In their pursuit of Shikamaru and his team, the party of Argies Ages, Hakari Kessho and Amoroto Shizukana, suddenly stopped in their tracks. The level of chakra in the air was thrilling. There was no need for hand signals, no whisper, and no not any other instruction had to pass between the three in order for them all to stop. They knew whatever was ahead of them was the enemy and that enemy wasn't trying to hide their massive power, for surely who could oppose such a force.

"Chouji!" Argies blurted on seeing the single Genin face a giant monster of an opponent. It indeed was a Sound ninja, nonetheless not even Shikamaru could have predicted that they could be this strong. The magnitude of the sound ninja's chakra caused the hairs on Argies arms to stand on end, sweat dabbed his forehead with doubt as he looked to his team who looked back with a question in their eyes, 'What do we do?'

Evaluating Chouji's opponent, the sound ninja appeared inhuman with a dark charka augmenting his body and eyes, Argies froze for a moment for what could they do? He isn't the brilliant strategist that is Shikamaru, however he is Chunin. He doesn't know his team mates as well as he wishes he could, many of their abilities a mystery to him, although he is their leader.

What could he do? An inter-village ninja leading other inter-village ninja, he was like a blind dog chasing its tale, but for the ninja of the Leaf and for his fellow inter-village ninja he could not stall his mind with self-deprivation, as now his heart burnt hotter than ever before.

"What do we do?" He asked his peers as a rhetorical question, and then he himself answered. "We will not let Chouji die!"

…

Gaara of the Sand commanded the desert like his sister could command the wind, it was effortless for them to take the grand forces of nature and wield them like an open palm turned into a fist, however the opponents they faced were far superior. With skill alone that could match the raw powers of nature, and with their chakra chains they could drain and disarm the beast inside Gaara.

They were ANBU with white unmarked masks, however it was evident by their gear that they were indeed Sand ninja. Fuma Takadatsu, Genjuu Ashigaka, Taka Tomoe, Arisu Inuzuka and her wolf hound Katsumi, all deliberated whether they should join the battle but with Gaara of the Sand caught in the binding of the white hot chains and his sister and brother barely holding off the attackers, there was little time for them to stall before it became too late.

Spreading her wings wide, apathetic and magnificent, Taka made her decision "There is little point in discussing this matter if Gaara dies in the process, I say we save them, while Gaara is caught in those chains. Then we can decide if they are friend or foe."

Genjuu with his mask pulled down and his smile ghastly grey, ghosted his words. "I say we attack both sides, after they have killed each other and all that is left is the wounded." The source of his ever present smirk, now made him seem a foe rather than a friend.

Arisue looked around at the people accompanying her on this mission, at what madness she had signed on to, before looking to her hound in grinning agreement. "Katsumi and I are both up for the challenge, we are ready to face the enemy no matter how strong they are"

It was left to Fuma to make the final choice, with their minds spread out on even plains but at equal opposition to each other, Fuma considered each of their views.

He knew that Genjuu's choice was the safest tactic, to let your enemy and your ally fight to the death and rush in to save or kill what was left, however their allies had likely already seen them and if they weren't enemies in disguise they surely would be after. This tactic was betrayal and he could not agree to it.

Taka's choice was wiser. Acknowledging that the enemy and possible ally had seen them, but also realising that nothing is so plain in the heat of war. This tactic was two faced and he wasn't sure of it either way.

Arisue and her hound's decision was brash, to simply rush into battle without any consideration as to who was an enemy and who an ally, the purpose of which was to test one's self and hope that your strength was greater than that of any foe. Was a question of chance he wasn't willing to risk.

Finally making his decision he imparted his wisdom so that each might understand his choice and through that insight their actions in the battle field would likewise reflect his intention.

"It is said, 'To come to the aid of an ally before trouble starts, will lead them to blame you for not doing enough, however to leave them to their fate and then rush in to save them, will earn their grace and blessing' For this reason I agree with Taka. We should save them when they are at their weakest, for to help them in strength would put us at the mercy of their displeasure"

"Alright then" Arisu cracked her knuckles and her fingernails came out of her hands like claws. "When do we start?"

"I would remind you one further wise omen, 'Promise me you will all try your best to survive this mission' for these are the words of our Commander Argies and I do hope you all abide by his teaching"

With that he hoped to quell the fire in Arisu's intent, and yet it did burn her so until that fire became an inferno. "Oh I'll survive, you can take my word for it" she gritted her teeth and whispered "If only to wipe the smug smile off his face"

…

Argies plastered his face with his half smile as he listened to Hakari's harsh whispers. "What kind of an order is that!?" While Chouji battled the monster they now knew as Jiroubou. "We asked you what to do and all you say is not to let that fat kid die! Of course we won't but that is not any kind of a strategy, that is just wishful thinking, so what the ninja chop sticks do we do Commander!" she called his unsaid title as an insult.

"I'm not fat I'm big boned!" Chouji Barrel rolled Jiroubou again, who merely swatted the chunky kid away.

"Great now you've given away our position" Hakari jumped to a new location and so Argies and Amoroto followed her lead.

"What me, but I didn't…" Argies defence was cut off mid-sentence by the Konoichi taking charge of the situation in his absence of tact.

"Hold on I've got a technique for this" With a few quick hand movements Hakari formed a barrier, in seconds a prism of translucent pink crystal surrounded them. "This will hid our location from both chakra sensory and sight… I think" Amoroto and Argies looked at her not saying a word. "It also makes a good shield and as long as we stay out of direct light no one can see its reflective surface"

"Oh so like the worst possible jutsu in the world?" Argies rebuffed.

"Oh yeah? I don't see you or Amoroto coming up with anything" Her voice echoed around the small confines of her crystal dome, while the battle outside shook the branch they crouched on as the trees rattled to the impacts.

"I've…" Amoroto shuffled around looking for his pray seals and writing paper. "I could write a song?"

"We are totally dead" Argies monotone "I question this missions success and all the choices leading up to this mission because they led me to this point. I wish we went on that mission now, the one we rejected for training instead. Clearly we learnt nothing about each other's abilities in the time we spent together."

"I suppose that was my fault." Hakari admitted without sarcasm filling her breath. "It was my idea that knowing each other's abilities would only weaken our team and make us easier to pick off in attack." Placing her hand on Argie's shoulder, she confronted him with the truth of it. "Sadly regardless of how true that may have been it also means as team captain you have no idea what you are doing."

Taking a breath Argies let out his strain. "Oh fine… Amoroto what song do you have for us today?" The boy in question had scribbling down lyrics for the spell he would sing, beginning his song in his head far before their argument had begun.

"I think Argies san, that you are wrong." Argies smiled to Amoroto's words, another attack on his pride, yet he was smiling with hopeful inspiration for the words Amoroto would say next. "Our holiday training was far more vital than a simple mission, and we did learn more about each other and ourselves." Whipping out his scroll and enchanting it, the parchment shimmered in blue light. "What I learnt is that my supportive jutsu does not need me to love the people I inspirit, but because my team supports me I can find the love I need to inspirit any jutsu with the friendship in my heart."

Opening his mouth in the glory of his voice. The echoes of pain that shed from his life magnified the power he felt in friendship, and that friendship extended far beyond his circle of friends to the boy Chouji as the chunky Genin's life flashed before his eyes.

…

Jiroubou's words circled in Chouji's head, 'Your team just left you behind to die, just like my team left me, your friends don't care about you so why do you pretend that you are willing to sacrifice your life for them'

Was he right, did Shikamaru just abandon him?

'You should run and maybe I'll let you live. Go back to your Village and live another day, cry about how all your friends died, but don't stand here in front of me and expect me to believe you are willing to die for them'

In Chouji's heart he confronted his conviction, to save his friends… if they really were his friends. Could he really swallow that last pill that would mean his life was forfeit, could he do that for the friends that left him behind or his comrades in the trees hiding from the opponent he now face alone?

'Come on give up, you will never be able to defeat me, all you do is buy time in sacrificing your life for the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Can't you see how pointless it is. Even if you do kill me you will likely die and for what, so that your village can retrieve one ninja that doesn't even want to be a part of it. Don't you see the only thing of true worth in this life is power, hatred for the ones that wronged you, and the anger that drives you to kill. Even if they were your friends they could never give that, it is because they call you fat, because they don't value you, that is what drives you, that is your true strength. It is not friendship but your hatred that keeps you standing!'

'He is right' Chouji finally decided. In all his training, with his team and among his fellow peers, he could only press on because they called him fat. 'I don't have any friends and although I have a crush on Ino she would never return my feelings because I can't compete with Sasuke, so why should I now sacrifice my life for him?' Shikamaru who he thought was his friend, just through him away as the Shogi piece nobody wants. Argies and his other comrades, do not want to stand on the same battle field with him because they know he will lose. 'Sakura only asked Naruto to make that once in a life time request, so why should I die for a promise I never made.'

"I won't…" Suddenly, just as Chouji was about to make his final proclamation, a butterfly glided into his view. Its wings singing a melody of sounds that triggered memories, it revealed the truth. "I won't let you kill my friends!"

…

"Great job Amoroto" Argies slapped Amoroto's arm in congratulations as they watched Chouji take the last possibly fatal pill from its container. "I don't know what Chouji is eating but my guess is that he will be ok from now on. You guys seem like you have it handled here, so I'll be going."

"Argies san, though my inspiritment empowers Chouji I'm not certain that it is enough." He held his arms up steadily, feeding his scroll chakra now that his song was sung, the strain evident. "Are you sure it is wise to leave so soon?"

Hakari equally questioned their captains sense.

"I can't waste time here, I would just be in the way." He looked to the distance, to where the other teams might have gone, before turning back to his own team. "Hakari, continue to shield Amoroto until the medical teams arrive. I have faith that Chouji can beat this guy, besides, we aren't allowed to intervene directly. I'll go ahead and find out where the other teams are."

"How will you do that?" Hakari, unlike Amoroto, held no strain on her face. Holding up her crystal prism cost her no chakra to maintain, only to form. "You aren't a tracker, you will need me to show you where they went."

"It will be slow progress but I'll manage" Argies flashed his half smile. "After all I've been watching you… ha and I said I didn't learn anything about my team. Now how do I get out of here?"

Touching her hand to the back end of her prism Hakari melted away the crystal like ice. "Don't worry we won't be far behind you, just don't do anything stupid ok."

"I'll try but no promises"

…

Their chains scorch like frost burn, their white heat subduing all my demonic energy. If only this brat would tap into my power, like before, before he developed a subconscious and dirty mortal morality. The monk that seals me laughs in her cage, I might be born from her ashes but I am a far fiercer beast than her divine heart could ever hold. It is this boy, however, who tips the balance in my favour but ever since the Chunin games and that fox demon brat. I have been on the losing end of the balance of power between good and evil.

If I could force Gaara to sleep, then I the one tails Shukaku would be able to go ramped on these Lion ant ANBU fools, "Sleep is better than humans" but no matter how much I whisper that into his mind he will not fall asleep.

To feed his mother's sand blood has become detestable to him and now his existence is no longer fuelled by death but by friendship. It will still take him long to fill every body sacrificed in my favour with a friend that could truly trust him. His brother and sister only exist as his companions through fear, no one would ever come to his aid out of kindness not even his own Nation.

What is this?

No, not more Leaf ninja!

They will ruin all my plans and all my work moulding him into a vessel of my bidding. "No, sleep Gaara before it is too late, Sleep is better than h…."

…

Yes Gaara my son, now is your chance to become more than a demon container. Shukaku's power won't be suppressed for long, but I know that you will always hold love in your heart as long as you remember the friends you have in the Leaf. Know that I, your Mother, love you son, I loved you even before you were born. That is why I sacrificed my life so that you might live in harmony even with the demon in your soul, because your Sand isn't just a weapon but the embrace of a Mothers love for her child. I will always be there for you, to protect you from harm, and to love you forever.

Now go and show your love for this world, show them how fiercely you will fight to hold on to those who love you; Naoki Yamane, Naruto Uzumaki, your brother and sister. Fight for the people who are willing to fight for you, who love you, defend those who are weaker and most of all… lead by showing your Father as I have shown you, true power is love and love alone.

…

I approached the scene, the sight of webs and amber arrows scattered around as they were flung in a battle long passed. Now the remainder of which, laid strewn to the ground. Neji was pierced through by a long clear amber arrow and far to the distance from which it came I could see the half-eaten body of the sound ninja that shot it. There on the forest floor and all around me, where beady eyes reflecting the leafy green and sparkled sunlight that caught me in their sight. Tens of dozens of puppy sized spider-lings surrounded me both above and below as I walked along the grass covered ground to Neji.

He is alright… barely, but I wonder what could have eaten the body of the sound ninja like that? His face and the multitude of limbs that made his body, had been melted away and reduced to a liquid puddle of human flesh and blood. Whatever it was couldn't have just disappeared, and it must have been big, its appetite would mean Neji was next on the dinner plate so where is it… and why haven't these spider-lings attacked me yet?

Then I saw it… dangling down from the tree tops overhead, the giant mother spider had me right where she wanted me. Her fangs dripping with venom and acid, she hissed and her Spider-lings all jumped at once in attack.

…

Their threads trailed behind them as they caught in flight, all descending on Argies. Their ploy was not to bite him with their venom but to trap him in silk so that their mother could devour him whole. However Argies was not about to give up his life without a fight, and with Neji at his feet he could not move from his spot without exposing his wounded comrade to defeat.

The spiders all landed on him and consumed by webs their lives were at an end. "Ninja Art, Density Cloud Burst!" The air pulsated with his chakra, and like the sudden bang of thunder all the spiders were knocked off Argies and Neji. They were thrown with such force that spiders splat against the trunks of nearby trees while others were knocked momentarily out of their senses. The spiders-lings collectively shrieked and scattering in fear as their mother fell down from her thread, yanked by the push of Argies technique.

…

The mother spider was not happy, her legs tapping at the ground as she prepared to attack. "Gentle Dance!" I summoned up my defensive technique by name, because what I'm about to do is so stupid and dangerous that I'm not sure simply activating my evasive jutsu is enough to survive it.

I leapt up and cast my Kunai out, keeping the creature pinned in place simply by frightening it. The spray of my Kunai not harming it but herding it into place. Gravity caught up with my leap and I began to descend at speed, there is no turning back now, I crashed on the back of the mother spider.

"Blood Siphon Jutsu!" I yelled pressing my hand against its thorax and prayed to the great Kami that this will work. I have never tried absorbing chakra from a creature. For a while, with my hand pressed against it, I felt nothing happen as it skittered about. The mother spider violently thrashed and ran head first for a tree, but instead of crashing in, it climbed up. I steadied myself with the tree walking technique, and refused to let go or release the hold of my blood jutsu.

Now completely upside down the spider began rattling its thorax and spitting up acidic venom.

"What is it doing?" I asked myself before I could smell the bandaged padding on my shoulder burning. "Shippuden!" Looking down I saw Neji, he was in danger too. The spit up acid fell like puddles from the sky. "What a pack of wolves" I gritted my teeth and then like a bolt of lightning a thought flashed into my mind. "Second Fundamental Principle of reality, Sun penetrates. The container of fire accepts only chakra and pours out penetrating fire!" I abandoned my blood jutsu and cased my hands in to the container seal of fire and the hand sign of phoenix. Quick as a flash the Fuuinjutsu seal appeared on the back of the spider and so I poured in my chakra before dropping from the soon to be flame ball of insect!

"Come on Neji, you got to get up now" I landed with a thud and lugged Neji's arm over my shoulder as I tried my best to drag him though a safe path, away from the puddles of acid and the spider that was about to fall. "Come on you horse fart, work you shippuden seal!" It was not a moment later after I said this that the spider's exoskeleton shrivelled as steam escaped its breath, it was boiled from the inside out. "Sun penetrates… agh" I realised. "Not a fire ball but lunch… yeah I'm not touching that" The spider burst in a chakra puff of smoke, back to the summons realm along with all its spider-lings. "I don't look forward to seeing that guy again"

"You have progressed well…" Neji hunched at my side, he had regained consciousness. "Since the Chunin games. Now you are competent enough to face my gentle fist for real, I should never have underestimated you two"

"Yeah I found it pretty strange Hinata ended up in hospital for a month whereas Naruto and I merely had a check-up. "

"Hinata, I wonder if she will ever forgive me… if I'll ever be able to make it up to her…but it is too late for that now."

"Hey, I'm here, you are going to be alright. Neji? Neji!"

…

The ANBU were too fast for Taka's speed, too strong for Fuma's strength, and too agile for Arisu and her wolf hound. While attacks were darted, and jutsus of all kinds ripped through the air, I set up my traps of the shades of the before. My wisped grey breath adding to the spell as I call forth the spirits of my dead parents. The life force leaving me as more death enter the world through me, I felt the power of the shallows fill my bones and ignited my breath with energy.

"Antecedent's jutsu; hollowed souls!" With my proclamation met to the air, the shades I could see in the other world burst forth into their reality. Like a cloud of pale grey the bright brown hue of the desert and scorching sun, turned to the bleak reality of my jutsu as the world around us turned black in a blaze of smoke and charred earth.

Whirling in a vortex of pain, I brought their most accursed fears to the surface and make them reality.

"It's some kind of Genjutsu" One of the ANBU said, which is what they always say but my spell of contempt is not a lie, my enemies merely wish it was.

Spitting out steal and their white hot chains in a mad attempt to harm my shades, one of the ANBU caught hold of Taka dragging her down to earth by her legs. The chains caught around her and their weight and draining spell proved too much for my team mate. I looked to Fuma for help, but he was struck too, the chains making his metal skin soft as kunai slid in.

"No!"

I watched helplessly as my teammates were being taken by death and dragged into my spell of the shades. If I cut the spell the ANBU would be free of my trap and my team would surely die, and yet if I keep muttering my curse my friends will be dragged to death too!

Suddenly as if heaven broke through the gloom of my own wicked darkness, a storm of sand cut between the path of my friends and the ANBU. It was Gaara and his sister's fan in combination, casting my aspirated breath away and releasing the ANBU, and there I saw them. Trapped in the metal and wood workings of Gaara's brother, these un-alive puppets could pass unaffected by deaths grasp through my spell, and so it was.

"Gaara of the Sand" I whispered my pale breath, opening my hands to show him I was at his mercy. "Thank you for saving my comrades" I placed my Fumen back on least more of my spirit leave me, and my already white hair turn grey. I looked to Arisu, her and the wolf hound looking ready to bite but it was Gaara's decision if we lived or died. We could not beat him, certainly not now with my team injured.

"I have something for you" His voice wheezed almost in warning. "Take these chains as a present for saving my life" Using his sand he lifted the chains from the Desert and presented them to me, I was not about to reject his offer. "They are a special metal from the Sand, they freeze chakra when you feed them your own" Turning to the ANBU his brother had captured he lowered his raspy voice on them, folding his arms. "Go, report back to the Lion ant Foundation. Tell them you failed to kill our friends of the Sand and that I will return." The ANBU refused to say a word and with their chakra flickering out of existence they left us to our mission.

I ran over to my friends, 'Fuma, Taka' I only hope their injuries are not life threatening!

…

"Where is Amoroto?" Argies looked behind Hakari for his answer.

"I had to leave him with Chouji, I thought you might need the backup" Hakari's turned her head, her hair swinging in view of all the spider corpses that lay in Neji and Argies wake. "All this was from one enemy? Well I'll defiantly be joining the next battle." Her radiant smile shining light on the wounds on Neji's abdomen, diminish Argies worries. Neji sat with his back rested against a tree while Argies looked him over. "Amoroto was able to use his inspiritment jutsu to stabilise Chouji's injuries, when the medic team meets him he will be able to join up with Neji and do the same."

"Good" Argies gulped, his voice subtle as if not to wake Neji, he began the process of bandaging Neji's side using the shreds that were left of his own shoulder bandages. "I'm not sure what state he is in, but let's hope it is safe to leave him here. Shikamaru and the rest of the team will likely be in this same sort of trouble. We don't have time to wait for him to recover."

"Argies your shoulder?!"

"I'll be fine, it is an old injury, the spider venom didn't help but it always kind of looks this bad" He smirked his half smile to the deep scars on his right shoulder, now exposed.

Nodding Hakari came closer, hunching down to inspect Neji's injuries. "His heart beat is steady, and it isn't dropping" she said with a hand pressed against his wrist. "His pupils aren't dilated, he probably wasn't exposed to any of the venom" she analysed after parting his eye lids. "…and his temperature seems normal" she completed her diagnosis, giving her final assessment. "The worst he has to worry about is bleeding to death, I think it is safe to leave him."

"Hakari, where did you learn all this?"

Standing up and offering Argies her hand, Hakari lifted him up saying. "While you studied all the poisonous herbs of Tensue's book, I read up diagnosis and treatments. You're not the only one that reads in the night"

"Wait, Where you spying on Amoroto and I? This means you were in boys sleeping area!"

"Pfft, says the guy who looked through the divide"

"But I had to…"

"Ha! Sounds like something a guilty person would say"

"…"

…

We left Neji behind and made our way ahead. With Hakari leading the way we were able to make quick time, she had no problem tracking our way through the thick forest at high speed. It wasn't long before we could hear barking in the distance, Akamaru!

We nodded our heads in conformation before jumping down into a ravine, making our way to Kiba's white dog and hopefully there we would find Kiba too… alive.

"Argies, what are you doing here?" He gritted his fanged teeth while he faced off against an opponent with two heads, he seemed to be doing pretty well with no injuries to call for.

"We have been sent as a backup team" Hakari and I joined their either side, Akamaru barking in appreciation. "Where is Shikamaru and Naruto?"

"I had to take this guy so those two could go ahead" He tilted his head at the two headed sound ninja in question before reassuring us. "Akamaru and I think we can take him, so far he hasn't had any surprises we couldn't handle."

"Remember Kiba, these are Sound ninja." Hakari offered a bit ominously, and I have no idea if she has ever encountered them before.

"Hakari is right Kiba, Neji and Chouji are both out of the race because of these guys… along with a large group of Chunin who are all dead because they didn't see the surprise coming until it was too late." I throw Kunai and paper bombs at the target of our discussion, mere distractions until we knew its capability, so far it hadn't made a sound or given us any information as to who or what it was. Just those creepy heads, how was that even possible, Orochimaru was a nightmare medical ninja if he could even be called that.

"Hey don't worry about me, Akamaru and I have surprises of our own." Kiba pointed a thumb at himself, I wonder if he gets his ego from Naruto or Naruto from him? "We can handle this sound ninja, you and Hakari just go ahead. Trust me, there is no way this guy is prepared for what we have been training for."

I chuckled, staring at the ground. "Yeah that is just like you, famous last words, but I'll give him one more shot before Hakari and I go!" Looking over Kiba and at my team mate, Hakari confirmed with determination as we each spun out an attack. "Impact Density Punch!" I yelled trying to punch the guy, while Hakari yelled out her own Jutsu in turn.

My fist passed right through the ninja's face and through again the head on the other side as I came out of my attack rolling. Hakari's crystal likewise passed right through the sound ninja like he wasn't even there to be hit. I called back over my shoulder as Hakari and I made our leave. "Still think you can handle this guy?"

"Yeah…"

…

"Ninja chop sticks Kiba, you idiot…"

"Still worried about him Argies?" Hakari leapt in bounds alongside the Blood ninja, they knew where Shikamaru was and so they broke from single file pursuit to discuss whether they should go back to help Kiba.

"It doesn't matter" Argies looked away from Hakari's kind eyes, feeling his own emotions about his friend conflict with his desire to push ahead. "I think at some level Kiba knows we wouldn't be of any use and even if he thinks he is going to die his the type of guy who would rather see us escape to safety than have us join him."

"I think you are wrong" Hakari continued to jump forward, not looking back at the sad look on Argies face. "Kiba is a tracker, he was simply removing our scents from the equation so that he could better target his opponent."

"Let's just hope the Sand ninja arrive soon, along with silver, White and grey." He pressed his words out, just like he forced back his emotions, struggling to admit how much he felt like he was betraying Kiba by continuing on. Then he said as if whispering to himself "We have to keep pushing ahead, there is no point in regretting something that hasn't happened yet."

"Alright then" Hakari agreed, slapping her hands together. "Hopefully the next ninja we face is one we can actually touch"

Her words however did not sit right with Argies as they made him think back to Kiba "Yeah…" he grumbled struggling with self-contempt.

…

I flew up high giving direction to our party and taking the weight off my injury.

My legs were injured in the battle between Sand and ant lion, the apparently secret division of the Sand village. Gaara let that much slip in relating to use that his own nation had been trying to kill him ever since he was six years old. What a claim, from any other ninja I would dismiss his words as a boast but from him all I could see was sadness. The monster who loves only himself. Now I could see why someone like him could be so cruel, which made me appreciate his kindness all the more. What I had heard about him and what he was, they were a reflections of divided worlds. Yet I knew this was not because one story was a lie, that his cruelty was a myth, but rather than he had changed.

His misery no longer ruled his actions but did that forgive him from all the wicked things he had done? I suppose it is not my place to judge. Our clans are the ones that made the decisions which fall on us before we can even understand what is normal. To him the fact that he had never felt pain meant that he could never understand the pain he caused others. Which equally meant that no one could love him, both as a demon container and as a boy who held no sympathy.

For me, my clans rituals meant that I have eyes to see and yet I was forbidden from seeing such sights with my eyes alone. We like Gaara's heritage, had a darker lesser known teaching. That the more we remove ourselves from humanity, and human thinking, the stronger our wings become. Only my grandmother had achieved such heights, the strongest of our clan, and as such she secluded herself in a cave in guard over our family secret jutsu. The last time I saw her she warned us that she would eat any human that dared approach her, but someday I'll have to confront her and learn of our family ways.

…

Though Shikamaru's position was muddied by echoing reverberation.

Argies and Hakari found him with ease, the snap of branches breaking and trees crashing made it evident where Shikamaru and his opponent were. Even the birds that escaped as their roosts were felled, gave an aerial direction to the crack of shattering trees.

The more prominent question in their minds was not to where they were going but to what they were about to enter?

Still with one comrade now potentially dead because he had abandoned him, Argies was not about to let Shikamaru face his opponent alone. Hakari likewise was not going to let the opportunity to punch someone, pass her by.

"Amoroto, Shikamaru!" Argies jumped forward while Shikamaru and Amoroto jumped back from their attacker, the air filled with the clang of steel on steel as Argies made true on his commitment to help. The Giant of a summons was blindfolded, leaving only a mouth and a massive club spiked with metal to accompany the huge creature's form. To the demonic summons, Argies was nothing more than a Nat. The blood ninja with his whole body, hardly matched the size of the summon's club alone.

"Watch out for their ethereal tongues!" To Shikamaru's warning, Argies tilted his head in conformation leaping back from the monster, "Just one touch and they can absorb all your chakra" but then his eyes widened at this new insight.

Hurdling away from yet another attack, he cast off kunai hoping to shred right through its tongue. Only to be surprised by another demonic creature, equally as big. "How many of these things are there!" He yelled, his second volley of kunai exploded taking the club wielding demon out.

"There have been only three so far." Shikamaru Kneeled down, his hands in a concentration seal, with Amoroto at his side providing the best protection he could. "From what I can tell, there is no point in trying to disable and kill them. I know it is a drag, but she summons new demonic beats every time they are injured." As he said this a new club wielding Demonic beast had been summoned.

Hakari threw several crystal shards, concentrating her fire on the monsters gut. "Shuppiden, that think looks exactly the same as the last one!" The crystals began to vibrate before exploding, killing the creature in question but no sooner before it was replaced again. "Sweetness, well that was an epic fail, seems Shikamaru is right. There is no point in trying to kill them."

"Chouji and Neji are on their way back to the Leaf" Amoroto informed the group. "Sensei Tensue says that they are in a critical condition, I used up a lot of my chakra keeping them alive" He rained Kunai down on the demonic beats as he spoke, but the effort in his attacks were sapped by the stern nature of his voice.

"Does this mean there is backup arriving?" The hope in Shikamaru's voice was feeble, and for good reason.

"We don't know, now where is the sound ninja in this equation?!" Argies yelled through the chaos of high impacts and near misses all around them, keeping his mind on the mission and not their fragile hearts.

"Working on it." Hakari and Shikamaru both said in unison.

"Hmm, sure just leave me to it… body guard duty" Argies unsealed his reel of wire with explosives attached. "I'll keep them off as best I can, but a little retreat every now and then might come in handy for your good health." He smirked a dreaded half smile getting to work creating a barrier between them and the endless supply of the enemy.

In the back of their minds a flute solo played a soft melody of unnerving pattern and technique, a soul stripped of her emotions until rage was her one consuming passion. The picture of battle a performance played out for her pleasure in match to the spell of sounds she composition, her enemies final song.

…

"Blood mist Jutsu!" I ran out impacting a hand print in blood against the club wielding summons, but before I could use my blood burn Jutsu the creature used its own club against itself. "Agh, this is so frustrating!" The body I was standing on puffed away out of existence. "They kill themselves whenever there is the slightest chance you can take advantage of their immortality!" I landed only to jump out of the way of another attack. "I don't think we can keep this up…" my words cut short by yet about attack.

It was left to Hakari and I to keep the monsters back while Amoroto and Shikamaru formulated plans and Hakari using her crystals pin pointed the Sound ninja's location.

"The most important thing right now Argies" Hakari voiced landing on one demon and narrowly avoiding its ethereal tongue. "Is to keep them away and find their misters. The real threat is her, these demons are just a distraction." As she darted another attack Hakari's voice boomed powerfully and for a moment I recalled her ninja spirit, at the gates of Konohagakure shouting orders in the face of death that lied in the wake of the beastly brothers. She would not let any scene, no matter how grizzly, any difficultly, no matter how challenging, contest her spirit… and so neither should I.

"Alright then, but I'm not using anymore Jutsus until we can apply them all to her" I could hear the sound of the flute playing, although the destruction made it hard to hear, still I quested. "How do you know it is a her?"

"Found her"

"Argies, Hakari, Amoroto!" Hakari and I leapt down to Shikamaru's location, now that he had formulated his plan and Hakari had found the Sound ninja, all that was left to do was collaborate.

"What is the plan Shikamaru?" I throw off kunai and paper bombs. It was easy to target the huge hulks of demonic energy, our main problem was keeping them permanently dead.

Shikamaru formed a circle of shadow around us, so that even if a demon got that close it would be captured by his Shadow Imitation technic. "The plan is for you and your team to get out of here"

"What?" Instantly I thought of Kiba, Shikamaru is trying to sacrifice himself too. "What is wrong with you!"

"This mission is to retrieve Sasuke" With his hands held in the rat seal formation, his voice was indifferent and shallow even as his eyebrows narrowed in concentration. "By breaking off to help me you have gone against the mission's parameters"

"My Mission is to help you!" The sound of demons and my team defending against them, faded out as I narrowed my vision on rage against Shikamaru's decision.

"It's a drag I know it Argies, but your mission isn't to help me but the mission its self, and that mission is to retrieve Sasuke"

Is this what it means to be a ninja, to watch your friends sacrifice their lives while you continue on with the mission they died for? "What a pack of wolves, I cannot accept this! You know what will happen if we leave, why not strike at her now while it is four verses four?"

"If you leave now you can still catch up with Naruto, trust me Argies, I know it is troublesome but the sooner you complete your mission the sooner you can come back for me." With this said he used his shadow possession to take control of one demon and attack the sound ninja directly "leave!" He told us, the sound ninja dispelling all her demons in order to survive the attack. "I can hold her off until you return now hurry!"

"Come on Argies san, the way is clear"

"…"

"You silly goat, you said it yourself 'We have to keep pushing ahead, there is no point in regretting something that hasn't happened yet.'"

I turned to Shikamaru one last time and spoke solemnly, eye to eye. "I don't need you to be by my side, to tell me that everything is all right. I just wanted you to tell me the truth, you know I would have done that for you…" Feeling my emotions overcome me I let in an unsteady breath as tears welled up in my eyes. "We might be the ones leaving now, but it is you who is running away. Shikamaru you better be alive when I return, because you are leaving a lot of people behind"

…

"As steadily as this mission progresses" Argies called to his team, with their footsteps only limited by the trees they could reach. "The more I realise each challenge is greater than the last." Sniffling he wiped his hands across his eyes. "We will not be able to beat the next ninja, just like we couldn't bet the last two."

"What do you propose we do?" Hakari's crystal now only the size of a head, resting against her back, her reserves low.

"Well, we can take our soldier pills" Argies offered with little optimism. "but it is likely that will do us no good"

"My Song style jutsu took a lot of my chakra to maintain" Amoroto confessed his limits. "I've already taken my soldier pill and it is not what I expected. My chakra reserves did not increase, it merely focuses your chakra to be used more efficiently while making your reactions faster. It is a little unnerving, you feel jittery and tense. I would not advise we take this course of action." His ninja spirit shining through, with reality knocking hard on them all.

"Maybe we do not need to attack?" Hakari's feet whacked against the side of a tree as once again they sprung forward. "Argies, it is not about bashing the bad guys. Like Shikamaru said, we need to focus on the mission and then we can come back to help them. What is this mission, to save Sasuke, so if we focus on that alone and forget everything else… then once completed we can come back to complete the outlining duties and save our comrades"

"Placing the lives of your friends secondary to your mission success. If this is truly the way of the ninja, then I can see no purpose in it. To call myself a ninja, and then commit to letting my friends die. I could never let that be a part of me."

"Argies san, duty is far more important than the life of a comrade." Argies shot the younger ninja a stern scowl, but the song singer staring forward in his determination to continue on. "This is about the Village. You are weighing the lives of your friends above your duty to a whole Village. Can't you see, if every ninja had to pass personal feelings before the welfare of their mission than no assignment would ever be completed. This is why assignments have parameters, and your parameter is to save the mission not your comrades."

"Even though I disagree, there is little I can do to stop the sound ninja on my own. I wish I was stronger so that I could face these challenges my friends face now. I fear I'm not powerful enough to help anyone who truly needs me, and like now, I merely have enough strength to watch my friends slip away into memories"

Argies thought of all the ninja he had sacrificed, the people he should have saved and yet he was too weak to prevent losing.

Kazumi his friend, his inter-village companion, lost forever in the world of infiltration. She could no longer call any place home or a person friend, and in some way Argies knew this was his fault. If he had learnt to protect her from herself, her owl spirit, they could have grown together to become something more than ninja bound to the Leaf.

His Aunt and Uncle kept prisoner by a secret organization he had yet to face. They were here in the Village while he was away, 'if only I was with them' he thought to himself. He would never truly know if their fate could have been spared if only he didn't betray them with his absence like he betrayed Kiba and Shikamaru now.

Lee his training buddy, and how far he had fallen since facing Gaara of the Sand. The spirit of the Leaf would never be the same to Argies, now that their power of youth Genin was destroyed. His enthusiasm along with his ninja career, shattered, and in a way this was Argies fault too.

Like the spark of lightning at night, turning the world into day for a split second, Argies was struck out of his dark thoughts by Hakari. "We are coming up on the enemy, so keep your mind in the present and focus on this mission!" Her hand print still burning red on the side of Argies face, he simply looked at her, dutifully conformed she spoke. "Comradery is more than just whining about how you wish you could save everybody, it is about being around for those who are left in the absence of those who are lost."

…

My heart lost a beat to Hakari's words, and in that I remember her mentioning that she lost a brother during the invasion of the Leaf. In all my internal conflict, I forgot about them, I was thinking only about myself. That this wasn't my decision to make and it isn't my pain alone. Shikamaru, Kiba, they have given up their lives not just for me but in their absence they have sacrificed their families and all their friends. They have cut those connections to save them, in the end they suffer the greater lose because they lose everyone they know as they give in to defeat… for the Leaf.

Sacrificing their lives so that we can continue the mission, and I will not make that sacrifice in vain by sulking over their commitment to the Land of Fire in honour of all they love.

Breaking free of the forest and into a clearing, I saw something I did not expect. There in front of us was not Naruto fighting a sound ninja, but…

"Lee!" I Jumped down landing a kick on my decent against a foe who had bones for armour. "How are you…?" I asked in disbelief and In unison we leapt back, away from the Sound ninja covered in bones that protruded from his body in all directions and yet he did not seem to be in pain.

"Remember the thumbs up Argies" Lee held out his hand, the thumbs up, the place where we are connected through my blood mist ability. "I promised you I would survive the surgery"

"But…" Caught speechless Argies let his mind reflect to that early morning as he made his way to the Hokage's office. "You couldn't even walk a flight of stairs this morning and now you are…" Suddenly the sound of bone on glass sounded.

Hakari stood before them, shielding them with crystal from an attack by the bone armoured ninja. "G you think you guys could find some other time for this conversation? This isn't exactly the right place to spill the beans on your life's details…now help me spill enemy blood instead?" Bashing the sound ninja with her crystal, it was a marvel to see the small Konoichi over power the man they faced.

"Right!" Lee and Argies confirmed, their voices sounding high pitched to Hakari's sudden show of force.

…