The Rogue Two

by XemnasO01X

In the years following the fourth Great Ninja War, peace had allowed many nations to flourish, but not all has been good in those 40 years. Now as new generations replaces the old and the world slowly changes, a new enemy rises, waging a shadow war against the world, hoping to succeed where others failed. Soon the fate of the world will come to rest on the shoulders of two ninjas.

11. Chapter 10: Thundering Storm

Chapter 10: The Thundering Storm

- As the sky darkens…looming Clouds move overhead…A heavy Rain falls…A Storm approaches-

-Rundown apartment complex, rm. 119, Amegakure (Hidden Rain Village), time: 0937 local-

Zevela Yamaneko walked out of her bathroom, a towel wrapped around her body and hair, letting the cold air grace her skin, causing her to shiver slightly in her small apartment. Her home was a small one bed, one bath style apartment, it had only basic amenities: A basic bathroom, no tub, to her dismay, a small kitchen, a bed and one window. Her dresser was a dime store simple model, with only four drawers out six, and her bed was a cheap mattress. She didn't have enough money for commodities expect for a simple radio and her fridge was nearly empty all the time. Save for a few energy drinks, water, and some packs of instant ramen. That mere thought caused her semi-empty stomach to growl, but Zevela pushed the thought of food out of her mind with vigor.

'Now is not the time to worry about that, I can pick myself up something later.'

Her clothes were already laid out on her bed, but she walked solemnly towards her small apartment window instead and peeked through the blinds. Dozens of tall, steel high-rises were all that greeted her eyes, along with small shops and stores just below on street level. The rain that was customary to their land continued to fall ceaselessly outside, drenching everything and everyone who wasn't under cover, but still the streets were filled with people, enjoying the morning rain. Nobody minded the constant rain, neither did Zevela, in fact she found it a comfort at times, including right now. She had packed the essentials: Clothes, provisions, and her weapons, to leave Amegakure. She did this regularly as a way to make ends meet, she was a bounty hunter and despite her young age, she was the best in Amegakure had to offer.

After the death of Lady Angel at the hands of Obitio Uchiha, Ame fell into another period of Civil War. As factions divided the country against itself and rival warlords took to battling it out in the streets, it was a struggle to even survive. For the over 35 years, assassinations, turmoil, and mass killings became a common sight in the village, forcing many to flee from the village. It was during this time that she was born, her family, one of many, who choose to remain indifferent to the fighting. For the first 15 years of her life, war was the only constant until five years ago when an armistice ended the period of violence among the rival factions, bringing back peace at last to Amegakure. However, as much as the peace may have been wanted by all, it couldn't stop the effects of sustained conflicts; including the total collapse of the city's infrastructure and economy.

This in turn caused many to turn to alternate means to survive: Most of the men became hired thugs serving the village's elite, or become merchants traveling out of the village to earn money. While some women became courtesans of their own will, such as the case of most of Zevela's childhood friends. Others were forvced into slavery by their own families to support themselves, they were beaten on a regular biases or even killed. Zevela had attended too many funerals by the time she was 11, for anyone to attend in a lifetime. She was lucky, to be able to attend one of the last remaining Ninja academies in Ame, but was forced to drop-out after graduating to Chūnin.

She needed to support her own family so she did one of the only things she could do: She became a bounty hunter because it paid more than being a regular shinobi for Ame, as well as the fact that the hierarchy caved in after she had made Chūnin due to the lack of a true chain of command. She took on her first contract when she was just 14. It was a simple job; some deadbeat skipped out on paying for services from one of the warlords who called Ame their domain, she was tasked with bringing him back. Zevela had gone through numerous whispers and dead-ends before she managed to track him down, hiding in the Hidden Grass Village. The target had been laying low in a rundown inn, hoping to be overlooked by prying eyes but he had one weakness: Pretty young girls. Zevela had little trouble getting him alone, knocking him out, and dragging him back to Ame. She turned him over, collected her fee, and moved on to the next contract This was the pattern that colored her life for the next six years; she got a couple of low life bounties done for daily living expanses until a big bounty came up and she'd be gone for weeks or even months at a time, attempting to bring the bounty in.

As one might guess, her family didn't like her both leaving the village for months on end and putting her life in danger, but she had little choice. It was the only way she could make enough money that she could live with. The big contracts were rare, so there were times when she could barely make ends meet, yet when they did she could afford some down time, like now thanks to her last contract.

[Flashback]

It was six months ago, she received word that a suspected agent of the group known as Unity was hiding out somewhere in Amegakure. Though several others attempted to capture him, they either quit after several days or wound up dead. Zevela managed to track him to an old run-down warehouse along the edge of the village, being careful to not be detected, she made her way inside. The warehouse was one of the old ones used to store whatever was in excess during the time of Lord Pain. Now it was nothing more than a vast, empty catacomb, filled with boxes and containers left behind by scavengers. The place was carefully patrolled by seasoned mercenaries and freelancers, along with a few ninja from Ame.

'So he's bought our countrymen's loyalty huh? Too bad, if your loyalty has a price…'

She felt a bit guilty about going up against fellow Ame ninja but they had already betrayed their village by accepting a price from an outsider, especially a terrorist. Zevela was careful, using the dimly lit warehouse to incapacitate or eliminate the patrolling guards until she made her way to a small office, where her target was hiding. She knew because he was busy cursing out someone, Zikito something or other. She armed her crossbow, placed an explosive tag on the door, and blew it open.

-BOOM-

Amid the chaos, she wasted no time in targeting his elite guards, three in total, and in quick fashion, fired three bolts. Each landed in the heart of one of his guards, killing them instantly. As the dust cleared, Zevela looked for her target; whom she found hiding behind a desk in the room. Immediately, he offered her money to let him go but she refused and knocked him out to spare herself his bitching.

[End of Flashback]

Done with her stroll down memory lane, Zevela stepped away from the window and let the towels drop to the floor as she began to get dressed. Along with normal undergarments, her attire was composed of a black long-sleeved shirt and leg warmers with thigh-high socks. Black shorts with a purple sash through the belt loops and a purple button-up V-shirt that went just below her cleavage. Purple gloves and black boots secured by small belts, and a long black overcoat with a belt going around it. The belt served as more than just an accessory, it was used to carry the bolts that she used on her trademark weapon: a mechanical crossbow that she wore on her left wrist. However it, along with her main melee weapon, a dagger called a kukri, were already stowed away in her travel bag. While she got dressed, she decided to go over the information she had received on her latest contract, she had just accepted from the local bounty office:

A ninja who had been going by the Uchiha moniker has been spotted in several nations and was responsible for many crimes including the slaughter of an entire hamlet in the Land of Fire. Now it was confirmed that the ninja was in fact a member of the long dead Uchiha clan by the Kirigakure's Hunter-nin, and the reward for his capture had almost tripled overnight. Many collection agents were reluctant to chase the Legendary Uchiha clan but, Zevela saw that she didn't have a choice. The money was good, but the prestige was what she was really after. She had just finished tying her boots and grabbed her Ame headband, staring at the symbol she let her thought's swirl around in her head.

'I can't let our village suffer like this anymore, I know I can bring back true peace to our land…I have to!'

Zevela had seen too much death, poverty, and destruction in her own neighborhood, let alone her village. Zevela didn't like seeing her homeland in such a state, part of her felt responsible, though she had never contributed to the country's decaying state, her family had. Nobody knew of her family line; not even her closest friends were aware of the truth behind her family line, it had faded from memory but she doubted people would be willing to forgive such a past, she was a descendent of the vile dictator that had ruled over Amegakure in decades past: Hanzō of the Salamander. Her ancestor had ruthlessly led Ame in the past, but her father had told her the truth. Though, his arrogance and self-delusion led him to betray his country and countrymen, before that time, he had believed in peace. A long time ago during his youth, Hanzō had once sought the ideals of "peace" and even attempted to achieve this belief through the unification of the Five Great Countries. However, after realizing that such a method would only bring about perpetual war and thus, leave only death in its wake, he cast aside this conviction.

This and one other reason stuck with Zevela after she learned of her ancestor: His belief in the faith of people, he believed that a strong faith could live on, even if its owner perished, transcending death. Zevela felt a responsibility, having witnessed the result of her linage's actions bring about only horrors to her homeland, she sought not only to cleanse her family name, but to bring an end to the senseless acts of violence she saw day to day; Peace was the only way to bring that to fruition.

To that end, she became a bounty hunter, due the payout of some of the higher placed bounties. In fact she was part of the reason for Ame's Ninja system being revived. She donated the entire sum of her bigger catches to rebuilding Ame: Her first big contract netted her almost 3 million ryō and all of that went to rebuilding the dilapidated building that served as its last remaining Shinobi academy. That wasn't all she did, she also helped resurrect the trade commission and kept the shinobi system from total collapse. Ame was in dire need and no one seemed to be willing to help, so she decided to. It needed the money from the bounty posted for this Uchiha but more importantly, it needed a new leader: An actual Amekage.

Never had one existed in the history of the village but, with the way things were it was needed now more than ever. She knew that the temporary peace between the factions would not last, and the Hidden Rain was already on the brink of annihilation, so another outbreak of war could push it over the edge. Capturing this Uchiha could give her the chance to bring Ame back from that brink before it was too late. She loved this land, her home, and would do anything to keep it alive, and besides it was the fault of the Uchiha that Ame was in this crippling state.

Tying on her headband around her neck, Zevela grabbed her backpack and rain gear, a hat and full body cover. She walked towards her apartment door, but stopped just short of it and turned around. She did this every time she left on a bounty hunt. There was a nagging feeling that caused to her look back at her home...a feeling like she was never coming back to it. Her family knew where it was and if they didn't hear from her in two weeks, to come search the walls in-between her bed and dresser for her hidden stash of money, just in case.

'I will come back, I promise.'

"Okay…

Unlocking her door, she stepped outside and into the falling rain.

…Time for the hunt."

-Growl-

Zevela paused for a second, placing her hand over her stomach.

'But first…'

She dug into her pocket, producing a small pouch of money. Popping it open, she saw about 100 ryo inside.

"I think I can get some dumplings before I leave." She said with a smile.

XxX

-Residence, Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud Village); Time: 2100 local-

Engin stood on the veranda of her home, staring out at the night sky overlooking Kumogakure. It was something she did quite often, and every time it was for the same reason: To marvel at the buildings around her. Kumogakure was of such a high altitude and elevation, literally going into the clouds, they built most of their homes and buildings into the mountains that jutted up through the cloud cover. Whether descending or ascending, it was a marvel as to how it was done. This was especially true, because most of Kumogakure was destroyed when the Ten-tails nearly destroyed it 40 years ago, but the scars of that day were almost all covered up by rebuilt structures and homes.

It had been a rough struggle to get here but luckily she wasn't alone. Ingem, her sister, was with her every step of the way. She and her sister shared the same room. The two of them had lived together for well over a decade, ever since they first arrived as refugees when they were both eight years old. The two had joined the ninja academy almost immediately after coming to the Hidden Cloud village and after a decade, the two held the position of Special Jonin. Even the Raikage would say they were among the most powerful ninja ever produced in Kumogakure.

Even though they were twins, everyone in the village could easily tell them apart because her sister, Ingem was blind. A result of a disease that stole her sight when she was five years old. The ninja Academy had been reluctant to accept a blind student, in fact some of the teachers looked down on her because she was blind, but Engin always backed her sister and never let anyone forget it. Engin remembered teaching her sister how to write, study, and fight, but her sister was much stronger than everyone gave her credit for. She was an excellent sensor ninja, capable of seeing without her eyes. Using her chakra, like sonar, she'd constantly sent out a pulse and using what it bounced off of, she could measure the distance between objects and strike at targets with near-perfect accuracy. Engin remembered times in the Academy when her sister was up to bat for shuriken practice, some of the teachers snickered on how she would fail and to their surprise; she didn't miss a single one.

But despite however strong or good her sister was, she still had one flaw: she was incredibly shy and withdrawn. Engin had tried to get her to open up to others, make a few friends, but not many wanted to have a blind girl as a friend. Engin hated this and as such grew to hate quite a few people. However, Ingem, told her that she didn't care; she didn't mind not having any friends. So long as she had her sister, she would be okay; as such the two are inseparable. The Cloud recognized the two functioned incredibly well together and they were dispatched on missions together. They proved to be quite the team; every mission they had been sent on always ended in success. Now, they were part of a special group of Jonin, one of over a half-dozen squads, who were sent on some of the most dangerous missions Kumogakure had to offer.

The Hidden Cloud had been good to the two of them, she and her sister had enjoyed a semi-pleasant life here, it'd become their second home. A place where they could live in peace but it really was not their home. In fact their first home no longer existed, it was destroyed by a group of ninja from the Hidden Mist; led by one known as the 'Death-Scythe' of the Mist. The village had been a peaceful one, never a bother and had no value as a target at all, but that didn't stop them from attacking. Engin remembered the times long ago in their hometown…..

[Flashback]

The sun was still up but was slowly setting in the evening sky. Engin was walking to her home, bags in her small hands and merrily humming to herself as she passed by the small shops and homes of her friends and adults she knew. She had been sent out by her father to fetch some things for supper that night. Her small village didn't have most conveniences like the major villages, but they all made due: Growing their own corps, tending to the animals, and trading with merchants who periodically made their way to their village. Everybody knew almost everyone else so there was never any danger here for a little girl by herself. She was only eight years old but it was nothing new for her, she was often sent out to fatch things. Her father and sister were at home, but it was her sister's study period so Engin had to go out to buy the ingredients for dinner. It was not much, considering the family's income but the three of them ate together every night, a pastime none of them would miss.

"Hey Ene"

Engin stopped as someone called her by her nickname, in a voice she knew well.

"Hey Dii" she called back.

A boy walked towards Engin along with two others. Wearing a plain shirt and shorts, he had dirt on his cheeks and hands and had hazel eyes, along with a scar on the bridge of his nose. Deide or Dii for short, one of Engin's longtime friends, along with two others, whose names she never could remember.

"What's up?"

"Ah nothing, just wondering if you wanted to play, we still haven't finished our game. You know the rules: No new one till you win the old one. So how about it?" Dii said in one long breathe. He was always so competitive, every time someone beat his record or got one more win then him, he'd challenge you till you lost, Engin had already 'stolen' several of his 'titles' and he was eager to get them back.

"Nah, sorry but I gotta get back home, but how about tomorrow? I don't mind beating you senseless. Next time okay?" She said sticking her tongue out at him, to which he smiled.

"I'll hold you to that! Next time, I'll wipe that grin off your face and bury it in the dirt. Say hi to Ingem for me!" He said before turning and running off.

"You can try! And I will." She said, turning back on the street and continuing on her path home.

"I'm Home!" Engin shouted as she passed through the doorway of her family's small house. Her father was standing over a burning kettle while her sister was sitting at their table, writing on a piece of paper.

"Welcome back Ene." Her father said.

"Hey sis." Ingem said in a soft voice.

The two of them were practically in the same room; their home was small with barely enough room for the three of them, but it was never something Engin minded. They were family, and together, and that was enough for her. Setting the items she was sent out for down on the table, Engin walked to her father, and gave him a hug which he returned.

"Got what'cha needed dad" She said.

"Thanks. Why don't you and your sister go wash up and I'll get dinner ready for us, oh and don't forget to say hi to your mother" he said.

"Ok"

Engin walked to where her sister was seated and looked over what she was doing: Ingem's eyes were closed and she had a sheet of paper, a small piece of flat wood, and a pencil in front of her. She was writing out the list of sounds she'd been hearing throughout the day. The sound of birds outside, the voices of people as they passed by their home, her father sending Engin out on her errand, even up to her sister's footsteps walking towards her. Engin knew her sister heard their father, almost nothing got past her ears.

"Ready, Ingem?"

Her sister neatly placed the pencil and wood piece down together, stood up, and opened her eyes; her bright green and blue iris's looking directly at Engin's. Though Engin thought that Ingem was staring at her she knew her sister was merely facing the direction of her twin sister's voice.

"Uh-huh" she said with a smile.

The two walked to a small wash basin, taking turns due to its small size. After drying her hands, Engin walked with Ingem to a small shrine in their home and the two kneeled down together: It belonged to their mother. They had never met her, beacuse she died just after they were born but their father spoke of her like a goddess: Kind, gentle, honest, and someone who would never hurt a fly. He said that when she had them, she was so happy…how Engin wished she could have met her. Looking towards her sister, and the moment she did Ingem looked at her, as if sensing what she was thinking.

"I would have liked to meet her too."

Though the two were twins, even sharing the same mismatched eyes. There was one difference that almost everyone knew of, but could never see that told the two of them apart: Ingem was blind. She had lost her sight years ago, due to an illness; the same one that took their mother away. Their father had explained that their mother was very sick before she gave birth to them and afterwards her illness grew rapidly and she passed away. It wasn't until a few years later, when Ingem was five that she suddenly became very sick. Their father was a medical ninja during youth. As such he served village's doctor, and what he saw, he was reluctant to admit. He recognized the symptoms: It was exactly the same as their mother. She had been diagnosed with a very rare and fatal disease, to which no other doctor could even treat. She didn't tell him, because she didn't want that to affect their happiness. He said it was so horrible to wonder why his wife was dying until she told him just before she died. He could only watch as she slowly succumbed to the illness.

Now he and his daughter, could only wait for the disease that had taken their mother to take Ingem as well. Engin recalled the night when Ingem's death was near: The night was cold and dark, not a single star in the sky, their father was crying as he held Ingem's hand as she lay in bed. Her breathing low and her body burning up, Engin stood by him, tears running down her face as her sister looked at the two of them.

"Don't be sad…I won't leave you…just like…mommy…she…never…left…us…" she spoke before she closed her eyes.

Engin had fallen asleep alongside her father and sister, exhausted from crying so much. The next morning, the sun engulfed the room, which caused her to wake up, still tired though, she got up and walked towards the door to the rest of their home.

"C-Could you get me some water please Engin?" Half asleep, Engin walked towards the water jug in the room, poured water into a small cup, walked to her sister and placed it in her hand.

"Ah…thank you"

"No problem Ing-INGEM!"

Her father shot awake as Engin, screamed her sister's name. Ingem was sitting up in bed, her eyes open and she looked healthy. Her father embraced her, as did Engin; somehow she had beaten the odds… But her next words changed everything that happened and all that would follow.

"Father… Why can't I see you?"

In the end, her disease had run its course. Maybe it was because she was just a child that it didn't kill her, but the one thing she did lose was her sight in both eyes however there were no other effects, none at all.

'It's been three years since then, since we almost lost her…'

Engin had become very protective of her sister, keeping her safe and guiding her outside their home, while their father taught her how to write and use her other senses to adapt. She was an incredibly gifted child, within a year she was navigating by herself through their home and now she was able to navigate the village without either of them. She, with incredible precision, could identify sounds a fair distance away and able to write as well as Engin could.

-Clap-

Engin snapped back to reality as her sister clapped, signaling the end of prayer.

"Come on sis, smells like dad's got dinner ready. Let's go."

The three of them sat down to dinner, stew; a simple meal for the struggling family but that never hampered the taste. It was almost dark outside so most the villagers should have been heading back to their homes, closing up their shops, and all should have been quiet in the village… So when Ingem spoke up it got both of their attention.

"Huh?"

"What is it?" their father asked.

"I don't recognize that sound." She spoke, in a slightly timid voice. Ingem had a very good memory, since she could navigate the village. Even though blind, she was able to recognize sounds or the smells perhaps even being able to remember the paces throughout the entire village. That being said, her hearing was incredible, even whispering in the lowest possible voice, she could pick it up. So if she said a sound was unfamiliar it needed to be taken seriously.

"What sound is it Ingem?" Engin asked, to which her sister suddenly looked afraid. "I-it sounds like metal... and a lot of people."

-GASP -

Ingem let a gasp as a sound reached Engin's ears; a very faint scream, in a flash, their father was on his feet.

"Engin look after your sister. Both you stay here!" he shouted as he ran out the door.

Engin moved towards her sister and grabbed her hand. "Come on. Hold on to me tightly!" Ingem obeyed her sister and the two ran out after their father.

The night sky was gloomy, dark, moonless, starless, and clouds had overshadow the village. Engin looked to her right and left then saw her father ducking around the small house down the street to her left. Immediately, she tightened her grip on her sister's hand and ran after him, as her sister had no trouble keeping up with her, Ingem had built a silent code with her sister, tightening her grip meant 'we're about to move'. The two sisters ran down the street, turned the corner…and Engin couldn't believe what she was seeing, it was faint but growing: The edge of the village was on fire.

'No… What's going on?'

She could hear screams, dozens of them slowly getting louder and more frequent, people were running away from the burning parts of the village, but there were a few that Engin could see coming from the fire.

"Engin, what's going on? What's happening?" Ingem asked, terrified as she moved closer to her sister.

"I don't-"

"Hey."

Engin heard a familiar voice not far from where she was and it was as though someone was trying to be quiet, but also being loud enough to get their attention.

"Hey, you two, get over here!"

Engin saw a boy waving at her, feverishly.

"Dii!"

Immediately, the two ran towards him and ducked inside the small house that he was hiding in, though was dark, there was enough outside light for her to see his outline.

"Dii, are you okay?" Ingem asked, her voice full of worry.

"Yeah I'm all right. What about you two?" They nodded in reply. "That's great, but what are you two doing out here?! It's too dangerous!"

Engin shook her head violently as if she shaking off something.

"Never mind that, what the heck's going on?!" She demanded to know.

Dii took a step back, with both his hands up, waving them down, trying to calm Ingem and quite Engin.

"Calm down. I don't know what's going on. We started hearing some screams earlier and then we saw the flames, my dad and brothers headed towards them and told me to warn everyone about what was happening. He said ninjas have attacked our village." He said in a single breath.

Ingem gasped when those words came off of Dii's lips. Engin merely looked at him, hoping he was joking.

-step step step STEP STEP-

"Someone's coming… and it isn't someone from the village." Ingem said.

"Hide!"

Engin pulled her sister towards a small table and the two crawled underneath it, but she didn't see where Dii went. She didn't have time as the small covering that blocked the doorway suddenly moved and a shinobi walked through. Engin quietly gripped her sister's hand, hoping it would keep her calm as the shinobi began looking in the small, dark house. He must've been in a hurry because he didn't look any further than a simple glance a few feet in from the doorway and he turned around to exit.

Crash

Engin's eyes went wide as she looked behind her; a small cup must've been on the edge of the table and had fallen over, which grabbed the shinobi's attention. Engin looked at her sister, as her sister could feel the shinobi's approaching footsteps steadily drawing closer to the table they were hiding underneath. Tears began to form in her sister's eyes and Engin's as well.

FLIP

Suddenly, the table was upended and the sisters saw the shinobi, wearing a Hidden Mist headband on his right arm, standing over them. They couldn't see his face, he was wearing strange armor, and his weapon was big yet they couldn't make it out but they could tell by the way he was raising it that he was ready to kill them. Engin quickly hugged her sister and held her tight, hoping the end would be quick.

CLANG

"AHG!"

The shinobi suddenly grabbed the back of his head in pain and turned around, only to have something grab around his waist.

"GO!"

It was Dii, having thrown a small object to get the shinobi's attention and then threw himself directly at the shinobi. Engin realized what he was doing and quickly ran out the back door, her sister in tow.

'Thanks Dii, don't you dare die on me before I get a chance to actually thank you.'

The two made for the small woods not too far away from their village, their bare feet getting cut along the ground and rough dirt. Engin looked behind her in a vain hope that Dii was following them but there was no one there. As she did, she saw a shinobi standing on the roof of the house they were just hiding in. It was the same one but this time they could see his weapon: A scythe.

"All of you! Ensure that this village is burned to the ground! And make sure none survive!"

A voice, echoed throughout the night as the shinobi carrying the scythe, quickly jumped down from the house and disappeared….

[End of Flashback]

The rest of the night didn't pass quickly. The two had made it to the forest and managed to hide in a thick patch of bushes. They could only watch as their village began burning, their own home even set on fire. Ingem was crying asking where their father was, but Engin had no answer, she couldn't answer because she knew he was likely dead. Out of a burning home walked a ninja, the glow the fire illuminated him.

From what she could tell it was a man, wearing strange armor and wielding a scythe. He must have been the one in command as he issued orders to other ninja around him before again disappearing. The two waited in that bush all night, too afraid to move… To do anything.

By morning, the ninja were gone and the village that had once been their home was reduced to nothing but ashes. Several survivors, those who had been out of the village at the time of its destruction, decided to flee, and the girls went with them. As refugees they fled from Mizu no Kuni and made landfall in the Kaminari no Kuni, where the two sisters were left to care for themselves. Having no family and no place to live they were taken in by an orphanage, where they immediately decided to join the Kumogakure Ninja Academy. Initially their choice was to become stronger but they had a hidden agenda: To discover the identity of that scythe wielding ninja, they both knew to be the one who destroyed their home and, most likely, the one who killed their father.

'Now we know who he is and where to search for him…And no one is going to stop us.'

One week ago, the pair had just returned from an assignment near the border of the Kaminari no Kuni, nothing major but a mission meant pay and the two needed money to live. They had already signed back into their barracks and had just walked out of the paymaster's office, and into a long hallway. There were several of their squad mates, some standing in the corridor, having casual conversations while others were entering rooms used for meetings to wrap up the squads recent missions.

"So how much did we got for this job?" Ingem asked, as the two left the paymaster's office.

"Umm…" Engin started as she counted out the money in her hands, "7,000 Ryo. That sound about right?"

Ingem closed her eyelids for a moment and then reopened them. "Yup, that was the amount he counted out for the job."

Ingem was a blessing when they went to the collect their earnings for a job. The paymaster had a reputation for short-changing some people, but though he maybe could escape Engin, he couldn't escape Ingem. Her hearing was beyond sharp and she could hear the money as it was being counted out, even if she wasn't in the same room.

"Good, so now we do what we always do…" Engin said.

"Umm…go home and rest up for the next one?" Ingem asked.

"NO! We go out and have ourselves a damn good time!" Engin yelled, causing several shinobi, including some of the higher-ups to look their way.

"S-Sis! Lower your voice." Ingem, in a hushed tone, said as she nervously waved towards their senpai's.

"Ehh, who cares? We just got paid. Now we go out and have some fun!" Engin yelled, not caring about anyone who heard her.

Everything was going well until they passed by the office of the Special Jonin commander, she walked out just in front of them and placed a new notice on the bulletin board.

"To all major villages, we of the Hidden Mist request your aid. We are issuing a 'Be On the Lookout' for the following-

Zikito Hoshigaki a.k.a. 'Death-Scythe of the Hidden Mist'

He is currently wanted for questioning in regards to an incident that took place in our land, we request cooperation in apprehending and delivering him to Kirigakure shinobi. We appreciate your cooperation.

-Mizukage of Mizu no Kuni.

Normally a simple be on the lookout would never grab Engin's attention but the photo… Is what stopped her cold and she couldn't believe her eyes. Ingem heard her sister stop and turned around.

"What's wrong?" She asked in haste most likely because of the money that fell from her sister's hand. Engin didn't respond right away but she continued staring at the photo: it was of a man wearing untraditional samurai armor, the headband of the Hidden Mist on his right arm, and wielding, an unusual weapon for a shinobi: A scythe.

'It's him… It's the one I saw, the one that attacked our village. After so long, we finally found him!'

"Engin! Please you're scaring me, what's wrong?" Ingem asked slightly shaking her sister's shoulder. After a moment, Engin finally responded with three words: "We found him."

Engin spent the next few minutes explaining what she saw, that it was the same man that attacked their village almost a decade ago. Apparently he was a ninja of the Hidden Mist, and now he was wanted by his own nation though it didn't say for what. They knew it couldn't have been for something small. A great power like the Mist doesn't send a capture order unless it's for something big.

Engin did not want to waste any time, the order came with some information that he was last spotted in the Hi no Kuni, and she wanted to head out immediately to track him down. She thought would have to coerce her sister into coming along but she agreed outright, maybe she wanted to find this man or maybe, like Engin, she wanted him dead. Either way it was good enough for her.

The two spent the next day and a half trying to convince both their commander and the Raikage to allow them to track down and capture this dangerous criminal but to no avail. They insisted that unless he came to the border of Kaminari no Kami, it was not their issue and forbid the both of them from leaving the village. However, this was something that was not going to stop them, even if it meant becoming rouge-nin, they were going to find him.

'And we'll kill him.'

-Land -

Engin didn't need to look at who landed next to her, because she knew it was her sister. She merely reached down to the surface of the veranda, picked up a bag that she had there and threw it over her shoulder.

"Did you find us a way out?" she asked. Her sister nodded. Engin felt a little guilty, she was forcing her sister to come with her in a way, and she didn't like burdening her sister at all.

"Ine you know, you don't have to come with me. You can just stay here, becaused I know you'll be fine here and the others will take good care of you." She said but Ingem shook her head. "No way, you wouldn't last ten days out there without me and besides, were sisters. We do best when we're together and I'm never leaving you."

Engin could only smile at her sister's words, the two of them had been on their own, struggling, fighting, and clawing their way up for over ten years. In almost every situation, every dire strait, every time it looked like it would be the end for them, they always pulled through… Because, of each other. No matter what, so long as the two were together, they would never give up and no way in hell was that going to end now.

"Okay, let's go." Engin said and the two sisters, the 'Twin-Storm' Clouds, left their home and started for the village gates, it was time to leave.

XxX

-On a nearby roof, well hidden from view, Hidden Cloud Village; time: 2130-

The Fifth Raikage, Darui, sat patiently on the rooftop. He was a patient man so this wasn't that hard for him to do. Samui, the commander of the Special Jonin, stood a little further away; looking into a pair of binoculars. The two of them had been sitting there for well over an hour, wondering if they were going to leave or not, the Raikage was waiting… Waiting patiently for the words that would soon follow from his commanders lips. He fully expected them to leave; he would not hold it against them, because he knew their past quite well.

'Those two…Perhaps it was fate that brought them here but whatever the case, it all rests in their hands now.'

"They are on the move." Samui said in a hushed tone. "Seems like you won the bet."

"Told you: Never bet against the gut." Darui spoke, with a smirk on his face.

"You think they'll find him?" Samui asked.

"I don't know, but I do know this: If they do, I hope they listen, at least, to what he has to say."

The two, a woman and man, both in their fifties, stood on the roof; watching two young shinobi slowly disappearing from their sight.

"Good luck you two." Samui said.

'I have a feeling you're going to need it' Darui thought.

XxX

-Location: Unknown; Time: Unknown-

Zikito hadn't felt anything but numbness for the longest time. It felt like it had been days or possibly weeks, he couldn't be sure. He had slowly been drifting in and out of consciousness, and now he felt just a little bit stronger. Perhaps because he wanted to know that he was still alive, he opened his eyes, but the moment he did what he saw frightened him: The sky was a pale orange, the clouds were a strange black color, the air was heavy, and a vast empty landscape was all he saw. Then he saw it, a deep crimson red moon high in the sky. This moon left everything around it in a twisted and obscure array of colors. Zikito couldn't believe what he was seeing and felt the grip of consciousness slip through his fingers again, and fell back into darkness.

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Authors note: I don't own Naruto or any of it's characters which may or may not be used/mentioned in this story. I am merely telling a story and that is all I own, this is for entertainment only enjoy, comment, tell your friends and like/fav hope you guys are liking it thus far and i hope to have more chapters out soon. Oh BTW Look down.

Kaminari no Kuni- Land of Lightning

Mizu no Kuni- Land of Water

Hi no Kuni- Land of Fire

In case of confusion on names, Blame my editor, Zinmaster24.