Naruto: The Leaves Have Shadows

Chapter 11

I do not own Naruto

Previously:

Careful to avoid the younger Uchiha eyes he pushed him back, then did a backflip and dropped a seal tag near Sasuke's feet. A second later it detonated causing a section of the roof to cave in separating the two leaf ninjas.

Each leaf ninja used whatever means available to save the civilians from harm. For Shino his bugs ate through the slabs of concrete before they could hit.

"Thank you Shinobi-san," a civilian said in an oddly monotone voice to Shino. As more and more civilians began to invade his personal space Shino felt something akin to danger.

"Please back away and get to a safe place now. This area is dangerous," he ordered to no avail. His insects began to vibrate madly as they sensed a foreign chakra emanating from the people. Looking closer he found their eyes glassy and devoid of emotion.

"Oh we will ninja, when you die!" one yelled abruptly switching from a passive state to an almost berserker rage. Quite suddenly he found himself under attack from multiple angles by people moving much faster than one would expect from civilians, a green aura surrounding each of them. 'I do believe they have accessed the 8 gates somehow. How…unexpected,' he thought as he scrambled to defend himself.

Sasuke simply used a small version of his chibaku tensensi to pull the concrete together. Unfortunately this was a distraction. The attacker zeroed in on Sasuke seemingly coming from the shadows beneath him and impaling him before he could form his susanoo. The last thing he saw was a pair of sharingan then the world went blank.

The world gradually regained color for Sasuke. Immediately he noted that he felt no pain from the sword wound. The second thing he noted was that he was standing in a room that looked similar to Itachi's genjutsu world.

"Oh I see. This is genjutsu triggered by killing intent, a strong one at that. You may as well show yourself before I forcibly break through this." Forming from the nearby shadows Kentaro appeared.

"Well, I must say your visual prowess is most impressive. You instinctively dispelled part of the genjutsu before it took root. This is so troublesome by the way," he said causing Sasuke to raise an eyebrow.

"What is your game? What do you want?" he asked as a wind blew across the black and red land. His opponent paused for a moment, taking time to gather his thoughts.

"I come looking for a deal. I have some information you may like."

Meanwhile Shino frantically dodged the civilians while sending his bugs to drain them of chakra. It was proving to be difficult seeing as a side effect of the 8 gates an aura of energy repelled the majority of his bugs before they could take root. Slipping past a wildly thrown punch Shino grabbed said arm and threw him into another civilian at the same time forcibly injected him with a few bugs. Within a few seconds the gates closed and he was rendered unconscious. Seeking to keep his defense non-lethal Shino jumped and dropped a few knockout gas bombs in the oncoming crowd.

At least ten on comers were knocked out by that maneuver, however moving at high chunin speeds some of the more hardy people blew past said cloud. Blocking a strike from one, then rolling away from a steel pipe wielded by another Shino took stock of his situation.

'It looks as though whoever is controlling them has activated at least 4 of the 8 gates. Some are able to move at low jonin speeds, and most are moving at mid to high chunin levels. Fortunately they are not using jutsu. Unfortunately there are about 20 left.' A cry of "Shino-kun, duck!" forced him out of his calculations even as he casually backhanded an attacker allowing his winged warriors to devour a portion of his chakra. Taking the voice's advice he ducked having a pretty good idea what was coming.

Byakugan active Hinata summoned her bow and arrow in mid stride and fired. "Juken: Kage arrow no jutsu!" Even from this distance her powerful eyes were able to pick out the tenketsu most needed for the 8 gates with frightening accuracy. Channeling her chakra throw her arrows she struck the points on ten attackers, landing non-lethal blows. Her arrows, dipped in a paralytic poison, served as a means of subduing them without too much harm. In a blur of speed bordering on ANBU level she swiftly incapacitated the remaining foes before turning her sights on Sasuke and his opponent.

Genjutsu World

"Go on I'm listening," Sasuke said preparing to break the genjutsu at a moment's notice.

"I'll be brief seeing as we don't have much time. This individual Sago is well for lack of a better word, a puppet. He is an incredibly powerful, dangerously unstable ninja, but still a puppet. There are forces; powerful forces that make Kaguya seem like a walk in the park. Not strictly with power per se, but intelligence and will. I know because I have seen them. I have interacted with them." At this Sasuke's mind took him back to that booming voice and that hand that crushed his attack.

"Judging by your face you've caught a glimpse of them too. Listen I'm an Uchiha and a Nara by blood. I wept when I got word of the clans' slaughter. My father never confirmed it but I caught word of the unrest before I was sent away. After I got the news I turned my back of the Leaf. I even went so far as to plot revenge on the ones who did so. Funny how that worked out, you killing Itachi and Danzo before me, but still I hated that village."

"Hn, that's all well and good but you are not giving me any reason why I should just end you here and now," Sasuke said eyes shifting into his Eternal Mangekyo form.

"Simple I want a home again. I loved my mother and I loved my clans. I can't let the Elementals do what they plan. I won't let it happen!"

Taking over the genjutsu Sasuke began to manipulate the time constraints giving the clan members a bit more time to speak, a detail that wasn't lost on Kentaro

."Tell me everything," the young warrior demanded.

Taking a deep breath Kentaro began, "Well its slavery, simple and plain…"

Real World

Disengaging from each other Kentaro and Sasuke both jumped back eyes spinning. Swiftly Kentaro threw a smoke bomb and made his escape sinking into the shadows. "Are you alright Sasuke?" Hinata asked. Nodding Sasuke took in the damage done to the building from the brief battle.

"Come on we have to hurry. Darui's group is headed into a trap." Not waiting for a reply Sasuke sprinted off into the mountains hoping to find the Cloud ninja before it was too late. Shino and Hinata took off after, not waiting g to be left behind, besides there were some questions that needed to be answered.

Darui's group

Darui was starting to get a bad feeling. It was the type of feeling he had right before the Gold and Silver brothers appeared. A short while back they had lost communications with the Leaf ninja. Omoi figured it was due to the mountain range interfering with the signal. Normally it wouldn't be a problem, seeing as they were scheduled to rendezvous shortly, but the feeling of trouble kept gnawing at him.

"Everyone stay sharp. I'm getting a bad feeling. In fact we are going to do some very light recon on that structure up head and then double time it back to the spot. We can pick up the search in the morning," Darui ordered.

Picking up speed the trio soon made it said structure. It turned out to be a massive train hub. This land was known to be very technologically savvy and as such boasted many trains. Currently the three Cloud ninja were infiltrating the hub taking care to avoid the guards stationed there.

"Hey do these guys seem a little odd?" Karui commented.

"Yeah, now that you mention it they are moving strangely, zombie like actually," Darui replied automatically going through the possibilities in his mind. From their hidden position he signaled that they should only speak in sign language for now.

"Ok, listen up; it's pretty obvious we are going to end up fighting these guys at some point. Keep it light and stay hidden for as long as possible. When engaging use taijutsu and weapons only, any ninjutsu or genjutsu will be absorbed by that armor they wear. Keep it non-lethal if at all possible. I'm pretty certain they were entrapped in this jutsu beforehand." Taking a moment to consult the blueprint they stole Darui made a decision.

"Our mission is to find the jutsu caster and break this hold. Chances are this person is a member of the Red Sun, got it?" Both members of the team signed affirmative. Moving as one the team continued the infiltration avoiding most guards and taking out others with minimum fuss. As they went deeper in the compound a tense feeling came over them all.

Entering a massive room filled with computer screens, large cylinders filled with children floating in a green liquid. In the center there was a massive circular structure surrounded by what looked to be a seal array. They couldn't help but feel revulsion at the amount experimentation taking place. Suddenly a voice came over the loud speaker accompanied by a spotlight starling the ninjas.

"So good of you to join us, I trust you find my facility to your liking?" Silence reigned as the workers sluggishly turned towards the ninjas' position. The Cloud ninja tensed, ready to engage at a moment's notice. Darui noticed something felt off about this whole scene, so remembering the rather potent genjutsu abilities of the lady fighter he performed a release on a hunch flaring his chakra wide enough that it disrupted his comrades own systems, It turned out to be a lifesaver.

No less than 6 guards were approaching them at rapid speeds, gauntlets preparing to fire ninja wire to subdue. Acting quickly each ninja pulled out their respective swords and slashed the projectiles before leaping into action. Karui went right; Omomi went left while Darui shot forward into the middle engaging the possessed guards. Ducking a wild swing Darui slapped the flat of his blade into the man stomach knocking him back a few steps before following up with a strike with his handle to the face. Twirling his blade behind him he met a few kunai launched from a gauntlet sending them ricocheting back from whence it came.

Omoi hopping and spinning maneuvered himself between two guards swept one off his feet then smashed the hilt of the famous Kiba down on his forehead. In a very swift movement he then brought his arms up in a block pushing upwards knocking the other one back, where a shadow clone kicked him in the head taking him out.

Karui opting for a more "subtle" approach simply attached a low yield explosive note her opponent's armor effectively knocking her opponent unconscious. It was all for naught as more guards poured out, some brandishing weapons, and all wearing chakra armor. Slowly but surely they began to lose ground. It was getting to the point where Darui was tempted to release the restriction on non-lethal attacks just to even the playing field.

Ducking under a left jab he punched an attacker in the knee, snapping the joint. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a woman with dark hair, tight black ninja pants and a dark red jacket that stopped at her lower ribs. She also wore a black mesh armor shirt that showed off her toned stomach. As quickly as she appeared she vanished from his sight but it was enough. 'So you are here huh? This just gets better and better.' Looking around at his team he noted that while they were definitely getting the better of the foes, they were beginning to tire…and more and more guards kept streaming in. It was curious though, they didn't use any large scale attacks, perhaps in fear of damaging the equipment which gave Darui an idea.

Creating a shadow clone to engage the attackers he leapt high above them and began to flow through hand seals before activating his kekkei genkai, the storm release. Lightning shot from his hands the streaked towards the massive computers destroying it instantly. Immediately alarms rand throughout the buildings and their attackers stopped diverting their attention to containing the fire an salvaging the equipment. 'It was risky but it definitely paid off. Now to beat a hasty retreat,' he thought.

"Karui, Omoi, let's go!" Nodding, the two aforementioned ninjas quickly dashed after their commander escaping amidst the confusion. Upon entering a room seeking an exit a feeling of foreign chakra went through them. Suddenly a barrier sprang up at all entrance/exit ports. The temperature increased significantly and a gas began to seep into the room. As one the three ninja pulled on gas masks designed to filter the air. The only issue being the protection would only last 4 hours. This mission decidedly had turned into a drag.

Uzumaki Temple

Naruto sat cross legged meditating in an empty dojo. For some reason recently he had the urge to still his mind, body and spirit at a higher rate than in the past. At first he thought it was an urge to hone is sage mode skills further. But recently it was as if something was shifting inside of him, something he could feel in essence. Truth be told he was strong, stronger than when he faced Kayguya by far. However try as he might he couldn't access the sage of 6 paths chakra or the chakra given to him by the bijuu. It frustrated him that Sasuke retained his powers and he yet again had fallen behind. Granted in terms of overall skill he was stronger than in the past but not as strong as he could be.

Still his mind he delved deep into his mindscape bypassing the normal sewer turned cave into that realm only a jinchuriki and host can dwell, the place where all the bijuu can communicate. Nothing greeted him, only the huge fox.

"Naruto, what are trying to accomplish? They will come when they are ready," Kurama said.

"I know but I have to try. I just feel as though we should all talk again. It's been years and I just can't shake this feeling that they will be needed soon. Also they deserve to know about Sago," the blond one replied. Kurama could help but agree with. Sighing he resigned himself do some digging on his own.

"You're right about that and we will tell them. But anyways you should go, someone approaches," the fox warned. Coming back to the world of the living just in time to see the current Uzumaki clan head enter, Naruto was taken aback at the serious demeanor he displayed.

"Old man Ashina, what's up?" Naruto questioned the wizened leader. Taking a seat Ashina marveled at the young jinchuriki. 'He certainly has come a long way in these last few months. I wonder how he will take what I have to reveal to him. I fear what our ancestor foresaw is upon us now. Naruto, for all our sakes I do hope you are ready.'

"Well Naruto my boy our time draws near and such there are few things I have to impart to you." Naruto raised an eyebrow at this.

Ashina then continued, "What do you know of the Uzumaki kekkei genkai?" Furrowing his brows in thought Naruto scanned his memory.

"As far as I know we don't have one. Everyone thinks that our chains are one but it's not. It's simply a yin-yang release. Our advanced healing rate, large chakra pools and longevity aren't one either. They are blessings from the 6 paths DNA," he answered rather confused earning a smile from the leader.

"Ah yes, very good recall. However you are mistaken, we do have a kekkei genkai, a rare one in fact. According to our records only 3 members have ever attained it. This is simply because of the conditions that need to be met." Seeing Naruto about to interrupt he held up a hand stemming any questions. "First condition: The mother must be an Uzumaki. The 2nd: Senju DNA must be present in large quantities as in a father or close cousin. The 3rd: is one must be a master of sage mode able to passively draw nature energy. When these three conditions are met the latent chakra and DNA of our forefathers, The Otsutsuki, may or may not be activated.

Naruto took all this in for a moment his mind already turning to the implications. "I see. So you think that I will awaken this… uhmm what it is called?"

"It's called the Shizengan(Nature's Eye) and yes my boy I suspect you will. Tell me Naruto, since you have placed that seal that enables you to passively draw nature energy, which by the way most senjutsu users cannot handle, has anything strange occurred when entering sage mode?" Narrowing his eyes Naruto thought back to a recent training session.

Flashback 1 month prior

Scanning the area Naruto noted that all 15 opponents had hidden themselves well. The Uzumaki in preparation for their release had long ago developed alternative ways to train for ninja contact. Through the use of seals and basic puppetry gleaned from confrontation with Suna ninjas they have developed training puppets. Of course being Uzumaki these puppets were a bit more than the average training dolls. The seals placed on them animated and allowed them semi-conscious thought based on the activators wishes. It also allowed them to wield ninjutsu. Truly this could be a terrifying weapon if wielded on the battlefield.

At the moment Naruto faced off against 15 opponents grouped in 3 teams of 4 and 1 team of 3. The levels of the opponents varied from chunin to special Jonin. Taking advantage of the lull in the action he decided to go into sage mode. Gradually nature energy flooded his system granting the ability to fully sense the various chakras around him. In addition if he concentrated hard enough he formed a map of the various structures by sensing the energy inherent in all things, then feeling the shapes they formed, that combined with a visual memory formed a surprisingly accurate image in his mind's eye.

Quite suddenly a spike in chakra came from his left about 50 feet away. Almost instinctively he knew it was a katon jutsu despite the fact no jutsu named was called out, forming his hand seals he countered with a perfectly timed mud wall. Creating clone that hid underground he jumped on top of what was left of the wall and performed one of Jiraya's signature jutsus', the needle jizo, as kunai and shuriken rained down on him from multiple directions. His hair, as hard as steel, enabled him to weather the storm of weapons as he planned his next movements. Flaring his chakra he sent out waves of hardened hair needles at his foes keeping some pinned down while others were forced to scramble to cover. Just then several bursts of chakra alerted him to a counter attack. As before he just knew they were firing katon jutsu. Dropping the jutsu and reaching into his pouch he grabbed a scroll pumped chakra into and threw it into the air. One second later water fell from the heavens canceling out the medium sized fire balls sent is way.

Not one to waste time he created 3 shadow clones then fired 3 special kunai towards their position. Instantly his clones were there battling with the training puppets, each bearing a massive rasengan that managed to wipe out at least half of each team. Swiftly turning he caught the hands of a puppet that tried to sneak upon him; by the speed of the attack he judged it to be a Jonin level puppet. He dispatched it with a senjustu enhanced kick tearing its chest open. The clone that slipped underground resurfaced and detonated as two opponents sped towards his position. Teleporting to a nearby kunai he engaged the rest personally. Within 10 seconds the rest of the puppets were destroyed by the constantly teleporting sage. Seeing as his training partners were inoperable he called it a day.

Present time

"Well now that you mention it, even if I don't see a jutsu fired I can tell what nature it is. It happens right as I feel the chakra flare."

"I see. Yes, that is one of the abilities of the Shizengan as documented by the previous wielders. In time with training it was said they could tell the chakra nature affinities of a ninja just by a glance." At that Naruto's eyebrow went up.

"Oi, Naruto I sincerely hope you awaken this abilty. Finally something to crush the Uchiha's eyes," Kurama chimed in quite nastily. Naruto chose not to comment and turned his attention back Ashina causing the fox to grumble about ungrateful brats.

"In any case, here are what little history we have on these dojutusu. Also I have given you some scrolls on the early Uzumaki, Senju, Uchiha and Otsutsuki and the link between. I hope it will be of use to you my boy," the aged leader said before taking his leave.

"Thank you old man, I will do my best." As Ashina left Naruto had the thought that this could be just the thing he needed to even the playing field. Not having that 6 paths mode put everyone in danger from foes like Madara and Kayuga. 'Well I have precious little time, I'd best figure out how to activate this thing,' he thought.

Train Hub- Land of spring (Snow)

Standing in front of the train hub Sasuke swore. With his doujutsu active he spotted the telltale mark of a barrier. And from the looks of it, it was a strong one. On the other side of him Hinata had her own eyes fully active. Her once weak eyes easily picked up Darui's team inside a room filling with gas, and judging by the chakra surrounding it there was also a barrier in place. In addition the guards walking around chakra networks signaled genjutsu or some sort of mind control at work.

Continuing to analyze the barrier Sasuke noted certain points that were quite weak. It was almost as if someone provided a backdoor of sorts. 'Hmm, it seems as if he is keeping his word. However I must be careful. This could be a ploy designed to get me to lower my guard.' were Sasuke's thoughts.

"Shino can you direct your insects towards these points? I believe if we drain them at the same time we can circumvent this barrier," he asked his companion. As Shino complied they were unaware that they were being watched. From a chamber on the top floor Lady Yuki and Kentaro watched via video monitors as the Leaf ninja passed through the barrier and made their way into the structure.

"As you requested I have lead the Hyuga here and delayed them a bit. I trust the Cloud Ninja have been dealt with?"

"Yes. Although they have donned masks, for the moment they are out of the fight. Keep an eye on them though, I don't want them interfering."

"As you wish, I am curious though, how come you didn't have Lady Rei use her corrosive gas on them? It would be far easier to just get rid of them," he probed. At this Yuki gave a sly smile.

"Oh, it seems you have not been informed of all the details of the master plan. Well simply put, the energy gathered from high level ninja expending charka, particularly elemental chakra is of a higher quality than these poor saps we usually abduct," she answered surprisingly forthright.

"I see. Well, I will head towards the Cloud ninja just in case they break out. We wouldn't want them to interfere." Distractedly Lady Yuki nodded, not really acknowledging him as he disappeared into the shadows, her mind already on her prey. 'Now, little girl, show me want you can do,' she thought watching her and her team as they entered the hub.

Each leaf ninja looked grim as they took in the amount of damage caused by land of lightning's Shinobi during the brief scuffle. Byakugan active Hinata lead them through the various corridors quickly only pausing when they needed to pick a lock or blow a wall apart. Amazingly they managed to avoid patrols for the most part until they came to a room right before Darui's team. Suddenly a barrier sprung up around the room and a few dozen guards entered from outside the barrier. Along with them Lady Rei strode into the room gauntlets active. From the control room Lady Yuki activated the second part of her jutsu.

Bright green auras sprung around all the guards as they rushed as one seeking to overwhelm the ninja. Sasuke was not as gentle as his Cloud ninja counterpart, disabling his foes by far more brutal means. As his sword sliced off a guards arm Hinata looked at him reproachfully.

"Sasuke, please refrain from injuring them permanently. You know as well I know they are being controlled by another," she told him sternly as she slipped underneath a wild punch and delivered a palm thrust to his face. It had the effect of knocking the person unconscious due to a special salve on her gloves. Understanding that she could not use her normal strikes she opted for a simple solution: anesthetics. In her time with Anko Hinata has become quite proficient with poisons and other means to incapacitate foes.

"My priority is keeping us alive and completing the mission. Their armor makes it difficult to take them down without seriously harming them," he replied. Taking his aggression down a notch he became a blur of movement as he sent the kunai fired at him back at his attackers. Most bounced off of their armor but a few pierced arms and legs effectively taken them out of the fight.

Shino on the other stayed clear of the conflict preferring to observe the ninja that entered while sending his insects as support for his teammates. 'According to the reports this is the one they call Lady Rei, a former Hidden rain ninja. Her strengths lay in poison, taijutsu and area genjutsu. Her Ninjutsu is sufficient to cause problems if not watched, best to engage from a distance until Hinata and Sasuke are free. After all she was able to severely hamper the Raikage.

Letting his companions out of his cloak Shino also peppered the air with kunai all of which were blocked or dodged by Lady Rei. Jumping and sticking to the ceiling Shino unfurled a large scroll and pushed chakra into it while some bugs sought to take her flank. Lady Rei's eyes narrowed as a multitude of swords and axes came flying out of Shino's scroll honing in on her position.

Weaving in and out of the line of fire she almost fell prey to his trap but switched places with an unconscious worker leaving him in her place as the bugs tried to feast on her chakra. With incredible speed she appeared next Shino on the ceiling and swung her gauntlet at him. Leaning backwards he retaliated with a swipe of a kunai. Back and forth they went trading kicks, punches and weapon blows until Rei feinted left then went right sinking her fingers into his chest.

"You're finished!" she exclaimed only to curse as he burst into a cloud of insects' intent on devouring her chakra. Grabbing an explosive tag she tossed it at the clone and dropped back down to the floor performing hands seals at the same time. "Futon: Vacuum slice!" Breathing out a razor sharp line of wind she targeted Shino as he leapt to and fro. Changing tactics suddenly Shino used the body flicker and appeared next to her attacking with a palm thrust hoping to plant a bug on her. Countering before he could touch her she spat a small needle from her mouth which struck him in the shoulder, then dropped down and swept his legs out from underneath him. Flowing with the contact he flipped sideways, at the same time palming a flash tag. As he regained his feet he dropped the tag and lashed out with a kick.

Leaning backward, she was forced to roll a few times dodging wave after wave of bugs swarming her position. As she got back to her feet she was blinded briefly by the tag going off. Thinking quickly she surged wind chakra around her body in a forceful manner pushing away the wave of insects homing in on her position. Creating a clone she back tracked allowing her duplicate to engage the leaf ninja while she got her sight back. 'Hmm, it seems as though Kentaro was correct. He is extremely skilled. Well then I suppose it wouldn't do to hold back too much,' she thought with a smirk.

"Suiton: Hidden mist jutsu." Using the moisture in the air she created a dense fog obscuring the vision of all. "Now little bug the real fun begins. Oh and if you think that your precious bugs will help you, be prepared to be greatly disappointed," she said her voice fading completely. Making his bugs go silent he pulled out his sword and waited. 'Hinata, Sasuke this would be a great time to help,' he thought not daring to speak aloud.

Seeing their vision effectively hampered Sasuke and Hinata couldn't help but curse mentally. Luckily they managed to take down all foes except for Lady Rei. Each ninja became a highly tuned antenna searching for the slightest hint of movement. Hinata began to weave signs for a counter while Sasuke debated whether or not to simply use a Shinra Tensei to push the fog completely away. He was just about to active his preta path to drain the chakra in his immediate area away when Hinata's hand grabbed his and squeezed a message telling him to wait.

"Suiton: Eye of the world," she intoned mentally. Suddenly Hinata could feel all the living beings in the room. What little her eyes could see only added to her perception. Zeroing in the source of the chakra in the mist she sprinted silently intent on stopping her attack on Shino's position. It turned out to be just in time.

Launching a kunai at Rei's hand as it bore down seeking to spear Shino's chest, she effectively bought him enough time to jump backwards out of the way. A spilt second later Hinata was on Lady Rei, juken aimed at her throat. Though she could not see her chakra points in the mist her Gentle Fist was still a threat if it landed. Batting her hand away the Red sun operative immediately countered with two swift strikes, both of which were dodged. Back and forth they went hidden from sight, only discernible by the sounds of metal on metal and flesh hitting flesh. Taking advantage of the bug he placed on his squad mate long ago Shino sent his winged friends as support, seeking to flank the woman warrior.

Promptly fading back into the mist Lady Rei prepared a jutsu only to cut off by a powerful streamof water sent her direction. 'Oh? It appears she is a water user as well.' Switching tactics, she caught the stream and redirected back towards the leaf ninja, then braced herself as she felt a massive wave of power throw her into a wall. Sasuke just entered the fray in earnest.
"Enough of this, we don't have time to waste on her," he said his voice cold and ripping with power.

"Speak for yourself little boy. I wasn't quite done playing, but if you insist I will oblige you," she replied blood dripping from her mouth. Forming a seal she smirked then watched the screams of Shino as he dropped to one knee. Sasuke and Hinata could only look on in horror as the stoic ninja began to shake and convulse, the deafening sound of his hive making the scene all the more terrifying.

"Now do you understand? Your time as you say is under my jurisdiction," Lady Rei said cold as can be.

A/N: Yo. Hope you all like the chapter. Thank you to all who have reviewed and followed. It really means a lot. The battle is just heating up. Next time: Shino's fate, Darui's fate. Also we may see a glimpse of Hannabi- What has she been up too all this time? Till next time, peace and blessings, as always read, review, and follow.