Shadowy flames licked at still bleeding skeletons, a black dome covering the field as far as the eye could see, twenty-three shinobi standing in a circle in the darkness. Their eyes searched frantically, ears pricked and straining to hear even a single sound in the inky darkness. A nasty laugh echoed through the shadows, causing more than one man to shudder in fear. At the front was a man, nowhere near as panicky as the others. It was him that the one hunting the group focused on, the harsh screech of a hawk piercing through the black.

"Taka-Oni (Demon Hawk/Hawk Demon)!" was the muttering of the various shinobi. The leader quieted them, drawing a needle-like blade as his eyes searched through the black, ears peeled for any sound.

"Be quiet you fools. This is just a genjutsu, or some sort of shadow jutsu like the Nara clan of Konoha use. There is no reason to panic when every single one of us have been trained for situations when sight is useless." The man's voice was harsh and cold, anger evident in every syllable. The men quieted down, for the moment more afraid of their leader then the infamous legend that might be stalking them. They were slightly reassured by what the man had stated, but it was overshadowed by their fear of him.

KushimaruKuriarare was not a happy man as he tried to find his opponent, and it was not just because of the unfavorable conditions he found himself in. Things had been going straight to hell for the Mizukage's forces, and for quite a while to. He sighed, slipping into his memories, despite knowing full well that the men under his command would be dead before long. It was the way the Taka-Oni worked after all, taking a sick pleasure in killing the underlings before torturing the commanders.

It had started with the breakup of his only friends, his fun and sadistic friends, the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. A more traditional title, taken from long before the age of shinobi, it was considered an honor greater than any other to be one of the Seven Swordsmen. Not much was known about the previous group, but what was known was that while the Seven had never fought side by side, they had maintained friendships, and always come to the aid of the others. The most notable example of this was when KenshinUesugi and Shingen Takeda joined together against the might of the Date clan long ago. And that little bit of history had sparked Legends.

The legend began simply enough, an old historian, known by only his title, "Sensei" for his great knowledge, proposed the idea to the ShodaimeMizukage, after expanding on the history behind it.

"These Swordsmen were Legends, masters of every form of combat possible. What would happen if we were to resurrect them, and have them fight as one?"

Three generations had come, and now were gone. He was the last one left, even his blood-brother,Jinpachi had fallen to dissension in the ranks. He hated every single one of these rebels, they would burn for killing his family, the only one he had ever known. From his point of view it had been that bloodline bitch, Mei Terumi, who had taken away his family. And to think they had once considered her one of them! He wondered just what it had taken the woman to get his siblings to betray them.

Even in the heat of battle a smile came to Kushimaru's face as he remembered happier times.

His sister, AmeyuriRingo, her fun-loving and blood-thirsty personality melding perfectly with a red-headed temper. She was the "little sister", the one who they all wanted to protect. She had been the first to die, of a terminal illness, but despite that she had brought honor to the Legends, wielding the dual-bladed Kiba, razor-edged blades of what had always seemed to be lighting in her hands. Ameyuri had been the best tracker around, and had never lost a single foe, regardless of the conditions.

MomochiZabuza, the Demon Hidden in the Mist, the sarcastic, loyal, and stealthy wielder of the Kubikiribocho, the decapitating carving knife. Despite being the most easily provoked out of the entire group, Zabuza had always held a sense of honor unseen in the other members. Whilst every member had their honor, Zabuza took it to another level, once even intentionally injuring himself to give an injured opponent a "small chance to beat me."

MangetsuHozuki, the Second coming of the Demon. Originally standing in the shadow of Zabuza, the man had swiftly proven himself as a worthy member, able to wield each and every one of the Blades of the Mist, but specializing in the Hiramekarei, the heaviest blade of the group. Mangetsu had been the comedian of the group, always happy and having fun, usually found near Ameyuri or with Zabuza when he wasn't teaching his little brother.

JininAkebino, the most arrogant of the group, but also one of the stronger ones. Wielding the hammer-axe combination that was Kabutowari, the man had only ever looked for a good fight. While distant from the others, Jinin had always been there when one of the others needed him, and the man had lived by a creed, honored by the swordsmen. 'Attack one of us, and our forces will destroy you.'

JinpachiMunashi, his blood-brother. A truly sadistic bastard, even amongst their group, Jinpachi had always been arguing with him, but both of them had known just how close they were. Fighting with the explosion sword, Shibuki, Jinpachi had always been a powerful foe, with an unlimited amount of exploding tags to go with a never ending battle-rage, Jinpachi had been a berserker, and the more he was hurt, the worse he hurt his opponents. When the man had really got going only he, Kushimaru, could calm him down.

And finally KisameHoshigaki, the leader of the Seven and swift, wielding the pickiest blade of the group, the chakra-sucking Sameheda. The man had been the strongest of the group, his mass-destruction water jutsu and skill with a blade easily allowing him to dominate any and all of his foes. Kisame had always kept an eye on the various members of the group, the eldest and the one who had kept them together through the deaths of the group.

Ameyuri had died from her disease, and a little bitch named Raiga had stolen the Kiba blades, and the damn Mizukage had allowed him to keep them. Within six months the bastard had abandoned Kirigakure, taking the blades with him. Mangetsu, always the closest to Ameyuri, hadn't really liked that, and had hunted the traitor down and nearly killed him. He took the Kiba blades in hand, Raiga lying broken on the ground before him, sealing his own sword into a scroll that he had always'scarred, which transported the blades to the shrine of the Seven Swordsmen, the place where new Swordsmen must claim their blades from to earn the respect of the others. Mangetsu had been about to kill Raiga, when some crippled boy named Ranmaru had stabbed him through the heart with some sort of lighting attack, unkowningly taking advantage of Mangetsu's own water technique. Mangetsu had died there, and Raiga had kept the blades, going underground to avoid the retribution of every other member.

Mei had helped the group through their grief at the death of two family members, becoming a sister. Then she had somehow turned Zabuza, Jinin, and Kisame against he and Jinpachi after the Mizukage ordered an execution of the rebellious bloodline bastards. The Seven Swordsmen had been created to serve the Mizukage, and those three had betrayed one of the foundings of their organization. Kisame and Zabuza fled, and he and Jinpachi had killed Jinin before Jinpachi had died.

Kushimaru sighed to himself in the gloom of the dome, listening with half an ear as his men muttered amongst themselves. Things had seemed so simple then, find and kill all rebels to avenge his family. And for a while, it had continued to be that simple. For a long time the rebels were always's retreating, always's fleeing from the might of the Mizukage and the last loyal member of the Seven Swordsmen. Then it all changed a mere four months ago.

Kushimaru's group had been pursuing a lead about a group of rebels, fully intending on thinning the already small numbers opposing them. That was the day that the legend of the "Taka-Oni" had kicked off, and the day Kushimaru had been forced to start wearing a mask. The day flashed before his eyes, haunting him now as if he was sleeping.

~Flashback~

Laughter was resounding throughout a clearing as one of the men under his command cracked a joke, once again about the incompetence of the rebels. Kushimaru had never laughed at these jokes, knowing that the Rebels were as good as they were, just out-numbered and out-maneuvered at every turn thanks to their spies. A smirk still spread across his rather handsome face, shaking his long brown hair as he drew the needle-sword. These rebels would die, and he would be the one to avenge his fallen comrades. The screech of a hawk resounded as he came to a conclusion, bringing him to think 'how fitting. The hunter approves of my decision to hunt down each and every one of those bloodline sympathizers.'

The first thing that Kushimaru knew was wrong was when he no longer heard the chuckles of his men, and it hadn't trailed off either. His senses were going haywire as he heard a light thud, and the slight slick a blade piercing flesh. He knew that sound far towell, it happened every time his blade went to work. He turned around, ready and eager to kill the one who had been attacking the ones under his command, only to find nothing there. Nuibari spoke to him, vibrating in his hand and ensuring he knew that someone dangerous was there. He gripped it tighter to reassure it.

Of all seven blades Nuibari was the most cautious, fitting as its wielder's were traditionally the most reckless. Showing the sentience that all seven of the blades had, in the hands of one that it had accepted Nuibari would give warnings, encouragement, and even power to those that fought with it.

His ears, trained for years in the thick mist of Kiri, picked up a light squish, the sound of someone who had softly stepped into wet grass. He smiled to himself, knowing that now the fool who challenged him would die.

He whirled around, Nuibari already moving to skewer the one who was attempting to sneak up on him. Kushimaru used his immense speed to appear behind the enemy, catching his needle-blade and pulling on the wire.

"Sewing Complete. Let's see what kind of picture I've made today." He muttered as he turned around, only to be hit by the log he had skewered. It did very little, as he was used to stronger attacks with less warning, but it did tell him that he had missed his target, a rarity for him. A split second was all the time he had to get his blade behind him as a Katana nearly took off his head. The metallic clang resounded through the clearing as Kushimaru got his first look at his opponent, brief flashes as the man's katana disengaged and swung again. Sparks flew from the matched blades, illuminating a blank ANBU-style mask and spiky brown hair. Kushimaru took the offensive, attempting to stab through the man again. A senbon hit him from behind, dispelling the figure he had been fighting. 'Genjutsu!' He thought, horrified, and then the poison kicked in. The man standing before him tripled into three, and only luck kept him from dying as he tripped over the dead body of an ally, causing the katana to miss his neck and instead carve a long gouge through his face. Kushimaru though he was going to die as water flooded the field. The last thing he saw before he passed out was the angry face of Yagura.

~End Flashback~

Kushimaru shook himself out of his daydreaming as Nuibari vibrated in his hands again, far stronger than it had been the last time. His resolve hardened as he lightly cut himself with his blade, dispelling no less than three genjutsu, the dome of darkness disappearing, his men vanishing, and that man appearing in front of him, a hawk upon his shoulder and Katana in hand. The daylight shone upon the field, glinting off of the naked blade, and despite himself Kushimaru shuddered in slight fear. It was not of the man's appearance, for he was merely dressed in typical ANBU-style gear, the blank mask included, and of slightly below average height. No, it was something deeper, something darker, something he had only sensed in Yagura before today. 'This man…he may actually be a threat to the Mizukage.' He shook it off, dismissing it despite Nuibari's warnings. If it was true then he wouldn't be able to run anyways, and if it wasn't then he would kill the man.

Nuibari came up, the thin blade of the needle sword gleaming in the sun. Kushimaru spoke up, the excitement of fighting a strong opponent bubbling up inside him. It was a curse of the strong, one would spend their entire life working to get strong, then once they did, they grew stale, the lack of powerful people to push them made them grow complacent, and they begged for someone to fight.

"You caught me off guard last time, and for that I applaud you. This time, however, it will not be so easy." The man said nothing as the hawk took flight, ascending to the sky.

In an instant the man blocked over a dozen speedy stabs from the needle blade, the last one bouncing it off the flat of the katana and moving a scant few inches away, more than enough time for the brown-haired man to slice at him,Kushimaru grabbed something in the air with his left hand, pulling it down as wires caught the man's blade.

"Can I at least know your name, Taka-Oni?" he asked. The man tested the wire, noticing just how strong it was.

"Name's Hanzo." He said as he cut through the wire with ease, shocking Kushimaru so much he barely got away from the cut. He jumped back, deflecting blows that were every bit as fast as his, shocking him even more. 'Nuibari's wire has never been cut before! And now he's pressing me so hard I can't fight back? The fuck is this guy, an Uzumaki? They were the only ones to ever match a member of the Swordsmen, the only clan that knew more about the history behind our title then us.' A beak striking into the back of his neck, more than enough force behind it to snap the fragile bone, ended his short contemplation, sending him to join his former comrades in death.

In the trees above, Terumi Mei smiled grimly. With the death of Kushimaru, the tide would finish turning against the Mizukage, a mere four months after Hanzo had joined the revolution. If she didn't know better she would have sworn he had done this before, but there was no way he was involved in the Demon rebellion in the barren lands. That had been all Konoha, more specifically Danzo.

AN: I am well aware that this chapter is not up to par, and I also apologize for the delay. I wasn't sure how to portray the revolution, so I only added a key point, and might expand on it in flashbacks. Needless to say, with Danzo's training Naruto was easily able to turn the tide. Oh, and a word of warning to any up-and-coming writers, if you wish to hold even the roughest of update schedules for your stories, you're going to have to ration your fanfiction addiction. So many stories, so little time.

ChronoMitsurugi, I agree that they would all be incredibly beautiful if they chose less revealing clothing, but as Guest Reviewer Tom stated, the extra flesh is incredibly distracting. Not only that, but in my story at least the clothes have been chosen for movement, along with the gaudy colors catching attention to distract their opponents at any given time.

Another guest reviewer has pointed out that I seem to be skipping words in places when I type, if so I apologize. I'm afraid that my mind works a little faster than my fingers, leading me to think that I had already typed the words.

Nagato Wannabe requested that I give a bit more detail on Naruto's current strength, so while I do not want to give everything away, I will give you Naruto's strength as of this chapter in a Bingo Book Style Entry.

Uzumaki Naruto

Aliases: Hanzo

Rank: High S-Rank Nin

Elemental Affinities: Earth, Fire, low Water

Skills:

Taijutsu: Mid S-Rank

Genjutsu: High S-Rank

Ninjutsu: Borderline SS-Rank

Kenjutsu: Borderline SS-Rank

Medical Jutsu: Mid C-Rank

Sealing Jutsu: High S-Rank

Stealth: Low SS-Rank (Can hide from all but the best, unless the environment interferes)

In other words Naruto is approaching SS-Rank, yet at the same time is nowhere near it. In my opinion, reaching even S-rank is all about breaking Shinobi limits, notice I said Shinobi and not Human, so becoming an SS-Rank ninja would take years of work even for a prodigy. Becoming what I rank as SSS-Rank threat, or in other words the Sage of Six Paths, would take a lifetime. If you look at the legends like Minato, Hashirama, and Madara, you notice that while they all have their areas of expertise, they are good at everything, and are well-rounded shinobi. Naruto could take on most S-rank ninja at this point, despite his young age, just as Itachi could at this time.

Akaluan, do not be upset for Kakashi, as I said before he will snap out of it, and come back the stronger for it.