(Thanks for coming back to read the next chapter of the series! The Team's strike has caught the enemy off guard. Will the team be able to defeat Hatsu, Jishi, and their commander Suizaki? I love feedback and constructive criticism, so please leave a review so I can improve my writing and storytelling skills. Enjoy!)

"God, what in the world is going on today? Who are these guys?" thinks the lowly gate guard as he tries to stay undetected, "First, Rizuki and Shinmaru don't come back from a simple scouting mission, then when the leader leaves, the twins go crazy and start killing women again. Next, the entire strike force disappears and even Katashi doesn't return, and now this surprise attack happens. They took out all those other guys so easily. And that guy over there seems to be taking on the twins with no problem at all, it is fricken insane! Did the world turn upside down last night? I don't stand a chance, I just hope that girl doesn't find me. She looks like a hot babe that I would want to take back to bed, but she is just as deadly as the other two."

"Looks like there is another one hiding on the other side of this wall," thinks Hitomi as she leans her ear up against the side, "Well, now what is the best way to take him down? Ohh, I know." She takes a step back and inhales a deep breath to prepare herself. Then she twists around and slams the back of her left leg through the wall. She catches the hiding guard completely unaware and he flies unconscious through the air until he smacks into another wall and slides to the earth.

Kuroda slides back in the dirt and then takes off to the right and runs up the side of an old wall hidden along the side of a hill. Hatsu appears in front of him and claps his hands together before swinging down in an axe swinging motion. Kuroda slips past him and continues running while Hatsu's blow creates a massive hole in the wall. Jishi is on the other side of the battlefield and he punches both his fists into the ground. Then his muscles flex as he lifts up and tears two boulders out from the earth. They are each about the size of a large dog and Jishi winds up and pitches them. He aims in front of Kuroda and the rocks travel at amazing speeds. But Kuroda is a step faster and the rocks hit a second after he passes. They explode into hundreds of tiny pieces and Hatsu jumps through the debris chasing after the target.

Kuroda spots a figure moving through the shadows and he circles back around. Hitomi follows Kuroda's gaze and spins around in time to block a large sword swinging down upon her. She pushes back to disengage and slides back in the dirt holding her kunai at the ready. She examines the new arrival and tries to evaluate his strength. He is very tall and has long, dark black hair. The garments on his legs are black, however everything on his torso is a light blue-white color. He wears his headband tied around his right arm, but the symbol of his village has a slash across it.

"Hitomi, we are switching opponents. I'm taking the new guy, these ones are no fun," calls Kuroda.

"Ohh, good for me," she mutters sarcastically. After hearing the news Hatsu stops his pursuit and Jishi stops trying to pick up another boulder. They look at each other and grin.

"I'm not just going to let you fight whoever you want," calls the new figure as he moves forward to attack.

"Too late," interupts Kuroda as he cuts him off and allows Hitomi to escape.

"You are pretty fast," says the rogue.

"And you're pretty tall," replies Kuroda, forcing the man back, "So, what is your name, Snow Ninja?"

"That is ex-snow ninja," he corrects, "And I am called Reizo. Who are you?"

"Kuroda Taishi of the Hidden Leaf," he replies.

"So, you didn't think your girlfriend there could handle me?" inquires Reizo.

"No idea," admits Kuroda, "I just thought you looked a lot more interesting than those twins. Can I ask you a question?"

"A question for a question," responds the Rogue Snow villager.

"Did you by chance know a ninja called Taiki?" asks Kuroda.

"Oh yes, I knew him," confirms Reizo, "A bit of a troublemaker that one was."

"So then tell me, who was stronger? You or him?" asks Kuroda.

"Sorry, but that was two questions," says Reizo before darting forward to slash horizontally with his sword.

Yovestu drops down from the top of a building when he sees that his target has stopped and turned around to face him. "Done running away, Suizaki?" he asks.

"I wasn't running away," responds Suizaki, "I was changing the location of the battlefield to better suit my fighting style. It is strategy 101, didn't you pay any attention in the academy?"

"I guess you changed your fighting style since we last met," counters Yovestu, "Because this one looks a lot more suited for my type of fighting."

"You won't get lucky like you did in the forest. Today is the day you die," promises Suizaki before he charges forward.

*8 years ago*

"So, you know who I am, I think now everybody should introduce themselves and then state what your dream is," says a prominent man dressed in the common Leaf Village combat vest.

"My name is Kin and I just want to travel the world and paint pictures of all the beautiful places I see," says a young girl with rosy, red cheeks and brown hair in pigtails as she holds up a painting of the village.

"Wow, that is amazing did you really draw that by yourself, Kin?" asks a younger and happier Yovestu.

"Of course I did! It took me three whole months," explains Kin.

"Well, that is pretty impressive," says the older man who is obviously their new teacher, "As a ninja you will get to travel to a lot of places, but you probably won't have much time to paint pictures."

"That is okay, I have a photographic memory," reveals Kin, "I just need to see it once and I can remember it forever. So I can paint it when I get back to the village."

"I am sure we can find a good use for that talent of yours," says the teacher, "Now, who is next?"

A young boy with long, black hair dressed all in black steps forward and says, "My name is Suizaki Rengaku and I am going to be the strongest ninja in the world."

"That is a high reaching goal. As your Sensei I'll do my best to help you achieve it," says the teacher, "And now for the last member of the squad."

"My name is Yovestu," says the young man with short, blonde hair, "As for my goal; well, I don't really have one. So I guess I just want to do whatever I can to help out the village and keep everyone safe."

"A goal just as worthy as the rest of ours," comments the teacher, "Now that we all know each other let me explain our first mission."

*The present*

Yovestu brings up his kunai to block the one wielded by his opponent. Suizaki jumps back after his unsuccessful attack and flings three shuriken to ensure his getaway. Yovestu charges forward, easily batting away the spinning weapons. His right arm shoots forward holding his kunai pointed down. Then he twists it level to the ground and slashes horizontally. Suizaki ducks under the attack and thrusts the one in his left hand at Yovestu's gut. The Leaf Ninja quickly moves to defend and grabs the rogue's wrist before his weapon can penetrate his vest. Anticipating this move, Suizaki shifts his weight and throws his opponent off balance. Then, with the speed of lightning, he smashes his right leg into Yovestu's side and sends him into a wall. "Ha ha ha," laughs Suizaki, "You see, you are no match for me."

Reizo slides back in the dirt after a clash with Kuroda. "You are better than I thought," he comments, "You must have been the one who took down Katashi."

"If you are referring to the guy in black who used earth Jutsu then you are mistaken," reveals Kuroda, "My friend Hitomi over there is the one who took him out."

"I see," replies Reizo, "The fact that any one of your team defeated him, is proof enough that you are strong. I guess I should stop fooling around then."

"I was wondering when you were going to stop holding back," responds Kuroda. Reizo hurls his sword at the Leaf Ninja and uses the distraction to perform hand signs.

Kuroda steps to the right as the blade slices past him and comments, "I would have let you use your Jutsu. You didn't have to throw your sword at me."

"Sure you would have," replies Reizo as he finishes his seals, "Ice Style: Hail Storm." A cold chill comes over the area as grey cloud forms overhead.

"He didn't use that many hand signs, so whatever he is using can't be that powerful," thinks Kuroda.

A white speck falls down from the sky and lands on Kuroda's nose before melting. It is quickly followed by thousands more. "You're making it snow?" questions Kuroda, "It figures considering your origins. Plus it seems that you are skilled enough that you don't have to concentrate on the Jutsu in order for it to remain effective."

"It is not snow," says Reizo sprinting to the right in an arc towards Kuroda, "It is hail!"

"Damn," thinks the Leaf Ninja as the first marble sized ball of frozen ice hits the ground. Soon the air is filled with them, heavily decreasing the visibility within the affected area. He loses sight of his opponent, so he holds his kunai at the ready and settles into a nice, relaxed, slow breathing pattern. The seconds tick away and yet still Reizo does not strike. "He wants his sword back," thinks Kuroda as he swings his arm over his head and flicks his knife directly at the spot where the sword landed. He hears the ring from the clashing of metal as the weapon is deflected.

"Nice aim!" calls Reizo circling around and using the hail to disguise his movements. Kuroda pulls out another kunai and returns to his relaxed state waiting for an attack. Reizo circles, and circles, and circles until he finds the angle he wants, aimed right at the back of Kuroda's left shoulder. Then he blitzes in, holding his sword right above the ground before slashing upwards when he is in range. Kuroda pivots back and hears the swish of the sword as it slices past him. He also feels a cool air current trailing along behind the blade, but doesn't think much of it. He thrusts his kunai forward attempting to plunge it into the enemy's gut. But Reizo is prepared for the counterattack and slips out of the way while bringing his sword around and attempting to decapitate the Leaf Ninja. Kuroda ducks his head under the blade and then jumps backwards wanting to gain distance.

"What was that?" he wonders as he settles into another calm state, "That was not a normal swing of the sword." Reizo slips into the cover of the hail and circles around his enemy, searching for another angle to attack from. He dashes in from the right side and this time uses a horizontal slash trying to cut across the midsection. Kuroda hops up and positions his body parallel to the ground and the sword passes right under him. Again he feels a cool breeze following the swing. He lands on the ground and then rolls to the right before the sword chops down on him. Then he rolls back the other way when another chop comes. But he strangely rolls over a cold slippery surface that wasn't there before. He pushes himself up to his feet and prepares to strike back, but the enemy is already gone.

Kuroda once again settles into his relaxed state and thinks, "Okay, I think I understand now, but I'll need to test it." This time Reizo chooses a more illogical approach trying to catch the Leaf Ninja off guard. He flies down from above, slashing down vertically, trying to cut Kuroda in half. But this doesn't fool Kuroda and he raises his kunai in the air to block it and braces it with both hands. The force and weight of Reizo crushes Kuroda down to one knee, but he holds strong. He feels a chill creeping over his fingers and immediately releases his kunai and leaps backwards. "So I was right," he thinks as he chucks a trio of shuriken back at Reizo and then sprints away, "Well, then I know the perfect way to counteract it.

He quickly moves away from where Reizo originally cast his Hail jutsu, to the edges of its reach, where the hail is less dense and has already started melting into water. He weaves hand signs for a jutsu and spins around just in time to block a slicing attack from Reizo. "I don't know where you got that sword from, but it is not good enough. My Frozen Slash Jutsu is already turning it to ice and soon the rest of your body will follow," announces the ex-snow ninja.

"You should look more closely," replies Kuroda, smirking, "I'm surprised you didn't recognize my jutsu instantly."

Reizo looks down and then pushes back and lands a few feet away. "Impossible," yells Reizo, baffled, "How do you know that Jutsu? Only a ninja from the hidden snow should know the Ice Weapons Jutsu."

"An acquaintance taught it to me," reveals Kuroda, "I was very glad to learn it; it is an extremely useful jutsu. I'll warn you to stop using that Jutsu of yours that turns anything it touches to ice. It is not going to work anymore. Your skills with a sword may be great, but mine are not that far behind. Plus I have the advantage of quicker reaction speed and a lighter weapon."

"We'll see about that!" shouts Reizo as he charges in.

Hitomi places her right hand to the side of her mouth, inhales and fills her lungs with oxygen, and then blows outwards. A giant ball of fire erupts from her mouth, threatening to scorch anything that comes in contact with it. Hatsu and Jishi jump back out of harm's way, throwing their hands up to protect from the searing heat. The Jutsu dies down and Hitomi places her left foot and arm forward, settling into a fighting stance. "That was a pretty nasty one," comments Hatsu.

"And pretty big, too," adds Jishi.

"I think it is our lucky day, Brother," says Hatsu.

"Yes, it is always more fun when the prey is strong," agrees Jishi. The twins dash forward and start crisscrossing, twisting into each other's path in perfect synchronization.

"These guys are dangerous, but they don't seem to like my fire jutsu too much," thinks Hitomi as she prepares for the incoming assault, "I need to take them out quickly in case they have any surprises hidden away." Jishi is now in the front and about five yards away he leaps forward with his arms out trying to tackle her. She starts to twist around, planning to do a backspin kick, but out of the corner of her eye she spots Hatsu behind her, down low to the ground and throwing an uppercut at her lower back. "When did he get there?" she exclaims.

Hitomi turns into smoke and then Hatsu's fist smashes through portion of a brick wall that she switched places with. Hatsu quickly bends backwards letting his brother pass over him. Hitomi jumps out from behind a nearby wall, slides over, and skips right behind Jishi intending to smash a knee into Hatsu's face. But Hatsu has already begun rotating his body to create a whirling kick. His leg smashes into her side and she flies across the battlefield. She sticks her right hand down and it skims along the ground. Then she spins her body around and is able to get her feet on the ground and slide to a halt.

"Our clone illusion didn't work, Brother," says Jishi, walking up to Hatsu's side.

"Good thing she isn't that smart, otherwise we might have been toast," replies the other twin.

"I like toast," comments Jishi, licking his lips, "Especially if it has sweet cherry jam."

"The one in the green must have run off at some point while the one in the red used some sort of illusion," thinks Hitomi as she catches her breath, "I underestimated them. I've never seen two ninja so in sync with each other when attacking with Taijutsu. I need to either separate them or take them out from long range."

"Want to use the Boom Boom bang?" asks Hatsu.

"Not yet, it is too soon for that, Brother," answers Jishi.

"Yes ,you are right," agrees Hatsu, "How about the Gang Bang?"

"Yes, that is perfect," says Jishi as the both of them start using hand seals.

"Another Jutsu?" thinks Hitomi as she does a double back hand-spring, "What will it be this time?"

"Ninja Art: Mass Double Trouble!" yell the twins as they complete their Jutsu. Twenty replicates, ten for each brother, appear alongside the boys. They all have the same perverted grin and all slide their tongues across their lips as if anticipating a tasty meal.

"Oh crap!" mutters Hitomi as she brings her hands together and begins weaving seals. The brigade of brothers dashes off and immediately they converge together and start crisscrossing into each other's path. "Fire Style: Firebullet Jutsu!" shouts the Leaf Kunoichi raising her right hand up and planting her right leg back. She inhales a quick breath, exhales, and begins shooting the blazing balls of fire at her enemies. She watches carefully and then starts firing at the target farthest to the left, moving across to the right with every new mini fireball. She clears the entire line, hitting all of the opponents but they turn out to all have been illusions.

"Damn it, where did the real ones go?" she wonders as she scans the area. She looks on the ground and notices that her shadow has suddenly become a lot bigger than normal. Two large hands come up under her arms and clamp onto her breasts. Jishi squeezes tightly on the soft, round mounds of the Leaf Ninja.

"Hi there," he says as he lurches forward and tries to take a bite out of her collar bone. Hitomi bends over while raising her arm up and grabbing the back of his head. She changes her stance and uses the leverage to hurl the pervert over her back. As soon as she straightens herself up another massive hand comes up from below and grabs her crotch.

Hatsu lifts her up into the air with a single arm and then throws her into the sky. Jishi has landed and squats down and uses the massive muscles in his legs to fire himself into the air. He flies toward Hitomi with his arms stretched out, planning to tackle her and then slam her into the ground. She sees him coming in fast and smartly tucks into a roll to make herself smaller. When he is in close, she sticks out her left leg and slams an axe kick into the back of his skull.

But she forgot about his twin, and Hatsu appears above her. He grabs her outstretched leg and yanks her above his head, then whips her towards the ground. Jishi is rolling over in the dirt when Hitomi crashes into him sending clouds of dirt into the air. "Sorry about that, Brother," says Hatsu as he drops down and lands neatly on the earth.

Hitomi pushes herself up to her hands and knees. Her right hand goes up to her forehead, which has some blood dripping down from it. "Damn, what did I hit?" she wonders, slightly dazed.

"You hit me, baby," replies Jishi whose face is in her breasts and hands are pulling her hips down to his crotch.

"What? Who are you?" she asks, confused.

Hatsu walks over, pulls his leg back, and then smashes it into her rib cage. She flies off and slams through a brick wall which crumbles on top of her. "Hey, what did you do that for, Brother?" questions Jishi, standing up, "She was in the perfect mood."

"She was about to cut your heart out, Brother," explains Hatsu as he points to a kunai on the ground.

Hitomi pushes the bricks off her body and slowly stands up, breathing heavily and clutching her side. "Crap, I almost had him," she thinks as she analyzes the pair, "That was way too risky, but at least I found a weakness. They are both perverted, but the one in the red can't control his urges as well as the one in the green."

Yovestu and Suizaki struggle in a kunai battle, each one pressuring the other to gain the upper hand. Then they both skip backwards and slide in the dirt. "Don't fool yourself, Suizaki," Yovestu warns, "You're not going to beat me with just a kunai, plus there is no way you completely healed from last time."

"Don't get cocky, even injured I am far stronger than you," counters Suizaki.

"I bet you really believe that, don't you?" says Yovestu as he makes hand signs, "Well, then let us see if you can back it up. Fire Style: Fire Net!" He places his hand on the side of his mouth and a small flame jumps into his palm. Then he reels his arm back and throws forward and a large net made of flames expands from his hand.

*7 years ago*

A four-man squad walks through the gates returning to the village. "Wow, man, that Land of Panthers was one amazing place!" exclaims a younger Yovestu as he walks with his hands folded behind his head.

"Good work, squad," announces their Sensei, "You have all improved a lot since we first came together. Now that this mission is over you are all one step closer to your goals."

"Yes, Sensei, I can already feel the strength I gained from this mission," says Suizaki, "I'll be a Chunin in no time. Then I will be a Jonin after that and just keep on getting stronger and stronger. Don't get left behind, Yovestu."

"Hey, Suizaki, I was just as good as you this time!" argues the blonde male.

"Say that when you improve on your fire Jutsu," comments Suizaki as he walks off.

"Aww man, I am going to beat you one day!" Yovestu yells after him.

"I thought your goal was to protect the village?" inquires the teacher.

"Yeah, it is," admits Yovestu.

"Then instead of trying to beat Suizaki you should be trying to learn from him," advises the Sensei, "I'll see you two later, I have to go make a report to the Hokage about the mission."

"Bye, Sensei," says Kin, waving cheerfully.

"So, Kin, have you decided what you are going to draw first?" asks Yovestu, "There were a lot of cool places in the Land of Panthers."

"I'm not sure yet, but I don't feel like drawing today anyways," she replies, "Umm… I was wondering if you wanted to go get some food." Her cheeks turn bright red and she looks at the ground and kicks at the dirt.

Yovestu is caught off guard but quickly responds, "Yeah, definitely, let's go." He grabs her hand making her blush even more and they run off into the village streets.

*The present*

"Your fire Jutsu are still pitiful!" yells Suizaki as he jumps back to get out of range.

"Is that really so?" says Yovestu with a smirk on his face. The edge of his fire net hits the ground and he yanks on it. Somehow it has fused to the earth while the rest of the net has become very flexible. It now acts like a giant rubber band and snaps him forward.

"Well, that is new," comments Suizaki, preparing a counter, "But still just as useless!"

"Not quite!" yells Yovestu as a second fire net erupts from his left hand and starts to expand over an area too large for the Rogue ninja to escape from.

"So he can use it with both hands now?" thinks Suizaki as he forms hand seals, "I guess he has improved a bit."

(That is the end of the chapter, what did you think? The Leaf Ninja are each facing off against a powerful opponent. Which side will prevail? 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.)