Hey guys, sorry for not posting this yesterday. Trust me, I had already planned on doing it before midnight however... fan-fiction was not cooperating with me. I swear I spent nearly three hours trying to figure out why my document wouldn't submit. I soon found that it wasn't me, my computer or Microsoft that was the problem, it was fan-fiction. Yeah, I was pretty upset once I found out, but that's over with, now that's it working properly. (And I hope it stays that way.)

Oh, here's a head's up. For the next two weeks, I won't be able to post any new chapters. So don't expect anything until May 2 or no later than May 5. During my two week hiatus, I will be working on the next two chapters and I will post both the same day. So I will be making up for the two weeks I miss.

Please go easy on me with this chapter. I tried my best. And like I said in the chapter before, fighting scenes are not really my forte. So enjoy the chapter, don't forget to review and I will see you guys in two weeks. Thanks.

-Kazumi.

Tale of The Crimson Kitsune And The Silver Ookami

Chapter Fourteen: Former Enemies Join Forces, The Juubi's Power Revealed!

Kazumi's Point of View:

After Sai and I had secured the restraints around Natsume and Raiden, we decided to move away from the dirt path. It wasn't smart to just sit out in the open. So we gathered our things and lifted the two Mist ninja onto our shoulders to move them. Once we found a safe spot to rest, we sat them down carefully, letting them lean back against a tree. With fresh flowing water, we refilled out water bottles and took care of our injuries. I also cleaned and dressed the few injuries Natsume and Raiden had suffered during our battle. Even though Raiden and Natsume were out of it for the time being, we kept our eyes on them. Hopefully they wouldn't be a threat, but we were going to keep our guards up just in case.

"There. That outta do it." I told Sai as I tightened the bandage around the wound on his arm. "I might not be Sakura, but at least I know how to clean and dress injuries nicely."

"It's fine." Sai says as he moves his arm, testing it. "Thank you." He adds while he sends me a small genuine smile.

"You're welcome." I said, returning the smile.

I rose back to my full height and walked towards the edge of river while Sai remained seated underneath a tree that was across from where Natsume and Raiden were sitting. With my back facing them, I removed my headband and pulled down my mask to rinse off my face. After doing so, I grabbed my towel from my backpack and dried away the lingering droplets. Once finished, I quickly replaced my mask.

"So what are we going to do now?" I heard Sai ask. I looked over my left shoulder to look at him. "It would seem that our mission has been completed."

"Hmm… The way I see it, we should rest up a bit before we move out." I tell him as I pick up my Hitai-ate. "We'll wait for these two to wake up before we make any rash decisions." I added as I used my head to gesture towards the two Mist ninja.

"What exactly are we going to do with them?" he asks.

I sighed quietly, "I'm not quite sure at the moment." I tell him as I tie the two cloth strands behind my head, making sure it stays securely around my forehead. "But I think I'll have my answer once we talk to them for a bit." Sai just nods his head in understanding.

"They won't have much of a choice this time around since they're restrained." Sai points out. "So this may make things a little easier."

"Easier? Yeah, it's a possibility." I agreed. "However, I still have my doubts."

A few passing moments later, Sai and I suddenly started to hear a bit of movement. Sai glanced forward while I looked over to my right. There we saw Raiden stirring slightly. I knew it was only a matter of time before he would wake up. As I finish that thought, not even a solid minute passed before Raiden began to regain consciousness.

"Ugh. Huh? What? W-Where am I?" We heard Raiden ask himself quietly. Sai and I just kept our eyes on Raiden as we watched his eyes open slowly. Once they were, he quickly becomes aware of his surroundings.

"About time you woke up." I said quietly, catching his attention. "I thought I was careful and made sure I didn't put that much chakra into my attack."

"Huh? What…?" he says as soon as his eyes land on me. "Ugh! you!"

"Calm down. We didn't do anything to you or your friend." I assured him. He glanced to his left to see Natsume sitting beside him, still out of it. "Like I said, I simple knocked the two of you out for a little while." I told him. "And if we wanted to kill you, you would already be dead. And as you can see, you're both are very much alive."

"Then why the hell are the two of you still here? And why are we tied up?" he asks.

"Did you think we would just sit here with the two of you unrestrained?" Sai asked him. "We didn't want to give either one of you a chance to attack us."

"Not only that, but I have a few questions I want to ask you." I told him bluntly as I stood up. "So we moved you both and waited for one of you to regain consciousness so we can talk."

"Hmpf... You actually believe that I would talk to you." he says. "Well you're wrong."

"Well, I knew it wasn't going to be that easy." I said quietly to myself as I walked over towards him. "Look, we are not your enemies. Can't you see that? I don't know what you think we came here to do but we can assure that's not the case."

"Our mission is to investigate the disturbance and gather all the information we could on the matter." Sai adds. "We were given permission to eliminate whatever threat was here but we chose to only do so as a last resort."

"Even though neither one of you resorted to such, explain something to me." Raiden tells us. "Why should I trust either one of you?"

"Hmm, I see. In order for you to trust us, we'll have to prove ourselves." I say quietly. "Is that it?" Raiden nodded his head slightly. "Fine, so be it." I kneeled down beside him and began untying the ropes.

"Kazumi, what are you…?" Sai started.

"Proving to him that he can trust us." I told him. "In order for this to work, someone had to put in effort to make the first move. So I'm doing so." Once he was freed, I wrapped up the rope and set it aside.

"So you're really not here to eliminate us after all?" he asks. I simply shake my head to answer his question.

"My turn." I say as I stood up. "I can understand why you're so territorial about your clan's compound, but why are you seriously injuring ninja that come here?"

"Because… what you didn't hear was that those ninja that came before you weren't just ordinary ninja." Raiden explained. "They may have worn their village's Hitai-ate but in truth, they were nothing but imposters."

"So you assumed that we were imposters as well?" Sai asked.

"Yes, you're exactly right." Raiden says. "And because of that, we couldn't trust anyone… other than each other. So anyone we saw was already assumed as our enemy."

"Well rest assured, we are Leaf ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village." I told him in a stern tone. "That's one of many things we wouldn't lie about."

"Hmm, I can tell that you're telling the truth." Raiden tells me. "There are several signs that are given away when a person is lying. I didn't see a single one."

"It could be the fact that I'm a great liar." I told him and in return, he gives me a curious look. I couldn't help but to let out a small chuckle. "Chill out, I'm kidding. But seriously, you can trust me and you can trust Sai."

"Right." he says with a nod. "Well I have to admit, you two are pretty good. No doubt the Hidden Leaf has some very strong ninja."

"You and Natsume weren't so bad yourselves." I reply back. "Speaking of which, exactly what rank do you hold."

"Well, I still hold the rank of Genin." Raiden answers.

"Huh, is that so." I say a bit surprised. "You should be holding the rank of Chūnin."

"Yeah, I agree. I'm planning on entering the next Chūnin exams soon." He says and soon directs his attention onto Sai. "Uh, it's Sai, right?" he asks.

"Yes." Sai says quietly.

"I have to say that your fighting style is quite interesting." Raiden tells him. "I've never encountered or fought against someone who uses drawing based techniques."

"It seems you were successful in getting him to trust you, Pup." Kiyiya tells me. "It seems you can cause people to change as well."

"Yeah, but I doubt he trusts us completely right now. It's still going to take some time before he and Natsume do." I pointed out to her.

While I stood there, a strange scent suddenly sweeps pass my nose, quickly catching my attention. Someone was heading our way. I glanced around, looking for any sign of where the individual would appear. I was soon able to lock onto a chakra signature. It was being hidden, but just barely, I could still sense it. I quickly drew a kunai knife from my holster and threw it in the direction I sense the presence. Seconds after throwing the weapon, a clink noise followed. My kunai flew downward, striking the ground below. The action caused Raiden and Sai to jump to their feet in an instant.

"You might as well come on out. We all know you're there." I stated.

"It seems I underestimate you ninja." A voice stated.

We all looked into the direction we heard the voice coming from to find a man standing on a thick branch high in one of the trees. He had long, shoulder length spiky dark brown hair, black, pupil-less eyes and a fair but slightly pale complexion. He was clad in snake pattern pants, black shoes, a black Chūnin flak jacket and a purple cloth Hitai-ate, (a/n: Hitai-ate= Headband) with the Hidden Sound symbol, tied around his forehead. He also had black armbands around his wrists. He had his arms folded against his chest with his eyes narrowed, glaring down at us.

"I thought I had hidden my chakra well. But since you caught on to it, I can only assume that between the three of you, you're the sensory type." He adds as he directs his statement to me.

"You can assume all you like, but the fact of the matter is that I sensed you." I stated sternly as I kept my eyes on the new enemy. "Now then… Who are you and what do you want?" The man just looked at me.

"Heh, wouldn't you like to know." He stated. "But I can assure you that this doesn't concern either one of you Leaf ninja." He spat. He soon turned his attention onto Raiden. "However… you seem to be the one I've been sent here for."

"Just who the hell is this guy?" I thought myself. "He wears the Hitai-ate of the Hidden Sound Village, the very village Orochimaru controls. But the real question is why he's after…" I stopped myself from finishing that sentence once the thought hit me. "Of course, it so obvious…"

"You, boy…!" he says sternly as he keeps his eyes on Raiden. "You'll be coming with me!"

"Ha, over my dead body…!" Raiden quickly snaps.

"It seems to me that you didn't understand what I just said." the man says as he jumps to the ground below. "It wasn't a request. Like it or not, you're coming with me."

"I would like to see you make me." Raiden tells him. "You shouldn't underestimate me. You have no idea what I can do."

"It's not a mystery as to why you want Raiden. In fact, it's quite obvious." I said, catching the enemy's attention as I continued to stare him down. "He sent you, didn't he? And you… you're nothing more than another one of his damn experiments, a pawn."

"How dare you! I will not allow an impudent child like you; speak about my master in such a way!" The man growled. "I'm going to teach you a painful lesson! No one and I mean no one, will disrespect Lord Orochimaru and continue to live!"

"Did… did he just say Orochimaru?" I heard Raiden breathe out in shock. "So… that means… you work under that damn demon?"

"Of course I do. I'm completely loyal to Lord Orochimaru." He stated sternly. "I, Hyosuke Mazurka, will even give up my own life for my master."

"If he's in the leagues with Orochimaru, he's an enemy of the Hidden Leaf." Sai says as he draws his tantō. "Which means; we'll have to deal with him."

"I agree." I told Sai as I drew my katana. "And to think I actually thought we were done fighting for today. Well, it can't be helped. Sai, you ready?"

"Yes." He says.

"Raiden, are you…" I started but was cut off when Raiden suddenly rushes forward, aiming to attack the guy. "Raiden!" I yelled.

"I'll take care of you first! Then I'll deal with that damn snake!" Raiden yelled.

Raiden jumps into the air, aiming a punch at the one who called himself Hyosuke. But in a flash, he found his fist being caught. This surprised him, which gave Hyosuke the opportunity to attack. In one swift movement, he punched Raiden in the face, sending him flying back. He landed right in between me and Sai with a thud. I watched as Raiden slowly got back to his feet. He clenched his teeth as he wiped away a trickle of blood that exited the corner of his mouth. He was about to rush forward again but I extended my arm out to stop him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he questioned. "Get the hell out of my way!"

"You're not going to defeat him if you continue to attack him directly." I told him as I kept my eyes firmly on Hyosuke. "You need a better plan. I thought someone like you would easily see that."

"Then what you suggest? A sort of team up or something?" he asks.

"Well… if you hadn't rushed off the way you did, you would have known that that's exactly what I was suggesting." I told him. "And unless you have a better plan, now would be a good time to explain it." I added as I looked at him out the corner of my eye. "Well…? We're listening."

"Hmpf. As much as I hate to admit it, you're right." he tells me. "If I have any chance of defeating this guy, I'm going to need yours and Sai's help."

"Then it looks like we both can agree on that." I told him. "Alright you two, listen. We're going to have to figure out what his abilities are, and that includes his fighting style as well. Once we do, we can find a way to defeat him."

"Right!" Raiden and Sai state together.

"All right then. Let me go in first." I told them as I made a modified tiger sign. "Ninja Art: Shadow Clone Jutsu!" I cried out.

Three plumes of smoke appear around me. Once the smoke dissolved, three clones were standing beside me, grasping their swords as well. With that, we simultaneously lung out, rushing towards the enemy. Using my chakra for a quick burst of speed, my clones and I disappeared for a second to maneuver ourselves. We reappeared and had Hyosuke surrounded from all sides, attempting to make him go on the defensive. But just when I thought I had him, he proved me wrong.

"Wind Style: Whirlwind Blade Jutsu!" Hyosuke cried.

Before either one of my clones or I could reach him, three blades of wind suddenly appear and surround him. The sharp blades of wind struck us, cancelling out all three clones and sending me flying back in the process. I was able to land on my feet and quickly started examining my injuries. I was fortunate to come out with a few minor cuts and scrapes that weren't too serious. I turned my attention back onto Hyosuke and glared him down. Well… at least we knew he was a wind element user. And by knowing that, we could use that to our advantage. But I had to figure out a way to do it.

"Kazumi." I heard Sai say.

"I'm alright." I assured him. "That's a pretty strong wind jutsu he has. It was able to leave a couple of deep indention in my metal guards. We'll need to be cautious whenever he uses that attack."

"Okay, so we'll just have to watch out for his wind jutsu. No problem." Raiden says.

"But that one simple jutsu doesn't tell us what he's capable of." Sai points out. "He could have other jutsu at his disposal."

"Wind Style: Tempest Wave Jutsu!" Hyosuke cries out, sending a long, sharp horizontal blade of wind our way.

"Quick, scatter!" I tell them both. Raiden, Sai and I quickly sent chakra to our feet and lung ourselves into the air, avoiding the wind attack.

"Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!" I hear Hyosuke exclaim.

As the boys and I hover in the air, thick pearly-white fog rolled in. The Hidden Mist technique was by far one of the most annoying jutsu I ever had to deal with. Not being able to see no more than three feet in front of you meant you weren't able to see your opponent either, which was a challenge. And the situation only became worse because we had no idea what Hyosuke was capable of. He only showed us a few of his jutsu. There were strong and powerful. And for us to be trapped whenever he used them made it even worse. After hovering in the air for a few seconds more, we landed back on the ground.

"I have to get rid of this fog." I growled to myself. I performed the hands signs, making the bird sign last. "Wind Style: Wind Barrier…." I started.

"I don't think so." Hyosuke said.

Before I could release my jutsu, I was suddenly struck hard in my back. I cried out in pain as the force sent me flying forward. I ended up crashing into the ground, skidding in the dirt a little. Through the fog, I could hear cries of pain come from both Raiden and Sai. This was bad. If I didn't something about this fog soon, we're all going to be eliminated. I placed the palms of my hands flat on the ground and quickly picked myself up. Not wasting time, I quickly performed the hand signs as quickly as I can.

"Wind Style: Wind Barrier Jutsu!" I exclaimed.

My wind chakra quickly swirls around me as it begins to eliminate the surrounding fog. Seeing how this fog was much thicker than Raiden's, I knew I was going to have to pour more of my chakra into my own jutsu in order to eliminate it. I summoned more of my chakra, gathering it within my body. Once I had gathered enough, I instantly released it into my wind barrier. The burst of chakra caused the barrier to disperse farther out, making the fog move out as well. With the fog gone, I could see Raiden and Sai. They were both alright but were covered in cuts and scratches. I quickly rush over and stood beside them.

"Are you two alright?" I quickly ask.

"I'm fine." Sai says.

"Same here." Raiden adds. While we stood there, Hyosuke reappears and stands a few feet away from us. "What can we do to take this guy down?"

"I have an idea." I told them. "If we can make him use that wind barrier of his, Raiden… you can use your fire jutsu and use his wind to your advantage." I explain. "If we're able to pull this off, we may be able to end this battle."

"Then it would be best if we all attack him at once." Sai suggests. "With a big enough distraction, we may be able to persuade him to use that move once more."

"Yeah, I agree." I tell Sai.

"Then you two can count me in." Raiden tells us.

"Good. We could use all the help we can get." I replied. "Ninja Art: Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" I call out once more, this time causing a total of ten clones to appear.

"Water Style: Water Clone Jutsu!" Raiden calls out. With that, four water clones quickly appear beside him.

"Ninja Art: Super Beasts Scroll!" Sai exclaims as seven large lions jump out of his scroll and stand before him.

Raiden, Sai and I traded quick glances at each other for a second. Gaining a nod from them both, the three of us lunge forward. Our clones and lions were following close behind. We made sure we kept scrutinizing eyes on Hyosuke and watched his movements very carefully. Hyosuke just smirked at us as he positioned himself into his fighting stance.

"All right, kids. Time for Round Two!" Hyosuke yelled.

The clones and lions, including Raiden, Sai and myself ran forward as we aimed to strike Hyosuke. As soon as we were close enough, we began fighting with Taijutsu once again. Surprisingly, Hyosuke was dodging our attacks like they were nothing. But when we slightly picked up our pace, we were able to get in a few hits from time to time. I got one more hit in, striking his jaw hard. He didn't take a liking to that, so he decided to use his attack.

"Wind Style: Whirlwind…" Hyosuke started.

"Raiden! Sai! He's about to attack, scatter!" I warned. We quickly jumped away while our clones and beasts continued. "Raiden… NOW!"I yelled.

"Yeah, I know." He replied and began performing hand signs. "Fire Style: Burning Soul Jutsu!" Raiden yells.

"…Blade Jutsu!" Hyosuke finished.

Just as his barrier appeared, Raiden sent out a large stream of fire. Sai and I quickly got out the way, avoiding being hit with such an intense attack. Just as we did, the flames struck the blades of wind, causing it to transform into a swirling tornado of fire. Once we landed on the ground, Raiden kept his attack going. I figured I could add more fuel to the flame, making sure that our opponent was finished and was nothing left but a pile of ash.

"Wind Style: Supreme Dragon Breath Jutsu!" I exclaimed. An extremely powerful jet of wind escaped my lips and struck the fire tornado, causing it to become hotter and bigger.

Raiden and I continued to hold our attacks, keeping the tornado burning. There was no doubt in my mind that our opponent was literally burning alive inside the center of the attack. After a minute, we both stopped sending our attack forward, allowing the blaze to die out. Once the flames had been extinguished, Raiden, Sai and I did found Hyosuke standing there, injured. He was lying face down in the dirt, motionless.

"Did you… actually think… that attack of yours… would finish me?" We all snapped our heads up as soon as we hear Hyosuke speak.

"Come on! This guy should be dead! He sustained some serious damage from that fire-wind combination!" Raiden growled. "Is this guy inhuman or something?"

The three of us stood there in shock as Hyosuke rose back to his feet. As he did so, I sensed a dark and chilling presence illuminating from his as a dark purple aura engulfs his body. By now, Hyosuke was back to his feet, but he was leaning over. His arms hung limply in front of him while his head was still lowered. He slowly begins to lift his head; causing his dark brown hair to shroud his eyes. The moment I could see his eyes piercing through the shadow, my eyes widened. After a few seconds, my eyes narrowed sharply.

"You're right, Raiden, he should be." I told him in a low tone. Raiden just look in my direction. "The reason he's still alive is because he's a demon."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Raiden asks.

"Sai. You can sense it too, right?" I asked. "Not just he's aura, but his chakra has changed as well. Plus there's a chilling dark presence lingering around him."

"You're right. It changed moments after he spoke." Sai states. I nodded, agreeing with him. "That presence is one no one could ever forget when they first encounter it."

"What are you two talking about?!" Raiden asks. "Just who is this guy?"

"You were able to sense out the change of my chakra in a matter of seconds. Very impressive." Hyosuke said with a dark chuckle following after. "I expect nothing less from my little Kazumi-chan."

"I detested being called that the first time we met and I still detest it now." I growled. "And it seems that no matter where I go, you always find a way to rear that ugly head of yours." Hyosuke just released a soft chuckle.

"And there's that anger I seek." He says. "Why don't you release the restraints on your power and show me what you can really do." I just remained silent. "Very well. It seems that I'll have to force it out of you. So be it!" he adds. "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

A strong gust of wind appears, striking me, Sai and Raiden hard. The attack was powerful enough to knock all three of us back. But even after being hit with such a strong wind attack, we were able to catch ourselves. But moments after we land on our feet, we were unaware that Hyosuke/Orochimaru had created clones to come after us. The next thing we knew, we were all being held in the air by our throats. I gripped Hyosuke's arm, attempting to pry his fingers from around my throat. While he kept his grip around my neck, I could feel my remaining amount of chakra being absorbed.

"Now you have two options. One: use that power of your to save yourself and your teammates. Two: you and the others will die." He says. "Now then, make your choice." He said with a dark chuckle.

Through half open lids, I glared at Hyosuke. Or should I say, Orochimaru. I'll give him this; he was very fucking persistent when it came to something that had his interest. In fact, this type of situation would be expected of him. He was no doubt getting on my last nerve. To him, I was nothing more than a damn experiment for his enjoyment. But I knew he was doing this so one day he could control Kiyiya's power. I glanced out the corners of my eyes to look at Raiden and then towards Sai. I knew it was only a matter of time before this snake drained us all of our chakra. If I was going to get out of this and save them, I had no other choice but to summon that power. I just closed my eyes and released my grip around his arm.

"So you decided to give up instead?" I heard him ask.

I didn't even respond. I just hung there. But as I did so, my nails and canine teeth grew sharper while my hair grew slightly longer but noticeably spikier. The moment my chakra changed, I felt Hyosuke's fingers slightly loosen their grip around my neck. I soon snapped opened my eyes, revealing their liquid silver color while I sent a menacing glare at Hyosuke/Orochimaru. Once my silver wolf eyes met gold snake eyes, I raised my right hand and grabbed a hold of Hyosuke's wrist.

"You want to see what I can do? Very well then, but remember, you asked for it." I said in a guttural tone. I tightened my grip, causing him to release me completely. When I landed on my feet, I lifted my leg and kicked him in his stomach. I instantly released his wrist, allowing him to fly backwards. While he did, I formed a modified tiger sign. "Ninja Art: Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Two clones appeared behind me. As soon as the smoke cleared, they both took off. One headed over to free Sai, the other over to free Raiden. Meanwhile, I kept my eyes on Hyosuke/Orochimaru. He was picking himself up, wiping away a trickle of blood that made its way out the corner of his mouth and down along his jaw. I could see a smirk playing along his lips. Suddenly a dark chuckle erupted from his throat.

"You were able to crack a few ribs with just a single kick. That power is absolutely amazing." He says. "It will be mine."

"If you really think I'll let that happen, then you're more delusion than I thought." I growled as I clenched my hands tightly into fists.

"That's it... Get angry..." He taunted. "I know you can dish out more power than that Nine Tails brat."

"Nine Tails brat…?" I sneered. "First of all, he's name is Naruto, not Nine Tails brat." I corrected him. "And second… I do owe you for making him transform the last time we met."

With that said, I rushed forward. I drew back my fist, aiming a punch at his face. However, he was able to sidestep my attack at the last minute. So I ended up striking the tree he stood before instead. When my fist connected with the trunk, I literally pierce a hole through the bark, snapping it in two. As soon as Hyosuke/Orochimaru created some space in between us, he got on the offensive.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Wave!" he exclaims, sending blades of wind my way. I lunged right, avoiding the attack. "Got you!" I heard him yell. "Earth Style: Earth Dome Prison!" As I hovered inches above the ground, two half spheres of earth rose up, one on either side of me, and closed up, sealing me in.

"Kazumi!" Kiyiya yelled.

"I know. We need to finish this fight quickly." I told her as I started performing hand signs for my next move. While I was 'trapped', my two clones outside quickly rushed over. Seeing this, Hyosuke/Orochimaru was about to stop them. But I was able to catch him before he made a move. "Earth Style: Headhunter Entrapment!"

Just as I casted the jutsu, two hands emerge from the ground and grab Hyosuke's ankles. The hands soon turned into solid rock, keeping him in place. Before Hyosuke/Orochimaru could do something about this, a silver chain suddenly appears and wraps around his left wrist. The chain is soon pulled, causing him to extend his arm out fully. Seconds later, another chain appeared and wrapped around his right wrist, causing him to extend that arm as well. With my two clones keeping his arms extended and away from each other, he wouldn't be able to cast any jutsu. And with my earth jutsu keeping him immobile, he cannot dodge my final attack.

"What the…?" Hyosuke/Orochimaru yelled.

However, he was cut off when the earth dome explodes. I stood there, shrouded in silver chakra. My hands and feet were surrounded in chakra that was formed into paws with sharp claws, two wolf ears sat on top of my head and a single silver tail swung behind me. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, I leaned forward, extended my right arm, palm down, towards the ground while my left hand held my wrist. Within seconds, white lightning chakra covered my right hand. When I glanced up, my liquid silver eyes narrowed sharply once they landed on Hyosuke/Orochimaru.

"This will finish it." I growled. I set my hand on the ground and rushed forward, slicing through the earth as I moved. With the power of my attack, as well as my tailed beast chakra, I was moving with incredible speed. Before long I was right in front of Hyosuke/Orochimaru. "Tailed Beast Art: Ultimate White Lightning Blade!" I exclaimed as I thrust my arm forward.

My charged lightning blade stabbed him dead in the chest, piercing him through the heart in the process. With my hand still lodge in his chest, I turned my head slightly so that my eyes met his. As I sent him a piercing defiant stare, I found him returning the same look. But this time around, I didn't look away. I stood my ground and kept glaring. I was going to prove to this snake that he no longer intimidated me like he did before.

"If you come after me, I promise that it would be you in this position instead of one of your damn pawns." I growled. The response I received was Orochimaru's evil laughter.

"As I thought, there's no doubt I'll need the Sharingan to tame that beast inside of you." Orochimaru stated. I just sent a sharper glare his way. Neither Kiyiya nor myself appreciated what he just called us. "However, I'm sad to say that time's up for today. But rest assured, my Kazumi-chan, we will meet again."

"Why you…" I growled. As I continued to stare him down, I noticed Hyosuke's eyes had changed, returning back to their natural pupil-less orbs of black.

"It… it seems that… I wasn't able to complete my mission." Hyosuke strained out in a quiet voice. "Pathetic. Being taken down… by a bunch… of… children. Forgive me….. Lord… Orochi….maru"

I continued to glare at Hyosuke while my blood began to boil over, "He's still loyal to that monster, even after what just happened." I thought to myself. "Unbelievable…"

While I stood there, I stopped my chakra flow, cancelling my attack. Just as I was about to remove my arm, I spotted an explosive tag spark to life inside Hyosuke's vest. Acting quickly, I pull my hand from his chest and kicked him back. Hyosuke's body flew away from me and the others and hits to the ground with a solid thud. Seconds later, the explosive tag explodes and Hyosuke's body engulfs into purple flames. The flames burned the body quickly, not leaving anything behind. There was no doubt that this was some kind of defense mechanism created by either Orochimaru or Kabuto. They definitely didn't want anyone to figure out where they were. So of course destroying the body made sense.

"I swear… next time, it will be that demon." I thought to Kiyiya. "But I hope this message makes him think twice about messing with us."

"I doubt it, Pup. We both know how persistent he is." Kiyiya points out. "For all we know, this probably incited him instead."

"Whether our message frightens him (which I doubt as well) or incites him, the fact of the matter is that he no longer frightens me." I tell her. Before long, Hyosuke's body had vanished. There wasn't even a hint of his ashes left. "Yeah. They're definitely didn't want to take any chances." I thought.

Once I knew that the fight was over, I finally calmed myself down. I allowed my chakra to dissipate and return back into the seal. My eyes changed back to their slate grey color, my nails and canines returned back to normal and my hair lost its spiky style. As soon as the adrenaline rush had vanished, a wave of exhaustion took its place, causing me to fall to my knees. I just sat there, trying to catch my breath once more.

"Kazumi!" I heard Sai yell. In a matter of seconds, I found him kneeling beside me. "Hey, are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm okay, Sai. I just used too much of my chakra, so I'm just suffering from exhaustion." I told him.

"So I'm guessing that all that power came from that demon you have sealed inside of you?" I heard Raiden ask as he walked towards us.

"Sort of, but it's a bit more… well… complicated to explain, Raiden." I answered in between breaths. "Anyway… You better go check on Natsume and make sure she's alright." I told him. He nods in agreement and proceeds to move. After a minute, I got back to my feet.

"So you're just like Naruto?" I heard Sai ask as he rose back to his full height. "I mean, you have a demon inside you as well." He whispered.

I released a soft sigh, "Yes, that's right. Just like Naruto, I'm a Jinchuriki." I told him. "But listen, Sai. Not everyone knows about this. So can I trust you not to say a word?"

"Sure. You can trust me." He says, smiling. "After all, that's what friends are for, right?"

"Right." I said with a nod.

With the conversation over, we proceeded to head over to where Raiden and Natsume were sitting. After taking a few steps forward, I found my vision going in and out of focus. It was bad enough that my entire body was in pain, but now everything felt heavy. This was a feeling I knew all too well. The first time this happened, I immediately passed out. So the fact that I was still conscious showed how far I've come when I first started my training to master Kiyiya's power. But even with all the training, I still had quite a ways to go.

"Hey." I heard. I glanced up to see Raiden. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm just exhausted." I told him. The next thing I knew, I was losing my balance. "D… Damn it." I strained out as I started falling backwards, losing consciousness.

"Kazumi…!" I heard Sai yell.

"Huh? Hey, Kazumi!" I heard Raiden yell soon after. I heard them calling out my name once more as everything around me went black and quiet.

Unknown Location, Normal Point of View:

Within a dark room, a single candle was seen burning on the only table that sat inside the room. The flame suddenly starts to flicker violently and changes from yellow to purple. As the purple flame continued to burn, a certain individual was standing inside the room, watching this happening. Within seconds that the flame turned purple, it soon went out. The individual just narrowed their eyes slightly at the candle before them.

"Hmm. It seems that the end of Hyosuke Mazurka." Kabuto said quietly to himself. "But I don't think the target eliminated him. It had to be someone else." After exiting the room, Kabuto quietly walked down the long corridor before entering another room. "Lord Orochimaru. I have some news about Hyosuke."

"I already aware of the situation, Kabuto." Orochimaru stated before Kabuto could continue. "Hyosuke was defeated.

"Unfortunately, yes." Kabuto said. "But… I don't think Hyosuke was defeated by your primary target. I believe that someone else was there and helped to take him down."

"Yes and you're absolutely right." Orochimaru stated. "I fought her and stared her dead in the eyes, thanks to the link I created with Hyosuke. It would seem that my little Kazumi is getting stronger."He thought as he laughed evilly within his own mind.

"What would you like for me to do?" Kabuto asks.

"There's no need for you to do anything." Orochimaru answered. "Hyosuke was simply a guinea pig, nothing more. In fact, he was able to provide me with some very interesting and very useful information."

"Which would be?" Kabuto asked.

"He was only sent to the Land of Waves to retrieve the Honoka boy. It was just pure luck that he encountered Kazumi there." Orochimaru explained. "She's, along with that character, Sai, were the ones who helped him defeat Hyosuke. But, even though I lost him, he gave me an idea of how strong she is."

"I see." Kabuto said quietly. "Would you like for me to send another one of your experiments out. Maybe the next one can go finish the job Hyosuke started."

"Like I said, there's no need." The snake stated once more. "However, I want you to make sure that Sasuke finishes his training for today. Please let him know that. Right now, he is the one that will have my undivided attention."

"Of course, Lord Orochimaru." Kabuto said. He bows and quietly leaves the room, closing the door behind him.

"Hmm. The girl isn't the problem here. It's that damn beast I'm worried about the most. Who would have ever thought that she would be a suitable host?" Orochimaru thought to himself. "But of course once I have her DNA, and the Sharingan, that beast will be under my control."

Several hours later, Kazumi's Point of View:

When I regained consciousness, I opened my eyes to find everything blurry. But once my vision focused, I found myself looking up to see the clear blue sky peeping through the trees, telling me that it was still daylight. That's when I realized I was lying on the ground. I glance downward to see a small campfire burning. The only sound that could be heard was the fire crackling from the pit. When I moved, the pain from before reappeared but it was slightly better. Carefully and slowly I sat up, removing the blanket that covered me. As I did so, the events that occurred, which I guessed happened an hour or so ago, came flooding back.

"That's right. I blacked out because of my recent use of Kiyiya's chakra." I thought to myself as I recalled the recent events.

"Well… What did you expect to happen in the condition you were in?" I heard Kiyiya ask. "For the record, it wouldn't have been as bad as it was if you had more of your own chakra in your system."

"Well it's all thanks to that damn snake for nearly absorbing all the remaining chakra I had left." I pointed out. "But… at least the fight's over."

"Yeah, for now at least." she tells me. "So we may have a chance to focus more on your training. That's if nothing else comes up."

"But you and I both know that life has a sick way of throwing a curveball straight into our plans." I thought tiredly. "So we can only hope it doesn't."

"Hmm? Oh, you're awake."I heard. I looked over to my left to see Sai. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm not gonna lie. I'm still a bit sore and exhausted." I told him. "But I can't complain. This is what's expected for using that power, especially with my chakra at such a low point." I explained as I shifted into a comfortable position.

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised to hear that." He adds. "Didn't you say Naruto was in the same condition when he used his demon's power?"

"Yeah, I did. But remember, his transformation was slightly different from my own." I reminded him. "But nonetheless, we both can suffer from the same effects."

"I see." Sai says quietly.

"Ah, so you're finally awake." I heard Raiden say. I glanced to my right to see him and Natsume walking towards us.

"Yep, I'm awake." I told him and soon set my eyes on Natsume. "She's not going to attack me or anything, is she?" I asked with a cautious look.

"No, she won't. While you were out, I explained everything to her once she'd regained consciousness." Raiden explains. "So… we're all cool."

"That may be, but I still owe her one for shocking me." Natsume tells him.

"Which means I should keep an eye on you." I told her. I heard her scoff under her breath before she turns around to walk away. "Yep. I can see its going to really take some time before she can trust us."

"No, she trusts you." Raiden assures me. "She just doesn't trust you as much as I do."

"Well that makes me feel much better." I stated with sarcasm. Raiden just shakes his head. "Uh by the way…. Where are we anyway?" I ask.

"We're near the old compound of the Honoka Clan." Raiden answers. "We moved you here so we could take care of your injuries, as well as Sai's and my own." He explained. I soon glanced down to find my right hand and wrist wrapped. "You've been out for awhile."

"Yeah, I can see that. And it definitely feels like I've been out too." I tell her.

"Well, if you rest enough, you'll be fine in no time." he points out.

"You're right. And uh, thanks for your help." I tell him.

"Don't mention it." He replies. He soon turns and makes his way towards Natsume.

"Sai, I want to thank you as well." I told him.

"Don't mention it." He assures me.

I nodded and sighed quietly and directed my attention on my bandaged hand, "Well… this day has been quite eventful. Wouldn't you agree Sai?" I asked.

"Yes. Indeed it has, Sparky." He tells me as he sends me a small smile.

With my head still lowered, I looked at him through half opened lids, "Sai, in all seriousness. Get rid of that damn nickname. I mean it." I told him. He just looked at me with a smile still printed on his face.