TimeShifter: I don't know that I'd say Kyuubi knows Yumiko. I'll just innocently whistle over in the corner as details are revealed, even about her husbands. Also, Masato chooses to grow old and die. I'm pretty sure that was in the last chapter...somewhere... Sorry for the confusion.

samueltm2: I update when I can... Work's killing me.

Chapter 7:
Family Entrenched

Kiba wore a broad smirk as he bounded for the first line of bandits. His keen senses told him the others were able to slip through the cave entrance without resistance. He caught the green blur known as Lee out of the corner of his eye. He was surprised at how many bandits were left alive or uninjured enough to fight.

He looked to his buddy and partner in crime. "You ready for this?!" The snarl and yip from his canine companion told him everything he needed to know. He crouched low; his feral look was enough to give pause to his targets. "Now, Juujin Bushin! Gatsuu… Huh?!" Kiba and Akamaru, now looking the same, stared in stunned silence.

Lee came to an abrupt halt as he watched, with equal confusion as Kiba and Akamaru, as the bandits dissolved into muddy earth and clay. Most of them were muddy, at least. Enough of them were solid and dry enough to throw out a billowing cloud of dust as they succumbed to gravity.

They heard a laugh which sent shivers down their spines. It was creepy, but it also seemed to emanate from inside their minds. They could not locate the source until they felt a surge of chakra and looked ahead to where the dryer bandits stood. They watched intently, and they were locked into their respective taijutsu stances. They felt they were ready for anything.

A path was cut through the dust to reveal an elderly man in a yakuta and wearing thick glasses. They nearly planted their collective faces into the dirt when they saw their opponent. He wore a kindly smile only a great grandfather could wear, and he seemed to take delight in their bewilderment. "I am Kagennotsuki Masato, danna-sanban of our most gracious host."

Kiba and Lee exchanged looks. Neither saw the man move his lips, but they knew he was the one to speak to them. Stranger still, they 'heard' his voice in their heads…like the laughter before. Kiba decided to speak up. "Hey listen jii-san, we don't wanna hurt you, so just we'll just be on our way." He tried to take a step forward, and he soon regretted it.

He was buffeted by pressure, but he knew it wasn't wind. It was nothing like any Fuuton he'd ever run across, and he was being forced back and down at the same time. He leapt back from the pressure then immediately to Akamaru's side. He snarled as he twisted his upper body, and his loyal companion followed suite. "Gatsuuga!"

Lee shifted his stance. He was fully prepared to rush in after his teammate, should the need arise. He was also analyzing the strange technique Kiba was afflicted by. Though chakra manipulation was foreign to him, he had plenty of experience analyzing it. It wasn't Fuuton. As he was sure Kiba surmised, it was much more similar to space-time manipulation techniques, like summoning or teleportation.

He concluded one very important fact as Kiba and Akamaru were stopped mid-flight and mid-spin not three feet from Masato. They were at a disadvantage in terms of techniques. To such raw ability to manipulate time-space, neither speed nor strength was an asset.

"Yamamichi Basuto at your service." Basuto bowed, almost politely. He, however, didn't reveal his other surname. Like his siblings, Hyuuga was included in his full name, but he felt it wasn't important to reveal to the ants before him. At the very least, they may still have means of communicating to the others. With the exception of Yumiko, it was best not to reveal significant details of the family.

Shino narrowed his eyes while Ino paled. With her concentration disrupted, the bandit she had under control stopped and attempted to regain himself. Though not fond of physical contact, Shino reached out and tapped Ino's shoulder. She shook out of her stunned trance, and the bandit returned to fighting his own comrades.

Basuto smirked. "Oh, did I scare the Yamanaka?" He watched, with mild amusement, as the biggest brute on his side continued to beat up his allies. His smirk broadened as the heat in the large alcove started heating up, and he reveled as they started sweating as the temperature rose. The ground beneath the bandit grew so hot it almost shifted as if liquid before he caught on fire.

Oddly, it was Shino to break the very uncomfortable silence. "Yamamichi, you are a lesser clan primarily residing along the northern border of Fire. You mold Kazanton chakra." He did not like the implication. It meant Basuto was a master of Doton and Katon. Worse, it meant he could blend them into a potent technique which gave new meaning to the phrase 'a good offense is a good defense.'

Ino shakily looked over to her ally. "He-He just killed one of his men." She doubted another Shinranshin would make any difference. The Yamanaka clan techniques were designed to disorient and demoralize opponents. The man standing before them, a Yamamichi, instantly took away that psychological edge, and it managed to frighten her.

Shino narrowed his eyes. He could tell the blond kunoichi was unnerved. His colonies told him as much. Though it didn't show in his mannerisms, he was worried about her state of mind, but he was more worried about something else he noticed. He watched the bandits with a growing suspicion. He decided that caution was for the best and whispered to her. "We are at a disadvantage. We need to work together."

She nodded in reply and gulped. She knew she could count on him. He was calm, and he had a lot more leadership experience than her. She just hoped he had some elemental training to help them get through Basuto alive. She carefully set herself into position to launch another family technique when her eyes caught movement from the bandits.

Neji's face settled into a fierce scowl as strike after strike wielded nothing. The juuken wasn't feared because of crushing blows. It was feared because even glancing blows caused internal damage. He jumped back for the nth time to assess his opponent. His ashen green eyes were reminiscent of the Byakugan, and he only referred to himself as Saiga.

Tenten narrowed her eyes as she watched Neji. They were attempting to utilize a simple plan where Neji attack to both distract and slow. So far, Tenten hadn't the opportunity to attack. She held a weapon scroll in each hand in preparation, but it almost seemed hopeless. She just couldn't see what his eyes could.

The Byakugan revealed something terrifying. A strike to tenketsu, usually able to bring an opponent to his or her knees, was all but ignored. Saiga seemed to just shrug them off. As Neji moved in to strike, a surge of chakra covered the target point. The first time he saw it, he thought he had been successful when he saw the 'splash' of chakra as the tenketsu shut off. He quickly learned the horror.

The chakra flow didn't change, distort, or stop. Instead, he was forced to step back several times as a burning sensation numbed his fingers. It wasn't from heat his fingers were burned. Instead, it seemed to be from intense cold. Saiga smirked as he watched his opponent process the information. "Oh, I'm sorry Hyuuga-sama. Was I supposed to be intimidated?"

Neji and Tenten recognized the inflection. Their opponent was looking down on them. He turned his head slightly and nodded. She returned the gesture and jumped into the air as she unfurled the scrolls in either hand. In a matter of seconds, all manner of melee weapon was flung from a twirling dance of death. The confident smirk never left Saiga's face as he stood there awaiting what should be his certain demise.

The most boring of sounds heralded an exciting clash. Chouji swung his bulked-up arms down only to thud against a recently evacuated floor. Suichi rushed and expertly wielded his daishou as soon as his portly ally was out of harms way. As he swung his blades, Yumiko blocked with carefully timed and executed juuken strikes. Instead of striking tenketsu in his body, she struck at stress points along the blades.

Suichi's expression grew into an angry grimace as he watched the expert tactics. He jumped back to save his crying blades, and Chouji jumped right in. Both knew they were facing a Hyuuga and her Byakugan. Neither knew her name or motives. They were fighting for survival as well as the mission. They had no effective counter to the juuken, so they had to rely on one another.

Chouji returned his limbs to their normal size as Suichi fell into step beside him. They were carefully pacing around Yumiko, and she confidently smirked as she mirrored them. Suichi maintained a defensive stance as he whispered to Chouji. "This woman's dangerous. We haven't been able to get near her. Any ideas?"

Chouji shook his head and cupped his hand over his mouth, so only Suichi could see or hear him speak. "She's skilled with the Byakugan, and her juuken's not half-bad." He took a quick glance to the samurai's daishou. "She's done a number to your weapons. Even I heard them crying in pain, and I'm no swordsman."

Yumiko decided to chime in when the boys kept her out of the conversation a little too long. "Oh boys, aren't you forgetting someone?" She rushed towards them and struck out with a chakra-infused palm strike. Her smirk broadened when they dodged in opposite directions, and she thrust her arms out to follow them. A burst of chakra sent them flying halfway across the large room.

Kanaeru watched her breath condense into fog as the room's ambient temperature continued to drop. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but she was still staring down her opponent. Of course, he was still sizing her up. She decided to unhinge him by revealing a bit of knowledge revealed through her sumitsuki training. "I thought you might be Kumorigachi, samurai-san."

Daikichi raised a brow but, otherwise, did not respond. Instead, he waited for her, and he didn't have to wait long. "Though Suichi-dono doesn't show it, you can utilize your latent Hyouton." Her smirk broadened as her opponent seemed to show some agitation. "It's sad, really. Without the ability to mold chakra, you don't even compare to the mist nin." She knew about the kekkei genkai genocide in Kiri, but part of psychological warfare was getting under the opponent's skin.

To her surprise, he smirked and chuckled. "Oh, I know about that branch of the family. I hear our honored guest took care of the last of them for us." He noticed her narrowed eyes and misjudged them for weakness. His smirk broadened even as his thoughts turned to his son. "I had planned on reviving the Hyouton, but Yumiko-okamisama proved it was impossible without a strong shinobi bloodline. Even Saiga possesses only half Hyouton's capability and none of the Byakugan's."

Her eyes quickly darted from her chains to her opponent's face. He was confident enough to have not even drawn and arrow since his last attack. She waited for him to make a move and waste ammunition, but the cold he seemed to be emanating sent frost creeping up her chains. "So… He knows about Haku, and he's not concerned about any of it. Furthermore, he's more confident since our last meeting."

Kanaeru's smirk broadened, and her expression set to determination. "Well if you're not going to get this party started, I guess I will! Ninpo: Ichiban no Kyuubi!" In a flash, she whipped the mass of chains wrapping her right arm towards him. Daikichi easily parried the powerful blow with his bow and jumped back while notching an arrow. Her eyes narrowed as it screamed through the air towards her. She knew Ichiban no Kyuubi was her slowest 'stance', but the blows were powerful and should have numbed his lower arms. Something smelled fishy.

Tsume was confused. She felt like she was floating. It was an odd sensation. "I thought I felt Naruto-san and his team…and some others a while ago, but that suddenly just stopped. Now I can only feel him and two girls. What's going on?" As she processed her thoughts, she didn't notice the change in scenery.

Startled, Mori and Hishu barely managed to catch their female teammate as her eyelids fluttered and legs gave out. Though she looked like she was concentrating only moments ago, she looked to be completely unconscious as they worriedly stared at her. Kankuro rushed to his genin to see what might be going on, and he checked her pulse.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes dangerously. "No way this is a coincidence." She turned to Shizune, and her apprentice immediately tensed. "Get Inoichi in here. I want your team ready at the main gate as soon as possible." Shizune saluted and left, so Tsunade turned her attention to Kankuro. "Besides the sudden anemia, anything abnormal?"

Kankuro shook his head. "No." He removed his fingers from the girl's slender neck before mussing the boys' hair. "You did good. Now, put her down." They complied, and he turned a scrutinizing gaze to Tsume. Something was definitely suspicious. There was no reason for her to suddenly pass out as she had.

She was surrounded by an inky world of exaggerated colors, and it was overly stylized. She blinked in surprise as she noticed that she could…see. She looked around to see the world she always tried to visualize. She, like any Tomoyuki, was blind; though, they 'saw' the world through chakra. To be able to physically see, it was a new experience for her.

She spun around when she heard bare feet clap against the ground behind her. She was surprised to see a girl with pale white skin and hair and equally white, flowing robes walking towards her. Her ashen blue eyes were fixated on her melted chocolate orbs. She stopped walking an arm's length away. "I see. You're the one I sensed." She paused. "It took me a while to find you because you were so far away."

Tsume swallowed and managed not to panic. She had no idea what was going on, and she was trying to process everything. The new sensation wasn't helping her any, and she felt dazzled from sights she never thought she'd see. "Wh-Who are you?" She blinked as the snow white girl leaned in.

Rikka regarded her latest guest for a moment. She recognized the eyes like melted chocolate from her mother's diaries. "Interesting…" She stood erect and spun around before rocking back and forth on her heels. "You're a long way from home, Tomoyuki." She slowly half-turned to face the stunned girl. "I'm Rikka."

Tsume stared dumbly. She had no idea how her clan was so easily deduced. Outside of Wind, few villages really considered the Tomoyuki a true enough threat to keep track of. Even within Suna, they were a relatively minor clan. Still, her opponent knew about her clan. She decided it was safe enough to sate her curiosity. "How can I see?"

Rikka smirked, an expression startling the blind girl. "I'm of the Kagennotsuki, and this is a genjutsu." She dramatically spread her arms. "I am in control of the verticals and horizontals. You see because I desire it." Her smirk broadened slightly as the implication should sink in quickly.

Tsume stared intently at the girl claiming to be from the Kagennotsuki clan. Unlike the Tomoyuki, they were a major and feared clan of the same level as nobility. "Y-You're from Suna, too?"

Rikka shook her head. "No, otou-san is." She fully faced away from the girl with eyes like melted chocolate and walked towards an unseen destination. After she'd taken a few steps, the pale, white-skinned girl appeared to be in two other places. One was walking to a battle-ready Hinata, and the other was talking to a heated Naruto.

Tsume instinctively followed. She stopped and gasped as she watched two scenes appear before her. Knowing what the Kagennotsuki were capable of, she didn't know which of the three before her was the real one. The thought of which was real brought back something said a short time ago. "Ri-Rikka…if you control everything as you've said, why don't your lips move when you talk?"

Rikka tilted her head to one side with a broad smile; though, she still didn't turn around. "Unlike my otou-san, I've never been concerned with showing an outward appearance that resembles a 'normal' perception." She paused, and her smile somewhat disappeared. "Are you concerned with showing a 'normal' perception?"

Tsume blinked. She felt like her question was misinterpreted, but she understood where the snow white girl was coming from. The elders of the Tomoyuki clan trained the youngest generation what they could of facial expressions, so they could fit in better with their peers. However, she didn't learn what she wanted to. Sighing, she asked another question. "Why did you bring me here?"

To the question, Rikka finally turned back around to face her. "You were connected to Naruto-kun, so I was curious. Did you use the Tomoyuki blood ritual?" She watched the slow nod before continuing. "Then you know what's inside Naruto-kun." She watched another nod, but she was confused. "You…aren't afraid?"

Tsume shook her head. "I was afraid at first. All Tomoyuki fear the 'blindness' of being overwhelmed by chakra, but I don't fear Naruto-san." Despite learning the expression through practice, the sparkle of adoration in her eyes appeared genuine as she clasped her hands in front of herself. "Naruto-san showed Kazekage-sama friendship, so he saved all Suna."

Rikka was stunned silent. She never heard anything like what she just heard. She cupped her chin to think for a moment. "If Naruto-kun saved Suna, it would have to be before Gaara became Kazekage. I heard he started to change after the failed invasion. Does that mean Naruto-kun saved him then?" She returned her gaze to her newest guest. "When did Naruto-kun save Gaara?"

Tsume blinked. To her, the question was obvious. It was common knowledge, and most Suna Academy students were taught that their first year. As such, she was sure anybody in or near either Suna or Konoha would know. "When Orochimaru tricked our previous Kazekage into invading Konoha… Naruto-san became Kazekage-sama's first friend."

Rikka's face flushed ever so slightly in anger. "Orochimaru, you snake! You only told us that though the invasion failed you had tagged your new body. Were you planning on hiding how Naruto-kun practically forged an alliance on his own?" Her eyes barely widened as another thought struck her, and she slowly turned to face Naruto talking to one of her metal fragments. "No, did okaa-sama know?"

Kiba and Akamaru dusted themselves off as they stood. They along with Lee noticed the area was getting brighter. It was nearing the end of the day, so they were expecting to take advantage of the dark and the decaying eyesight of the older Masato. Kiba gave a silent command through hand signs, and the three surrounded their opponent.

Masato chuckled. "Oh, a pincer attack?" He looked at the three youths in turn. "Such ants could never hope of touching me." He folded his arms close to his body, and the light in the area seemed to dim and…gather around him. "First Hangetsu to increase the light, then Gangetsu to destroy your bodies." He smirked as he flayed open his arms and millions of points of light spread out like pins.

Kiba, Akamaru, and Lee tried to defend themselves, but the pins of light ripped through their bodies. They barely managed to hold their ground as blood started oozing from numerous wounds. Masato chuckled and shook his head. "I'm impressed. I'm a master of Mikadzuki, myself, so I wasn't expecting that to finish you off, but I'm still very impressed."

Kiba smelled his blood. He smelled Lee's blood. Worst of all, he smelled Akamaru's blood. He looked to his canine companion to see him maintaining the Juujin Bushin, and he was snarling angrily at the old man. He was a little curious about something, so he decided to ask a question to let Lee move into position. "Hey, what do the phases of the moon have anything to do with anything?" He carefully eyed Lee.

Lee noticed the ocular movement and inched his way into a better position. He figured it was best to try to attack Masato from a blind spot, like behind him. He listened to his own movements as well as the old man's speech. "I will do this, Kiba! Our fires of youth burn brightly, and we will soon prevail over this unyouthful opponent. Oh, Gai-sensei, watch over me and be proud from wherever you are!"

"I suppose most clans don't have a reason to teach their children about the Kagennotsuki clan. I imagine the Hyuuga know plenty about us, though." His smirk broadened slightly as he felt the reactions from his opponents' minds. "Oh, both these ants were placed on teams with Hyuuga. The green one was teamed with a genius, facing Saiga. The doggy one was placed with our dear guest. Oh-ho, interesting…"

Kiba angrily flailed his arm to the side. Lee still needed time, so he felt a little noise and distracting movements might work in their favor. "You still haven't answered my question! What do the phases of the moon have to do with anything?" He paused to give his next question dramatic effect, like he just thought of it. "…and why would the Hyuuga know about you crazy Kagennotsuki?!"

Masato smiled dangerously. "Ah, excellent questions both. During the great shinobi wars after the establishment of the nations both great and small, the Kagennotsuki were regularly used to defend Suna against wielders of doujutsu. The Hyuuga especially hated us because our Eiki allowed us to nullify their juuken."

Lee rushed in, using a moment of his target's overconfidence. As soon as he was within two feet of his target, he was buffeted by waxing and waning pressure. He tried to stand his ground, but he was soon thrown away. He landed hard against the mountain side after moving through several trees. He quickly bounced back, but he felt dizzy from the varying levels of pressure he was subjected to.

Masato chuckled as he slowly looked over his shoulder to watch the heavy impact. "Oh, that looked dangerous." He looked back to Kiba as if nothing at all had happened. "As I was saying, Eiki is our ability. With it, your abilities are but child's play to deal with." The light started intensifying in the area again, and Masato wore a malevolent grin.

Ino used another Shinranshin when a bandit got too close, and Basuto quickly melted him with Kazanton. She used her family technique again, and he simply rid himself of the extra nuisance. Shino watched the way the bandits moved, carefully moving his insects from one to another in an attempt to get to their opponent.

Basuto's eye twitched, a possible nervous tick, before melting two of his own bandits with Kazanton. He eyed Shino with disgust before returning his attention to Ino and the remaining bandits. She was already getting tired, and she was likely to get desperate soon. These motions did not go unnoticed by Shino.

His mind processed the information, and he carefully called out so only Ino could hear him. "He's expecting you to show weakness first." He had to be duplicitous with his words, so he thought them out carefully. "Remember that match with Sakura in our first chunin exams." It was a statement rather than a question. "If possible, do what you did then."

Ino looked over her shoulder with an incredulous look. "But I lost that fight!" No matter what anybody said, she still considered that fight her loss. Though it was a tie, the weaker Sakura managed to overwhelm her for a draw. She was friends with Sakura again, but it didn't change anything.

Shino nodded, not wishing to argue. "That is exactly why." He returned his attention to Basuto as calmly as ever. Unseen, his eyes shifted to Ino to await her reaction. He didn't have to wait long. Maybe not as intelligent as Sakura, she still had the keen mind of a shinobi, and training alongside Shikamaru didn't hurt.

Her face reddened with anger. To anybody watching, she was furious. "Ugh, how can you be so calm at a time like this?!" She placed her hands in front of her face in a circle. She concentrated for a moment before yelling more of her frustrations. "That's it! I'm ending this, right now! Ninpo: Shintenshin no Jutsu!"

"Wait, Ino…" Though obviously wishing to stop his comrade, Shino's voice was as dull as ever. His eyebrows rose above his glasses as he rushed to catch the blond kunoichi as he realized he was too late. He set her on the ground and observed his opponent to see if it had worked.

"Oh-ho, Shintenshin is an interesting jutsu, but it was foolish to use it without restraining me." He had jumped to one side as soon as Ino dedicated herself to the attack. "Now you are left alone, Aburame. Your kikaichu fear Kazanton. You stand no chance against me."

Shino furrowed his brow. "It is as you say. I stand no chance against you alone." He noted Basuto's expression become more confident. "You underestimate your opponents. I hope not all Yamamichi are like you, Basuto." His eyes fell to Ino. If the gambit didn't work, they were doomed.

The bandits rushed Shino. Unlike with Ino where they approached cautiously, they tried to overwhelm him. He fell into his fighting stance. Though the bandits were larger, their movements were clunky, and they didn't distribute their weight properly for effective strikes. He was able to easily dodge, parry, and counterattack while protectively hanging near his ally.

Basuto watched and smirked. "So he has figured it out. Those are Kazangan Bushin, and, if he's not careful, they'll liquefy his pretty, little kunoichi friend. Dance, Aburame, dance. You'll soon draw your last breath." He chuckled darkly as he watched his victims squirm to dear life. One had foolishly tried Shintenshin against him, and the other was trying to protect her.

The ambient temperature seemed to drop well below freezing, and frost crept across each of Tenten's weapons. She and Neji watched in surprise as the weapons were hit by something, spun in midair, and then dropped to the ground. They each felt something whiz past them, and both were left with cuts across their cheeks. They wiped the blood away and wondered what just happened.

Neji entered into a low stance as he faced off against Saiga once more. Tenten was hanging back, waiting for the right moment. In a flurry of motion, Neji rushed Saiga and announced his attack. "Hakke Rokujuuyonshou!" He noticed it again. Though his hits landed, Saiga showed no signs of caring. He saw the splashes of chakra which usually indicated a closed tenketsu, so he was angered when all his attack ended up accomplishing was wasting his own chakra and throwing his opponent back.

Saiga dusted himself off as if nothing had happened at all. Tenten's eyes went wide as she watched another failed attempt, and she carefully watched Neji. He was catching his breath after the assault, and Saiga seemed content to let him. As she watched, she noticed something. Their breath was condensing into a heavy fog. She knew it felt cold, but they were moving around so much she hadn't actually taken notice.

With his Byakugan active, Neji didn't see his own breath or the breath of his opponent and teammate. He felt the arctic conditions. It made matters worse that he could only see Saiga mold chakra into something, but he couldn't really see what cut them. He saw the vague outline, but his enhanced vision didn't give him enough warning to get out of the way.

He carefully breathed to collect himself. Whatever the case might be, his opponent was leaving himself open to attack. He was confident enough to not even block or parry, and he left counterattacking to when he had no choice. Neji eyed Tenten and nodded. Hopefully, the next tactic would work.

He carefully inched towards Saiga while concentrating on a powerful enough technique he hoped would overcome whatever strange defense his opponent was using. His eyes widened when his Byakugan expanded its perception, and he rushed in to strike. "Hakke Hyakunijuuhachishou!"

Neji carefully watched with his enhanced perception, and he finally came to understand why the juuken was ineffective. Saiga was able to put a coating of ice over his tenketsu before impact. His mind racing even as his attack continued, he began to unravel his opponent. Hyouton users only existed in two places within the great nations. In Housekiyama, the Kumorigachi were samurai who forsook the use of chakra. In Kiri, they were a feared clan wiped out to cleanse the land of the 'contamination' of kekkei genkai.

As he plunged into the final one-hundred and twenty eight palm strikes, he noticed something different. The ice wasn't able to cover the tenketsu fast enough. It was faltering. He pressed on in hopes of closing at least some of Saiga's tenketsu. If he could, Tenten could finish him off. He was confident in the brunette kunoichi's abilities. With the last palm strike, Neji leapt away to observe his work. He noticed, to his dismay, that he only managed to damage a few tenketsu. Not a single one was closed.

Tenten took note of the situation. After Neji's most powerful attack, their opponent was only winded. He was wiping a small trickle of blood from the corner of his lips, but he appeared fine other than that. She stole a quick glance of Neji, not wanting to take her eyes off Saiga. He was still fine, but his chakra was dangerously low. She had to pick up the slack to let him rest.

She smirked. She didn't know what she could do, but her target was at least partially slowed down. Even if his tenketsu weren't all closed off, she was confident Neji closed off at least a few. She summoned a quarterstaff and rushed Saiga. She didn't want to give him time to recover or attack Neji. She swung a horizontal, crushing blow. He barely managed to dodge and was sent skidding as his bicep was clipped.

He clutched his bicep and sent her an icy glower. Covering the wound with ice, he released it while gathering more ice to throw ice kunai at her. She spun her staff to deflect and destroy the projectiles before jumping back and entering a ready stance. Neji noticed her stance was more offensive in nature, but he knew it was more important to recover than act as her shield. She was on her own for the moment.

Chouji swung his massive arms towards Yumiko to no avail. She easily dodged. She was wary enough not to try to parry his attacks with a juuken strike. She knew his bulk, alone, was enough to keep momentum and deal a decisive blow. Instead, she concentrated on parrying and counterattacking Suichi when he targeted her.

She frowned when he withdrew for the nth time. He was smart enough not to let his daishou become too stressed. They could take a beating, but too much would cause them to snap into pieces. As a samurai and a Kumorigachi, he was well training in recognizing exactly how much punishment his daishou could take, and he retreated before Yumiko could deliver a shattering blow.

She jumped back from another of Chouji's attacks. The big boy was getting on her nerves. He wasn't as agile as she or Suichi, but he more than made up for it in brute strength and cunning adaptability. She was sure she could handle the two of them, but it was going to take time. Time, of course, was a luxury she had plenty of. She was certain Daikichi could handle the red-headed kunoichi and the armored freak. Yes, time was a luxury she had more than enough of.

The cave rattled as Chouji's massive fist embedded itself in the sheer face. Yumiko decided to take advantage of his temporary paralysis. As her fist came forward, a katana and wakizashi crossed themselves in her path and thrust her away from her quarry. Chouji shrunk his arm and returned it to his side.

She growled as she faced off against Suichi again. He threw off a perfect opportunity, and she was going to make sure he paid for that. She didn't know any of the main house techniques, but she had created her own variants over the years. Her multi-strike juuken couldn't compare to the Hakke stances, but they might put enough stress on the daishou to take the samurai out of the picture.

She launched herself into an undulation of attacks against her nearby opponent. Chouji saw what was coming and expanded his arms to dig out a chunk of earth from nearby. It was no Doton, but it was going to be enough to save Suichi's life. He threw it just as Yumiko's attacks became so fast the samurai was having difficulty tracking them.

Yumiko smiled in satisfaction as the daishou sang their own death. To Suichi, they were crying. As she was about to land the final blow, a mass of rock came between her and her prey. Not wishing to damage her hands, she jumped back before her attack concluded. Her face crinkled in anger and disgust as she watched her opponents regroup. "If I knew the Hakke stance, they would not be laughing at me!" Her angry thoughts boiled her blood.

"Ninpo: Niban no Kyuubi!" Kanaeru narrowed her eyes. The first time she faced off against Daikichi, he could barely keep up with her Ichiban no Kyuubi. As she entered Niban no Kyuubi, he was easily matching her step-for-step. "What's worse, I feel like I'm going slower than usual!" She whipped out her chain, only for him to easily block it. Her brow furrowed. If he found that easy to deal with when it was stronger, it was less of a hassle in her current stance.

Gayt stood back and watched. His mistress ordered him not to interfere. As he obeyed, he held a silent conversation with Star. "Kanaeru-sama's movements are slower than usual. The room's temperature appears to be affecting her. Is it mana?" He paused for a moment to listen to her response. "The Kumorigachi are samurai and having learned how to mold chakra. Are you certain it's chakra?" The fleck of light flashed angry red. "Very well, I'll observe Kanaeru-sama for a while longer."

Kanaeru moved around her target as fast as she could while stretching her chain out to strike him as many times as possible. While standing in one spot, he turned to keep his eyes on her and easily parried her strikes with his bow. She grew flustered and stopped for a moment. If he was going to play mind games with her, she was taking it up a notch. "Ninpo: Sanban no Kyuubi!" It was a dangerous gamble, but she felt she could risk it.

While she was stopped to mold chakra, he notched an arrow. He drew the bowstring taught as she released her chakra and called out her attack. He let loose the arrow just as she finished, and she was forced to block it. In the intermission, he drew two more arrows and notched them at precise angles.

She rushed towards him in a wide arc to try to force him to use the projectiles before moving in. When he didn't, she pivoted to sharpen her angle while wrapping her chains into a partial dome. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed how bad the frost was getting, and they widened in surprise when she heard two clinks from arrows ricocheting off her shield. She winced in pain as both shoulders were cut. The arrows' trajectory were masterfully pulled off, and she was forced to jump back to inspect her own wounds.

Gayt stood between Daikichi and Kanaeru as she lowered her shield. She wore a furious mask as she berated him. "Who gave you permission to interfere in my fight?! He is my opponent!" She winced when she tried to push him aside, and she looked at her wound again. It was a deep gash, possibly damaging muscles.

Gayt kept his gaze straight ahead, locked on Daikichi. "I cannot allow Kanaeru-sama to be harmed too greatly. I am only a kousotsu, but that only makes it my job to ensure your safety." He barely angled his head to make it appear he was talking directly to her while maintaining his gaze on his target. "Besides, I am immune to chakra, so I won't be slowed. You can't even enter Yonban no Kyuubi safely at this point."

She hated to admit it, but she didn't have the same recovery speed as either her father or late sister. She barely had a fraction of their power through family inheritance. She felt around the room and focused on Daikichi. No, she the wounds to her shoulders were enough to prevent her from using anything more than the Uzumaki lineage. "He's no pushover, and you have the same disadvantage as him. Neither of you can mold chakra, so don't assume his weak Hyouton inheritance is meaningless."

Daikichi sent his targets a glower. They were both confident enough to face him one-on-one. It was their own downfall. After their last encounter, he had no desire to hold back. He could never mold chakra, but he learned a thing or two from his son, Saiga. He learned to 'release' cold, so the ambient temperature nearby dropped quite low. It was useful in slowing down anybody who used chakra to speed up.

Because of his usual tasks, he was never able to test his new technique. He planned to use it to defeat the red-headed kunoichi before toying around with the armored hulk. However, he never saw the kousotsu, a most appropriate title, move from where he was standing to defending his prey. He wasn't going to stand for it. He notched and arrow and let it fly. He targeted a joint, a usual weak spot in armors.

Faster than the behemoth should have been able to move, he swatted the incoming projectile away with a heavy gauntleted fist. He held his arm out, and Daikichi took a step back. What kind of monster was this kousotsu? He shakily reached for his quiver and snaked his fingers around three more. He nearly stumbled backwards at what he saw.

Gayt's outstretched, right arm was glowing as very visible energy moved towards it. The fleck of light circled his hand before merging with the coalescing energy. "I am Gayt, kousotsu to Uzumaki Kanaeru. I serve the Uzumaki, live and die for them. I am freed from my eternal prison and grateful to the sumitsuki who used the Fuuin to stabilize me to that which I lost." His arm faltered for a moment as a very heavy looking two-handed sword seemed to materialize.

Daikichi regained his confidence and chuckled. "What do you expect to do with that? It's so heavy you can…" He stared in amazement as his breath was taken from him. "…barely…" He paused with wide eyes as Gayt easily hefted the sword to test it. "…even…" He dropped an arrow as the armored behemoth rested the ridiculous blade against his shoulder. "…lift…it…" He was dumbfounded, and the only noise left in the room was the arrow clattering against the floor.

Inoichi was in Tsunade's office as he was ordered. Sasame was there before he arrived, and he discovered Tsunade called her as back up. He couldn't argue with the logic. The Fuuma clan was famous for its medical techniques. Rice lost a great clan when Orochimaru wiped them out. Had they really thought they could win opposing him without aid?

He approached the unconscious Tsume and observed her for a moment. To any outside observer, she might appear in a peaceful slumber. With just that quick glance, Inoichi knew better. He turned to his commander-in-chief. "Excuse me Hokage-sama, but why not just remove the genjutsu yourself?" He knew her extreme chakra control allowed her to do something so very easily.

She shook her head. "Unfortunately, it's much more difficult than that." She indicated Kankuro. "He informs me the Tomoyuki aren't easily affected by genjutsu, and Sasame tells me it originates from very far away. Someone used Tsume's link to Naruto to trap her mind in a very unusual genjutsu."

Inoichi raised a brow to question Tsunade to continue. The blond sannin closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "It's complicated. Let's just say it was necessary to use some strange jutsu to link Tomoyuki Tsume to Uzumaki Naruto. It's nothing serious, so just tell me what you can."

He nodded and turned back to the girl. "So you're Tomoyuki Tsume, huh? That makes things easier." He placed the butt of his palm on her forehead and cupped the rest of his fingers over the top of her head. Kankuro looked nervous in the background. Eyes closed and without looking, he answered his fears. "Don't worry; I'm not going to read her mind. It's rude to read an ally's mind, anyway. Nah, I'm just going to find out who invited this little one here to a party without a chaperone."

Tsunade rolled her eyes at the bad joke. "I swear; Shikaku is rubbing off on you. Just get on with it." She watched him smirk before scowling as he concentrated. She was confident he could find something, even with his bad jokes.

He forced his chakra into the girl's body, so he could use a Yamanaka secret technique. It wasn't one he taught his daughter yet, but she would inherit it soon enough. He stretched his perception and searched through the corridors of her mind. He didn't need to go deep into her mind. He was concerned only about the present. He found what he was looking for surprisingly quick, and the smirked showed on his face.

He tried to push through the murk protecting whatever was going on, but he soon broke out into a cold sweat. His eyes flew open as he jumped to his feet. He staggered several steps back before his knees buckled, and he fell flat on his butt. He swallowed as he tried to regain his composure.

Tsunade rushed to Inoichi as Sasame rushed to Tsume. Kankuro had to force Mori and Hishu to stand back. Finding Inoichi only disoriented, she looked to Sasame and breathed a sigh of relief. The young kunoichi was leaning back letting out a deep sigh of relief. In the endeavor, nobody was harmed.

Tsunade stood with a huff. "Well, that proved to be more dangerous than I thought." She looked to Kankuro and the miffed boys he no longer had to restrain…barely. She wanted to roll her eyes and speak her mind. "If only they were my ninja, I'd teach them not to get so worked up." She locked eyes with the Suna jonin. "If you don't mind, further examination is going to require you three to leave."

Kankuro nodded and started to lead his genin out of the office. Hishu turned to Tsunade. "I can respect that you're the leader of this village, but she's our teammate from our village. You better not let her get hurt!" He strained to release enough killer intent to make her waver.

Mori was only slightly more composed. "We can understand that you are a respected sannin and Kage. However, her abilities may be outside your purview. Do proceed with caution."

Each genin earned a welt on the head from their jonin instructor. Kankuro rolled his eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry, Hokage-sama; they speak out of line far too often. Perhaps I've given them too much leeway, but they are all valuable to me. I hope you understand." He wasn't about to threaten Tsunade like his genin, but he was just as concerned.

She nodded graciously and with a bit of a motherly glint to her eyes. She had a soft spot for children, perhaps in spite of Naruto's behavior. No, perhaps he simply reignited that soft spot she thought dead from her brother and lover's deaths. "You three get out of here. We need to rescue Tsume, and we can't do that with you hanging around."

Tsume clutched her head in both ands and fell to her knees. It felt like something was trying to probe her link to Naruto before being forcibly repelled. It wasn't the probing that hurt. It was when the presence was ripped away that she felt pain wash over her. She looked up to her 'gracious' host.

Rikka's eyes seemed to glow slightly, but the light died down quickly. "Oh, that looks painful. Hopefully they won't try that again. Yamanaka have a nasty habit of clinging to minds they're invading." There was venom to her mind-spoken words when she made mention of the Konoha clan. She turned back to her newest guest with a serene expression.

"Wh-What did you do to me?" Tsume was confused. She didn't know how she experienced such pain from somebody being expelled from her mind. Then again, she never had anybody moving threw her mind. She was finding the day filled with new experiences, and she wanted nothing more than to relate what she felt around Naruto to Tsunade. It felt like that medical team might just be needed.

Rikka's smile widened. "Oh, I only protected you from a severe invasion of privacy. Who knows what that mean Yamanaka might have looked up in your pretty, little mind? Who knows what secrets he might have learned? Oh, poor Tsume…you have such a harsh life."

Tsume poorly imitated an agitated if thoughtful look as she narrowed her eyes to watch her captor. "You're afraid of him; aren't you?" She was certain the venom in her voice and choice of words recently indicated a fear. She couldn't be certain because she couldn't sense her chakra, however.

Rikka tensed, but it went unnoticed by the normally blind Tomoyuki. "The Kagennotsuki clan fears no one." She eyed the other scenes playing out. They were moving much slower, but they were bearing fruit. However, it meant her mind was fragmented between four forces now. She had to keep Naruto, Hinata, and Tsume entertained while defending against Inoichi.

"What do you want?" Naruto practically screamed to Rikka. He knew he was in a genjutsu, and he was fairly certain the girl standing before him was controlling it. She talked about him becoming her father, which he frankly thought impossible. She was blabbering on about how dirty Konoha was, and he wasn't going to stand for that. "I have precious people in Konoha!"

He blinked as he was surrounded by everybody he considered a precious person, no matter how close they happened to be. Of course, she was careful to only make those from Konoha appear. "Out of an entire city, only this many have recognized you. Are you saying the trashy city is really worth saving? You should destroy it yourself!"

Naruto scoffed. "No way! I'm going to become Hokage, and then they'll no for sure! Uzumaki Naruto is the greatest, and they'll see me for who I am!" He didn't know what was with the girl, but she seemed unforgiving and uncaring. It reminded him, sadly, of what he might have become and what Gaara was.

The people Rikka created from the genjutsu melted away, and Naruto seemed quite embittered from the scene. She carefully surrounded him with silhouettes before she spoke. "You notice the greater numbers, correct?" He nodded, and she smirked in victory. "These are the people from a single, foreign country who recognize you, and this country happens to have a smaller population than Konoha."

He was surrounded by the people of Greens and the caravan he helped escort with Hinata and Chouji. Standing right next to him was the princess who proposed to him; though, he didn't recognize her words for what they were. If he did, he'd still have declined her offer, but he did recognize the number of people was significantly larger than previous…

I loved Tsunade's reaction in the latest Naruto manga release! Faith! Show those advisory council members! Ha!

As a note, I state the the world Tsume is brought into has "exaggerated colors" and is "overly stylized". I was kind of imagining a look like Mad World or No More Heroes (both Wii titles as a FYI). In case you were wondering for a reference, you may have an idea now.

As always, reviews are appreciated, and flames outright ignored.

Story Word Count: 8,096
Story Page Count: 16.5

Terms and Jutsu:

Kazanton - Lava Element: Kazanton is a kekkei genkai belonging to the minor Yamamichi clan in northern Fire. They are considered the first line of defense against full-scale invastion against Earth; though, they also serve as a deterrent against Lightning.

Mochidzuki - Full Moon: Eiki of young, eight to fifteen year old, Kagennotsuki. It is characterized by a strong ability to link minds into intricate webs of communication. Though that skill remains and weakens as the Kagennotsuki ages, another skill does not. Mochidzuki is also able completely control a genjutsu like no master could even going so far as crushing the mind(s) of the victim(s) if the will is too weak.

Hangetsu - Half-Moon: Eiki of adult, sixteen to twenty-seven year old, Kagennotsuki. It is characterized by the loss of genjutsu control and the most drastic drop in mind-link ability. Hangetsu introduces the ability to control the intensity of light within a limited range. The range depends on the individual's strength, skill, and age. Each new Eiki weakens the control.

Gengetsu - Crescent Moon: Eiki of middle aged, twenty-eight to fourty-two year old, Kagennotsuki. It introduces the ability to turn light into a weapon.

Mikadzuki - New Moon: Eiki of Kagennotsuki in their twilight years, fourty-three to fifty-eight year old. The chakra poisoning in the body is so bad that death is inevitable after this Eiki. Mikadzuki introduces the ability to affect pressure through a limited distortion in time and space, making it similar to teleportation or summining techniques. To some extent, a Kagennotsuki living long enough to attain this Eiki is controlling gravity.

Ninpo: Shintenshin no Jutsu - Mind and Body Change Technique: Though dangerous, Shintenshin is a low level technique with heavy tradeoffs. If it misses, the user is left defenseless for five minutes. If it succeeds, the user has complete control of the victim.

Kazangan Bushin no Jutsu - Lava Clone Technique: A very high level technique, Kazangan Bushin creates humanoid replicas of any victim a Kazanton user has defeated in battle and melted. As such, the user cannot actually make clones of himself, as with most other Bushin no Jutsu. Kazangan Bushin are very resiliant and take fatal blows to die. They even leave behind bodies when defeated; though, they can crumble away at the Kazanton user's will.

Hakke Rokujuuyonshou - Eight Divination Signs, Sixty-Four Palms of the Hand: Besides being a mouthful, this high-level juuken stance is capable of closing off all tenketsu. Hakke Rokujuuyonshou is capable of rendering the victim nearly unable to move let alone fight.

Hakke Hyakunijuuhachishou - Eight Divination Signs, One-Hundred and Twenty-Eight Palms of the Hand: A true mouthful, Hakke Hyakunijuuhachishou is among the deadliest techniques of the juuken. This technique could condemn the victim to a painful death.

Ninpo: Sanban no Kyuubi - Ninja Art: Third of the Nine Tails: The user gains even more speed while losing more strength. The user is still only able to control one Fuuin in this stance.

Ninpo: Yonban no Kyuubi - Ninja Art: Fourth of the Nine Tails: The user gains significanly more speed with a significant drop in strenght. Yonban no Kyuubi is dangerous for how quickly strikes accumulate rather than damage through brute strength. The user can utilize an additional Fuuin in this stance.