AN: forgot to say this at the end of the last chapter but the girl who screamed and guy who killed her don't matter to the main story and I would be surprised if they came up again.
x-X-x
Chapter 57: First Strike
"We may not be able to get in, but we can't handle an army either," Black said.
Link was watching the way she came, ignoring what Black had just said.
"Hey, Link, calm down. Armies are loud, you'll hear it coming," Tek said.
"In addition to that I don't sense anything aside from us," White said.
"Soel, open the door, any of the army that gets in we can handle," Kraik said.
Soel nodded and turned to face the rock face and started going through handseals. Link's head snapped to look at Soel as his went through the seals, "anyone else here know how to open the doors?" Link asked.
"No, Dozez did, but he's dead," Black said.
"It's earth elemental, that's why," Lerah said.
"Didn't we have one of each element at each level?" Link asked.
"In the original lineup, now Dozez was the only one," White said.
"Hey, I am too," Black said.
"They why can't you open the door?" Soel asked turning around.
"Vox never showed me. He's the only non earth element that can do it," Black said.
"Why'd you stop with the opening?" Kraik asked looking at Soel.
In response a large stone on the rock face started to move, revealing a giant opening. Both Soel's hands were glowing brown showing he was still controlling the door. In an instant Link unraveled her chain and shot it through Soel's heart. The door stopped moving and Soel's hands stopped glowing. All eyes were on Link as the chain was pulled out and the big man fell to the ground with a thud, dead.
"What the hell are you doing?" Kraik asked as Link wrapped her chain around her again.
"What was planned," came a voice from the groups left.
They all turned to see twelve beings standing there, various weapons drawn.
"The Twelve Terrors," Tek said.
"Why the hell didn't you sense them?" Kraik yelled turning to White.
"There's nothing there, I can't sense a thing!" White yelled back.
"Something's wrong," Black said looking closely at the twelve.
"The numerical values of which we look upon are vastly skewed to the proper proportions of which our sight should be perceiving at this unorthodox and very compromising situation," Vox said.
"What?" Tusk asked.
"There's too many of 'em. At least one of the Twelve Terrors is dead," Kraik said looking back at the newcomers.
"Didn't they all die?" Tek asked.
"That was over a thousand years ago, one killed himself to kill Gaze. Others might have died too," Kraik said.
"Then how the hell are they here?" White asked.
"They're clones. That's probably why you couldn't sense them," Kraik said.
"I can sense clones, both normal and shadow clones. But I still don't sense anything there," White said.
"Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" Tusk demanded.
Before another word was said the twelve charged. Kraik drew his twin katana and cut through all twelve before they even reached the main group. When each died it vanished in a puff of smoke.
"They were shadow clones, but whose?" Tek asked once Kraik had killed the twelve intruders.
"No doubt scouts of the scouts. They know we're here, and that we got the door open. Our main problem now is why Link killed Soel," Kraik said as he walked up to her, his two katana still in his hands.
"You have ears don't you? Or can you only understand cryptic speech now?" Link asked and Vox scowled.
"You did betray us, you wanted that army to take us out before ours could back us up… what's the Hokage giving you for this?" Kraik asked.
"She doesn't know," Link said. Kraik was in attack range now, but Link kept her chain wrapped up, killing Soel had hurt more than she'd expected.
"Then she won't know you've died either," Kraik said as he raised his left arm for the kill blow.
Link didn't move. She had done her part, if this is what is to happen for her mistakes to be forgiven, than let it happen. The katana stated falling and Link closed her eyes, ready for the impact. She heard the sound of flesh on flesh almost as soon as her eyes were shut.
When she opened them it was to see Kraik gone. The sound of bone on stone cause Link to turn her head right to face the door. Kraik had been slammed against the cliff side and the one who had body-slammed him was none other than Tusk.
"Damn, so you're the one we couldn't trust," Kraik said slightly muffled due to Tusk's elbow in his throat.
Tusk backed away and stood beside Link, the Alliance members looked at the two, and by the time Kraik had reached next to Vox they were all holding their weapons ready for a fight, Vox was only holding one of his katana.
"You're the other," Link said softly.
"I would think that obvious now," Tusk said just as softly.
"Thanks for saving me, but you didn't have to," Link said.
"If I wanted to follow the plan I did," Tusk said.
"That man really thinks ahead doesn't he?" Link asked with a slight laugh.
"He's never failed before," Tusk said.
"Tusk, I'm gunna butcher you," Tek said.
"Then who'll fight us?" a voice called from where the twelve once stood.
The Alliance turned to find twelve more beings, but four of them were different from the last time. These were the real warriors.
"The terrors and the scouts. I'm betting Sage could block White's sensing ability," Lerah said.
"Quite so," Sage said nodding.
"And the location of your army?" Kraik asked his left eye was twitching.
"What army?" Naruto asked.
"You're looking at it," Wiseman said.
"Naruto, don't say anything unless Strag-sama says it's okay," Sakura whispered in his ear.
"If this is everyone, we're set," Tek said with a grin.
"You haven't fought them yet," Black warned.
"Remember your marks?" Strag asked.
"Marks?" Naruto asked.
"You stick with me," Strag said.
"He planned who fights who, this could turn out bad," White said.
"Divide! Vox get inside and close the door," Kraik yelled.
The Alliance started to scatter on Kraik's words.
"Follow your mark!" Wiseman yelled and the twelve split up after their targets.
White started running through the trees finding a place away from the others, Sage right on her tail. White finally stopped and Sage did as well, standing opposite her, his staff in his hand, and her katana in hers.
"Why did you choose me?" White asked.
"I don't know if any of the others could defeat you," Sage said.
"'The eye everyone shares blinds the eye to which none compares,'" White said.
"My words exactly. I didn't think they would be recorded. But if you believe that, what do you still have you're eyes?" Sage asked.
"Don't tell me you never miss normal sight," White said.
"Ah, true, our sight is better, but at the same time, lacking," Sage said.
"Do you really plan on fighting with a wooden stick?" White asked.
"Blades do not always equal victory," Sage said with a slight grin.
"Let's find out," White said charging Sage.
Sage dodged the blow and swung his staff smacking the side of White's head with the end. White was sent to the ground, blood coming from her temple.
"If you used a sword this would be over, I didn't see the attack at all," White said.
"The eyes you're using see the living and the minerals, but the dead are non-existent. You can't see my staff at all," Sage said.
White's eyes widened as she realized he was right, she could see his hand grasping something, but couldn't tell what it looked like or how long it was. She clenched her teeth ash she reached up and pulled her blindfold off. She let it fall to the ground as she resumed her fighting stance.
White charged Sage again, and this time Sage blocked it with his staff. Sage pushed White back and she landed on her feet. As soon as she regained her balance White started flowing chakra into her sword making the blade shaper and stronger. White jumped at Sage who sidestepped out of the way.
White landed and swung her sword at Sage's head. Sage managed to jump back and avoid the attack. Before Sage even landed White was running at him sword raised for a stab. White stopped running suddenly and looked down. Sage's arm was slightly forward, staff extended into White's stomach.
White coughed up blood as her gaze followed up the staff, Sage's arm to his face, void of any expression.
"No remorse for killing a descendant?" White asked.
"You have none towards killing the founder of your family," Sage said.
White clenched her teeth and thrust her katana forward at Sage's face. Sage leaned his head back as far as he could without taking the staff from White's gut. The katana shot forward but remained in White's outstretched hand. The tip of the blade pierced the cloth of Sage's forehead protector which he wore over his eyes. The tip of the blade was in Sage's empty left eye socket.
Sage jumped before White could swing the katana to any side and cut his face open. White stumbled forward once the end of the staff was removed from her stomach. She didn't immediately notice that Sage's forehead protector was still on the tip of her katana. As soon as she did she looked up to see Sage's empty sockets stare back at her.
She flung her sword and knocked the cloth off the end. Again she started flowing her chakra into her katana before charging at Sage. The blade swung at Sage's head but he ducked under it. While he was still crouched down Sage swung his staff out and took White's feet out from under her causing her to fall forward.
Sage moved out of the way as she fell. Before White could even react to this Sage had knocked her katana away and dug a dagger deep into her back. White coughed up blood again, only more this time.
"I thought blades never won," White said weakly.
"I said blades don't always equal victory. I had you beat before I pulled out the blade, I just needed it to finish you," Sage said.
White laughed weakly before Sage pulled the dagger out and slit White's throat deeply. He stood up, cleaning the blade on the cloth White had over her eyes. He put the dagger away, grabbed his forehead protector and put it back on before walking back to the entrance to the Alliance's main base.