Seiri led a large group of ninja stealthily through the tunnels that only she knew how to navigate. The labyrinth spanned the entirety of the Temple and surrounding courtyards and adjacent buildings. She often played down here as a kid to get away from her troubles, and had also trained here with her forbidden teacher on the ancient texts. No one in the Order had bothered mapping the tunnels out, they had no need for them. The Temple was old, far older than the Priests, and most of the passageways had collapsed anyway. So this became her safe haven, her escape from the brutal reality she had lived. If only they knew. Knew that the tunnels connected with various secret entrance ways-most of which were unreachable from blockages and debris, but Seiri knew of one that was still accessible.

The handful of torches the group carried flickered in the darkness. The yawning tunnels reeked of a stale dampness and dripping water could be heard echoing from far away. More than a few of the ninja shied uncomfortably at the cramped spaces and eerie noises of the old passageways but Seiri assured everyone that it was completely safe. She knew what paths to take and promised that there was nothing to worry about.

Every so often, a rock would fall from the ceiling or wall, sounding like a loud crash in the emptiness. A few of the group would cry out at the sound, fearing discovery. Others would scold the scaredy-cats, chiding them that they surely would be discovered if they kept jumping at every little sound. Seiri sighed through all of it, constantly telling them that no one ever came down here, but also that it was impossible for anyone above to hear them. Her forbidden teacher had taught her to be an excellent sword fighter down here and no one had ever heard a thing, there was nothing to worry about.

As the ninja neared their exit point, Seiri stopped the group to go over the plan one more time. They had the element of surprise on their side. She went over the Temple layout, reminding everyone of important spots or where the Summit Chamber was. They agreed on capturing the children and four ninja were assigned the duty of getting them out and taking them back to Konoha. Sullenly, Seiri reminded everyone that anyone who opposed them was to be cut down if they wouldn't listen to reason. But above all, all of the elders were to be killed. Their existence threatened many people and if even one of them survived, they could reform the group.

They couldn't risk that.

At the end of the re-briefing, the group of ninja beamed with confidence. Talking strategy had pushed out their fear of the tunnels and they were ready to move forward with the plan. Seiri nodded in approval as she looked at all of the faces around her. Then, cautiously, she led them to a hatch that opened up at the back of the Larder, just off the kitchen. No one would be there at this time. It was late an no doubt, everyone would be in bed sleeping.

Seiri had an inkling that they knew she was coming-but she also knew that they wouldn't expect her to attack from inside, nor at night. A frontal assault always made more sense to the council and they never much considered anything else. They would rather lie their way to victory, and always in a direct way. People invited in religious folk without much thought, and that left them open. There was never really any need for stealth.

The Larder was empty, and so too was the kitchen. As Seiri had guessed, everyone was asleep, or on their way to be. This made their plan easier, and less likely to be so bloody.

The hallways were empty, there had never been a need for internal sentries before so the inside of the Temple proved to be remarkably unguarded. No doubt Yasuo had everyone stationed outside, waiting for Seiri's arrival. A perfect plan in theory if only Seiri didn't know how to navigate the underground labyrinth and also that the tunnel entrance hadn't been so far away from any watching Priest eyes.

The red head slowly guided her group through the massive Temple before coming to the Chambers of the Council-a long, stretching hallway lined with doors. Each door led to one of the council members' rooms, and at the end of the hallway, the passage curved towards a larger door that connected to the Summit Chamber, just off the side, for easy access in case of an emergency. While practical, it offered the perfect opportunity for the Konoha ninja.

Seiri instructed the group to branch off into smaller teams, each taking one of the doors and her leading a small group of her own into the Summit Chamber. Once everyone knew what to do, she moved off.

The stretching cavity of the Summit Chamber brought a wave of bitter memories to Seiri's mind. She remembered her last days here in the organization, obediently standing before the council as they gave her her final orders-unaware they were signing a warrant for her death.

Painful reminiscing aside, entering the room adjacently offered her the peak advantage. Yasuo stood in the middle of the chamber, alone, glaring forcefully at a puddle of dried blood in the middle of the room that had stained the rug. Seiri briefly wondered why he hadn't had anyone clean it up as she silently signaled for the members of her small group to hold their position. It didn't matter though, she didn't care. Though, she admitted that it was a bit symbolic. Here the Judge stood, staring at the blood before him, as if contemplating it and also hating it-yet his hands were stained far worse than the rug was. Did he, too, think about that? Was he regretting his choices now that he knew everything would soon come to an end?

It didn't matter.

Seiri, stealthily, moved up behind Yasuo. She made not as sound as she reached for her belt. She pulled a small blade free, a quiet shing ringing out it the still room. The Judge's head snapped up and he spun around at the noise, but it was too late. Seiri cut off his cry of alarm as she drove the blade into the elder's heart. His voice caught in his throat and all she saw was the deep panic and surprise at seeing her there. It was obvious that he hadn't expected such a shadowed attack. He had expected loud alarm bells, yelling, brutal fighting. He had expected a chance for he and the other members of the council to have ample time to escape amongst the confusion.

He had expected Seiri to use the main door of the Summit Room to get to him.

The Judge's body slumped to the ground, fresh blood pooling out onto the rug to join with that of the dried. She stared down at the lifeless body for several seconds, feeling satisfaction, knowing she no longer would ever have to look over her shoulder for an assassin. And the quietness of it all, it was better this way. She hadn't wanted to listen to Yasuo's rambling about giving her a home, about teaching her to defend herself. She didn't want to hear his voice at all. Now, she never had to.

A cry rang out in the night, followed by panicked shuffling. The Temple inhabitants knew they were here now. Seiri knew she just needed to do one thing. And hopefully, that would end it all.

Grabbing Yasuo's collar, the red head began dragging the elder's body out of the Temple. She walked calmly through hallways, passing Priests and servants alike. They all stopped as they saw her, then looked towards the Judge's body in her hand. She saw a darkness fade from their eyes but no one said a word. They let her be on her way, her small group of ninja following behind her.

Seiri dragged the body all the way outside, then tossed it towards a gathering of sentries that were trying to figure out what was going on. They were shocked to see her there and started at the sight of Yasuo, dead, at their feet.

Seiri stood there for a long moment, waiting as the rest of the Konoha ninja eventually, slowly, emerged to regroup outside-tossing the rest of the elders' bodies into a pile on top of Yasuo. The sentries were paralyzed with their shock, only able to stare at the pile of corpses. Seiri caught sight of the lifeless Caestian and her mind immediately filled with horrible memories. He had been, by far, the most brutal of the council members.

Caestian had favored punishment above all else, always looking for a loophole to beat recruits, always searching for even the smallest reason to hand out reprimand. He was a man who loved violence, who loved the hunt of weak prey. Seiri hated him the most. Even Yasuo's cruelty paled compared to Caestian's.

Remarkably, what was left of the Temple's inhabitants all emerged calmly, their initial panic gone. Instead, their eyes were full of diminution. They looked lost as they stared at the red head and her group of ninja-who had not lost a single member. All of the Priests and servants about them were teenagers. It wasn't surprising. Seiri knew none of the older members would have agreed to stand down. This would have been the only life they knew, and it would have been too hard for any of them to start over.

Young, expectant eyes stared aimlessly. Yet, it was astounding how not a single soul of the Priests around them seemed to even remotely yearn for the position of leadership among the Order. They had all been broken, had nearly lost their will to go on. They didn't know what to do with their newfound freedom.

Though, Seiri saw gratitude in their eyes, gratitude towards her.

"You are free! The elders are dead! This horrendous life we all have lived is over..." Seiri exclaimed, shouting so everyone could hear her.

The Temple inhabitants looked about at each other and shifted uncomfortably. No one said a word.

"Be free of these shackles, no one will ever cage us again!" Seiri looked about at all of the glassy eyes that stared expectantly at her, "Let us start new lives, happy ones."

It was a little boy, one Seiri didn't recognize, that began cheering first. He screamed in victory, the high pitch of his seven year old voice carrying in the silence and lifting those around him out of their trances. More voices joined in, then more still, until all were exclaiming their joy. Some still looked uncertain of their direction, but Seiri could feel their relief.

They were free.