Chapter Ten
"Absolutely not! I will not have these barbarians fighting with us!"
This was uttered vehemently by Hestia. The elderly witch was normally good-natured and agreeable but she could be fiery and very adamant when she had made up her mind about something.
"They are too dangerous Albus and are as different from us as can be!" Said Sturgis Podmore, disgust evident on his face when he saw the memories of what Hogwarts' resident kunoichi was capable of.
"Actually they are much closer to us than you think." Albus explained, blue eyes twinkling with good humor.
The members of the Order particularly the younger ones frowned.
"That so?" Asked Tonks, clearly excited at all the things these people could do.
"If it were not for them, we might not exist either. We are their descendants and though our magic has evolved in drastically different ways, they stem from the same source. Our ancestors, the very founders of Wizarding Society as we know it risked their lives and the lives of their families as traitors by abandoning the Hidden Continent so that they could create an era of peace for their descendants long before the Hidden Villages had begun to form. When they found their havens here, they managed to seal themselves off from Hunter nin intent on bringing them back for execution. Eventually establishing our population and forming our society and ways of doing magic. The older witches and wizards will have remembered this in History Classes, though the younger ones will not, since it eventually became a banned topic."
The group of wizards were in shock at this new revelation.
"Furthermore the founders hopes for a peaceful society have been in vain since we have had our fair share of bloody conflicts over the ages. So you see, we are more alike than you believe."
Minerva frowned at that, trying very hard to remember when that particular lesson with Professor Binns, who had been teacher there when she attended Hogwarts as a girl had come up. Though she'd never admit to it, even she had had extreme difficulty trying to stay focused in his classes.
Albus smiled at the memory of Shiori, as she herself had shown some shock in hearing that they were the descendants of the long-lost group of traitors that had left the shinobi population fairly diminished. Though she was thoroughly familiar with the historic desertion of many individual ninja and their families.
She had even speculated that several people had severely diluted and evolved bloodline traits leftover from their shinobi heritage. Those such as the Metamorpmagi and the Animagi could very well be descendants of the Sukinshifuto clan of Yuugakure who had been wiped out over forty years ago. Furthermore, given their affinity to communicate with owls, suggested that they may have had ancestors from the ancient Bird Tribe of Yuki no Kuni.
"Why not give her a fair chance to assess the situation?" Mad Eye suggested. "These are her people after all, she knows more about them than we do."
There were resigned sighs as wearily, the resisting Order members agreed to that much.
Much to everyone's surprise he opened the door and in walked the blue haired beauty. Those who had spoken against her turned beet red when they realized that she must have had heard every word they'd said and a few hoped that they had not said anything too derisive about her.
Albus noticed that both Moody and Tonks were dieing to meet her, the latter with unconcealed excitement, the former with a good deal of professional restraint.
If the woman heard any of their complaints, she never showed it and sat down to listen to Podmore's report on the strange nin accompanying the Wizarding World's greatest enemies. She asked what they looked like, what they were wearing and then she asked him to describe the symbol on the metal headband.
"It wasn't like yours." He said. "It looked like a musical note."
"Oto nin." She stated simply.
"Just how dangerous are these Oto nin?" Asked Mad-Eye.
"They are very dangerous, but nothing we can't handle." She answered him.
"But how much of a threat are they?" He pressed.
"That would be difficult to answer since I have not had any experience with these particular shinobi to my memory. But Otogakure has never made any lasting allies so you do not have to worry about them calling for back-up. They are an-enemy to everybody." She said.
There was also the possibility that Orochimaru was planning to rob the wizarding world of some of it's best and brightest to experiment on, as the man was renowned for bringing back several near extinct bloodlines and even creating a few new ones. It was a pity that the fool wasted them before they had a chance to grow into a formidable force.
Moody frowned at her hesitance. He knew something was up and he would question her later.
"Can we combat them without you?" Asked Hestia.
"No. You are not fast or strong enough to avoid their attacks or even use one against them. They will kill you before you can even blink."
The Order of the Phoenix experienced a collective chill at the calm surety of her words.
"Well-well can't you ask your village for back-up?" Asked Tonks.
"That would be impossible. I am considered a traitor to my village and if they find out that I am here the retribution would be devastating."
"So you and your buddies can take them on right?" Asked Moody.
"Yes, but first we will need to discover why they are brought here, before we can devise the best course of action. Furthermore, it would be in your best interests if you let us deal with the Oto nin."
They began to discuss the terms of payment among them all the while Konan was discreetly eyeing Severus Snape. She never could stand double agents, especially ones like him. There was no surefire way to make sure that they were staying loyal, so she would have to have spies of her own.
Zetsu was an obvious choice and snapping up a few Death Eaters and enemy shinobi to infiltrate this Voldemort's organization would be key. She was suddenly very grateful that Sasori had taught her the Sleeper Jutsu. It would suit her needs perfectly.
After the agreements were made she went out to inform the others. All three readily agreed once she had promised that the wizards would not interfere with their affairs or their methods and that there would be steady pay for them, furthermore their employer would help them get home free of charge once it was over with and so Zetsu was sent out to spy on the Death Eaters.
Hours later, he came back with information that Voldemort had decided to take out the Order before Voldemort made his grab for power and since none of them had a clue that they were here, they would take the Sound nin by surprise instead…all they needed was bait.
Kabuto was sending out a team of mid-level fighters for the job. It was an act of caution if nothing else, because he had heard some disturbing rumors about a shinobi battle on the grounds of this school and he wanted to test the waters to see just how powerful this particular ninja was, since the wizard who had hired them understood nothing in terms of their power. The team's capable leader Kenta knew to pull back if it got too nasty and besides it was better to use an expendable team just in case this woman turned out to be A Rank or higher.
"Kabuto-san. My team is ready to strike the first target"
Kabuto turned to regard the team. Kenta was a muscular, twenty-year old with gold-green eyes and dark blonde hair, he was patient and intelligent and a keen strategist. Beside him was Yuki, a 22-year old with dark red hair and grape green eyes. She was a vicious kunoichi who weaved chakra into her songs to confuse or command the enemy, she was also an excellent illusionist and a fierce fighter. Then there was 19-year Yuudai who had dark brown hair and ice blue eyes, he was leaner than Kenta but incredibly fast and good with weapons, he was also a bit of a hothead. The last member of the team was 21-year old Masato. He had red hair and dark brown eyes. He was not the most powerful but he had developed some interesting jutsu over the years and he was very loyal to Orochimaru.
"When do we leave?"
"You will leave in one hour. This is your first target." He said, showing the team the picture. "Watch out for the kunoichi, we have reason to believe she is a member of Akatsuki but nothing is certain."
"Yes Kabuto-san."
Back at Hogsmeade, Konan had taken Minerva McGonagall in hand.
"Minerva, we have just received intelligence that you are the Death Eater's first target."
The woman paled.
"Walk with us." The way Shiori said it, was not a request but an order and Minerva, it seemed had been shocked into obedience, noticing with distaste that Hidan was waiting for them, an excited leer on his face.
Hidan looked at Konan too. He'd never been partnered with the Rain kunoichi and hoped that she wouldn't be a nag like Kakuzu had been. She didn't seem like the type to nag and bitch, so maybe it could work out.
The four ninja gathered on the walls and hid in the shadows as they watched the target walk by alone, each tensed to attack but not liking the fact that this seemed way too easy.
Yuki signed Genjutsu. Bait. Trap.
Kenta gave a curt nod her way and waited while she weaved the signs to break the genjutsu, then all hell broke loose.
Cackling like a mad man, Hidan burst in front causing Kenta to swear loudly, he was expecting a kunoichi, not the infamous Jashinist priest! Wasn't he supposed to be buried in Konoha?
"It's playtime bitches!" Hidan said.
Konan swore quietly. For all the years that Kakuzu had complained about Hidan's reckless behavior on missions, she had for the most part, ignored him. Now she could see what the dead Falls nin meant about his brash attacks. For people like Kakuzu and Konan, they relied on stealth, wits and the element of surprise. Hidan did not seem to possess any of these things and she knew she'd have to make up for it, or it would cost her dearly.
A haunting melody came from up high and Konan saw Hidan's eyes go blank.
"Idiot."
He rushed towards her scythe swinging wildly. She caught it with her own kunai and forced the scythe to the left. careful to not get cut and leaped over him, plunging it in between his shoulder blade and his back.
Then she weaved the Silencing Barrier Jutsu. A sound based genjutsu that surrounded the area in a dome-like shape to block all noise. It was a perfect technique for assassinations and ambushes, though it was not for use in the thick of battle, it would disable the Oto kunoichi's dangerous voice.
Kenta and Yuudai dodged as the scythe on the rope flew towards them, it was odd seeing the man laugh at them as his scythe gouged deep scratches into the concrete but not be able to hear a word. Yuki should have cleared the genjutsu by now, but a quick glance her way told Yuudai that she was busy dealing with the Akatsuki. That quick glance also turned out to be his last mistake. The scythe caught him in the arm and the man reeled it back, cutting a line across his pink tongue and licking his blood off it at the same time.
The man stabbed himself and Yuudai howled silently as the blood across his arm splashed on the ground.
Hidan drew the sacred symbol and the men watched in horror and confusion as he went on a long rambling speech.
Kenta was working on a plan to get the Jashinist out of the curse symbol. He couldn't use any jutsu to seriously injure the Jashinist without injuring Yuudai and the man was very close to his height and had a lot of muscle to back it up, so attempting to tackle him was out of the question.
Masato was weaving his hands together in a very elaborate form of signs for the Mirror Image Jutsu. It allowed him to mimic his opponent's movements with perfect accuracy and while it may not have sounded dangerous, it did hinder them from performing any dangerous techniques without having them canceled out or risking them getting caught in the backlash.
He leaped in front of Konan and Yuki on the last sign and Konan found it difficult to not be able to land a kick or perform a jutsu without him starting to make the same signs instantly all while trying to defend against the other Oto nin.
Every time she punched, he punched, every time she turned they both would turn, every time she tried to leap over him or go around him, so would he. Konan had memorized the sequence of hand signs. It was both a vexing but interesting jutsu and she would have to practice it later. Finally she broke loose with the one jutsu he couldn't use and a flurry of butterflies split around him, rendering his jutsu ineffective. Yuki went after her as she ran up the brick wall, they vanished into the darkness before she got a shot in, causing Konan to fall.
Yuki plunged after her and cut her throat, but the moment she did, Konan dissolved into paper hundreds of paper insects which scrambled up her arm faster then she could brush them off, clogging her nose and mouth and throat, leaving her to suffocate to death as she clawed frantically at herself and tried alternatively to breath and force the paper insects out with her fingers.
Hidan struck himself in another vital organ, waves of pain and pleasure rippling through his entire being as he and his God became one with each other, sharing his sacred offerings of agony and death. His cursed form faded and Hidan went after Kenta.
This was stronger and tougher than the other had been, but Kenta was not as quick as Yuudai. So Hidan got his blood easily and Hidan phased back into his cursed state as he brought a second offering to his God.
Now that she had defeated one of her adversaries, Konan turned towards the second one.
She watched as Masato formed his seals again, her photographic memory lodging it deeper into her mind's eye, she remembered the Boggart constantly changing forms in confusion and decided to create a jutsu of her own.
He watched her peeling and splitting to take on a different shape and he automatically formed a few clones of his own.
He tried desperately to counteract each new form she took; a dragon, a group of butterflies, whirling tornado, a dementor, a tiger. But the time between transformations was so rapid that he was beginning to have trouble keeping up, Konan slammed unconscious against the wall and in the dark of the alleyway, began performing the seals for the Sleeper Jutsu. He fought it, body twisting as he went into violent paroxysms of the invasive jutsu.
"Hey Blue you done yet?"
"Almost Hidan-san." She said, lifting the Silencing Barrier Jutsu.
"Well wait a minute?" Why is he still alive?"
"Because he now serves our purpose." She said softly and walked away from the fitfully unconscious man.
"But-but what about the…bodies?" Minerva asked, unable to look at the mangled corpses the ninja had left behind in their wake.
"They are being properly disposed of." Konan explained with a look that told her she did not want the explanation as to how they were being disposed and so Minerva did not ask as they walked away from the small massacre.
Kabuto was mildly surprised to see only one member of the team drag his battered body back to the Riddle House. The medic in him kicked in as he began healing Masato.
"I thought your ninja could do the job." Said Malfoy sleekly.
Kabuto ignored him.
"Kabuto-san, there was more than one Akatsuki member guarding the target. One has been confirmed as the Ame kunoichi Konan and the second has been confirmed as Hidan, the Jashinist priest."
Kabuto swore silently as he worked on Masato. They were both highly dangerous individuals and they would need a better plan in order to defeat them, now that they knew who they were dealing with and when there was one Akatsuki, there were probably more of them.
He would send a message to Orochimaru-sama asking his advice on the problem.
Massacre. That's what Shiori had told them it would be if they tried to defend themselves. It was a massacre all right and she plainly told Dumbledore so. Minerva didn't think she'd forget the horrible things she'd seen last night. True, it had been implied by Moody and said by Shiori that she had killed before, but hearing it and seeing it were two different beasts altogether. Minerva had seen people killed before by the Death Eaters, but seldom with such blood and violent fanfare as Shiori and her colleagues.
How could that woman stand being among such powerful and deranged people? Minerva didn't like them one bit and she could scarcely stand to be around them and yet Shiori seemed completely at ease amongst them, though she did not realize that the at ease part was more of a deliberate act and the blue-haired woman was warily polite and professional, just as she has always been.
It also seemed to unnerve the Orders professors at how quickly she could go back to being the seemingly, mundane Foreign Language teacher, since several of them feared that she might snap and attack the students. Surely, they argued, going back and forth from assassin to teacher was not mentally healthy for anyone. It was funny how quickly perceptions changed, Hagrid thought sourly when people begin to view Shiori Nakamura or Konan as a real threat when she had been nothing but helpful. After all Severus was known to be real vicious when it came to his verbal assaults on the children and staff alike an nobody was clamorin for his resignation.
Quite a few of em too, were worried about the moral implications since the Order had actually hired trained killers to protect em. This went on until Moody, ever practical and ever paranoid ol war dog that e was pointed out that the other side had already hired trained killers to kill them all in their beds and that they needed to fight fire with fire. He then asked the Order if they wanted to be left to their own defenses. That shut everyone up as they stared around in uncomfortable silence while Moody grinned smugly.
Albus wore a bemused expression on his face. The ninja's first victory had certainly caused an uproar all around, since it was likely, according to Shiori that Oto would be calling for reinforcements.
Orochimaru read the encrypted message with a strange smile on his face. How interesting. Kabuto and his team certainly weren't dealing with your ordinary run-of-the- mill ninja. They were dealing with the most notorious S-Rank criminals in all history. Since the client was paying them so handsomely, the Sennin hit upon a marvelous idea that this Lord Voldemort would certainly appreciate. It was time for him to call upon an old colleague.