of seals.

"What is it that you're about to do?" Enma questioned, an eye forming at the top of staff which looked down at the old Hokage.

"I know I'm not going to last long, but I'm not going to let that monster walk away from this unscathed," he responded, finishing the last seal needed. Holding the necessary chakra and the jutsu, Hiruzen deftly grabbed the staff and expertly spun it into place at his side.

"Come now, we both know you don't have all day, Sensei," Orochimaru smugly commented from afar, waiting for Hiruzen to make the first move.

Ignoring Orochimaru, Hiruzen charged towards his former student, preparing himself for Orochimaru's defense. Orochimaru's mouth opened impossibly wide as a snake shot out with its own mouth open, the Kusanagi blade protruding with a wet schlick from its opened maw. Hiruzen swung his staff and expertly slapped the blade from his path, doing it again several more times as the snake swung around to continue its attack. After one more deflection, Hiruzen spun and threw the staff up and over Orochimaru's head, leaving himself open to attack; but he had to ensure that Orochimaru wouldn't escape.

Caught off-guard, but unable to forsake the opportunity, Orochimaru thrust the Kusanagi blade at the unprotected Hiruzen and made an attempt to jump away, but a pair of powerful, furred hands stopped him from moving. He looked behind him to see the grim face of Enma staring back at him and then at Hiruzen, trusting in his old friend.

The blade pierced into Hiruzen's side, but still he pressed on, knowing that he had his student cornered. "Fūin Kin-jutsu: Jikan Asshuku de Kihaku Dasshutsu!" Hiruzen shouted as he slammed his hands into Orochimaru's chest, surging chakra into his body. The pale man screamed in agony as the seal burned its way into his flesh, into his very soul and began to immediately take effect; Orochimaru's previously smooth skin began to sag and his hair gradually went from its smooth, lustrous black to a dull gray color. Orochimaru retracted the blade from Hiruzen's side, swallowing it back inside his body, returning his ability to speak. Seeing a desirable affect, Hiruzen smiled to himself, proud of the small success.

"What... what have you done to me?!" Orochimaru wheezed, bringing up and looking at his gaunt, weathered hands that appeared akin to Hiruzen's own.

"I've... taken away... what you hold most... precious...," Hiruzen managed between blood-filled gasps. "Immortality."

The finality of the statement caused Orochimaru to panic, pushing Hiruzen aside, he opened his mouth impossibly wide in an attempt to shed his skin and be rid of the frail shell, but as he did, he found that he still retained his old appearance.

"NO!" Orochimaru wailed, fully comprehending the gravity of the situation that was placed on him.

Enma rushed to Hiruzen's side, checking on his friend, but he knew there was nothing he could do. The Kusanagi blade had pierced through to Hiruzen's back and with his continued push, the blade had severely spliced several internal organs… and blood continued to flow out.

"Enma, my old friend... this is the end..." Hiruzen managed between painful breaths, tasting blood in his tongue.

"It... it was an honor fighting by your side, Sarutobi Hiruzen," Enma said, before Hiruzen released the summoning jutsu, returning the Monkey King to his home. He tilted his head slightly, filling his vision with the open sky above; through the purple haze of the barrier he saw, knowing that in his last minutes, he had done all he could; while he hated that he was leaving so many behind, he knew that the village would be well taken care of. To the memory of his last wish, his soul sang… He could depart in peace.

The shouts of his former students began to grow muffled as he faded further into the realm of death and soon his vision was filled with Orochimaru's aged face, shouting at him for reasons he could easily guess. 'Your foolishness... is unparalleled, Orochimaru. My one regret... is that I could not help you… that I did not. Farewell, disciple!... May we meet again in the next world.'

A smile overtook him, despite drifting further and further into his eternal sleep, the last image that filled his mind was the image of the child Orochimaru had been and of all the other children of Konoha, knowing that he had saved the village with his last breath.

'When the tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village, and once again, tree leaves shall bud anew...'


Aeron jumped across several branches, snapping a twig by his arm in passing, before dropping down to the ground, surprising both Kankurō and Temari with his sudden appearance, not even having noticed their illusionary sentry's silent departure.

"Gaara!" they simultaneously shouted, rushing towards the man who pulled the unconscious boy from his shoulder and offered him to his siblings.

"He's fine, but I was forced to knock him out," he explained to their horrified looks, knowing full well what would happen should Gaara fall asleep. "You don't need to worry about him, I should have suppressed his psyche long enough for Gaara to sleep peacefully without Shukaku breaking free."

"I...," Kankurō began, but Aeron held up a hand to stop him.

"There's no need to thank me, but if what you told me is true, then you two should get him out of here. I need to get back to the village and see just how bad things are." Aeron clasped the young boy on the shoulder while looking at the unconscious red-head. "I doubt anything I said to him stuck, but I can only hope that he changes for the better in time." With a slight smile to the two teens, he rushed off through the trees, back towards the village, hoping that it was still standing.


Jutsu Glossary

Sand

Sabaku Kyū (Sand Binding Coffin) - Gaara encases his target in a large amount of chakra-infused sand, immobilizing them. Can be used in a variety of ways, but normally in preparation of Sabaku Sōso.

Sabaku Sōso (Sand Waterfall Funeral) - After encasing his target in sand through Sabaku Kyū, or another similar jutsu, Gaara will increase the pressure and cause the sand to implode, crushing and sometimes liquefying whatever happens to be inside.

Gokusa Maisō (Prison Sand Burial) - Gaara loosens the ground below his opponent, catching them in a sand whirlpool. Upon being swallowed by the sand, unfortunate victim sinks deep into the earth, where they either die from suffocation or being crushed by the pressure.

Ryūsa Bakuryū (Quicksand Waterfall Flow) - Using the sand from his gourd, Gaara grinds the earth (rocks and minerals) into a large sea of sand then manipulates it into a tsunami, engulfing all within his line of sight. Because of the massive amount of sand generated through the used of the jutsu, the landscape becomes altered as the tsunami washes over everything in its path. Normally used in conjunction with Sabaku Taisō.

Steam (Jōton)

Jōki Nagare (Streaming Steam) - Using his water chakra-nature, Aeron builds a reservoir of water in his esophagus, then, using his fire chakra-nature, rapidly heats it to create steam that funnels into his mouth. When needed, he can expel the steam into a steady stream, similar to Suiton: Mizurappa.

Chikyū Rikisen (Earth Force-Fountain) - Aeron places his hands against, then into a surface whilst simultaneously channeling water through it. Using his chakra, he can control the water through said surface to arrive at a specified location. Satisfied with the location, Aeron then boils the water almost instantly through the use of his fire-chakra nature, forming a steam pocket beneath the surface. When he wants to use it, Aeron surges chakra through both his hands and the steam trail that connects him to the pocket, forcing it through the surface in the form of a geyser. Once the geyser had erupted, the super heated steam can boil anything caught in its spray in seconds. Should he choose to, Aeron can funnel steam, water or fire through the geyser, but only after it has been created.

Kiri (Fog) - An adaptation of the Kirigakure no jutsu (Hiding in Mist Technique). Aeron channels his chakra into the air, adding to the moisture already present while heating it to create a steam fog. While this technique can be presented in many fashions, it is most commonly demonstrated as being expelled directly from Aeron, usually orally, to generate his own battling environment. In its use here, it was given rise to earlier undetectably, and then brought to full force at once through rapid stimulation.

Fire (Katon)

Zenchō Tōrō (Harbinger's Lantern) - Exploiting the great humidity of the atmosphere (authentic or synthetic), Aeron concentrates a massive force of chakra, then, in a single burst, releases it all at one focal point above his open palm, creating a small, dense, extremely heated ball of fire-natured chakra, reacting to the point where it feeds its own life force. By using the lantern aura as a mode of extension, they feed a continuous flow of their own energy into it, so that it can sustain its purpose: the lantern radiates energy all throughout the atmosphere, creating a thick steam that the user can then weave, giving everything around them a visually impenetrable coating of mist. Only they can see through it, with the light force—which is something, and the only thing the opponent can see. The technique is named for what happens next, and what the lantern foreshadows.

In its radiation, it fuels new lanterns to propagate in the mist, each signaling the point of a "hot spot" that radiates and cedes to the control of the parent harbinger. These energy pockets are used, when charged, to induce catastrophic explosions, typically, as they become too full to sustain themselves and have to release their power, setting the field around ablaze with only the harbinger being safely guided, controlling the orchestrated attack.

Shadow (Kage)

Kage Kubi Shibari (Shadow-Neck Binding) - A technique developed by the Nara clan with combat in mind. Though it can be used in a variety of ways, once their shadows have connected, it is primarily used for strangulation.

Sealing (Fūin)

Fuin Kinjutsu: Jikan Asshuku de Kihaku Dasshutsu (Forbidden Sealing Technique: Spirit/Energy Release by Time Compression) - A very old technique that predates the creation of the five hidden villages, originally created to combat and capture other spirits, and then specifically bijū. When the seal is placed on a target, it drains the chakra and/or life-force from whatever it is branded to keep it from invigoration. When used on a bijuu, because of the nature of their being, it would essentially make it impossible for them to move. When placed on a human being, the seal sucks away at their life energy, rapidly degenerating their body within a short amount of time, depending on the person.


A/N: Oh shit, Aeron's a ninja? O.o What does this mean for the future? Find out more in the next chapter, and as always... REVIEW!

Next time: Chapter 8 - Undercover