AN: This, my friends, is the mark where I go off from the same story as Kishimoto… and kind of start doing my own stuff. The return of Suigetsu and Juugo is here! W00t!

War. What a weird concept. I've always found it odd that people think that they can gain peace with violence. But, that's being hypocritical; I love the idea of shedding one's blood. I see it as a kind of sport. I am a konoichi after all; I was meant for such things. Conflicts always have a resolution, though. Right?

I spoke with my uncle last night about everything. Gontei was out with Shoji and Oricha, training, so I held nothing back while telling him each and every thing that had happened to me in the past few weeks. I think I gave him a bit of a shock, showing up so randomly and tackle hugging him, nearly knocking him off of his feet.

He gave me a quick pat on the head, and then gestured for me to join him on the couch so I could tell him all that I wanted to tell him. I went through everything; from the day of Sasuke's defect, to the Kage Summit where Madara had declared war.

He listened terrifically; nodding when the moment called for it, and asking meaningful questions when things were a bit confusing. I love talking with him because of that. He doesn't ever seem like he isn't interested; when you speak with him everything you say is always the most important piece of information anyone will ever give out. It's an enviable thing, my uncle's listening skills.

I told him everything, and when I asked what he would do if he was in my shoes, he merely cracked a smile.

"Popori-chan, I can not even begin to place myself in the same situation as the one you are in now. There is a lot that you've gone through, but in the end I think you should just do what your heart says is best."

Yeah, that's his big advice; follow my heart. He could have gone over fighting strategies with me or told me to kill something, but he chooses the cheesy metaphor instead. That's just fantastic. That didn't really help me at all. But, at least I got to let out all of the thoughts I had been holding back.

Now, as I sit at the foot of my bed, I come to a conclusion; this war isn't going to be anything less that devastating. Keeping that in mind, I admit that I am not in the least ready for it. I'm strong, yes, but I'm not powerful enough to add up to the power of a jinchuriki.

So I have a number of choices. The first being that I spend the remainder of my time left training with as many opponents as possible and gain experience that way. Or, I can seek out Juugo and Suigetsu. Why would I do that? Juugo helped create the curse mark on my neck, and the fact of the matter is that if I want to get as strong as possible, I need to unleash that darkness. I am going to become a cursed demon, but hey, it will be for the benefit of the ninja world.

I nod to myself in my thoughts then stand and stretch my legs. I'm not sure if Tsunade with allow this, like she did my last request, but I do know that it is the quickest and easiest way to get as strong as possible. I've already reached the height of my kekkai genkai, no matter what anyone says. Some may think that there is always a step higher in their own personal power, but I know that there is a last step, which I have gotten to.

I exit my room with a serene expression to match my state of mind. I'm going to ask Gontei and Shoji to accompany me on this; if Juugo or Suigetsu have any hard feelings toward me and decide that they won't aide me in my quest, then I'll need some back up. I halt at the bottom of the stairs and meet the gaze of my uncle.

As soon as he sees me, I can tell that he can spot that I have made a decision. He gives me a warm smile and speaks after taking a sip of his hot tea.

"So, what has your heart told you, Popori-chan?" his voice giving away a bit of his curiosity.

I sashay quietly over to the counter at which he sits, taking my place beside him before answering him. "I'm going to seek out Juugo and Suigetsu. I don't think they have rejoined Sasuke, seeing as Karin has been brought in for questioning alone. I think that Sasuke is traveling alone with Madara for now." I speak in a neutral tone, none of the names that slip off my tongue accented with any kind of negativity.

Uncle Sate takes another gulp of his tea as he thinks this over. "Why go seek them out? Do they have some information you would like?"

I fold my right arm over my left on the counter, "Not exactly. . . Juugo has something that will help me become stronger . . ." I'm positive that I've told him what Juugo is, so now that I say this, it will probably become clear of what my intentions are.

The older Shinobi nods with a grave expression, setting his tea cup down and crossing his arms over his chest as he searches for the right words for what he is thinking. "So you have decided that the best way to become stronger is to become a piece of Orochimaru." He doesn't look at me while he says this, which is a good thing because I'm glaring at him for uttering such nonsense. That's not what I want at all.

"Uncle, that isn't what I was—" I start with a frustrated expression upon my face.

He cuts me off, chuckling to himself, "I know that isn't what you view it as. I guess that is just what I see it as." He unfolds his arms and takes another sip of his tea, this time finishing it off. He looks into the bottom of the cup, which I can see has three leaves in it. I didn't know he was into fortune-telling. "Well, do what you will; I gave you that advice anyway." He chuckles and sets the cup down, looking over at me with a smile. "I believe you'll come back alright; alright being physically and psychologically." He glances down at the three leaves at the bottom of his tea cup and smiles.

I blink at him, and then stand after he does. I turn my gaze to the tea cup, trying to remember what the pattern the leaves are in mean, but by the words my uncle just said, it must be a good sign.

I find Gontei and Shoji eating ramen at Ichiraku's. Shoji offers to buy me a bowl, but I refuse and wait for them to finish. We make small talk — well at least Shoji and I make small talk, Gontei makes small gestures that show he is listening but otherwise he stays quiet — sometimes talking with the owner of the shop and his daughter. When the boys finish up, I lead them away to our training field.

I can tell that they know something is up by the way they keep looking at me. Suspicion is written all over both of their faces. When we are alone, I turn to face both of them. I'm not going to make small talk; I'm getting right to the point of this.

"I need you guys to come with me out of the village. I have to get stronger, and the only way to do that is to release Orochimaru's curse." I say with a stoic expression, my arms folded behind me.

The two of them stare at me for a while, and then Shoji speaks. "Why?" His voice is loud; I might detect outrage in his tone.

"I need you both to back me up, it could be dangerous." I say, shifting my gaze to the ground in front of my shoes as I unfold my arms and let them dangle at my sides.

"No, I meant why would you unleash it?" He says, almost in a whisper, less outrage and more concern, almost urgency.

I look up at the two, examining Gontei. He looks like he won't like what I'll be doing, but he'll come along just to protect me. For once, I'm glad he's acting like the over-protective brother.

I sigh, "I can't get any stronger as it is; I can only gain more stamina. And as it stands, there is no way I can hold any ground against a jinchuriki." I shrug, and then look at the both of them. "Will you guys come with me?"

Gontei is the first to step forward, placing his hands in his pant pockets and looking off to the side. The wind manages to pick up just to blow his hair around, showing off his amber eyes. I would snort if he didn't look at me and nod seriously, seeming like he didn't plan it at all, which I'm sure he wouldn't even if he could. He isn't one to like attention.

Shoji stares at Gontei for a while, then sighs and follows his example. He takes my hand in both of his own and looks me in the eye having a serious expression for once.

"Like Gontei, I don't want you to vanish again. I will follow you and protect you if I need to." He lets go of my hand and then gives me a wink. "And maybe we can hook up sometime."

I grind my teeth to keep from punching him in the jaw and leaving him. He really knows how to ruin a moment. I huff, and then look in the direction of Tsunade's office. The only thing left to do is notify my Hokage about this.

The boys and I stand at the gates of Konoha, giving our last goodbyes to all who came to see us. Ino is talking in a surprisingly quiet voice with Shoji. She almost looks like she's on the verge of tears. This only confirms my suspicions of her being jealous of me for being with Shoji all the time. I turn away as the two share a tight embrace.

Gontei is patting Hinata on the head in a comforting way as she whispers to him in her quiet voice. She gives him a weak smile before boldly hugging him while turning blood red in the face. I smirk as I see my cousin raise an eyebrow, and then return her hug awkwardly.

Tsunade clamps a hand on my shoulder which captures my attention immediately. I look up to the blond woman as she peers intently into my eyes.

"This is the second and last time I'm letting you do something like this. And I only let this voyage slide because I knew Gontei and Shoji were going with you." She sighs, and then glances over her shoulder at a worried looking Oricha sensei and my grinning uncle. "You said yourself that this could be dangerous, so you better bring these two boys and yourself back to my village unharmed. There are too many people who would kill me if things go bad."

I chuckle, then lean around her and smile at my sensei, "Don't worry Oricha-sensei, Uncle Sate. I'll make sure we all come back safely." The two still look a bit concerned, but they relax nonetheless.

Tsunade nods to me, and then drops her hand as another person approaches the group. Shikamaru stops in front of me, so close that if I raised my hand to brush a strand of hair from my face, it would touch him. He looks a bit upset, but that is mostly canceled out by the look of longing that touches his eyes.

I begin to speak, but he silences me with a look. I close my mouth and stand still as he places his hands on my shoulders, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against mine. He stays this way for a while before talking in a low voice that only I can hear.

"You better come back . . . I swear if you don't come back I'll hunt you down, no matter where you are, and drag you back to Konoha."

I grin at his comment, "Silly Shiky-kun, of course I'm coming back." I assure him, lifting my arms to grasp his wrists lightly.

He opens his eyes and doesn't hesitate at all, despite the small group of people around us, as he tilts his head and plants a soft kiss on my lips. I grip his wrists tighter, but other than that I show nothing that would indicate that I'm not enjoying myself. His hands are warm on the skin of my neck as he fingers the curse mark there.

Someone clears their throat rather loudly which makes me push Shikamaru away from me and cover my mouth to keep from screaming. I'm so frustrated with myself. Why do I have to like Shikamaru so damn much? It just makes everything so difficult!

Tsunade snorts, "I think you three should leave as soon as possible . . . like I said people want you back here." She eyes me, and then Shikamaru before she turns and heads back into the village.

Oricha and my uncle share a glance before following after my Hokage. Ino is gawking at Shikamaru, but shakes her head then hugs Shoji once more before taking a step back to wait for the other konoichi. Hinata looks up at Gontei then down at the ground as she backs up and walks with Ino back into Konoha. Shikamaru is the last to stay, staring at me with hurt filled eyes. He has most likely figured out that it's difficult for me to get along with him as well as I do while I love Kankuro.

He brushes hair from my face, placing it behind my ear, and then turns to follow after the rest. I watch him leave, and then glance at my two team mates. Gontei isn't paying attention, staring at the path we are to take, while Shoji is staring at me with an arched eyebrow.

I avoid his watchful gaze then speak, "Let's go."

As soon as I say the words, we break into a full out sprint, I at the head while the two boys follow at my flanks.

I knew the best place to look first would be the summit, where the Kage's had met. That was where I had last been with Juugo and Suigetsu, so I was guessing that maybe the samurai would know where they were. If they had gotten caught, they would surly be punished, and I couldn't have that. I needed Juugo right now, and maybe I could convince him and Suigetsu to join our ranks in the war.

As we approach the summit, I take in the snow covered surroundings. I don't see many samurai, and I don't know if that is a good or bad thing. I swallow my worries and enter the walk up to the front doors, rather than sneak in like the last time I was here.

Whether it's a good or bad thing, there are two armed samurai guarding the front entrance. As soon as they see us, they look at each other then draw their swords.

"What brings you three here?" one of them asks with a deep, threatening voice.

I glance back at Shoji and Gontei, and then look back to the guards. "We have been sent by The Hokage to gather information on the location of two men, Suigetsu and Juugo. They were last seen at the meeting of the Kage's."

The guards share a look, and then put away their swords. "Come with us, we'll show you the criminals."

I cock an eyebrow. Criminals, does that mean they're being held prisoner? If so, I wonder how Juugo is handling it . . .

The three of us follow after the samurai, Shoji mumbling under his breath about how the place looks horrible. Well, Sasuke did damage the place fairly well when he attacked.

The two guards lead us into a long corridor lined with multiple doors on each side, looking sort of like what Orochimaru's lair had resembled. I wonder if, like Orochimaru's lair, that each door led to a room, or maybe a holding cell.

We stop at a door on the right, and one of the guards continues on while the other stays with us. He opens the door, and then gestures for us to go inside. We do as he instructs; all of us stay on our guard. I hear the faint sound of snoring as we enter what seems to be a dark room. There are no lights on, maybe because the person inside is sleeping.

The lights flicker on, and I turn to look at Shoji, who had been feeling around on the walls for the switch. I furrow my brows at him, and he shrugs.

"I couldn't see anything . . . I didn't like it." He admits.

I sigh, turning my head to look around the room. There isn't much here. A toilet, Zabuza's sword resting against the south wall and a futon with a familiar someone sleeping on top of it is all that is within this place. I walk over to the male sleeping on the futon, holding up a hand to signal Shoji and Gontei to stay where they are as I kneel beside him. I study him, before placing my left hand lightly on his shoulder, the other hand resting on one of my stealth knives, just in case.

As soon as I touch his body, Suigetsu sits bolt upright and throws a fist at my face. But, as expected by Shoji and I, Gontei uses all of his speed to throw himself between the two of us. My cousin catches the shark boy's fist with one hand, and clamps onto Suigetsu's throat with the other, slamming him against the wall.

Suigetsu bares his teeth at my cousin, then looks around to examine the situation he is in. He looks at the guard first, then at Shoji, giving them both hard glares, but when his eyes fall on me, his expression turns to one of surprise. He grips Gontei's wrist tightly, trying to pull it away from his throat so he can speak. I place a hand on my cousin's shoulder, telling him wordlessly to ease up.

As soon as Gontei releases Suigetsu, he coughs a few times, and then smirks at me. "Hey Popori-chan. What brings you here? Did ya' get caught as well?" He eyes my two teammates then adds, "Who are these other guys? Are they friends of yours? I wouldn't doubt it . . . you seem to have a lot of connections."

I smirk back at him, and then look at Gontei. "Go find Juugo. He'll need for someone to calm him down, most likely now that he doesn't have Sasuke to do it. Don't force him to do anything, though, he'll freak out."

Gontei nods, and I glance over my shoulder at Shoji, "You stay here, no even better, go outside and watch Gontei's back. If anything happens, go help him out. I got Suigetsu here."

I turn my gaze back to the sharp toothed male I just spoke of, who is eyeing my suspiciously now. When I hear three pairs of footsteps leave the room, I speak again. "I need your help."

He snickers and leans against the wall Gontei just slammed him into, "How nice. What do you need my help with? And why are those other guys going to get Juugo?" He eyes my forehead, which is now, unlike the time I was with him, baring the Leaf's symbol. He quirks one eyebrow, "So you went back to the Leaf? Interesting, but now back to my questions."

"Madara has declared war on the ninja world. I've joined the fight against him, but I need to get stronger. I need Juugo to do that." I watch him as he listens to me with a smirk. I reach to the collar of my shirt and pull it back to show him my curse mark. As he sees this, his eyes grow a bit wider. "And I was hoping . . . that maybe the both of you would like to join in the fight against him."

Suigetsu continues to stare at the place my curse mark is as he talks, "I can't speak for Juugo. But I'd like to know the details about this war. I've only heard bits and pieces from the guards outside this room."

I nod, and then go over Madara's plan with him. Once I'm finished he thinks it over then voices those thoughts. "Well . . . as much as I think it's going to be a pain in the ass to fight all the jinchuriki, I'm not just going to sit around and rot here while a war is going on. And maybe afterwards I can sneak some of the Mist's swordsmen's swords in." He snickers then stands up.

I stand up as well and eye him, "So that's a yes?"

He smirks at me, "More like a hell yes!"

I crack a smile then hand him his sword, "Here, I'll convince the samurai here to let you go, then you and Juugo can come along with us."

I head out to the door, where I can hear loud voices coming from down the hallway. I share a look with Suigetsu, and then we both jog toward the commotion. As I thought, Juugo is pitching a fit. He doesn't know Shoji or Gontei, and yet they are trying to make him go with them.

Once Suigetsu and I come into view, though, he settles a bit, going back into the second state. He eyes me and Suigetsu, then grows calm. I walk up to him and kneel down so I can be eye level with him as he collapses into an exhausted sitting position on the floor.

"Juugo, I need you to help me. I can get you out of here, and then you can be free to do whatever you wish."

The five of us walk away from the summit unharmed. The samurai agreed to let Juugo and Suigetsu come with us, thinking that the Leaf would punish them. I had to laugh a bit when I was far enough away. They were sort of clueless, but hey, I was a good liar after all.

Once we're in the right sort of environment, we stop in a circle. All the boys look to me, awaiting instruction. Shoji keeps glancing over at Suigetsu; I can tell that he isn't comfortable being around the swordsman. I look to Juugo and then speak.

"I don't know if we have the correct tools to do this . . ." I say hesitantly as I remove my bag from my back. I open it up and show the syringe and multiple tubes to Juugo.

The big red head peers into the bag and shrugs, "Orochimaru had less comfortable ways of ejecting my DNA; this is bearable enough."

I nod and hand him the syringe, "What about the sealing? I don't have a coffin . . ."

He takes the tool then looks around, "We shouldn't do it out in the open. Finding some kind of shelter where we can seal you off would be ideal." He looked around at all the faces in the circle, then back to me.

"What about a cave or something?" Shoji suggests while eyeing the syringe in Juugo's hand.

"There should be quite a few caves around here, actually." Suigetsu adds, crossing his arms over his chest.

I look to the two of them, then to Juugo. He nods, and then we search for a cave that would be ideal. Once we find one, Juugo sticks the needle in his arm and ejects fluid from himself. He hands me the syringe, which I stare at for a moment before injecting myself.

As soon as all the fluid vanishes from view, I fall to my knees and arch my back and gasp for air with the pain it brings me. I thought that getting the curse mark in the first place was painful, but I was horribly wrong. I would take that a thousand times over to get rid of this pain.

I am faintly aware of someone picking up my body and quickly setting me down on a hard surface. I let out a banshee scream as my veins are set on fire. What the hell is this? Why have I let this happen? This is horrible! Oh God in heaven, kill me now! Please let me die so I can escape this pain. If I could express anything other than pure agony, I think I would cry. Sob so loudly that it would sound like a wounded animal on the verge of death.

The fire doesn't die down, oh no, it only gets hotter and wilder as it spreads throughout my body. Dear God was this what Sasuke went through? If so I can understand why he went insane. I scream louder this time, so high and hoarse that I choke half-way through it. Why isn't Gontei helping me? Shoji? I'm dying right now!

I call out their names in a deafening cry, even adding one for Suigetsu and Juugo when they don't answer. I ask them to kill me, to end this unbearable fire that has been lit inside of me. I thrash my body around, attempting to put the invisible fire out. When that doesn't help, I just give up. I can't take it anymore, I'll just die quietly now. Now that I'm over the screaming part, I cry. I sob so hard that it causes more pain.

This goes on for what seems like days. I've stopped crying, and my body only twitches when the fire picks up. The only sounds that come out of my mouth are small whimpers, like a dog getting kicked.

But, finally, the fire stops abruptly. Well maybe not abruptly; first I can feel the altering of my body. My hair growing out from my skull, my nails sharpening, my bones becoming stronger and twisting into different positions, it all feels strange, this transformation. The first thing that comes to my mind is to think how in the hell Sasuke went through that without making the least bit of a sound. It was so painful . . .

I shake that thought from my head, then stand up, tasting the transformation in me. I look down at my hands and notice that I can actually see them. My eyes have somehow adjusted to the darkness of the cave. I notice something else as well; I now exactly where the four boys outside of the cave are. Shoji and Gontei are near the front where they had closed it off with making it cave in on itself. Juugo is sitting off to the side by himself, having a conversation with a small bird, and Suigetsu is practicing with his sword.

I smirk to myself, and then walk over to the multiple rocks that are closing me off from the outside world. I pull my fist back then smash it into the boulders with a quick burst of energy. They instantly turn to dust, getting replaced from others that fall from the top. I smile widely as I raise my other fist and have at it. I go on a frenzy as I reduce all of the rocks to almost nothing.

When I come into view of the boys, they all give me a look that says they don't recognize me at all. I try to smile sweetly, but it must come off as threatening, because Shoji flinches back a bit. I look around, then rush over to Suigetsu and rip the sword from his hands and slice him right down the middle.

As he turns to water, I examine myself. I have the same dark skin as Sasuke and Juugo, but the markings on my face are different. There is a black bar line right under my eyes, running across my whole face. My eyes are black with red pupils, and look quite horrifying. My hair has grown to my waist, whipping around in the air like electricity. My finger nails are now claws, and I have a few places on my joints that are pointed. I touch my face, and stick out my tongue, which has somehow grown longer, reminding me of Orochimaru. I frown, showing off two pointed teeth that poke out from my lip on the bottom.

This makes me smile devilishly.

I am going to like this form . . . maybe a little too much.

AN: Okay, that was the longest chapter ever! Hope you like it...