Rain fell in his face, but he didn't notice. It rained too much in his old home to notice. Instead he noticed the pain. It made his knees buckle and arms hang from the sore feeling. It made his breath shaky and he held it steady, raising his weapon.
The rival shinobi Mitsukai struck again, swinging his swords at lightning speed. Kenpatchi dodged again, slipping on the wet tiles. He found himself pinned down on the ground with a thin blade near his neck so close the slightest movement would make a huge cut!
"Hey umm…."
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't slit your throat." Mitsukai dared, glaring down from above.
"Well…I could use some help. Can you tell me how to pick up girls?"
The dark-haired ninja almost moved his sword and stepped back. Was this guy for real? Was that cocky grin on his face serious or just an act?
"No…"
"Why not?"
"Because, girls are a waste of time. We are missing nin and a relationship doesn't matter to us. You should take any hopes of getting a girl and drop them right now."
"Oh come on!" Kenpatchi yelled, "You have a girlfriend! What about that pretty brunette that was with you? The one with the genjutsu!"
"She's not my girlfriend."
"Oh…" His green eyes flatted, "Then I take it back. She wasn't that hot."
"I know. You still haven't given me a reason."
"How about I've done nothing to you!" His voice rose to pleading again.
"You're in the way." The sword came down and nicked at the neck. Before it could further, Kenpatchi's eyes flashed dangerously.
A green flame like material shot out of the red cut. Mitsukai gasped and shot back as the chakra climbed up his blade and crawled across Kenpatchi's body. "Hey buddy!" He yelled. His lizard came running and knocked the opponent flat on his back. He looked up behind the dragon, eyes wide.
The man was glowing! Green chakra covered his body head to toe. Behind him a bright green tail of chakra swooshed back and forth. He laughed out loud, as though half believing it himself! "I finally mastered it. You're the first one to see this. This-" He pressed his foot down on Mitsukai's chest, "-is my clan's greatest jutsu!" He grinned widely, "Chakra Tokage Hensei (Chakra Lizard Formation/Metamorphosis)"
The green chakra was shaky in movement as he struggled to control it. That didn't stop the burn of its touch as Kenpatchi dug his foot deeper into Mitsukai's chest. Rough claws of chakra formed at his finger tips.
"I have no reason to hurt you." He said, "I can't do this long, so lets just talk it out before I hurt you."
'stupid' Mitsukai thought, "Do you really think the girls are spending their time talking right now?"
"Hey, it's very possible." Kenpatchi shrugged, softening his press a bit. "They could be becoming best friends right now."
"Fuck you, bitch!"
Purple energy pulsed from Yuu's hands. Not real, but it might as well be with all she was going to that blonde bitch! How did she know! She had eight clones exactly like her running in different directions when she caught up! She should have chased one of them! But somehow she knew they were all fake.
When the time came to follow one, the blonde stopped and watched them run. Then she turned and looked up. Straight up into the tree that she was hiding in!
"How did you know where I was!" Yuu screamed.
"I asked myself where I would run if I was trying to escape. Where would be my best bet in this city?" Natsuki answered. She held four sharp senbon in her hand and aimed them. "I realized my best bet would be not to take any chances. I would hide and stay in my spot, guaranteeing that my opponent followed a clone the wrong way. Then I could escape in the opposite direction."
The needles were thrown and Yuu hissed as they sunk into the side of her out. She yanked them out, mumbling "Great minds think alike I guess."
Natsuki drew her giant scroll out, ready to summon. "I want my money."
The alleyways of the prison were dark both day and night. Amaya had no idea what time it was, just that it was sometime late into the night. She gave a small yawn and thought of her team. They had been split up like a compass: north tower, west wing, east wing, and south entrance. Isamu had been particularly upset with the setup. She was expecting to be with Kurai. Kurai, however, agreed with the arrangement and Isamu's arguments ended there.
Amaya herself was in the west wing. Her black boots clicked against the floor as she headed to the entrance to the wing. The clicks were echoing it was so quiet. The prisoners were too far away to hear her and they all seemed to be asleep. Maybe if she left for just a bit she could check the time and see how much longer her shift lasted.
She stiffened. Did she hear something? Another guard?
"Can you smell him?"
"Not long distance but I can track him now."
"Which way do you think he is?"
"Turn left up ahead."
Left. That lead to the west wing. Her wing! She drew a few kunai and hid behind a wall.
The shortest one went ahead, followed closely by some animal. It growled lowly as he got closer and she recognized it as a bear. "Kitai..." the growl was so low she couldn't hear the rest.
Next thing she knew, a red headed man was beside her, sword raised. She blocked with the kunai in her hand. A second sword from Kitai came down and sliced at her side. She fell over.
"Let's go! There could be more! We can finish them off when we have Brom." Kitai said. "Hurry Sora!" Sora and the bear ran off ahead, followed closely by Kitai rushing up.
Amaya groaned and sat up, blood leaking out of her abdomen. She clawed the wall and used it to pull herself up. She kept reaching. Where was it? Her hand pressed against glass. She formed a fist and broke it. Then she reached in and pulled the handle.
BUUZZZZZ BUZZZZZZ BUZZZZZZ
The alarm echoed through the dark halls. Bright red lights, let up, illuminating it. Kurai, Ayumi, and Isamu looked up and ran. They met in the center. Kurai took charge. "Amaya sent that alarm. West wing."
She and Ayumi ran. Isamu sprinted ahead of them. "Amaya!" Chakra flowed through her veins and her blue eyes shining. It glowed at her finger tips and took a liquid form.
"Shit!" Sora sprinted, Kitai coming closer and passing him. The new girl was on their tail, pulling water straight out of the air!
"Raining Nail Jutsu!"
A sharp shower of water came crashing toward them. Kitai was the last to turn the corner. He heard the rain come crashing into the wall behind him. It sounded like metal!
"Sora, you know where he is, right?" He yelled ahead.
"I know! I can track him easily from here!" The bear answered for him.
"Go and get him. He can help break us out. Sooner he's free the better! I'll hold them off!"
The two ran ahead without bothering to reply.. Kitai doubled back and charged at his attackers.
The pigtailed girl shot her water at him again. Her white teeth showed in the dark, appearing very fang-like. He dodged the water again, jumping up and landing his feet on the metal wall. He looked around for something he could use against her. She didn't seem like close-combat type, which meant he was screwed if he couldn't get close to her. And there was no way he was getting close with water being shot left and right.
He shifted around, dodging the nails thrown at him. He spotted a dark figure, holding herself up using the wall. It was the girl she attacked, the blindfolded one. It was slipping off. He wondered for a moment why she didn't just take it off and use it to cover her wound. Her hand went to a second glass covered switch, identical to the one she had pulled to start the alert.
"Don't!" The other girl shouted loud over the buzzing sirens. "That one pulls down the gate! We won't be able to get backup!"
Kitai's red eyes flashed and the girl released her mistake, covering her mouth too late. Kitai rushed over and kicked the gothic kunoichi out of his way. Blood from her injury splattered onto his boot, making him wince. "Sorry." He wrapped this hand around the lever and pulled down.
Ayumi and Kurai saw the gate closing ahead of them. The movement added more noise to the wailing alarm system as the ceiling came down to the floor to seal off the west wing. "Don't slow down or we won't get through! Sprint!" "Hai!"
The two girls sprinted ahead in a mad dash. Kurai dunked down low while running and Ayumi summersaulted, making it under just in time.
Jiro and half a dozen Kumo-nin came up to the door a moment later. "Dammit! What was the point of that!" Jiro cursed. He turned to one of his men. "Gather up all the forces you can. Keep the prisoners in lockdown, but give them minimal protection. I want to stage an ambush. The gate has to open eventually. There are no other exits. When the intruders come out, they'll be arrested instantly."
"What if they use a bomb, break their way out?"
"Impossible. The walls were built with chakra seals inside them. Even if they could, boarder security will alert us."
"What about the Konoha shinobi inside? If Konoha finds out we just left them in there-"
"There is no way to get in!" Jiro snapped. "We tell Konoha the truth. They ran in on their own without waiting for orders from us. What happens to them from here we have no control over..." Jiro closed his eyes for a second, imagining all the grief and law suits he might have to handle if those girls didn't make it. He hoped they were as strong as they claimed they were. His eyes opened.
"What are you all standing around for? Go!"
Ayumi found Amaya on the floor and ran up to her first. The blindfold was off and she looked up at her for the first time with golden eyes. "I'm sorry...I failed."
"No, you did great." Ayumi was no medical ninja- she was absolutely no master at controlling her chakra they way they did- but she took Amaya's blindfold and used it as a bandage. It stained red at contact. "You were able to alert us when they got here and now the wall's closed so they can't escape. That was a huge help." She tied it as she spoke. She hoped she had done it right, at least enough so it won't be infected.
Amaya closed her eyes. "Thanks Ayumi...kick his ass."
The brunette stood up guarding Amaya's body. "With pleasure." She said taking out a scroll. The intruder in sight was a red head, in the middle of a battle with Isamu. She pressed her palm against the scroll and summoned a bow. She drew back the string and muttered a jutsu. Fire shot out of her fingers and formed an arrow aimed at them. "Isamu! Duck!"
Isamu dodged out of the way as the flaming arrow shot at them. The intruder was not so lucky. Fire shot through his clothes, burning them away and turning his skin black. "I think there's two more ahead!" Isamu shouted as her foe was distracted. "They ran ahead to Brom-san's cage."
Kitai suddenly looked at her shocked, as though his wounds didn't exist. "Brom! You know Brom?"
Ayumi took the chance to fire another arrow. It was a direct hit and Kitai tried to bat the flames away to get them off, screaming loudly. "He's after that Brom guy!" She said, vaguely remembering the tall man. Come to think of it, it was probably this hall he was down. "I'll hold this creep off! Go!"
"Let's go." Kurai said to Isamu, dashing ahead. Isamu tailed behind her.