Eternal Legends: Konoha's Transcendent Ninja

by Arashi the Solar Phoenix

Naruto befriends Sasuke and Sakura at an early age by an act of fate. The three then set on a goal: Together they will transcend the Sannin as the strongest shinobi team and uncover a secret to Naruto's ancestry that goes beyond even the borders of the Elemental Nations that will alter the course of history forever. AU Strong/Smart Naruto Strong Sasuke/Sakura Family Team 7 R&R

7. Eternity's Remnants

Eternal Legends: Konoha's Transcendent Ninja

Chapter Seven: Eternity's Remnants

Okay, sorry for taking so long to get this out, because as predicted Modern Warfare 3's addiction got a hold of me! However, to make up for it, this chapter is longer than all previous ones, if just barely.

This will be the last chapter setting up everything up, I swear. Once I get this one up, I'll spend the rest of November writing the likely extremely long chapter eight. After that, next update will be sometime either in mid- to late-March at the earliest, or early April at the latest. I'm just giving you guys a heads up now, so you know exactly why you aren't getting your frequent updates like normal.

Also, I need to amend a statement I made chapters ago. They'll remain Academy students after chapter eight until…sometime. I don't know when. But, mainly after the massacre and the coup will things start to both speed up and slow down…so to speak.

Full Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, Shonen Jump, ViZ media, and all other related companies. I make no claim of any characters from the manga and anime and own all OC's that may appear from time to time. I also make no claim of elements used from certain video games such as Ninja Gaiden, Call of Duty, and Uncharted which are under the copyright ownership of Team Ninja and Infinity Ward, as well as the publishing rights of Tecmo, Activision, and Sony Computer Entertainment America/Europe, respectively.

Full Summary: Three people meet under the oddest of circumstances during one troubled night: a loudmouthed troublemaker, a lost voice within his clan, and a young civilian from a broken home. They never knew that their impromptu gathering would bring a revolution to the shinobi world, and alter the course of history. This is their story

(Konoha Ninja Academy, early January, 1230 hours)

Despite being in the middle of winter, today, it was warm enough outside that the students of the shinobi academy could actually go outdoors for their half-hour lunch period. Though most still had to wear warm clothing, such as sweaters, jackets, and the like, it still was much better than eating in the cafeteria. When asked why by their instructors of why they hated the inside so much, they commented it was "boring." The double meaning behind their words would forever be lost to the adults.

The raven-haired Uchiha sat on a high branch in one of the few trees on the Academy's grounds, along with his two best friends. Besides the warm clothing they wore to match the color and shades of their lower torsos, they still looked relatively the same. This was a usual spot for the triad of future shinobi. Seeing as how they were, naturally, the top ranked students in the class, this unspoken rule was universally obliged by the entire class, even their fangirls!

Sakura took a sip from her water bottle as they observed the students, playing, talking, and having general fellowship with each other. Naruto's cerulean orbs were scanning the entire outdoor area, watching them all like a hawk stalking its prey from thousands of meters in the air.

"Hmm…" Sakura hummed, as she observed Chouji, Shikamaru, and Kiba. "Anyone of you two ever get the feeling that something's a bit…off?"

Sasuke raised a brow, while the only thing on the blond's face that indicated he had even heard his rosette-haired friend was a slight shift in his eyes. "You're specifically talking about Shikamaru, right?" he calmly noted. Sakura simply nodded.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes a bit. "Yes…I see. Based on…" he paused, before making a ram seal, and shot out an echolocation from the Hankyouteii, specifically to Shikamaru, "he doesn't have much chakra, even by Academy standards."

Naruto made a ram seal himself, and double-checked Sasuke's proclamation. It wasn't that he seriously doubted his best friend would be erroneous in his brief analysis of the Nara heir; rather, it was something that was routine among them that they had decided long ago. Whenever one of them used the Hankyouteii for any reason, another would always double-check and reaffirm. This ensured that their accuracy of whatever echoed backed to them wasn't something out of the ordinary…or mistaken for an enemy, object, et cetera. The system was by no means perfect, but it did end up saving their asses a lot when Mikoto trained them in the snow.

A few moments passed and Naruto looked toward his female companion and bobbed his head. "Sasuke's right, he doesn't have a lot of chakra."

"All right," Sakura acknowledged the bewhiskered jinchuuriki.

"No offense, Sakura, but what's got you so fixated on him? You got a crush on the Nara?" Sasuke teased. That earned a small glare from the kunoichi-in-training as she smacked him in the back of his head.

"Ow!" the Uchiha scion complained, rubbing the spot where she hit him. Although a bit peeved at the idea of Sakura having crush on the Nara, Naruto couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"You idiot! This is no time for jokes!" she chastised, pointing her index finger at him. Sasuke groaned a bit. He hated when she did that. It reminded him of his mother when she used to discipline him. Damn, was that scary.

"All right, fine, fine," he conceded, before his face turned humorless. "Yeah, I know what you mean. This guy ranks near the middle of the class, but he could do so much better."

Naruto nodded. "Indeed. Considering what this guy can do playing shougi, this guy's a goddamn genius. As much as I hate to say it, but I think Shikamaru is even smarter than you, Sakura-chan," he said a bit grimly.

To his surprise, she didn't even take offense to that last statement. "I know," she said evenly.

Both boys had to do a double take. Sakura was actually admitting intellectual inferiority? While she wasn't necessarily arrogant because of her sharp astuteness, that didn't mean she didn't have brief moments of where she liked to explain something in finer detail as a boost of her own ego. Since it happened rarely, and the guys could tell when it was simply ego-boosting, they put up with it. To hear her so openly admit that someone was smarter than she was, was a monumental achievement in her growth.

Sakura scoffed a bit, amusedly. "I take from the looks on your faces that you're astounded by me admitting that, right?" They both nodded dumbly, causing her to chuckle. A serene smile adorned her face. "I know he's smart. Hell, if you want my personal take, I think he's a genius, too. I just want to know why he hides it. It just doesn't make sense to me."

Naruto pondered on it for a bit. "Well…who knows? It could be anything really. But…that doesn't mean we should underestimate him. He may decide to have a change of heart and come to rival us." Sakura looked at him. "What? It's not like I'm lying."

"That's true, Naruto, but we still have another three years and anything can happen. As some adults say, it's not over until the fat lady sings," Sasuke quoted, causing Naruto to sigh. He took a quick bite of a ham sandwich.

"I see your point, Sasuke. That being said, I don't plan on that happening….ever." He then knitted both his eyebrows and looked at them a bit smugly. "Do you two?" The blond was given a couple of smirks.

"Hell no!" they chorused together, and all three children shared a good laugh.

Unbeknownst to the trio, a pair of mystical eyes silently watched them….and it was not human. The scarlet irises of the beast poured through the depths of their souls as it observed them from a location about a hundred meters away from them. However, it was mainly focused on the raven-haired Uchiha.

Sasuke looked up and saw its silhouette, which was conveniently blocked by the sharp rays of the sun…with the exception of its ruby eyes. It seemed captivated by the Uchiha, and he, it. 'What…is this feeling?' Sasuke thought as he felt….stripped naked and dressed down by the eyes? What the hell? Why did feel extreme warmth the minute he looked into its eyes, all of a sudden?

The Uchiha genius felt a bit of sweat roll down his brow as this feeling of…judgment crept up his spine, and he felt his muscles involuntarily go limp. The mystical creature's power seemed to have total control over him, as his eyes widened to their fullest extent and his breaths became irregular. In a strange sense of watching himself in a mirror, the further Sasuke's eyes widened, the further the creature's did as well, his width in synchronous harmony with his.

Then, it was over as rapidly as it had begun. Sasuke's motor functions came back under his control—a fact that he didn't even realize was taken from him. The frigid temperatures of the winter crept back on his skin as well, the sensation of heat completely gone. He noted the being seemed to…nod? It closed its eyes and its shape seemingly vanished from Sasuke's view.

Eyes narrowed, the Uchiha jumped off the branch, heading toward the direction of the shadowy silhouette. By the time he got there, it was already too late. The creature had long since vanished, seemingly into thin air.

"Damn!" Sasuke cursed as he landed on the ground. His dearest companions landed beside him, looks of worry tracing their features.

"Yo, Sasuke, what's wrong with you? Why did you head off like that?" Naruto asked curiously. It was a bit odd, and out-of-character, for him to just leave them without telling them a thing.

"I don't know…but I… I saw…something…" the scion tried to explain. He just didn't see it; he felt the damn thing!

Sakura frowned. "What was it?"

"I…don't know…but, you guys, something…drew me to it," he admitted.

"Drew you to it? You mean, like an insect to a nightlight?" Naruto inquired. His best friend sighed and slowly bobbed his head.

"Whatever it was…it's gone now. Come on, we got to get back to the academy. You all know how Iruka-sensei is when it comes to being late," Sakura reminded them. They both shared a chuckle.

"All right, let's go!" Naruto chimed before leaping off, Sakura not too far behind. Sasuke stared back at the rooftop where he saw the creature in wonder.

'Just what the hell were you?' Sasuke mused before shaking his head. He'd dwell on that later. The Uchiha still had a job to do: getting out of the Academy. "Hey, guys! Wait up!" he called out before jumping after them.

If the Uchiha scion would've looked carefully, he would've seen slight burn marks on the roof and a single red…feather.

(Konoha Ninja Academy, Instructor Lounge 1700 hours)

"Man, now I'm starting to feel the pain my old sensei used to feel when he graded our papers for the day," a chuunin with dark eyes, spiky brown hair, and a bandage over his nose complained as he was shifting through essays, tests, quizzes and the like that each student had taken for the week.

"Oh, put a sock in it, Kotetsu. You knew exactly what you were getting into when you signed up for this job," his partner chided. The male was of average height, brown hair, dark eyes, and wore his forehead protector on a bandana.

Kotetsu snorted, putting an essay he was grading down. "Okay, Izumo, first of all, I didn't 'sign up' for this job. I just said yes when Hokage-sama asked me to."

Izumo rolled his eyes and marked off some wrong answers on a test. He had that uncanny ability of doing two entirely different things at once. "You do realize you could've turned it down, right?" he asked rhetorically.

"I know," he replied evenly. "I'm just making note of how difficult this job can be sometimes."

"Suuure you are," Izumo clucked his teeth, not buying his excuses. Kotetsu sighed and chose not to respond, effectively ending the conversation.

A pregnant silence reigned over the two chuunin. The only audible noise was the slashing of red marks on students' papers.

"Not surprisingly, another set of perfect scores for the golden trio," Izumo dully remarked handing out three papers to Kotetsu.

The bandaged brunet whistled in awe. "Wow, again? That's got to be a record or something, right?"

Izumo shook his head. "Based on averages, no, they got a long way to go. They still have to beat the Densetsu no Sannin's record."

"Which was?"

"Ninety-six percent," he answered, causing his friend to whistle in awe again.

"It'd be interesting if they surpass it. Because, from what it looks like, these three are another trio of legendary ninja for this generation of kids," Kotetsu pointed out, seemingly envisioning it already.

"Come on, Kotetsu," he tried to reason with his best friend, "I know they may have fantastic grades, but don't you think it's a bit of a stretch?"

"Actually, I agree with him."

They both turned to the direction of the voice, belonging to none other than Iruka Umino, chief instructor at the Academy. He had a serene smile on his face at his two assistants. They both blinked. "Iruka-senpai!" Izumo cried out in sheer surprise. He thought the instructor had gone home already, as it technically wasn't his day to stay after classes let out.

He gave a courteous nod and sat down with the two chuunin. "Izumo…" he started off, picking up where he left off, "you may not see it…but I see great potential in these three."

Izumo sighed, still not convinced until he saw some hard evidence. Sure, they were acing their exams and tests….ugh. He didn't know why he was so adamant about denying the obvious. Alas, it couldn't be helped, and they'd just have to accept that. For now, at least.

Iruka put a hand on his shoulder. "You'll see. Trust me." The brunet was firm in his declaration, if the serious look on his face was anything to go by. Izumo simply nodded, not wanting to prod the issue any longer.

"Need any help?" the dolphin inquired, smirking a bit.

Izumo and Kotetsu laughed. "Please!" they chorused, causing Iruka to chuckle as he sat down to assist them in grading.

'They'll all see, soon, Naruto. I believe in you.'

(Haruno residence, 2000 hours)

Sakura hummed to herself as she made her way to her humble abode. The pink-haired pseudo-kunoichi had just left from a meal that Mikoto had made for both her and her male friends. Naruto had decided to stay over for the night, like he usually did. He was practically her sensei's second son-in-name, only.

Unlike Sasuke, she was well aware of how Naruto perceived the Uchiha matriarch. The love and admiration he felt for her was undeniable. Either the raven-haired Uchiha was blind to this fact, or he seriously kept it to himself for unknown reasons. A frown adorned the youngest of the "golden trio." Truthfully, she had wanted to stay over for the night, too, not wanting to be alone. Alas, it couldn't be helped considering she had to come home to her mother and bastard for a stepfather.

A small, wicked smile uncharacteristically contorted its way upon her face as her eyes darkened with silent rage. She had made up her mind a long time ago: she was going to kill him. Painfully, slowly, and delicately. However, some part of her, admittedly, would've maybe given up on revenge if he had shown genuine remorse. There was none; no empathy and no guilty conscience. It was only a cold, sadistic bastard who took pleasure in stroking his ego and desires a bit too…literally.

The rosette-haired girl forced herself to calm down as she took a key out of her pocket and unlocked the door to her home. The smell of cigarette smoke flooded her nostrils, causing her to wince. Damn, did she hate when they did that. It was odd, though…

The entire house was in near-complete darkness, except for the faint microwave light in the kitchen a few meters in front of her. Were they not here? She inwardly snorted. Why was she surprised? Her mother started become less and less like a parent and more or less treated her like an inconvenience, at best. With a long sigh, Sakura made her way to the kitchen to for some yogurt, before a voice made her stop cold.

"You finally decided to come home, eh, Sakura-chan?" a deep voice echoed throughout the room. Her eyes widened to their greatest extent, and a sense of dread overcame her entire being. Her heart started to beat rapidly.

"T-Te-Tetsuya…?" she stuttered out. What the hell was happening to her? She had been training for nearly ten months….preparing for one of these days. She had learned techniques academy students could only dream of accomplishing, and was, unquestionably, the most powerful female in her class. She didn't sense him, at all!

A dark chuckle escaped from his lips. "In the flesh…Sakura-chan," he intoned. She heard the click of a lighter as its flame was brought to Tetsuya's mouth, which held a cigar. As the blaze ignited the tobacco products, she could see his smirk as he took a puff. With a snap of his fingers, a dim light came on in the room, showing he was sitting cross-legged on the couch.

Sakura swallowed hard as her heart pounded against her ribcage and her breathing started to intensify in short, uncontrolled breaths.

Her stepdad gave her a wicked grin. "Even after being in the academy and training as a shinobi, you still tremble in fear at the sheer sight of me. You have no idea how much that…excites me…" He licked his lips before blowing out a plume of smoke.

Sakura started having an inner struggle with herself. The shinobi side of her that Mikoto had trained into a proud kunoichi-in-training and the little girl who stood in fear as she let the man she hated most dictate her life. Unfortunately, the latter was winning in an almost completely one-sided domination. A lone tear rolled down her cheeks. Tetsuya smirked. He had her.

As her body started to completely panic, she barely noticed him as he caressed her soft cheeks. He forced her to look at him. His apathetic gaze terrified the eight-year-old to the extent that her knees wanted to give out then and there.

"Wh-Where's my mother?" Sakura inquired with a bit of a stutter.

"Oh, you don't worry about her, Sakura…" He gave her a grin as he traced his index finger across her soft lips, sending a chill up her spine. "I'm going to take very good care of you…" he lied smoothly, still touching her lips.

"Stop it." The sheer boldness had surprised both parties; Sakura more so. It was spoken softly, but the confidence and firmness stood present and prevalent.

"What did you say?" Tetsuya asked dangerously.

Sakura's eyes narrowed, newfound faith in her abilities. "I said, stop it!" she yelled, swatting his hand away like it was a troublesome gnat. Tears of anger rolled down her cheek as the Haruno clenched her fists. "You leave me alone for nearly a year and now you come back hitting on me? What the FUCK is wrong with you?" she roared, not caring if she later got in trouble for cursing at him for her mom. That needed to come out, lest she go completely insane.

There was a pensive silence in the tension-filled air that was thick enough to nearly suffocate her. Even though her sight was blurry with the saline liquid secreting from her eyes rolling down, she could clearly see the rage in his eyes at being talked to like that.

Sakura barely had time to put her arm up to block his backhand on pure reflex, which still sent shockwaves throughout her entire body. She was sent backward into the wall and slid down to sit on her buttocks. Brutal training from Mikoto or not, it'd be a long time before she'd be strong enough to go against a person who was actually trying to cause physical harm to her. Her left arm was bruised badly from the blow and she did everything in her power not to scream.

Tetsuya picked her up by the collar of her dress, dragging her along the wall as he did so, causing her to feel a light burning sensation on her skin. He held her at his level. There was no perverted lust in his eyes, no wicked grins, and no licking of lips. Tetsuya's wasn't just angry; he was completely furious.

"No, Sakura. What the fuck is wrong with you?" he mocked her, adding pressuring on her collarbone which caused considerable pain. "I left you alone for ten months. TEN motherfucking months! You know why? Because, that night, I was satisfied and it seemed you had learned your lesson of not defying me," his grip on her tightened, causing the poor girl to visibly stiffen in response, "but now, I see you've learned nothing."

Sakura was seething in silent rage as her fists clenched. She didn't just hate this bastard. She completely loathed him. "My mo—!" she choked out.

"Won't do a damn thing," he interrupted her. "You know why, Sakura?" This time, he did grin wickedly. "I know your mother more than you ever will. She sees you as a burden."

The rosette-haired girl's eyes widened to their greatest extent. She shook her head in complete denial. "You don't believe me? How cute. It's true. You see, Sakura. Your father dying tore your mother in two, mentally and physically. You remember all those nights when you were very young where she'd take illegal substances and anti-depressants and was violent to the extreme? The fact of the matter is, until I came along, she was nothing more than a ticking time bomb. It's because of me that she's like the way she is now."

Sakura immediately caught on to the hidden meaning in his last statement. "You…you mean…"

He couldn't help but grin at her shrewd perception. He always did enjoy not having to break it down to her. "That's right…I conditioned her so she'd be dependent on me….and leave you straight for myself, whenever you got old enough."

Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing, and yet, it made complete and utter sense. Why else would her own mother deny the blatantly obvious abuse? Her sensei suspected something was off, but she never had the guts to tell her.

He finally let her go as she slumped to the floor, yet again. Clearly, he was satisfied from just dropping that bombshell on her. Seeing the tears in her eyes did nothing to make him empathize with her, and yet, at the same time, he felt no pleasure in it, either. The dark-haired pedophile simply shrugged it off and simply walked away.

Sakura stood up and bolted from her house and headed toward the Uchiha estate. She wanted….no, needed to see them at the moment. They were the only ones who she felt she could trust. No more secrets. It was time they all learned.

(Uchiha Estate, 2100 hours)

"And…checkmate, Naruto-kun," Mikoto squealed triumphantly as she moved in her shogi game board piece for a decisive win.

"Again? Why?" Naruto quipped as tears rolled down his face comically as he shook his fist. His best friend patted him on the back as if to console him.

"Oh, Naruto, don't worry about it. I mean it's only your tenth straight loss…tonight," Sasuke smirked, causing Naruto's tears to flow
even faster. Mikoto simply laughed at her son's playful teasing of the Kyuubi jinchuuriki.

"But I came so close!" Naruto tried to plead his case to justify why he had lost so much.

"Close doesn't count in the real world, Naruto-kun," she reminded him, earning a groan in response. She smiled. "Besides, you've only been playing for one week, while I've been playing for years on end."

Sasuke smiled and shook his head at Naruto's grumbling about losing at the coveted strategy game. He never would've have thought in a million years that watching the game from the sidelines could be so intense.

"One more game," Naruto looked at his sensei seriously. "Winner takes all!"

Mikoto raised an eyebrow. "Um…you do realize we haven't been betting anything, right?" she rhetorically countered.

"Damn it!" Naruto sulked as laid his head down on the table.

It was a Friday night, and like usual, Naruto had stayed over at the Uchiha estate. Although this was brought with some problems with some of the other members of the clan, a quick 'talk' from Mikoto changed their minds quickly enough. So, now, at best, they treated him neutrally. Seeing the blond hanging out at the Uchiha household was about as common as a housefly.

"So…you guys up for some training?" Mikoto asked, still amused at how Naruto had taken his ten straight losses.

Naruto lifted his head up and shook it in the negative. This earned him a curious look from the Uchiha matriarch.

"No…I'd prefer all three of us train together," Naruto explained. "It just wouldn't sit well with me that me and Sasuke are here getting stronger, leaving Sakura-chan out in the cold. I get that we won't be able to train together all the time in the future, but this isn't the future, is it?" he countered with sarcasm. Judging from Sasuke's silence, Mikoto had to assume that he agreed with the Uzumaki.

Mikoto couldn't help but smirk. 'Smartass,' she thought to herself, bemused. "All right, then, fine we won't tra—" Mikoto cut off as her eyes widened, sensing a familiar presence and looking off into the distance outside.

"Kaa-san…what's wrong?" Sasuke worriedly asked. Naruto looked at the distress in her eyes, too.

"Use the Hankyouteii, and you'll know exactly why," she replied. Her voice grimly chimed and her face left no traces of humor. Confused, the two boys did a ram seal and did as they were told. Not even a second later, their eyes widened to their fullest extent.

Naruto stood up immediately. "Sakura-chan!" he exclaimed. Her chakra was pulsating all throughout the estate and beyond.

"Let's go, Naruto!" Sasuke stood up in determination and the two boys headed off, ignoring their sensei at the moment. Mikoto joined them by jumping in front, leading the way.

It didn't take long before they saw a pink blur hop over the estate walls. Sakura was running at half her speed, with a bleeding lip, and tears flowing. This alarmed her sensei and male friends considerably.

Mikoto sped up ahead of the two, her maternal instincts immediately taking over. The rosette-haired girl nearly jumped into the Uchiha matriarch's arms breaking down completely. Mikoto fell on her knees while holding Sakura close as she sobbed audibly.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled in alarm as he and Sasuke came up to the both of them.

"Sasuke! Go get some medical supplies. Now!" Mikoto roared. Her son nodded and ran back into the house.

"Sakura….what the hell happened?" Mikoto asked the girl who was crying profusely. Naruto looked at her body and clenched his fists. It didn't take a genius to figure out someone had caused physical harm to her.

"Ca-Can….please….in-inside?" she stuttered out in between sobs. Mikoto nodded and picked up the girl bridal style. She still held her close and Naruto and her made their way back inside.

Sasuke already had a first-aid kit ready for them as Mikoto, literally, kicked everything off the table where she and Naruto played shogi. The pieces fell to the floor, scattering everywhere. Not a single care in the world was given by anyone in the room at the subsequent mess.

The Uchiha matriarch gently laid the girl on the table while surveying her wounds. She was badly injured. Her left arm was bruised to the point where Mikoto was extremely surprised that the bones inside were still in one piece. She knew from years of experience that the marks on her were caused by some form of abuse. Sakura's lower lip bled, congealing hemoglobin caking to it, and she had marks on her collarbone, too. What in the hell happened? Two hours ago, the girl left her estate perfectly fine.

Mikoto shook her head. They could play twenty questions later. Right now, they needed to patch up the eight-year-old. The process only took about ten minutes or so with the four in relative silence, the only words coming from their mouths were the various medical supplies and medicinal pills Mikoto asked either boy to fetch at any given moment.

Sakura finally sat up on her own, the painkillers she had taken kicking in just in time. Although she still a felt a little pain, it was nowhere close to where it was fifteen minutes ago. She nodded gratefully to the three most important people in her life. Naruto sat behind her as she leaned slight against him as support. Mikoto and Sasuke sat in front of her on the table.

"Sakura….what happened to you?" Mikoto inquired, brooking no argument to put up any sort of excuse. If it was what she suspected it was…someone was going to pay…dearly.

"Sensei…" she began softly, "do…you know of a jutsu that blocks sound?" That earned her weird looks from all three present.

"Sakura, why do you—?" Sasuke began before Sakura cut him off.

"I don't want anyone else to know!" she yelled out as tears rolled down her cheek again. Naruto, Sasuke, and Mikoto visibly flinched at her outburst.

The brunette woman complied and made five hand seals ending in Ram. There was a small pulse from her and all sound within the room got canceled out. Sakura effectively had the privacy she'd requested.

"Who did this to you?" Mikoto asked with narrowed eyes.

"My…stepdad," she softly spoke barely above a whisper. Naruto clenched his fists as a look of anger contorted on his face. Sasuke gritted his teeth and his mother's eyes turned to slits.

"Describe what happened," Sasuke urged, almost parroting what his mom and blond companion had asked not too much earlier. Sakura nodded, expecting this inquiry.

"Well…I went home, completely content with the meal you gave me," she tried to smile, but failed miserably. "I opened the door only to find the house completely empty, save for the microwave light in the kitchen. Then…that's when I heard him. My stepdad was in the house the entire time. My heart was beating so fast I thought it would burst at any moment. That's when he was touching my lips, trying to lead me into a false sense of security." Mikoto's eyes widened in anger at Sakura's implication, while it was lost on the two boys. Obviously, they were not familiar with what she was getting at. Unbeknownst to all of them, the Kyuubi was listening intently as well.

She continued, "I told him to stop and….and…" she started to sob again, "he just got angry and slapped me against the wall. I managed to block it, but it still hurt like hell. I fell on the ground, and he picked me up and slammed against the wall with enough force that I thought the wall was going to come down. He told me how my mother only saw me as a burden and conditioned her so that she depended on him."

Naruto started shaking in anger as his irises switched between their normal cerulean and as a crimson shade. How dare that bastard lay a finger on her! He was her stepdad for gods' sake!

"That son-of-a-bitch," Sasuke cursed, punching the wall near him with a closed fist. Mikoto was pissed to the point where her son's cursing in front of her was not her primary concern.

"I'm going to kick that guy's ass!" Naruto vowed, punching his right fist into his cupped left. The Uchiha matriarch chose not to say anything fearing that she would go into a rant that pissed her off to the point where'd she seriously consider killing the bastard who dared to hurt her pupil.

"…That's….not the worst part," she choked out, swallowing a bit of mucus. Mikoto stared at her critically. Surely she couldn't mean…? Oh, please, by the gods, don't let her mean…

"What are you talking about, Sakura-chan? What's worse than this bastard hitting you?" Naruto naively asked.

There was a tense silence in the room for a good thirty seconds. No one moved, no one spoke, and hell, they barely breathed.

"…He….touches me….gropes me in places he shouldn't," Sakura finally revealed, dropping the bombshell. Detonating the proverbial pipe-bomb, Naruto and Sasuke's eyes' widened in sheer surprise at that particular revelation. Now, they finally understood why Sakura had spaced out at random times and didn't want to tell them. Instead of pure anger, they empathized with her with understanding. Their sensei, on the other hand….

"HE DID WHAT?" She roared as her eyes were filled with complete and utter rage, burning like coal in a furnace. The trio started to subconsciously back away from the Uchiha matriarch. They had never seen her this angry before. "Where's the bastard?" she practically demanded from the Haruno. "Tell me now, Sakura, so I can give him a slow and painful death." Judging from the look in her eyes, trio knew she was dead serious on carrying out that threat the minute Sakura gave the poor soul his whereabouts.

"No! Please don't, sensei!" she cried out. Sakura's reasoning for stopping her sensei from brutally murdering Tetsuya was twofold. Firstly, while she disliked what her mother had become, she was still, at the end of the day, her mother. That was a fact that would never change. Who knew what the sudden death of Tetsuya would do to her mom's already fragile psyche. Secondly, she wanted the bastard all to herself. She was going to kill him and she'd be dammed if anyone else got that honor.

"Sakura…." Mikoto spoke sternly, trying to calm down from the eye-opener that one of her pupils was actually being molested in her own home. Just the sheer thought of it disgusted her to no end. What kind of sick bastard would hit on and touch inappropriately an eight-year-old girl? Mikoto breathed in and out in a vain attempt to calm her nerves, lest she'd lash out and kill someone in the heat of the moment.

"I know…but you have to understand that he's essentially the only one keeping my mother together as insane as it sounds. I know you want nothing more than to rip him to shreds. Believe me, I do as well. But, if he dies, my mother's depression will likely kick in, making my home life worse than it already is," she spoke solemnly as she cried for millionth time tonight.

"I…see," Mikoto intoned. She didn't even bother trying to hide her disappointment. An idea struck her from out of the blue like a thunderbolt. Sakura told her not to kill him; she never said not to…a wicked grin adorned her face for a split second. Her pupils were none the wiser. "All right, Sakura…I'll abide by your wishes," she conceded with a huff.

"Thank you, Sensei," she thanked with a sigh, leaning back against the blond. Sasuke simply gave the two an emotionless stare. Mikoto observed this, and made a mental note to address it soon enough.

"However, you're staying here tonight."

Three pairs of eyes went wide. Clearly, they weren't expecting that. Sakura opened her mouth to protest, but Mikoto held up her palm, silencing her.

"No, you are," she insisted. "In fact, I think I want you to stay with us from now on. I'm not going to sit here in good conscience and let you go home to that sick, perverted bastard. Not anymore. You're staying here." The finality in the tone of her voice told all. She wasn't joking, at all.

The rosette-haired kunoichi-in-training sighed. She knew that her sensei's decision was final and there was nothing she could do to change her mind. Not that she really wanted her to, anyhow. Sakura nodded in acceptance.

Mikoto stood up and dusted herself off. "I'm going to go find a room for you, all right? We can worry about transferring your belongings here later. But, for now, we'll just have to deal."

"Um…Mikoto-sensei?" Sakura began with a slight blush.

"What is it, Sakura?"

The girl looked extremely embarrassed. "I was wondering….could I…room with Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun?" she inquired, still red in the face. Said boys jaws dropped all the way to the floor as they looked at each other.

Mikoto blinked owlishly. "Wow….um…sure," she said a bit hesitantly.

"Kaa-san/Sensei, you can't be serious!" Sasuke and Naruto protested. It wasn't the fact that he didn't want Sakura near him; it was the fact that she was a girl and….it just wasn't right!

Mikoto snorted. "Oh, can it, you two. If you guys were much older, then I'd have a problem with it, but I trust you guys. It's really not that big of a deal. She'll just have to go to another room to get changed when she needs to." The two boys grunted out their reluctance, but accepted.

"All right, now that we've gotten that out of the way, let me go find some sleeping wear and some sheets for you to sleep on in Sasuke-kun's room." She smiled and left the room. While she thought about it, she made a seal to disable the sound displacement jutsu she had set up earlier.

"So…." Sasuke began, unsure of where the conversation should go, considering what they had just learned.

Sakura sighed and turned around to face both of them. "Guys…thank you."

"For what, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked with a tilt of his head.

"For understanding and respecting my right not to tell you until now. I truly appreciate you guys not trying to prod the issue when it wasn't needed," she explained.

Sasuke shook his head. "It wasn't a big deal, Sakura. However…." He punched his palm with his fist. "I still want to take a shot at the bastard for what he did to you."

Naruto's eyes turned bloody crimson for a split second. "Not before me, Sasuke. I call first dibs," he said with a darker edge lining his voice.

"No…neither of you are touching him," Sakura spoke with an air of finality. Her jade eyes turned to slits as her eyes narrowed. "He's mine and mine alone. I'm the one who's going to kill that sick perverted fuck!" she hissed venomously. The two boys flinched, yet again. They still weren't used to Sakura swearing so vehemently. "But…don't tell Sensei that, okay? I don't want her worrying about it, okay?"

"We won't," Sasuke assured her.

She smirked and held up both her pinkies out toward them. "Pinky swears?" she intoned looking at them playfully, trying her best not to giggle.

"Seriously?"

"Come on…" she pouted, giving them a slight puppy-dog looks.

'By the gods…that face….' Naruto thought with a bit of sweat rolling down his temples. Must….not…give in! From the look on Sasuke's face, it seemed he had to deal with the same inner struggle.

"You know you want to," she teased, a bit flirtatiously.

"Fine," they both said simultaneously, hooking their pinkies around hers. "Pinkie swear."

Sakura smiled and pulled them both into a hug. "Thanks, guys. It really means a lot to me," she told them sincerely. They both grinned at her as the three best friends felt content in each other's arms.

A cough broke them out of their stupor and they immediately pulled apart. Their sensei was leaning against the door frame with a smirk on her face.

"Heh, I may have to put you three in separate rooms, after all," she teased, though her humor was lost on the trio.

"No we were just—!"

Mikoto rolled her eyes. "Relax, guys. I'm only kidding," she dryly remarked. Sakura sighed in relief. "Anyhow, I've got your pseudo-bed made in Sasuke-kun's room. Don't stay up too late, as we're going to the blacksmith tomorrow morning."

"Seriously?" Naruto and Sakura asked, the former drooling at the prospect. Mikoto already had them practice with bokken (wooden sword) and staves made out of the same material. Unsurprisingly—to Mikoto at least— they seemed to take upon the weapons as if they were born to wield them. Strange how just about everything they wanted to specialize in, they had a natural talent for. Meh, it wasn't worth reading too much into it.

The Uchiha matriarch nodded in confirmation, smiling with a bit of tender affection. "Time for you guys to work with some real metal."

Naruto grinned and held Sasuke in a headlock. "Hell yeah, and who knows, Sasuke here might find a weapon he likes."

The Uchiha scion snorted, forcing the blonde of off him. "Yeah, right. I told you how I feel."

"Sakura-chan, remind us of this moment when he picks out a weapon tomorrow, all right?" He grinned confidently. She gave him a thumbs up in response.

Mikoto simply shook her head. The dynamic between these three never ceased to amuse her. They liked to poke fun at each other from time to time, but the bond that existed was undeniable. "All right, you three, time for bed. You all can shower in the morning. It's been a long night. Tomorrow, your training intensifies." She couldn't help but snicker at the looks of horror on their faces. Damn, she loved her job!

The three academy students collectively sighed as they made their way to Sasuke's room. Since Sasuke and Naruto were already in their pajamas, they really didn't need to worry about having to change in front of their pink-haired companion.

Nearly a half-hour later, the three friends were each in their beds in the darkness of night. They could barely see two feet in front of them, let alone each other. However, that didn't stop them from having conversation.

"Wow…all three of three of us all in one room at night….never thought I'd see this day," Sasuke mused aloud.

"Well…we'll probably have to do this on missions. Might as well get used to it, now," Sakura replied, her eyes actually closed, but still listening intently.

They heard Naruto snort. "Yeah, but the difference is that we're in nice, comfy beds. Out there…it's nothing but good old Mother Nature and all her hazards."

"Got me there," Sakura conceded with a long sigh. Naruto did have the habit of being a snarky smart-ass. I guess it came with him being the de-facto 'team leader' in the sense. He was certainty qualified. Despite Sasuke being talented and trained in the ninja way before any of them, Naruto caught up extremely fast and surpassed him, if only just barely.

"In any case…we've got a long way to go. Kaa-san says we have to stay the entire four years at the academy. It was something about us growing up too fast…meh…I don't know. Either way, it's troublesome."

"Damn right it is…but…at least it gives me enough time to create that technique," Naruto added as a simply afterthought.

"Yeah…." Sakura agreed before she blinked and sat up from her bed. "Wait a minute. What technique?" Now, she was entirely confused.

Sasuke sat up as well. "All right, Naruto…spill it. What the hell are you talking about?" he outright demanded. He was his best friend and he'd be damned if he'd be the last one to find out about this kind of crap.

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Well…it's something I've been thinking about. You guys remember reading about the Yondaime, right?" he asked rhetorically.

Sakura looked at Naruto's silhouette with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah…what about—hold on! Don't tell me you're trying to create a technique similar to the Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique)!" The Hiraishin was an S-ranked jutsu created by the Yondaime Hokage and was considered by many to be as close to a "perfect" jutsu as one could get. The only thing that was truly known about it was it allowed the Yondaime to move at instantaneous speeds. Everything else, the young Hokage took with him, seemingly, to the grave. Replicating it was virtually impossible, now.

"Well…not exactly, but it has given me an idea," he told them.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, WAIT," Sasuke repeated holding his hand in a T-shape. "First off, we're nine years-old. How the hell are you going to invent a bastardized version of, quite possibly, the most lethal jutsu in existence? How the hell do you even begin to create a technique in the first place?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Okay, first off, the technique I'm envisioning is nothing like the Hiraishin. The only thing it has in common with it, is speed. Although, it's obviously much slower than the Fourth Hokage's prized technique."

"So it's a speed technique?" Sakura inquired.

"Yes," Naruto confirmed.

"Well…what about the Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique)? Doesn't that serve the same purpose?"

Naruto smirked. Just the question he was waiting on. "Technically…yes. However, most shinobi only use Shunshin casually and outside of battle as it has few practical uses unless you're a master of it like the Sandaime Raikage and Shisui-san." Sasuke grimaced a bit at the mention of his cousin, but ignored it in favor of listening to Naruto.

"You see, guys, I've been studying the Shunshin no Jutsu a lot, and while I will learn the technique for its casual use, I want a technique that allows me to use my faster-than-normal reflexes and speed for practical use in combat." He definitely wasn't exaggerating. Naruto's reflexes were borderline ridiculous for his age, reacting to things seemingly before it happens.

'I wonder how long till the boy realizes these natural gifts were inherited from his father.' The Fox thought amused, once again listening discreetly. Sure he could tell Naruto about his heritage, but as far as he was concerned it wasn't his place to tell. Plus, he never asked him, so why bother bringing up the subject?

"Now, before I go into this in vivid detail, I've never done this. This is all theory from me at this point," Naruto warned. He heard them nod and continue. "So...speed, along with most measures that have to do with the laws of physics, have lots of things in common; one of the more notable being friction. It's the force that resists motion. Often, it's most commonly demonstrated by sliding against various surfaces.

"So…I was thinking…what if you use chakra to temporarily take away this friction …under your feet? Since chakra has been known to do a hell of a lot of things, I'd think I could do this…somehow. Regardless, I'd glide myself along this frictionless environment at any pace I want to…sort of like a blur. The problem I see is firstly, how to make myself frictionless, and secondly, how to bring the friction back to stop myself within a split second. Mind you, this is what I've been theorizing for a while now. It's about as concrete as it's going to get until I actually sit down and create it."

"I…see…wow…." Sakura said in awe at Naruto's detail. She never took him to study physics. Then again, it was in the interest of bettering himself as a ninja and overcoming a problem, so it stood to reason.

"Wow, Naruto….you certainly did a lot of research into this. Question, though. Say you are successful in creating it…you got a name?" Sasuke asked smirking.

"Actually…I do. If it all goes well, I'm thinking of calling it…Ibitsuyumi," Naruto answered.

"Distorted Step, eh? That actually fits well based on your theoretical description. Good job," Sakura complemented.

Naruto smiled. "Thanks, guys." There was a comfortable silence between them. A groan escaped Naruto's mouth. "Yes, I will teach it to you guys, sheesh," he said with a roll of his eyes.

They both laughed out loud. "You know us too well, Naruto-kun." Sasuke couldn't help but agree with the rosette-haired female.

The cerulean orbed pseudo-shinobi shook his head. "Yeah, yeah," he replied dismissively, turning on his side. "All right, enough talking. Let's try and get some sleep. Knowing Sensei, she's probably going to put us through hell, tomorrow."

A collective moan was uttered as they sighed. Ah, well, it was nothing they could do about it, so why worry? Silence reigned over the entire room as they each, one by one, fell completely asleep.

(Yuki no Kuni, Ultranationalist Military Base, 1800 hours)

Obano Kouseki walked along the metal tiles of Alpha Base situated in the Land of Snow. This facility was nearly sixty-thousand square feet in total size, and had many state-of-the-art buildings equipped with the latest in radio technology, as well as material and resources that made it self-sufficient.

Alpha base was the main foreign base for the Ultranationalists, outside of Delta Base in Shimo no Kuni (Land of Frost), and Echo Base in on a remote island nearly one-hundred miles off the coast of Mizu no Kuni (Land of Water). The latter of which was only accessible by air. Obano saw a large, two-story-tall eagle with a large brown saddle that seemed to be holding cargo and supplies fly down into an underpass. A long human sat on its neck and was seemingly guiding it like one controlled a horse, a rein included over its beak. Its flight call could be heard as it vanished into the underpass.

Obano couldn't help but to marvel at Hideyoshi's sheer genius. Ten years ago, he had diverted some serious funding into building bases overseas that were actually worth a damn. The Ultranationalists needed ways to test most of their illegal weapons away from the watchful eyes of the Sandaime, and now Yondaime, Raikage. They had gone the extra mile to make sure that these bases were secure, safe, and most of all, kept completely secret. Only the most trusted members of the organization were allowed to go to any of the bases and even then strict regulations were followed.

The Emerald Fang had heard talks of Hideyoshi making deals and negotiators with a character in this land—Doto, was it? In any case, whatever the Ultranationalist leader had promised the now-ruler of the Land of Snow, he left the extremist shinobi of the Hidden Cloud well alone.

He walked into a small building that belonged entirely to him. Paying a fee from their own pockets, an ultranationalist could request that a private house be built there in case they were stationed there for a while whenever they weren't needed back at the village. It wasn't anywhere near as nice as his house in the Third District, but it beat living in the barracks like the rest.

"Sensei! You're back," Omoi observed, letting out a chilled breath. He was wearing standard Kumo Genin outfit except it was customized to fit the near-zero-degree weather outside. The eleven-year-old sat in a chair, drinking some hot chocolate.

Obano nodded in acknowledgement and shut the door behind him and shivered a bit. He was not a fan of frigid temperatures and he couldn't wait to go back home. "Where are Karui and Samui?" He inquired, dusting some snow off his thin jacket.

He pointed to the living room and saw the two kunoichi sleeping on opposite ends of the couch. Obano couldn't help but to smile. He hated to disturb them from their slumber, but alas, the demonstration was today that would likely revolutionize the way the shinobi World Wars would be fought.

The jounin made his way toward them and shook them both awake. He got groggy groans in response. "Look, I know you guys are tired, but we have to be present for the test today. Once it's over, you guys can sleep all you want, all right?"

Samui sighed and Karui groaned, but nonetheless, they complied, getting up from the couch to put on their jackets.

"I can't stand the fucking cold," Karui cursed in disdain.

"Got that right," Samui agreed. She was willing to deal with the chilly winters back home, but here? Hell no.

Obano chuckled. "Come on, you three. Let's go and see if this actually works," he said, heading for the door.

The younger boy cocked his eyebrow. "You still haven't exactly told us what this 'revolutionary' idea is." Omoi crossed his arms. His sensei had a knowing smirk as if to say, "Watch and see." The three grunted at not being told upfront and simply followed their sensei out of the room.

(Yuki no Kuni, Alpha Base, Hangar A, Nicknamed "Eagle's Nest", 1815 hours)

Team Omoi and Obano made their way through the "Eagle's Nest," along with a plethora of their brothers-in-arms seemingly working around the clock to keep the place up and running. The hangar was absolutely massive and was easily the largest structure in Alpha Base at an astonishing one hundred twenty-five feet from the ground to the highest point in the ceiling. Its width from end to end was about nine times that of its height. There were enormous stalls where eagles, hawks, and falcons of various sizes were being fed their usual diet consisting of fish, mice, and rodents, among others. Some of the birds were so massive that ladders nearly eight times the sizes of an average man were used just to reach their beaks! So far, all of the birds had remained calm and tranquil and seemingly didn't have a single issue with their human handlers.

"Okay…." Karui said aloud a bit annoyed. "Come on, Sensei. What the hell is up with all these birds? They're goddamn huge!" she exclaimed a bit in awe. The talons on those things could easily carry any of the four of them with room to spare. A small shudder went up the kunoichi's spine.

Obano couldn't help but to chuckle. "Well, guys, these eagles are pretty much going to be a great asset to us in the future. Their applications are practically limitless. Ah! Just watch and you'll see what I mean." His students gave him a sidelong look, still a bit skeptical.

A masculine voice was heard over the intercom system within the hangar and spoke in a commanding and militaristic tone. "All personnel, this is Overlord, you are to be advised and clear the runway for Support Package Bravo." Obano raised an eyebrow. Bravo, eh? The first eagle he saw a while back must've been "alpha," or the first bird to arrive. "All cargo personnel are to stand by for safe transport."

Omoi turned to the jaded eyed jounin. "Overlord?" he asked, puzzlement lining his features. He observed multiple shinobi moving into positions, while a lone male was seemingly directing something in the air akin to an air-traffic controller.

"He's a relatively high-ranking member of the organization. That's his call sign. It's a way to protect identities in the extremely low chance we have intruders or uninvited guests. Some of us have call signs; others don't. That's the point. You never know who might be an enemy, even in a base this secure. Security protocols dictate that we don't take any chances."

"Wow…" Samui whistled in awe. "You guys don't play around when it comes to this kind of stuff," the eleven-year-old observed.

Obano shook his head. "We can't afford not to."

Overlord's voice came over the intercom again, except this time there were clearly echoes, meaning his voice could be heard throughout the entire headquarters. "Sand Bravo Six, you are clear for landing. Proceed to Eagle's Nest with caution."

"Here it comes," Obano told them as all three of them carefully watched the skyline as the hangar bay doors opened to the darkness of night. Team Omoi watched as a massive bird started to approach the hangar. Omoi's eyes grew wide. The further the massive flying behemoth edged closer, the larger it appeared to be. He consciously took a step back as the menacing eagle flew into the aptly named Eagle's Nest. The extremely sharp talons scrapped the metal tiles as it used inertia to slow itself down into a complete stop.

The jaws of Team Omoi, along with dozens of other Ultranationalist shinobi, dropped completely to the floor, rendered speechless. This eagle was easily over a hundred feet tall, a wingspan taking up half the hangar and it had blood-red eyes to boot. Running along its main vertebrae was an enormous saddle that connected itself across the midsection for support. In this saddle contained dozens upon dozens of boxes, crates, and containers, among others filled with food, medicine and spare and replacement medical equipment, hundreds of bottles of fresh water, raw materials, and other miscellaneous supplies.

"All right! Let's get her loaded off! Ayako was getting a bit tired with all that weight on her!" a man, dressed in a rather strange outfit, ordered. He was obviously dressed for the weather, but his outfit was completely out of the norm. It was an all-white jumpsuit with fur, meant to protect him from the cold. The dark-skinned man was wearing protective goggles as well as ear muffs as he held the eagle, presumably called Ayako, steady with the reins in his hands.

Several Ultranationalist chuunin jumped on the saddle where the supplies were, while others prepped a loading system beside the massive silver-colored beast. One by one, crates were sent down a conveyer belt that rotated downwards. At the bottom, shinobi and staff carried the supplies to and where they needed to go.

"Wow…" Omoi was the first to speak up from his stupor.

Obano couldn't help but to grin. "Marvelous, isn't it? Normally, it'd be a logistical nightmare to maintain one base this far away from home, let alone three. Add in the fact that this place is unknown to a large amount of the shinobi world and you're talking about something that's virtually impossible. However, Hideyoshi-sama came up with an ingenious idea. Taming the gargantuan birds of prey in the valley that sat directly behind his clan estate. Ayako there is one of the twenty largest birds we have under our command."

Samui and Karui blinked. "You mean there are twenty other birds just as big as that thing? No way in hell!" They shook their hands in denial.

"Believe it, kids," Obano replied seriously. "At any rate, those birds can carry far more cargo than we initially thought. Those wings are powerful enough to keep themselves up along with extra amounts of weight. It shattered our naïve perception of what birds were and weren't capable of," he explained.

"I see…" Omoi thought as the lazy eyes he was known for returned to his face, though it was evident he was extremely impressed. "I wonder….could you drop supplies to the field directly?" he asked in wonder.

Obano blinked at him and then chuckled, putting a hand on his shoulder. He always knew how to ask the right questions. If they were impressed with that, then what was next would likely completely blow their minds.

"Omoi…the answer to that….you'll see in due time," he remarked a bit cryptically. The ashen-haired shinobi simply sighed, not wanting to broach the issue and knowing it was futile. Karui giggled while Samui shook her head.

"All right, Hayato-sama, that's the last of it!" a female Ultranationalist jounin called out to the "pilot" of the massive bird of prey. Ayako shook her back, seemingly glad that she had all that extra weight off of her.

"Glad you got that weight off of you, huh?" Hayato spoke to the eagle, whose eyes seemingly narrowed.

"You try carrying about five tons of human items on your back and see how well you do, Hayato-kun," Ayako sarcastically replied. It was unlikely that anyone else besides Hayato heard her speak, due to the mount of activity going on in the hangar.

"All right, all right, fine. I'll treat you to some fish when we get back to the village," he promised, but Ayako didn't look convinced as she brought her wingspan in and made the huge effort to turn completely around.

"I'm perfectly able to hunt fish on my own, thank you very much."

Hayato palmed his face. "Sheesh, okay, I get it. What does a guy have to do to get some respect around here?" If the enormous silver bird could smile, she would've done so.

"You know I love you," she replied humorously.

"Sometimes, I wonder," he retorted with a snort. "Anyway, you're free for the rest of the night. I still hear there's plenty of food in the river in the mountains. Perhaps you'll find some good fish there?"

"Maybe…I'll check it out."

"Good….Also…keep an eye out for any suspicious activity."

Hayato could've sworn he heard the female eagle groan. "Do you need to remind me of that every time? Sheesh."

The pilot chuckled. "I guess not, but it bears worth repeating. Either way, I wish you luck. Good hunting." He jumped off the eagle and she wordlessly made her way to the edge of the pseudo-runway and jumped off the cliff and flew off into the distance.

Hayato dusted some snow off of his jumpsuit and removed the helmet and goggles. Jet black hair and brown eyes adorned his face along with a scar across his right eye similar to a certain cyclopean Konoha Jounin. The dark-skinned male cracked his neck as he saw Obano and his pupils heading toward him.

"Ah! Obano! It's good to see you!" he greeted the jounin as if they were old friends, which they were. They shook hands and grinned at one another. Obano noticed the golden eagle patch on his left breast.

"You're a captain, now? You're moving on up in the ranks, I see," the Emerald Fang noted with a smile. Hayato scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Yeah, I guess you can say that. Hideyoshi-sama was the one who requested me to officially bring WARHawkS public….at least to our brothers and sisters. Gods above know that those bastards back home couldn't have thought of an idea this ingenious," he spoke in disgust. Team Omoi stayed silent at this, unsurprised in the least. Personal grudges against the United Cloud and the Raikage were about as ordinary as the common cold amongst those of the Ultranationalists.

"Indeed," Obano agreed. "It is a great honor that our…" he paused a bit. "…leader has bestowed upon you," he added cautiously. He felt a chill run down his spine. He had almost slipped up!

"So…these are the three pupils I had been hearing about." Hayato grinned, all but changing the subject completely. "Hayato Seka, at your service," he introduced with a slightly dramatic bow for comedic effect. Team Omoi chuckled, amused.

"Omoi."

"Karui."

"Samui."

Short, sweet, and to the point. "Ah, I see, I see." The taicho looked at a clock on the hangar walls and his eyes widened. "Ah! I got a ten-minute window!" he said, hurrying off somewhere.

"He seems nice," Samui noted smiling.

"More like total weirdo…" Karui stuck out her tongue.

"All right, all right, enough," Obano bemusedly chuckled. "Come on, he's probably doing that presentation."

Hayato's voice was heard over a bullhorn. "All newly arrived members on base, could you please report to the front of the hangar?" his voice bellowed in a bit of an echo. Omoi winced. Yeah, they definitely needed to replace that thing.

Normally, the process of getting everyone to collectively move to one spot could have taken anywhere from fifteen to twenty minutes depending on the size of the crowd. However, the discipline of these ninja ran far deeper than the average Kumo shinobi. Hayato stood on a podium, and before him, an audience of about two-hundred fifty hardened and cold-blooded assassins.

The dark-skinned taicho cleared his throat before speaking. "Good evening, everyone," he began cordially and they returned his gesture with a wave of nods, "Unfortunately, Hideyoshi-sama couldn't be here today as he had to take care of some important business back in the village and as such he has tasked me to explain what you all just witnessed about ten minutes ago." Slight murmurs swept through the crowd.

"What you all just witnessed was a birth of a revolution that will no doubt change the dynamic of how the Shinobi World Wars will be fought. We call it….WARHawkS, or Aerial WARfare Hawk Squadron. By taming the enormous birds of prey in the valleys of Kumo, we've managed to put these creatures to extraordinary use," Hayato explained walking back and forth. The WARHawkS pilot had their complete and undivided attention. From the looks on their faces, they seemed genuinely interested in the subject matter. Team Omoi was no exception.

"Members of WARHawkS sign the summoning contract from the Akechi clan, which, obviously, Hideyoshi-sama controls. The program began in secret over four years ago; around the same time Alpha Base here was nearly finishing completion. I finished my training here a year ago to this day almost. I'm what's known as a 'pilot'. Make no mistake people: these majestic creatures are highly intelligent and like nearly all summoning contracts are able to speak in our tongue. That being said, they are not knowledgeable of the way we humans conduct things at certain points. Sure, we could train them how to deliver cargo without a human assistant 'steering' them in the right direction, so to speak, but, like all things in this world, it's simply a time and money issue."

Everyone seemed to nod in acknowledgment. It'd made complete sense. Training the eagles to have a cognitive map of the entire elemental nations would be a true challenge. It was simply easier on the bird to have a human helper instead.

"As far as we know, maximum payload for our largest breeds is about five tons. Add any more and we'd be effectively forcing them into a slow, painful, and agonizing death. So long as it's under the weight limit, just about anything can be fitted on the saddles that we've created to hold all shipments….including ourselves," Hayato smirked. A wave of confusion swept through all of the Ultranationalist shinobi present and the taicho was about to explain before he was interrupted by Overlord on his personal radio.

"Hayato-taicho, this is Overlord, do you copy, over?"

Hayato put on his headset and held up a finger, excusing himself. "This is Hayato speaking. Go ahead, sir."

"The First Air Wing is en route to your positions. ETA, about three minutes. Move your crowd outside so that all can see for the final test, over."

"Roger that. Hayato, out," he acknowledged with a smile, disconnecting the radio. "Okay, everyone, you heard the man. Outside, now!" The shinobi presence didn't need to be told twice, as they made their way out, following his orders without hesitation.

Karui groaned. "Damn! Do we have to go outside? It's so damn cold!" she complained.

Omoi grunted in annoyance. "Can it, Karui. I may not be a huge fan of the frigid weather, either, but complaining about it constantly isn't going to magically make your body warm."

Samui sighed. She was about to complain and agree with the redhead, but she knew she'd get a lecture from Omoi as well. He was team leader, after all. Karui simply huffed, but said nothing in return.

Obano simply shook his head amused. Kids…

(Skies of Yuki No Kuni, 1000m up, ETA to Alpha Base: 90 seconds)

Nearly a thousand feet in the air in the skies of Yuki no Kuni were fifteen eagles flying in V-formation. Although not in the same class as Ayako in terms of size, they were still relatively huge. On the base of all fifteen's necks were Cloud shinobi who wore the same jumpsuit as Hayato did, except with extra protection from being so high up in the sky. On their backs were the same types of saddles. Instead of cargo, however….there were shinobi. There were about twenty each, although it could hold thirty more. They were covered from head to toe in white-colored gear, goggles, and a large backpack.

The pilot at the head of the V-formation turned his head slightly to the taicho behind him. "Sixty seconds!"

The taicho nodded and turned back to his small platoon of shinobi. Although this was a demonstration and an exercise, they were taking it seriously as if they were in a real war. That way if mistakes were made, they could be ironed out right then and there.

"All right, listen up! We're sixty seconds from the drop point! You're the First Wing, the bread and butter of the WARHawkS squadron! We're known as the best at what we do. When we land, I want you to lock down Alpha Base as if it were under attack from enemy forces. Am I clear?"

"Sir!" they all chorused in unison.

The taicho sent hand signals to the other fifteen captains leading the other platoons. They all acknowledged him.

"Thirty seconds!"

All twenty of the shinobi crept to the edge of the saddle looking down fearlessly as Alpha Base came into view. Everything truly looked like the size of an ant from this high up.

"Hey guys, I can see my house from up here!" a random jumper-nin called out. This earned the chuckles of the entire platoon. It was a joke that was often said to calm the nerves of jumpers. Surprisingly, it was pretty effective.

"Ten seconds!"

This was it. Their palms were a bit sweaty as they waited in excited glee at the opportunity to show off their skills. They saw the pilots countdown with their fingers. Five….four….three….two….one.

"Go! Go! Go!" the taicho shouted, jumping off the eagle and effectively letting gravity take hold of him. His platoon followed one by one they all jumped off. They were joined by the platoons on the other eagles. The eagles turned on a dime, headed west of Alpha Base back to Kumogakure.

(Yuki no Kuni, Alpha Base, 1830 hours)

Team Omoi's eyes widened as they watched three hundred men descend toward the earth. Obano had a smirk on his face the entire time.

"Sensei! Are they crazy? A fall from that height, even for shinobi, would kill them instantly!" Samui shrieked in unhidden alarm.

"It would," the Emerald Fang acknowledged, "but what if you had a device that slowed your descent down, sparing you from a fatal fall?"

Samui's eyes narrowed. "How? Such a device…doesn't…exist…" her words trailed off as her jaw dropped to the floor. A large, jellyfish-shaped device came out of the backpacks of the jumper-ninja. Dozens upon dozens of strings were attached to the outer 'shell' as it slowly, but surely, slowed their descent towards the base.

"Omoi, Karui, Samui," Obano called them, "that is what is known as a parachute. When I said we were going to utterly revolutionize how shinobi wars were fought, I wasn't kidding. This…is WARHawkS."

"I see…" Omoi's eyes narrowed. "All invasions in the past were carried out by moving either a massive number of shinobi on the ground or smaller ones at certain particular periods. Depending on the country involved, it could either be a logistical dream or a nightmare. Imagine the surprise of the other Hidden Villages when they see hundreds of our shinobi descending from the air…right on their village. Most wars were fought in the country. Rarely were they in the interior of the village. With this it's…." Omoi trailed off, seemingly in awe. It was now that Karui and Samui caught on completely.

"You're right, Omoi. Multiply the number of eagles you saw by three….five…..seven….nine. All carrying full payloads of our forces just itching to spill some blood. They wouldn't know what hit them, until it was far too late."

"Sensei…wouldn't that work only once?" Karui asked. "I mean, say the reverse, heaven forbid, happened to us and we managed to drive them off. Wouldn't the first thing you'd do is come up with strategies to defeat and prevent such a thing from either happening again or to yourself?"

Obano nodded, having expected this question. "While your logic is sound, it assumes two things: one, that we aren't aware of some potential weaknesses; and two: that the other hidden villages have ways to counter us in the air. Quite frankly, they don't. Unless they have aerial summoning contracts then they're quite at the disadvantage. Most solutions would probably be thought up on the fly without any true proper testing. In war, you don't get the luxury of testing out new concepts efficiently. That's why we have the advantage. We've been testing this for half a decade and ironed out a lot of kinks through trial and error. As successful as that jump was, there are a lot of flaws that still need testing."

Team Omoi nodded in acknowledgement. The four man team watched as the First Wing secured the base from all sides as part of their drills. The demonstration was effectively over and Team Omoi, along with the other new arrivals, started to disperse back to their barracks or duty stations for the night.

"You know…of all the things I had expected, this was near the bottom, honestly," Samui blandly admitted. "Giant Eagles, the sky raining men, almost enough to make a girl have a heart attack," she joked.

Omoi smirked. "Considering how easily you can be scared, I'm surprised it hasn't happened, yet."

The blonde looked offended. "Hey! I do not scare easily!" She felt someone poke her in the back with a "Boo!" She immediately shrieked, causing her teammates and sensei to laugh hysterically.

Samui flushed red in embarrassment. "That's not funny!"

Karui was holding her sides, leaning on the only male in the team for support. "Suuuure it isn't, Samui," she retorted back, still laughing at her expense.

Samui huffed and started to walk a bit faster toward Obano's private quarters. Said jounin's laughter was reduced to simple chuckles. "Oh, man. That was great," he breathed out before wiping a tear from his eye. "Come on, guys. Let's head inside and get some rest. You all have a big day tomorrow."

Omoi raised an eyebrow. "I thought we weren't going to leave until next week." Karui looked at Obano, hopeful. She couldn't stand this hellhole they called a base.

"Who said we were leaving?" Obano grinned at the looks of horror on their faces. "We're training!"

Normally, the two would've been ecstatic about training, but he had expected them to perform well in near subzero temperatures with snow! They barely could train competently back in Kumo during the winter!

"No offense, Sensei, but are you fucking crazy?" Karui exclaimed.

Obano looked at her coolly. "Nope. Believe me, I don't like the weather as much as you guys, but at least this will give you experience to how fight in arctic warfare."

Omoi and Karui sighed and nodded in acceptance. "Whatever," Obano clucked his teeth. "Better to get it over with than to constantly dread it."

The Emerald Fang grinned and placed both his hands on their heads as they headed inside. "Besides…you never know what we might discover out there!"

Obano had no idea how right he was….

(Yuki no Kuni, 5 kilometers from Alpha Base, 1100 hours, next day)

Team Omoi trod through the seemingly endless snowy mountains of Yuki no Kuni. Even with the extra layers of clothing, they could still feel the frigid temperatures. Surprisingly, they weren't complaining about the freezing cold, but more of the long hike they had taken.

"Come on, sensei! Can we please stop for a break?" Karui whined as she dragged her feet through the snow.

Omoi heaved a long sigh. As much as he hated to agree with Karui's complaining, he, too, started getting a bit annoyed. They'd hike, go over some drills, hike, go over more drills, and then hike some more! It was getting extremely tedious.

"Sensei, we've been walking for at least twenty miles, with barely any breaks. Have a heart?" Samui asked, giving him a look.

Obano sighed. They were right; they did need some rest. However, he still wanted to explore the valley. Knowledge of this place could come quite handy way down the line…

"All right, fine. You guys can rest, but we still need to keep moving," he told them paradoxically.

As expected they all looked confused. "We need to rest….but keep moving? How in the hell does that work?"

Obano smiled to them and bit his thumb hard enough to draw blood. "Who said anything about us, walking?"

"Huh?"

The jounin just shook his head and went through five hand seals. Boar. Dog. Bird. Monkey. Ram. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)!" he exclaimed and slammed his hand into the freezing snow. A large plume of smoke covered the area at which he stood.

When the smoke had finally cleared, all three of their eyes collectively went as wide as saucers. Their sensei was sitting…on a panther. An all-black, yellow eyed, one story tall panther to be exact. Omoi barely came up to the big cat's massive shoulders. Its paws looked sharp enough to rip through solid steel if the situation came down to it.

Karui gulped. "Um…sensei…what is that?"

The panther seemed to snort. "You didn't even tell your pupils about me, Obano? I'm hurt?"

Samui's eyes bulged out of her sockets. "It talks?"

The panther smiled showing all its fangs. "Yup. And I also have a very well-rounded diet, too." The blonde kunoichi looked fearful at that statement.

"Okay, okay, Daisuke, stop scaring my students, would ya?" Obano groaned at his personal summon. The new addition, Daisuke, seemed to pout.

"I was kidding…I wouldn't eat them…unless, of course, you told me to," Daisuke grinned and Obano palmed his face.

"Would you focus, please?" the Emerald Fang pleaded, jumping down from Daisuke's back. Even as tall as he was, the panther still towered over his summoner like a giant. The enlarged feline's response was to simply purr mockingly, causing Obano to simply jab him in the shoulder. He only snickered in response.

Team Omoi simply stared dumbly at the duo. For a panther that looked like it could rip a fully grown male elephant to shreds easily, it acted more like a common overgrown housecat….that could talk.

"Anyway, this is Daisuke, my personal summon. He's going to give us a ride up through the underpass."

"I am?" the panther incredulously responded, scratching his ears.

Obano ignored him. "It shouldn't be that difficult for him. So…without further ado, let's go."

"Uh…Sensei…why didn't you tell us you had a summoning contract for panthers?" Omoi dully asked.

He got a grin in return. "You never asked." All three palmed their faces. They should've immediately expected that.

"All right, ladies and gentlemen, all aboard the kitty express," Daisuke grinned and sat down on all fours. With a bit of hesitation, the three climbed on top, taking note at how soft his fur was.

"You know…for a talking panther…you seem to act like a common housecat," Karui noted. The black panther just snorted.

"I find it more amusing and fun. You should've seen me when I was teenager. I was such a downer."

"Trust me, he was," Obano groaned, climbing back on as the summon rose to its full height. "Couldn't get him to laugh for anything and now he won't stop making gags about scared prey."

"I enjoy the taste of humans when they're trembling in fear," Daisuke boringly replied. Team Omoi looked at him in horror.

"That was a joke," he flatly retorted. They all collectively moaned.

"Riiiight," Obano clucked his teeth. "Let's just get going."

Daisuke grinned and took off without warning, seemingly a black blur in the blizzard conditions in the high mountains.

(Kumogakure, 4th District, Darui's residence, February)

The heir to the Black Lightning stood in silence as he watched his beloved younger sibling sleep peacefully. Small dried tear marks adorned his cheeks. The girl had another seizure that he was barely able to contain. Her neurological disorder grew worse as the countdown to her final days came closer and closer.

It was wearing down the jounin. He could hardly focus on missions, anymore, because his sister was so sick and she could die at any moment. If she were to pass on without him being there while he was away…he didn't know what he would do. Mental breakdown? Suicide? Retiring early? Who knows? They were all distinct possibilities.

Darui sighed in defeat, yet again, and made his way out of the room. He needed some sake to drown out some of his sorrows. Making his way to the kitchen, the lazy-eyed jounin poured himself a glass of alcohol and downed it in one go.

"It's sad to see yourself in this state, Darui…" a cold voice said that made his skin crawl. He turned around sharply and his eyes greatly expanded.

Standing in the middle of his living room…was the Ultranationalist leader, himself.

"Hideyoshi…." he spat venomously, causing the Akechi clan head to smirk. "What the hell are you doing in my home? Get out, before I make you!" He gritted his teeth.

Hideyoshi couldn't help but chuckle. "You really think you could defeat me? Moreover, do you really wish to battle me with your sister in the other room?"

Darui's glower turned murderous. "You even touch one hair on her head, and I swear to the fucking gods, I'll kill you!" he roared as his chakra started to spike a bit.

The Ultranationalist looked amused at the Black Lightning heir's thinly veiled threat. "Is that so...? And here I was wanting to have a simple chat with you," he faked being hurt.

The jounin growled. "And why would I want to have a chat with a psychopathic monster as yourself?" he reasoned, clenching his fists.

Now, the clan head looked genuinely offended as he gave a death glare to the ninja. "Is that what you think? That I have no morals, convictions, or noble goals? What a truly naïve and myopic view you have of the world."

Darui actually scoffed. "You? Having a noble goal? Don't make me laugh. You and the rest of your bastard party want to enact genocide and probably have committed unthinkable atrocities."

"And what of the atrocities here at home, Darui?" he rhetorically quipped, skillfully dodging his question. "Do you not think it's wrong that the Raikage literally does nothing to help those at the bottom of the food chain and yet he complains to you that he's scared shitless about us taking over?"

Darui's eyes widened. "How do you—?"

"Know about that? Who else would he express his grievances to? You're one of his most trusted jounin," Hideyoshi replied, and then smirked. "At least…for now, you are."

The ashen-haired nin's eyes narrowed to slits. "Just what the hell are you talking about?"

Hideyoshi paced around the room. "Is it not obvious as to why I'm here? I want you to join us in our cause to right the wrongs this village has suffered under his rule!"

Darui actually looked at the Akechi leader in complete disgust. "Me? Join you? You must be out of your ever-forsaken mind if you think I'll betray my village and turn it into one of your disposable pawns."

"And there's absolutely nothing I could say to change your mind?" Hideyoshi inquired inwardly grinning wickedly.

Darui glared mercilessly. "Fuck no!"

"What if….I knew a way to save your sister…?"

That statement stopped the Black Lightning heir cold as his eyes rounding out in complete and utter shock.

"Wh-Wh-What?" he stuttered out, flabbergasted.

Hideyoshi smirked evilly. He had him. "Yes, Darui….I know of a way to save your sister. Not one of those temporary treatments like A's doctors were given. I'm talking about a full-blown, genuine, honest-to-the-gods cure. As in when she receives it, it will be as if she never had the disease in the first place."

"You're lying! My sister's disease is incurable! She only…only…." Darui couldn't help but to break down right then. In a way, Hideyoshi honestly couldn't help but to feel sorry for the jounin. Perhaps he wasn't as coldhearted as he made himself out to be? He inwardly sighed and banished that thought and kept a strong stoic face.

"Incurable, you say?" Hideyoshi rhetorically asked. "And who, pray tell, told you that lie?"

"A lie? It's not—!"

"Tell me, Darui…what were the political affiliations of the doctors who diagnosed Ayasaki with her disease, hm?" Although the question came out normal, it was meant to be semi-rhetorical.

"Just what the hell are you implying?" Darui angrily roared.

Hideyoshi ignored him. "Outside of the scrolls they gave you about her illness, did you ever do any third party research? Went to the library to find more information on it? Or did you just blindly accept what they sent you and how to take care of her?"

A lump was caught in Darui's throat as his face locked up in shock. "I…I…." He couldn't even began to speak words. He was so focused on taking care of his sister that he never bothered to gain any more knowledge on the disease than necessary.

Hideyoshi continued. "You didn't, did you? It was a gambit on the Raikage's part, but it seems he played a successful hand and lady luck shined on him at this moment. He knows you would do anything for your sister….even put her above the village."

"Shut up," he softly bit out.

"That you would do anything for her, go through hell and back just to see her smile. You were, and still are, a valuable asset to both him and the village."

"Shut up…" This time, it was bit more forced; backed with a rising flood of emotions swelling up from within.

"You would, wouldn't you? You would betray your own principles if it meant seeing your sister happy again. So that's why he—"

"I said, shut up!" Darui roared. This time…Hideyoshi did grow quiet, simply to allow what he had said to process through Darui's mind.

Slowly calming himself down, he asked the Akechi clan head the million ryou question. "What did he do?" It wasn't that he exactly believed the clan head; it was just that there was no evidence that disproved what he said, either.

Hideyoshi allowed a small smile to contort on his face. He had the reel, and luring him in like a hungry fish made it that much easier. He was sure of it. "Very well, then. Darui…you realize what a valuable asset you are to the village, no? You were the student of the Sandaime Raikage, who inherited his prized Kuroi Kaminari (Black Lightning). You know that must've meant something to the Raikage. He needed you on his side. There were two problems though… the fact that you were politically neutral and, most importantly, Ayasaki. He knew, as well as anyone with half a brain cell did, that you would put Ayasaki above anyone and everyone.

"Believe it or not, when Ayasaki became ill, it was a godsend to the Raikage. He seized this opportunity. While you were grieving at the diagnosis, he ordered the doctors in the hospital to tell you that her disease was terminal…when in fact…it wasn't."

That statement sent shockwaves through the jounin as he began to shake his head in denial. Having expected this kind of reaction, Hideyoshi continued, unperturbed. "You see, Darui…he needed you to be loyal, and your sister essentially dictated to whom you held loyalty. It was understandable…admirable, even. I don't even have to guess where you got the medication that supposedly "treated" the severe effects of her disease and you were told it was giving her some time, right?"

Darui had a slight downcast look on his face, and his solemn expression told all.

"I see. So, you did. I have to say, the Raikage took a huge gamble with you. If you were to read up on her disease, it's difficult to cure completely, but it is indeed possible. So, you see, Darui? The Raikage wasn't trying to save your sister. He was waiting for her to die! So, in essence, you would have no one to dictate your loyalties, and it would, by default, go back to him. Don't believe me? Recall every time you mentioned your sister in casual conversation, did you ever watch his reactions? Or did you notice but never thought much of them?"

Darui's eyes widened in shock. It was true. Every time he mentioned Ayasaki, he would always see some sweat roll down his brow and he'd start getting a bit nervous. Every single time he always skillfully changed the subject. The ashen-haired jounin fell to his knees, the betrayal cutting him deep.

"See, Darui? The Raikage is not the man you think he is. This is politics. No side is above getting down and dirty, even if that means people; even ones as young as Ayasaki, are involved and have nothing to do with it. He was willing to sacrifice a thirteen-year-old, innocent girl for the sake of having a valuable asset." Hideyoshi then huffed. "And people say that I'm cruel," he snorted at the hypocrisy.

Darui clenched his fists. He wanted to deny it. Tell the man that he was a liar and wanted to forcefully kick him out of his house, but he knew, deep down, that what the man said was the truth. He gnashed together his teeth.

"So…in light of this….here's what I'm offering. In exchange for us curing Ayasaki….you will become one of us. You'll talk like a UC member, walk like one….but you're loyalties lie with us."

"I…I…" Darui couldn't help but to just feel conflicted. Could he really go along with the goals of the Ultranationalists? Become a cold-blood sociopath, who felt no remorse for the killings of their perceived enemies, political or otherwise? Then, the sodaisho's words reigned in his head. What good are those principals if your sister ends up dead because you failed to act?

Damn it!

"Hideyoshi…." Darui began softly after a heavy sigh. "When…and ONLY when…I see that my sister is cured…." He closed his eyes as tears rolled down his face, "then I'll pledge my full and complete loyalty to the organization. When you all do take over the village….you won't get any interference from me. In fact…I'll help." It felt so alien saying those words. He felt sick to his stomach. He had basically admitted to extend his services and abilities for treasonous acts.

Hideyoshi refused to smirk, as that facial expression would've caused the jounin to likely distrust him. He simply nodded. "Thank you, Darui. I shall make arrangements for the process to be done here, so you can watch us the entire time. Is that acceptable?"

Darui nodded weakly, not feeling well enough to verbally respond to the Akechi clan head.

"Very well, then," Hideyoshi acknowledged. "Continue to act normal for now, until it's the right time. I bid you good night." The clan head vanished in a flock of white feathers.

The Black Lightning heir slowly picked himself from the ground as he slowly made his way back toward Ayasaki's room. The dark-skinned jounin was wobbling, as if he were drunk, but the recent revelation that the Raikage had been using him the entire time. He felt numb and he looked pale as he leaned against the doorway. He watched his sleeping sibling with blurred vision.

Darui shakily made his way over to her bed and nearly collapsed on top of her, letting his tears flow freely. The very village he had vowed to protect had betrayed him. Now, he had pledged to end the status quo and installing a new power…all for the sake of his sister. Even Aisu…his eyes widened in horror.

He had completely forgotten about the Commander. He hated the Ultranationalists with a passion. When he learned he was on their side…would he hate him, too? What about Ayasaki? Would he simply throw away everything because of a justifiable switch of allegiance?

Darui then looked back at his sister and balled his fists up in anger. 'No…for her, I don't care what happens. Even if I have to go through you, sodaisho…the Raikage will pay dearly for what he's done. That much I'm sure of. Even if I have to go through your entire fucking black ops division, he will pay for this!'

The jounin didn't necessarily like Hideyoshi, nor did he fully trust him. But…if the man was genuine with his desire to heal Ayasaki of her ailment in exchange for loyalty….so be it.

'If I have to become a monster to save you, Ayasaki, then I shall. I just made a deal with the devil….but that's nothing compared to the hell A is going to experience,' he thought vengefully.

There was no use denying it, anymore. Darui, the heir to the Black Lightning, elite jounin in Kumogakure, A's former right-hand-man, was now officially a member of the Ultranationalist Party. The very same organization that, three months ago, he tried to prevent from taking power, and was now a member of that organization whose goal was simple: remove Killer A as the Raikage permanently and establish the Ultranationalists as the supreme rulers of the village.

The Black Lightning heir was going to make sure it happened. A wasn't going to live long enough to regret this mistake.

(END)

Yep, shit just got fucking real! Darui is now officially a conspirator in the coup d'état. What does this mean for his relationship with Aisu and C? Well, find out next chapter.

Speaking of next chapter, it's going to be effing HUGE! The Uchiha Massacre, the outcomes of this chapter, the Coup of Kumo, ALL of it it's going to be in the next chapter. So the next time I update the word count is going to be absolutely insane.

You know, no one has made the issue of this as of yet, but I feel the need to address this point. As you can see, alongside canon characters, there will be a lot of OCs. There's really no avoiding it for these type of stories. I will try to keep them at the bare minimum, but when an OC is needed, an OC is needed. So long as they aren't God Mode Sues, you really shouldn't have that much a problem. I flesh out ALL my OCs so they aren't simple, one-dimensional tools who serve as a plot device. No. You see this best with the Ultranationalist members. They're described, accurately, as genocidal psychopaths. But that's simply one trait; their personalities are much more complex than simply being evil for the sake of being evil, or Nazi Germany SS cardboard cutouts. They have deep complex motivations; most of which you see glimpses of, and you, the reader, have to put the pieces together. I can't spell everything out for you.

Obano is cold, calculating, and is willing do what we would consider "evil" to get the job done. And yet, he feels guilt at times. You'll see more of this as time goes on as his backstory and character gets even more fleshed out. Trust me, kids, there's a reason why this guy joined up with Hideyoshi.

Is Team Omoi (Or Samui if we go by the manga) a bit out of character? Absolutely. You know why? Their circumstances in here are entirely different from canon, than it is here. Besides, we barely only see the surface of their personalities in the manga. I'm simply taking a canon character and fleshing them out within the context of my own story.

A lot of you may feel that I'm focusing "too much" on Kumo and my OCs. "I want to see Team 7, yo!" I understand that, and I've been that way before, but I look at it this way. What's the point of having a story if you only focus and flesh out three? That's beyond retarded. And if I did do as you ask, most would complain I don't flesh out my characters enough. So, there you have it. Yes, Team 7 are the main characters in the story, without question. That does not mean they are the only ones who matter. Keep in mind; these chapters are to set up plot points for the future. Oh, and that thing called oh, I don't know….character development! Don't put me in a position where I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't.

I'm going to play Modern Warfare 3 for the next five days to break from writing and then I will jump back in. Make no mistake, I WILL have chapter eight out before December 6th, 2011.

On that note, if you play Call of Duty on PS3 and feel like having a game or two with me, hit me up. Username is NightBlade88.

With regards,

Arashi.