Disclaimer: I do not own either Senran Kagura or Bloodborne whatsoever, as both are own by Marvelous Entertainment and SCEA respectively. This story will be an after story based on Senran Kagura: Arkanum made by sledgehammer963. This will also be rated M just in case. Other than that, enjoy!

Senran Kagura: After Arkanum – Ange Ark Nova – Chapter 0: Prologue Part 3: Origin: Past to Present Part 2.

Years ago:

Morning had arrived and me and my family had finished having a big breakfast together. Mother, father, and Miyori had already left the house, going shopping to buy things for the house, while Mizuki and I were finishing up with cleaning the dishes. Once we were finished with the last dish, Mizuki placed it on the dish dryer with the rest of the wet dishes that we finished washing. We looked at each other with smiles on our faces before we went to get dressed in our casual clothing to go out and meet up with our teammates to go have some fun. I was dressed in red and yellow clothing while Mizuki was dressed in blue and white clothing. We even brought our shinobi transformation scrolls with us just in case we needed them to transform into our shinobi forms. Once we left the house, we went off to go and meet up with everyone else. We were going to meet up with everyone at the amusement park where we would be having fun going around to lots of attractions there. Once we saw the others, dressed in casual clothes just like we were, at the front of the gate, Mizuki and I hurriedly met up with them.

"Hey, there you two are!" Kazuki waved at us once he saw us coming.

"It's about time." Yuina huffed with her arms crossed, "What took you two so long?"

"Sorry, sorry." Mizuki laughed, "We were trying to find the right clothes for our outing."

"Plus, it's not easy to find the right clothes for us to be a disguise." I said, "We didn't want to be too recognizable by people who'd likely know who we are, especially to our enemies, even if the city is a safe area."

"Hey, at least you're here!" Umeko smiled and said cheerfully, "Now we can all go and have some fun together! There are a lot of rides that I wanna go in!"

"We are in the middle of a few weeks off, so let's enjoy our time off together while we still can before our next mission." said Wakana, "It's not often that we get to enjoy our time off together."

"True that." Kazuki chuckled, "We've been working our butts off fighting against those monsters in our missions, so we deserve a break once in a while."

"You guys' mind if I joined in?" we heard someone said, and we turned to see that it was Akane, who was also dressed in casual clothing, which was colored red and blue.

"Akane!" Umeko cheered upon seeing her.

"Akane, you're here, too." said Wakana.

"Well, I was wondering when you'd show up." said Yuina.

"You came to have fun, too?" Kazuki asked.

"Of course, I am." Akane gently punched Kazuki in the shoulder, "You guys didn't think you'd go on and enjoy the party without me now, were you?"

"No, of course not." Mizuki giggled, "How could we have fun without our fearless leader with us?"

"We could never leave you out of this." I said, "This squad would be nothing without you."

Akane chuckled and said, "Well then, since we're all here…" Akane raised her fist up into the air and cheered, "LET'S GO AND HAVE SOME FUN!"

"YEAH!" we raised our fists up and cheered along with her.

With that, we entered through the front gate together and went off to play around in the attractions we could find at the amusement park. First, we went to the teacup ride where we went on a teacup ride, two persons each, and we span around as the teacup ride was spinning us around. Next, we went and ride on a rollercoaster, where we rode on a cart that moved almost at light speed as the wind blew on our faces, although Yuina ended up puking after we got off the rider. Then, we went to the carousel, where we rode on horse as the carousal span around in circles while we were moving as if we were riding on horses. Then, we went and rode on bumper cars where we rode on cars and hit one another with them. Kazuki and Yuina were the ones hitting each other's bumper cars the most. After that, we went on a Ferris wheel, where we rode on a cart, four people each, and took in a great view once we were high above and off the ground. There were many more rides that we had went after that.

Then, once it was close to the afternoon, everyone went to go and buy lunch for us to eat, while Mizuki, Akane, and I waited for them at the table. Mizuki was drinking a blueberry flavored smoothie that Kazuki bought for her, and she was happily enjoying it like a happy school-girl. It was funny and strange seeing her act that way. Though then again, we were still at our teenage years, despite having already graduated early from our shinobi academy, so it was only natural she would still act like a child sometimes.

"Hey, Onee-chan, would you like one?" Mizuki asked happily, as she brought her cup of smoothie to me, willing to share to me.

I shook my head, kindly declining the offer, and said while showing my empty cup of smoothie, "No thank you, Mizuki. I'm good. Besides, I just finished my smoothie."

"Ah, okay." said Mizuki before she went back to drinking her smoothie.

I turned to Akane and asked, "So, how did the report of our latest mission go for you, Akane? Did it go well?"

"Ah, yeah, it did." said Akane, "The Shinobi Council was pleased that we succeeded in rescuing the councilwoman and in defeating the hunter Albrecht who have been causing trouble and killing our fellow Good Shinobis for quite some time. Which means that now that he's gone from the world, the Good Shinobis will continue on going out on missions without having to worry about facing off and fighting against dangerous hunters like him." Akane sighed and brought out a newspaper report and added solemnly, "Although, that still doesn't make any of their lives or ours much easier."

I took the newspaper that she brought out and took a look at it to read. It was about…that damned hunter who's been going around and being heard of recently, Alan Hellwalker. I growled and cursed, anger boiling at the sight of his picture, "Dammit…! Him again?!"

"Yup." said Akane, "Recently, he's been going around and killing off our Good Shinobi friends who've been out on missions trying to make changes in old villages to make life much better and easier for the people there. I even heard that he was torturing them for information until he got what he needed and killed them, and stealing the foods and supplies needed for the village to give to and gave them to bad people he was associating with. What's worse, is that we have no idea where he went afterward. His trances were already gone before the other Good Shinobis could find and kill him. One minute he was there and then gone the next. We have no idea where he went by now. And the villagers, the ones that the Good Shinobis were trying to help change to make their lives better for them? They were also gone from sight, leaving behind an empty village. The Shinobi Council fears that…they might've also been killed by that hunter, Alan. Not just the men, but the women and the children. They feared that the people in such a peaceful village…may have been slaughtered by him."

That last statement made me so angry, I angrily slammed the newspaper onto the table hard and I shouted angrily, "THAT DAMN FUCKING MONSTER! HOW COULD HE HAVE DONE SUCH A THING?! HOW COULD HE HAVE JUST SLAUGHTERED THEM?! THAT DAMN FUCKING MURDEROUS MONSTER!"

"Onee-chan!" said Mizuki as she held onto my arms to calm me down, all while looking at me with a worried look on her face.

Seeing that, I managed to calm myself down a bit before I looked at her with a manageable smile and said, "I-I'm sorry, Mizuki. I just…I-I didn't mean to snap like that." I look down solemnly and said, "It's just…how could someone like him just…do such a thing?! To a peaceful village, no less! He…he made them suffer…he slaughtered them…! He SLAUGHTERED them like they were NOTHING but ANIMALS! He…he's a monster who has to pay…for what he's done!"

"I agree." said Akane, "Unfortunately, even the council doesn't have any leads on him, so we can't trace him and he's nowhere to be found. Plus, he's an anomaly compared to all the hunters that we've fought over the course of our missions, which means that we have absolutely no idea who he is exactly nor what he's truly capable of, nor do we even know which group of hunters he's associated with. Hunters sometimes can go into groups, so he could he anywhere and he could be with any group of hunters. In short, he's difficult to find."

"Dammit…!" I cursed.

"Still, I'm surprise that you can show off hate to someone you don't even know yet, though." said Akane.

"I've been hearing things about him for quite a while, so I know much of who he is from news reports." I said, "Plus, hearing about him often really pisses me off so much that I cannot tolerate it!"

"I see." said Akane.

"And even now, after hearing about him, it starts to piss me off even more and it makes my blood boiling with rage!" I said, growling angrily while crushing my empty cup, "I want to kill that bastard, so much! He has killed too many people, all for the sake of his own selfish desires like the rest of the hunters in the world, he has caused too much pain for everyone, even to our Good Shinobi brothers and sisters! And that is something that I CANNOT TOLERATE!"

"Onee-chan…" said Mizuki.

Before I could blow off any more than I already had, I stopped myself and managed to calm myself down before I looked at Mizuki with a reassuring smile and said, "I-I'm alright, Mizuki. I'm…sorry you had to see that. It's just…this whole fighting against those monsters just takes a toll on you for so long. I just…I want this whole war to end. I want those hunters gone from the world. For every mission we've succeeded in, more and more of our Good Shinobi brethren are either dying in their hands or are being manipulated and influenced to join their side, or even worse, becoming one of them. All those people, all those poor souls, lost and taken by their hands. I just…can't bear to lose any more of our dear friends that are the Good Shinobis. That's why…that's why, monsters like Alan Hellwalker have to be stopped, or better yet, be dead…!"

"Onee-chan…" said Mizuki as she placed her hand onto my mine for comfort.

"I know how you feel." said Akane, "Believe me, I want this whole fighting to end as well. We all do! But like I said, Hellwalker is an anomaly, so we have no idea who he really is or what he's capable of, and he's very difficult to find in the world. He could be anywhere around Japan, or even the whole world for that matter. And even if we do find traces of his last whereabouts, he'd already be gone before we could get him. Plus, we have no idea how powerful he really is."

"Then we'll just have to keep on training ourselves to prepare for him, in case if we ever cross path with that monster." I said, "And someday, if and when we do encounter that bastard Hellwalker, then we'll be ready for whatever he may do and for what we would throw at us. And we defeat him, I swear for our fallen Good Shinobi brothers and sisters, I will kill him with my own hands."

Akane nodded and said, "Yeah, someday, I know we will." She then sighed and said, "But for now, I think we need to focus on another matter at hand."

"Another matter?" I asked.

"What is it?" Mizuki asked.

"Well," said Akane, "It's the councilwoman, Leo. After we finished our report on her rescue, she said that she wants the Shinobi Council to place Mizuki into the Shinobi Council herself."

Hearing what Akane said made me and Mizuki looked at her with shocked expressions on our faces, before we shouted, "WHAT?!"

"M-Me?!" said Mizuki, "Be a part of the Shinobi Council?!"

"Yeah, that's right." said Akane, "Apparently, she wants you, Mizuki, to be a part of the Shinobi Council so that you can learn how to, and I quote, 'change the world' from the inside. The councilwoman believes that by putting Mizuki into the Shinobi Council, she would try to learn and understand how the world works when it comes to politics. But…Mizuki, do you know anything about working with politics at all? Like, how the government works, what policies should work, and the pros and cons, or even about bills and taxes?"

Mizuki thought for a moment before shaking her head and said, "No, as far as I'm concern, I don't really know anything. In fact, I don't even know how the Shinobi Council works."

Akane sighed with a nod and said, "And that's my point, exactly. You're too young and less knowledgeable when it comes to the world of politics. And you can't be in the council because you don't know how working with politics work. Making you a part of it and having try to figure out about the world of politics would be too much for you. Honestly, I don't even know what that woman is thinking, putting you in the council."

Mizuki and I looked down at the table as we took in what she said, knowing that she had a point.

"And besides," said Akane, "We need you out in the battlefield against the hunters. Without you, the Chosen One, in our fight against them, we'll lose any chances that we have of defeating them and bring peace to the world."

I nodded and said, "She's right. We need you, Mizuki. You're the Good Shinobis' only hope that we have to destroy all the Evil Shinobis and hunters in the world. We can't risk losing you, even if it means putting you on the sidelines."

"I know." said Mizuki, before she asked Akane, "Does the rest of the Shinobi Council members know about it?"

"Most likely." Akane nodded, "My father is debating the idea with the others now along with Councilwoman Leo. And if it goes well on my father's end, they'll probably deny the idea of putting you in the Shinobi Council. I just hope that nothing ends well in Councilwoman Leo's favor, because in all honesty, she's making a mistake in suggesting such an idea."

"I see." said Mizuki.

"I hope so, as well." I said, "Because honestly, I just don't trust that councilwoman, Leo, at all. In fact, I just CAN'T trust her!"

"So, you feel the same about her, too, huh?" Akane asked, "Yeah, same here. Honestly, I just can't bring myself to trust that woman at all. I don't trust her, not one bit."

"Eh?" said Mizuki, "But, why not?"

Akane sighed and said, "I don't know, it's just…well, I can't bring my finger on it, but there's something about the councilwoman that just doesn't seem right at all, like there's something about her that seems…wrong and…misplaced."

"I agree." I said, "It's like there's some sort of hidden darkness that surrounds her. Plus, for whatever reason, it feels like she's plotting something. And I doubt it's a good one for us."

"You think so?" Mizuki asked, "I…don't really see it that way. I mean, she's part of the Shinobi Council, isn't she? If she's really plotting something, I don't think it's that sinister."

"Maybe, but you shouldn't think whether what she's doing is good or not." said Akane, "Instead of thinking, try to feel it. Search your feelings, Mizuki. There's something wrong going on, and if it's something big and something bad, then it could affect all of us Good Shinobis, and everything will go the wrong way for everyone. I mean, Leo, putting you into the council? That's just…it's feels wrong!"

Mizuki thought about it for a moment, before she said, "Yeah, actually, I do find it very strange for her to want me to be in the council, even though I know nothing about politics."

"And for whatever reason, she wants you out of the battlefield after suggesting such an idea, for you to stop being out on missions to stay with the council." Akane added, "And the council hardly ever approves of any Good Shinobis to no longer be out on field missions unless it's for medical treatments for anyone who survives the battle against Evil Shinobis or hunters, or against Yōmas. Something strange is going on, and until we figure out what it is, all we can do is wait, wait for the council to finish their debates."

"Right." said Mizuki, while I nodded in agreement.

"Still," I said, "I hope it doesn't come to that, putting Mizuki into the council and forcing her to leave our squad, no longer partaking in any missions. We became a great team of Good Shinobis, and this team survived and managed to win many battles against Evil Shinobis and hunters because of you, Mizuki. Without you to motivate us, we're nothing."

Mizuki looked down with a sad look and said, "I hope so, too. I don't want to leave the squad that we're in together. I've made so many memories with all of you."

"Mizuki…" I said.

"And," said Mizuki, "If I left our squad for the council, it wouldn't feel the same as it is now."

I nodded and said, "I know how you feel, Mizuki."

"As do I." said Akane, "In fact, we all do. Which is why my father is doing everything that he can to convince the Shinobi Council to think otherwise about placing you in the council, so that you wouldn't have to leave our squad. And I sure as hell hope that he'll succeed."

"I see." said Mizuki, before she smiled and said gratefully, "Thank you, Akane."

Akane nodded with a smile and said, "Not at all. I'm doing what I can as a leader of the squad. We're a team, after all. Oh, that's right. Speaking of which."

"Hmm?" said Mizuki.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Well, actually, Mizuki, there's something else that I wanna discuss with you alone." said Akane, "So, sorry, Ange, but would it be alright if you left us alone for a bit? It's kinda private."

"Oh…I-I see." I said, before I got up and said, "Very well, then. I'll just go somewhere else, then. I shall take my leave."

I bowed to them before I turned around and began leaving from their sight. I then stopped myself before I hid myself from behind a wall and began listening in on what they were about to talk about.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" I heard Mizuki asked.

"Well, you see, Mizuki," said Akane, "It's…actually about you and Kazuki. Specifically, your relationship together."

Wait, what? Mizuki and Kazuki? And their relationship with each other? How did she…? Unless…

"H-Huh?" said Mizuki, surprised that Akane knew about her relationship with Kazuki, before she said nervously, "U-Uh…w-w-what're you talking about? W-What makes you think that…m-me and Kazuki are t-together?"

Akane sighed and said, "Mizuki, you don't have to play dumb. I know you two are in a relationship with each other. And before you ask, it was pretty obvious that you two were dating, especially since whenever I see you two leaving to go on secret dates together. And I could tell from the way you two have been interacting with each other and how you've been treating each other. And during out latest mission, you were thinking about him during infiltration."

"O-Oh…r-really?" Mizuki asked, "Were we really that obvious to you?"

"Yeah." said Akane, "I am a leader of this squad, it's my job to keep tabs on my teammates during missions. I have to know my teammates inside and out."

"O-Oh…right." said Mizuki.

Oh, of course. I forgot that Akane's main role is to watch over us and make sure that there was nothing wrong with any of us, to keep an eye on us and make sure that we were alright. I completely forgot about that, and I was stupid to think I could keep their relationship a secret.

"And, well, listen," said Akane, "I want you to know that I'm really happy for the both of you, and I greatly support your relationship with each other. I really do." Then she sighed and said, "But…I don't think it would be appropriate for you two to be together right now."

"Eh?" I said. Wait, what did she say?

"Eh?" said Mizuki, shocked and confused, "W-Wait…what?"

"I said I don't think that it would be appropriate for you two to be together right now." Akane repeated, "And I'm not telling you this as a friend, I'm telling you this as your leader of the squad."

"W-What?!" said Mizuki, shocked to hear such words from Akane, "B-But why?! What do you mean?! Why can't Kazuki and I be together?! What is it that's inappropriate for us to date each other?! Y-You said you support us, so why?!"

"Mizuki, hold on, calm down." said Akane, "Just let me explain so you can understand." Mizuki looked at Akane for a moment before she did as she was told and calmed herself down, and then Akane continued, "First of all, while I do support your relationship, I also don't believe that it would be a good idea for you two to be together, especially if and when we go out on missions to hunt down Evil Shinobis and hunters. For obvious reason, if people see the closeness that the two of you share, they'll see that as either one of your weaknesses and will use it against either one or both of you. Any enemy will take advantage of your relationship with each other and will use your secret as blackmail material to force you two to do whatever it is that they want you to do for them, or even worse than that."

Yes, that was true. There were cases where two Good Shinobis were in a relationship with one another and have shown how closely attached they are with each other, and there were cases where either Evil Shinobis and/or hunters took advantage of their attachments and used them as blackmail material to get the Good Shinobis to do whatever it is that they want lest they lose their loved ones, and there were worse cases where some of them even turned to their side and never returned to who they were, Evil Shinobis or hunters, to the point that the ones that loved them didn't even recognize who they were anymore. Because of that, as a safety precaution, many Good Shinobis were forbidden from entering a relationship and forming attachments with one another, or anyone outside of the Good Shinobi society, unless it is for the purpose of marriage and for producing heirs for their families. Although there were people from our Good Shinobi clans like Mizuki and Kazuki being careful with hiding their relationship, if anyone got caught, they would end up having to break ties with one another as a punishment, though it is more mild than severe, until they either marry another or retire from their duties as Good Shinobis.

I then heard Akane said, "Another reason is…public opinions."

"Eh?" said Mizuki, confused.

"Apparently, there are rumors going on about the two of you, and they're not very good rumors." said Akane, "There are people who think very badly of you and Kazuki being together, and have been making very bad assumptions of the two of you, or rather Kazuki. And there have been bad rumors that's been going on about you, about what you and Kazuki may have done and what you two have been doing, and they were very bad ones. And, based on those rumors, they believe that Kazuki had, and I quote, 'defiled' you, making you impure."

Mizuki's eyes widened in shock from what Akane said before she got up from her seat and shouted, "WHAT?!"

"Whoa, hey, keep it down!" said Akane, "People will hear you!"

"A-Ah, s-sorry!" said Mizuki as she sat back down before she said, "B-But Kazuki didn't do anything wrong to me! He's been nice and caring to me and has been protecting me since we've been assigned to the same team together, and ever since we were children! In fact, he's always been very protective of me and had never once even hurt me. Besides, he…he said he was willing to wait for us to do it until the war would finally be over. He even said that he would wait until there was no need for us to fight, and that we would marry each other and live normal lives together."

"Yeah, I know." Akane nodded, "I know Kazuki would never do anything to harm you, and I know how much of a good and respectable man that he is; I know my squad mates inside and out. And I'm really glad that Kazuki is willing to wait for that day for you two to come." Akane sighed and said with a said expression, "Unfortunately, the public and the council does not feel the same way about the two of you being together. And for good reasons that even I could take a guess as to why. I'm sure you already know this, but things are getting really bad and scarier outside with more and more Evil Shinobis and hunters rising and causing havoc and destruction. And what's worse, more and more of our people, the Good Shinobis, are either getting killed by them or are being forced to work alongside them, either as slave workers or being turned into one of them. With more Evil Shinobis and hunters growing by the day, more and more people are being endangered by them." She looked at Mizuki and said, "And, Mizuki, you are this world's, the people's only hope left of putting a stop to them, to all of this war and destruction once and for all; you're the Chosen One, for crying out loud. And if words got out to people, worse, the Evil Shinobis and hunters, that you are in a relationship with someone like Kazuki, lots of bad things will happen! People will lose faith in the Chosen One who won't save the world because they'll see you as impure, or worse, the Evil Shinobis and hunters will take advantage of that knowledge and use it as a means to get to you or Kazuki, you'll end up falling into the wrong hands. And eventually, you'll turn against us to join their side; and that's what everyone, including the council and myself, are all afraid of. If you…if you turned against us because of your relationship with Kazuki, then we have no other hope left to put an end to this war with our enemies."

"Mizuki…turns on us…?" I thought, almost horrified, "And we lose hope…?"

"And it's for that reason we can't let that happen, and why I'm telling you this now." said Akane, "I know how much you love Kazuki and I know how much you care for each other, and I know deep down you want to spend the rest of your lives together, but right now, that time for love and romance is not now. I'm telling you this not as a friend, but as the leader of the squad, that you two have to keep your distance from each other, do not be close to one another so as to not make it look obvious, and that means no touching, no hugging, no kissing, no holding hands, no secretly dating, nothing. I want you both to do this not just because it is necessary, but because we all care about your safety, and that it will be better for the both of you, for your own good."

"I-I see…" said Mizuki as she looked down with a sad look on her face, before she looked up and asked, "S-So, then…d-do you really think…t-that we shouldn't be together…because of those reasons?"

Akane looked at Mizuki for a moment before she sighed with a nodded and said, "I'm afraid so. Believe me, I wish there was another way for the both of you to stay together as a couple, but…right now, this isn't the right time for you to have romance. And for everyone's sake, what you need to focus on right now, is to fight against the monsters that're destroying this world, and to find a way to save the world from Evil Shinobis and hunters, to put an end to this ongoing war. As the Chosen One, you have to complete your role and fulfill your duty to save everyone, so that everyone in the world will finally know peace. If you only focus your attention on what is less important than your role and your duty as savior, then people will start to have doubts and lose faith in you as the Chosen One, and then they'll look down upon you and start saying bad things about you. And eventually, they'll even give up any hope of you saving and changing the world for everyone. You don't want that, do you?"

"Oh…" said Mizuki as she began to look down, before shaking her head and said, "No, I don't want that. I want everyone to smile and be happy, and to live in peace and harmony, free from the pain and sorrow of the losses and wars. I don't want anyone else to suffer because bad things keep happening because of bad people like Evil Shinobis and hunters."

Akane smiled at Mizuki's answer before placing a hand on her shoulder and said, "I know you don't. I want the world to be at peace, free from all the Evil Shinobis and hunters, as well. We all do. That's why we fight to make sure that happens. But if we're going to make that happen, if we're going to make that dream a reality, then we'll have to set our personal feelings and emotions aside so that we can stay focus on the tasks at hand and not let our thoughts and feelings of our attachments get in the way and interfere on our missions. Otherwise, it would only cloud our thoughts and judgements and affect our battles. We can't let that happen, especially for you."

Mizuki looked down as she began to take in what Akane said to her and think about it for a moment, before she then sighed as she knew that Akane was right and then said, "Y-Yeah, you're right. Kazuki and I can't be together right now. We can't be in a relationship with each other while this whole war is happening. And besides, I…Kazuki said that we can't keep on doing this when we're alone together. And like you said, we can't let the enemy know about us and take advantage of either one of us. Plus, I…I'm sure the council would punish both of us if they find out about us." Mizuki looked up to Akane and said to her, "I'll tell Kazuki about what you told me. I'm sure he'll understand if he hears from me."

Akane nodded and said with a sad smile, "Yeah, I understand. And I'm really sorry, Mizuki. If there was a way for you two to stay together as a couple, I would've help find it for you. But, with the world as is now, there is no way for that to happen."

Mizuki shook her head and said, "No, it's okay. I understand, Akane. Thank you."

Akane nodded and said, "And hey, Mizuki. While we're still on topic, I want you to know that you two make a very lovely couple, and I greatly support your relationship, not as a leader of a squad, but as a friend. And I really do hope that you two will stay together once this war is over." She sighed and said, "But for now, try and keep your distance from each other, for your own safety, and don't be too close to each other so that you won't look too obvious, got it?"

"I got it." Mizuki nodded.

"Oh, and one more thing." said Akane, "If anyone, even the council, ever asks you about your relationship with Kazuki, just deny everything they ask and tell them you're not in a relationship. I'm sure doing so will likely put an end to all the rumors that's been circulating about you two."

"Okay, I will." said Mizuki, "Thank you, Akane."

I stood where I was as I took in everything that Akane said to Mizuki, about Mizuki's relationship with Kazuki, about what people think about them, what consequences it would bring to them if their relationship was discovered, and the logic behind Akane's reasoning for telling Mizuki all of this, and honestly…I cannot say that I blame her, because she was right. If words got to anyone that Mizuki and Kazuki were in a relationship with each other, a lot of terrible things could happen, and it's not just punishment from the Good Shinobis, mild as they be or otherwise, but also outside threats such as Evil Shinobis and hunters. And Akane is just doing what she's doing for the best as leader to reduce such risks from happening, especially to Mizuki and Kazuki. Honestly, I can see the logic behind her words. Honestly, I would've told her the same if I was in Akane's position in order to protect Mizuki. I sighed and thought to myself that now might be a good time to get back to them now.

With that in mind, I got off my hiding spot and turned myself around before I began approaching them and said, pretending to act as if I didn't listen to their conversation, "Hey, sorry I'm late. I just got back from wandering around the park. What're you two talking about?"

"Oh, nothing much." said Akane, "Just what Mizuki should say to the Shinobi Council should she get placed into the council. Right, Mizuki?"

"Uh, yes." said Mizuki, "Yes, we were."

"I see." I said, "Well, I suppose that's good. Best be prepared than anything."

"Yeah." Akane nodded.

"Hey, guys!" we heard Kazuki called as he and the other girls began approaching us with bags of food for us to eat, "Sorry we're late. It took us a long time to find us the right meals for us to buy."

"Plus, the lines we went around were taking WAY too fucking long!" Yuina complained, "My legs were already killing me from standing around too long!"

"Oh, it wasn't that bad." Wakana smiled.

"I THOUGHT I WAS GONNA DIE STANDING!" Yuina screamed.

"For thirty minutes?" said Kazuki with a deadpanned expression, before he added, "Although, then again, we did go through more than one line to buy a few more food to eat, so I'd say about two hours or so."

That comment made Yuina groan while we all laughed at that.

"Well, that doesn't matter now." said Umeko, "We got lunch, so let's eat!"

"Yeah!" we all said together before we began to set our lunch on the table and picking out what we would be eating.

"Ah, wait, Kazuki!" said Mizuki.

"Hmm?" said Kazuki as he turned to Mizuki, "Yeah? What is it?"

"C-Can we…can we talk together alone for a few minutes?" Mizuki asked, "There's something that I want to talk to you about. It's really important."

"Huh?" said Kazuki, "Oh, uh…okay, sure."

With that, Mizuki and Kazuki left our group while we watch them leave so that they could talk privately.

"Jeez, what's with those two today?" said Yuina, "It's like those two are gonna have a serious couples talk or something."

I silently sighed as I thought, "Oh, you have no idea." I looked at Akane giving out a sad expression as if she was thinking the same thing that I was.

"Who knows?" Umeko smiled, "And who cares? I'm sure it's not too serious! Can't be too much of a big deal."

Wakana nodded in agreement and said, "That's true enough. And besides, I'm sure those two will be okay with whatever it is that they wanna talk about."

Yuina sighed and said, "Yeah, I hope so."

"Anyway, let's stop moping around!" said Umeko, "Let's eat so that we can have fun again! I wanna finish eating so we can play again."

Wakana giggled and said with a smile, "Oh, Umeko. You're right, though. We should eat our lunch now. It would be a waste if we don't eat up all the food we went through the trouble of getting."

"Yeah, I'm starving!" said Yuina, "C'mon!"

As the girls went to eat their lunch, I looked on at where Mizuki and Kazuki went to talk for a moment, wondering if the two will be okay with what they were about to talk about. Then, I felt Akane placed her hand on my shoulder, making me turn to look at her, before she smiled and said, "We should leave those two alone, and don't worry about them. I'm sure those two will be alright. Besides, this is something the two will have to figure out how to make it work for themselves, even if it means they have to be apart from each other. And I'm sure that the two will be alright. I just hope that what they'll do next won't hurt each other more than I fear it will."

I looked back to where Mizuki and Kazuki had left and thought about it for a moment, before I nodded and said, "Yeah…I hope so, as well."

"C'mon, let's go and have our lunch." Said Akane, "We don't wanna have Umeko eat up everything now, do we?"

I chuckled before I said, "Yes, we most certainly do not."

With that in mind, Akane and I went to have lunch with the others. Mizuki and Kazuki would later join us soon after. Although, judging from their saddened and troubled expression, I imagined that they talked about it, and though it was difficult, they seemed to have decided to agree with what Akane told them as the did their best to avoid make contact with each other to avoid making it look like they were together. Still, in spite of that, they would soon stop being sad just for everyone's sake since we were all having so much fun,

After we had our fill of lunch, we would continue to have fun at the amusement park until the sun was setting and the park was closing. We parted ways and went home, saying our farewells and hoping we would see each other again for our next fun time in our day off. Mizuki and I walked on our way back to our home, and I would see that Mizuki would still be smiling, possibly hiding the fact that she was sad that she had to separate from Kazuki.

I sighed at that, knowing that she was trying too hard, before I said, "Mizuki, you know you don't have to pretend to be happy. I know that you're sad deep down about…being separated from Kazuki."

Upon hearing that, Mizuki looked at me as her smile began to falter before she sighed and said with a sad smile, "O-Oh. A-Am I that obvious?"

"Of course, you are." I said, "How long do you think I've known you for? I can tell whether you're pretending or not, happy or otherwise. There's no way for you to fool me, knowing what's going through your thoughts."

"Oh…" said Mizuki as her smile completely falters. Then she sighed and said, "I'm sorry, Onee-chan…I-I just…I don't know what to do…everything is just too much for me to bear…the pressure of being the Chosen One, the fact that I have to separate from the one I love, the burdens that I have to bear with…I know it's my destiny to save the world, but…h-how am I…?"

"…Supposed to save the world if you don't have someone you love right beside you?" I finished for her, and she nodded.

"And," Mizuki continued, "When and how are we going to find my Destined One if we don't even know who it is?"

I sighed and said, "Honestly, even I don't know myself." I then held her hand to get her attention before I said with a determined look on my face, "But I do know this; whoever your Destined One is and wherever he is, we will find him, and we will make sure that you two will save this world from Evil Shinobis, hunters, and Yōmas! And no matter what, I nor any of us will ever leave your side! I'll stand by with you and protect you until the world is saved, and when the time comes, I'll make sure that you two will be together again!"

Mizuki looked at me with wide eyes, surprised and astonished at what I was determined to do for her, before she smiled genuinely and said, "Thank you, Onee-chan."

I smiled back at her before we then continued on walking back to our home, ready for our next fun day for our days off tomorrow.

Unfortunately, however, we were not prepared for what was to come next.

The next day, just when we were prepared to go and have some more fun on our days off, Akane came to our home and gave us a graving news: that the Shinobi Council had made their decision on what will happen for Mizuki. She told us that all of the Shiraishi Squad, including me and Mizuki, were called on to meet with the council at once.

And so, we got dressed up into our Shinobi uniforms and came to meet with the council as soon as we got the message from Akane, and the three of us met up with the rest of our squad members, Umeko, Wakana, Yuina, and Kazuki, who were all standing and waiting for us. my father and both our mothers were also present at the meeting. As soon as all of us have arrived, the meeting began.

"Good Shinobi Mizuki," said the council member, who is the father of the failed shinobi named Murasame, "May you please step forward."

We looked at Mizuki who took a deep calming breath before she said as she began to step forward, "Yes, sir."

Mizuki moved forward until she stopped at the very center, surrounded by the other council members, including Councilman Shiraishi and Councilwoman Leo, while we stood at the back and waited for what the answer for her fate will be from now on. There was a tense silence for a moment as no one said any word. Then, Murasame's father said, "The council has made their final decision, and although it was hard, the council has seen fit for what it would be best for you."

…what? Wait, no…they wouldn't…!

Murasame's father sighed and said, "Mizuki, from this point forward, you shall be part of this Shinobi Council."

Upon hearing that, all of us became shocked by what he and the council had announced before we all shouted, "WHAT?!"

Mizuki looked on with widened eyes as she said in pure shock, "…W-What? Me? In this council?"

Murasame's father nodded in confirmation before he said, "As it stands, the war has only gotten worse by the day, and more and more of our Good Shinobis have either continued to be killed in battle or be captured and enslaved by our enemies. And we are aware of how much you and the Shiraishi Squad have greatly made progress in fighting off against the Evil Shinobis and hunters throughout your missions, and how much it has improved our ensured victory. However, the council and I fear that the hunters are also growing stronger and stronger the more we keep on fighting them, and we fear that if this keeps on going any longer, eventually we will end up losing you, as well."

"So then, by putting me in the council, I will be safe from harm?" Mizuki asked.

"Hmm." I thought, "That does seem like a logical thing to do."

"That is part of the reason, yes." said Murasame's father, "But another reason is also the fact that there have been…various rumors about you, regarding you and one of your teammates, that has left the council somewhat…concerned. As great as you are as the Chosen One in battle, your reputation as one is also very important to the people in the Good Shinobis. It's important for you to understand that people in the society of shinobis that looks up to you as their symbol of hope and the hero that can save the world, and what you do affects people greatly. If there are terrible rumors about you that has been spreading around, your reputation would greatly diminish. So, Mizuki, tell us: are any of the rumors about you true? Are you and your teammate, Kazuki, in a relationship with one another?"

Mizuki took her time to take in what he told her and thought about her decision of what to say for a moment, before she turned around to look at us, specifically at Kazuki, who was holding back from trying to say anything or he'd make the situation worse, before looking at Akane, who gave her a small smile and a small nod to her, signaling her what Mizuki should truly say to the council to not make them suspecting her any further. Mizuki nodded back before turning back in front of the council, then she took a deep breath to calm herself before she looked to the council and answered, "No. No, we are not. Kazuki and I are not in a relationship with one another. Every rumor about the both us are completely false. He was only there with me to protect me in order to keep me completely safe from harm that may happen to me, just like any other of my squad members would do for me, and people who've been seeing us have been misunderstanding us and have mistaken us for being in a relationship with one another. Kazuki is a good a person and a good friend who is only looking out for us, but again, we are not in a relationship. We're just friends and nothing more than that."

The Shinobi Council took in what Mizuki just said to them before they all nodded to each other, seeming to agree that Mizuki was telling them the truth. Even Councilman Shiraishi, who smiled and nodded to Mizuki for making the right choice in words, agreed to her words. Councilwoman Leo, on the other hand, appeared to remain silent during all of this, which I saw very suspicious. I looked at Akane and saw that she was looking at Councilwoman Leo before nodding to me, telling me that she was seeing that as suspicious as well. Then, as soon as everything became silent again, Murasame's father said to Mizuki, "Very well then, Mizuki, we believe you. We shall believe in your words that neither of you are in a relationship with one another, and we will be sure to tell everyone that the rumors of you being in a relationship is false. That way, no one will ever speak badly of you and your reputation remains strong."

Mizuki smiled and said, "Thank you, sir."

"And now, Mizuki," said Murasame's father, "We are welcoming you to be a part of the Shinobi Council. Do you accept?"

Mizuki thought about it for a moment before she turned around to look at us again as we looked at her, worrying and wondering what she would do. Then she smiled at us before looking back at the council and said, "Yes, sir, I'll accept."

We sighed at that. Yes, I had a feeling she would decide that as I sighed almost heavily. From the way the others sighed, I was sure they did as well. I suppose with that decision, she would no longer be participating at the front lines with us in battle.

"Very well, then." said Murasame's father, before pointing at an empty seat, "Take an empty seat over there."

"Yes, sir." Mizuki bowed to him before doing as she was told, and took a seat at the chair, officially making her a part of the council.

"Aww." Councilwoman Leo finally spoke, getting all of our attention, before she said, "Honestly, that is such a shame. And I was just actually starting to like the thought of you two being together."

We all gasped at that, shocked to hear such words coming from her. Was this woman serious right now? Was she really saying that Mizuki and Kazuki should be together? Does she not understand that Mizuki's reputation as the Chosen One is more important than relationships? Does she not care and understand about what people would say terribly about her? Nor the gravity of the situation?

Before any of us could question her, Councilman Shiraishi stood up and yelled, "COUNCILWOMAN LEO! HOW COULD YOU SAY SUCH WORDS?!"

Councilwoman Leo chuckled and said with a shrug, "What? I don't see any problem with that. Doesn't being in a relationship means that it makes your bond with the people you love and care about stronger? Having an attachment or two isn't honestly a bad thing, and it helps that having a relationship either improves your teamwork or motivate themselves to be better. Honestly, you should see the results and learn something for once."

"Councilwoman Leo, we-!"

"Yes, yes, I know." said Councilwoman Leo, "It has disadvantages. Like having your enemies exploit your weaknesses and blackmailing. Which is why the code states that no one should be in a relationship and forming attachments with one another, or anyone outside of the Good Shinobi society, unless it is for the purpose of marriage and for producing heirs for their families. But honestly, though, I was just speaking my mind, and really, if you're asking for my opinion, I find those rules to be quite rather foolish."

"Councilwoman-!"

"Enough!" said Murasame's father, stopping Shiraishi from speaking any further, before he said to Leo, "Councilwoman Leo, we will discuss what you've been saying during this meeting and your choice in words later, but for now, please refrain from speaking out any further than what you have."

Councilwoman Leo sighed and said, "Of course, my apologies. I'll stop for now."

She didn't sound very sorry for what she said. I looked at her and saw that she was smiling, as if she was proud of what she had spoken out loud. I gripped my hands into fists as my silent rage began to boil, as I did not like this woman nor did I like where this was going. Councilwoman Leo cannot be trusted.

Murasame's father then looked at us and said, "Shiraishi Squad."

"Yes, sir!" we all said as we stood in attention.

"Today, the Shinobi Council and I are assigning all of you to different missions and you will begin immediately." said Murasame's father, "I'm sorry that we have to end your days off so soon, but right now, time is of the essence and we require your strength and power to continue this fight against Evil Shinobis and hunters until it is over. Here is the mission: the Good Shinobis will be at war with the army of hunters who are all led by a general of their army named General Ambrose, and their main target will be aimed at the villages that is close to the river that is known as the Golden River. Which means, they intend to attack the village and take the land for themselves. As Good Shinobis, we cannot allow that to happen, which is why we will send in a thousand army there; the first half of the Good Shinobis will be departing and go to the villages to evacuate the people there so that they'll be safe from harm, while the other half will be holding off against the army led by Ambrose." He then looked at me and said, "Ange!"

"Yes, sir!" I said.

"I want you to prepare to depart immediately, as you and your father will be leading the army to attack the army of hunters and defend the villagers." said Murasame's father, "You and your father will go and engage against Ambrose once you find him. If you destroy the general himself, then the army will be brought into chaos and then destroyed once they lost the head of the army. Prepare and depart at 11:00."

"Yes, sir!" I said.

Murasame's father then looked at Akane and the others and said, "Akane, you and your team will remain on standby and remain on guard of Mizuki. She's still new to the Shinobi Council, so her safety will be your top priority."

"Yes, sir!" Akane and the others said.

Murasame's father nodded and said, "Now then, good luck to all of you. And may Kagura grant us her blessing."

After the meeting was over, we began to leave to begin our preparations and tasks at hand. As I walked to go and meet with father, I heard footsteps coming from behind me before I heard Mizuki called, "Onee-chan!"

I turned around to see Mizuki approaching me with the others behind her. I stopped before I turned and smiled at her as soon as she got close to me before I asked, "Yes, what is it, Mizuki?"

"Onee-chan, do you really have to go with father?" Mizuki asked.

"I have to, Mizuki." I said, "I've been given an order and a mission to go do so."

"Oh, I see." said Mizuki, "Then, that would mean that I won't be seeing you again anymore. Or at least, not for a long time."

"Yes, I suppose not." I said, before I smiled and reassured her, "But worry not. Once our mission is over, we'll see each other again. And when we do, I'll be sure to tell you about the Golden River later. And besides, while we're there, we need to also worry about the safety of the villagers there. Plus, you're now part of the Shinobi Council, so you have a responsibility to take care of."

"Yeah, you're right." said Mizuki, "I hope that I do okay."

"You'll be fine." I said, "I believe that."

Mizuki nodded with a smile and said, "Thank you, Onee-chan."

"Actually, speaking of the council," Akane stepped in, "There's actually something that my father, the council, and I would like for you to do. It concerns the councilwoman, Leo."

"Leo?" said Mizuki, "What about her?"

"Well, how do I put this…?" said Akane, thinking for a moment, before she answered, "There's something that's really off about her, like she's actually hiding something, and it…it just doesn't seem to feel right with me. There's something really wrong going on with her, and for that reason, I can't trust her. In fact, I don't trust the councilwoman at all."

"R-Really?" Mizuki asked.

"Yes." I said, "I understand what you mean, Akane. For some reason, I cannot trust that woman, either. It's like she seems to be plotting something that we don't know about behind the scene, especially behind the Shinobi Council."

Kazuki, Umeko, Wakana, and Yuina nodded in agreement.

"You all think so?" Mizuki asked, "But, isn't that just her calmness and elegance speaking and maybe you're just misinterpreting things? She doesn't seem to be a bad person. Plus, she's on the Shinobi Council doing good for everyone in the society. I'm sure she's not trying to do anything bad to the Good Shinobis."

"Yeah, but think about it, Mizuki." said Akane, "Something really wrong is going on here. I mean, her putting you into the Shinobi Council? Having you relieved from duty to go out and fight in the battlefield with us? And just now, when she spoke about you and Kazuki? There's really something wrong with it, like she's planning on something. Honestly, I don't know what it is, but clearly whatever it is that she's doing, it can't be good for not just for us, but for the Good Shinobis."

"I see." said Mizuki before she asked, "Does the council suspect something wrong about her, too?"

"Most likely, if the council's apparent decision of placing you in meant anything by it." said Akane, "My father believes that Councilwoman Leo is actually working for someone who's hiding in the shadows, manipulating and controlling everything behind the scene in their stead, in order to take hold of all the Good Shinobis here. In short…"

"She could be a spy, working for anyone, such as Evil Shinobis or hunters." I finished.

"Yeah." Akane nodded, "Which is why this is where you come in, Mizuki. The Shinobi Council needs someone that they believe they can trust to be their eyes and ears and report to them if they learn anything. Basically…"

"They want me to keep an eye on Councilwoman Leo." Mizuki finished.

"Yeah, that's pretty much the gist of it." said Akane.

"Wait, but…wouldn't that be too risky?" Umeko asked, "Having Mizuki keep an eye on Councilwoman Leo when we have no idea what her end goal of it all is?"

"It is." said Akane, "But that's why we're here, to protect Mizuki at all cost. While Mizuki watches over Councilwoman Leo, we'll do what we can to keep her safe, especially from any form of manipulation she may be cooking up for Mizuki."

"Oh, that's right." said Umeko.

"Yes, that is true." said Wakana, "The council did assign us to be her protectors."

Akane nodded and said, "And besides, if she truly is who I think she is, an enemy, and if she plans on manipulating everything and everyone on the inside, including you, Mizuki, then she could be a dangerous threat that has to be stopped before she could do harm to everyone than good." Akane turned to Mizuki and said, "That's why, Mizuki, whatever it is that you do when you're near Councilwoman Leo, do NOT trust her, do NOT listen to her words, do NOT believe in any of her words, do NOT let her persuade you on anything, do NOT follow with what she says, do NOT give her what she wants, and no matter what, do NOT listen and do whatever it is she says for you to do! Understand?"

Mizuki took the time to take in everything that Akane said and thought about it for a moment, before she looked at Akane and nodded as she said, "Okay, I understand."

Akane smiled at her before she sighed as if she was relieved that Mizuki understood before she said, "Okay, good. That's all I need to hear. Anyway, you should hurry and go on to meet up with the Shinobi Council members. You're going to have a lot of work to do as a council member now."

"Ah, right, I think I should." said Mizuki as she bowed to Akane and the rest of the others, before looking at Kazuki, who nodded at her with a smile, and she smiled and nodded at him back, before she turned to me and said, "Anyway, I'm going to go now. Good luck out there, and please be careful along with father, Onee-chan."

"I will." I nodded with a smile, "And you be careful, as well, Mizuki. And best of luck to you. May Kagura bless us with good fortune."

Mizuki nodded before she then went and gave me a hug, and I hug her back, as she said to me in a whisper, "I love you, and I'll miss you. Please, come back home safely for me, Onee-chan."

"I will." I whispered back, "Don't worry, Mizuki. I'll be back home before you know it."

After that, we let go of our embrace before we smiled at each other as loving sisters, one last time, before she parted ways with me as she left to meet up with the council members. The others and I stood as we watched her go, not saying a single word even after Mizuki was gone from our sight.

"…Hey." said Yuina, breaking the silence, "D-Do you think that…Mizuki will be okay?"

"Let's hope so." said Wakana, "Otherwise, we might lose our only hope left to put an end to this war."

I nodded before I looked at Kazuki, who had a troubled look on his face. I imagine it has something to do with not being close to Mizuki as a lover even though he knows it's forbidden. I knew he wasn't okay, but I had to ask, "Hey, Kazuki, are you doing okay?"

"Y-Yeah." Kazuki lied to reassure me as well as himself, "I-I'm fine. I'll be fine. It's just…I'm worried about her, you know?"

"Well, don't be." I said, playing along with his lie, "I know Mizuki will be fine. She's never let any of us down before, and she's not going to let us down now. She'll be careful with what's going on in the council, specifically to Councilwoman Leo. And besides, you and the others are going to look after her while I'm gone, so it'll be okay as long as all of you keep her safe."

"Yeah." said Kazuki, "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Ange."

I nodded to him and said, "She'll be okay. Mizuki will be okay on her own. I believe that she'll be safe."

"One can only hope." We heard Akane said, and we all turn to look at her as she said, "We don't know whether or not she's capable of either stopping whatever Councilwoman Leo is planning or ending the Evil Shinobis and hunters for good at all. Mizuki is…well, you all know how soft she can be."

"What're you trying to say?" Kazuki asked, "That she's not strong enough to put a stop to all our enemies?"

"I'm saying that Mizuki may not be as willing to end off a life of an evil being as she tries to make herself out to be." said Akane, "She shows kindness, compassion, and empathy to all living things in the world, sometimes even to those we see as evil. And often times, during our missions, she would hesitate on taking a life away. Our last mission is no different."

"That is true." I said.

"Also," Akane added, "And I'm not sure if you like it or not, but there are people who are starting to doubt whether Mizuki can end this damned war or not, whether she can save the world or not, even the Shinobi Council is starting to doubt Mizuki. And…I can see why they would doubt her so much, because honestly, I'm…I'm slowly starting to doubt her, as well. Don't get me wrong, Mizuki is a great Good Shinobi and has been a valued asset and teammate. And like you said, Ange, she's never let any of us down before, and I'm grateful for that. And I trust her as a friend, but I…I just can't bring myself to trust her as the Chosen One. Not yet, at least."

"With all due respect," I said, "Isn't Mizuki the Chosen One? One who will put an end to all Yōma, Evil Shinobis, and hunters and bring light and balance to the world, just as the prophecy says she would?"

Akane sighed and said, "So it is told, but…well, it says that she will be the one who shall do it, but it never says how she'll do it."

"Yeah, that is true." said Yuina, "That prophecy is so vague!"

"Plus, there is also the fact that we need to find her Destined One, the one who will help her end the darkness and bring light and balance with her." said Wakana, "And we still haven't even found that Destined One."

"Yeah, that's right." said Kazuki, before he sighed and added, "I don't know if it's just me or not, but…I think it's likely that the prophecy could've been misread or something, like it's trying to fool us, like…"

"Giving us false sense of hope." I concluded for him.

"Yeah…" said Kazuki, looking down on the floor solemnly.

We all became silent for a moment, taking in everything that we discussed about Mizuki, about the prophecy, about…whether our efforts were becoming worth it or not.

Then, Umeko perked up and said with a cheerful smile, "Hey, c'mon, guys! Let's not be all doom-n-gloom! We should see the bright side of things! We still have Mizuki with us, we're winning a lot of battles because of her on our side, we've been saving a lot of innocent lives and Good Shinobis, took out lots of bad guys, Evil Shinobis, hunters, and Yōmas, giving people better lives, and protecting our Chosen One, our one and only hope left to save the world! Plus, I'm sure that if we all stick together with Mizuki, everything will be A-okay!"

We all looked at Umeko with surprised looks for a moment before Wakana giggled and said, "Yes! Yes, you're right, Umeko-chan! We should all look at the bright side of things. We've all done a lot of good for the Good Shinobis, and we've been protecting Mizuki so much so that she would never fall into the wrong hands. And because of our efforts and Mizuki's effort in our missions on putting a stop to Evil Shinobis and hunters and whatever evil deeds they were doing; everyone is grateful for us and for Mizuki for saving and protecting them. There's no way that our efforts in this war is meaningless, and as long as we keep doing what we're doing until we find Mizuki's Destined One, I'm sure that eventually, we'll put an end to this war and all the Evil Shinobis and hunters will be gone from the world, and then we will finally live in peace."

We all became silent after hearing Wakana's words of encouragement before Kazuki sighed and said with a smile, "Yeah, you're right. And I'm sure that when we have peace, and if we get a chance, we may live out normal lives."

"I doubt that would happen," I said to him, before I smiled and said, "But, it would certainly be nice if we could, and for Mizuki's sake and for her future, I hope that it may come true."

"Yeah." Yuina nodded, "Me, too." Then she began to blush before looking away and said, "I-I-I mean, i-it's not like I care either way! It's not like I want her to be happy or anything, you idiots!"

We all chuckled and giggled at that, because we know that even if she wouldn't admit it, she had grown quite fond of Mizuki over the course of our mission and had long since valued her friendship with Mizuki and with us.

"You're such a tsundere!" Umeko laughed.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Yuina yelled angrily with her comical angry look, which made us all laughed at that.

"Well, anyway, I should get going now." I said to everyone, "Wish me luck in this mission of mine, and all of you, please look after Mizuki for me."

"Of course, we will." Akane nodded.

"We always have!" Umeko nodded cheerfully.

"And we always will." said Wakana.

"And we won't let anything happen to her, ever." said Kazuki.

"Y-Yeah, what he said." said Yuina, looking away to try to hide her blush of embarrassment."

I smiled and nodded to them before I said, "Good day and good luck, my friends. And may Kagura favor us all for our safety."

And with that, and seeing my friends for the last time with a smile as they smiled back, I turned away and began to head off on my mission with my father. Little did I know, unfortunately, that it would indeed be the last time that I ever saw my squad mates, my friends, ever again, and I should've known then. In fact, I should've known that back then…that everything that the Evil Shinobis and hunters did was already set into motion, exactly as they had planned. And that they were already beginning their plan to manipulate Mizuki, to turn her to their side of evil.

Meanwhile, Mizuki was on her way to begin her work as a council member until she ran into Councilwoman Leo, who was passing by the hallway with a yawn until she noticed Mizuki and smiled at her.

"Ah, Mizuki!" Leo smiled, "Hello! It's quite a surprise to see you!"

Mizuki, remembering Akane's words of not to trust nor listen to Leo, becomes cautious and wary of her for a brief moment before calming herself, trying her best not make it look noticeable, and said as calmly as possible, "Hello, Councilwoman Leo. I was just on my way to work with the Shinobi Council."

"Ah, right, the council." said Leo, "Yes, you are a part of the Shinobi Council now, so it's only natural that you should start working as one." She then smiled and said, "Oh, and please, no need to be so formal with me with titles. Just simply call me Leo. Friends of mine outside of work calls me that."

"Uh, no, ma'am, I will not." said Mizuki, "I don't find it necessary to do so. Now, if you'll excuse me-"

"Oh, please!" Leo stepped in the way, "I insist, Mizuki."

Mizuki became silent and stared at Councilwoman Leo for a moment until she saw that Leo would not take no for an answer, before she sighed and said, "Very well…Leo."

"That's better." Leo smiled, "In fact, it feels much better than being called 'Councilwoman Leo' by the council all the time. Speaking of, it was so tiring of being lectured by the council so much because of what I said during the meeting today."

"I see." said Mizuki, "Speaking of the meeting, why did you say that?"

"Hmm?" said Leo, "Why did I say what?"

"Why did you say that I was a good match to Kazuki?" Mizuki asked, "Why did you say that he and I should be together as a couple? I said that I wasn't in a relationship with Kazuki and that we're just friends."

"Ah, that." said Leo, as if remembering, before she smiled at Mizuki and said, "Because, why not?"

"Huh?" said Mizuki, confused.

"Why wouldn't I say the things I said?" said Leo, "Besides, isn't it natural for people to fall in love with one another and be a couple? It's what makes us all humans. And I'm sure you're no exception."

"I-"

"And before you say it, yes, I know there are disadvantages for being in a relationship." said Leo, "Complications, attachment problems, people taking advantage of your relationships, blah-blah-blah. But, it's not exactly a bad thing. Take a look from a certain point of view. There are people out in the world, normal people not too different from us Shinobis, who deserves to be in a relationship, because it's true love, and because they want to be with the person that he/she loves forever because they deserve happiness together. Everyone has feelings for others because it's natural, and they all want to have that kind of happiness, and us Shinobis, you and I, are no exceptions to all of it. Don't you think that you deserve happiness and love as well, Chosen One? Don't you want to be with the person you love forever because what you have is true love?"

Mizuki looked at Councilwoman Leo for a moment as she took in the words that she told her. Her words felt tempting, as if Leo wanted Mizuki to agree with her. And although Leo wasn't entirely wrong, as Mizuki did in fact love Kazuki despite denying it in order to protect each other's reputation, Mizuki knew that she shouldn't trust Leo nor her words that she was giving her, as it could be a trap to lure her to a path that others may not follow. So, taking in a deep breath, Mizuki looked at Leo and said, "No, Councilwoman Leo, I do not."

"Oh?" said Leo, "And why is that?"

"Because despite what you say about us, we're Good Shinobis, protectors of mankind and the world." said Mizuki, "It's our duty to save and protect people from those who would conspire against us such as the Evil Shinobis and hunters. And as the Chosen One, it's my duty to fulfill my role as the savior of the world to end the darkness and bring peace and balance to the world. I don't have time for any meaningless and trivial things such as love and relationships. Those things will be something that I will worry about AFTER I save the world, no more and no less. And whether it's in the battlefield or here, I will do everything in my power to make sure that our peace will be achieved." Mizuki then turned away and began to leave as she said while walking pass Leo, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to meet with the council. I have work to do."

"Are you actually telling me that?" said Leo with a smirk, "Or are you telling that to yourself?"

Mizuki stopped and stood where she was for a moment before turning her head to her a bit and answered, "It's none of your concern." Then, Mizuki began to leave, all while she thought, "Both, actually."

Leo looked on as Mizuki leaves to meet with the council before she smirked and thought, "Keep convincing yourself you're doing right, "Chosen One". It won't be long before you start realizing the truth, and you'll see things the way we do."

Later that night, after a long travel on our horses, father and I, as well as the rest of the Good Shinobi Squad members who're joining us on our fight against Ambrose and his army, were all preparing our tents as we were going to be camping for the night to get some rest and prepare for engagement with our enemies tomorrow. As I finished up my tent and brought out my sleeping bag inside, I looked on to see the Good Shinobi men and women chatting to one another while eating food and drinking alcohol that my mother, who wanted to come along with us in our mission despite the danger, was serving out for everyone and having a good time together, some of them were already getting drunk. Some men and women were simply chatting and laughing like good friends they were, others who were drunk were having a drunk make-out session like there was no tomorrow, as if it may be the last time that they may do this together, which was actually true if none of them survives. Very few of the couples were already in their tents and were already doing the deeds based on the silhouettes from the lights of their tents, while several more who were on their make-out sessions were already going back to their tents and began doing the same thing the couples were doing. Sex aside, because it didn't really bother me much as I've seen better and worse, seeing everyone having fun with one another made me smile as all the Good Shinobis were enjoying themselves and their happiness as they should be, even if it may be the last time that they will have the moment they have together. It reminded me so much of Mizuki and our squad team members, and I hoped that after our fight with Ambrose is over, I could go back to all my friends so that we can enjoy our happiness together.

Father stood beside me and said, "Quite a sight to see, huh, Ange?"

"Yes." I said, continuing to watch on, "Yes, it is."

Everyone in the Good Shinobis, with most men drunk off their asses, were laughing out loudly as they brought out jokes that made the women laughed, with my mother laughing along with them. I looked down and thought about my companions, about Mizuki, and our talk during the other night when Mizuki came back from her secret date with Kazuki, before I asked my father, "Father, do you think that once the war is over, and we put an end to all the Evil Shinobis and hunters for good, will we be able to go on and live out our normal lives together, and have fun and be happy just as everyone else over there are?"

I heard father sighed and said, "No, I doubt it's likely that we would. As far as I'm concern, we're beyond normal people, and after our battles with the very bad people we've been fighting, I doubt being in a normal life will be that simple. Plus, as Good Shinobis, we still have to maintain peace in this world so that no war will ever go on again, especially within the shadows."

I sighed and said, "Yes, that's what I thought so, as well."

"Thinking about Mizuki?" father asked.

"Yes." I answered, "Mizuki wishes she could live out a normal life once the war is over so that she could go and find her happiness. And I told her what you just told me, that it wasn't possible, even though I too wish it was possible."

"I see." said father, before he gave off a smile and said, "Well, maybe it will. We may never know."

I looked at father as he continued, "People can change their ways if they continue to do good for the world, and Mizuki is no exception. And over time, even society can also change because of the positive influence that good people like us, you and me and Mizuki, can make towards the world. If people change for the better, then the whole world can change for the better. And hopefully, if and when the world may no longer need us Good Shinobis to fight against Evil Shinobis, hunters, and Yōmas, then we may indeed find a way to live out our normal lives. And I'm sure the same thing can happen for Mizuki when the world no longer needs her and her Destined One once she's saved the world."

"Do you believe so, father?" I asked.

"I know so." He said.

I smiled before looking back to the Good Shinobis continuing to have fun and said, "I hope so, as well."

"Anyway, why don't you go to sleep and get some rest?" father told me, "We're leaving before dawn, and we have a big day tomorrow."

"Yes, father." I said as I began to leave to go to my tent to get some sleep, "Goodnight, father."

"Goodnight, Ange." He told me as I went inside my tent to go and drift off to sleep.

If only I knew…what would've happened next during our mission.

During the night, Mizuki was at home sleeping in her and her sister's room to get some rest. Only, she couldn't sleep as she woke up from a nightmare, and she was sweating so much and panting to catch her breath as it was a horrible nightmare. She got out of bed and went downstairs to go to the dining table and have some water to drink. She sat at a table and took a drink of her cold water to try and calm herself down, and she stayed in her seat at the table for a long time, refilling and drinking her cold water during her silent cool down. She wasn't sure how long it had been, but when Mizuki looked up, she saw her mother, Miyori, who came by to the table and was looking at her with a worried look on her face, though she managed to smile for her daughter.

"Can't sleep, dear?" Miyori asked.

Mizuki simply shook her head no.

Miyori held her hand and asked, "What's wrong, dear?"

Mizuki was silent for a moment before she sighed and said solemnly, "I…I had a nightmare…it was…a terrible nightmare…"

"What kind of nightmare was it, dear?" Miyori asked.

"I…I don't know…" said Mizuki, as tears began to form in her eyes as she was holding herself back to cry, "I can't explain it…it's just…it's terrible…!"

Miyori looked at her daughter for a moment before she held her daughter in a hug and asked, "Does it have something to do with your friends?"

Upon hearing that, Mizuki began to sob in her mother's embrace, letting tears fall out of her eyes as Miyori held and patted her daughter as a sign of comfort.

"Everyone…everyone I know and love…will be gone…!" Mizuki cried between sobs, "My friends…father…Onee-chan…!" Mizuki couldn't bear to say anymore as she continued crying in her mother's embrace.

"It's okay, Mizuki." said Miyori as comforted and soothed her daughter, "It'll be okay. Everything will be okay. I know everything will be okay." She then thought, "I know, because…Master Hanzo said so."

The mother and daughter stayed in their embrace as Miyori continued comforting Mizuki until she was able to calm down and return her back to her room to sleep.

Meanwhile, at the office that belonged to Councilwoman Leo, the woman in question was making a call to her associate who brought her into the Shinobi Council as she was looking outside the dark night through the window.

"Yes, of course." said Leo, "They've set up Mizuki to keep an eye on me. The council is already starting to become suspicious of me and my place in the council."

"You know you're taking a really big risk by placing yourself in the council, Leo." said her associate on the line, Johnathan.

"I know, and it's a risk I'm greatly willing to take." said Leo with a calm smirk, "Besides, you're the one who asked me to help you get the girl with the Stone of Selection of Power in the first place, so it's not like I'm one to talk."

"True, but it was too much of a risk, especially after losing our comrades." said Johnathan, "In fact, losing Albrecht wasn't originally a part of the plan as he was a valued asset. Now without him around, we have no one else who can repair our group with cybernetic support and reconstruction. If he was still around, we would've had the upper hands on our enemies."

"Sometimes, in order to succeed, we have to fail, and give up on the things that matters the most, especially our valued assets." said Leo, "Even during our missions like this to keep up on appearance. Of course, it is saddening that we had to lose Albrecht, but it's not like we had any other choice. Also, didn't Lawrence say that he was a bit of an asshole, and that him being killed off would've done him a favor?"

Johnathan chuckled and said, "Yes, I suppose he did once. You're right, though, as much as it pains us to lose people, even those closest to us, we'll have to make a sacrifice, and sometimes fail if we want to succeed."

Leo nodded and said, "By the way, does your two sons know about the plan already, about bringing Mizuki in with us?"

"Yes, I've informed my sons about everything they needed to know." said Johnathan, "And with her help, we can finally reawaken and empower it that has been in slumber for so long."

"Good." said Leo, "And what about Alan? Does he know about it as well?"

"No, he doesn't, sadly." said Johnathan, "But I have a feeling that he might catch on with what had happened eventually. Besides, he's already out on another mission, so I won't have time to tell him everything that happen."

"I see." said Leo, "Well, that is a shame. It would've been nice if he did know. Oh, well. Anyway, I think I'll hang up for now. I might not be able to call you again as it might draw out more attention than I already have until I believe I have the time to. Until then, I'll be on my own."

"Alright, then." said Johnathan, "Good luck, and be careful."

"I will, bye." said Leo before she hung up on her phone and then looked at the computer that showed the profiles of each member of the Shiraishi Squad, before she thought, "It's only a matter of time."

Morning had soon arrived as everyone and I began to wake up before down and we were putting up our tents and sleeping bags away to get ourselves ready to leave before we depart. As soon as we were finished up with packing up and putting away our sleeping bags and tent essentials into our bags, we began to move out with father leading all of us while I stood close to him. We continued on walking to our destination, and it was a very long walk that sometimes we would hear a person or two complaining, though we mostly ignore it to keep focus on our mission. Eventually, we made it to our destination, the hideout of where General Ambrose and his forces were reported to be found at, far ahead of us. And from our distance, judging by how far they are to the village where the Golden River resides at, it seems they are nearly close.

I took out my binoculars to take a closer look, and through my binoculars, I could see that the hideout is very well guarded outside. From my sight through the binoculars, there are about twenty hunters guarding each entrance of their hideout, and if I'm right about this, there could be more inside. I then looked through my binoculars that our in the field not too far from their hideout, there were a thousand hunters on each platoon, about ten thousand or so in total, weapons armed and ready to attack at any time once commanded. I looked at my father and gave him hand signals, telling him that there were twenty hunters guarding the entrance and a thousand soldiers on each platoon. Father nodded to me before he turned to all the Good Shinobis behind us who were all armed and ready for battle against our enemies.

Listen up," said father, "Today is our chance to put a stop to General Ambrose and his forces from reaching the peaceful village and invading it, here and now. Ange and I will sneak in and infiltrate the hideout and find out what we can do on the inside before engaging, create a distraction to the general hunter and his men inside long enough for all of you to get out there, attack the army with a surprise attack, and then dismantle the army completely so that there won't be any to attack the village. Remember, you have to attack the army upon the signal of the large smoke caused by the fire inside the hideout, and before the army even has the chance to act. Once you receive the signal, strike and attack the army by any means and as quickly as possible. Once the army is finished, this war that will come will be finished before it can even happen in the village. All attack squads, that will be your job. Relief squad, your job will be to protect and keep the village safe from harm, and do not let any hunters in and attack the village. If you spot any hunter, do not hesitate to end them quickly and quietly. Is that understood?"

"YES, SIR!" all the Good Shinobis saluted.

Father looked at me as I looked at him, and he gave me a nod and I nodded at him back, telling each other that we were both ready, and we both turned to our destination before he began moving swiftly at a speed of light while the rest of the Good Shinobi army stayed and waited for us, as the two of us began moving in to infiltrate the hideout.

Meanwhile, Mizuki, alongside Umeko and Wakana who were in a shift of escorting and protecting Mizuki, was walking along the hallway as she had just finished her meeting with the Shinobi Council and left to go somewhere else as soon as the rest of the council members began leaving. During the meeting, she had heard that Ange and her father have found the hideout of General Ambrose and his forces and are beginning their infiltration of the hideout to attack. Mizuki left the meeting so that she could go and report it to Councilwoman Leo since she was not present during the meeting.

As soon as she found her office, Mizuki knocked on the door to let Leo know someone was outside waiting for her before she said, "It's Councilwoman Mizuki, Councilwoman Leo, and I'm here to make a report."

"Ah, Mizuki!" said Leo on the other side of the door, "Please, c'mon in!"

"Pardon my intrusion." said Mizuki before she turned to her friends and said, "You two can go on and wait outside for me. I'll go on in by myself."

"Are you sure?" Wakana asked worriedly.

Mizuki nodded and said, "I'll be fine. And don't worry, I'll be sure to keep my guard up."

"Okay, if you say so." said Wakana, before she turned to Umeko and said, "Let's go, Umeko-chan."

"Hm!" Umeko nodded with a smile as the two began to depart, walking off while they waited for Mizuki.

Mizuki looked on until they were gone before she let herself in. As Mizuki walked in and looked around the office, seeing that it looked very nice and fancy with decorations fit for a wealthy and noble lady, she spotted Leo siting at her desk while having a cup of tea. Upon seeing Mizuki entering and approaching to where she was, Leo smiled warmly before setting her cup down on the table.

"Good to see you again, Mizuki." said Leo, "Please, take a seat."

"Actually, I'm only going to be here to make a report." said Mizuki, "You weren't present during the meeting at all, so I thought I should come to tell you that-"

"That Ange and your shared father have already found and infiltrated the hideout of General Ambrose?" Leo finished for her.

"Huh?" said Mizuki, surprised and confused, "W-Wait, how did you…?"

"I had a lucky guess as to what was going on." said Leo, "So, I decided my presence at the meeting was not needed at all. Oh, and don't worry about my absence during the meeting, I made sure the Shinobi Council know."

"O-Oh, I-I see." said Mizuki, "Well, then, I…I suppose I'm no longer needed to be here then. I should get going now."

"Oh, no, no, no, that won't be necessary!" Leo smiled, "Please, just sit down. You've already come all this way."

"B-But, I-"

"No, please!" said Leo, "I insist."

Mizuki stood where she was as she looked at Leo with a careful and cautious look on her face as Leo stared at her with a smile, insisting that she stayed with her, all while Mizuki thought about it for a moment, until she then sighed and thought, "It's only for now. Just…just be careful not to take in her words." Then, Mizuki sat down on a chair in front of Councilwoman Leo and said to her, "Only for a while. I have to meet with my friends after this."

"Great!" Leo smiled, "And don't worry, it won't take too long. Would you like some tea?"

"No thank you, I'm not thirsty." Mizuki declined before she asked, "So, what do you want with me?"

"Why, dear girl, I just wanted to talk." Leo smiled, "It's not often that we women can have a chance to talk with one another. You know, what do they call it? Girl talk?"

"Oh, I see." said Mizuki, "Well, other than giving you a report about my father and sister, there isn't anything that I know that we can talk about."

"Oh, perhaps not for you." said Leo, "But, I think I do."

"What is it?" Mizuki asked.

Leo got up from her seat and turned around, looking through her window, before she asked, "Tell me, Mizuki, do you ever wonder…why both shinobis and hunters fight against each other?"

Mizuki looked at Leo with a surprised look on her face when she heard the councilwoman asked such a question when the answer was obvious. After some time, Mizuki answered, "It's because we're at war with one another. Because hunters are out in the world threatening the lives of innocent people, so shinobis, who're supposed to end at the end of the Edo Period, rose up in the shadows to fight and combat against the monsters as they carry parasitic blood of Yōmas. They are bad people, monsters who seek destruction."

"Yes, yes, that's true." said Leo, "And why do other shinobis, Evil Shinobis, side with hunters?"

"Because they're either killers who want to kill people for their own selfish desires or because they're traitors who betrayed our people, the Good Shinobis, for various reason, either because they chose to so or because they are lied to and being manipulated by other Evil Shinobis or hunters." Mizuki answered, "I know, because I've been told about it various times, and I've seen it happen various times during my missions. Plus, I've seen what terrible things that they had done to people, people who had nothing to do with all the wars. Either they kill them or they turn them into one of them."

"Yes, I have, as well." said Leo, "More times than any."

"Why are you asking me this, Councilwoman Leo?" Mizuki asked.

"Well, Mizuki," Leo began, "What if I told you that there was more to it than just that? What if I told you that there was a reason as to why Good Shinobis betray their own people and side with the Evil Shinobis and hunters?"

Mizuki was confused by her questions, so she asked, "Isn't the reason because they either were manipulated to do so or because they were blackmailed into betraying us? There aren't any other reasons other than that."

"Well, yes, but…there are other reasons as to why they would do so if you see their reasons from a certain point of view." said Leo, "For example, say there was a dark hidden truth that the Good Shinobis never heard about, something that has been kept hidden for a long time, such as how the society had been working in the shadows or what exactly the Good Shinobis actually do for innocent people. You see, there are various reasons as to why Good Shinobis would betray their own people and would choose to side with Evil Shinobis and hunters, or even become one of them willingly. Betrayal, atrocities, pillaging, murders, enslavements, corruption, greed, corrupt government and politics, various of these can vary."

Mizuki gripped her hands into fists as she listened to every word that Councilwoman Leo was saying, before she asked, "Are you…trying to imply that the Good Shinobis are the real bad guys? That the reason for Good Shinobis betraying their own kind is because they are the real enemies of this world? Because I don't see that. I don't see that the Good Shinobis are bad people who would do horrible things to innocent people! They help and protect people and try to make the world a better place, because that's their job! I don't see them doing any of those things!"

"Of course not." said Leo, "You don't see it because that's what people like them want you to see. Now, I'm not saying that all the Good Shinobis are all bad people. I'm saying that there are reasons as to why people would do what they do, and as people ourselves, we have to learn to question those reasons until we find the answers that we want, the truth as to why they would do such things, even if the truth can be very painful. Questioning the Good Shinobis is no exception. And, not all Evil Shinobis or hunters are as evil as people are told to be, and not all Good Shinobis are as good as they're made out to be. There are very bad people within the Good Shinobis, just as there are bad people who are in the Evil Shinobis or hunters, as well as good people within the Evil Shinobis or hunters, just as there are good people who are in the Good Shinobis. In short, not everything you see is all black and white, and we have to see through the black and white to see the very moral gray area to it, even if it can be too much to bear."

Mizuki took the time to take in the words Leo had said to her, as she contemplates on the words and their meaning, before she looked up as she heard Leo said, "Tell me, have you ever heard of a time when shinobis and hunters would live together in harmony? Shinobis and hunters would co-exist with one another and help one another to fight against evil. Some would grow a bond of friendship, some would marry one another, and despite their differences, shinobis and hunters would live amongst each other in peace. It was called Unity between Shinobis and Hunters. Together, they would work to make the world a better place without conflict."

Mizuki's eyes widened as this was a surprise to her. Shinobis and hunters working together and living together in peace and harmony? It sounds like something out of a fairy tale.

Leo chuckled as she knew what Mizuki was thinking before she said, "Yes, I know, it sounds like something from a fairy tale. Ridiculous, isn't it? But I can assure you, it's not. In fact, there are people who continue such practice today, albeit in secret away from society. The reason as to why they're no longer doing so in public is because over time, unity between shinobis and hunters began to dwindle to nothingness, and people in society have changed over time. Some for the better, and some for the worst."

Mizuki looked at Leo as she took in the words that she said to her, and something was telling her that Leo knew something more than what she was telling her, more than she was led to believe, so she asked, "Do you know something about the prophecy? About the Chosen One and the Destined One saving the world from darkness and bring light and balance to the world? Do you know anything about it?"

Upon being asked, Leo simply smiled calmly before she said, "Who knows? Perhaps I do, perhaps I don't. Either way, that is something that only you can decide whether you want to believe me or not."

Mizuki thought about what Leo said for a moment before she asked, "Then, tell me, is it truly possible for the world to be saved from darkness?"

Leo was silent for a moment before she smiled and answered simply, "Not by the hands of shinobi, at least not alone."

Father and I successfully infiltrated the hideout and took a look around from above to observe the situation inside. From above the ceiling, standing on wooden beams, we found the target we were looking for, General Ambrose.

He was a hunter dressed in black and red steel armor that covered most of his body for protection, with the exception of his helmet that was standing on the table alongside his broadsword and a few katanas that he had stolen from fallen shinobis, a red and black cape worn on his shoulder, dark brown boots, and an emblem of a dog placed on the left side of his chest. He also had brown spiky hair and a scar on his left side of his eye with his remaining eye that is colored red.

And, from our observation, rather than coming up with a strategy for a plan of attack like a general should be during war, he was currently…and I dare quote begrudgingly, 'humping around' with the naked and collared Good Shinobi women whom he had captured and enslaved as his collection of 'trophies'. All of them were naked, wearing only collars around their necks, and were all 'servicing' that illicit monster physically and sexually, and from the way they were behaving around him, they were already mind-broken to the point that they would do anything for that savage beast. And the look on his face, the face of him enjoying every moment of his 'pleasure', he looked so pleased that his 'bitches' were doing these things for him that he looked so smug it makes me sick, so much so that I just wanted to go down there and kill him right now and save all these broken women that he captured and enslaved.

Father placed a hand on my shoulder to calm me down and whispered, "I know how you feel, but don't lose control and attack just yet. We need to stay focused on the mission. Engaging him now would only endanger the women down there."

Upon hearing his logic, I managed to calm myself down to a manageable level and whispered back, "You're right, father. Forgive me."

"Besides," father added, "There's really nothing we can do for them now. Even if we do go and save them now, they're already broken to the point that they don't want to go back to how they were before. The best we can do for them once we're through with Ambrose is either take them to brothels where they may be safe, or better and worse, end their lives quickly and painlessly."

"You're right." I whispered, "I hope so, as well. Though I don't like to kill our fellow Good Shinobis even if they've fallen, I hope they can at least rest easy, knowing they would never have to suffer anymore."

Then, we stopped talking as we heard footsteps coming in before the door opened, revealing to be a hunter, likely one of his foot-soldiers.

"Sir!" he said, "Sorry to interrupt, but our soldiers are ready for their attack, they simply await your commands."

"Ah, so it's about time!" said Ambrose as he stopped his prized girls from giving him pleasure before he said to them, "Alright then, my little bitches, that's enough for today. Once I get back from my work and get more bitches for me to play with, I'll make sure that we'll all have lots of fun time together. So, be good little bitches and head back to your little cages and wait for me, got it?"

"Yes~!" his 'bitches' all said with happy and blissful smiles, "We'll be waiting for you, my master~!"

"Good." Ambrose grinned before he commanded to his soldier, "Hey, you! Take my prized girls back to their cages, will ya? I don't want them outta sight while I'm gone!"

"Yes, sir!" said the hunter soldier.

"And remember, nobody touches my prize bitches but me." Ambrose warned, "Last time somebody did, well…" He chuckled before he finished, "Let's just say I gave that little bastard a fate far worse than death. Wouldn't want you to end up the same way to set up an example now, would you?"

The soldier gulped before he said, "Sir, yes, sir!"

"Now hurry and get a move on!" Ambrose commanded.

Upon his command, the soldier hurriedly went and grabbed onto the leashes that connected the collars of the women Ambrose had enslaved before the soldier began dragging them away to bring them back to their cages as the women walked on all fours like obedient dogs that they were. Once they were gone from sight, Ambrose began to get up from his seat before zipping up his pants to hide his…ugh, disgusting male organ, before he then picked up his helmet and slowly began walking to the door to head out. Now this was our chance!

With a glance at my father, he nodded to me with a smile, signaling me to go on, and I nodded back to him, before I then looked down at the opportunity to attack and jumped off the ceiling before I landed lightly onto the floor, before I stood up straight and said with a confident smile, "Hello there, General."

Upon hearing me utter a word, General Ambrose chuckled with a grin before he turned around and said loudly, "Well, well, well, look who it is! A little lapdog Good Shinobi here for a fight! Let me guess, the council sent you and you came all the way here to kill me so you can stop me and my men?! Well, I gotta say, you're quite the bold one, and I like it!"

"You're not going anywhere, General Ambrose!" I said, keeping him all distracted while father snuck around another way, before drawing out my sword and said, "I'm here to stop and kill you here and now, before you can even go and hurt a life, once and for all!"

"Is that so?!" said Ambrose as he drew out his broadsword, "Little girl, do you have any idea how many have said that and have all fallen in my hands?! I can tell you now that you are no match for me! You'll fall just like the rest of the bitches I've taken!"

"Oh, I assure you." I said, giving him a death glare, "I'm not like any of your so-called 'bitches'. No, I'm so much more that, and I will prove it!"

Ambrose grinned and said, "Well, I like your attitude, girl. In that case…!" He got into a stance before he shouted viciously as he began charging at me, "I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY!"

Upon being close to me, he swung his broadsword from his left side to try and aim for my right side, before I swiftly blocked his incoming attack and charged forward, sparks flying between our swords, until I was close enough to him and pushed his sword away before I raised my blade up into the air and swung down to strike him from above, only to suddenly have my sword caught by his bare hands, shocking me for a moment, before he then turned and threw me up above him and I landed on my back. I groaned in pain before I looked up and quickly dodged his strike, making him only stab the floor, and then got myself back onto my feet and charged back at him again to attack him. I went for a strike before he blocked my attack, then again as I moved faster than the eye could see. Though he was strong, he wasn't quick enough to try and attack back as I kept moving faster and faster with my attacks, putting him on a defense. And I could tell that even he knows that, despite effortlessly blocking my attacks, he wasn't quick enough to try and give out a return attack. And even when he did, it was only one slow strike each and I would immediately block his attack before pushing his sword away and continued my swift and relentless attacks. And eventually, I was able to disarm him by knocking away his broadsword out of his hands, leaving him defenseless without a weapon.

I smirked at him and said, "Is that all you have?"

He chuckled at my effort and said with a vicious grin, "Well, well, well. You're not bad at all, little girl! I've dealt with Good Shinobis who fought me with speed before in all my fights. But you? Hehehehehe. You might actually be the fastest of them all. And while I would say 'I'm impressed', I think we both know that ain't the case. I'm sure you can tell by now."

And I did, as I said to him, "You were obviously holding back."

"That's right." said Ambrose, "I've been holding back, just as much as you have."

"Well, then," I said, "I suppose it's time we both go all in, no more tricks and no reserves."

"Are you sure about that, little girl?" said Ambrose, "Don't wanna get you all discouraged once I've beaten you when I give it my all. But if you insist with that look on your face…"

"I'm not here for your little game of playing around, General." I said, giving him a death glare, "I'm here to kill you, once and for all."

Ambrose chuckled as he approached the other weapons, the few katanas he had collected, before grabbing them and said with a grin, "Well then, if you insist on going all out…" He put one katana on his back and drew out two of the katanas out of their scabbards and said with a confident smirk, "…then give me your best shot, Good Shinobi!"

I smirked at him before I went into my fighting stance again as he began to charge at me with his two katanas. This time, he was moving and attacking faster, about as fast as, if not more than, I was, as I was now forced to be in the defense, quickly and swiftly blocking his fast attacks from his two katanas from left to right and top to bottom. Sometimes he would strike with both swords as I blocked him from above before pushing him away and swung to give him a horizontal slash. Our fight kept going on as it was until he went for a strike from above, which I swiftly dodged by moving to the side with the striking blade in front of me before I quickly stepped onto the katana to stop him from lifting it up and then went up close to him to give him a roundhouse kick to the face, knocking him off balance. Though he retaliated by hitting me in the gut with the end of the handle of the katana, knocking me off of his discarded katana with a strong force and I landed onto the wall before I got onto the ground onto my knees as I needed to catch my breath. I looked up to see Ambrose trying to regain balance and shake himself off from that surprise attack I gave him. I got myself back up before I charged at him while he was distracted and when for a strike at the side, aiming in front of him, but he saw my incoming attack and quickly blocked it in time. I then took out a smoke bomb before I aimed it at his face, exploding it right in front of his face and blinding him as screamed from the sudden surprise and then coughed from the smoke. I put on a mask to cover my mouth as large smoke began to form and used the smoke surrounding as cover while Ambrose was distracted from blindness and coughing from the smoke.

"Goddammit…!" Ambrose coughed before he roared out, "Fifteen seconds WAS ALL THAT YOU BOUGHT!"

With a mighty swing, he blew all the cloud of smoke away, clearing the room. But I was already right behind him with the katana that I quickly took from behind him during the smoke and then I quickly went up and stabbed him from behind, surprising him and causing him pain. I then went back flipped away from him until I was far enough away from him and watched him screamed and groaned in pain as blood gushed out from both sides.

That was for all the Good Shinobis you've taken, you monster." I said to him.

But then suddenly, just when I had thought it was over, Ambrose grabbed the blade of the katana in front of him before he then began pulling it forward, causing more blood to spill out from his front, until with all his strength, he completely pulled it off of him, causing him to scream in pain as more and more blood spattered out. Then, after the blood stopped splattering and he was able to calm down, panting for breath, the hole that was stabbed began to cover in dark energy before covering the wound to how it was, restoring him completely. Seeing what just happened left me shocked for a moment before I quickly composed myself as he turned around to face me.

"Well, that was unexpectedly impressive." He chuckled, "You really caught me off guard there, Good Shinobi. It's too bad that I'm a hunter, and you should know that hunters can recover all forms of wound and injury they take, no matter how intense they are. And to top it off, I'm a General. You can keep trying again if you like, but you can't possibly hope to defeat me!"

I smiled at him and said, "Fool. I'm not trying to defeat you, and I didn't need to yet. I just needed to distract you."

Upon hearing that, Ambrose gave me a surprised look before he shouted in shock, "WHAT?!"

Just then, sounds of explosions, weapons clashing, guns shooting, people screaming incoherently, everything was being heard outside. Just as we had planned, I would keep General Ambrose busy to buy time for my father to find a place to create a signal for our army of Good Shinobis to catch the unaware army of hunters off guard, and once our men and women of Good Shinobis attack, they'll keep on fighting the hunters until there are none left to attack the village near the Golden River.

Ambrose growled at me in anger while I smirked at him, letting him know that our plan was already working against him. He then smirked back and said, "Well, army or not, little Good Shinobi, you must realize by now that YOU are DOOMED!"

"Oh, I don't think so." I said, before I used hand signs and then unleashed my wind attack ninjutsu, blowing directly at the general and giving enough force to blow him out through a wall and forcing him outside into the battlefield that was happening outside, as well as making him drop all his remaining weapons off him. I then began running forward and jumped high into the air before falling down as I readied my sword to stab him upon landing.

Ambrose landed onto the ground and groaned for a bit before he quickly rolled to his right and dodged my incoming blow upon seeing me. he then took out a pistol and fired a round at me, but I quickly dodged it in time. Ambrose then whistled out and a hell horse, a black horse with fire around its mane, and climbed onto it before he signaled his steed to begin running, and upon his command, Ambrose's horse began running away from me.

"Oh, you're not getting away that easily." I said, before I whistled, signaling my horse, a white horse named Shirou, to come to me, and once Shirou came to where I was, I quickly climbed onto my steed and readied myself to chase after Ambrose. I looked to father who was fighting alongside other Good Shinobis and told him, "Father, I'm going to go after Ambrose! So please hold off the army until he's dead!"

Father pushed and enemy he was fighting away for a moment before he said to me, "Alright, Ange, go on ahead! I'll lead and hold the frontline and take care of the hunters with everyone else! Just be careful!"

"I will!" I said, before I told Shiro as I gave him two spurs, "Let's go, Shirou!"

Upon two of my spurs, Shiro began galloping and running as he could to go after Ambrose so that we could finish him off once and for all.

Meanwhile, back to the council, Akane and the others were at the briefing room and were just now being briefed by her father about Ange and her forces engaging into battle with General Ambrose and his army.

"I understand, thank you, father." said Akane.

Councilman Shiraishi nodded and said, "I will go and inform the other council members about what I had just briefed to you. If there's any more updates on the battle, I will let you know."

"Thank you, father." Akane nodded, "Are you going to inform the news to Councilwoman Leo as well?"

"No, I'm afraid I will not." said Councilman Shiraishi, "I'm going to be busy doing something else once I'm done informing the other council members."

"I see." said Akane, "I understand, thank you."

Councilman Shiraishi nodded before he turned around and began leaving.

Once he was gone from sight, Akane turned to Mizuki and said, "Mizuki, if you're not doing anything else, will you go and inform Leo about the news for the council?"

"Yes, of course." said Mizuki, "I'll do that."

With that, Mizuki turned around and left to meet with Councilwoman Leo with Umeko and Wakana walking alongside her to escort her. Akane, Kazuki, and Yuina watched them go until they were gone from sight, then Akane sighed as she sat down on a chair to take a breather, before looking at Kazuki who had a look of slight frustration, and she knew why.

Akane sighed and said, "Kazuki, I know you're worried for her, but if you're going to keep making that frustrated look about not being there for her, then you really need to stop and calm down. Worrying about her more is only going to affect your focus and performance on our upcoming missions. Plus, you worrying about her will only make her more worried about your health, which will only make it look obvious that there's something going on between you two. You don't want Mizuki's efforts to tell others you're not in a relationship to go in vain."

Kazuki sighed and said in slight frustration, "I know! I know! But…but I…"

"I know." said Akane, "And believe me, I wish there was another way. But you know what happens to people who gets too attached to those they care about. And as much as we don't like it, if we're going to make people see that there's nothing going on between you two and that you're not in a relationship, we have to keep up appearance and keep both of you distant from each other so that no one will see your closeness to each other."

"That doesn't mean it makes us any happy about it." said Kazuki.

"I know." said Akane, "Plus, there's a fact that Leo is there, planning on something behind the council and us. You can sense that feeling too, can't you?"

"Yeah." said Kazuki.

"Some kind of plot that could destroy us all." said Yuina, and Akane nodded at that.

Mizuki arrived to the door that led inside to Councilwoman Leo's office, before she turned to Umeko and Wakana and said to them, "You two wait for me outside. I'll see you both once I'm done here."

"Okay!" Umeko smiled.

"Just be careful, okay?" said Wakana.

"I will." Mizuki nodded.

With that, Umeko and Wakana nodded before they both turned around and began leaving to wait, leaving Mizuki, who turned to face the door, alone.

But then, just as she was about to knock on the door, she heard Leo said through the door, "No, no, don't worry about it."

This made Mizuki stop from what she was about to do as she heard further, "Yes, yes, I assure you. Everything is going according to plan."

"Who is she talking to?" Mizuki thought, before she then started to realize, "Wait! Could it be…?"

Mizuki looked around to see if anyone was close by for a moment before she moved to the side of the door, before she then slowly and quietly opened the door a little bit, about just enough to see and peek in what was going on inside the office. Through the peek of the door, Mizuki saw that Councilwoman Leo was on the phone calling someone, likely a group of people that she may be working for, as she listened to the conversation she was making with the caller.

"Mm-hmm." said Leo, "Yes. Luckily, having that Good Shinobi man you recruited and his redheaded daughter engaging in battle against that hunter, General Ambrose, is buying us enough time to come up with another plan for the village near the Golden River."

"Wait, what?" Mizuki thought, shocked to hear that Leo knows already, "How did she…?"

"Yes." said a man's voice on the line, the speaker turned on, "Now we just need to grab Mizuki and bring her to our side so that we can explain everything to her. What's really going on. If we explain what's truly happening and have her understand, she could help put our plans into motion."

"They have plans for me?" Mizuki thought, "Whatever it is, it can't be good."

"Of course, giving her the truth may be the hardest for her to take in." said the man on the line, "And the truth always hurts, no matter how helpful it may be for her."

"Yes, it's true." said Leo, "But not to worry, Johnathan. I'm sure Mizuki will come to understand. And it'll be up to her whether she accepts it or not."

"Johnathan?" Mizuki thought, before realization came to her and she thought in shock, "Wait, that sounds like a hunter's name! T-Then…that would mean that…!"

"I'm sorry that I have to put you into this, Leo." said Johnathan, "Dragging you into the mess that we're making must be putting a lot of pressure on you."

"No, not at all." Leo chuckled, "It's no trouble at all. In fact, it's actually been pretty fun and a pleasure doing business with you and your group. After all, your group of people and mine both share the same goal, so we're basically two birds of a feather."

"N-No way…!" Mizuki thought, shocked to what she was hearing as she realized, "Councilwoman Leo…is…she's…she's an Evil Shinobi!"

"Of course," Leo added, "We must also thank our benefactors within the Good Shinobis for providing us what we need to know. Without their help, we wouldn't have been able to learn about Mizuki and her comrades."

"Yes, of course." Mizuki heard a familiar voice, "We did everything we could and told you everything you needed to know. Once everyone in the Shiraishi Squad is gathered and is explained everything you've told us, I'm sure that they will gladly join your side. It's something that they need to know."

"Wait…t-that voice…!" Mizuki thought, her eyes widened in utter horror of realization, "No…it can't be…! M-Mother…!"

"I must ask, however." Miyori asked, "What will you do with Mizuki once you see her?"

"Convince her to join our side." said Leo, "And don't worry. I won't let anything happen to her once she's out of the hands of Good Shinobis."

"I see." said Miyori, believing Leo's words, "Yes, thank you. Thank you."

"No…no…!" Mizuki thought, horrified, "Don't believe her mother! She's lying!"

"You have nothing to worry about at all, madam." said Leo reassuringly, "Because, after all, she is needed…for our goal."

"No…!" Mizuki thought, "Leo…she's…they're going to use me!"

Mizuki saw that Leo hang up on Johnathan and was about to look at the door where she was looking at before she quickly moved away to a nearby wall and concealed herself within the shadows, to hide from Leo before she could notice her, as well as lowering her power to make her undetectable.

Leo opened the door and looked around with a cautious look and called out, "Hello? Is someone there?"

Mizuki stayed quiet while Leo looked around for anyone who was outside her office. Mizuki did not move a muscle, not even looking out to take a peek at Leo looking around cautiously for anyone. She only listened to the sound of Leo calling out if anyone was out in the hallway. Mizuki then heard her sighed and said, "No one, huh? It must've been the wind."

"Do you think anyone has heard us?" Miyori asked.

"Unlikely." said Leo, "Unless it was Mizuki visiting me, no one is allowed to come here and eavesdrop on us. But if they did, then there's no time left." Leo turned to Miyori, allowing Mizuki to get a small peek out as she listened to Leo said to her mother, "Miyori, it may not be safe for you to stay here, so you should return home and take whatever it is you need to bring with you, but pack as light as you can. Once you're done, go to the train station. There, you'll meet my colleague Johnathan and take you to his hideout, where you'll meet your husband and his other wife there."

"What?!" Mizuki thought, shocked to hear about her father being involved in this as well, "Father is in this, too?! T-Then what if…oh, no! Onee-chan's mother…! She couldn't be…!"

"I understand." said Miyori, "Thank you."

Leo nodded to her and said, "Go."

Miyori nodded back to Leo before she began walking away to return home to pack what things she would bring, unaware that she passed by her daughter. When she saw that her mother was out of sight, Mizuki turned to Leo who was about to enter her office, before she heard her say, "Not everything we say to people is full of lies and manipulation. Everything we say is the truth." She then turned to Mizuki's direction as if she knew that she was hiding there and said, "If you like to report this, you can, whoever is there. Just remember, any chance of finding the Destined One and any chance of protecting your friends and loved ones will all be gone along with me." Then she went in her office and closed the door.

Mizuki got out of her hiding spot and looked at the door to the office Leo had just come in. She had a look of confliction, fear, and uncertainty, all the mix emotions that she was feeling. Mizuki had just discovered a horrifying truth: that Councilwoman Leo was actually an Evil Shinobi infiltrating within the Good Shinobis and trying to gather information from the inside, as well as lying and manipulating her family members from the inside out. And what's worse, it was both parents of Ange and Mizuki who're being lied and manipulated into taking her to wherever her colleagues, the Evil Shinobis and hunters, reside at. She needed to report this news now before it was too late. However, another side of her, a small sign of doubt, started to form in her head as she thought about what Leo told her about the Good Shinobis being evil, the Evil Shinobis and hunters being good, and the Unity between Shinobis and Hunters, as well as what Leo had just said just now. What if…what if it was all true? What if Leo was telling the truth and…?

"No! No, no, no!" Mizuki thought, shaking her head, "NO! Don't believe that! Don't believe that! Councilwoman…no, she doesn't deserve to be called that! Leo was obviously lying! She was trying to trick me and manipulate me! Don't believe in anything she says, it's all a lie!" She took a deep breath and thought, "I have to hurry and warn everyone!" Then she went off to give her report about graving news she had learned about Leo.

I was riding on my horse, Shirou, as we galloped on our way to catching up to Ambrose. He was already ahead of me on a head start, but I couldn't lose him so easily. I tapped on Shirou twice to go on faster, and he obeyed as he began running even faster to catch up to Ambrose, and we were getting closer and closer to him. When we reached to his pace and right next to him and his horse, I drew out my sword and went for a strike from above, but Ambrose managed to block my attack in time before he pushed me away, forcing me and Shirou to run sideways to keep our distance. He then drew out a handgun as he aimed at me and fired the first round, but I was quick enough to see the bullet and I swiftly deflected it. He fired his round again before I deflected it, then fired again multiple times but I manage to swiftly deflect all the incoming round of bullets. I then got off my sitting position and stood in a crouching position while I kept on deflecting more bullets coming my way, before I then jumped off of Shirou and went flying straight towards the General of Hunters, who looked shocked at what I was doing. And then, as I got closer to him, I grabbed Ambrose, knocking him off his horse and bringing him to the ground with me, and we both rolled over against each other until we got off one another and stopped our rolling, before we got up and into our standing positions before getting into our fighting stance. We both huffed to catch our breaths as we faced against each other.

Ambrose chuckled and said, "Damn, little girl! Too stubborn…to let me go and die on my own!"

"No, Ambrose." I said, "I just wanted to have the pleasure of killing you off myself."

"Is that so?" said Ambrose, before he chuckled with a wide grin and said, "Atta, girl!"

With no more words to spare, I yelled as I charged at Ambrose with my sword in one hand while a kunai in the other, as he charged at me with his remaining katana and a shotgun. We engaged each other by clashing our swords against each other multiple times before I knocked away with my kunai from an incoming shot from his shotgun and then slashed him with my sword right in the right side of his abdomen. I turned to see that Ambrose was recovering from my attack before he turned and fired his shotgun, shooting multiple rounds, but I quickly dodged the incoming shots in time by swiftly moving left and right. He kept on firing until he ran out of bullets and quickly tried to reload his shotgun, but I quickly threw my kunai at it, knocking his shotgun out of his hand and damaging it a little. I got close to him and prepared to attack him, but he suddenly grabbed me by the head with his large hand and then twirled me around before he threw me with full force into nearby rubble of rocks, knocking me out and making me drop my sword. I manage to get up from the rubble, ignoring any pain that I got from the crash, and looked at Ambrose as he approached me.

"Is that all you got, little Good Shinobi girl?" said Ambrose with a vicious smile.

I got up on my feet, grabbed my sword, and faced him to try and stand strong, but I was still hurt from the crash so I couldn't stand properly.

He chuckled and said, "Stupid girl, you should've just leave me alone and stayed with your little group when you had the chance."

I gave out an angered and enraged look before I charged at him to go for a strike right at his left side, only for him to block my attack effortlessly before kicking me in the gut, knocking me back onto the ground and forcing me to drop my weapon again. I laid on the ground face front as he slowly approached me, as I struggled to get myself back up on my feet despite the injuries, before I looked up as saw his shotgun right in front of me, then slowly, without him noticing, I reached for the shotgun until quietly grabbed it.

"Well, for what it's worth, you're quite the fighter, I'll give you that." said Ambrose as he drew closer to me, "You've put up a pretty good and entertaining fight thanks to that little relentless stubbornness of yours, and I quite like that about you. But now that the show's over, and it's time…for you to die, little shinobi girl!" He raised his sword up high and readied himself to strike me down where I was standing as he said with a vicious grin, "Now, say goodbye, girlie!"

This was my chance! I turned to face him with the shotgun in my hand before I quickly fired the round, aiming at his chest. The blast from the shotgun hit him in the chest and caused him to stop as he staggered back and screamed in pain from the shot from his shotgun. I cocked the shotgun and fired at his chest again, repeated the shooting, destroying his armor until only blood started to come out gushing from his chest, and Ambrose screamed in agony from every shot I fired from the shotgun until his screaming died down as blood gushing from his chest started to spew out less, and he fell to the ground on his back, motionless and unable to move anymore. Though he was still breathing, I knew he wouldn't last long with how much blood he had lost, especially to the point that he may not be able to recover from his with his healing factor or magic. He was done, and he knew that as much as I did.

I looked at the shotgun for a moment before I sighed and said as I threw it away, "You people are so uncivilized…" I then stood right in front of him as he looked up at me before I went and kneeled in front of him as I gave him a death glare and told him, "It's over for you. All of your schemes, all of your chaos and destruction, all of your plans to dominate and conquer, all of the pain and sorrow you've caused, all of the lost souls you've taken, all of the atrocities and the crimes you have committed to the world, all the darkness you've spewed…all of it is over, done for, gone from this world now. You've lost the war, and you've been defeated by the hands of Good Shinobis, by my hands. Justice has been served, and this time, your time is now at an end. This time, go to hell and suffer for all the evils you've done, down among the dead, and begone, forever more, General Ambrose."

Ambrose gave out a weak chuckle before he looked at me and said in a weak and dying voice, "You…stupid little girl. You…really think…you actually brought…peace and justice…for the world…? Do you really think…you people have been doing…all the goods around here…? That you actually…save people…?"

"It's what we do, Ambrose!" I said, "We are Good Shinobis, warriors of light dedicated to protecting the world from the likes of you! Don't act like you know anything about us."

Ambrose chuckled weakly and said, "Say…Ange, wasn't it? Hehe, you know…I actually like you…that brave…attitude of yours…your strong will and…great desire…to save this world from crap…heh…I gotta say…you are…an amazing creature…for a so-called 'Good' Shinobi…you and I…are not actually so…different from each other…"

"I'm nothing like you, monster!" I growled, "You're a fucking savage beast, a bloodthirsty monster, a killer, a goddamn murderer! I'm a protector who protects people from the likes of you, and I kill you and your kind so that you would never come and corrupt innocent people, because it is my duty!"

Ambrose chuckled weakly and said, "Well…to each their own…I suppose. Heh…like you said…I chose my path…to pillage and kill to take…whatever I want…while you…chose the path of a hero…and lots of people…hell, even the government…really like what you've done…to protect…to save…to kill monsters like us to…keep the world safe. But, unfortunately…the one thing…that the people love more…is to see a hero fail, fall, die trying…all for the shits and giggles…and get whatever you…once had…fame and fortune…all the glory you've gotten…because in spite of…everything you and your…little friends of…Good Shinobis have…done for all of them…eventually, the people will…come to hate you. And your kind…will end up just as bad…as my own…so, tell me…why bother…?"

"I do what is right and just for people because it is the right way." I said, "Because I want this world to be free of Evil Shinobis and savage monsters of hunters like you who ruined and taken away so many lives." I gripped my hands into fists as I said with anger rising, "And most of all…it's because I hate you! I hate you people so much for making me, my people, the Good Shinobis, and many innocent people suffer by your hands! I hate all of you hunters so much that I want all of you to be gone from this world forever and never exist again! In fact, if I had the power to, I would gladly destroy and wipe you all in the face of the Earth so that you would never come back to cause more pain and suffering ever again! Because I've seen too many Good Shinobis suffer by the hands of evil beings like you! I want all of you dead!" I managed to calm myself and said, "That's why, I don't care about anything else, or any of your nonsenses and lies you make up to manipulate people to your side, as long as I'm fighting for what is right for the Good Shinobis, protecting them and making the lives of everyone much better, that's all that matters. And besides, we still have our only hope in our hands. As long as there's hope for the Good Shinobis, even if I die, all the fallen Good Shinobis and I will continue to live on inside the one who will become stronger than I, than all of us. And she will be the one who will end the darkness that you monsters have caused to the world once and for all."

"Hehe…I see…" said Ambrose weakly, "And by 'only hope'…for the Good Shinobis…do you mean…that Chosen One…of yours…?"

I gasped in surprise from how he knew about Mizuki before I quickly composed myself and said with a glare, "And what if it is?"

"Hehehe…" he chuckled and said, "Then…it seems…you and your…people are gonna be…outta luck…very soon…because your so-called…'Chosen One'…will be at the hands…of others…very soon…"

I took in what he just said and said in confusion, "What?"

"You heard me…" said Ambrose, "Did you…think that the one…who sent you…to stop me and…my army from attacking the village…was just a mission…for you to do…? The one…who sent you…to do this mission…of yours needed to…distract you so that…you would never…go back to your…precious little Chosen One…ever again, because…they knew you would try…to sabotage their plan…to recruit your little sister…to their side…"

…What?!

"…WHAT?!" I shouted in disbelief, before I grabbed him and pulled him close to me as I shouted at his face, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?! HOW DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THE CHOSEN ONE?! HOW DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS MISSION I WAS SENT TO DO?! AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'RECRUITING MIZUKI TO THEIR SIDE'?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY SENT ME OUT TO DISTRACT ME?! ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT THIS WHOLE THING WAS A SETUP?! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?! WHO'S BEHIND ALL OF THIS?!"

Ambrose chuckled before he said, "You stupid…little girl…the one who…sent you off…away from your…Chosen One…was…"

His mouth moved as he told me the one who sent me away from Mizuki was, and my eyes widened in complete horror as I heard the name of that person, and I couldn't believe the name of the one I was hearing. No. Rather, I knew who it was that set me up, and sent me away on this false mission to get me away from Mizuki so that I wouldn't be there for her. But to hear it, especially from a hunter, it felt like a total blow. And soon, I began to seethe in anger as I gritted my teeth in pure rage. That…that damned…fucking woman…! I knew that she couldn't be trusted! She set us up! SHE SET US ALL UP! SHE SET US ALL THE FUCK UP JUST SO SHE COULD GET CLOSE TO MIZUKI, TO LIE AND MANIPULATE HER!

I was so enraged at the thought of that woman who was trying to get close to Mizuki that I didn't notice Ambrose's hand was getting close to grabbing me from behind, and by the time I realized it, I was already too late. Suddenly, Ambrose forcefully pulled me towards him before he then opened his mouth and bite me hard onto my neck, causing me intense pain and making me scream in pain as he bites me hard so much that blood was starting to come out from where he was biting at me, as I felt how hard he was biting onto my neck and making me bleed. It was painful that I screamed in pain and agony as I tried to get the monster off of me to get him to stop and let me go. Before I knew it, I felt something going inside me, something entering my bloodstream, and it…it felt like it was going inside to change me.

Then finally, with a sudden force of my push, I got that bastard monster off of me, and I held my neck where he'd bitten me as I staggered and moved back away from him. I groaned in pain and began breathing erratically as I held my neck before I looked at my hand which was already covered in blood, before placing my hand back onto my neck and shouted at him, "YOU DAMNED BASTARD! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO ME?!"

He did not answer as all he did was give out the last laugh before slowly dying until he became motionless. I breathed erratically as I looked at my bloody hand that held the wound around my neck before I placed my hand back onto my neck. I was panicking while still breathing erratically as I tried to gain my bearings. Something was happening to me, and Ambrose did this to me. I felt like I was slowly changing, changing into something that I fear I was about to become.

So, what do you guys think? Please, be sure to leave a review for me on what you guys think of the story! I hoped you all enjoyed it. Don't be shy and don't just read the story, REVIEW and tell me what are your thoughts of the story! And sledgehammer963, if you'd like to be the first to review this, now would be a good time.