Seibyo POV
It had been about two months since Tsubaki arrived. She recovered swiftly and easily joined our little group. She spent most of her time around Ogoi. She was a cheery girl and it felt like she had been one of use since the beginning.
"She got along nicely, didn't she?" Jaku asked after training one day.
"Yeah. She's part of our group now, mreow."
"I've got to ask. Why do you sometimes meow like a cat when you talk?"
"I still do that? My bad. When I was really young, I really liked the idea of having a giant cat made of fire inside me. I started acting like a cat and the habit of meowing just stuck."
"That explains some stuff -ssu."
"What about you making that 'ssu' sound?"
"Oh! I…uh… I really looked up to Fuu's courage when she was alive, so I tried to be just like her. I guess my habit stuck, too -ssu."
"Old habits die hard."
"Seibyo! Everyone! Get over here!"
Surprised by Ogoi's sudden outburst, we ran to where he had been talking to Tsubaki outside his house.
"Tell them what you told me."
Tsubaki seemed startled. "I said how one of the bandits who attacked my village used knives. It seemed like they flew in the air around her."
Cold dread seeped through my veins. This is really, really bad.
"What did she look like?" Ogoi asked urgently.
"She had long hair, purple eyes, and was wearing a cloak."
"Oh…Oh no…" Shai gasped.
"It can't really be her, can it?" Mushi asked worriedly.
"She hasn't been seen since that day," Ayato added. "She had completely disappeared."
"Why?" Jaku voiced. "Why would she do something like this?"
I remembered something about Tsubaki's tale. "And who was helping her?"
We stood in silence for several minutes. We all jumped when we heard B calling for us. We all gathered around him. He told us what we feared.
"Recent sightings report that Hidari and several unidentified people have been wiping out entire villages for no specific reason. That is, until today."
"What happened?" Tsubaki asked.
"On one of the recent victims, we found a note. It had been found on several other bodies as well." He brought a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to us. It read:
We won't stop until you meet us. The Omega Group is angry, and you all have to pay. Meet us at the location below, or we will continue to destroy entire families and towns. It's your choice, take it or leave it. P.S.: We will be trying to kill you, if that wasn't obvious. ;)
Below that were several complicated coordinates for locating areas on a map.
"What cheeky guy added that bit on the end?" Joki asked.
"We have to go!" Ogoi exclaimed.
"No," B said. "I won't allow it."
"What!?" We all asked/exclaimed.
"It's too dangerous. I won't let you put yourselves in harms way."
"Are you kidding me!?" Ogoi yelled. "You let all come to rescue Seibyo when he was in trouble, so why not now?"
"That was a mistake on my part. I was careless and underestimated the enemy. In doing so, all of you were hurt and even captured by them. And that was when there were only two enemies. I won't make that mistake again."
"But people are dying!" Joki joined Ogoi. "We can't sit here and let that continue!"
"We are already taking actions to handle the situation. The Raikage is planning a team to eliminate the threat."
"But B!" Jaku began to protest.
"That is all!" He shouted. "My word is final! You are all staying here! End of discussion!" He stormed off. I'm pretty sure he muttered "I'm starting to turn into my brother."
We all stood on the spot seething, except for Tsubaki. One after another, we stomped off to our homes and slammed the doors. Tsubaki followed Ogoi.
Later that night…
I was looking at scrolls from one of my book cases when I heard a noise coming from above. Jaku, Joki, Shai, Mushi, and Ogoi slid down my tree. Actually, Ogoi fell down the tree. Ayato came out of his room and joined the group.
"What are you guys doing, mreow?" I asked
"Seibyo, look at this!" Mushi said, forcing the note from the Omega Group into my hand. I looked, but I didn't see what she was getting so excited about.
"What am I supposed to see?"
"Not like that! With your Sharingan and Byakugan!"
"Oh. Okay." I did. The numbers at the bottom became foggy and then changed. "Oh! The numbers changed!"
"I knew it!" Mushi exclaimed. "I felt like something was off about that paper!"
"Why conceal the coordinates you want someone to use?" Ogoi asked.
"Because you only want a specific person to see them!" Ayato realized.
"Exactly!" Mushi said excitedly. "They hid them because they knew Seibyo was the only one that could decipher them this quickly!"
"Then this means-" I started.
"We're going to fight after all!" Jaku finished.
We are scrambled to pack all the supplies we needed. Then we quickly made our exit past two Anbu sleeping at the entrance (courtesy of Jaku) and headed off into the night. This had to end, and I had a promise to fulfill. I felt a package shake in my pack as I ran. I promised.