I'm still having difficulty figuring out what the pace of this story will be. The important events that define the way the plot moves... how should I play them out? Great, now I'm thinking in the same manner as my characters, making the explanation before posing the question. Urgh, and there's another pattern of my writing I have just realised. Well, I'll accept that pattern since I don't think it's major, and only those who think deeply would really use it. Still, when you discover a tick of yours, you either notice it every time or do your best to stop it, right?

Disclaimer: Well that wasn't too bad a way to end the latest manga chapter, was it? Though was it just me or did Kishi put a lot of ironic moments in these last few chapters?


Why do the clouds sing so sombre?

It was surprising to see just how lively the temple had become since the arrival of the new forces. What had once been an eerie and desolate place was now filled with voices and movement as the young Shinobi set to work. The Hizuma ninja were given an entire sector to call their own, and were fast in the process of making it so. Bedding that had been acquired earlier that day was being distributed amongst each person, along with food bowls, cups, many slight things to claim for themselves. Naruto and Yagura watched the rapid procession from midway up the temple stairs, the former feeling a slight sense of pride as he looked at the first clan to belong to his village.

The Hizuma were given their orders from Han, though it was Yagura who reinforced them. It must have been instinct from years as the Mizukage somehow coming in place of memories. Despite his lacking past, he was doing an excellent job of maintaining order of this group of, it had to be said, impetuous grunts. Though it took little to explain what they needed to do, the amount of effort they put in far outcast what was necessary, resulting in wasted energy. To tell the truth, Yagura was starting to get a headache dealing with these ever questioning simpletons.

Of course, there was the king of the simpletons standing beside him, doing nothing worthwhile and only troubling Yagura with his presence. Naruto had his hands behind his head and a rather complacent expression, while Yagura was counting down the seconds until his leader said something pointless. "Y'know, our village is gonna need a name." Naruto mused, proving Yagura's point perfectly. The two boys looked at each other from the corners of their eyes; only one thinking that what was being said mattered. "I was thinking, since we're like the dregs of society, and we're becoming something great, that Kaijingakure was pretty cool."

Yagura turned his head a little, taking a moment to realise what Naruto was getting at. The village hidden in the ash made no sense, considering the location. So then that must have been a phoenix reference in that case. "Since Ta no Kuni is pretty much all fields, isn't Noharagakure fine?" he asked in reply, before looking again at the ninja below. "Besides, it's too early to be thinking of things like that. We haven't even gotten the Daimyo's ok yet."

A deep sigh told the ex-Kiri nin that Naruto wasn't happy about that, and grumbles of boring names gave him the full idea as to why. But his attention to this was waning, as one of the Hizuma nin ascended the stairs at a fast rate. This was the eldest of the fourteen Shinobi, a boy by the name of Hizuma Suzuki. He acted as the link between Yoinokuchi and the Hizuma, becoming a clan head of sorts. However in terms of maturity, his hair was just as scruffy as all the other boys and his eyes still possessing a great deal of recklessness. Even by the tunic he wore, this was clearly a boy who didn't delight in doing little. "Excuse me, Yagura-sama, but the girls were asking if there were any facilities nearby?" he asked, when he was just a few steps below.

Yagura gave a nod in reply, before slipping a hand from his folded arms and pointing somewhere far off to his right. "Out there, about half a mile away you'll find a spring." he said, remembering how thrilled Fuu had been when she discovered that little place by a complete turn of luck. "The water's cold, but it's clean. There's not a lot of room either, so if you want to come up with a schedule, that may prevent some arguments later down the line."

Suzuki gave a quick nod, before running back down to pass the news onto the few awaiting ninja down below. Yagura and Naruto both watched the scene below for just a couple of minutes longer, before the straw haired boy tapped his leader on the arm and turned around. Together they climbed the stairs, heading back to the main chamber where everyone else was.

Inside the tall room, the rest of Yoinokuchi was getting ready to depart. Fuu was slipping on a large red rucksack, the contents of which not even Yagura knew, before doing a few practice squats to make sure she had her balance right. Though Gaara was almost never without his gourd, he too was taking care of some preparations in the form of marking points on what looked like an old map. The only other person standing was Utakata, but since he wasn't going anywhere, he hadn't even his clawed weapon, the tekagi-shuko, on him. That soon left three people who were in no real hurry to do anything.

On the left side however, was a different story entirely. Rei and Han occupied that side, the former helping her father into strange armour that resembled the carapace of a blood coloured beetle. The body armour was like nothing a Shinobi would wear; large, heavy and shiny. The odd mushroom shaped machine on his back hissed out a thin vapour, and a broad kasa with a white veil sat on his head. Right now, Fuu was putting in place the final piece of the armour; a curved faceplate that left Han's already obscured face even less human. His features were almost impossible to see now that he had that shade cast across his face. But all the same, he looked into his daughter's eyes, his hands gripping her shoulders.

In spite of the heavy airs, Naruto was the only person not sharing in the tension. In fact, he didn't slow for a second as he headed over to the stone table, placing his hands down and groaning out loud. "Damn it, I wanna be there for this!" he whined, his eyes screwing up and his face pouting unattractively. Nothing had managed to satisfy the disappointment he felt when he had learned that he would be taking no part in locating the Hachibi Jinchuuriki. "Why the hell am I being left out of the fun?"

His loud nature soon drew the attention of everyone in the room, though few were in any hurry to give him an answer. As usual it was Gaara who took on that role, being the person most capable of handling Naruto since they had parted ways with their sensei. "We're not going to be locating anyone." he replied, without straightening up from his map. "For Kumo to find out about Fuu, we'll need to spread rumour. Just showing up on the doorstep will do no good."

The collective nods didn't help Naruto's ego, instead he grumbled some more to himself. It was Yagura who brought him out of his childish rut, tapping him on the arm again as he passed. "Besides, you're needed elsewhere." the shortest Jinchuuriki said, as he turned around and leant on the tabletop. "The Daimyo won't be as welcoming as the Hizuma clan. Showing up with anyone less than the leader will get us nowhere. You're coming with me; together we'll prove to him that Yoinokuchi can do a much better job than the stragglers of Otogakure."

He couldn't be sure, but there was something about the way Yagura said that that somehow excited Naruto a little. Though it was nothing compared to finding the next Jinchuuriki, he liked the way that was put. "Sounds like fun." he said, straightening up with a faint smirk on his lips. He looked up to the ceiling and rubbed his chin thoughtfully, before looking at Yagura again with a single open eye. "So… we gonna attack the Daimyo, or wipe out the guys guarding his country?"

Yagura let out an inward chuckle, smirking himself as he bowed his head. Behind him, Gaara and Utakata were watching Naruto silently, curious to see just what was about to happen. "That's up to you, leader-sama." Yagura replied, looking up at Naruto in a way cockier than he would in any other situation. "But before you make any decisions, you ought to take a few things into account. First of all, any ninja still working under Oto's name will be pretty much going blind. They'll be easy to take out, since they won't know what to do without a leader. Also since they're so disorganised, the Daimyo probably wouldn't even know his guards had been taken down until things start going crazy. It's a great opportunity… so what do you want to do?"

Even though he didn't notice, all eyes had fallen upon Naruto's face. Everyone was watching him, Rei and Fuu being the only ones not full comprehending the situation. Of course, Naruto was included in that list, but his mind was full of what Yagura had just told him. He turned away from the others, placing his hands on his waist as he thought deeply to himself. It was several long seconds, even after Naruto looked over his shoulder, he didn't look completely decided. "So then… if I'm getting this right…" he said, his eyes focused on the ground even though his head was turned towards his comrades. It was Yagura he settled his gaze on, still unaware of the others watching him. "If we can take in those Oto ninja, get them to join our group, then we'd be taking over Ta no Kuni without the Daimyo having anything to do with it?"

He blinked in surprise, as for some strange reason he witnessed a room full of people suddenly relaxing. It was a little bewildering, to be honest. What was even more bewildering however, was the cocky smile Yagura wore as he stepped back around to Naruto's side, patting the taller boy on the back. "No point wasting good ninja, right?" he asked, as Gaara, Fuu and Han began to make their way to the main entrance. Fuu and Han waved to their respective favourite people, receiving the same gesture back, while Gaara left without a word. "We'll take it a base at a time, back each other up, and be done in about a week by my guess. Think you're up for it?"

Naruto laughed in reply, getting the odd feeling that he had just passed a test of sorts. As Utakata led Rei out of the room to give these two time to prepare, Yagura searched deep into his pockets. "Oh yeah, we noticed you were missing a little something." he said, as he looked into his pouch behind him. He seemed to find what he was looking for, judging by the grin that appeared on his face. "Can't have you going around without this right?"

He lifted his hand from his pouch, procuring a round medallion on a thin silver chain. The medallion was of a black moon, marked with grey streaks. This was the symbol that represented Yoinokuchi, the emblem that was the face of the group. Naruto had lost his back in the former Uzu no Kuni, when Jiraiya tricked him and took him to Konoha. A broad grin grew onto Naruto's lips then, and without hesitation he accepted the amulet and slipped it onto his neck. Yagura smirked at his keenness; it looked like Naruto still had quite some pride inside of him. In all honesty, it was that sort of pride that they really needed.


It was really worrisome, how noisy things had gotten. From nowhere Naruto and Utakata had come marching back in with an entire gang of Shinobi following them close behind. And what was more, those Shinobi had barely settled in before half of Yoinokuchi suddenly left. Things were moving frightfully fast; Hinata was beginning to grow worried that Yoinokuchi's goal wasn't as farfetched as she had recently convinced herself.

She ascended the stairs towards the main temple, in the hope she would find a quiet place to begin writing her report. It felt a little strange, clutching the ink pot, pen and scroll that she had been given for the purpose of telling Konoha what was going on here. Her troubles grew even further, as Sakura had suddenly been tasked with giving physicals to all the new ninja that had arrived. For a short moment, Hinata mistakenly thought that their captors were working to keep the Konoha Kunoichi apart. This was falsified only by the fact that no active measures had been taken to limit Hinata or Sakura's movements. Aside from the workload given to them, they were given free roam of the place.

Nearly reaching the top of the stairs, Hinata peeked into the room to see if it was occupied. At first the place looked empty, but a couple of steps later told her otherwise. Naruto was taking a rest on the altar in the middle of the room, his hands behind his head and his eyes on the ceiling. Hinata second guessed her decision for a moment, but when she made to turn around she got noticed by the very person inside. "Hey Hinata-chan, you got a minute?" he asked, watching her with a blank expression.

Hinata stopped her descent just before it started, cringing slightly at the term he called her by. It was clear there were no feelings of familiarity in them; they seemed more mocking than friendly. But she couldn't be certain if he was really making an offer or giving an order, so reluctantly she turned back around and climbed the rest of the way up. "Do you need something?" she asked, hoping to keep this as short as possible. No matter how Naruto looked at her, she couldn't comfortably make eye contact with him. Naruto made this easier by turning his gaze back up to the ceiling once again.

"You can't guess?" he asked, in a half expectant tone. Hinata glanced up at him as she placed the objects in her arms down on the stone table. There really wasn't anything definite she could think of, nothing that could be suggested by the overly relaxed stance Naruto had on right now. Taking her silence as an answer, Naruto decided it best to speak on. "I already told you didn't I? I'm looking for Hyuuga Neji. I was wondering if you could tell me something about him, since he's your cousin and all."

Hinata's gaze faded for a moment, her eyes slipping out of focus. Naruto looked over to her with a raised brow, noticing she seemed to be out in her own little world. But by the tightening of the grip she had on the table, and the way her eyes narrowed slightly, it was obvious to him that she wasn't recalling a fond memory. Growing curious, he slid himself up to a seated position, grabbing the Ekokaeten from the floor and using it as a support.

It took her a while to respond, collecting whatever thoughts that were held behind those indistinct eyes of hers. And when she did speak, it was in a tone free of things like ease and nostalgia. "Neji-nii-… Neji-san was a cold person, he always looked down on others for having things like dreams." she said, managing to catch Naruto's undivided attention with her manner of speaking. "He disliked thinking that things could change, because it meant that things could have gone differently as well. He preferred to think that everything that happened was fate, and I suppose that became a sort of crutch for him."

She bowed her head, recalling a time that had brought her much physical and emotional pain. Barely a thought went to the person she was opening up to, for some incomprehensible reason her anxiety of Naruto didn't apply right now. Perhaps it was because they both had similar feelings towards Hyuuga Neji, and so she was sure he would agree with whatever she said about that person. Too many people had thought too little of what Neji did for her liking; it was a hard thing to bear.

"He's a genius, and he doesn't care about other people, that's why he's such a strong Shinobi." she continued, rubbing her hands together uncomfortably. Her words made some sense, Neji certainly seemed like that kind of person from Naruto's past experiences. Cold, calculating, and probably worst of all, an arrogant prick. It was for those reasons that Naruto had no objection to his sensei's order to kill that person. Though from what he was hearing, perhaps he wasn't the only one with ill will towards that guy. "I don't know how he did it, but he broke the seal that was supposed to keep the branch families loyal to the main household. He became so much stronger than he should ever have been able to… and he… blinded… otousama."

It was these words that caused Naruto's focus to sharpen. He didn't really care about everything else Hinata had said, dubbing it as pointless babble that made no difference. But from what Kisame had told him about the Hyuuga, and the little understanding he already had, Hinata's father was the head of the Hyuuga clan. That made him the keeper of all the Hyuuga's secret techniques, by any logical sense the strongest of the Hyuuga. "No way that Neji guy beat him in a fight." he told himself, remembering the way his bitter rival fought at that valley four years ago. "It's gotta be those eyes…"

"Hey, tell me about that doujutsu of his." he said, placing Eko aside and resting his arms on his knees. He remembered the first time he had fought Neji; the Hyuuga had used a move called the Byakugan that allowed him to see everything in radius to him. Stealth techniques had been next to impossible at that time. But then the next time the two of them fought, he had attained a new level to that Byakugan, one that shone a strong light from his eyes and let him do all kinds of strange tricks. "What's the "Genwaku Byakugan"?"

Hinata came out from her distant look, her pale eyes turning curiously to Naruto's. A frown slipped onto her face as she said the name of that ability in her head over and over again. "The… Genwaku Byakugan?" she repeated aloud, searching Naruto's face for clues as to what he was trying to say. "I… don't know of any technique like that. But only otousama had access to the Hyuuga secret scrolls. Then… but Neji did manage to learn some of those-"

Before she could finish, her and Naruto's attention was drawn away by the sound of approaching footsteps. From the front entrance appeared Yagura, who carried on his back a large black staff with alternately sized hooks and a large flower with green petals. "Come on, it's time to go." he said, without giving even a fleeting glance to Hinata. "I want to get back as soon as possible, so let's do this as quickly as we can alright?"

Naruto rose to his feet, swinging the Ekokaeten onto his back with the greatest of ease. He vaulted over the altar and slid across the stone table, joining Yagura as they began to depart for Ta no Kuni. "Talk to you later Hinata-chan!" he called out, looking at the girl with a crooked grin. He left her to her worried thoughts, and descended without the slightest further thought to it. However, there was one other thing he was curious about, something he hoped the boy beside him could help him with. "Hey, how do you find someone that isn't attached to any place?"

Yagura looked at Naruto with a cocked brow, possibly confusing who his leader was thinking of with the so far location less Roushi. He gave it some thought for a moment, looking off to the quickly distancing sky. "Well… you'd have to know something defining about them I guess." he replied, in a tone that was full of speculation. He paused for a moment more to think, his hands slipping into his pockets as he grew a distant expression. "Where they lived… who they knew… their intentions… anyone they may be with… lots of little things that only have a chance of being useful to you."

That was exactly the sort of thing Naruto didn't want to hear. He knew well where Neji came from, and who he knew to an extent, but the intentions were definitely beyond him. However, as his brow creased her realised there was something that could be useful. "Uchiha Sasuke was looking for Uchiha Itachi." he thought, as he and Yagura reached the ground and left the temple behind. "It didn't sound like he was looking for a friendly reunion… and Kisame-sensei said something about Itachi having business and that he was probably dead… so then… that means."

From one of the buildings off to the right, one of the Hizuma Kunoichi peered out of an open door. She had a troubled look on her face; she didn't know what to do with the boxes of supplies she had been told to move. But seeing Naruto and Yagura passing by, she felt relief as she found someone she could ask. Running out, she made her way over to them, but just as she drew near she was met with a shocking performance. "AAAARGH!" Naruto yelled, grabbing his head and throwing his mouth to the sky. The girl skidded to a halt, letting out a terrified cry before turning heel and running off. Her voice drew the startled looks of Yagura and Naruto, who wondered why there was a young girl running from them.


A sound rang out, like scattered stones falling to the rocks. A bone lying on the dusty ground had been stepped on, shattering into fragments of yellow wood. The brittle land was marked with many of these forgotten relics, biological tombstones commemorating creatures of insane form and proportion. Immense ribs made the trees of this place, and brittle digits were the grass. The air was filled with a dry smell, and the wind howled foully through.

The one responsible for disrupting this abysmal resting place, was a young man dressed like some sort of priest. He wore a white shirt with one sleeve far surpassing necessity, the other not existing at all. In place of that sleeve, his entire arm was wrapped in bandages. That shirt tailed down to his ankles, covering the back of his black pants. Judging by the signs of dirt on his sandals, it had been a while since he had the opportunity to clean them.

He raised his bandaged hand, lightly brushing a strand of brown hair from his eyes. Most of that hair was tied back in a long ponytail, but there were a few threads of them still hanging down his forehead. Those strands served to frame a black marking in the centre, that of three tomoe chasing each others' tail. His eyes had no pupil, and only the vaguest hint of colour. This person was a Hyuuga, Hyuuga Neji, to be exact.

Stepping through the dust covered basin, he made his way towards the skeleton of what looked like a colossal elephant. There he could see two other figures, both of whom wore the same black cloaks adorned with red clouds. One of them was one he was not familiar with, someone whose head was obscured by giant jagged leaves that seemed like gaping jaws. The other was more familiar to him however, a man with loose red hair and a swirled orange mask that his all but his right eye.

As Neji approached, the first man disappeared, slipping into the ground like a spectre taking its leave. With that little meeting now over, he saw chance to have his own little talk while the opportunity was present. "You wouldn't have happened to see where Sasuke-kun went, did you?" he asked, coming to a stop and placing a hand to his hip. The man above looked down at him, witnessing his ever present smirk without the slightest sign of caring. "I'm a little worried he may have gone running off to Konoha; that would be quite a bother."

"I'm sure you think so." the man above replied, hopping down from the huge rib and landing almost upright on the ground below. Despite the attitudes these two people had, neither was impressed by the other. It was an unusual relationship, one based on the desire to know just what the other person's intentions really were. "Well there is no need to worry. I have sent him on a little errand to keep him occupied for now. Though I am rather curious about what the results will be."

Neji cocked a brow, watching as the enigmatic man walked on past him. Once more he was surprised at just how influential this person was, to be able to so easily send someone as reclusive as Uchiha Sasuke on a mission that he probably didn't care all that much about in the first place. But then again, if anyone had the ability to use Sasuke as the dog he was, this man was probably that very person.

"However, there is something else I am rather curious about." said the man in the orange mask, as he turned around to look at Neji once more. The Hyuuga boy flicked his brow up suggestively, welcoming whatever question this man wanted to pose to him. The man went on, regardless of Neji's reaction, though perhaps enforced by it. "In truth, Sasuke was the only one I had any interest in. The reading on the tablet aside, there isn't much I need from you. And at the same time, these past four months have gone by with little to no actions taken on your part. So pray tell, why exactly are you here?"

The two of them were a secretive pair, not ones to want to give away more than was needed of them. As such, there was zero trust to be shared between them, and just as much want for such a thing from the other. Neji however wasn't foolish enough to forget his place, and so decided that giving away a little information would be beneficial to him. "You recall the reading on that stone tablet, correct?" he asked, but like with the man he cared not for a response. "Well, that time only enforced what I already desired. It is by complete chance that one of your subordinates possesses something I take great interest in. A necklace."

The man in the orange mask lifted his head slightly, revealing an eye with a red iris and three black tomoe circling the pupil. With this eye he studied Neji's, who knew full well what was happening right now. But he made absolutely no effort to stop or hinder it, and in fact allowed the search to continue. When the man in the orange mask concluded his search, he bowed his head and hid his eye from view. "The Yasakani no Magatama." he murmured, darkness mingling with the shadows in his voice. "Orochimaru… Itachi… so you are collecting those three items then?"

Neji let out a low, inward chuckle, appreciating the intelligence of this man to great extent. Leisurely he lifted his left arm, casting it out across his chest and looking over the broad sleeve in an almost loving manner. "It's really curious, isn't it?" he asked, his tone as bemused as his expression. He paid the masked man little notice as he looked through his sleeve, knowing what was there more than that man did. "The inheritance of the Rikudou Sennin, the three sacred treasures. I had thought that it was my own desire to seek those items, yet once again it appears it was my fate to do so. Ironic, don't you agree?"

He lifted his eyes to look at the masked man, interested to see that person's reaction. Of course, that was hardly a simple task considering that this person was masked, but Neji prided himself in judging by other such factors. The man glanced off to his right for a moment, before turning his eye back to Neji with seemingly no change at all. "Ironic… perhaps more unfortunate." that man said, his red eye, the Sharingan, glinting slightly in the darkness. "If only you had asked that person four years ago, then perhaps it would be in your possession. Unfortunately though if that is what you desire, you will have to wait a while. That item will not be parted from him at this time."

With that he turned away, heading towards a cave at the side of the basin. Neji however wasn't willing to let things end in such a manner, preferring to make the scales quiver, rather than leave them on one side. "Although, it's no wonder you are moving so slowly." he said, causing the masked man to stop long enough to hear what he had to say. "After all, if you over exert yourself, you might just lose that body to its owner."

The man in the orange mask turned suddenly around, his Sharingan eye leering at Neji and losing its composure. The look of satisfaction on Neji's face only added to the anger felt by that person, fuelling his urge to erase that smirk from the conceited boy's face. But before he could utter a word, or make the slightest movement, both his and Neji's attention was torn from them, as an obstacle suddenly whirled into existence.

Before their very eyes, a dark aura rose from the ground like water flowing from a tap. That aura pooled in one place, growing quickly in a pillar that stood between the two ninja and disallowed any sight of the other person. This mass then began to spin rapidly, steaming as if intense flames burned inside of it. The steam gave way to a different form, and within moments, there stood the lady of the shadows, the woman draped in darkness. That woman with no eyes looked between Neji and the masked man, her limitless smile arcing across her face in a cold and deceitful manner. "You children are being much too slow…" she said, her voice almost singsong like as she spoke without restriction. She raised her hands to either side, casting her fingers out in an almost seductive manner. "Why don't I make you a little more playful?"

Before either of them could anticipate it, the two men were caught in that woman's spell. Both stood deadly still, their consciousness taken from them by the lady's charm. Now that they were in place, smoke slid from the woman's hands, making its slow way towards their targets. "Now that the Nehangan has awakened, I have my four children." she said, as the smoke wafted into the nostrils of Neji and under the mask of the other man. It was that man to whom the woman turned her eyes, her smile suddenly reversing as she gave a sickened look. "But you dirty old man… why won't you die already?"

With her deed done, the lady sank back into the earth as quickly as she had arrived. Merely moments after she was gone, light snapped back into the eyes of Neji and that masked man, both of whom seemed slightly surprised by their lapse of concentration. They looked at each other with confused eyes, wondering what on earth they had just been doing. With no possible answer, the two turned from each other and departed, oblivious to what their bodies had gone through.