===Preparation III===

In the land of hot springs, I took up a personal vengeance against a taint that crippled our world. A venom that is dead to rights. An army with no regard for anything that stood in its path. A concrete barrier that leeched its way into every alley and denied access to the base elements.

Long before the dark era, we swore an oath against it. It was not admitted wilfully, but then no one can control circumstance.

I'm getting side tracked. At the easter border of the mainland, between the land of lightning and fire, stands the land of hot springs, where I once attacked a faction of the black market. Through some manner, they managed to sway that stance and secure a teaching that was not dissimilar to assassins. In the great number of bandits and scum they became a powerhouse even in the underworld, and festered.

There was no telling how far their influence spread. For now anyway. The border of the land of fire was compromised, and enough of their weight was being pulled from other countries on the belt. I need to bide my time and sort the rumor from the influence.

Just existing this close to these people made me sick. A handful of shinobi were held captive in the camp I first discovered. I would do nothing overt as I had then. This was war. But the time they knew it's me on their doorstep, I intend to have them by the bootstraps.

Still, that didn't mean I would leave these shinobi to pay for my arrogance. The healthiest among them was a shinobi from cloud, and that strength cost him. He was half covered in his own blood. Others were worse off, be it beaten in spirit or physically starved. 'Get out of here. Harm one another at your own peril.'

A discarded kunai, shredded nail, exposed bedrock. All opportunities a shinobi could use to make an escape. Bit's of worn rope, flecks, scraps of clothing. I spared none to produce this effect.

Their escape was staggered. The first one's binding's were burst. Manacles which were later swapped for another set. The scuffed keyhole my own making. The majority were freed from severed cords while the guards investigated the escape.

Two, and later three against two, it was a distressingly hairy jailbreak. Those shinobi had been at a severe disadvantage in constitution, and the last had barely the wits on him to pitch in when their own bindings fell.

The guards fled to summon reinforcements, but by then, I was knee deep In my own espionage.

Tracy huffed as she worked out the kinks in a layout, "Hey, do you think he forgot the whole "Whatever you need" part of that process?"

"Considering what you and I both know of him, he may very well have. Keep in mind though, the things that kid has pulled out of a hat. If you find yourself in need, I imagine you will be pleasantly surprised."

"He's a thief you know. Every time something miraculous appears out of the woodwork, he's found someone decent to make a mock up. I'll be surprised if he comes back from humbling with anything else to offer."

"Emulation." Ago frowned, as he looked past a curtain of leaves, "Perhaps. You'll never see him so empowered on his own. Still, you should spare him some credit. It's not like anyone can be expected to meet every up and up. Not for the paramount of the world."

'Tch, you two are such bullheads.' The stirring of foliage tripped her senses, and Tracy looked up to see him pressing through the camouflage, "And where do you think you're going?"

Ago paused to answer, glancing through the weave as a gesture, "To get started on our cover story."

Alone in the nest, Tracy looked over the prototype and groaned, "Ah whatever. Everyone's out to do their own thing, aren't they?" Resolving to have something to show for when the others returned, She wove through hand seals and pressed her arms out to either side. Strands of chakra extended into and through the nest, her fingers twitching in endless sequence, "Undercurrent: Dark hollow technique."

Ago stood before the gates for the better part of an hour, watching any oncoming traffic and counting the stages as each group passed through customs. There wasn't much traffic, and the window between spanned minutes at a time. Not long after the latest made their way through the gate, he heard a pair of sandals drawing near.

"Sir, do you have any business being here?"

Ago nodded, eyes not wavering from the path ahead, "A caravan I've been traveling with had business on the side. I cut ahead as a courier. I should have caught up with them on the road here, so I assume they would be running late."

The Chunin shielded his brow to the road, "That will take some time. Have you any ID on you? You could stay at an inn given the circumstance. It's just not appropriate to have an unknown at the gate."

Ago sighed and shook his head, "I understand. Might I have a few minutes to compose myself? They shouldn't be much further along now," Ago lowered his head, "But if the worst has happened, I may have my work cut out for me."

The chunin's eye widened and he nodded respectfully, "Very well, you have until the hour. Good luck in your travels."

Ago gazed over the road ahead, 'And that there will be.' "Thank you." A few minutes later he stepped away from the cover of shade, "When next we meet, may it be under sturdier times." Forming palm heels with both arms, he channeled chakra toward his fingers and sank into a running start.

The chunin from earlier startled as Ago exploded from the spot. Seconds passed, and then the stranger at the gates was fading to a spec in the distance, 'Well if that was a samurai.'

"Try not to be so easily impressed, newbie."

Ago used the first few hundred meters to establish a buffer between himself and the village guard. The patrols were a toss up, but that would come with time. Slowly he let the chakra release trickle back from his fingertips, where amber arrowheads began to form, "Lyre bullet: Adamantine sealing chains."

Now I know what you're thinking. Ago is not an Uzumaki, nor is he able to produce chains like Kushina does. He is however able to perceive them in the same way, even when they haven't been manifested. In this way, he can perceive how objects in the world have been connected.

Golden chains leapt into the forest. Long ones that crossed over the roadway gave way to stretches of varying intricacy. Hundreds of chains can be seen overhead and even more spread out into the surrounding indefinitely. He could hardly go another stride without running into one or another. It was this next chain in which the first arrowhead stuck.

Weaving between them, Ago's eye flitted about like a bird that had been caught in this trap. His seeming frantic motions were disillusioned as he stuck each arrowhead meticulously.

With the last piece set in place, he settled to the ground. The golden chains began to rush as they faded into the background. It was the moment after they did that he felt the mesh take hold. He took a moment to survey the affect on his chakra, before resuming his run down the road.

Orphans in the hidden leaf were generally well looked after, but the system had its limits. Many kids and teens were forced into boots they were not prepared for. The best of them took to that in stride. The club that formed the year before began to perform service to this end in conjunction with teaching life skills.

"So, have you given it any thought?"

Sakura tensed suddenly as the request threw off her attention, "W-What?"

Ino smiled as she went about her own tasks, "You know I'm gonna start ninja studies in a year or so. If you're there, we can do so much more together."

"O-Oh." Sakura furrowed her brow and allowed her focus to drift over the subject, "I might. It's been a bit of a process convincing my parents, but I think I can do it."

Ino settled her task and all rounded on the pinkette, "Really? Sakura, that's amazing!"

Sakura barely managed to keep her basket from falling into the trash as the blonde embraced her, "What do you mean?"

Ino ruffled her hair and beamed, "Here I was thinking I'd have to talk you into it, and you're already a few steps ahead..." She gave a thoughtful frown and asked, "What made you decide?"

"It's all I could think about. You and Hinata, you're so talented, and your families have been ninjas forever. Helping people, and seeing all the things I can do now. I want to keep going and see how far I'll go." Sakura's smile had a glow to it now, "Maybe, there's something I can be really good at." She turned to face Ino, "So, I'm trying."

Ino gave a squeal and drew the concern of the attending guardians, almost lifting the pinkette on the spot before the basket finally made it back to the counter, "I know you'll be fantastic Sakura. Just wait. When the two of us get started, they won't know what to do with us!"

One of those manning the sinks shook their head, 'I can just see it now.'

Sakura washed her hands as she prepared to move to the next station, when a sniffling drew her attention beyond the counter. One of the kids was nestled in a corner, a hand over his stomach and another child offering words of comfort. Glancing around, she strode along the bench and - exchanging a few words with the chaperone - took one of the prepared bowls.

The other had an increasingly defeated look. It crumbled as Sakura drew near and offered the bowl, "Here. It looks like you need this."

Her hands were wet from the sink. Beneath her palms, a blue glow accumulated. As she set the bowl down on the sill the glow slipped within. Sakura watched as the kid considered the bowl. Reaching half heartedly before another pang drew his hand to his stomach. Shaking her head, Sakura moved closer and retook the bowl, "Okay, here. I'll help you."

"Mmm… Okay." The boy put on a brave face and tried to sit up. It took a few tries, but he managed.

"Careful, it's hot."

They managed to get a few bites through this way, and slowly the boy gained enough strength to continue on his own. His companion spoke, "Thank you. I was afraid my brother would get worse if he went hungry."

"Oh… right. You're welcome…" Sakura gave him a good once over and asked, "Will you be okay?"

The boy shifted and nodded, "I'll try, thank's miss."

Sakura smiled and gave a quick nod before heading back toward the counter. As she entered the kitchen, Ino noticed and came running over, "There you are! Where'd you go? I turn around for a second…"

The pinkette folded her hands, "It's fine Ino. Let's go finish up."

"Okay? You know after this, there's this cute tailor startup…"

'I see you've been busy.'

A blue wisp turned to where a dark rune was forming beyond the wall, 'We each have our own affinities. I am here to lend support. Whatever you need, I will make it happen.'

'Playing the saint. Who are you conspiring with this time? A fickle brat just pops out of nowhere, and you just happen to… to…' She cut off as a gentle hiss became more prominent.

'Try not to snipe down every dream. We're not all afforded the chance to be so overt as we would like but we're trying.' The sprite bobbed as it's anger crested, 'I know it's not your style to work with others. You will see the merit in your own work, I promise. Until that day comes, and we all get to see you in your moment to shine, we will stand by you. Be it censure of frailty.'

'You don't know what it's like to fall from grace.'

'...'

'...You… you actually-'

'And you know what it means to be immortalized. As much as it cost you, you could forgive their flaws. It wouldn't take back or make you any less for it.'

The center of darkness shifted and fanned, 'Alright alright. Look, can you… can you- can you help me? I don't want to feel left behind, and you're the one who has any idea what goes on with these guys.'

The wisp preened like a molting sun, 'And with that, I'd love to.' turning to regard the two children, she focused her power on healing their ailments.

Tracy's brow twitched in the nest, "Are you mocking me?"

===Chapter End===

(Dec 11: Hiatus Update.) I've got bad news and good news. The bad news is, I overextended myself this fall. I need to take periodic off seasons to regroup and prepare. Part of why these last chapters got so messy is because I was preparing to break away and refusing to do so. Another issue is that I hadn't taken the time to 'groom' any characters. I ended up improvising in more places than I should have, and shot myself in the foot moving forward.

For all that, here's the good news. The story is safe. I've been tempted, but this take has secured passage in a time vault. I will be resuming once I have enough built up to work with. At the end of the wait, that means a tank of high performance writing fuel.

That said, this hiatus isn't another troll. There won't be another update this year, and I don't have any information on when I'll be ready to start up again.