Last Time on Orb Knights:

Just as they were finishing up the first coat of the paint on the fence, something happened that caused all of them to dive for cover. Well, when a pillar of stone slammed into the fence in front of them, you would think that their training would take over like that, wouldn't you?

Turning as one to where the pillar had come from, they were all shocked to find a walking body of stone heading for them. "Umm... Guys? I think that it's time to break out our friends..."

And Now...

The four fellow knights didn't bother replying, instead letting their alternate forms leap over them with a seemingly practiced ease. To an observer one minute there were five kids, the next there were a bunch of beings that made them wonder just what was in the water. Of course, anyone stupid enough to stick around watching them was probably classified as cannon fodder and not important.

Shiroshika and Enganxa hung back, while the other three leaped to the attack. Pard was a simple blur as he bolted in to strike at the rock-man before he could heft another projectile. His attacks didn't do much damage, even if they sent the 2000 pound being flying backwards.

Damage to the being that is, collateral damage is to be expected after all.

Kyukon seemed to be keeping back, but in reality she was attacking the mind of the beast that was assaulting them. Her fire wouldn't do much good against this thing, and she couldn't lift enough with her telekinesis to do anything more than annoy the pile of boulders. What she found was strange, it was a similar mind-scape to her own host, but what she found was something that she'd never imagined doing.

The host was sealed inside a giant crystal while the golem was in control. A few dodges and point blank fire-blasts told her that whatever it was, it had been trained to fight on the mental plane. Not that it was stronger than she expected, as her fire-blasts had started causing its rocks to glow red with heat, just that it was faster and more coordinated in its counter-attacking. Only one explanation was possible for this, but she needed to access the memories of the others to see if her suspicions were correct. If she was right, then the orbs had been copied by the vile, evil, and disgusting bastards that had killed their creators and original hosts.

She pulled out of the mind of the beast, just in time for Zahava to slam into the rock beast with a metal sledge twice its size and probably four times its weight. She really hoped that Naruto and the others wouldn't have to pay for that section of road the golem was now embedded into.

Turning to Enganxa she nodded her head, sending a burst of an image for the magical being to enact as part of a plan. A second later she was in the air, her nine-tails flared out behind her as she summoned up her fire powers. When she landed, she hit the golem with a point blank shot of as much flames as she could muster, causing its eyebrows to melt down and cover its eye slits. Sadly her act put her very close to the being, and she was again flying through the air, after getting hit by the things fist.

Mercifully for the surrounding area, Zahava created a metal slide that looped her around safely to the ground, where she regained her senses, and popped her jaw back into place. Okay, so maybe that could have gone better, but she had gotten the results she needed. The golem was swinging wildly, meaning that she had blinded the damn thing. Now hopefully it doesn't have access to the eyes she saw on the host. They were the same as the ones that Enganxa's host, Hinata had, and from what she'd learned it could see through the layer of stone currently closing the eye-holes with ease.

But the diversion was enough, Enganxa got off her spell without being detected. The large blue orb shot through the assaulting knights with a laser guided precision, before washing over the golem's body. Once it had completely encircled the body, it began slowly pulling off the golem's skin in tendrils, forming an orb high in the sky above the body being revealed.

About halfway through, the female members decided to look for something else to observe for a while, as smooth, creamy skin was revealed over taught muscles of the man's chest. Thankfully this didn't break the spell, and so it continued to peel the rocky skin, revealing the young man's body underneath.

After a minute, the rock creature was contained, and the human body landed into the dirt in nothing but his underwear. Due to the nature of the spell, the orb wasn't like the ones they had been contained in, but instead sealed the being into a crystalline structure that they could read at the base computer.

. . .

Oh right, they didn't have one of those anymore...

They really needed one of the more technical orbs to awaken so they could build one, and find out who sent this orb. But back to the meantime, Enanxa seemed to recognize the figure sprawled out across the ground, or at least her host did, lunging forward out of concern before she regained her composure. None the less, Hinata's voice broke as she whispered sadly about the stationary form. "Hibiki-san..."

The knights all searched around the area cautiously, feeling the presence of another enemy waiting for them. It was Kyukon that sensed him first, and whipped her head around to stare up at the giant red skinned beast with large fangs, horns, and an iron spiked club standing over them. The loin cloth it wore about it's waist unfortunately didn't cover much from this angle, but they couldn't focus on that right now. After all, when something holding a kanabo-tetsubo larger than your own body is glaring at you, other things take precedence.

"Well done..." the oni stated calmly as though it hadn't just won. "It has been so long since I had a worthy challenge... Not since the last batch of foolish Orblings challenged my master and lost..."

If that was intended to piss off the Orb Knights... it worked, as they all either grit their teeth in anger, or growled. "And just who are you?" Shiroshika demanded before the others could regain their emotional control.

"Me? Foolish stag, I'm Akki, and I will be your doom!" the red skinned monster answered while leveling its club straight at the white stag that had challenged him. "You will be the first to fall to my club..."

Even as he proclaimed his challenge his club began to disappear into tiny motes of color that drifted lazily back to the main body. Judging by the shocked look on his face, Akki wasn't expecting this either. With a snarl he slung the club back over his shoulder and pointed his other hand at the knights. "This is not over! I will return!"

Gathering his legs under himself, he sprang off the roof and disappeared into thin air, with only a cloud of red marking the location he vanished from. The knights looked between each other, as though asking just what that was, before turning towards the still prone Hibiki Hyuuga. "Egnanxa your host knows this one?"

"Yes... she says that he is missing a seal that the branch members are meant to have..." Enganxa explained while kneeling next to the still mostly naked Hyuuga and stroked his forehead lightly. "It would see that being fused with the golem removed it..."

"We'll need to report this to the Hokage, and whoever heads up the Hyuuga clan..." Kyukon concluded after a moment of thought, just in time for the ANBU and their teachers to arrive. "Ah, perfect timing sensei... Could you help us with protocol on this matter?"

The looks on Kurenai and Anko's face would be something the younger hosts would savor for years to come. But more pressing matters concerned them now, and with that in mind they gathered up the unconscious man and began making their way off to the hospital.

To say that the little procession drew attention would have been an understatement, especially since at their head was a white nine-tailed fox with red tipped tails fanned out behind her. To her surprise however, instead of the shocked, fearful, or even hostile stares she was expecting, she was receiving approving looks, smiles, or curious glances.

This was weird, and judging by her host's reactions he agreed with her.

However, her mind was preoccupied with another matter. A base was needed for their future operations, and on top of that they needed to set up a computer to aide them in their battles. Especially if they were to figure out who it was that sent Akki after them.

They felt certain that he wasn't the big boss, but they needed to figure out who it was, and why they were after them. If they were out to restart the war, they would find the Knights stronger than they were back then. But she knew that they needed to get stronger. They had to be... for their hosts if nothing else.

A big help with that would be getting their base and their computer online.

Now what was the name of that nerdy knight that liked to muck around with the computers again? She couldn't remember for the life of her., and she had more than just her life to consider at this point. She liked this host, and she wanted him to survive, and if she could win over her darker cousin...

That was a matter for another time, now it was time to report to the Hokage, and explain how they were revealed to the entire village within a single day of becoming active when they had planned on being secretive about their existence for a while longer.

Maybe she could blame the enemy... after all they were a ninja village, certainly they've heard the rule that no plan survives contact with the enemy.

The glare she was getting from the Hokage told her that the excuse was not going to work...

Several blocks away, in a secret hideaway Neji was glaring into a mirror. The cursed mark that had been on his forehead was gone, but at the cost of his honor and his loyalty to the village. He'd managed to win against this demon possessing him this time, but he knew it wasn't going to last. It had taken nearly everything he had to win this time, he didn't know if he could do it again. But he knew that he was going to try.

If he couldn't, then he was doomed.