Yin's chakra thrummed under his skin and he turned to face those guards beside the Hokage with a passive gaze.

Feathers were spreading across the arena, the Genjutsu growing and encasing all of the members there even as the Hyuuga down below lit with chakra.

Purple chakra like Yin's. Interesting.

The air became tense and only Yin's quick reflexes kept his head from rolling as a Katana fell down over his head. To the side, Orochimaru appeared to have had a similar bout, only it was with his teammate instead of a rather familiar swordsman.

The swordsman appeared back at Hiruzen's side, his brown hair falling down over his headband while his scarred face twitched slightly in annoyance.

Yin opened his mouth to taunt them at a job not-well-done when the hood to his rather heavy gear split and red hair fell to the ground.

"Huh, not bad." Yin offered instead as the cloth fell away from his bare face, the scarf binding his mouth before falling in ribbons to the floor.

"Y-Yin?"

Hiruzen's voice struck him unpredictably, causing his head to pound while he looked up and angled his mismatched eyes to the normally warm brown ones of Orama's Best Friend.

"Long time no see, Hiruzen."

I~~~~I

At the time, Yin hadn't thought he'd grow attached to the young woman with a sharp personality and a soft smile. She had merely helped him with a mission and offered him lunch, but in doing so she doomed them both.

Hyuuga Orama was the pariah of the Hyuuga Clan, more so than the Branch Members were. She stood apart from the sophisticated Clan in not only looks but also features. Her parents were one Branch Member who worked as a priestess and a simple farmer.

She was nothing like Yin expected a Hyuuga to be.

Her demeanor was one of calm intelligence covering the ferocity brewing below the surface. Orama was a protective and strong woman who did not back down from a challenge and never looked down on anyone, no matter their status. She trained the orphans simply because she knew that they would need the motivation to move forward with their lives and protect those precious to them. She took care of the elderly only because she couldn't stand to watch them struggle. She stood up to the authority figures in her life and made sure they didn't bully those in positions below them.

Yin fell in love with her for those things, even if he hated how they could destroy her. The children she trained died saving those they cared for, the authority figures stressed their positions and went over the line.

When Orama was banished from the clan for refusing to allow the Caged Bird Seal to be placed on the children in the Branch Family, including herself, Yin came for her. He did not like the way Konoha treated the woman, did not like the glares the Kunoichi received or the whispers behind her back.

Her teammates helped him.

In fact, Sarutobi Hiruzen was the only reason that Uzumaki Yin was able to find Orama in the first place. His actions and quick thinking saved Orama and earned him Yin's everlasting gratitude.

Yin hadn't expected to fall in love with a criminal, nor had he expected to owe her friend such a debt of gratitude. Things happened sometimes, however, so he would have to live with it.

Even if the man who he owed so much stood in front of him, gaping in shock and horror at him. Even if he stood at the side of the man's enemy and proclaimed war on the village both Hiruzen and Orama swore to protect.

"Yin…W-What are you…W-Why?"

Hiruzen's broken voice cut through the reminders, disassembling Yin's thoughts swiftly. The Uzumaki settled his gaze on the man's aged head.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was the younger of the two, though Yin's superior bloodline and chakra-content resulted in Yin looking like a well-aged forty-year-old-man, while the Hokage looked ancient.

Yin waited awkwardly, neither replying or reacting to Hiruzen's questions. He didn't want to tell the man lies, nor did he want to reveal the truth. It was best to remain silent.

Orochimaru stepped up beside him, scowling in annoyance at the appearance of his Teammate and the strange Swordsman that held small tufts of Akihane's chakra on his person.

"Yin, are you going to answer him? It'd be a shame not to let Sarutobi-Sensei know just how much he messed up." Orochimaru commented, his eyes narrowing with glee as the poisonous orbs settled on the man he mentioned.

Sarutobi nearly choked.

There went keeping quiet, Yin supposed.

"Well, I could tell him the tragic string of events, how Orama died giving me a mission to protect her father's descendants and the fact that they kept deciding to die one right after the other, but I'm not sure if that'll work." Yin drawled in boredom, glancing over to Orochimaru.

His eyes narrowed and a warning glance passed to the Hebi Sannin even as the smile on Yin's lip twitched up savagely.

"Or I could state that I rather enjoy the blood seeping down the stands. Either is equally inappropriate."

Jiraiya stepped forward, standing in front of his teacher like a shield while his dark eyes strayed to Yin.

"Uzumaki Yin, Head Guard for Uzushiogakure until the Second Shinobi War, in which you enlisted with Konoha and joined up with the Second Platoon on Team Senshi. You apparently died in an operation a week after the death Namikaze Senshi. So, how are you standing here, alive and well, besides a traitor to Konoha?"

Jiraiya accused him, his mouth settling into a hard line.

Yin let out a chuckle that soon escalated into full-blown laughter. His sudden mood swing sent warning bells to the other Kage present, everyone standing guard. Orochimaru stiffened beside him before relaxing, strangely used to the behavior.

Yin wasn't pleasant when he spoke next. "Oh, that's cute. You think you have my life story, adorable. Well, let me fill you in. I was the Crashing Wave of Uzushio, their best fighter until I left to help this village. Here I found the descendent to Orama's foolish father, his son actually."

Here, Yin paused. He allowed the information to sink in and watched with obvious glee as the realization dawned on Sarutobi's face. Jiraiya looked confused before his eyes shimmered with recognition to the name.

"I partnered with Senshi, allowed myself to fall into the web of lies that is caring for those that will die, and then I fell to pieces when he did as expected. Then I left, traveled, wondered…in any way that you wish to say it. Orochimaru here hunted me down. He wanted to make sure I was alive, see, and things went from there."

Sarutobi stepped forward, past his student, further than before, and squarely faced Yin.

The two looked at one another, Yin's grin slowly dwindling even as his eyes glittered with a foreign emotion. Neither spoke, the tension building as they became the center of attention.

The silence was thick, almost too thick to cut with words. Yin didn't want to, nor did Sarutobi, but they had to do more than stare.

After so long apart, there wasn't much one could do.

"Orama wanted me to tell you Thank You, Hiruzen."

Yin whispered softly to the man.

He then turned to looked at Orochimaru and nodded his head.

Orochimaru sighed and raised his hand. Down below the carnage was dying down. No doubt there was trouble from the Konoha Jonin and Chunin. The bread of Shinobi that Konoha poured out tended to be stronger, faster, and far more inclined to working together than Suna or Oto. This set them at a disadvantage.

Four figures blurred past them and Orochimaru launched toward his Sensei while Yin appeared in front of Jiraiya and made a show of drop-kicking the man.

Jiraiya caught his foot and the two separated even as Yin flashed through hand signs and slammed his fingers into the flooring. Twin figures darted from behind him at the Tsuchikage and his guards, while three smaller figures attacked Jiraiya and his buddy.

Orochimaru and Hiruzen had vanished, a soft pulse of chakra telling Yin that they were now on the roof.

Purple flames flickered to life around the corners of the roof, the barrier glittering like particularly flashy flames.

"And so the party starts." Yin hollered as he dodged a blow from Jiraiya and drove his knee into the man's chest.

Needles exploded around them and the five wolves aided Yin in his large assault.

I~~~~I

Akihane felt the chakra before she saw it.

The old, dark, and corrosive chakra that belonged to only one person, Orochimaru.

Her eyes shot toward the Hokage box and her jaw set firmly upon seeing the bright purple barrier flickered to life.

Sasuke's stiffened beside her as he to noticed the obstruction trapping the Sandaime Hokage with his student.

"Jiji!" Akihane shouted. Fear flashed through her maroon orbs.

Off in the field, Hinata had ended her battle with the Sand Shinobi known as Temari.

The feathers that had started to rain on those in the stands had halted seconds prior to the attack on the Hokage Box. Konoha Nin poured from the seats in controlled teams, each dealing with sections of uncoordinated Suna and Oto Nin without trouble. The following moments became clouded in the ringing clangs of battle as Sand and Oto Nin tried to overtake Konoha forces.

Choking back another cry, Akihane turned toward her own enemies. Gaara stood nearest to Shikamaru, while Shisui and his friend Yarui sat off to the side. A figure had just sprinted from the staircase, dark clothing and facial markings preluding Akihane's deduction of the figure's identity.

Gaara seemed to have taken a hint from the battles going on around them. He was gathering sand in preparation for a fight, while the newly arrived Kankuro had suddenly found his body made immobile by a sharp shadow.

"No." Akihane hissed under her breath while empowering her limbs forward.

Several Hundred more granules of sand sprang up in defense of the Ichibi Jinchuuriki, however, Aki was prepared.

She took a note from Jiraiya's book and quickly readied chakra in her right palm.

'I'm not going to let this happen!'

Her palm slammed into Gaara's stomach without resistance, chakra humming at her feet. Gaara gasped and folded inward with her blow, his eyes wide in shock on her form.

While the technique that Akihane had used was only Four Seals compared to Akihane's own Eight Trigrams Seal, the Four Pillar Seal worked just the same and would further contain the Ichibi that was no doubt wreaking havoc on young Gaara's mind and body.

Kankuro tried screaming for Gaara only to find his mouth covered in tendrils of shadows.

Shikamaru stood calmly to the side with his arms in a fixed motion, his gaze unwavering. There was a hardness to him that hadn't be present before, a sort of emotion that Akihane had only ever seen in her elder brothers.

Gaara's sand suddenly slammed into her back, drawing her attention back to the boy slumped in her grasp and the force of his now released attack falling upon her.

The sand was heavy and smelt badly of blood, however, it made no move to attack her and so Akihane felt that she was good enough.

She tried to stand, the boy's form slumping beside her.

Abruptly her knees wobbled and Akihane cursed as the ground suddenly grew closer. Her limbs felt like jelly and her body ached in a way she wasn't used to.

A shoulder dropped beside her own. An arm drew across her back and lifted her while another steadied her against a firm chest.

"Way to show off, Aki." A soft and teasing voice rang in her ear, Akihane's body slumping against the male once she recognized the warm chakra.

"Silence, Iwashi-Ni. You're as bad as Aoba-san." Akihane huffed good-heartedly at the brunette. The man chuckled and drew her back from the downed Suna Jinchuuriki.

Ahead of them, Shikamaru had just finished placing a sealing tag on Kankuro, while Sasuke stood nearest to Shisui and Yarui, two tags readied in his grasp. Lee stood near Shikamaru with a rather solemn look on his face.

"Sasuke-San, leave them. They aren't part of this." Akihane called out, her voice wavering only slightly as she allowed Iwashi to pull her to a standing position. Her legs still felt weak despite Iwashi's help.

"What is going on?" Shisui spoke up.

Sasuke tensed beside her, looking ready to defend her and the others should the interaction go south. Calmly, Akihane held up a hand to her fellow Nin, silencing their words and their attacks.

Shisui's eyes trailed from person to person, cataloging their expressions and reactions to Akihane's order. He was surprised just how much hold the Uzumaki appeared to hold over her comrades.

"Otogakure and Sunagakure have decided to attack Konoha. At this moment Iwa's position in the conflict is undecided. You can either choose to fight, walk away, or help." Akihane quickly explained. As she did so she tried to recuperate, her legs growing strong enough to support her on their own.

Shisui stiffened and glanced toward Yarui. They both shared a silent conversation while keeping track of the Shinobi around them.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Shisui sighed and placed his right hand on Yarui's shoulder.

"I'm not going to endanger my team. We will find our way to Lord Tsuchikage and Darui. For now, we are not your enemy."

Shisui spoke softly to them. Akihane nodded her ascent and watched as the two vanished in a blur.

She sighed and turned to those surrounding her, straightening her shoulders before standing tall.

Iwashi watched her carefully to make sure that she wouldn't fall, though he made no move to contest she next actions.

"Alright, so we need to split up. Shikamaru and Lee, take Gaara and his brother to TI. Sasuke you need to head to the Academy after locating Sakura, while Iwashi and I handle things here. Got it?"

Akihane glanced at those around her as she spoke, making sure they understood before she dismissed them with a wave of her hand.

Once they had all left, Akihane looked up toward Iwashi and let loose a heavy sigh. Her shoulders sagged for only a moment and she allowed the stress of the past few weeks to fall off of her before she straightened and walked toward the railing.

Iwashi followed closely behind.

I~~~~I

For a moment the false ANBU known as Yakushi Kabuto threatened Shiranui Genma with his Chakra Scalpel. For a moment, the world looked bleak and ready to end.

Within that moment, Akihane struck and send the traitor to the ground with a ruthless water whip.

The girl landed beside her brother quietly, her form rising to an imposing stance while she settled her sharp and angry eyes on Kabuto's downed body.

Iwashi slammed into Baki across the field, allowing Yugau and Hayate to attack and place repressor seals on his body.

Hatred bubbled beneath Akihane's skin as she met Kabuto's gaze. Vile things slipped unwillingly past her thoughts while her walls shook with rage.

The man who had nearly killed Hayate lay at her feet, at her mercy. She wasn't certain she could stop what would undoubtedly come next.

"This is for Hayate." Akihane hissed at the man, her fingers drawing at the handle of her katana. The Blue-handled black glinted in the afternoon light, it soft hissing music to Akihane's ears.

Without warning, Akihane's form flickered and she appeared in front of Kabuto. The man let out a shocked gasp before several figures of the same girl danced across his vision.

In a hauntingly familiar stance, the girl hissed out.

"Dance of the Crescent Moon!"

Pain danced across his body with every strike, his healing prowess kicking into overdrive as he struggle dot keep track of every blow.

Multiple strikes hit all at once, several slipping in between the combos while each blow drove home Akihane's pain and anger.

Her blade drove down over his head, his hands barely coming up in time to grab the shaft while Akihane stood above him panting gently.

Her eyes were red with slit pupils, dark chakra shifting beneath the surface while her emotions mixed with those hidden deep within.

Laughter burst forward from her lips, dark and crushing in nature. The entire situation grew bleaker while Kabuto struggled to keep his cool.

Her killer intent was focused down on him, and him alone. He could feel each pinprick of focused hatred cutting into his skin while the roaring never left his ears.

The girl wasn't nearly as bad as Uzumaki Yin, but she had enough presence to her to cause Kabuto to do a double take.

Something was wrong with this, something had malfunctioned and the plan had failed horribly. Where had they messed up so badly?

"Let me give you a hint, Kabuto. Let me tell you exactly why Orochimaru will fall and you won't leave here intact…"

Akihane suddenly spoke up, her voice a thin whisper that sounded far too much like a spirit's wail rather than the voice of a child.

"You failed to remember that amidst all of your calculations, that through every action that you took to ensure that Konoha burned,"

She paused and leaned down, her face hovering above his own while Kabuto had to such in a breath. The blade slid down his hands and drew blood, the point settling right above his jugular.

"-that trees thrive in the ashes."

The blade descended and darkness fell with it.

I~~~~I

Akihane spared a single glance to the pitiful body of her opponent. She pulled away, her blade dragging across the man's neck as he let loose a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. Before Kabuto could regain himself, Akihane shoved a binding seal down on his chest. She ignored the voice within her that demanded he die, that demanded he bleed for harming Hayate.

She wouldn't waste the sharpness of her beloved blades on his corpse.

Her head turned toward the battle at the top of the arena. Sparks of metal and flickers of violet chakra danced over the roof. Akihane was quite certain she even saw several wolves weaving through shinobi here and there.

"Aki," Genma calls to her, drawing her attention to where he stands behind her. Iwashi stands next to him while Yugau and Hayate are rounding up the bodies left the arena, including Temari's. Hinata has vanished, no doubt at the order of one of Akihane's brothers to go join up with Sasuke, which means that those she was accountable for were officially on their own. Akihane only had one last objective, and that was to ensure her Hokage's survival.

"Hai. Genma-Ni, Iwashi-Ni, let's head up and find Raidou-Ni. Afterwards, we need to initiate the plan."

The two nodded, waving off Yugau and Hayate before they walked toward Akihane.

Sparks shot into the air to the north, bright blue in color and odd in shape. In fact, the flash seemed to take the form of a single symbol, one of a lightning strike straight into the town center.

"Looks like Izumo and Kotetsu are doing good. That was an 'All Good' flare." Genma spoke, relief dotting his tone.

The invasion seemed to be going off exactly as they had planned. That was good.

If only things would stay that way.

I~~~~I

Well, I have no idea where this is going, no matter what OneRepublic may say. This turned out quite well, though I have a lot more to work through before things truly start working. I'd give the invasion about two, maybe three chapters before it's done. After that, I'll most likely have ten to twelve chapters before the first part ends and Shippuden starts up. Still, this is a massive series that I had never expected to go so far.

Thank you so much for all of the reviews, favorites, and all of the follows. I enjoy all of them and it still shocks me how much I have. I am even more surprised by the fact that this is Chapter Thirty. How insane is that? Especially when I'm expecting this to push on to past Forty. It's insane.