All spotlights go to Tenchi and Sakan this chapter!

"Iwagakure is so dry," Sakan commented to Tenchi.

"I know. It's better than being wet though, because I wouldn't be able to use my paper if it was wet," Tenchi replied.

"I prefer the wet."

"Of course you do; you're a shark."

"Oh, shut up."

They walked around the stony roads in Iwagakure in silence until Sakan broke the silence again.

"We're supposed to get the Five-Tails, right?"

"Yeah."

"What if the Five-Tails isn't in the village?"

Tenchi stopped in his tracks. "Crap. You might be right. How did you think of that?"

"Itami told me that the Jinchuuriki for the Two-Tails had been out on a mission before the capture."

Tenchi sighed. "Well, let's finish searching the village before we go anywhere else."

He stopped a villager and asked, "Excuse me, sir. Could you tell me if a man named Han is in this village?"

"Goodness, young man! What would you want to do with that monster?" The villager looked shocked.

Tenchi acted confused. "What do you mean?"

"That so-called human harbors the Five-Tailed Dolphin Horse. He is a beast! A demon! But if you insist on meeting him, then I will tell you where he is. You see those mountains there?" The villager pointed to some nearby peaks.

Tenchi and Sakan peered in that direction, noting the solitude of the land.

"He is usually walking around the mountain in the middle. As I said before, he is strange; a beast!" Shaking his head, the villager walked away, muttering about demons and monsters.

"Well, that person was interesting!" Sakan said. Tenchi rolled his eyes, and the two headed for the mountains.

…

"How long do you think it'll take for us to search this entire mountain?" Tenchi gazed up at the towering mountain.

"Uh, I guess about three to four days," Sakan sounded hesitant. Tenchi couldn't blame him since he didn't want to search the entire mountain either.

"Hmm? Who's that?" Sakan's question jerked Tenchi's attention to a figure coming towards them.

As the figure drew closer, the clones saw that he was wearing a red hat and what looked like red armor. A mask covered the lower half of his face so only his eyes could be seen. He was tall and slightly intimidating. Stopping in front of Tenchi and Sakan, he stared down at them.

"What are two teenagers doing around these mountains?" his voice was emotionless and slightly muffled by his mask.

"Are you Han?" Tenchi refused to be looked down upon.

The man looked surprised. "Have we met before?"

"No, but we know about you." Sakan stood next to Tenchi.

"Who's we?"

"The Akatsuki. They're a group of S-ranked criminals, and they want to capture all of the Tailed Beasts that exist in this world…"

"Sakan! Shut up!" Too late.

"You are the ones who kidnapped Ni'I Yugito of Kumogakure?" Han sounded incredulous. "Teenagers such as yourselves defeated the Jinchuuriki for the Two-Tails?"

Tenchi shot a look of venom at Sakan, who winced slightly and smiled apologetically. "It wasn't the two of us specifically."

Han scoffed behind his mask. "Well, this Akatsuki thing isn't gonna get Kokuo. You two run back and tell your leader that."

Sakan looked confused. "What the hell is a Kokuo?"

"Don't you know that the Tailed Beasts have names? The Five-Tails is called Kokuo."

"Oh. Well, it doesn't really matter because we're going to capture you, does it?" Sakan drew the Samehada copy he carried with him.

Han, however, barely flinched. "I strongly advise you to walk away while you can."

"We aren't going back without the Five-Tails." Paper started peeling away from Tenchi's face and body.

"Such stubborn teenagers." Han decided that he would have to fight if he wanted these two to leave him alone. He began to prepare his steam.

"Just don't blame me if you get killed instead."

Sorry for the short chapters. Lots of other work to do, and not enough time to think. Anyway, reviews are appreciated, and stay tuned for the next chapter.