Chapter 16: No Second Thoughts

After spending the last two days trying out the tree-climbing exercise Ayako's confidence had improved to the point where the Glacial Drop seemed like a non-issue for her. Even with the steep, icy fall whose base was completely cloaked in mist, she kept her wits about her. Shoryu and Reizo walked by her side at all times; if she lost concentration and slipped one of them would save her, though she was determined not to let it come to that.

After a quarter of an hour's descent the three ninja passed underneath a great, shadowed arch before finally slipping down to the Village Hidden in the Glacier. It was exactly as Kazuya described; a bleak, snowy valley with a bitter chill that ran through it like a dagger. Yet there was beauty here that he hadn't mentioned before. Something about the swaying cherry blossoms, chuckling rivers and swirling mists displayed an odd serenity in such a harsh and unforgiving environment.

Unfortunately the looks they received from the people were about as cold as the village itself. Folk peered out of their windows with judgemental stares and samurai flocked together in packs of six to appear more intimidating. Clearly the word had been put out not to attack any more ninja, and clearly many samurai resented it.

Of course none of this seemed to bother their intrepid sensei. Reizo walked right up to the fattest, meanest looking samurai he could find, who stood with his arms crossed as he chewed on a toothpick.

"Hey there. I was wondering where we could find Kazuya?" the Jonin asked with a smile.

Violently the samurai spat out the wooden toothpick to the floor, right by Reizo's feet. His actions were so sudden that Ayako could've sworn she saw Shoryu jump a little. Eventually the nameless samurai jerked his head in a vague direction down one of the many pathways. "Waterfall," he said, making no excuse to hide his hostility.

Just when Ayako thought her teacher couldn't get any bolder, Reizo took a step forward, smiled even wider and gave the samurai a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"Cheers," he beamed. With that, he set off down the road with his two students in tow; Ayako heard the samurai curse to himself as he brushed off his armour where the ninja had touched him. The three headed through a patch of mist and passed by a field, filled with five women and two men labouring over what few radishes they'd managed to grow. Behind them an endless cliff of ice reached up to the sky, broken by tiny cracks where the wall leaked tiny streams into the village. Some were big enough to form small waterfalls; one of them lay right next to the farm they crossed, and to little surprise Kazuya was sat at its base.

With his pants rolled up past his thighs and his shirt discarded at the riverbank Kazuya remained cross-legged underneath the six foot wide waterfall with his eyes shut. At first it seemed like he was sleeping, but the peculiar stillness of his body and the flakes of ice that ran down the river told them it must be the same meditation he practiced daily. Ayako shot a worried look to Reizo; clearly he was as uncertain as she was; should they disturb him? If they just left him then how much longer would he take?

Apparently though, Shoryu had other ideas in mind. Before his sensei could correct him the boy collected up a snowball and lobbed it as hard as he could. Kazuya's eyes flashed open a mere instant before he was struck. His right hand left his knee and caught the ball perfectly.

"Very funny," he said, speaking loud enough so that his voice rose over the steady crash of the waterfall around him. "You'll never hit me with one of those, not ever."

Shoryu laughed as he reached the river's edge. "Hey I was testing you! I had to make sure that whole hyper-awareness thing you have going on didn't go stale while I was away."

Kazuya got to his feet and strode out of the waterfall, perfectly still despite the intense cold Ayako could feel radiating from him. He dried his long white hair with a towel before looking around to find his sleeved shirt, still talking as he searched. "I'm sure it can last a few days without you."

"Hey, you never know," offered Shoryu.

Finally Kazuya found his shirt and pulled it back over his head. "You arrived just in time, I found out some information about my father."

"Your father?" Ayako looked just as shocked as the other two members of Squad Thirteen. "Isn't he the one who. . ."

"Gave me these eyes, I presume. He left the village when I was born, then disappeared some five years later." Kazuya finished for her.

"Kazuya, I hate to bring this on you but if someone's been missing for eight years then the odds of them being alive are-"

"-Slim I know," said the samurai, interrupting his sensei's warning. "He's probably dead, but I just had to find out some information about him."

"And how did you manage that?" Shoryu asked. Ayako couldn't be sure, but something about the way her teammate spoke seemed to communicate that he knew something about Kazuya that they didn't.

"I asked my aunt Jun, the one I told you about," answered the boy, giving Ayako her answer.

"I thought you said she wouldn't tell you anything?" said Shoryu.

Suddenly Kazuya showed traces of a vague smile; it was something that didn't escape Ayako's attention. Perhaps they'd been a negative influence on him, she reflected as Kazuya continued, because he seemed far more rougish than usual. "She wouldn't. . . Until I threatened her with exile if she didn't tell me anything."

"How did you do that?" said the girl; clearly there was something about Kazuya she hadn't been told yet. How did he have that much power over a senior member of his clan?

"Kazuya's the next leader, or Taisho of this village," Shoryu informed her. He saw no sense keeping it a secret here, and for once Kazuya didn't seem to mind either. "So what did you find out anyway?"

"A name, a profession and his last known location," started Kazuya. "His name's Michio Senmatsu, last seen eight years ago in the Land of Hot Water – I'll visit it when I get the chance. But there's more; I finally found out why my aunt despised him so much."

"Go on." It wasn't just Shoryu who was curious anymore. Both Ayako and Reizo leaned forwards in anticipation as Kazuya sighed and dropped a bombshell.

"He was a ninja - a Hidden Mist ninja. My aunt Jun always resented her sister – my mother, Rin, for eloping with an outsider, especially a foreign ninja."

"Guess that explains a lot," figured Shoryu.

It certainly did; the way Kazuya spoke about his aunt gave Ayako the distinct impression that they'd never really cared for one another. Kazuya had simply been seen as a replica of his father and because of it, neglected of any love or attention from her. Since his mother died during the winter of Kazuya's birth, she figured his aunt's hatred of him must've run deeper still – she blamed him for the death of her sister; that much was clear.

"Kazuya, how long were you under that waterfall before we arrived?" Reizo couldn't help but ask.

Kazuya checked his surroundings, coming to his conclusion based on the position of the hidden sun above. "About ten hours I'd say."

"Impressive."

Shoryu huffed and crossed his arms. "No big deal – bet I could do that," he said sarcastically. That same sarcasm was wasted on Kazuya though, who seemed to think he was deadly serious.

"I'll bet you a free shot with a snowball you can't last a minute under there."

Shoryu seemed about to clarify his joke before he took a moment to consider Kazuya's deal. He had tried and failed twice now to get one up on him. It might have been the most stupid, childish bet to ever be made, but refusing it would just result in the samurai calling him out on his cowardice. Besides, it was only a minute, how hard could it be?

"You're on," he replied, stripping off his jacket and his shirt before rolling up his trouser legs and heading over to the river bank. The occasional scrape and two or three dimming bruises could be seen on his bare torso, but that wasn't the first thing that caught Ayako's attention. Shoryu was toned; once she noticed it, it became hard to stop looking at how much more athletic Shoryu had gotten over four months in the squad. No longer was he just some skinny, awkwardly framed kid from the village; he'd progressed gradually into a healthy, muscular figure right under their noses, and none of them had noticed the change until now.

With a cautious gaze he eyed up the stream like a piece of food gone two weeks over its expiry date. After a deep breath he plunged his right foot into the depths, his soles hitting rock once the water reached up to his bare shins. If he regretted making the bet before, Ayako knew for certain that he did now. The look on his face showed both extreme discomfort and sheer willpower.

"Shoryu that might not be the best idea," advised Reizo.

The boy was beyond listening; after another pause his left leg joined him and he began to wade towards the waterfall. He knew the science behind it after all; Kazuya's clan would practice here to hone their skills at the whole 'stillness of the mind' meditation. If he could just replicate it then he should be safe, theoretically of course.

Shoryu's hands had already begun to tremble with the cold, and the hairs on his arms that stood on end were immediately flattened the moment he ducked his head right into the icy waterfall. The shaking intensified and his teeth began to chatter, preventing him from speaking properly. Ayako could actually see translucent fragments of broken ice flowing downstream from the falls. The village itself was cold enough; she didn't want to think how Shoryu might feel.

"How is it in there?" she asked. Her lips said one thing, but her tone of voice seemed to say 'it serves you right'.

"Terrific!" he called back, wrapping his arms around his body. He stammered every other word as he continued, "You should come on in, the water's nice and warm!"

"I think I'll pass on that one," teased the girl.

Shoryu nodded in understanding, teeth chattering so fast that she feared he might break one. "Your loss – you're missing out on a treat here! Sensei how long has it been?"

"Ten," replied Reizo, also employing a voice of disapproval.

"Hours or seconds?"

"Seconds."

"Feels like ten years!" Shoryu remained in total agony under the waterfall. After another five seconds passed he began to mutter to himself over and over again, trying to force the state of mind upon himself. "Stillness of the mind, stillness of the mind," he repeated.

Kazuya laughed. "You know I don't think it'll come to you if you just say it over and over again," he offered.

Then the pain kicked in, and from that moment Shoryu's mind was set. Frostbite digging like the sting of an extremely large bee to the back of his neck and shoulders forced him to yelp like a startled animal and jump out of the waterfall in a knee-jerk reaction. Shaking like a madman and gripping his glowing red shoulders he staggered through the pool and made his way through to the riverbank.

Just when he'd almost reached warmth again, something small, fast and hard careered into his groin. Ayako gasped as the impact knocked him off balance and sent him face-first into the icy cold water, seemingly unconscious until he resurfaced and scrambled to shore. Kazuya was already quietly laughing as his comrade squirmed in agony.

Even Reizo looked stunned by the savage heights their rivalry had risen to – one minute it was distant friendship and the next they would viciously sabotage one another. He hoped their point-scoring debate never reached over into their real life battles. He could see it now: Kazuya the famous warlord samurai, killed in combat because his old friend decided it might be funny to glue his sword into its sheath.

"Brutal Kazuya, just brutal – absolutely merciless," Shoryu croaked. "I'd expect nothing less. I swear you make them out of ice instead of snow."

"Well maybe you should stop making bets you can't win before your chance at having kids disappears," observed the samurai, smugly watching as his friend huddled himself into one of the spare towels.

"Or maybe I should just stop losing and make sure you're unable to have little baby Taisho of your own. Wouldn't Fujiko be sad?"

"Dream on."

Shoryu laughed back, pulling his shirt back over his head and retrieving his jacket from the snowy grass. He was still shaking; Ayako had a feeling he'd be like that for another hour or so before she noticed something else that she'd never seen before.

Three broad strokes stretched over Shoryu's left quad muscle. The relatively recent stitching from the scars burned up like fire under the cold in comparison to the rest of his pale, colourless leg. Just one look at Kazuya told her that he'd noticed it to, although he seemed to be a lot more clued in on whatever had made such an awful mess of his leg. They looked like sword wounds – three of them - stabbed down right to the bone in no particular pattern.

Ayako was the first to ask, though if she waited any longer she was sure Kazuya would've beaten her to the punch. "What happened there?"

"Huh?" Shoryu looked down to the three scars and hastily pulled his trouser leg down. Awkward silence passed over them as he refused to answer right away; it had been the most traumatic experience of his life after all. "Nothing really – it's an old injury."

"Looks pretty recent to me," said Ayako. "Can't be more than a year old."

Shoryu looked about to reply with a snappy comment before his sensei intervened, spilling the beans for both of them upon judging that secrets in his squad at this late stage were forbidden.

"Shoryu's last sensei did it to him, or rather, he did it to himself. You both remember Zakari Takazawa right? The proctor at your graduation exam?"

The pair both nodded. After hearing how badly his clan hated him Kazuya seemed to know what was coming, but Shoryu only turned his eyes to the floor.

"Let's just say he wasn't Shoryu's biggest fan," Reizo continued. "He rigged Shoryu's exam and tried to cheat him out of a position he deserved."

"How?" Ayako couldn't help but ask for all the gory details.

"Altered his exam paper, increased the difficulty, threw a senbon at his right leg and then put him under an advanced Genjutsu that someone of your level shouldn't possibly be able to handle. He knew that, and he did it anyway. The release was so hard to pull off at his stage of development that Shoryu took his sword to his leg in an attempt to get himself out."

Shoryu stood abruptly as Reizo finished his story. Without a word he donned his jacket and turned around, marching over to where he'd left his pack. He picked it up, surveyed the landscape, and as he still refused to look any of them in the eye he spoke at last. "I didn't know it was story time. We should get going," he said.

The remainder of Squad Thirteen suddenly deferred to a tense period of silence. Ayako couldn't help but pity him; his reaction confirmed without a doubt that Reizo's story was true. She'd never seen him look so hurt before – Shoryu was usually aloof and flippant in his attitude, taking nothing to heart and treating almost everything like a joke. This on the other hand was personal. She glimpsed Kazuya beginning to walk over and caught his attention with a shake of her head, wanting to comfort Shoryu herself.

Wordlessly Reizo and Kazuya allowed it, acting as her cue to join the boy ten paces away. She spoke under her breath, keeping the conversation purely between the two of them.

"I'm sorry," she managed. "I wouldn't have asked if I knew."

Venting his frustration with a great sigh, Shoryu shrugged his shoulders. "Don't worry about it, it's in the past."

"To think that a teacher could do something like that."

"Not all sensei are as humble as ours – Reizo took me on just to make sure I didn't serve under another clan member," said the boy.

"I'm glad he did." Ayako smiled warmly and gently placed her hand on his shoulder, one of those silky smooth palms that never toughened despite any amount of training. "You sure you're alright?"

"Yeah," Shoryu muttered with a nod. His raised his head and straightened out his posture as he finally met her gaze with a mischievous grin. Right away she saw that he had some kind of plan, and his words confirmed it, "Anyway we should really get going; I've got some vengeance to enact on Kazuya."

Two Days Later

It was just past noon when the great mountain region of the Village Hidden in the Clouds came into view as Squad Thirteen emerged through the tree line of the surrounding forest. Each member was glad to finally reach home, especially after the incessant bickering they'd had to put up with or contend against over the last couple of days.

Just when it seemed Shoryu and Kazuya's relationship couldn't get any more complex the wise-cracking ninja had taken it to a whole new level. On their way out of Glacier Village he had, as he put it, scored the 'ultimate jackpot' against his rival. He'd retrieved his father's flute from his jacket, the one native to Kazuya's village.

Over the months Squad Thirteen had learned that Shoryu's skilful technique with the flute ranged from sweetly melodic to hauntingly beautiful, yet the tune he'd whistled as he walked back towards the Glacial Drop was an abomination. With no rhythm and no regard for breath control Shoryu drummed his fingers over random holes, generating an earache that seemed to attract the attention of every samurai in the village.

Kazuya had never been so embarrassed in his life; the people who would one day serve under and look up to him now knew that he was affiliated with this moronic, carefree warrior who seemed either mind-numbingly stupid or highly offensive. It got so bad towards the end of their five-minute walk that he noticed Reizo keeping a hand curled around the shaft of his spear at all times, expecting an attack.

"It was pretty funny though, right?" Shoryu would often say, followed by the obvious response of Kazuya replying, "They thought you were mocking them!"

The pair still talked, walked, trained and ate together, but their interactions had become slightly frostier than usual. Despite all this, Ayako knew that it was just a matter of time before Kazuya rose to Shoryu's childish prank and retaliated with one of his own; then everything would be back to normal.

Reizo had also been behaving strangely too. He seemed to be avoiding them as best he could, staying wrapped in thought for most of the day and often being so deep in his pondering that he failed to notice when one of them called out his name. He led the group back up the gravel slope of the first mountain that led to the chutes of the Village, yet his steps were heavy and prolonged, as though he was trying to delay something inevitable.

Once they reached the series of mechanised elevators he finally stopped and turned around, prompting the others to do the same.

"Guys," he said at last. "I've got something to tell you. It's not going to be easy and I know it wasn't my decision to make, but-"

"-Actually sensei," Ayako volunteered. "We've got something we wanted to tell you too." She looked left and right for confirmation, receiving a nod from Kazuya and a smile from Shoryu. She'd been told by the boy the night they dropped Kazuya off about their plans to enter the Chunin exams and she'd naturally agreed. It was something she wanted too – if she ever wanted to be Raikage she'd have to ascend quickly. "We've decided to enter the Chunin exams – the ones held here in two weeks' time."

For the first time ever Ayako saw her sensei look positively stunned. No words escaped his lips until an impatient Shoryu decided to chime in.

"Yeah we figured it was about time; I know it's only been four months but we're ready. . . Anyway what was it you wanted to ask us?"

"Oh uh," Reizo scratched his head awkwardly as he entered the first chute and ushered them inside. He'd dodged a bullet for sure. "It's nothing really – it's actually not that important."

Right away all three aspiring Chunin suspected him. The thought clung to them as he pulled the rope dangling from the chute's ceiling, making Squad Thirteen accelerate into a swift ascension through the mountains. What could he be hiding? What did he need to apologise for? Whatever it was, it completely vanished from the minds of Shoryu, Kazuya and Ayako the moment they reached the top.

Outside was pure carnage. The four couldn't even enjoy the blissful sight of the Village Hidden in the Clouds again thanks to the gruesome scene that lay before them. A team of twelve masked ninja lay before them. Some ran around in a frenzy to apply medical aid, others lay bleeding on the floor from naked undressed wounds, and at least three were almost certainly dead.

Tiny rivers of blood spray-painted the clearing from every ninja with a wound. Shuriken that had been successfully removed lay scattered and broken across the ground. It took a few seconds for Reizo to realise which squad this was, and the moment he did, fear began to take over. This was Ruki Jenbo's group, the squad he'd encountered the day before he set off; the squad carrying one of the Legendary Seven Swords of the Hidden Mist. Little to his surprise, it was nowhere to be seen.

Ruki lay on a padded mat upon the ground. Blood matted her usually gorgeous hair and her hand was pressed to a near-fatal wound spread across her hip. One of the ninja tended to her as best as he could whilst another two rushed off for a stretcher.

"What happened here?" Reizo asked, striding towards the woman he knew as a child and her male ninja teammate.

"We were attacked, that's what," said the man, his hands shaking as he feebly attempted to weave stitches, "by Hidden Sand ninja clones. They took the sword and left us for dead; we're lucky so many survived."

For the second time in ten minutes Reizo couldn't believe his ears. "Sand ninja clones?" he checked. There was little doubt to him that these were the same brand of clones that had attacked his group and Tairo's, despite each of these hit-squads apparently being from three different lands.

"Yeah, they came out of nowhere – more than fifty of them. I've never seen anything like it," confessed the attendant.

"Reizo, they were. . ." Ruki croaked. Her voice was weak and frail, and yet she still retained consciousness, willing herself awake.

"Don't try to talk Ruki," advised the ninja.

"They were-" she gasped again. This time her voice didn't fail her, but she was so quiet and faint that the Jonin had to lean in closer to make out her words. "They were under Genjutsu. . ."

"Genjutsu?" Reizo paused; none of this made any sense in the first place, and now another puzzle had been added. "Clones under Genjutsu? Why would anyone need to put a clone under Genjutsu? Are you sure?"

"Yoho told us." Ruki's eyes drifted over to the corpse of a dead ninja just as his body was covered by a black sheet. "He was a sensory ninja."

"Dad!"

A disbelieving cry from behind suddenly forced Reizo's attention back to Squad Thirteen. Ayako had one hand clasped over her mouth in shock as one of the wounded ninja pulled down his mask. His face was cut with broad strokes from a kunai knife and his exposed chest was bludgeoned from hand to hand combat, but it was definitely her father. Blood from his leg dripped down like a faulty tap and onto the six coloured scrolls he had on his person at all times. He'd come home injured before, but nothing this bad.

"Dad!" she called again, rushing over. Two more ninja huddled around him, and she wanted to push them out of the way before she realised they were helping him with his problem. A windmill shuriken; the same oversized, twelve inch wide version that Shoryu used, was still sticking out of his thigh.

Hideki Tsuji was tall; taller even than Reizo and standing two whole heads above his daughter Ayako. His onyx black hair was always kept short and the grizzled facial hair of a whole week's lack of shaving sprouted from his chin. He was thirty five, athletic and capable; a trusted Jonin of the Cloud, and one who'd persisted against death today.

"Dad, what happened?" demanded the girl.

Hideki muffled a growling moan with his hand balled up into a fist as the two ninja by his side began to coax out the shuriken digging into his leg. "I'll tell you later Ayako; just get back to your mother now. Tell her I'll probably be at the infirmary for the next few days."

"You'll be alright won't you?" said Ayako. She hadn't realised it yet, but her hands were trembling at the sight of her father losing so much blood.

Hideki smiled a brave, cringing face as the blade was finally removed. "Don't worry about me. I've seen this wound before; it's nothing life-threatening. Go get your mother and I'll meet you in the hospital."

As it turned out, 'meeting' Ayako's father in the hospital had been more of a one-sided affair. He was unconscious the whole time, having been put under heavy anaesthesia for the pain his wound caused him. The shuriken wound that had been 'nothing life threatening' had also not quite been the case; in fact the medical ninja team said that he was lucky to still keep his leg and the majority of his thigh muscle. It might never heal completely, but he'd at least be able to return to duty and his movement would only be hindered by a slight limp for a short while.

Ayako wished more than anything for him to wake up. Her mother, Amaya, cried and cried over his bedside. The girl had no idea what she was so upset about; he was alive after all, they should have been thankful that so little damage had been done when a third of his team had been killed in action.

Seeing her own mother cry so hard made Ayako want to do the same. She clenched her fists tightly and gritted her teeth; she couldn't cry – she was a grownup now. If she ever wanted to be the Raikage then things like this would have to stop. She had to be strong; a figure of inspiration that helped others in these situations. After handing her another box of tissues she led Amaya out into the waiting area with a firm hand on her shoulder.

Unlike her husband, Amaya bore a striking resemblance to her daughter. She was small and supple with hair that she changed the colour of on every other day, along with a face that shared Ayako's cutely rounded features, framed by a pair of slim square glasses. Ayako knew that she came from a village to the east, and had married into the Tsuji clan after falling in love with Hideki and sharing his fascination for the Shading Jutsu.

Her dark layer of mascara streamed down from each eye, staining her face as if a black pen had exploded from each one. She finally stopped crying once the medical team told her that Hideki was stable; he might be out for another day or two, but he'd regain consciousness in time. At that point she went from distrusting them outright to virtually singing their praises, showering the ninja with compliments.

Just like that the two went home. Ayako suddenly realised that she hadn't even had the chance to say goodbye to Shoryu or Kazuya as they left the construct and headed out over the sturdy walkways of the village towards their home. In the chaos Ayako had completely forgotten about recent events; now that her mother had calmed down now might be the best time to tell her the good news.

"Oh yeah mom, guess what?"

Amaya looked her way.

"I'm going to the Chunin exams!" she announced, breaking the awkward silence that had grown like a cancer between the two of them.

"Oh uh. . ." Amaya looked off into the distance. The sun was already setting, yet its entirety was concealed by a thin bout of approaching rain. "That's great Ayako, but about that, don't you think it might be better if you wait a while?"

Ayako stopped in her tracks. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"No one would blame you if you just decided to wait another six months. You haven't been on a team for long after all."

"I know that," Ayako said, folding her arms. That wasn't the point. "But I don't get it; you were the one who kept telling me I should go for it. Luckily for me both members of my team are also on board, so there's nothing stopping us now! Why the sudden change of heart?"

Amaya heaved a sigh and turned to her daughter. With the same smooth hands she cupped Ayako's cheek in her palm and brushed her hair away, looking over her with a precious stare of maternal affection. "One of the ninja from that medical team was also on your father's team – he was one of the few to escape unscathed, and he told me about the mission."

"I thought dad's mission was top secret?" Ayako tilted her head.

"Hideki's well respected, so his friend thought he'd do me the honour of filling me in on what happened. The squad was attacked by the Sand – some kind of clone ambush or something."

Clone ambush; the words stuck out to Ayako like a bright pink elephant. She'd still told no one about their ambush from the Hidden Stone clones, just as instructed. Now this was happening so soon after Tairo's group was attacked? It was too unlikely to be just a coincidence; she reckoned it must've been happening all around the world.

"It's probably nothing," Amaya added as she pressed her glasses to her face. "But he kept pointing out over and over again that if this doesn't get sorted out it could lead to a war. The Land of Fire lies between us and Wind, and the Village Hidden in the Leaves has a strong allegiance with the Mist. This could end up involving more than just two nations – we could be looking at a Fifth Shinobi World War."

As shocked as Ayako was, she remained silent about their contact with the 'Hidden Stone' ninja and shook her head, still not seeing the point. "But I don't understand. What does that have to do with me taking the Chunin exams?"

"New Genin are often too inexperienced to take out to war, and those who've got some skill are usually held back anyway. The Jonin and the Kage are mostly assigned to higher ranking, specialised missions suited to their technique. Guess which rank goes to the frontlines?"

Now Ayako understood; if it came to war and she passed the exam she'd be sent out straight away into battle. There'd be no warm-ups or swimming in the shallow area, she'd have to dive right in at the deep end and join the vanguard, doomed to live like cannon fodder – a single number in an army of thousands - until she advanced to Jonin or died in battle. Even when she began to comprehend the gravity of the situation though, she still refused to back down.

"No. I'm sorry, but I'm still going," she stated firmly.

"But-"

"But nothing. I can't just aspire to be the Raikage whenever it's convenient for me. I've got two teammates who I won't disappoint and dreams of my own to follow. I'm not putting them on hold for six whole months for a war that might not even come." Ayako's resolve was concrete; nothing would stop her from attending those exams now that she'd gotten so fired up for them, not even her own mother.

"Please Ayako," begged Amaya, tears welling up again. "I can't lose another child."

The girl smiled to comfort her hysterical mother. "I don't plan on dying," she assured her.

Reizo was still out of breath when he arrived at the door to the office of the Raikage. He'd spent so much time doing what he could for the wounded and getting different accounts of the story that hours had passed before he could report the mission's success to the Kira. That spiral staircase had been an ordeal in itself after how much he'd worked today. He collected all the information together in his head as he rapped hard on the oaken door.

The Cloud clones that attacked Tairo's group and the Sand clones that assaulted them earlier; he had much to tell and little patience for recounting it all at the late hour. Answering the myriad of riddles and piecing together the clues was impossible with so little information to act on, but that never stopped his busy mind from trying. After a painstakingly long minute, Kira answered the door.

His withered hand clasped Reizo's shoulder as he ushered the Jonin into the office, so thickly laden with smoke that he could scarcely see the end of the room.

"Lord Raikage, I delivered the message as you instructed," Reizo began. "Although-"

Kira Asakura suddenly cleared his throat with a loud cough, venting smoke into the man's face and cutting short his speech. "I fear your actions might have been a little unnecessary Reizo. A dove from the Land of Earth arrived this morning."

"Sir?" Reizo arched an eyebrow.

After another breath the Raikage answered, "The Tsuchikage is dead."

Reizo's shock was apparent even with the constant straight face he employed. The Tsuchikage was a powerful warrior – possibly the fiercest of all the five current Kage. If he could be taken out then no one was safe. He dared to ask who committed such an unspeakable act, even if he knew the answer before his sentence left his lips. "How?" he said.

"A band of ninja," Kira added. "Clones from the Village Hidden in the Leaves."

"Leaf Clones now?" Reizo's emotionless expression had vanished completely. "It couldn't be them! The Land of Fire probably had nothing to do with it; there have been attacks all over the world! It's just like you said, there has to be a single Kage behind it!"

Kira nodded thoughtfully. He took another long drag of the bowl-bottomed pipe before continuing, "I know. If we do nothing then it'll be all-out war, which is why I called an emergency summit conference to coincide with the Chunin exams. . . Reizo, I want you to come with me as one of my bodyguards. We'll find out which Kage is behind these attacks and put a stop to this once and for all."

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Author's Notes: Hey guys! So the clones are under Genjutsu? Hmm. . . Where have we heard that before?

At last we got a name for Kazuya's father: Michio Senmatsu. We'll learn much more about him and what happened to him at a later date, but at least now we have some idea of who he is/was.

Finally gave Ayako a bit of oomph this week – I've never had the time to develop her properly until now. You might've noticed something her mother mentioned about 'losing another child'; it's something I've had in mind with her for a while, but since it's not plot relevant in any way I've never been able to incorporate it. I'll probably expand within the next chapter or two.

So yeah, other than that I haven't really got much to say. Shoryu and Kazuya are just being themselves and it looks like Reizo will be separated from them for a while. Just in case it wasn't obvious or if you've forgotten already, about mid-way through the chapter Reizo was actually about to tell the group that he volunteered them for the exams without their permission. Naturally since they decided on it themselves, his bet with his father was actually rendered unnecessary, so he didn't tell them about it. Next chapter starts on the Chunin exams and the summit conference! Will Squad Thirteen pass? Will the exams actually get finished this time around? Which Village is behind the clone attacks? Find out! . . Soon!