(Thanks for coming back to read the next chapter of the series! Hitomi, Kuroda, and Yovestu in the middle of a battle in the Land of Panthers. Will they be able to defeat Hatsu, Jishi, Rizuki, and Shinmaru? I love feedback and constructive criticism, so please leave a review so I can improve my writing and storytelling skills. Enjoy!)
Rizuki hides behind a half destroyed wall, breathing hard and clutching her wound. She looks down and sees the blood spilling out over her hand. "Damn, it is a pretty deep cut. I won't be able to fight long with this," she thinks as she rests, "How the hell did that guy escape from my Black Serpents? No one has ever done that before. Whatever, it doesn't matter now, I need to find Shinmaru and escape. The brothers will be on their own, but if I am lucky maybe these Leaf Ninja will get rid of them for me."
Kuroda spots a small trail of spattered blood leading to a broken wall. "If you come out and surrender I promise not to harm you," he calls in that direction. He waits a few moments, and when no response is heard he sighs. "The hard way it is," he mutters before running up on top of the wall. When he looks down he sees a ball of shuriken, kunai, and paper bombs where his enemy should be. "Well, that is not good," he comments before jumping up and away from the explosion.
"That wasn't very nice," states Hatsu as he pats out the fire on his shirt.
"Very tricky that guy is," comments Jishi as he emerges from some rubble, "So what should we do, brother?"
"I am bored of this," replies Hatsu, "Let's get out of here."
"Agreed," says his brother. They jump on top of the nearest structure and start to head off.
As they prepare to escape Yovestu appears in front of them. "When I said I wanted to even the odds, I wasn't talking about making more of me. I was talking about making less of you," he reveals.
"What a bad little Leaf Ninja, I thought you were all supposed to be classy," replies Hatsu.
"Sorry, but we don't want to play anymore," adds Jishi as he slams his fist into the rooftop and then chucks a large piece of the roof at Yovestu.
"Wow…that is big," says the Leaf Ninja as he watches the large object fly towards him.
"Come," calls Hatsu.
"We must go," finishes Jishi. They take off without looking to see what happens to their enemy. When they are almost at the edge of the vacant village they hear the clash of metal and look over to see Hitomi and Shinmaru fighting a short distance away.
"Should we help him, brother?" asks Hatsu.
"We should help ourselves," answers Jishi.
"I like the way you think, brother," says the elder as he drops down to the ground.
"Well, you are my brother," comments Jishi as he follows. Hitomi seems to be pressing Shinmaru back towards a wall when the brothers drop right behind her. The brother in the crimson shirt raises his right arm and the one in the green raises his right arm. They simultaneously bring their arms down for powerful chops. A Leaf Ninja clad in blue and yellow appears and halts their attacks with his palms.
Their chops were still powerful enough to push him into the ground a few inches. "I don't believe we were done with our fight," says Yovestu as he strains to keep their arms at bay.
"Thanks for the save," says Hitomi who is now back to back with him.
Hatsu says, "I hate people who are…"
"Persistent," finishes Jishi.
"I won't be able to hold them for long," warns Yovestu.
"I guess I should stop messing around," replies Hitomi. She pushes Shinmaru's sword back and then kicks his sword to the side with her right foot. Then she does a forward handspring and twists high into the air. When she is high enough she releases a cluster of shuriken at the brothers, allowing Yovestu to disengage while they dodge. He jumps beside Hitomi to protect her from an incoming slash from the young, dark-skinned boy while she forms hand seals for a Jutsu. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" yells Hitomi as a giant ball of flames sprouts out of her mouth and towards the brothers. Hatsu and Jishi use their powerful fists to punch the ground and cause the earth to rise up and block the fire.
Yovestu uses Shinmaru's own force against him and tosses him into the barrier that was just created. Hatsu and Jishi both pick up a chunk of earth and hurl them at the Leaf Ninja. Hitomi dives to the left to avoid the incoming mass. Yovestu leaps up on top of the mass and jumps off it again when some shuriken fly at him. When he is high in the air, the daring shinobi takes out a single kunai and throws it towards Jishi. "Paper bomb!" calls Hatsu as he jumps away. As Jishi attempts to do the same, Yovestu uses his chakra to activate the bomb.
Shinmaru is just standing up when the kunai comes straight towards him and explodes right in his face. As Yovestu lands, three kunai wrapped in paper bombs hit the roof tiles a few feet under him. He doesn't have time to escape, but a man in black grabs the back of his shirt and tosses him out of the way before being engulfed by the explosion. Yovestu lands on the next roof over, and Kuroda steps up next to him. "Thanks, I got careless," says the team leader.
"Don't mention it," replies Kuroda.
Rizuki lands near the corpse of her fallen ally thinking, "Damn, they got Shinmaru. I was supposed to watch out for him. It was my responsibility."
"Time to go, Rizuki," calls Hatsu, walking over to her.
"These Leaf Ninja are stronger than anticipated," adds Jishi, "We need to retreat."
"Right, I will give us some cover," says Rizuki as she performs seals, "Ninja Art: Cloud of Darkness!" The black cloud of smoke fills up the area and the three rogue ninja head off into the nearby forest.
Hitomi jumps to the ground and starts to run after them. "Hold on, Hitomi," orders Yovestu, holding up his arm to halt her, "Let them go."
"They were only scouts. If we don't get to them, they will tell the leader that we are here," argues Hitomi, "We will lose the element of surprise. Plus, we still might be able to get some information if we can capture one."
"We should be able to track them," encourages Kuroda, "I injured the female."
"You two don't know the forest well enough. If we get separated you could get lost in there for a long time," counters Yovestu, "And with that Black Smoke Jutsu it will just make it even more difficult for us. We will stay here, recover our energy, and look for any clues we can find about what happened to our contact and the people in this village."
"They will probably come back with reinforcements," says Kuroda, "We should lay some traps around a perimeter. But they will also be expecting that, so we need to have another plan as well."
"Agreed," responds Yovestu, "Kuroda, I want you to lay the traps as you see fit. Hitomi and I will search the village more. I'll work on a plan as I search."
"As you wish," says Hitomi.
"I don't think they are coming after us," comments Rizuki as she stops to rest and check her wound.
"We have the advantage…" says Hatsu.
"In the jungle," finishes Jishi.
"Yeah, they would be pretty stupid to come after us, even if we lost a quarter of our strength," says Rizuki.
"Too bad," replies Hatsu.
"Stupid people are easier to kill," adds Jishi.
"We should report back to base then and tell them we have a slight problem," she responds as she leans back against a tree, "Just give me a minute to rest."
Hatsu stares at Rizuki and licks his lips as her looks her up and down. Jishi follows the gaze of his brother and gawks at her sleek and fit body that is covered in just enough clothes to show off her assets, but also cover the important parts. Then his eyes stop and focus on the wound in her mid-section and a devilish smile grows on his face. "Brother, are you thinking what I am thinking?" inquires Hatsu.
"Yes, brother," confirms Jishi, "We have been waiting for this for a long time and the opportunity is perfect."
"What are you two muttering about?" asks Rizuki as she tries to bandage her wound.
"You will understand…" says Hatsu.
"In a moment," finishes Jishi.
Rizuki looks up to see the brothers stalking towards her and she gets a chill down her spine. "What are you doing? Stay back!" she warns.
"Not this time, Rizuki," says Hatsu.
"We cannot resist this time," explains Jishi, "You are all alone and injured."
"We have had our sights on you for a long time," says Hatsu as he creeps closer, "But we have never had a chance like this before."
"It has been very hard for us to contain ourselves. But the others might have disapproved and interfered if we tried to do anything," adds Jishi, "But now we have you all to ourselves."
"Stay away!" yells Rizuki as she slips a kunai into her left hand. Hatsu darts forward to attack, and Rizuki stabs him in the thigh. Hatsu smirks and pulls the kunai out of his body and jabs it into the right side of her stomach. Rizuki bends over and coughs up blood. Hatsu grabs her throat and slams her back up against the tree.
"I want to see that pretty little face that you are always hiding," taunts Hatsu as he tightens his grip and then pulls down her black mask, "Even more stunning than I imagined." Rizuki struggles to free herself as she chokes, and Hatsu lets out a maniacal laugh before sliding his tongue across her lips.
"Brother, don't hog her for yourself," says Jishi.
"I'm sorry, brother," apologizes Hatsu as he tosses her over to him, "Sharing is more fun." Jishi skillfully pulls the kunai from her belly as she stumbles by him and he slashes the belt holding up her lower attire. Then he drops her to the ground with a powerful chop to the back. Hatsu strips off his shirt as he walks over to join his brother. Jishi pushes Rizuki's head into the ground and whispers into her ear, "Don't worry; after we are done we will kill you so you don't have to suffer."
Hitomi hears a horrible wail, so she drops the book she was skimming through and runs out of the house she was searching. She sees Kuroda looking into the forest and goes over to inquire about the noise. "Did you hear that sound just now?" she asks.
"Yes," he confirms blandly.
"What was it?" she asks.
"It sounded to me like a woman screaming," he replies.
"Why are you standing here, then?" she demands, "Shouldn't we go and try to help?"
"It could be a trap, but it probably is not. Also, Yovestu told us not to venture into the jungle alone," replies Kuroda as he turns around to face her, "But the main reason I haven't moved is because whoever that was is most likely dead already."
"Did you hear?" asks Yovestu as he comes around the corner."
"Yes," replies Kuroda, "Do you want us to check it out?"
"It sounded far away," replies the team leader, "Unless there is another scream we can't afford to go in."
"Understood," says Kuroda, "Did you find anything?"
"Nothing helpful," replies Yovestu, "Is the perimeter secure?"
"Almost," says Kuroda, "I just need to finish with one more section."
"Did you come up with a plan?" inquires Hitomi, "I don't like just waiting here and doing nothing."
"In fact I …" Yovestu starts to say when a small boy emerges from the nearby jungle.
In a hidden place far, far away a man walks down a long, dimly lit hallway. He wears a long cloak the color of which cannot be determined due to the darkness. His facial features cannot be clearly seen, but shape of his overall head is sleek. He arrives at the end of the hallway and opens a door to a medium sized room. The room is also poorly lit, but a few pieces of furniture can be made out. In a corner there is a large, poofy armchair with another man sitting in it. The first man ignores the presence of the second and goes over to a table to pick up a book.
The man reads through the book and makes notes on a piece of parchment next to it. Suddenly he stops everything he is doing and says, "That is unfortunate."
"And what would that be?" inquires the man in the chair as he leans to the side, and a sprinkle of light reveals the blue and green strands of his hair that stretch all the way to the ground.
"Oh, Goto, I did not notice you there," says the first man as he picks up his book again.
"Of course you didn't," replies Goto, "Now are you going to tell me what was so unfortunate a second ago, Niotsu?"
"Yes, that. It seems that Rizuki is deceased," replies Noitsu, rather blandly.
"Are you sure?" asks Goto leaning forward in his seat, but his face still not visible.
"Don't be ridiculous," replies an annoyed Noitsu, "Of course I am sure."
"Well, that is rather unfortunate," says Goto, "It seems now I won't be able to get inside her body as I had planned."
"Is that so," replies Noitsu, "I seem to recall letting you borrow her a number of times."
"I meant the other way," scoffs Goto, "You know I have always wanted to try her out."
"Yes, well, you should have done it when you had the chance," comments Noitsu.
"Oh, well," dismisses Goto, "Her Black Serpent Jutsu was formidable, but it was the only unique Jutsu she had. In the end it is not a big loss."
"She did have other uses, but, yes, it is not a huge loss," agrees Noitsu.
"But what about that ninja you said she had found?" asks Goto, "You said he might be good enough to join with us, or at the very least add to your collection."
"Yes, well, we cannot do anything about him at the moment," replies Noistu, "Our leader will be arriving soon."
"Yes, I have been eagerly awaiting him," says Goto, "I want to see if he is really as powerful as you say."
"Don't be getting any foolish ideas," warns Noitsu, "If I was no match for him you won't be either."
"We shall see," replies Goto skeptically, "So, who killed Rizuki anyways?"
"Those insane brothers that I failed to capture a while back," replies Noitsu.
"Those two? I thought she was better than that," comments Goto.
"She was injured by a Leaf Ninja before being betrayed by them," explains Noitsu
"I see, then what about Suizaki Rengaku?" asks Goto, "Are we going to recruit him into our group?"
"I have no use for him," states Noitsu, "And I doubt our leader will either. He is too unstable."
(That is the end of the chapter, what did you think? Yovestu and the Leaf Ninja have pushed back the enemy for now. Will they be able to complete the mission? And who are the mysterious onlookers monitoring from the shadows? As usual, if you want more information on my characters you can see their bios on my profile page. Be warned, there may be some spoilers. Also I'm in the process of getting pictures drawn for the characters, but I have no idea how long that will take. If you're interested in drawing and have a DA account then send me a Message. Enjoy the next chapter, and please review.)