All Himeko could see was black. She was still conscious and aware of what was going on around although she couldn't see it. She was also aware she was loosing blood fast. She had been whipped several times with a clawed whip. Masato had also used a strange device to punch holes in the webs of skin in between her fingers. The needle had been coated in some kind of poison, Himeko could feel it spreading through her body in what was left of her blood stream. Masato had long since given up torturing her since she wasn't giving him what he wanted. He had started interrogating Kotori which was not sitting well with Aoi at all. The cage that Aoi was concealed in was surrounded by some sort of jutsu, so that whatever kind of attack Aoi tried, it resisted and she couldn't escape to help. Kotori was screaming loudly. Masato hadn't used the whip on her though. Himeko hadn't heard it's distinct sound since she had been tortured.
"Let me outta' here you creep!" Aoi was screaming and clawing at the bars. She had transformed to black Aoi a long time ago and her green chakra was everywhere. It was a strong nin-jutsu if the cage was still holding up. Himeko's vision was starting to come back. Everything was blurry and she blinked furiously. Her eyes fell upon a disgusting sight. Masato had a grip on Kotori's hair holding her up and making her stretch out while Kaiya traced her claw over Kotori's skin slitting in open to reveal glistening red liquid. Kaiya was tracing Kotori's skeletal structure. Suddenly there was sound ripping through the cavern. Himeko turned her gaze towards Aoi's cage. Himeko's eyes widened in horror as she watched Aoi's skin being covered in a layer of green bubbles. Ears and tail started form and twitch.
"AOI!" Kotori screamed. Aoi swiped at the cage again and it crumbled to the ground. Aoi stood up properly and let another roar rumble through her chest and into the air. Himeko for the first time felt fear, for she didn't know what was happening to her friend.
"Leave her alone!" Aoi's voice was contorted with another.
"Master?" The panther worriedly purred to the man in the purple cloak. He could not speak. This appeared to be a jinchūriki, perhaps the nine tails. He couldn't be sure. But he had his chance he had what he had loathed after so many years. Revenge and justice were sweet in his mouth as he looked upon the tailed demon.
oX-Xo
A distinct roar ripped and echoed through the rock passageway. Squad Stella and Team 7 ran towards the noise. A crack of light started to become visible. Naruto and Kakashi pulled ahead towards the ray and crouched to peek through the opening.
"Ka..ka.. Kakashi, that looks like…" Naruto stammered.
"The nine-tails." Kakashi finished Naruto's statement in his calm voice. Gasps came from behind them, as the rest of the teams caught up and saw the events un-folding. The team's faces were pictures of complete and utter terror. The only ones who looked remotely calm were Kakashi and Yamato. Hotaru quietly cleared her throat and walked closer to the door.
"We're just gonna' have to burst in there and do what we can okay?" Everyone nodded and crouched into a pounce position. Hotaru pushed on the door slightly and it swung open letting dim light flood out into the dark corridor.
-oX-Xo-
The door suddenly burst open and Himeko's team were rushing through. Kaiya pounced away from Kotori and started attacking the ninjas that had invaded her master's torture room. She started swiping her massive paws at the man with the silver hair that defied gravity, and almost caught his left shoulder. Masato called upon several of his hybrid henchmen to occupy the foreign ninjas while he got a chance at the green demon that was forming in the middle of the rocky chamber.
-oX-Xo-
Naruto's mind was completely blank. He was mindlessly fighting the strange hybrids all the while he was focusing on Aoi who was transforming into another being. Was this someone else like him? Was this another tailed beast vessel? Which one could she be? How long would it be before she was completely un-controllable? Naruto slashed a couple more of the hybrids in half before he started thinking straight.
"Yamato! What do I do?" Naruto screamed to his 'sometimes' team captain. He started running towards Kotori through a sea of hybrids cutting them down like jungle plants to get to her.
"Naruto! If you can try to get her to calm down. She'll stop transforming!" Yamato shouted back as he used his wood style jutsu on some of the hybrids. Naruto nodded and started hacked away at Kotori's bonds. He tapped her face lightly to get her to stay conscious and picked her up bridal style.
"Com'on I need you awake." He tapped her a little more. "You're the only one who can help me with Aoi." Kotori's eyes fluttered and twitched from Naruto's touch. Her lids heavily slid open and she gazed up towards Naruto.
"Wha..what happened?" She stuttered.
"You blacked out and Aoi is transforming!" Naruto replied while jumping on tables and larger torture instruments to avoid having to fight with the hybrids. He landed close to Aoi who was lashing out at anything that came with in five feet of her. Naruto set Kotori down and propped her up against a table which had been toppled over to shield her from flying shrapnel from the battle around them. Naruto turned to face the beast. IsthiswhatI'mlike? He thought to himself. He slowly inched himself forward towards Aoi. She turned to face him and snarled low in her throat. She was at the stage she didn't know who anyone was and her mind was just set to kill.
"Aoi? I know you're in there. If you can hear me? Aoi… I know what it's like… To have one inside of you… The loneliness is almost un-bearable. I know believe me, I do. But you have to search inside yourself, you need to come back to us Aoi. You can't let the demon take over. It's not who you are. I know that it makes you feel like crap Aoi, but that's why you have to show you're stronger than it. Please… please Aoi fight it. FIGHT IT!"
-oX-Xo-
"Aria… Mylovelywhatdowehavehere?Sweetheartareyoulettingthevoicebullyyou?WhathaveItoldyoudarling?Justtellittogoawayandconcentratereallyhard.Pushitbackinit'scageAria… YoucandoI,Ibelieveinyou."
"Mother? Is that you? Mother! Where are you going? Mom!" And then darkness
-oX-Xo-
"This is my opportunity. The boy is distracting the nine-tails." Masato thought to himself. He could see a sixth tail forming. If he was going to get his chance it would have to be soon, as would not be able to stab the beast properly if the sixth tail emerged. Masato pulled out a poisoned samurai and snuck up behind the beast and launched himself towards it's back.
-oX-Xo-
"AOI!" Naruto screamed as Masato was flying towards the green demon. The ear splitting sound of a wolf's shriek filled the cavern.