DYNAMIC UPDATTO: and so it continues with the "long awaited" chapter of "Those…". Took me over a month to finish, but it's finally here, walking prouding alongside NNG and LoL. Enjoy!

Finally I've managed to finish this chappie. I must admit it proven to be a bother and overall didn't end up the way I pictured it, but albeit the feeling of being a tad rushed, I'm actually quite happy with the outcome.

As always I wish to thank everyone who sacrificed their time to review this tale. But, just like with NNG case, I'm a bit worried with the number of response I got and so:

IMPORTANT: this is a note to all you, dear readers; somewhat of a favor I'd like to ask. Now, I know a lot of you read the tale and don't review (or normally don't for whatever reason). I can accept that, BUT with as little free time as I'm recently experiencing and quite a load of problems on my head (which I won't bore you with) I REALLY need to know that I'm not writing this story for myself (mostly, coz there are reviewers). So the favor I'm asking you is that, even if you normally don't review, at least THIS ONCE leave a comment so that I'd have the general idea how many people are actually interested in the story, coz if the response will be minimal, it is highly possible this tale will be again put on hold, deemed "not worthy of sacrificing my precious, free time at the moment"!

With the above said, lets get down to 'business':

Chapter #14: Sound Barrier

Title Page: casino: Toramaru is playing poker with the dealer, easily winning, while behind his chair Naraku is 'cheering' and Buryaku is sleeping, resting her head against the table on the boys' chips

Teigo rolled to the left as tiny bones struck the spot he stood on just a moment later. As he came to a stop, Hakkotsu was already near him, thrusting his spine at the man's heart. The former sound-nin reacted instantly however, placing his melody arm in the way, blocking the assault, yet the impact still pushed him back as the tip of the 'spear' pushed against the protector.

The two broke off, giving the masked shinobi a bit space, but before he could use the fact, the white-haired ninja appeared behind him, swinging his spine horizontally. Allowing his instinct to take over, Teigo ducked, dropping to all fours as the spear whistled above his head. Quickly he twisted his hand, marking the ground, barely managing to do so before receiving a kick in the stomach that send him sliding.

"Pathetic" stated Hakkotsu, patiently waiting for his opponent to stand up. "This isn't the best you can do. I know it. Release it! I wish to test my strength against that power. Even you must've realized by now that is your only chance of survival. The only reason I have not landed the finishing blow is strictly because I want to see THAT again…"

"Like I'd release it for the likes of you" the former sound-nin shoot back with surprisingly calm voice. "Please, I have no need of such things to bring down someone of your level. Since the time we last saw each other, I've learned a few, new tricks. And this is the end" he announced, bringing his hands together in a seal: "Doton: Ishi Funbo!"

In a flash four, stone pillars shoot from the ground, connecting with one another high above. Taken by surprise, the white-haired man froze even as spikes shoot to the sides, forming walls around their prisoner. Finally, with a quiet 'shit' the Oto ninja ran to the thin opening. But it was too late; the walls have already shut.

As the dome closed, Teigo performed another seal, his face as cold as stone. Immediately the tomb shook as the technique got activated, loud rumble coming from the inside. As the noise stopped, the former sound-nin dropped to his knee, air escaping his lungs much quicker then he'd want: "Damn… I guess using that technique without Hakai still takes too much out of me. Well, doesn't matter. It's ov…" but before he could finish a new noise came from the trap.

In the next moment Hakkotsu jumped right through the roof of the dome, blasting few pebbles aside as his face, twisted in fury, turned towards his adversary. His clothes got ripped while tens of cuts now decorated the white-haired man's body. He huffed a few times as he landed, far from gracefully.

"You little shit" he cursed through clenched teeth as Teigo stared at him blankly. "You think something like that would kill me? What insolence! Now I definitely cannot let you live! This is your end" he proclaimed, bringing his hands into a familiar symbol: "Second seal… op…" yet also he did not finish as a hand suddenly grabbed his wrist.

"That is enough, Hakkotsu" announced an ordering voice, making the Oto ninja narrow his eyes as they shifted to a new arrival, a man around his age with gelled-up, black hair, tied with a brown headband. His green eyes gazed coldly at the bone user while his face remained stoic. He was wearing a brown, sleeveless top with wristbands in the same color and baggy, grey, military pants. A long spear was hung on his back with holes in his palms completed the look.

"What are you doing here, Himei?" the sound-nin demanded with accusation in his tone.

"Relax, I have not come here to steal your prey" the arrival responded calmly as he glanced at the masked jounin. "I am here merely to rely new orders. We are to head back to the hideout immediately. The preparations are complete and so the ritual will be starting soon."

"Fine… just let me kill this one here and we'll be on our way…"

"No" came a reply as stern and yet as emotionless as possible. "We are to return immediately" he underlined the last word, giving the bone user a glare. "These are Kabuto's instructions. You have wasted all the time you had to play" and with that he turned to the leaf-nin again: "You may consider yourself lucky this time around, Teigo. Your life has been spared, if only for a little while."

"Is that so?" the man responded, slowly rising to a standing position. "Looks to me you're hiding your tails and head for the hills" he teased, his hand cautiously going for his hostel. But Himei was obviously not amused: "Think what you wish… we both know what the reality is. You will die soon. That is a fact. Even if it's not by our hands, it'll be due to Hakai. This is the fate you've chosen."

"No. In that regard, I truly had no choice at all" Teigo shoot back, narrowing his eyes, but the gelled-up ninja didn't react. In stead, it was Hakkotsu that cut in: "If it's the ritual, shouldn't we at least get the Uchiha brat? I'm sure Yobiko…"

"We're going" the man cut him of and then disappeared. The white-haired shinobi merely cursed under his nose before performing a seal of his own and followed in his footsteps, leave his opponent with a premonition: "Until next time… if you survive that it…"

"They never just leave" the masked jounin complained as his eye twitched. "Always have to say something" he whined, allowing himself a sigh of relief. He felt like sitting down, but just as he was about to execute that action, another thought appeared in his mind: "The brats!"

And with that, he took off...

-That time, another place-

"Doton: Ishi Gooremu no Jutsu!" Ganjou called out with the last seal, making the ground shake as stones got lifted from it. In a flash the rocks bounded together in front of the mysterious figure, forming a humanoid creature almost twice the human size.

The giant instantly swung its left arm in a hook, aiming to punch Yobiko, thus forcing the sound-nin to flip back. As the first attack missed, titan's second hand went into motion in a horizontal swing, this time making its target duck under the assault.

The Oto shinobi had no time to celebrate though as the golem's left arm came again, now from above, in the attempt to crush the man. Quickly Yobiko jumped back and once the fist collided with the ground, he charged forward, running up the hand with his chopper ready. Upon reaching the giant's head, he cut horizontally, forcing sparks from the spot of impact and a terrible noise. Instantly he jumped off the monster's shoulder as its right hand came to grab him: "Thick skin, eh?"

The moment his feet touched the ground a strange sensation hit him, forcing the sound-nin to strafe left right before a stone spike shoot to the sky from the very spot he stood on. Coming to a sliding stop, he noted Ganjou appearing behind him with an axe in his hand: "Haven't forgotten about me, did you?" he asked, swinging the weapon downwards, the blade aimed at the Oto jounin's neck.

Yobiko instantly dropped to all fours, making the assault miss by mere inches and spun around, his choppers already extended outwards. But as the attack connected, a loud clang echoed through the forest while another blast of sparks erupted: "So, the armor too" the sound-nin concluded, retreating. "This is gonna be bothersome."

Meanwhile both Naraku and Buryaku were astounded by the view before them. The kunoichi felt her body freeze as the man they fought just a minute ago now somersaulted over the golem's fist, sending a barrage of shuriken at his mysterious opponent, who didn't even bother to dodge as all the knives bounced off his armor: "This is so unreal" she thought, the grip on her fans tightening. "Such speed and agility… there truly was no way for us to win against that guy. This is a real battle. A battle on jounin level!"

"When you guys are done marveling, how about digging me out?" Toramaru's voice suddenly reached her ears, making the girl turn around, towards the head of her blond teammate, which was still the only part of his body above the ground.

The young Uchiha complied and sent his hands into motion, tossing the dirt aside. The speed he did so with however left the white-eyed boy feeling there was much to be desired: "Are you trying to tick me off? At this rate it'll take forever! Use Kage Bunshin!"

"Can't" the other teen responded simply without stopping. "I'm nearly out of chakra after such a massive cloning from earlier. You'll have to bare with me" he announced calmly, to which Toramaru merely sighed.

Yobiko crossed his choppers, blocking the axe that dropped upon him, pressing the sound-nin to the ground. Immobilized, the Oto ninja could only watch as the golem came from behind him, readying its massive fists. In a desperate maneuver, he swung his weapons to the sides, releasing a scratching sound as they scourged the surface of his enemy's blade.

The cacophony was enough as he quickly expelled chakra, pushing it through the holes in his choppers. The tiny air current created by the sudden move grew in strength instantly, allowing him ti rise the volume of the noise, bombarding Ganjou's ears with vibrations. As his vision blurred and body shook, the stone-nin's attack went off course, his axe sinking into the ground just besides its target.

In a flash Yobiko spun around, thrusting his blades forward. Buryaku's eyes widen as the air vibrated, blasting at the giant and hitting it straight in the torso. He powerful sound wave smashed the monster's rock-hard skin, drilling a hole in its chest, forcing the titan to take a step.

The creature recovered quickly though, resuming its offense with a downward punch, to which the sound-nin's face twisted in anger as his hands meet: "First seal… open!" he called out, easily deflecting the fist with his chopper.

This threw the golem off balance, giving the Oto jounin the opening he needed. Immediately he jumped forward, swinging his other blade at the giant's neck, cutting it clear off the monster's shoulders. As the massive rock hit the ground, the rest of the body shivered, shattering into tiny pieces in a concert of rumble.

"With a single stroke?" Ganjou thought surprised as he slowly regained his balance. "And to top it off, just now that sudden surge of chakra… it's just like the one I felt earlier. Can't worry over that now; if he was able to bring the golem down, my Stone Armor won't do any better. Can't afford to get hit anymore."

As on queue Yobiko dropped from the sky, bringing his choppers down. The armored warrior easily side-stepped the attack and swung horizontally, forcing the saund-nin to cover his back with the flat of his weapon. The instant a 'clang' reached his ears, the Oto ninja twisted his other wrist, thrusting his other blade back where he assumed Ganjou was.

The mysterious fighter dodged the assault again though by spinning on his foot and once he found himself back to back with his opponent, he launched an elbow to the back of Yobiko's head. The Sound shinobi reacted immediately, ducking under the attack and twisting his other wrist, now placing the sharp edge of the chopper that covered his back towards Ganjou.

With a swift motion he made the weapon turn 180 degree by tossing his hand forward, thus forcing the stone-nin to jump back in order to avoid the swing. This gave the Oto ninja enough time to turn and charge his adversary, tips of his choppers aimed at the man's heart.

Coming to a sliding stop, Ganjou had no way to dodge the assault, thus acting on instinct, he decided to block. A fatal mistake; as the choppers hit, the force put behind the push allowed the blade to go straight through the axe and pierce the armored shinobi's chest, going out through the stone form's back.

Both combatants froze for a moment before Yobiko threw his hands to the sides, literally splitting his target in two. A wicked smirked appeared on the sound-nin's face while his hands were still extended to the sides; a smirk that vanished a moment later as an all too familiar voice filled the air: "Ishirou no Jutsu!"

In a flash ground circled around his legs and shoot up, grabbing his arms. Before he could react, his body was trapped within rock-hard binds, immobilizing him completely from the neck down: "What the…?"

"Stone Prison Skill" announced a figure that kneeled behind him, one of its hands sunk into the ground. This man had medium-length, black hair, made into dreadlocks and a pair of hazel eyes. He wore brown robe with thorn-off sleeves and an Iwa hitae-ate around his forehead. "It's actuality a variation of Water Prison; the user still can't move after executing the technique, but he can trap anyone, as long as the target remains earthbound… like you…"

"How did you get out of the armor?" Yobiko questioned calmly, looking over his shoulder.

"Kawarimi" came a response. "You only destroyed an empty shell. And now this fight is over" and with that he reached for his hostel, unleashing a barrage of shuriken at the sound-nin. Yet before the projectiles managed to hit their target, a blur stood in their way, deflecting them all as well as breaking the stone binds on the Oto shinobi too fast for Buryaku to realize what happened.

"Seems that you're still too inexperience to wear the name of Twelve Tunes proudly, Yobiko" stated the new arrival as he gazed blankly at the chopper wielder. "I must say I'm disappointed. Three brats and a guy who's already one foot in the grave. Kabuto won't be pleased" and at those words he turned towards Ganjou, whose face was now covered in sweat. A moment later the stone-nin covered his mouth to cough, but Toramaru still noticed crimson liquid sticking to their savior's palm as he pushed the hand away.

The one who came to Yobiko's aid was surprisingly a boy, seemingly their age with gelled-up, purple hair and completely black eyes. A black t-shirt with a thorn-off left sleeve covered his chest, while a pair creamy, cargo pants, decorated with silver chains, were tied around his waist with a belt with a skull in the middle. Many, strange rings of various colors on his fingers and a black, snake-like tattoo going down his uncovered arm completed the look.

"I've come to take you back" he announced to the sound-nin; a statement that certainly was not to Yobiko's liking, but before he could even try opposing, the boy stared at him, making the man merely nod his head in agreement. The new arrival then turned towards the three gennin, stopping on Naraku: "So, you're the young Uchiha, eh? I'll admit I was picturing you as someone more… frightening. Well, I suppose the least likely can be the most dangerous, but… this day is full of disappointments."

"Who are you?" Ganjou demanded, getting back to a standing position. The boy glanced at him with something as a surprise showing on his face before replying: "I'm nobody important really. And do not worry: I have no come here to fight you, even though considering your past I probably should. Another day perhaps…"

"And what can a brat like you know of me?"

"Lets me ask you this: does the name Mabui ring any bells?" the newcomer responded, making the stone-nin's eyes widen. The boy remained stoic and turned his back towards the confused shinobi: "Thought so. Move it, Yobiko" he ordered and in an instant the two were gone.

The Iwa jounin only lowered his head, his eyes narrowing at the memory: "Mabui… but that brat…" and just then he remember he was not alone: "Are you kids alright?" he asked concerned, turning towards the young gennin. The boys nodded weakly at the question, yet Buryaku was still suspicious: "I'm sorry, Ganjou-san, but please, explain yourself. While you do carry the name of our contact, the arrangement was that we meet up in a village south from here. This brings a wonder what are you doing here?"

"Careful bugger, ain't ya?" the stone-nin responded with a smirk before replying: "While I waited for you guys, I felt a powerful, chakra release around this area. Precaution dictated to investigate, but before I could actually reach the spot, I ran into you. Noting that you're from Konoha, I assumed you were the ones I was supposed to meet. With that, do you really believe I could've taken any, other course of action in order to complete my own assignment?"

The kunoichi still scanned the man suspiciously, yet spoke up calmly anyway: "Fair enough" and as she said so, another figure came into view, landing in the middle of the battlefield. As the masked arrival glanced around, his eyes settled on Ganjou a bit surprised, while Toramaru walked over to the newcomer: "You're late, Teigo-sensei..."

-The next day-

"Thank you again for the assist, Ganjou-san" Teigo bowed before the stone-nin slightly as they were saying their goodbyes. "If it wasn't for you, those brats would certainly die" he added, much to Toramaru's annoyance, whose eye twitched from anger.

"I already told you there's no need for that" the other man assured him with a smile and a sweat drop. "Surely, if the situation was reversed, you'd do the same. Besides, I owed you one from all those years back… now you can consider us even. And anyway, if it wasn't for that abnormal chakra I felt, I doubt I'd be coming, so all of it was more or less a coincidence..."

"To think Hakkotsu opening the first seal was actually the thing that saved us" the masked jounin looked to the side with a quiet frown. "You gotta appreciate the irony... but it's not like that will make me feel any better. Essentially, I could not match him... and if he were to go all out, I wouldn't be standing here right now. With this, I..." but he never got to finish the thought as Buryaku interrupted him: "Is something wrong, Teigo-sensei?" she asked a tad concerned, to which the former sound-nin gave her a surprised glance.

"Nah, I'm fine" he replied, recovering his stoic expression. "We should be heading back..."

"Yes, I should be on my way as well" Ganjou nodded, but then turned towards the three, young ninja. "But you guys are actually pretty strong. I certainly hope we'll get to meet each other again, possibly so that I could test the strength of my own gennin against you three..."

"Wait, you're leading a gennin squad also, Ganjou-san?" Naraku questioned surprised, to which the stone-nin only smiled: "Naturally... though I doubt we'll have a sparring match any time soon, seeing as our villages aren't allies. Well, someday maybe..."

"Most certainly" responded Toramaru with a smirk, gaining their savior's attention. "But you better train your students hard, coz when that day comes... we'll be a lot stronger" he proclaimed, making the Iwa jounin return the smirk: "It's a deal then..."

And with that the group said their goodbyes. The white-eyed boy took note of what Ganjou said, but this time around he decided to let that slip. Obviously there was more to their sensei then meet the eye. Much more. And he was going to find out everything in due time. Now just wasn't the moment.

They went on their way back to Konoha. The trip proven to be uneventful, but none of them doubted their adventure in the Stone Country was merely the beginning of something else... what they did not know was that back home, a new challenge awaited...

-one chapter ends… and another begins!-

And that's it for now. Hope you liked the closure of the mission arc. Fear not: any questions that appeared in your head over the course of this task will be answered in due time. You just need to be patient. And coming up: the triumphal return of the rookie gennin as the Chuunin Exams are nearing. Old and new enemies appear before Toramaru, Naraku and Buryaku!

Naturally, if you wish to know more of it (coz, as you know from my NNG I won't be making a simple copy of the manga's exams… new tests will be put before the young gennin), I ask that you review (in reference to the important note from the start of the chapter). Also, here's the usual, jutsu translation:

Doton: Ishi Funbo (Earth Release: Stone Tomb)

Ishirou no Jutsu (Stone Prison Skill)

And this concludes this installment. Hope you had fun reading and that you'll review before leaving. Thanks for stopping by. Peace out!