AN: Might as well get started on this new chapter. Dunno when I'll finish, or what'll be in here, but here goes.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Prototype, or any other fandoms referenced here. The only thing I do own is the concept of the Gormim, the UDOM, the Centerplane, and the utilization of said characters in this story.

"Speech"
Text/Other speech
Thoughts
Inner-outer being/Alternate thoughts
Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental form
Jutsu/Technique

Chapter 25: The Sylph defends, snake venom, The One-eyed Wolf-Dragon, and dropping in

"What the heck...?" Tenten stared at the weapon lying in her path. It was plain pair of kusarigama linked by a chain, except made entirely out of perfectly clear glass. "Wow," she murmured, picking it up carefully. It clinked gently, gleaming in the afternoon sun, "Beautiful..."

"Yosh! What have you found, my youthful comrade?" asked Lee loudly, trotting over to stand by her.

She winced and smacked his head. "Quiet, baka. An enemy might hear us! But anyway, look at this." She showed him the glass weapon. "What do you think about this?"

The boy's enormous eyebrow rose significantly as he gazed at the transparent sickle. "Uoo~...I've never heard of a weapon made of glass before."

"Neither have I," his bun-haired teammate pointed out in a deadpan, "That's why it's weird. Do you see how much detail there is?" she pointed at the handle, which was shaped as if wrapped in bandages, as well as the blade which had a slight line down the middle, "There's no way someone could work glass into such a perfect shape...but why make a weapon out of it?"

"Well, glass can be quite sharp," he pointed out, "Although its fragility would be quite a downside."

Neji saw his two teammates and walked over to them. "What's going on?" he asked. When they showed him the kusarigama, he merely sniffed and activated his Byakugan. "There's a large amount of chakra residing in this weapon. It seems that whoever made it was unsatisfied with their results, meaning they threw it aside." He raised his head and broadened his 'sight,' searching the surrounding area. "Whoever it is has most likely not moved too far. In fact...there." He pointed. "Ground level, that way. Let's go investigate."

"Hai!"

"Yosh!"

(With the glass-maker)

Olivia sighed at the hunk of glass in her hands. "I need a new hobby," she muttered, looking around. The ground was littered with glass weapons, all discarded as unfitting or unwieldy for her to use. "Maybe I should try something a little less exotic," she said to herself. The glass in her hand darkened and became obsidian. Channeling chakra into it, the chunk grew exponentially, but she didn't drop it. The relatively young Gorem sat down on a rock and began kneading the obsidian like clay, twisting and pulling it alternately. A spiraling handle took shape, with a hexagonal pommel. The guard was small and simple, while the blade was long and straight with two edges. She worked the edges with her fingers to make sharp, then worked on making the tip end in an even point. Finally, with an ebon sword in her lap, she pulled out a small metal rod and began scratching the blade with it, making tiny runes along the edges on each side. The runes themselves had no real meaning, but as she scratched them into the glass, Olivia imagined that they would help keep the blade from breaking. Finally, engraving a swirling mark just above the tip, Olivia put the rod away and held the sword with the hilt pointed towards her. She inhaled briefly, then breathed out a light green cloud of vapor. The mist drifted along the length of the blade and sank into the shallow scratches, causing them to flare and glow dimly in the same light green color.

Smiling, she stood up and gave the sword a few swings. It cut through the air easily and smoothly, the runes glowing steadily. "Nice!" she cheered quietly.

A sudden noise made her turn in surprise. To her dismay, three Genin landed a few feet away. "So, you were the one making all these strange weapons," said the Hyuuga at the lead, smirking. He glanced around at all the weapons. "Hmph, quite a selection here. Maybe you should take some as souvenirs, Tenten."

The bun-haired girl beside him scowled. "Don't say it like that; you're making me sound like a child."

"I'd rather you didn't take them," deadpanned Olivia, holding her new sword at the ready, "Do you know how dehydrating it is to create that much glass?" She paused. "Well, it isn't really, but that's beside the point. The point is-"

"Hm...you do not appear to have a scroll," interrupted Lee from beside her; without warning he was beside her and was examining the girl's pockets. Such was his speed that she hadn't even seen him move, "That is most unfortunate."

"Eek!" Olivia leaped away from him, swinging the black blade, "Don't do that!"

The green-clad Genin merely stepped back to avoid the sword. While she was good at making them, Olivia's weapon skills were not as good as she'd like them to be.

"Well, if she doesn't have a scroll, then we should move on," said Tenten.

Neji, however, stepped forward to stare down the white-haired girl. "Not so fast. Those two teammates of yours probably have one of the scrolls. Not only that, but when we saw you at the Academy, you looked to be the weakest. If we get rid of you now, those other two won't be a problem for the Third Exam."

Olivia gulped, suddenly afraid. He was quite right; among the members of her team, she really was the weakest. Thinking furiously, she went over her options. She could try using her sword, but the Hyuuga and the bowl-cut guy could both probably avoid it, leaving her open. Engaging in Taijutsu was practically suicide with her fragile bones. She could try pulling out one of her constructs, but with how close Lee was, she'd never be able to get hand into her pockets and out in time. Suddenly she remembered the weapons lying strewn over the ground. Carefully, trying not show what she was doing with her expression, she concentrated, feeling the glass objects lying around them. It was a good thing they were all weapons.

The members of Team Gai were all surprised when all of the weapons on the ground leaped into the air at them without warning. Tenten threw herself to the ground to avoid them, where they collided with each other and shattered. Neji began spinning and formed a dome of whirling chakra, which deflected the glass weapons. Lee back-flipped away from Olivia to avoid a large hammer and a pair of daggers.

The Gorem grinned and stuffed her hands into her pockets as her opponents were instantly distracted, shrinking her sword at the same time to store it. She pulled out a small statue of a knight, an octopus and a few birds with sharp beaks as the rain of weapons finally stopped and the floor was littered with bits of broken glass.

Neji was scowling and panting slightly. "Hmph. So, I guess you do have some tricks. However, your Fate is not to win this."

She couldn't help but grimace at his condescending tone. She said nothing, however, but tightened her grip on the glass figures in her hands.

"Well, if you have nothing to say, perhaps we should get on with it," said the pale-eyed boy, "Lee, since you're closest, perhaps you should-"

Olivia suddenly flung the objects outwards with a shout.

"What?!"

There was a blast of smoke, obscuring the Konoha-nin's lines of sight. Lee tried to dash in and prevent the girl from escaping, but he was intercepted by an armored fist to the face. He stumbled back, leaving an opening for the Glass Knight to follow up on its assault, knocking Lee back with a barrage of deceptively fast strikes.

Neji, on the other hand, found himself dodging a group of transparent, suckered tentacles that lashed out at him from the octopus. No matter how quickly he moved, the boneless limbs kept twisting after him, hoping to catch and bind him.

Finally, Tenten had no chance to reach for her weapon as she was divebombed by a swarm of tiny birds with long sharp beaks. The flew all around her, scratching with tiny claws and stabbing with beaks. "Ack! Stop, get off me!" she yelped, covering her face with her arm and trying to swipe at them with a hand. However, the hummingbirds were too quick for her.

While the Genin were distracted, Olivia used the opportunity to sneak away.

A moment later, as the tentacles wrapped around his wrist, Neji lost patience. "Hakkeshou Kaiten!" (Eight Trigrams Palm Heavenly Rotation) Chakra blasted from his tenketsu and he went into an enhanced spin. Caught off guard, the octopus was pulled off the ground and whirled around and around. It tried to tighten its grip, but the centripetal force was too much, and it flew off. Unfortunately for it, it hit the Glass Knight, shattering itself and severely cracking its ally.

"Yosh! Thank you, Neji!" Lee forward-flipped into an axe-kick, splitting the Knight's helm and causing it to collapse in a heap.

The Hyuuga prodigy didn't bother to answer and turned to his female teammate. "Hakke: Sanjyūni Shou!" His hands lashed out so quickly that they were blurred. Each and every hummingbird was struck by an outstretched fingertip, which discharged a long spike of chakra through them, disrupting the energy in them and making them crash to the ground, twitching, before they stilled.

"Thanks," said Tenten grumpily, wincing as she felt the small cuts all over her body, "What was that about her being the weakest, Neji? 'Cause that didn't seem too weak to me!"

"It makes no difference," snapped Neji, "We're no worse off from before."

She merely narrowed her eyes at him as he turned his back and stalked off. "Asshole," she muttered, "And don't you say anything!" she snapped at Lee, "You know it's true, thinking of killing that girl!"

For once, Lee kept his mouth shut, but eventually nodded in followed after their third teammate in stiff, distinctly uncomfortable silence.

In a tree above them, Olivia sighed in relief. That was close. If any of them thought to look up I'd be screwed. She glanced at her new sword. For once, I'm glad for Nord-sensei's 'preparation,' she thought. The eccentric Gorem had felt it prudent to teach the young Glass-user how to use a sword. Olivia, at the time, could not for the life of her imagine why he'd do that. But now she was glad for it.

(Elsewhere in the forest, with Anko)

The purple-haired woman landed on a branch and looked around. Her former sensei was nearby, she could feel it. The mark on her shoulder throbbed intensely as her adrenaline began flowing. "Orochimaru!" she yelled into the trees, "I know you're here! Come out so I can kill you, bastard!"

"My word," hissed a sibilant voice from behind her, "Is that any way to greet your old sensei, Anko-chan?"

Anko whirled around to see Orochimaru himself standing casually on the same branch, leaning on the tree-trunk. "When my sensei's a sick monster who used countless innocent people in his experiments, including me, then yes. That's how I'll greet you. Now what the fuck are you doing back in Konoha?"

Orochimaru blinked at the surprisingly articulated insult. "Hm…you've actually matured some over the years. Your dress sense is still as scandalous as ever, though."

And you wonder why everyone thinks you're gay? she thought, sweat-dropping, "Since you seem to be hard of hearing, I'll ask again: why are you in these Exams?"

The Snake Sannin merely smirked at her. "I've already accomplished what I came to this forest for; Uchiha Sasuke now bears one of my gifts."

She flinched and put a hand to her neck. "The Cursed Seal? Are you insane?! It'll kill him!"

"Oh? Don't worry about that; I've been doing research since I gave you yours, Anko-chan," he gloated, "The percentage of people who survive the process has been increased! Besides…Sasuke-kun won't die from it, I can tell." He saw her face twist in a glare of hatred. "Ara? Oh dear, are you jealous about being replaced, Anko-chan? Yes, I do remember that you were always trying so hard to please me, weren't you?"

Rage ignited at his words. "You son of a bitch," Anko said quietly, shaking with suppressed anger, "I looked up to you. You were my role model! I respected you out of everyone in the village! And then you gave me this mark and left me to die with all those others!"

He merely grinned. "I'm so glad that you remember. So, how has that Mark been treating you? That Uzumaki brat mentioned that it pains your from time. Dear dear, Anko-chan, you shouldn't ignore it so much, or it'll grow resentful and eat up your chakra faster. You can feel it, can't you?"

Anko was surprised at the mention of Naruto. The few times they met, they hadn't exactly shared each others painful secrets. That meant he had somehow noticed, and then realized, the fact that the Mark pained her. "Of course I feel it," she snapped at the pale bastard, "Every day it's just another reminder of why you need to go down."

He smirked. "Oh really? And how am I going to 'go down?' You can't even use any big techniques because of the Seal draining your power."

"Sen-ei Jashu!" (Hidden Shadow Snake Hands) Five snakes erupted from Anko's sleeves and flew at Orocimaru, mouths open. They bit down on various parts of his body, only for him to melt into mud.

"You should have seen that coming," Orochimaru murmured mockingly over her shoulder.

Anko smirked and casually held up an exploding tag. "I did." She slapped the tag on his chest and leaped away.

The Snake Sannin flinched and quickly tore the tag off. Before he could throw it away, it exploded. Fortunately for all involved, it was a relatively low-level explosive. Orochimaru still lost an arm and an eye to the blast, though.

(The Author paused for a second, wondering where he'd seen this situation before, then continued.)

Anko was slammed against the tree-trunk by the shockwave, but was otherwise unharmed. "How's that, bastard?" she asked vindictively.

"I've had worse," he growled. His cheeks bulged for a second before he doubled over and vomited out himself, minus the injuries. The old body dissolved instantly, while the new one straightened up, wiping slime out of his hair absentmindedly.

Anko wrinkled her nose. "Were you always this disgusting?" Without waiting for an answer, she dashed forward. Another snake emerged from her sleeve and bit down on Orochimaru's wrist, while a second appeared and bit her own. She jammed her hand against Orochimaru's forcing the two into a hand-sign. "If I'm gonna die, I'll take you with me! Ninpou: Sojasousai!" (Ninja Art: Twin Snakes Mutual Death)

Rather than the look of surprise or fear she was expecting, Orochimaru smiled mockingly. "So, you truly hate me enough to kill yourself along with me? An admirable conviction, but…" he turned brown and melted, "I'm afraid you missed. Not only that, but you must know that that jutsu has consequences for if it fails."

No… Even as Anko tried to turn and spot the real one, her bitten hand grew cold and numb, and fiery, mind-shattering pain erupted from her shoulder. She screamed and collapsed, convulsing and thrashing on the ground.

"Oh dear, that looks like it hurts," said Orochimaru with false concern, "Perhaps I should just put you out of your misery, Anko-chan." He raised a hand. "Sen-ei Taja-"

A black spike flew through the air and stabbed the snake man's hand, knocking it away. With a grunt of pain, he whirled round and his eyes widened. "What?! You?"

"Aye. Me," said Naruto. His arm had morphed into a strange, three-barreled spike launcher, "Miss me, teme?"

Orochimaru let out an amusingly feminine shriek of frustration. "How? HOW do you keep coming back to try and stop me?! Even for a Jinchuuriki, you should be dead by now!"

Anko stopped screaming as the pain from her mark suddenly ebbed. It still hurt, but the dull ache felt absolutely blissful after the agony a few seconds ago.

The black-haired Blacklight shrugged, not lowering his arm. "I guess I just hate you that much. Now, are you going to back away from the sexy lady like a good boy, or do I have to turn you into shredded snake-hide?" Chakra glowed deep inside the holes in his arm, ready to fire more biomass spikes.

Orochimaru growled for a second before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He smiled horribly at Naruto. "I'm not sure if you heard, but your team will shortly be attacked by the team from Otogakure. Is it wise to leave your team?"

"I have no choice in this matter," Naruto replied evenly, "Besides, I left some Kage Bunshin with them. Either way, you're done here, aren't you?"

Surprised at the Jinchuuriki's observation skills, the pale man blinked, then smirked. "My word…you continue to surprise me with your intelligence, Naruto-kun. Yes, I have nothing more to do here." He glanced at Anko, who still lay on the ground. "Since I do not believe she can hear us, I'll tell you this to tell her: 'If you try to stop the Chunin Exams, I'll kill everyone in this forest.'"

Naruto's green eyes narrowed, his jaw tightening. "Get going," he growled.

Orochimaru gave one last predatory smile, then vanished with a Shunshin.

Instantly Naruto jumped to the branch Anko lay on and kneeled by her, lifting her slightly. "Oi, you alright?" he asked urgently.

Her brown eyes opened and she looked up at him hazily. "Naruto-kun? That you?"

"Yeah."

"You look different…"

Shrugging, he said "It's a long story that involves him sealing me twice. How's your Mark?"

She stirred slightly. "It stopped hurting when you came close, but I've been poisoned. One of my snakes bit me for a jutsu, but it failed. Now it's gonna kill me slowly…"

"Like hell," he said firmly, "I ain't gonna let you die like this."

"Why do you care?" asked Anko in a quiet melancholy, "I've done nothing but attack and chase you like all those other idiots."

There was a sigh. "Perhaps it's because you know what it's like to be mistrusted and despised by everyone else. Or it might be because why you chased me, though don't get me wrong, I still hated that. Maybe it's just because I can help, so I will." He pulled off a black glove and flexed his fingers, his nails sharpening instantly. Then he pulled back her coat to expose the mark on her shoulder and touched his thumb, index and middle finger to the Mark there. "Maybe I want to show you sympathy just to spite you."

Anko winced as the nails pierced her flesh, though it wasn't too painful. Then, through the numbness of the poison, she felt a strange, cloudy feeling spread from her shoulder. It felt similar to her Mark's power, but without the dark taint of Orochimaru. This too felt dark, but in a more natural way, like black ink in water. The sensation spread through her, wiping out the cold of the poison and coming to rest in the entirety of her. Thinking back, she remembered Alex telling her that those who carried the special virus could choose to give it to others. So, I guess I'll be even more similar to this kid, she thought.

Naruto slumped, suddenly exhausted. Fighting Orochimaru for two rounds? No problem. Switching into another body and making some Kage Bunshin? Fine. Using chakra to find this place? Okay. Injecting Anko with a virus? Totally draining. I don't think I'll even be able to get back to the others now, he thought tiredly. "Y-you alright now?" he panted.

Blinking, Anko sat up and stretched, reenergized. "Ooh," she groaned, "I feel a lot better. Even better than before, actually. That virus thing you've got is really something!"

"Glad to hear it," he mumbled, sagging oppositely. Maybe it's because my body is made entirely out of Blacklight, but I feel like a just donated a whole lot of blood.

Fortunately, Anko noticed his suddenly droopy countenance. "Hey, what's wrong with you?"

"…Weak."

Anko grimaced. "That took a lot out of you, didn't it? Do you need something?"

"For now I just need to get back to my team," Naruto said, barely audible, "Then we can try to get out of this forest and I can get someone to remove the seals on my body. Mido's body just isn't gonna cut it…" His eyes closed and he collapsed.

Anko stood there a moment, thinking. Then she knelt down and picked up the Genin in a fireman's carry. "Normally, proctors can't help the Genin in the Exams," she told him, "But since you just saved my life, I think I'll overlook this." She leaped away, briefly surprising herself with the new strength in her legs. What the hell? Did that weird virus do this? Even as she asked herself that, she didn't think to look at the Mark on her shoulder. The black tomoe had become smudged and faded, dead looking.

(At a slightly earlier time, Mizu no Kuni)

Team Raido exited the town, slightly discouraged. The Konoha-nin had originally been sent on a mission to locate a certain person who... Actually, let me just show you in a flashback.

[Flashback: a week or so ago]

"Do you know why I've called you here, Raido-san?" asked the Hokage.

The Jonin scratched his weal-like scar, bemused. "I'm not sure, Hokage-sama. Is it a mission?"

"Indeed," the aged man agreed, sitting back in his chair, "I'll get to the point: we've heard some rumors that the man who started the Hyōton bloodline is still alive. You've heard about Haku-san, right?"

Raido nodded slowly. "Yeah...but wait, wouldn't this guy be over a hundred years old?"

"That he would be. Nevertheless, there have been both persistant and consistant sightings of the man within Hi no Kuni borders. Haku-san says that when she was young, he saved her from a mob that wanted to kill her for her bloodline. She's the one who provided the description of him. That and..." Sarutobi shivered, "My senseis told me about him, from when they encountered him in the First Great Shinobi War. Their descriptions match what Haku-san described perfectly."

"What do you wish for me to do, Hokage-sama?"

The Sandaime drew himself up. "Namiashi Raido, your mission is this: you will lead a standard four-man cell to Mizu no Kuni and locate the man known as Kelvin Ghiaccio. If at all possible, you should try and convince him to return with you to Konoha, but if not, at least ascertain whether or not he is a threat to us. I recommend that you bring Haku-san with you; as one of the last members of his clan, she may be able to sway him. The other two members are for you to decide."

Raido nodded curtly. "Hai, Hokage-sama!" When Sarutobi gestured, the Jonin left quickly.

A few hours later, a team departed from the front gates of Konoha. The members were Namiashi Raido (Jonin), Yuki no Haku (Genin), Kamizuki Izumo (Chunin), and Maruboshi Kensuke (Genin), an elderly, smiling man with tanned skin who carried a pot and ladle around on his back.

[Flashback end]

After taking a day or so to get to Mizu no Kuni, Team Raido had located the nearest town and tried asking questions. Unfortunately, the people weren't too forthcoming with the Konoha-nin. The little bit of information that they offered was of little help to the team; while they did confirm that the person Haku described did indeed exist, no one could (or would) tell them where one could find him.

So they went on the road, where they met a group of travelers. After Kensuke managed to soften them up a bit with his cooking skills, they admitted that Kelvin roamed these parts frequently.

"The bandits are all terrified of him," said one man, "It's a wonder they don't give up their ways altogether. Even so, they know enough not to do anything to provoke him, or he'll kill all of them."

Izumo asked, "What sort of things would that be?"

"Basically anything to do with women and children," spoke up one old woman, "I remember one group tried to kidnap my daughter and myself. They went on and on about what they would do to us when they got back to camp." Her eyes darkened. "They never did. That man, Kelvin Ghiaccio you say, appeared in their midst and cut them all down in a flash. The men didn't bleed either; his sword was so cold it froze their blood inside their bodies. After that, he escorted us to the nearest village." She scratched her chin in memory. "He wasn't too talkative," she noted.

The next day, the Konoha-nin parted ways with the group and kept searching. "I suppose it's a good thing we met them," Raido sighed, "At least we know he's somewhere around here."

"Indeed," said Kensuke, "And he seems to value women and children, or at least deems them worth killing for."

Izumo grimaced. "There's a difference?"

"Oh yeah, definitely."

Haku remained silent for the most part. She was thinking over what the old woman had said. Kelvin was apparently a force to be reckoned with if provoked. She remembered a house, her former home, pierced through by enormous icicles. In all of the training she'd done for her Kekkei Genkai, she had never been able to reproduce an attack like that. Not that she'd tried all that hard, but at that age, it seemed unlikely that the spikes had been her doing. Plus, she remembered that the man who'd rescued her had carried a sword, which the old woman had mentioned. Could it be true? Am I really not alone? she wondered. True, Naruto-sama had apparently copied her bloodline (though she had yet to see him use it), but the thought that someone, just one person, who was related to her was alive…she wondered if she should really be this hopeful. Would he, perhaps recognize her? No…why would he? I was just a young girl then, and even now I'm so ordinary. I'm not especially beautiful like Hinata-sama…

"What do you think, Haku-san?" Haku jumped and looked at the elderly Genin.

"Ah- wha- sorry, what was the question?"

Kensuke merely smiled and said patiently, "Do you think Ghiaccio-san will agree to come back to Konoha with us?"

The girl pursed her lips. "I don't know," she said finally, "My memories of him are vague, but he seemed the type who liked to wander around a lot. Whether he'd even want to come with us…" she shrugged, "I really don't know. But if he did actually come with us, I imagine it would probably be like trying to herd a particularly surly tiger."

Kensuke and Raido both laughed loudly at that, though Izumo's laughter was more nervous.

"From what that woman said, he also seems to be quite fast, strong, or both," she continued, once the laughter died down, "Since I saw him carrying a sword back then, it seems he's had a very long time to practice his Kenjutsu. Not only that, but he's a Hyoton user as well. The Hyoton user, in fact; he's bound to have all sorts of tricks up his sleeve."

"Like that?" asked Izumo, pointing.

Everyone looked at the Chunin, then at where he was pointing. Raido cursed and Kensuke frowned grimly. In the middle of the road lay the body of a man. From the little they could see of him, there was a deep cut along his shoulder and back. The rest of him was frosted over and frozen solid.

"I think we're on the right track," Haku said dryly.

The Thousand Year Genin nodded, now looking around. "Yes, it certainly seems so," he murmured lightly. He squinted into the distance, "Hang on...I think I see someone."

"I see him too," Raido acknowledged.

Approaching them was a man with white hair. Haku's breath caught as she saw him; this was the man they were looking for. He looked almost exactly the same as back then. Pale blue and white clothing, a red-scabbarded sword at his side, and long white hair that obscured his right eye. He gave no reaction to their staring, but continued to pad quietly toward them on straw-sandaled feet. The Konoha-nin tensed as he drew closer, pulling the sword free of his waist as he approached, though he didn't draw it. He stopped at the frozen body and crouched, poking at it with the tip of the scabbard.

"I think he's dead," Haku deadpanned.

Without even looking up, he grunted, "Just checking." His voice was deep with a thick accent. Finally, he drew back and gave the body a sharp rap. With a crunch, the body abruptly collapsed into a pile of red snow, causing everyone else to wince. The man merely grunted again as he stood upright and slid his sword back into his waistband. "You know him?" he asked, indicating the pile of ice that was once a corpse.

"N-No!" stammered Izumo, "We don't know him at all!"

However, Haku stepped forward. "Excuse me," she said, "But are you Kelvin Ghiaccio-san?"

His bright, pale blue eye flicked up to her face for a moment. "Yes."

"As in, the man who founded the Hyōton and the Yuki clan?"

"Yes."

"The man who was called Dragon-Eater?"

"Yes." This time his brow furrowed. "I am not called that now. They call me Akayuki (Red Snow), or Katame no Garōryū (One-Eyed Wolf-Dragon) now. You are Konoha-nin. What do want?"

Raido's eyebrow twitched at the man's odd grammar. "We're looking for you," he said, "We received information in Konoha that the founder of the Hyōton- ie: you -were still alive. Since we already have the last of the Yuki with us, we were hoping you would accompany us back to Konoha."

Kelvin's eye, which was still fixed on Haku, widened. "Haku," he said quietly, "You mean Haku? You are Granddaughter?" he asked her.

Haku blinked, suddenly nervous. "Um, well...yeah-Ah!"

She gave a yelp as Kelvin suddenly threw his arms around her in a very tight embrace. "I'm sorry. Very sorry" he said quietly, "I left you behind. Left you to get taken in by-" here he made some unnatural sound, "-Momochi." He let go of her and stepped back. "I will go to Konoha," Kelvin said to the group, "But not with you. In one month, my village will..." he frowned, as if trying to find the right word, "...arrive? Arrive, for Chunin Exam. I come then."

"What village would that be?" asked Kensuke.

"Ma-Nigakure," the white-haired man said simply.

Haku's eyes widened. Her great (times however many) grandfather was from the same village as Ga? Talk about surprises.

Kelvin seemed to lose interest in the group and walked away. "Go back to Konoha," he said over his shoulder, "Tell your Kage I will come to village in one month." Then, with a slight flicker, he vanished.

(Forest of Death)

"Great, the guy can use Kage Bunshin," muttered Tsuchi Kin as Naruto left, "Now what?" she asked her teammates.

Kinuta Dosu merely looked bored. "Even clones can get tired," he said, "Anyway, it looks like that third one's focused entirely on that..." he raised an eyebrow, then squinted, "Is that a fox-girl?"

Abumi Zaku grinned hungrily. "Really? Dibs, hm."

Kin hid a grimace at her more volatile teammate. Why on earth did Orochimaru-sama put me on a team with a potential rapist? she thought, shuddering. Since entering the forest, Kin had had to constantly keep on her toes while Zaku was around. There was a persistant, unpleasant air around him that made her nervous, not that she'd ever admit to such a thing.

"I say we rush 'em," he said, holding up a hand with a small hole and pipe embedded in it, "Just a few shots from my Zankuha (Decapitating Airwaves) and those clones'll go down easily, hm. That girl looks seriously weak, so I bet even you could take her out, Kin."

Kin's eyebrow twitched. The fuck is that supposed to mean? she thought angrily, but a look from Dosu stilled her tongue.

"On three, then," the bandaged boy muttered, "...Three!"

They charged out of the bushes. Naruto's Kage Bunshin spotted them almost instantly and started to run forward, but Zaku threw out an arm and yelled "Zankuha!" Air blasted from the hole in his palm, smashing headlong into the clones and hurling them back into the tree.

They didn't dispel, however, but rebounded off the trunk, got back up and kept running, now looking quite pissed. Zaku faltered for a moment, flustered, then threw up both hands. "Alright then, take this! Zankukyokuha!" (Extreme Decapitating Airwaves) One of the clones put on a burst of speed with his chakra and instantly closed the distance between them, knocking Zaku's hands off-course. Cursing, he tried to get a bearing on his opponent, but his attack exploded from his palms, coming nowhere near the Kage Bunshin. The Oto Genin only had time to think, Oh shit! before a fist buried itself in his face. He flew back a few good feet and landed in a heap, dazed.

Dosu, seeing that his teammate was in trouble (again), leaped at the attacking clone and swung his guantleted fist. "Kyōmeisen!" (Resonating Echo Drill) the metal guantlet gave a high-pitched screech, but apart from that appeared to do nothing else.

The Naruto-clone jumped out of the way easily, only to suddenly stumble and fall to his knees. "W-what the hell...?" he choked, before suddenly vomiting. The fact he hadn't eaten in a while (or at all, since he was a clone) didn't exactly make it any better.

"Oh, you wanted to know what I just did?" asked Dosu mockingly, "It's simple really. My Melody Arm has the ability to produce high-frequency soundwaves. In fact, they're just the right frequency to damage a person's inner ear, which controls a person's balance. Normally, a Bunshin such as yourself would have dispelled by now, but you're pretty resilient..."

Dear god, just kill me now, thought the clone, This guy just had to be one of the gloating kinds. And where the hell is the other me?

As if in answer to his question, the second Naruto Bunshin leaped out of nowhere, hoping to get the drop on Dosu. However, the Oto-nin's advanced hearing provided him with enough warning to roll out of the way grab the clone by the back of the head. "Kyōmeisen!" The clone let out a gurgle as its brain was scrambled by the soundwaves, blood leaking from his ears and nose. With a puff of smoke, he vanished. "Well, it seems you clones can die after all," said Dosu, "That's good to know."

"...You talk too damn much," deadpanned the first clone, "I mean seriously, I know you're a sound ninja, but I didn't think that meant you'd be such loudmouth. No offense!" he called in Sakura's direction.

"None take- HEY!"

"Bastard," growled Zaku as he walked up to the prostrated clone, "You got some nerve knocking my arms away like that, hm."

The Bunshin groaned. "Oh god, are you going to explain your powers too?"

Zaku's eye twitched and put his hand in Naruto's face. "Zankuha!" There was a burst of air and his head exploded. The rest of his body dispersed in a puff of smoke. "Freakin' smartass, hm," he muttered.

There was a yelp from the the tree. The clone guarding Kina fell to the ground with some senbon embedded in his neck and eyes, dispersing. The fox-girl herself struggled to rise, but could scarcely raise her head to glare at Kin, who had grabbed Sakura by the hair and was holding a kunai to her throat.

"Now then," said Dosu, walking over to the tree himself, "Sorry about this, girlie, but we've got orders to kill the Uchiha here."

Zaku smirked, raising a hand to point at Sasuke's unconscious form. "Sayonara, Uchiha! Kantsu-" Whatever attack he was going to call out was suddenly interrupted by a pair of combat boots, which landed directly on his shoulders and promptly drove him into the ground.

The other two Oto-nin stared in shock at the boy standing on top of their teammate. He wore a pair of camouflage pants and a dark red vest, and his arms were covered in green tattoos. "Oh, were you about to do something?" he asked mildly, pushing up his glasses, "Sorry. I got tired of waiting for you to stop talking."

"Who are you?" asked Dosu, wracking his brains. How had this guy been able to sneak up on them?

The boy shrugged and pulled out an odd, L-shaped weapon. "My name is Carlos Binarius. Now, are you going to piss off and run back to Orochimaru, or do I have to get physical here?"

AN: AAAND cliffhanger. Once again, I apologize for taking so long to finish this chapter. I can't promise that the next one will be quicker, 'cause my attention span is my own worst enemy, but I can promise to try. So, here's to Chapter 25 (YAY~!)! By the way, for those of you who take notice of such things, people with Japanese names are listed the Japanese way, but people with English names (AKA Gormim) are listed normally.

Alright, SO! Summary notes:

1. Olivia has the ability to mold her glass as if it's clay (in fact, it's even easier for her than that), which allows her to create almost any weapon she can think of. Problem is, she's not exactly skilled with said weapons.
2. Props to Rizaidym for the suggestion that Olivia use Obsidian to make herself a sword. Obviously, Nord teaching her Kenjutsu beforehand is something that I pulled out of my ass. Live with it.
3. Olivia's ability to give power to those runes will sorta be explained later. Maybe.
4. Neji, being an asshole, decides to kill Olivia to make her team fail (logically a smart move, but also a dick one).
5. Olivia possesses Vitrikinesis, and can animate glass sculptures a la Deidara.
6. Anko confronts Orochimaru. I hope I did a good job writing their little exchange.
7. Anko fucks up with her Sojasousai and gets poisoned. Oops.
8. Naruto arrives with a new multibarrel spike launcher (I swear it'll be used later). Orochimaru is pretty pissed off at Naruto's cockroach-like behavior.
9. Since Anko is dying from being poisoned, Naruto injects some Blacklight into her to heal her, inadvertantly making her a Blacklight herself. Also, the fact that she was poisoned at the time will play a role in her future abilities.
10. I know that someone's going to say that Anko could have carried an antidote for the Sojasousai, but here's my reasoning: It's a suicide technique. Why would you want an antidote for something that's supposed to kill you. More to the point, would it exist? ...Blacklight notwithstanding.
11. Since Naruto's in a Blacklight-based body (Mido's), injecting Anko is seriously draining for him. (Shut it, I don't have to explain myself to you!)
12. We find out what Haku's been doing for the past week or so. As a side-note, Maruboshi Kensuke is an actual filler character; he's the oldest Genin ever, having served under the Second through Fifth Hokages.
13. Unlike the typical archetype for Ice characters, Kelvin has a very dangerous temper. However, it's only invoked by the mistreatment of women and children, as well as any mention of rape.
14. Team Raido comes across the result of one of Kelvin's kills: even if he doesn't cut you to pieces, the cuts themselves eventually freeze you solid.
15. Kelvin's got a lot of nicknames, like most of the Gormim. Akayuki is one of his favorites.
16. Yes, Kelvin's grammar could use some work, but I did it on purpose. I blame his thick Russian accent. No offence to any Russians who read this, I just think Russian accents are badass. Coincidentally, he and Vaga are from the same country.
17. Team Oto tries (and sorta succeeds) to attack Team 7.
18. Carlos to the rescue! Hopefully in the next chapter I won't half-ass his fighting like I did for the stuff here.

In manga news: 1. HOLY SHIT, NEJI! NO! 2. BOOYEAH, NARUHINA BITCHES! Greatest week of my life. All I need now is for Shiemi and Rin to get together and I'll be set (Haha, that's not happening any time soon.)

As always, if you have a comment or question, please leave a review or send me a PM. Though, if you have a question, please make sure I can send you a reply! Meaning, don't ask questions while reviewing anonymously.

So anyways, Happy belated Birthday, Hinata! (Dec. 27, in case you're wondering). North South out.