Sorry for the lateness of this chapter, but I made up for it by making it even longer than usual (5640 words!), so forgive me for that. I actually think this chapter is good in more than just terms of length, but I'll let you decide that for yourselves. I'm really looking forward to reviews guys, a lot of work went into this one!

Disclaimer: Last week, my head hit the desk with the manga chapter. This week, I'm picking splinters out of my brain... I'm not gonna survive to see the big 500, am I?


Reminding the mortal of death

Han and Kirai were locked deep in combat, the first raising his armoured arms against the latter's long nodachi. Neither had noticed they were alone in this place; neither cast even a thought to where Deidara was. Han didn't care in the slightest, and though the same couldn't be said for Kirai, his focus was fixed upon his brother at this moment in time.

The two split apart, coming to know that neither would succeed in a continued struggle like that. Han reached behind to touch his steam generator, which he had managed to fix back in place, checking to see if it was still in working condition. When he confirmed this was so, he lowered his hands to his side. He was going to take his time fighting this opponent, releasing a grudge which had been his for many years now.

That wasn't to say Kirai was going to do the same however. Eager to draw this battle to a quick and decisive end, he ran the tongue of his hand across the blade and coated it in saliva. Then without any further hesitation he ran at his sibling, his blade held low and threatening. Han didn't move to intercept, but when Kirai drew close, he turned his hands so that the base of his palms were pointed straight at his traitorous brother.

A sudden blast of steam shot out from small pipes in Han's wrists, which were then manipulated into firing at Kirai with enough force to break through solid rock. Kirai was immediately forced off the ground and through the air, grunting in pain as boiling hot air pounded into him. He landed roughly on the next rooftop, his lip curled back as he snarled and glared. Han however took no note of his expression; he wasn't even looking right now.

Han was standing straight, in the exact same spot he had made the attack. Rather than move for an advantage, he remained there with his hand gripping the brim of his armoured sedge hat. His eyes were hidden behind the red plates, and there was no longer a single visible piece of skin on his body. Soon however, even that would be a commodity as he revealed the reason for his failing to procure a follow up attack.

Steam hissed from beneath his headpiece, from pipes laid around in several places underneath. It took a couple of seconds, but soon he was completely hidden inside a small cloud of steam that was growing larger and larger. As the cloud grew and spread across the rooftop, Kirai's eyes narrowed. He had never seen his brother fight before; Han had kept himself isolated from the family for most of his life. For that reason, just about everything he was seeing here was new to him. He didn't like it one bit, and so took the opportunity to find an advantageous position.

Deep inside the haze, where steam was still pouring out, Han stood with his eyes closed. He could feel the familiar heat of the steam, falling from his hat and rising around him like a soothing breeze. He flexed his fingers and rolled his shoulders, before lifting his arms high into the air, at perfect diagonals on either side. Then he took in a deep, thick breath through his nose, and his eyes slid open.

Outside the steam, Kirai had almost gone the complete way around to his brother's back. But now he came to a stop as something changed in the steam, something that caught his curiosity in spite of himself. "What is that?" he murmured, as he saw the steam shift and sway unrest fully. With a feeling of unease, Kirai readied his blade, waiting for whatever it was that was coming his way.

Suddenly the steam moved, lifting in places as if it were clinging to something inside. Several long tendril-like plumes curled through the air, the ends taking on the odd shape of some reptilian head. Five of them were present, and each were watching Kirai with hungry expressions, looking ready to strike at any given moment.

"There's no way he can see me." Kirai thought, taking a step back as a hissing sound emitted from the mouths of the serpentine spectres. Han was completely invisible as far as Kirai could see, which meant most probably that he was as well. "He can't hear me with that steam either. So if then he must be using the steam to pick up my scent."

Taking this knowledge into account, he quickly decided on what he needed to do. With a quick whip around, he hurled his nodachi like a misshapen shuriken at the steam serpents. As soon as the blade was out of his hands, he ran alongside it with his hands at his hips. Pulling out his dual wakizashi, he leapt into the air and began attacking brutally while one of the serpents was dismembered by his discarded weapon. He attacked in a fierce flurry of slashes and cuts as the serpents convened on his position.

Even though he was engulfed in the steam, he didn't relent for a second. Though he found his slashes to be ineffective, the steam creatures just reformed afterwards, he was far from done. He fell in amidst the steam, where even here he couldn't tell if he was near Han. But whether he was or wasn't was no matter. Quickly throwing his blades aside, he began flying through a series of seals, before gripping his right hand with his left and pointing it towards the ground.

"Katon: Conflagration Jutsu!" he cried, before taking in a deep inhale. The air that flew into his lungs was immediately redirected through another auxiliary windpipe in his arm. There it was saturated with the chakra he had gathered, before being released in an immense firestorm from the fanged slit in his palm. The flames spewed out and hit the ground, spreading around like a broken dam releasing a river.

Kirai was shot into the air by the force of his technique, breaking out of the steam cloud and high into the air. But as he did this, he noticed that steam clung to parts of his body. His eyes narrowed suspiciously at them, but he had other things to focus on now. His attack had successfully obliterated the steam cloud, leaving Han with his eyes on his brother and looking to be quite shocked. That was exactly the reaction Kirai was looking for; it gave him the drive to continue his next attack.

Once he reached the height of his jump, he somersaulted through the air and began another series of hand signs. Han however was not prepared to let him continue what he was doing, and raised his hand indicatively to this. Without so much as a hand seal, steam shot out from his wrist and formed another, smaller serpent than its predecessors. That serpent snaked through the air after Kirai, opening its jaws wide as it prepared to devour him. Kirai's eyes widened in shock at his brother's sudden creation, how could he have done that?

The serpent engulfed him, and Kirai was filled with thoughts of how this would be the end. But to his surprise, he felt no pain other than the burning sensation of the steam. "Wait, his steam isn't directly offensive?" he thought, as the serpent dissipated completely. His body was now covered in that clinging steam, but all it served to do was increase his body temperature. Knowing this, he hastily continued his hand seals, almost running out of time as he neared the ground. "Damn it brother… what're you trying to do?"

Before he could find out however, he finished his string and landed on the ground. It was there that his Nodachi stood, impaled in the ground where he had thrown it. Han came to notice this, but not the twin wakizashi that were behind him, forming a triangle that surrounded him. With a smirk, Kirai grabbed the hilt of his weapon and released his chakra. "Raiton: Raijin's Reparation!" he cried, his eyes fixed upon his target malevolently.

Han whipped his head around in shock as bolts of lightning suddenly broke out from the nodachi, and connected to the wakizashi he was now aware of. Predicting the outcome, he jumped into the air to avoid what he believed would come. His attempt was futile however, as the lightning connecting the three blades suddenly lunged at him, striking his body and armour and making a sound like a whip cracking.

Han's eyes widened in shock as electricity coursed through his entire body, buzzing noisily through the metal framework of his armour and its contents. Instead of steam, smoke rose out of his pipes as several of his inner workings became overheated. Then with a shocking blow, something inside his armour cracked. From the joints of his shoulders, wrists and ankles, a bright blue liquid began dribbling out and down to the ground.


Gaara slid off of Shinmaru, quietly landing on the ground as he stared at something not too far away. The great dog whined worriedly in turn to Gaara's thoughts, both unsettled by what was lying before them. He however wasn't so obvious with his reaction, instead looking at the mounds of flesh in front of them with what may have been seen as disappointment.

Naruto had collapsed on the ground, his body barely recognisable over the burns and scorches covering his skin. His hair was singed and his slacks were blackened by the remnants of his Jutsu. The bandages that had been on his arms had disintegrated completely, and were nothing more than ash. He was unconscious, and just barely breathing. But it was this fact that saved him from more pain. Had he still been conscious, Gaara would almost certainly have put a stop to that.

"Idiot…" Gaara muttered, as he looked to Shinmaru and nodded. The big dog moved towards his master, and knew from the situation what was probably the best thing to do. Standing so that Naruto was right underneath him, Shinmaru bowed his head and began to lightly lick the unconscious boy. "That should at least cool him down a little; staying out in the sun like this will kill him."

Even so, he could already hear the complaints Naruto would later exclaim. But judging by the situation, should Gaara ever become annoyed by Naruto he would have the perfect weapon for quietening him down. It didn't take him long to figure out why his stupid friend had overdone it; even if he was burned Gaara could see the resemblance between Naruto's foe and Hyuuga Neji.

Gaara frowned slightly as something came to mind. Stepping around Naruto and Shinmaru, he went to investigate the body of the person named Kougai. He was in the same condition as Naruto, but he was also covered in countless cauterized cuts that left his skin a horrendous husk. It looked like he too had been wearing bandages, but just like with Naruto they had been reduced to cinders. It was for that reason that Gaara's attention was caught.

Kougai's chest was marked with a giant tattoo, one that seemed more than a little peculiar to Gaara. It depicted the outlined head of an animal that seemed somewhere between a horse and an ox. It bore the long, smooth face of the former while possessing the horns and ears of the latter. But rather than being a simple piece of body art, there were small symbols that spread out from the head and across Kougai's body. His stomach, arms and back were covered in them, presumably his legs were too. Those symbols however were indecipherable to Gaara, though he didn't know much of it in the first place.

"Seals…" he thought, with a troubled expression. From what he remembered from his talk with Deidara, this man had belonged to the Research and Experimental Division. He couldn't help but wonder then if there was any connection between him and Kyoei Taiki. He soon dismissed it however, turning away to look at Naruto. Without knowing the strength of Iwa's Research and Experimental Division, there was no grounds to that theory. "There are other matters at hand."

Standing over Naruto, he watched the blond boy impassively as Shinmaru stepped in the way of the sun. Now that the heat of the blazing orb was gone, and he was coated in cool saliva, Naruto's breathing seemed to calm a little. Gaara was silently glad of this fact, but he still had a desire to hit the idiot. Instead however he helped him into the air, using the sand to create a bed that lifted Naruto up and onto Shinmaru's back. Once the master was settled upon his familiar, Gaara tapped Shinmaru to indicate they were leaving. Soon after approaching the end of the rooftop, they dropped down into the dry street below.

"Uuh…"

Gaara cocked a brow in surprise, but kept his eyes straight ahead as he and Shinmaru walked slowly through the shaded street. There were still many enemies around, and he needed to be on guard with Naruto out of commission. "This will be the twelfth time I saved your life now." he said, as the sand spread out in the case a quick shield was needed.

"Hey… I told you already…" Naruto murmured, his eyes closed and his lips just barely moving. He limply raised his hand and pointed his finger towards the sky, the effort and pain of this obvious. "It doesn't count when you're the one who puts me in this state." he finished, with the faint remnant of a smirk.

"Alright then, the seventh time."

Naruto chuckled faintly, letting his hand fall onto his stomach. He winced in pain from doing so, but his thoughts were elsewhere as he lightly rubbed himself. "Uh… Gaara?" he asked, peeking through his barely open eyelids to his red haired friend. "What the hell am I covered in?"


Han landed on one knee, smoke billowing from his armour in a cloud thicker than his steam had been. The lightning had finally subsided and he was allowed to drop into the puddle of blue liquid that had once been inside his suit. His head hung low and loose, looking like he was on the verge of collapsing. Kirai recognised this well and pulled his nodachi from the ground, preparing to finish the job.

"Well niisama… looks like you're not all you were made out to be." he said, as he turned the blade to the side. Then stepping over to his older brother, he moved the long sword so that the blade was resting just under Han's chin, almost supporting it in an obscure sense. "Once I'm done with you, I'll find that bastard and do the same to-"

But then he stopped, not by choice but by force. Seeing his brother in that condition had made him forget about the steam attached to his own body, the steam that was now making itself known to him. Looking at his body in alarm, he realised that the heat of the steam was rising far past normal accounts. It was burning, a pain that could only be caused by fire despite there being none. But the odd thing was, it wasn't his skin that was burning. It was his blood.

"Wha-" he began, but never got his words out. He suddenly choked, grabbing his heart as he stumbled forward. The pain was still there, searing like hell itself was opening from within him. But he barely noticed it; his focus was on his vital organ. He stared at his brother as he clutched at his chest, gaping as the taste of blood filled his mouth. "You… monster!"

He fell onto his hands and knees, tearing off his mask quickly. As soon as he had an opening, he began puking red onto the roof of the battleground. Blood was flowing not only from his mouth, but from his nose, his ears and even his eyes. He shuddered from the gruelling sensation, blinking heavily as he tried to clear his vision. Lifting his head he looked at his brother once more, before chuckling dryly. "So this was your power… for once I am glad to call you my brother." he said, as his arms gave from beneath him and he fell to the ground.

In front of him, Han was raising his head to meet his younger sibling's gaze, breathing heavily from the increasing temperature in his suit. It was agonizing to stay like this, he hurriedly began removing his armour from his body. First came his mask, revealing a white fabric one underneath. Then he removed his gi, before quickly discarding his chest piece and sliding off his gauntlets. The discarded pieces of armour revealed melted tubes of plastic amidst the steam pipes. It was those tubes that the blue liquid came from; most probably a coolant to compensate for the steam.

Once all the armour was removed, Han pressed his hands against the rooftop as he sat back, breathing heavily once more. He wore a light white shirt and trousers underneath that armour, one that matched with his mask and the veil of his hat that he still wore. He turned his eyes back to his brother, seeing that Kirai was fading away fast. But even in spite of this, his younger sibling was laughing.

"You're looking pretty relaxed, niisama." he said, sneering at the reference he made to Han. Even though he lay there dying like a dog, he still wore a superior look to him as if he had discovered something Han would rather no one else knew. "Looks like you're gonna trust that Deidara bastard with her, am I right?"

Han blinked suddenly, fixing his eyes upon Kirai's with a hard stare. His look told Kirai all he needed to know, and the dying nin turned his head away with a smirk. "That bastard stabbed me in the back by taking the scroll and running off." he said, his expression turning angry and even regretful. "You think he won't use her as a bargaining chip, you stupid ass?"

Han watched Kirai intently, his eyes widening as his brother's logic got to him. He was in a bad state from that lightning attack, but he wasn't terribly wounded. He was already halfway to his feet when Kirai coughed up another puddle of blood. "Guess this is it bro…" came his hoarse voice, showing him to be on the edge of death. "Wouldn't do to keep tousan waiting right? He'll be lonely… down there."

Han looked down at his brother, and for a moment he forgot his anger. He saw only the spunky kid who knew better how to glare than apologise. For a moment he felt a pang of regret, resentment for his failure as an elder brother. He moved over to Kirai and crouched down, moving his head close to his younger sibling's. With one hand he slid his mask off, and moved his lips to Kirai's ears. Then he softly whispered something, his words just barely reaching his brother's ears. Kirai blinked to himself, looking blankly down at the ground. Then he slowly closed his eyes, and took his final rest.


It was a short while later that Han stepped through the wilderness, his mask back in place and his eyes as hard as ever. He had packaged his armour together in a rough bundle that slung over his shoulder, and was walking outside the village as he followed the faint trail that he was sure belonged to Deidara and his accomplices.

He stepped out from a valley into a small clearing filled with dry bushes and dust. This place was somewhere to the south of the village he was supposed to be protecting, it was a lesser used path that would provide evacuation for the villagers in times of need. As for now however, it seemed that need had passed.

Not far to his left there was a shack, made out of old wood and barely standing on its own. It was a small place, probably just a single roomed home. In front of that shack, with their backs pressed against the wall, Deidara and the red haired boy stood watching him. Han stopped to look back at them, taking note of the half conscious blond boy resting on a mat in the shade. But then his eyes returned to Deidara, locking his pink eyes with his former student's blue.

The two stared at each other for several silent moments, neither eager to make the first move. Han was still wary of Deidara's intentions, but when the ex Iwa-nin jerked his head into the cabin, he stopped thinking about that. Hesitantly he walked over, his attention locked upon the rickety door in front of him. He had just begun to reach up for it however, when Deidara stopped him with a hand to the shoulder. "I probably don't need to tell you this, but we don't have much time." he said, keeping his eyes away from his old sensei. Han glanced over to him, before giving a small nod. Then, cautiously, he pressed his hand against the door and pushed it open.

He walked inside the small dark room that made up the shack, keeping his eyes fixed upon the wall opposite as he closed the door behind him. He stood silently with a tentative breath, slowly looking around the ramshackled shack. He skipped over the disused furnishings of the cabin however, as he turned his gaze to the one other living thing in the room with him.

There she was, a young woman who would be around nineteen years old. She was dressed in the clothes of a servant, and her long black hair was rather unkempt. Her skin was pale and her body thin, she seemed to be on the worse side of nourishment. But that round face, and those icy blue eyes filled Han's focus, overcoming everything else. The young lady was looking back at him with parted lips, her eyes showing not happiness or sadness, but fearful disbelief. She looked like she couldn't quite understand what she was seeing, possibly judging it as a mistake. She turned her eyes away, bowing her head in an almost ashamed manner. "I'm sorry." she said, her voice softer and quieter than any other sound Han had heard in years. "If Kirai-sama finds out someone was here, he'll be angry."

Han listened to her speak, but he couldn't quite comprehend her words. He took an unsteady step forward, his wide eyes brimming with tears of shock and relief. The young woman, Rei, darted her eyes over to him as he drew nearer. She too looked like she was ready to cry, but was trying her very hardest to keep herself composed. This became more and more difficult however as Han drew nearer, faint sounds like moans coming from behind his mask. But then he reached her, and he came to a dazed stop. Rei refused to look at him, and he refused to look away. Both of them were shaking lightly, as if they thought any more would cause the moment to shatter like silence.

Then Han slowly settled, his body stilling and his eyes calming. With a delicate hand he reached around, before nervously placing it upon the back of her head. Rei's eyes widened, and tears slipped down her cheek as she let out a silent gasp. Then, in a move that shocked both of them, she threw her arms around Han's waist and gripped him tight. She didn't cry, though tears rolled down her cheeks. She just clung on tight, her fear no longer on breaking the moment, but letting it fade away. Han reciprocated this, slipping down to his knees and wrapping his arms around his little girl, holding her tight.

Outside the shack, several minutes had passed without the slightest sound coming from inside the shack. Deidara and Gaara kept their eyes fixed dead ahead, trying their best to ignore anything they might hear while they waited. Though it had been Deidara who found Rei, he hadn't made his presence known to her. He had instead brought Gaara and Naruto over, while waiting for Han to arrive. Though he had been surprised to see Naruto in the condition he was in, his thoughts had of course belonged somewhere else.

"Hey, are we done?" Naruto asked, loosely raising his hand to remind his two accomplices that he was still there. Even though his body was still in a bad state, he was a lot more aware than he was ten minutes ago. He had even managed to create a small team of Kage Bunshin to run off and distract anyone who may be following their trail. But he himself would definitely be out of commission for at least a few days, those Kage Bunshin were all he had left in him.

"That's up to Han-sensei now." Deidara replied, in a low voice so not to disturb the people inside. He had been wearing an unseasonably serious expression since they had stopped here; there was no denying he was in a rather antsy mood at the moment. "His ties to Iwa are pretty much nonexistent, and with Rei-chan back he may want to leave all the more. But then again, maybe not… un."

"So we're in the same situation we would be if we'd never hired you at all?" Gaara asked, ignoring Naruto's condition in the context he spoke of. Deidara took a pause to think about that, but just as he opened his mouth to reply, footsteps inside the shack could be heard. The matter was dropped as the two of them watched the door, with Naruto listening closely.

The door opened up and Han stepped out, with his arm around his daughter's shoulder. Rei seemed to still be in shock a little; her eyes were still streaming and her attention was a little out of focus. As for Han, he was almost the complete opposite. He seemed quietly happy, which was something that was of no surprise. But of course he hid that feeling well, missing the fact that his brow wasn't creased like it usually was. The first person he set his eyes upon was Deidara, who was looking straight at him over folded arms.

"No matter how you look at it, you're affiliated with us now." he said, his eyes flickering over to Rei. He paused for a moment as he looked at her, a face he hadn't seen in years. He continued to look at her even as he spoke to Han, trying his best to keep the situation moving at a good pace. "Kirai trained her in some Shinobi arts, she can use the Kuchiyose no Jutsu. That means she'll get conscripted right away, and probably get a position near the Tsuchikage to keep you in line, hm."

Despite the joy he had in finding his daughter again, Han let his expression grow serious once more. He understood full well what Deidara meant, and understood that he was most probably right. "I don't expect you to trust me, but hear me out for a moment." his old pupil continued, turning so he was directly facing him. "These guys, Uzumaki Naruto and Sabaku no Gaara, they only hired me to help find you. Aside from that, I'm not affiliated with them. But since they played a major part in this operation, you at least owe them your ears for now, yeah?"

Han stared hard at Deidara for a moment, before looking over his shoulder at Naruto. Most likely he was looking at the boy's injuries, and thinking about the reason he had them. In the end, he turned his attention back to Deidara, and gave a reluctant nod of confirmation.

Gaara didn't waste a moment then, stepping around Deidara and looking Han straight in the eye. "We have a base in Nami no Kuni." he explained, once he was certain he had the giant nin's attention. Even though there was a massive difference in height, both nin showed each other equal respect by the looks in their eyes. "Iwa won't be able to follow us, since that place falls under Konoha's jurisdiction. On the condition that you join us, Rei-san is welcome to stay there, or even in the village nearby if you prefer."

Han stared at Gaara for several long moments, neither Shinobi blinking or giving any other sign that they were more than well crafted statues. Even Rei was beginning to catch wind of the situation, looking up between her father and Gaara with uncertain looks. She even looked confusedly at Deidara, taking a moment to recognise him. But when she did, she gasped loudly and stepped back, accidentally tripping over Naruto and falling onto her rear.

"Ow!" she and Naruto complained in unison. Han, Deidara and Gaara watched the pair with raised brows; it seemed almost like adding insult to injury on the list of Naruto's current problems. Han quickly stepped over to help Rei back on her feet, checking to make sure she was ok. Rei began to look at what had caused her to fall, but Han distracted her by being more than a little fussy. "P-papa!"

That word caused Han to stop, looking down at Rei with clear surprise. Following her request, he stepped back from her silently, but his worried expression was still clear. He lowered his eyes to the ground, thinking to himself for a moment. Then, when he had settled on something, he turned around to face Gaara. The red haired boy looked up at him impassively, though it was clear he was still waiting for an answer to his offer. After another moment of second guessing himself, Han half-heartedly raised his hand to Gaara. Without the slightest change in expression, Gaara accepter the hand and shook it, nodding gratefully. Unless there was a sore misinterpretation, the Gobi Jinchuriki had agreed to join them.


The sky shone orange there in the village, the red rocks to the distance causing a slight bloody tint that was of course unwelcome in this tragic place. It had taken a long time, but order was finally restored and the civilians sent on their way. The last remaining Shinobi were tracking down their targets, who were making an escape to the north east exit. But these matters were trifling to this person, the one crouching in the window of one of the taller buildings.

As always the wind was stuffy and unfavourable, but it came nonetheless, carrying with it the scent of smoke that filled the burn marked village. Kyoei Taiki witnessed this sight with a small smirk across his lips, clearly enjoying the sight in front of him for whatever reasons his unethical mind concocted. He slid out of the window and down the wall of the building he had hidden in, coming to a stop on a rooftop farther down.

Not far away from him, on a house just a little away, there was the body of someone who was rather familiar to him. After a short couple of jumps, he approached this person with a smile on his face, looking down at the body of Edo no Kougai with a supercilious sneer. "Well don't just go dying on me." he muttered, before giving a sharp kick to the Shinobi's waist. That kick was filled with static that ran through Kougai's body, though it was an ineffective gesture in the end. "Am I really supposed to believe you're Iwa's top assassin?"

Kyoei continued to look arrogantly down at Kougai, but he was soon met with retribution as the dead man's hand grabbed at his leg, before pulling hard and forcing the boy to fall over. Kyoei cried out in shock and pain, and the hand released him. "So that's how you would treat the dead?" Kougai asked, as his eyes slowly opened up. He looked at the sky with a bitter but stoic expression, making that move there had tired him out more than his earlier fight had. "I'll keep that in mind."

Kyoei shot Kougai a nasty look, but it was soon abandoned as he gave his fellow freak an expression of interest. "You say that as if it'd offend me." he remarked, as he pushed himself up to a half seated position. From where he was now, bruise marks on his neck were clearly visible. It looked almost like he had rubbed soot onto his throat. "So what's your excuse?"

Kougai glanced aloofly at Kyoei, studying the contusions on the creepy boy's skin. It didn't take him more than a moment to work out what his question was based on. "Looks like you found your target as well." he muttered, as he turned his eyes back to the sky again, before answering the question asked. "I never take out my enemy in the first fight."

Kyoei's smirk suddenly grew upon hearing that, turning into a full on grin that somehow made him look even more haunted than before. "You make it sound like this isn't the first time you've ended up like this." he noted, eying Kougai curiously. But when Kougai dismissed his comment, he let out a sigh and pushed himself to his feet, before looking north with a dubious expression. "Guess this means we've got something interesting to report to Tsuchikage-sama."

"The Kyuubi and the Ichibi…" Kougai added, his eyes distancing a little as he saw his opponent clearly once more. "So Konoha doesn't have theirs either…"