A/N: Quick reminder to send in questions by Friday!

The building shimmered. Afternoon sunlight cut through the windows, slicing into the table.

Naruto, Sasuke and Kōju trembled. They cowered near the table.

The door shuddered again, a heavy blow echoing through the building.

"I am offering you double the normal rate for this type of mission. It's rare for a youngster to escape my grasp; given that, I have to make allowances!"

"I don't like this," Kōju muttered, her fingers pressing together.

"I don't like it either." Nōtō sighed. He took a step forward, moving from the basement stairs. "Stay calm, and stay behind me." He glanced from side to side. "It's rare for a Kage to hire outside help." He forced the door of the apartment open.

Naruto scowled.

Sasuke lowered her hand to her scroll.

Kōju tensed.

Haku appeared near the door to the stairs. Her hands grasped a set of senbon threateningly.

"It's 'Akatsuki'," the short man with the long beard outside the door stated abruptly. He stepped inside, sitting down at the table.

Haku reluctantly lowered her senbon at a gesture from Naruto.

Nōtō's eyes widened. "Hm?"

"That group without a nation. Seems they got hired in helping someone escape from me." Ōnoki scowled. "Furthermore, the agent called in this case is Kūkyo."

Nōtō's jaw dropped. His body shook. "I see. So they had such a terrifying person with them."

Naruto frowned. What's got him so scared?

"I decline the mission outright. Knowing Ōnoki of the Twin Scales, I'm quite certain he has a second option lined up." Nōtō pushed his glasses up on his nose. His glasses glinted pure white.

Ōnoki's eyes widened. "Eh?"

"What are you doing, bastard?!" Naruto's eyes widened. "Now he'll keep pestering us!"

"If we accept that mission we will probably die." Nōtō closed his eyes. He shook his head. "There's a difference. There's a massive difference between us, and between her and foes we've had before. Unlike Orochimaru, who has no particular interest in killing beyond his own personal amusement, Kūkyo revels in murder and seeks it out. Her name in the old days was Shinigami. That name wasn't without merit. She brought death to all that opposed her."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Eh?"

"Those hands have been stained with a lot of blood, including the life of Dan Katō, Tsunade-sama's former lover. She killed everyone foolish enough to step within range. And then, after that. She deserted. After that, it's uncertain what happened to her. But from what Ōnoki-san tells me she joined Akatsuki."

"Correct. She's become a different 'type' of being from a shinobi entirely, from what I can tell."

Naruto frowned. "Eh?"

"For one thing, she can move instantly without using hand seals. Like the Flash Technique, but a little faster." Ōnoki scowled. "As I've said, I recognize that defeating her will be difficult. So you won't be going alone. I've prepared a set of teams for the purpose of continuing this matter."

"Deikōgi's no pushover, either, from what I have heard."

"That's what I'm calling in the jōnin for. For what it's worth." Ōnoki paused. "I'm aware that in the old days, it would require an army to kill her—no, two armies. A Kage like myself could fight evenly with her—but that's the only exception." He lowered his hand. "But that was in the past."

Nōtō blinked in shock.

"That past has now ended."

"How so?"

"Consider for a moment that she can't use shinobi techniques. A being like her is vulnerable. Consider also that she couldn't end my life."

"Couldn't end your life?" Nōtō questioned. "She came close to killing you?"

"But she didn't." Ōnoki raised a finger. "She has instantly become vulnerable—all because she is incapable of killing me. Her ruthlessness, in the old days, was her strongest weapon."

Nōtō frowned. "I suppose that argument is acceptable." He turned. "May I be introduced to the other teams who will be accompanying us?"

"I feel a combination of skills is necessary, so I addressed my request to each of the villages. Hidden Frost did not respond." Ōnoki snorted. "That weakness will kill him one of these days. Follow me."

Nōtō fell silent.

Team Seven departed into the forest, walking to a large clearing.

"For the others. Pakura was willing to join you in your hunt; a woman named. Hm." Ōnoki frowned. "I fear I don't know their name. No matter. She has agreed to join you as well. There is also one from our team, Chinmoku—no, that's mistaken. Someone else joined." He rubbed his chin. "Hidden Mist. And lastly, Hidden Cloud. The group that hid away. And probably the strongest village, overall." He snapped his fingers loudly.

Nōtō blinked in shock. "Eh?"

"Good morning… Naruto-san…" a figure whispered, emerging from the tall grass. The white robes surrounded the body.

Naruto swallowed tightly.

The figure bowed deeply.

"Well, we were only able to find Pakura-san and Soyokaze-san." Ōnoki sighed. "Even so, it's something."

Another figure emerged from the darkness of the woods.

Naruto blinked.

"It has been quite a while, hasn't it?" The figure coughed, adjusting the nozzles on the mask.

Naruto's eyes widened in shock. "You! You cheater!"

"I was being completely fair. It's within my rights—" Hisame coughed. She adjusted the mask. "It's your fault that you didn't check sufficiently, or wonder about whether I fabricated information. That's your fault!"

Naruto blinked in surprise. Eh?

"You shouldn't be so naïve. There are plenty of people in the shinobi world, and plenty of demons who will lie. I've done you a favor by reminding you of that fact." Hisame coughed fiercely, her face stern. She reached downward.

Blood trickled around the mask.

"Excuse me." Hisame's eyes narrowed. She adjusted the valves on the mask.

"She's right, you moron. You shouldn't think like that, anyway. Idiot~." A red-haired woman touched the hilt of her sword, emerging from the darkness of the clearing.

"Asahi?" Sasuke blinked in shock.

"Well, we only have me. Pity about Suigetsu, and damn Gaara to the deepest pits of Lord Gin's afterlife, for killing my beloved friend." Asahi's eyes narrowed. "But even so, I think I can handle this matter myself."

"I'm inclined to disagree. Even our former mentor is deserving of respect." Chinmoku pushed his glasses up on his nose. He stood, rather than having walked out, near the corner of the group.

Asahi turned her head rapidly. Her eyes widened. "Chinmoku-san?" she questioned.

"I wish we had met again under better circumstances." Chinmoku glanced sideways. "My teammate, Yukime Kyōren. Our unfortunate friend is still recuperating from her injuries."

Asahi's eyes narrowed.

An unkempt bob of orange hair hung behind the girl's head. Her brown eyes flickered. "Heh. Hello, everyone."

"And there's still that crazy kid." Ōnoki chuckled. "Heh. I'd feel angry if you hadn't heard about her."

Nōtō's eyes widened. "My god. It's her we're talking about, isn't it?"

Sasuke glanced at Naruto. "What's he talking about?" she questioned nervously.

Naruto shrugged helplessly.

Sasuke tilted her head to one side. "Kōju-san, what's he talking about?"

"In this world, there are certain geniuses who can't be defined within the boundaries of what is 'reasonable'." Kōju sighed.

A girl walked into the clearing of the forest, her chocolate-dark skin shining slightly in the light. Her lips curled upward. A white hat shone on her head. "Good morning, everyone. Shall we get started?"

"Such a being is Shikin, a freak beyond compare, and one of Cloud's native shamans."

Naruto tilted his head to one side. "A shaman, hm?"

Shikin held out her hand. Her finger rose, as though she were making a point. "First of all, we should review our available information. When and where did Deikōgi-san go missing?"

"I was getting to that. Have patience, you young whippersnapper." Ōnoki growled. "First of all, she vanished in a mysterious way shortly after the chūnin exams. Upon returning she said quite a lot that was subversive and dangerous."

"And how do you know that?" Shikin questioned.

"The degree of information we keep on our citizens is quite remarkable." Ōnoki scowled. "From shampoo type to their favorite hobbies, we know everything."

Yukime gasped. "No way! I use state-sanctioned shampoo, anyway!"

"Information is 'power'. The more information we have, the more power we have available to us." Ōnoki's eyes narrowed. "Hence, we were aware that she would probably attempt to escape. The difficulty comes here." He pointed at the map. "Simply put, she came into contact with Akatsuki. Reclaiming her would be simple enough, given our data on her abilities, if it wasn't for the involvement of Akatsuki." Ōnoki sighed after a moment. "She disappeared in the black forest on our borders with Leaf. We'll need to contact Tsunade individually. You Leaf ninja will be invaluable as guides."

Shikin's eyes narrowed. "I see. May I request to lead this mission? Nōtō-san, I believe you'll need to be more prepared."

"I see. You're being clear about this. Have you already worked out some manner of plan?" Nōtō nodded. "At any rate, I accept that offer of yours."

"Now that's out of the way. What it is we must do is finish matters here." Shikin leaned over the stump at the center of the clearing. "I'd like to request information on the abilities of the member nations. However, I recognize that is rather dangerous to this matter, so it is beyond the grasp of my abilities."

Akatsuki

The black forest creaked. Hooting echoed through the depths of the forest.

"Heh. You're rather quiet. Is there something bothering you, Deikōgi-san?" Kūkyo continued through the black forest. Her golden eyes narrowed, flickering with the echoes of some forgotten era. A faint aura of golden surrounded Kūkyo's body.

"I didn't realize it."

Kūkyo's eyes narrowed.

"I didn't realize how much I'd have to do to cross that limit." Deikōgi fell silent. "Once you've left your home, you really can't return to it, can you?

The forest creaked. A twig snapped in the darkness of the wood.

Deikōgi turned around. "A follower?"

"Yeah. We're being tracked." Kūkyo's lips curled upward. "Seems he hired an assassin. Were you truly that significant to him?"

Deikōgi's eyes widened. Eh?!

"I recognize this pattern."

Deikōgi's eyes narrowed. "How can you tell? From this distance, it should be impossible to see anything like that."

"You could call it ascension." Kūkyo paused. "A long time ago, I gave up the ability to use techniques and any other shinobi ability. In exchange I became another 'type' of being. You might say that it puts me at a level that exceeds all humans, from the weakest genin to the Sage of Six Paths. A true god of death, after all, has to exist differently. There are limitations to what humans can do. I can't die of old age, for example. That's one thing. I'd probably still lose against the Sage of Six Paths, but there's a distinct difference between me and him now." Kūkyo's hand seized on the hilt of the sword. "That being said, it would be unwise to keep walking with an assassin like you behind me." Kūkyo glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes narrowed. "Your techniques are specialized for killing. May I take it that your presence was requested by Ōnoki-san, Yūgao-san?"

The sword drew out of the sheath.

A blade shot forward through the air, a kunai slicing through the night.

Kūkyo blocked the strike, her expression unemotional.

Yūgao's eyes widened. Like perfect three hundred sixty degree vision. How did she strike without even looking over her shoulder?

Kūkyo's eyes narrowed. "You should turn back. I'm not concerned with you, but rather the contract that we struck with Deikōgi-san."

Yūgao's eyes narrowed. "Sorry, but my pride prevents me from leaving here. I take pride in finishing the mission first, you see."

"I see. In that case, I have a few methods still available to me."

Yūgao's eyes widened.

A wave of golden energy blasted out of Kūkyo's body.

Yūgao's body shook. Huh? All of a sudden I can't move? What is this pressure blasting downward on my shoulders?

Waves of energy spread from Kūkyo's body. Lines of energy plunged downward, smashing into the trees. Kūkyo's eyes narrowed. The air blazed. The earth shook, cracks forming in the sand of the desert. Lines of golden energy shot downward. The air blazed. A crater formed in the earth beneath Kūkyo's feet.

Deikōgi's eyes widened. How crazy, this bastard, yeah. She lowered her hand. Taking a step backward, she leaned against the tree. It seems I won't have to worry about my safety, however, yeah.

"In exchange for my powers as a shinobi, I became a shinigami." Kūkyo's arms extended to the sides. The golden lines of energy slammed downward. "I became a god of death, literally so!" Kūkyo's lips curled upward. She lowered her hand.

Yūgao fell to her knees. Her face filled with sweat. Her eyes widened in shock.

Deikōgi shuddered. Her body shook under the weight of the reiatsu. Seriously, yeah. What the hell is this, yeah?

The air glowed.

"God of death, Kuroi Kūkyo." Kūkyo's lips curled upward. "Sounds nice, doesn't it?" She turned, regarding Yūgao distantly. "That's the difference between our levels. As strong as you are, and as strong as you will ever become, you are only human. You will only ever be human. That is a simple difference. God sets his pieces well in the depths of this world." Kūkyo held out her hand. "Dragons, the bearers of God's will, and the lesser gods beneath him. In this world, those who are set above by chance of birth are inevitably the strongest of this world."

Yūgao gritted her teeth.

"That is a simple truth. No matter how hard you train, you cannot surpass those who have been set above you. Your superiors are superior because they have earned their way there." Kūkyo's eyes narrowed. "I, who have been set above you as a god of death, I am on a different level from a mere human such as yourself. That is also a simple truth." She raised her hand. "Play dead, Opossamu." Her arm lifted. The hammer glowed brightly, golden energy coalescing around the weapon.

Yūgao placed her fingers together, her hands weaving into a series of seals. "Hazy Moon Night!" she shouted desperately. Her hand drew back the sword, which seemed suddenly to multiply.

Kūkyo leaned backward.

The flickering sword passed over Kūkyo's head.

Kūkyo's golden eyes narrowed. "That's not a bad technique, but it's useless if your opponent's eyes can follow the strike, isn't it? Without some kind of defense, it's totally pointless." Her hand extended rapidly.

"Dance of the Crescent Moon!" Yūgao's hands clapped together. Two shadow clones formed around Yūgao. "Like this, you should have more trouble, right?! This precision?" Yūgao shouted desperately.

Kūkyo smirked broadly. "Hoh. Now this is getting interesting." She stared intently at the two shadow clones beside Yūgao. "Even someone skilled as I am may have trouble avoiding getting cut."

Yūgao gritted her teeth. She ran forward, her hand drawing back the sword. She slashed forward, her clones doing likewise.

One of the swords slashed through Kūkyo's side. Black blood pooled on the ground.

Yūgao's eyes widened.

Kūkyo reached downward. Her hand grasped the injured location. Quickly, she applied pressure.

Yūgao sighed. "That won't—" Her voice stopped in the middle of her words. "Impossible," she whispered in shock.

Green light surrounded the injury. Rapidly, the wound sealed over.

Grinning broadly, Kūkyo slashed forward, the hammer passing in a wide arc in front of her body.

Yūgao ducked, her body leaning toward a crouch.

Kūkyo grinned.

The shadow clones puffed into smoke.

"Now it's just you and me. A fair fight, right? You didn't do badly with that little technique. Just one problem!" Kūkyo drew both hands upward. Roaring, she drove the hammer downward.

Yūgao clapped her hands together. "Flash Technique!" She jumped backward in the air.

Kūkyo vanished. She reappeared above Yūgao, silhouetted by the moon. The hammer descended, smashing into Yūgao's shoulder. A golden mark formed across the shoulder.

Yūgao fell to the ground, seemingly dead.

Deikōgi swallowed tightly. She glanced downward. What a freak, yeah. She's definitely a member of that organization, yeah.

Kūkyo turned around. "From here things won't be so easy." Her hand touched the surface of her sword. "But if you follow me, I promise I'll keep you from harm."

"Heh." Deikōgi giggled, rubbing the back of her head. "How should I put this, yeah? At the end of the day, I've already passed the point where it would be possible to return, yeah. It's like trying to go back down a mountain path where a rockfall has covered the path down again, yeah." She looked over her shoulder. "I already passed that limitation, yeah. If I had the option of turning back, I'd have already done it, yeah."

"I see." Kūkyo's eyes narrowed. "In that case, follow me onward. Where we're going, the entire concept of sanity and insanity is totally without meaning, you see."

Deikōgi's eyes narrowed. "And where are we going?"

"The Land of Iron. Within that territory, I believe it is not impossible that he can succeed, after all. Mifune does not much like getting involved with the affairs of others." Kūkyo turned away. She walked deeper into the forest.

After a hesitation, Deikōgi followed Kūkyo into the darkness.

High above, an owl hooted loudly.