Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...blah blah blah...Look, a distraction! (Runs away)

I'm not sure if the formatting worked when I uploaded this. My internet is primitive, so the editor looks funny. I know that dividing lines don't work. Temporarily, I will not be answering reviews inside of the chapters. This will last until changes its policy on that (there's a petition going around). You can find review answers on my LiveJournal page (link on profile) once I get around to it. I may also be putting up OC analyses from the story. First up, Edo.

Good news, however. I've started prelim work on a few other stories (Megaman Battle Network, One Piece, wacky Naruto fic, Jak and Daxter, chapter 2 of Void disciple). But this is the big one.

Chapter 22: Tale of the Cat

"My father settled down somewhat with his new family. He had nearly forgotten about the Raikage and his mission. But the Raikage had not forgotten him. When I was almost a year old, another Cloud shinobi came to the island of Tokoronai. A shinobi with the exact same mission: procure the two-tails."

"Once he had ascertained Hyousai's location, he came in secret, infiltrated the compound, and took me away," Edo stroked his goatee absently. "He didn't get far. Before he had gone one mile, my father was upon him. There was a reason that he was the Guardian of the Nekoarashi clan. The man didn't even have time to scream before the loss of his larynx rendered it impossible."

Everyone listened intently.

"Apparently, my father's failure to report back had led the Raikage to believe that he was dead. Rather than keep killing his countrymen as they came, Shinji reported back to the village. He managed to convince Ryouji that he was working on the mission, but it would take time. The Raikage assented, though I believe he had his suspicions. From then on, my father would take occasional trips to Kumogakure."

He absently scratched under Torikushi's chin. "He brought Torikushi here to me after his first visit."

Edo smiled warmly. "I was happy then. I had a family. I even had a few friends, which I believe is what saved my sanity in darker times."

"When I was three, even more foreigners came to Tokoronai. It seemed to be a popular place in those days. There were four of them. A thin old man with a gnarled staff. He had a bodyguard as well, a strange fellow, maybe nineteen or twenty at the time. He wore a katana with a red tassel and he wore a number of small bells. I never got his name."

The adults in the room twitched, though Hiashi seemed able to hide his reaction. Edo went on without noticing.

"Of greatest interest to me, though, were the two children, no more than five years of age. That was when I met my good friends Nazo and Maiyuu. The three of us became inseparable companions. The old man, who was apparently Nazo's grandfather or something like that, was there to study my clan, and if possible, take notes on me and my 'condition'. He was an old friend of my grandfather Mizore."

"And what was his name?" asked Jiraiya, looking as though he already knew the answer.

"I believe it was-"

"Antan," Jiraiya finished.

Edo blinked.

"Why, yes," the shinobi replied. "How did you know?"

"Lucky guess," the sennin smiled. "Antan is...was...one of the foremost experts in the world on demons and seals. He was an old friend of Sarutobi's."

"A friend of old man Hokage?" Naruto gaped.

"Yep. They used to meet all the time, the four of them."

"Four?"

"Sarutobi, Antan, Mizore, and Gin. Bunch of old-timers," the old-timer spat. "Sarutobi and Antan were practically like brothers for a while, but things went sour about fifteen years ago."

"Why?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya looked shifty. "Various reasons."

He looked back at Edo. "I've interrupted enough. Please continue."

Edo ran a hand through his blond and black hair.

"We would go exploring around the island. Nazo was our voice of reason, Maiyuu was a creature of boundless energy, and I would simply lead the two older children around. Usually into trouble. Nazo often tells me even today that he's 'got five years on me' though he's really just a couple years older. He just acts more mature, I suppose."

"Sometimes we would hang around the old man, who was always willing to entertain us with some jutsu or story. Sometimes, we even managed to talk his bodyguard into showing us his swordplay. Maiyuu would steal his katana and go after him with the sheath, shouting for 'Aniki' to teach her to fight."

Edo paused, slightly troubled. "It's odd, though. He always tried not to smile around us. It was as if he was trying not to like us. He seemed to constantly keep his emotions in check. A couple of times, he came close to killing us, but managed to restrain himself. You never knew what to expect around him."

"About a year after they had first arrived, Antan and his bodyguard left. He said he had business 'out west'. He left Nazo and Maiyuu with my family and departed. My father was also gone on one of his many trips to the Lightning Country. Sometimes I wonder if things would have been different if he had stayed."

Edo's eyes seemed hollow then.

"About a month later, it happened."

"What happened?" Naruto inquired simply.

"The first holocaust. Up until that time, there had been only my grandfather Mizore's death in my life. Soon there would be many more."

He clenched his fists.

"One night, the island was attacked. It was not Mist village, nor was it mere bounty hunters. There were over a hundred of them, shinobi dressed in gray and black. They set the buildings ablaze, and then attacked in the confusion. I was in the clan compound with my mother and friends when the attack began. Hyouko stayed with us, directed the rest of the clan to help fight both the fires and the enemy attackers. I was only four at the time and was petrified. When the compound itself was covered in strange purple flames, my mother saw her own death. She held me close, traced a seal on my temple, kissed my forehead, and said goodbye. She told Nazo and Maiyuu to watch out for me, and used her bloodline to clear us a temporary path."

Edo took a deep shuddering breath. His eyes gleamed wetly.

"We ran. At the top of a nearby hill, I stopped and looked at the inferno that was my home. I saw my mother, on top of the main building, locked in combat with a woman who I assumed to be the leader of the attackers. She was different, darker. She seemed to twist and manipulate the darkness of the night into weapons, and appeared to be in control of the purple flames. I watched helplessly as the fire and shadow cut my mother down..."

Edo shook.

"I went after her, completely forgetting all fear and reason. She batted me away as easily as a cat with a mouse. The ceiling caved in and I lost sight of her. I guess she thought I was dead."

Light mist began to swirl about the bedridden figure as Edo's face twisted into a pained grimace.

"I won't forget...those eyes. So gray and lifeless. Like a corpse's." Edo stared at his hands. "And her arms..."

Edo shuddered violently, his expression hardening. He bared his teeth in a bestial snarl. Narrowing her eyes, Torikushi bit him smartly on the ear. Edo started, then reached his arm up and began stroking the cat.

"Sorry," he said lamely. "I'm better now. Nazo and Maiyuu pulled me out of the fire and we continued running. We didn't know where we were going. Unfortunately, we were found by three of the enemy. Unfortunate...for them. It was then that I first tasted Hyousai's power. I killed all three, as a child of four. I burned them where they stood, then turned them into shattered fragments of ice. We kept running, hiding when we were far enough away. It was over by morning. All over."

"I learned later that my father had returned during the attack and had helped drive away the attackers in the end. But he wasn't fast enough," he said bitterly. "A couple of weeks later, Antan returned. He seemed distant and in shock. All I really remember was him telling me, 'I'm sorry; I almost feel like this is my own fault.' Then he took Nazo and Maiyuu with him and left."

"Shinji no longer believed that Tokoronai could protect me. So, still grieving, he took me to his home, to Kumogakure. So there I was, in a different country with another family. However, the Nekoarashi clan was not quite as sanguine about Hyousai as the Mizukoru. The Mizukoru had protected Hyousai for generations, so in a way, he was sort of considered family. You know, like a big homicidal uncle." Edo chuckled. "But the Nekoarashi clan was different. Many, but not all, of my own family members completely loathed me, and also held my father in contempt. The clan cats however, had no reservations. They saw me as family. The fact that I was inhabited by a feline demon only gave them another reason to like me."

"I spent most of the next three years at the Nekoarashi estate, being trained in the family's taijutsu style," Edo continued, pouring himself a glass of water from a pitcher on the table next to him. He performed several seals with one hand, causing the water to float up into the air in a liquid orb. "I also practiced the use of my bloodline limit."

The water reshaped itself, taking first the transparent form of a woman's head with long hair and thin eyes. With a wave of his hand, Edo shaped it into the form of a man's head. The man had a goatee and a hat worn low over lazy eyes. He switched it back and forth a few times, then sent it back into the glass and set it aside.

"Life had changed for me. I had lost one family, but I still had a new one. A new life, as it was. There was grief, and there was pain, yes, but in a way, I felt I deserved it. I believed that it was all Hyousai's fault. My fault. Ever since I killed those men, I could hear him sometimes."

"Urging you to rip, to tear, to kill?" Gaara asked quietly. "Asking for blood?"

"Somewhat," Edo nodded. "A little disconcerting for a child of five or six to hear inside his head. Thankfully, I had an antidote of a sort."

"What kind of antidote?" Sakura asked.

"Mrraow," Torikushi answered.

"The presence of any of the cats would help," Edo explained. "But Torikushi is the best. As long as she was with me, I didn't have any episodes. I'm not sure why."

The ex Cloud-nin raised one hand absently to scratch under his companion's chin.

"As I said: she's my anchor to reality. But I digress. I seem to do that often…"

"Painful subjects are often difficult to talk about," Kakashi offered.

Edo smiled weakly. "But at the same time, it can be quite liberating. Anyway, though my father had brought me away from the dangers of Tokoronai, Shinji had not completely counted on the Raikage. He requested that my father hand me over to him, as was his mission. But my father was clever. He replied that his mission had been to bring Hyousai to the village, which he had done."

Edo pointed to his chest, where an intricate seal was inscribed. Surrounded it was a large tattoo of a crouching panther. "As I was his son, he argued that I belonged with his clan. Ryouji complimented him on his cleverness and showed him out."

"Just like that?" Jiraiya interrupted. "That doesn't sound like the Sorasento Ryouji I know."

"Oh, the Raikage wasn't finished," Edo shook his head. "Not by a long shot. I suppose my father realized that, and began making plans for…emergencies. He told his three brothers that if anything were to happen to him that they should hide me as best they could…"

"Then, when I was about seven, the Raikage played his final card. As many of you may know, back in those days, there was a great war between the ninja villages. My father was sent on many dangerous missions, though he survived, much to the Raikage's chagrin. Ryouji needed a way to get my father and the entire clan out of the way. So, he gave my father one last mission, one that he was not to return from."

His eyes flicked toward the three Hyuuga in the room before he continued.

"The war had cost the shinobi villages many lives, and so, a peace treaty was discussed. My father was sent to sign the treaty, as he was one of the top shinobi in the village."

A group of Cloud-nin march down the center of one of Konoha's main streets. Cheering people wave from all sides. The lead cloud-nin is a muscular man with lazy eyes and a lazier smile. A dark goatee juts from his chin. He waves and smiles, though one can see the tension in the gesture.

"But my father's true mission was more sinister," Edo said, looking straight at Hinata. "His assignment was to kidnap the young heiress of Konoha's Hyuuga clan, so as to steal the secrets of the Byakugan."

Hinata stared wide-eyed at the young man.

A shrouded figure runs along a wall, a young girl tucked under one arm. His breath is shallow. Gasping.

"He was to infiltrate the compound and escape with his burden without any outside aid. A suicidal effort, knowing the strength of the Hyuuga."

Suddenly, a white-clad man bursts from a side gate, directly in front of the escapee. The shrouded figure slows, hesitates, and dies.

"My father knew he was doomed if he went on this mission. But his loyalty and honor would not allow him to refuse," Edo frowned deeply. "He was a fool, wasting his loyalty and dedication on his unworthy superiors. His death taught me that blind loyalty leads to ruin, and that loyalty and trust must be earned. Those who serve blindly die blindly."

Hiashi took a breath. "It was not out of foolishness, but rather out of many reasons. A desire to avert war and save innocent life."

Edo's viridian eyes narrowed. "What, exactly, are you talking about?" His voice was low and even.

Hiashi met the other's gaze. "He…warned me. That night, not five minutes before Hinata was taken, a note arrived for me. He told me who he was, what he was about to do, and…what route he would take on his escape."

Edo didn't blink.

"There was more," Hiashi continued. "He wrote that he would give me one free attack. Just one. To protect my daughter, I could not afford to hold back."

Black mist began to pool around the bed, and the temperature plummeted. Hiashi simply stood straight, his gaze unwavering. With a cry, Edo clenched his eyes shut and moved his arms forward. The pitcher of water shattered, the water flying out, transforming into jagged knives of ice, which imbedded themselves harmlessly in the wall. The temperature returned to normal, and Edo took a shuddering breath and opened his eyes.

"I know." The long-haired man's face fell as a number of tears ran down his face. "I know. He had a message for me too. I didn't find it, though, for nearly eight years. He thought that if he died, the Raikage would not harm the rest of the clan. Naive."

Edo looked at Hinata. "I suppose he also saw similarities between us. Young children, both possessing advanced bloodlines. He always was a sucker for kids. He wouldn't have wanted to be responsible for hurting someone so young."

He stroked his slightly frosted goatee. "Years ago," he told Hiashi. "I would have done my utmost to kill you. But the years have changed me. I do not hate you. Though you physically killed my father, you are not the cause of his death."

Hiashi spoke again. "Your father was not the only one lost because of that plot. My brother, Hizashi, Neji's father," he gestured at his nephew, "gave his life in place of mine, when Kumogakure desired my head."

Edo looked at Neji with a solemn nod. "So, the Raikage had a hand in the deaths of both our fathers."

Neji gave a nod of assent.

"What, may I ask, was the reason your father sacrificed himself?"

Neji smiled grimly. "To defy fate."

"An excellent reason," the water-shaper declared. He shook himself slightly. "Now let's see…where was I? Of course…after the unfortunate 'incident' of that night, word gradually leaked back to the village. My father's brothers were supposed to have spirited me away as soon as they got the news. Sadly, two of them were in the Raikage's pocket. They killed the loyal brother secretly, then hustled me away to see the Raikage. Ryouji informed me that my father had been murdered by the Hyuuga clan while on a mission of peace. At that time, a messenger came in with news that the Nekoarashi clan estate was under attack."

Edo shrugged. "As soon as I was away from the compound, a group composed of elite mercenaries and the Raikage's most powerful servants fell upon the compound. Several traitors apparently gave them access and helped them in their grim task. I lost my second family that night."

"Of course, the official story was that the attack was carried out by missing-nin, and masterminded by my two uncles, who were quite shocked when Ryouji turned to them and impaled their hearts on his bladed chains. They made quite effective scapegoats."

"I was full of anger then. Anger at Konoha and the Hyuuga clan, and at those in my family who had betrayed me. But I felt no anger towards the man who had truly masterminded it all." Edo spat. "To him, I only felt gratitude. The morning after, I made my way to the burned out husk of my second home. As I wandered through the rubble, I began to find survivors."

He pointed at the cats around him. "I found them, or they found me. Whichever you prefer. As far as they were concerned, the Nekoarashi clan was dead. Other than I, all that was left were traitors. This lot came with me, as officially, I was the new guardian of the clan."

"Oh yes, the Raikage was most kind after that. He gave me a small apartment to live in, as well as a weekly stipend. I was sent to school as well, to Kumogakure's academy. I suppose that the Raikage wanted me to be able to work well with others before he turned me into a soulless killing machine."

"I did quite well for myself there, despite my general disdain for kunai and shuriken. I was one of the top three students in the class. The three of us were so far above everybody else that we all graduated by the time we were nine. We were placed in a special elite genin squad, with a special elite teacher. Nekoarashi Edo, Miihen Raina, Sorasento Takame. Jounin-sensei: Kurobara Maki."

Kakashi sat up straight at that, his book falling forgotten to the floor. "You're kidding."

"Eh?"

"You were taught by the Black Rose of Hidden Cloud herself?"

Edo raised an eloquent eyebrow. He smirked, then turned, giving the masked Jounin a good look at his left shoulder. "See for yourself."

There, tattooed on the skin, was a small black rose with a yin-yang symbol in the center.

Kakashi whistled. "Heh…."

"Who?" Naruto looked confused.

"Who is she, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura queried.

Kakashi looked at him. "Kurobara Maki is an incredibly talented prodigy," Kakashi's voice was full of praise. "She's one of the most famous jounin in Kumogakure."

"Anyway, my teammates and I got along quite well together. Raina…she was like Torikushi in a way. She was an anchor, always there to support the rest of us. Raina was the center of the team, someone you could rely on to protect you, as well as someone you wanted to protect. She was more innocent than the rest of us." Edo's voice was quiet. "An angel in a city of devils."

He shook his head as if to clear it, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"The Raikage's son was a different story. Top of the class, skilled, arrogant…"

"I know the type," Naruto said wryly.

"Heh," came the response. "We were at each other's throats from the start. But as time went on, we gained a certain respect for one another and became best friends. Life-and-death situations have a way of doing that. We were opposites in many ways. For one, his feelings regarding family were much less positive."

"Why?"

"His mother died in childbirth, and his elder brother blamed him for it. His brother even tried to kill him, though he died in the attempt. In time, we learned that we had more in common than we knew."

"Well?" Kankurou asked.

"I wasn't the only demon in the Raikage's collection."

Everyone went quiet.

"While my father was in Tokoronai, the Raikage fathered a child, his second. He sacrificed his wife's life to bind an incarnate of thunder and lightning to his son. This demon was Raijin, who apparently is connected to Hyousai."

"How many demon vessels does he have?" Jiraiya wondered.

"Three. Or rather, he used to have three. All he has left is Takame. I ran away, and so did the other, from what I heard." Edo smirked. "He can't always have his way."

Gurao yowled bad-temperedly.

"Hush!" Edo shot back. "I'm getting on with it."

Gurao bit him.

"Fine, I'll try to avoid going off on any more tangents!" he winced.

Gurao bit him again, more gently.

"Anyway, the three of us were a team. And we were good at what we did. We took missions at much higher levels than the other genin teams. We were doing A's and B's while others were doing C's. We even had an S-rank mission once."

"Was it anything I would have heard of?" Kakashi inquired.

"That 'incident' in the Marsh country."

"Mmmm…"

"Incident?" Shikamaru spoke up. "What sort of incident?"

"About eight years ago, a whole army of about two thousand bandits took up residence in the Marsh country. They took the daimyo and his family hostage and demanded tribute from anyone who passed through. A team from Hidden Cloud was assigned to the job. They infiltrated the country, saved the daimyo and his family, then took out over three hundred of the top ranking bandits, some of whom were skilled missing-nin."

"Ah."

"At twelve," Edo continued. "We took the chuunin exam. It was rather a weak crop of shinobi that year, so we all passed fairly easily. After that, life continued as normal. The three of us still did most of our missions together, and hung out together in our free time. We were all very close. But then, a year or so later, Takame and I started being singled out for certain special missions, along with the village's third demon, a girl about a year or so older than us whose name escapes me. We were sent on incredibly brutal missions. Not even Torikushi could accompany me. At first, it was fairly routine. Assassinations, mostly. But then, we were assigned to completely wipe out a nest of 'traitors'. "

He took a deep breath.

"Upon arrival, we discovered that most of these 'traitors' were simply innocent villagers, selected by the Raikage to be living targets. He was there. When we confronted him, he chided me for my 'disloyal hesitation', producing a small cylinder which he broke at our feet. Mist hissed out and he vanished. All three of us felt it. The transformation. You witnessed it in the arena yesterday. The ultimate expression of Hyousai's power I know of. We went mad. We fought against each other, the villagers, the land itself. When everything was over, the village was stained red and black."

Edo choked. "Blood, charred wood, ice…there was nothing left alive. We had killed them, and all that was left was a sense of euphoria that quickly gave way to heavy depression. The Raikage came back when it was over."

"Your life, your power; it all belongs to me. I will have it, with or without your consent. That is what he told us. There were other missions after that. Every time we would refuse to go, but he was able to compel us by threatening us and those dear to us with horrible pain. And then there was that strange gas that would awaken the power inside us. Ryouji had shown his true colors, using our own fear, pain, and guilt to control us. I could no longer sleep. I felt betrayed and confused, but then one night I received a certain visitor."

The young man, who now seemed much older, gestured to one of the cats, a grizzled one-eyed black tom with a white spot over his breast.

"Anri, my father's old feline partner. Before his death, Shinji had given him a message for me. He had arrived during the chaos of the night of fire, and was driven away. He came back to watch over me, and deliver his message once I was old enough. It was then that I learned the truth about everything. My hatred for the Raikage grew even stronger, and I wanted immediately to kill him. But I couldn't. My fear of him was too great then, so I decided to run."

"On the way, I ran into Raina. We stopped and talked for a while. She could see that something was wrong. She always could. But I couldn't tell her anything…she couldn't know. When I fought her yesterday, I told her some things, things she had already guessed. She had felt my guilt and understood, but she is still mostly ignorant of the Raikage's evil. I'm grateful for that, otherwise she would be in more danger than she already is by being a friend of mine."

Edo absently reached out and scratched behind Anri's ears. "It's different now. Since I've been gone for about five years, I've changed. I could kill him now. I want to kill him, but I wouldn't know what to do or where to go afterwards. I have to figure out where I'm going before I end him."

"An avenger's is a lonely path," Kakashi said sagely.

Edo just shook his streaked head.

"I don't even consider myself an avenger. I'm just a wanderer. Maybe that's all I'll ever be."

Naruto frowned.

Edo continued. "Hell, who knows if I deserve to be anything else, with a monster waiting inside me to swallow me whole-"

WHUMP!

Naruto punched the former Cloud-nin in the forehead. Edo barely flinched.

"Didn't you listen to anything I said back in the arena?" he fumed. "There are other ways for people like us to live. You can learn how to control Hyousai and then have him help you find that path! Sitting there pitying yourself won't do you any good. You're only alone if you choose to be!"

Edo stared at Naruto, bemused. "Choice…"

Surprisingly, Edo began to chuckle.

"Heh heh…you're almost as good a therapist as Torikushi here," Edo gave a Cheshire grin. "And you're absolutely right. I suppose this is why I sought out demon vessels from other villages in the first place. Perspective."

"You're not the first one a good beating by Naruto has helped," Kakashi piped up. "Welcome to the club."

"What club would that be?"

The silver-haired man crinkled up his face. He pointed at Gaara and Neji. "The 'I got sense beaten into me by Uzumaki Naruto' club. You're the third member after the Hyuuga and the sandman."

"Do I get a T-shirt? I seem to have lost mine."

Laughter echoed out of the hospital room, traveling out the window and into the ear of a shadowy eavesdropper. Yogo Nhaki gave a soft 'heh', shook his head, and flitted away.

"Of course," Jiraiya began. "It's not only the Raikage. There are others who desire to use the power of demons for their own ends."

"I figured as much."

"Ever heard of Akatsuki?"

"Can't say that I have," replied Edo.

Naruto nodded. "They're a bunch of S-rank criminals, with an unhealthy fixation on demons. They've come after me twice already."

"I'm listening."

Hours later, the party from Konoha and the party from Suna stood at the gates of the Village of Hidden Stone. They were waiting for their wagon to arrive, as well as making their goodbyes to a streak-haired, tattoo-covered shinobi and his feline escort.

"You take care of yourself, kid…I mean, Naruto."

"Same to you, Edo."

The two pounded their fists together, then shook hands. Edo turned to Gaara and nodded, which the redhead returned.

"Take care of him," Edo said seriously to Nyurr. The tan kitten seemed to bow slightly, a serious expression in its black-ringed eyes.

The corner of Gaara's mouth twitched slightly.

"Who knows?" Edo called back as he turned away. "Maybe I'll come visit you someday."

He hefted the feline idol onto his back. He waved to the others.

"Bye, you lot. Thanks for listening to a lost kitten's mewling. Sorry for all the trouble."

With that, Nekoarashi Edo and company marched out into the wilderness.

Among the rocks and trees of the surrounding area, four shinobi of Sound lay in wait.

"So what, may I ask, is the plan?" Rika asked, looking to his/her three companions.

One, an old man, peered at Rika through rose tinted spectacles. "We're just testing him…just like you all were tested."

"What I mean, my delightfully dear Bunraku, is how are we going to test him? Chieko, do you have a script for this miserable performance?"

Chieko shrugged. "It hardly matters. Akira's in charge of this one. Seniority."

Bunraku laughed dryly.

"You know what I mean, old man," Chieko chided him.

She looked over at Akira. The spike-haired Sound-nin stood in the shadow of a large rock, bobbing his head and shuffling his feet to the beat of the music that filtered through his headphones. Feeling eyes on him, he removed the headphones.

"Don't keep us in suspense, Akira."

Akira bowed awkwardly. "I'll start the dance. If I need to pump up the tempo, I'll need you to be my backup dancers."

"Hogging the spotlight, dear?" Rika asked acidly.

"Hardly," came the easy reply. "This dance is hardly revolutionary."

Chieko glanced down from her vantage point. "He's coming."

Rika gave a theatrical smile. "Places, everyone!"

"Freak," Bunraku said conversationally, hefting his puppet.

"You're one to talk, dearie."

Edo walked through the rocks, coming to a large clearing. He walked through, his cats either following him or riding him.

"Interesting," Edo mused, looking at the rock formations. "This seems like the perfect place for an-"

Suzu and Yuki, who were at the front and back respectively, hissed simultaneous warnings.

"-ambush," he finished lamely, as the four elite Sound ninja moved to surround him.

"Yow!" Gurao huffed.

"Mraow…" Torikushi growled in response.

"My sentiments exactly," Edo responded. "Let's see what they want, I suppose. Let's try to keep it short. I'm in no mood to be delayed now that I've just started moving again."

Next Chapter: Orochimaru's Offer - No Need for Masks!

All right, as you might expect, Orochimaru's thugs test Edo, and we meet a familiar face. In the meantime, Hida Dajan (remember him), the vengeful Stone jounin, confronts Akatsuki. Will he pay for his recklessness with his life?

From now on, I'll try to give chapters titles that sound like they could be actual titles from the show.