V8 ch9

Selfish Decisions

Saori Nara walked ahead of her team. Ryu was heavily scolding Daiya about his ailment. She moved her blue eyes around watching the floor ahead. So far, they had managed to make it to the fifth level of the Crux Tower. Saori had forgotten how many days had passed since they had entered the structure. There was no way for them to know without windows. It reminded her of being in an endless haunted house – where the monsters were real.

"We have enough to worry about in this hell hole of a place," Ryu shot back. He and Daiya had been heavily fighting since they woke up from resting. Ryu's way of worrying about someone was to explode verbally in anger. He lowered his head, his anger still fuming with Daiya's rash decision to enter the competition.

"How about the two of you shut up," Saori said

completely fed up with the bickering. "Another team won't have to plan an ambush on us. You two are already giving away out position!"

Ryu tensed as he made a face under his mask. Saori could be as much of a hot head as either of them. "I'm sick of walking through these confusing hallways. Ever since we cleared level three, we've had to back track – and even gotten lost."

Saori twitched sensing a fight brewing. She looked over her shoulder, her eyes shooting into flames. "Are you questioning my tracking skills?" At this point, Daiya started to move next to her out of fear of being her next target.

"No," Ryu said as he crossed his arms closing his eyes. He lifted up a finger near his face. "I'm saying, you don't have any tracking skills."

Daiya stopped as Saori shot past him. He closed his eyes as he heard kunai clanging together. After a few moments of yelling, the sounds subsided. He turned around to see Ryu upside down on the wall with kunai holding his clothes in place.

Saori brushed off her clothes as if the scuffle with Ryu had caused her to roll down a hill. She marched ahead, her eye twitching. "Come on, Daiya," she said putting her arm under his, forcing him to move.

Daiya was pulled along, his head turned to see Ryu struggling to get free. "What about Ryu," he asked as quietly as he could without angering Saori any further. The blond haired pig tailed girl tightened her grip on his arm – giving him his answer. Daiya chose to remain quiet.

"He's a big boy. He can take care of himself,"

Saori snuffed. She muttered under her breath. "No tracking skills? I have no tracking skills? Sasuke trained me to have tracking skills. At least I didn't get held back on a team!"

Ryu yanked at both of his arms trying to loosen the kunai from the wooden wall. dammit, how many of these things did she use? His pants were held in place worse than his sleeves. "Saori!" Ryu swore as he heard her voice get farther and farther away. "Woman, get back here! You wait till I get out of here! SAORI!"

Areku Inuzuka yelled in pain as his clothing was removed from by the medic-nin. When they got to the last part of his mangled vest, they started to cut it off. Areku was unsure if the rest of his team were alive or dead. He groaned as he opened his eyes trying to see the environment he was in. The Haze team had defeated them in the Crux Tower. Were they outside of it?

Lights were shinning in his face. It was hard for his pupils to make out the faces of the medic-nin who were fixing his wounds. He heard a man confirm to another that he was awake and responding to their actions. His ears tried to pick up on the bangs and shuffles occurring around him. "Where… Where.. are.. they..?"

The medic cleaning the holes in Areku's body flushed the blood out. "Where is who, son?" He worked hastily so they could move him to another area to repair his skin.

Areku felt the remaining portion of the vest coming off. It was stuck to his skin with the dried blood. He screamed. His arms came up trying to fight the medic-nin off. They were hurting him beyond belief. Once he started to right back, the medic-nin surrounded him attempting to restrain him.

A medic-nin rushed in with an IV-pole carrying a supply of blood. He stuck the needle in Arkeu's arm – causing him to be alerted even more. Areku panicked not knowing what they were doing to him. It wasn't until he felt a hand on his forehead did he stop thrashing.

Kiba kept his hand placed upon his son. Areku's eyes were starting to drift out of consciousness. I promised Kashira I'd look after him. Those holes in his body are serious. If the Crux tower didn't have monitors throughout the areas, more of the kids would have died.

"Where.. are.. th-ey," Areku asked weakily.

Kiba sensed the medic-nin were ready to move him to another room. "Gin's holding Ichigo in the waiting area. Kandai's been poisoned." He saw Areku's hand go up as if he was going to have another wind at fighting the medic-nin. The short lived attempt was soon depleted. Kiba watched his son's hand flop back down onto the stretcher.

He moved out of the way as his son was moved through the double doors. As the doors stopped swaying, he pushed them open to be met with a pair of dark eyes staring at him. "They just moved him."

"I heard him from outside. Does he know I'm here," she asked as she followed Kiba down the hall. She really wanted to know if Areku was going to be alright.

Kiba shook his head. "I didn't get a chance, Hire. His wounds are serious." He still felt the tender area where the needle had been stuck earlier. "I'm only hoping I helped him."

"Well, you did. No reason to doubt your parenting decisions late in the game," Hire said. "Give Areku a kiss for me," she said puckering her lips as if she needed a demonstration of what a 'kiss' pertained. "I need to get back to my team. Or… what's left of it." Before Kiba was able to ask, Hire stuck her hand up and departed.

Does she really expect me to kiss Areku for her?

Takeru balanced himself on the thin pieces of metal jutting out from one end of the parted floor to the other. He glanced at the level below them. One wrong slip and he'd be a goner. Walking on his bare feet seemed to give him more stability on the thin rods. With his arms out, hands holding his ninja shoes, he took another careful step. Takeru started to sway a little, but regained his balance.

Eiyu hadn't chosen to walk foolishly on the metal rods. Instead, he was moving across with his legs hooked around it, arms moving every time he shifted his legs to help pull himself along. His head turned to see Onari upside down with her legs out. She was hand walking on the rods with her fingers curled. Her balance is incredible.

Onari moved her hands one at a time flipping her long hair out of the way. To her, this seemed more like another obstacle course. "Takeru, Onari would like this in the garden."

Takeru almost lost his balance at the mention of doing this for fun. "Ri, you're not helping." Takeru closed his eyes meditating to gain his self-confidence.

"Takeru, I admire your precision and ability to calm the mind – but now is not the time to be Buddha," Eiyu said bringing his team mate back to reality. "Get your butt across," he practically shouted. Eiyu grunted pulling himself up more. "How much farther have we got to go," he yelled at anyone who would answer him.

"If I told you, you'd turn into an oni," Takeru stated concentrating hard as he moved three more feet. Truth was, they were moving slowly. Eiyu wasn't going as fast as he thought he was. Takeru felt the metal rod digging into his aching feet.

Onari turned her head to check on the two boys. Eiyu was sweating profusely as he continued along his route. Pain was written all over Takeru's face. Both of them are wearing out. Onari bit her lip pondering. Takeru's legs are shaking. He's going to fall. Onari flipped over landing on the rod. She hooked her legs around it as she balanced herself.

Eiyu breathed hard. His fingers were numb from the strain of holding onto the rod and pulling himself. He saw Takeru start to crumble, his legs buckling. "Takeru!"

Takeru's legs went out from underneath him. As he saw the rod coming overhead, a flash of red light appeared out of the corner of his eye. He heard his name being shouted by both of his team mates before he landed on a soft firm surface. Takeru moved his hand feeling the sensation of feathers. "Sashizo," he said quietly.

Eiyu dropped on top of the large phoenix next to Takeru. His hand went to Takeru's shoulder. "Hey, quit messing around," he said as Takeru looked at him tiredly.

"Eiyu, Onari's not supposed to unleash the phoenix," Takeru said watching her continue along the rod path alone.

"I know. What other choice did she have? Your death would burden her. You're so troublesome," Eiyu said flopping onto his back.

"What was that strange flash of light," Washi Hojo asked moving his eyes around as he stood with his team.

"Who knows," Unkei Eimino said as he searched the fallen ninja he had taken out. His eyes narrowed. "Damn, nothing on him is useful." He moved the guy aside with his foot as if he were discarding a broken limb.

"You would take that route," Katamaru Takano said as she continued her path. "Besides, leave the dead where they ly. We have more pressing matters to take care of."

Washi caught up with her, his eyes glancing at her. "You're thinking about that girl with the mask, aren't you?" He heard her snort. That's what I thought.

"That girl's strength is unnatural," Katamaru said thinking about how her doll came to an end. "My dolls aren't meant to be tossed away so easily. Their explosions should be as beautiful as they are."

Unkei picked at his teeth. "She's still going on about 'Moriko' getting shafted, isn't she?" He couldn't believe Katamaru named those hideous things. "Get over it. We need to win this."

Washi caught onto the edge in Unkei's voice. The corner of his mouth turned into a smirk. "Troubles at home?" He felt Unkei grab onto his arm hard, shoving him into the wall. Washi turned his eyes on him.

"Watch your mouth," Unkei said narrowing his gaze. "You don't want to go up against me," he warned. The electrical charges around his form sparked.

Katamaru came between the two of them, her eyes becoming serious. "Neither of you want to wager your lives for the other. Don't do so against each other either," she said thrusting a kunai at each of their throats with her hands.

"Exactly why are you so threatened," Washi asked his posture not changing as his shoulders remained raised. "If you're not here for the Raikage, who are you here for?"

"Who do you think," Katamaru said to her team mate. "He's got more things to worry about than the Raikage. I've known for a while you've been pressured to join Lord Gekido. They've really gotten to you."

Unkei grabbed her wrist shoving her into Washi. "He's not the one that frightens me. What damage could he do that's more lethal than a legend coming true?"

Washi rolled his eyes. "I don't believe in legends. They're only myths that the elders told to keep order, or respect." He walked away. "Keep your fears to yourself."

"Keep saying that when war breaks out," Unkei said under his breath. He walked ahead, his body tense. He was being recruited for an inside job he didn't approve of. It seemed far fetched to him. If he got found out by the Raikage, or any of her guards, he was in deep trouble. He'd be seen as a traitor. But what was worse to him? Being a traitor against a new leader, or an old one who commands a bigger army?

Gin moved her hand down Areku's arm until her fingers interlaced with his. He was lying on the bed with his arms and shoulders bandaged. She was concerned not only as a team leader, but also as a friend. He had defended her long enough for her to get to Kandai. She closed her eyes wanting him to recover.

Gin turned around hearing a knock at the door. Shikamaru stepped through with his hands in his pockets. She turned back around gazing at Areku sadly. She was trying to focus on him to keep her mind off Kandai.

"Gin, it wasn't your fault for leaving him alone," Shikamaru said. He glanced under the bed to see Ichigo asleep on the floor. Shikamaru didn't want Gin punishing herself over Areku's decision. "Do you want me to tell you why he chose to fight that guy instead of you?" Gin nodded silently. "You wouldn't have stood a chance against him. That guy's weapon did some serious damage to the walls and flooring around the battle. Your plant jutsus wouldn't have been effective."

Gin swallowed. "I could have used a tree to knock him off his feet. I had enough seeds in my pouch," she said trying to force reason into her words. Shikamaru sighed. Gin knew she wasn't cooperating. "If Kandai dies, then it won't matter what direction I took. Both were wrong."

Umai Nozara stood on the eighth floor, his eyes looking out at the two doors across the way. "Kind of eerie, don't you think?" Standing in front of the Sound-nin were two wooden doors bearing peculiar marks of birds, whales, crickets, and other animals and insects that were known for their sounds.

Rina Nagai's eyes drifted upwards at the wind chimes. "Why hang these here? There's no wind to hear them move."

Minwa Ui smirked as he opened the compartments on his sides and back. "It's a clue, idiot," he said as he unleashed the wind from the pipes. The wind chimes twirled in the air. Their noises caused a plank to open between the two doors.

Rina moved closer to view the Hiragana. "Each door chooses its fate well. Step through to unleash what you may, or may not, live to tell." Rina crossed her arms. "That doesn't frighten me."

"Then if it doesn't, pick a door," Minwa stated blandly. He pulled a lever inside his gear. The pipes on his sides and back lowered back into their compartments.

Rina looked at each door carefully. They were both the same. "Oh, this is ridiculous. It has to be a trick of some kind. That's all this tower is."

Umai walked forward to open the door on the right. "The both of you get in there. We're wasting valuable time," he said rather annoyed. His eyes stayed on each of them until they passed. Umai turned his body closing the door behind him. His eyes adjusted to the darkness. His team was stuck in a small room. "It's a dead end."

Just as he voiced his opinion, the wall opened in front of them to a lighted room with strange one-foot stones poking out of the floor. Umai and his team walked forward cautiously. The stones appeared ordinary. There were no marking upon them; unlike the outside doors. His head lifted to see four hand sized holes on the upper side of the walls. "Now I wonder what's going to come out of those."

Minwa craned his head, listening. He narrowed his eyes as he threw kunai at the wall. "Let's find out," he said using a kunai in his hand to keep his balance as he began to step on the ones lodged in the wall. He moved carefully scaling the forty-five foot wall.

Once in reach of the holes, he moved his hand, fingers extending to feel the material. His skin came in contact with metal, but also small droplets of water. "Hope you guys know how to swim," he said as he looked extensively at the moisture on his finger tips. Minwa looked down at them. "Water."

"Water? So this room fills with it," Rina said confirming her thoughts. She moved over to one of the stones, her hand moving along the contours. "It's here, too. These must allow it to drain."

Umai tapped his head with a finger. "Sometimes what's in front of you is obviously allusive," he said in a sweet, tender voice. "You two are missing an even bigger point."

"What could be bigger than drowning," Minwa asked as he touched down.

"The other door," Umai stated with his hands out as if he was holding up a marvelous feast. "We won't know what those stones are for until another team goes into the other room. We're wasting time again."

Rina punched her hand into her palm. "Arg! We're sitting ducks until someone else discovers the other door!"

"Exactly," Umai said as he leaned against the wall, waiting. "One team comes out and the other doesn't." He furrowed his brows looking to each of them.

"For both of your sakes, you better hope it's us," Minwa said his anger starting to show. He didn't like having losers on his team. Furthermore, if they lost this trial, they would be disqualified – or dead.

Gusen Muro poushed the Bear Country team through The Crux Tower. They had managed to take down three teams in the past few hours. He grunted as he began to move a heavy piece of food that was in his way. It fell to the side, the loud crash echoing in the enormous room.

Machi Tabuchi kept a look out for any signs of another team approaching. She put her hands on her hips waiting. After several moments her assumptions were confirmed. "We're the only team on this level. Not one person has passed us since we've been here." She flipped her head around. "Now what?"

Gusen stood in the entrance to the hall he had uncovered. Two doors were at the end. One of the doors had a bright light over it. "All of these levels are the same. We go around in circles until we're trapped and forced to fight in order to make it to the next level. Simple, we find out what those doors hold," he said answering Machi.

The team moved forward. The door with the light over it was locked. "How much you want to bet there's already someone in there? We move to the other door," Aki Masuko said. "What's the purpose of these etchings," he asked as his eyes gazed over the markings upon the door.

"It's a riddle," Gusen said his large frame moving closer to it. "This whole place is one giant trap." He glanced at them before he opened the door. "It's dark. Imagine that," he said with pure sarcasm. "Let's go."

Each member of the Bear team went inside the room. The door behind them shut on its own. Soon the team entered the room filled with stones on the floor.

Aki didn't like the looks of the area. "Alright, why's it smell faintly of water," he said more to himself trying to problem solve the area. His eyes caught onto the holes in the wall. "Oh, they mean to drown us. I should have thought as much with everything else we've been through."

Gusen slammed his foot on one of the stones, his eyes looking around the room. "Stop wasting our time. We're ready for whatever you have pulled up your sleeve," he said with his arm on his knee.

Machi stood near Gusen, her ears picking up the sounds of crickets being imitated. Her ehad flipped as she heard water pouring out of the holes in the wall at the top. "What is the objective of this trial?"

Aki sloshed through the water, his eyes moving around head turning as he figured out the purpose of the stones. "It's a puzzle!" He heard the sounds being made out of the stone in the floor. As he bent over, he pushed it with his foot trying to get it to lower. It didn't move.

Machi caught on to where Aki was standing. "The closer a cricket sounds, the father away it is," she said moving to the other end of the row. She pushed the stone with her hands. It started to sink into the floor. The water in the room had already reached a foot in such a short amount of time. "I don't understand."

Gusen hadn't moved from his position. "The only way the water will disappear is if we solve all of the sounds. Until then, we're all in trouble."

Rina Nagai moved swiftly with her team as they searched the stones for the next sound. She found it difficult to locate it due to the water pouring in through the holes. The water helped mask the true location of the sound being emitted. Whirling around she started to randomly press her foot on the stones. It has to be one of these! Her anger started to get to her.

Minwa noticed his team was getting distracted by their frustrations. "You two need to calm down! If this trial defeats you, then you don't deserve to pass!" He slammed his hand on the stone emitting the noise. It went into the floor sinking with the others that had already been pressed. He breathed hard, coughing a few times. "It's getting harder to distinguish the sounds from the water pouring in."

Umai fell into the water. Despite them being able to solve the sound puzzles, the water didn't stop – it only slowed down. How many of these do we have to do? Almost all of the stones are pressed." He looked up at the holes the water was coming out of. "The water's only three feet up above the floor. That's not enough to drown us."

Minwa run out his sleeves. He was sick to his teeth of the substance. "It means there's another trick we're having to wait on. Who said each trial we face only has one puzzle, or obstacle to it?"

"They're as ruthless as we are," Rina said hearing the next sound being emitted. The water started to pour in faster as she began to search the stones for the correct one. She sloshed through the water, the sounds of the elephant driving her mad. Rina wished there was another way to tell which one it was. "This shouldn't be so difficult! There's three of us and one of it!"

Umai took in a deep breath of air before he ducked under the water. He figured the stone had to be blowing out air bubbles as the sound was vibrated through the air. Opening his eyes under water proved he was wrong. There weren't any signs of bubbles he could see. Umai went back up for air. He shook his head, water flinging off as the sound ended.

Minwa swore as he saw Umai coming up out of the water. "What in the hell are you doing? It takes all three of us to figure out which one it is. Stop playing around!"

Rina caught on to her team mate's movements. "He was helping," she said defending him against Minwa as she stepped between them. "If there were air bubbles, or some sort of vibration around the device, we'd know it. We wouldn't have to listen for the sounds." She crossed her arms. "There's only four more stones to push."

Gusen's team finished pushing the remainder of the stones into the floor. The water level was already five feet high. He glanced at his team mates. They were fatiguing faster than he would have liked. He couldn't blame them for their condition, though. Ever since they had entered The Crux Tower, they had been pushing themselves against the odds.

"What do we do now? The last stone is in place," Aki stated. Had they lost? There wasn't any escape to the room filled with water. "At least the water stopped pouring in." He kept his hand under Machi who was relatively short compared to the height of the water.

Machi refused to believe it was over. She tried her best not to latch onto Aki as he kept her head above the water. "How are we supposed to get out of here?" As soon as she asked, three ropes dropped from the ceiling. Machi grabbed onto the rope with difficulty. Her hands were wet. Grunting, she started to lift her form up the rope with all of her strength.

Aki and Gusen moved to their own ropes and began climbing. Aki's suspicions about the tower were being confirmed. He noticed the ropes were far enough apart to keep each team member from helping another. If one of them slipped, they'd fall straight into the water and have to start all over.

Machi began climbing, her fingers wrapped tightly around the rope. Her legs shifted to move up as well. She was having to move little by little for fear of losing her grip. Falling into the water would be like hitting the ground at full force.

Gusen urged his team to keep going and to not look down. He grunted, his large body trying to remain on the rope between his legs. Machi and Aki were trying their best to get as high as they could. Gusen, however, wasn't sure about this sort of method. The openings in the ceiling beckoned him to the next level as he dangled high over the water.

Aki was halfway to the top when his legs started to slip off the rope. He kicked his legs out as he shouted. "Ah, no!" Aki's weight caused his hands to slide down the rope. As the material burned his skin, he tried to stop himself from falling, but it was no use. He had to let go. Aki's hands released as he fell backwards to the water. He hit hard, the impact causing him to black out.

Gusen swore as Aki's form disappeared under the water. He could see his team mate's arms coming up over his head. "Stay where you are!" He turned his head signaling Machi to keep going to the top. "Head for the roof!" Gusen let go of the rope. He, too, fell towards the water with his legs aimed straight down.

Machi watched as Gusen splashed into the water. Her heart raced with anticipation. She didn't know what to do. He was her team leader and had given an order. Machi closed her eyes regaining her self-confidence. I have to keep going. Aki wouldn't want me to stop. Machi opened her eyes, tilting her head back to stare straight at the hole in the roof. She began to climb again, faster.

Gusen put his arm around Aki and forced him to the surface. "Aki!" The kid wasn't answering him. He slapped the side of his team mate's face trying to arouse him. "Ah, hell," he said once he realized Aki wasn't breathing. Gusen hurried to force the water out of the boy's lungs.

Machi managed to make it to the top, pulling herself over onto the next level. She flopped on her back breathing hard. Her clothes were soaked and fingers numb from the climb. Remembering Aki had fallen, she sat up to crawl and peer over the side. Gusen was swimming to a rope with Aki in tow. "Is he okay," she called down below.

Gusen held onto the rope with one hand as he tried to figure out how to get the unconscious kid out of harm's way. He heard Machi calling to him again. "What? He's fine," he answered. "Your girlfriend is impatient," he told the kid. Gusen figured his best bet was to keep a hold on Aki while he climbed up. The difficult part was going to be to lift the boy out of the water with one arm.

Aki's body drifted with the water as Gusen pulled himself up the rope with one arm. He grunted straining his muscles to keep Aki's head from going under. "Come on," he told himself. "You can do this. You're stronger than anyone back home," he said forcing his hand to remain closed on the rope. Gusen let Aki go for a split second to hook his arm around the boy's chest. His fingers dug into the wet material as his back began to straighten. Aki's limp form came out of the water, but at a price. Gusen felt the muscles in his back call out to him. The pain hit him so hard he yelled.

Machi's eyes went wide as she realized what Gusen was doing. He was injuring himself to rescue Aki. "Gusen!" He wouldn't listen to her.

Gusen managed to lift Aki half way out of the water. As the boy dangled, he used his other leg to force Aki's body up. Gusen heaved him upwards until Aki was pressed hard against his side. Once he was secure, Gusen moved the boy's body up and over his shoulder. He breathed hard, the pain in his back shouting at him. The opening in the ceiling seemed farther away.

Machi knew Gusen was stuck. She had to think of a way to get him and Aki through the opening. Their weight was too much for her to pull alone. What if I make a pully out of the rings and wires I carry? The idea struck her. "Hang on," she shouted down to them.

Gusen let his forehead touch the wet rope. "What else does she expect me to do," he said to no one but himself. He turned his head checking on Aki. The boy wasn't moving, or responding to him calling his name. "Damn, he's really out of it." As Gusen pondered the chances of both of them making it out of the predicament they were in, something hit him in the head. He looked around to see a metal ring spinning in the air. It was dangling on wire. Just as he thought about what Machi expected him to do with it, another ring came down, clanging next to it.

"Put Aki's arms in the rings with the wire wrapped around his torso. I can pull him up," Machi called. She knew Gusen wasn't understanding with the expression on his face. "I made a pully system," she shouted trying to explain. "Just get him on it! I'll pull you up next!"

Gusen wasn't too sure about this. He reached out trying several times to latch onto the rings. As soon as he had them, he moved Aki's form down slipping a ring all the way down his arm and up to his shoulder. Wrapping the wire around Aki's vest several times he tugged on it to make sure it was secure before putting his other arm through. "I'm fixing to let him go," Gusen called back up to her. "Brace yourself." He gave her a moment before he prayed the wire would hold.

Gusen let Aki's form drop from his own. Aki's body went down a foot before the wire tightened. It was holding. Gusen breathed again as he watched Machi slowly lift Aki's body overhead. He was threw the opening now. Gusen watched Machi pull Aki away from the opening, in case he woke up.

Machi took the rings and wire off Aki as he lay on the floor. She didn't have time to worry about what condition he was in. She had to get Gusen out of there. Machi lowered the wire with the rings again. She placed her foot on the wall beside her, her eyes checking the kunai that were acting as levers to take the weight off her. "Okay, let go," she called. As Gusen let go, the wire straightened again with a poing.

Machi grit her teeth as her hands held onto the wire. If she hadn't of been wearing gloves, it would have cut through her skin. Gusen was heavy. She kept pulling until sweat encased her brow. It was the hardest thing she had had to do. Until she saw Gusen's head pop over the side, Machi forced herself to keep going.

Gusen flopped hard onto the floor, his back not able to take much more. He heard Machi fall as well. They were both breathing hard. Before he could manage to get the rings and wire off, his eyes closed. He heard Machi mention something about taking a break before they headed out. He couldn't agree more.

Ryu stood at the top of one of the boulders, his red eyes looking down below at the Rain team. They were coming for them. He signaled Saori and Daiya to make themselves scarce. "Yeah, I'm waiting for you," he said his head lowering as his hands started to form hand seals.

Fusae Soga, the leader of the Rain team, stopped on the boulder signaling Nahohiro Ekiguchi and Kotai Watoga to move away from her. "This is between me and him," she said. They took off to find the other two hiding from the Leaf Team. "You want to play, I'll play," she said slipping off the box on her back.

Ryu smiled coyly under his mask, his hands moving to throw several kunai at her in an arch. "I'd like nothing better," he said as he darted around her to come behind her. He didn't know what was in that box of hers, but he was going to find out.

Fusae smiled as she unraveled a large scroll as the kunai came at her. The caricatures upon the paper glowed as the kunai were sunk into it. She turned around swiftly as he moved behind her, rotating the paper a few times, before the kunai were released back at him.

Ryu's eyes widened. This girl was playing with some sort of new jutsu he had never seen before. A wooden puppet named Rose appeared in front of him, the kunai lodging into her frame. He was pushed back with the force of the weapons and the weight of the puppet.

Saori hid amongst the boulders, her chakra strings glowing blue. She had ignored Ryu's command to depart. A good team mate didn't abandon another – even at the request of strategy.

"It seems one of your team mates ignored your order," Fusae said as she flipped open the back of the shrine box with her foot. It slammed to the ground. "Such a pity," she said as the spiky haired boy's eyes befell upon her collection. "As you can see, I don't use normal weapons. What's the point when this is a bit more sinister and unexpecting?"

"Bones?" Ryu didn't approve of using the dead in any kind of jutsu. He wondered what Fusae was up to. She was watching him intently, her eyes focused on Rose who was still guarding him. Ryu wouldn't put it past this girl to use Rose against him. "Saori, move Rose! That's a direct order!"

"What," Saori said in alarm. She felt herself being watched. How did she get found out so easily? Saori flipped her head in time to see a swarm of hornets coming at her. She screamed trying to avoid the insects from stinging her. Rose was pulled along like a rag doll as she began to move through the openings in the boulders.

Kotai Watoga smiled as he found the puppet girl hiding in the rocks. He went after her with his hornets, signaling them to attack her. "Take her out," he commanded.

Daiya erupted as Naohiro sent an exploding pellet at him. It went off before it came within range of taking him out. The explosion caused him to be thrown backwards amongst the rocks. He slid on his back going down into a dark area. "Ah," he yelled in surprise.

Naohiro slumped to the right watching the pony tailed youth slip out of sight. "You won't get away from me that way," he said forming hand seals. Naohiro's body started to turn the color of the rocks. Soon his form slumped down as if he were water being dumped out of a bucket.

Daiya groaned as he stared up at the ceiling high over head the area. He sat up rubbing his head with his hand. Out of nowhere he heard, "I'd be on guard if I were you." Daiya's arm came up just in time to stop a shuriken from sinking into his face. He pulled the sharp pointed weapon out.

Naohiro slipped out from the rocks, his form taking its regular shape again. "There's nowhere for you to hide that I can't find you," he said with his hollow eyes watching the boy rise. He was ready for a fight.

Daiya narrowed his eyes at the pale boy in front of him. He cracked his neck, moving his head around. "Moron," he said with one word. Daiya shifted his weight on the dirt, his hand grabbing a metal rod out of the casing on his back. He took it out twirling it in the air with both of his hands as Naohiro threw kunai at him. They pinged off the metal rod, going astray. Soon the other boy was on top of him.

Naohiro had to keep this guy busy. He was a lightening user and could eliminate him if given the chance. Bringing his leg up, he started to kick the boy in the side, then came up twirling around in the air, the water jutsu around his body lashing out at the boy. It started to strike the leaf-nin several times with the force of a whip.

Daiya yelled in pain as he was struck, his arm coming up to block the water. It felt as if he was being hit with an icy whip. The molecules in the water were being held together with a strong jutsu. "Get off of me!" Daiya got so angry to the point that his hair started to spike out causing Naohiro to strike even faster. The water whip was slicing through the bandages on his arms making him bleed.

"I don't think that's a reasonable request," Naohiro said as more water whips came out from behind his back. He used each of them to strike different vulnerable parts of the leaf-nin's body. His eyes narrowed as he started to punch the boy hard in the head. He had to make him go down, or there was a chance he'd fail.

Fusae held her index finger in the air in front of her nose as she concentrated. The spiky haired boy was forming hand seals trying his best to overcome her. "World of the dead," she said in a haunting voice. The shrine box on the boulder started to shake, the bones inside of it shooting out. Now she had him!

Ryu freaked out as the bones came shooting out of the shrine towards him. He moved back throwing kunai and shuriken at the inanimate, now animated, objects. The bones were gluing themselves to parts of his body. Ryu's skin started to crawl as the dead latched onto him. He shook his arms and legs trying to get them off, but they wouldn't move.

Fusae kept her pose her mind concentrating on the signals she was sending to the bones. Soon the bones responded to her commands. She smiled showing her pointed teeth as the boy was lifted into the air upside down. He kept rising until he was a good fifty feet up. "Drop him," she said as his eyes widened.

Ryu yelled as he was suddenly detached from the bones. He went falling back to earth his head aimed downward. As the ground came up, he closed his eyes expecting his skull to crack wide open.

Daiya sent a huge lightening stream at Naohiro, who had begun to move swiftly through the water like a fish throwing smoke pellets at him. Having had enough of this assault, he kept his chakra going based on the anger he was experiencing. Naohiro shot backwards and up landing straight into Ryu, who was falling from the sky. It caused both of them to be thrown off course.

Ryu was now hitting the ground on his side and back, his body sliding on the boulders until he landed smack into another one. Moaning, with his head spinning, his eyes focused on the bones from the shrine coming back at him. He got up quickly, throwing himself over the boulder as they slammed into the side of it. He breathed hard, running away from Fusae. You have got to be kidding me!

Saori breathed hard as she fought Kotai. He was the strangest looking guy with a hornets nest on his back. The hornets buzzed around both of them, their stingers aimed at her as they battled. Saori saw the look in his eyes – he was completely toying with her. She growled under her breath bringing her hand up with a kunai to block his own.

"How does it feel to not know when death with come," Kotai asked the blond headed girl. "Even now, you know it's lingering all around you – calling your name," he sang the last word to her. The girl only kept her attention on him. "Good girl," he said as a wave of hornets came down towards the leaf-nin. Kotai felt something press into his back all of a sudden, throwing his weight forward.

Ryu had his hand placed on the ground with his legs out kicking Kotai forward as the hornets came down. "Timing is everything, bastard," he said as Saori was also thrown back. The hornets began stinging their host, his screams echoing all over the area, arms flailing to get them off of himself. Ryu ran forward, scooping Saori up. She was surprised to see him.

Saori blinked her eyes at him. "What happened to the girl you were fighting?" She saw him smile at her, in his usual comical way. Nothing good can come from this.

"When all else fails, let Daiya handle it," Ryu said with a light hearted laugh.

Daiya's foot slammed onto the bone, causing it to crack. Naohiro was pleading for him not to harm her as she clutched to her shrine box. He only stared at her with a blank expression.

"Don't torch the shrine I made," Naohiro begged, her body protecting it. "It's all I have left of them." She touched the box fondly her hand scooping up the stray bones, trying to put them back in, as if it would protect them from further harm.

"All you have left of who," Daiya asked his posture tense. He was ready to fight this girl even more if he had to. He watched as she cradled a few of the bones. He wasn't sure if they were arm bones or leg bones.

"My family," Naohiro said her dark eyes watching him. He turned around leaving her alone with the shrine. Naohiro's team had been defeated by the leaf-nin team. As she hurried to put the bones back in, she cleaned them off trying to keep them from touching the dirty ground. "Don't worry mama, or daddy. I'll cook you some rice and put it in the altar when we get back home," she pleaded, her voice shaky.

Daiya caught up with Ryu and Saori as they moved across the boulders. He glanced at how loving Ryu was being with Saori. Saori, on the other hand, was pushing him off as he laughed. His heart started to ache for Yanagi. He wondered if she was okay. Soon his predicament got to him. "Would you two knock it off?!"

Saori glanced at him with the last shove she gave Ryu. "Daiya, we're only messing around," she said noticing the hurt look on his face. He averted his eyes from hers.

"Hey, what's gotten into you all of a sudden?" Ryu narrowed his eyes. "When this is over, we're having a serious talk."

Saori saw Daiya move ahead of them, his body language telling her he wasn't listening to anything Ryu said. "Ryu, I think he's missing Yanagi. He doesn't know if she's alive or dead in here," she said trying to make him understand. "He has a lot on him."

"It's only going to get worse," Ryu said not buying into anything Saori was saying. "If he manages to survive the rest of the tower, he'll have to fight his way to the top. Yanagi didn't come here to watch him kill himself."

Saori only looked at Daiya's back painfully. It was true that Yanagi had shown him the utmost respect when it came to his decisions. Now as their time of The Crux Tower was coming to an end, Saori figured Daiya had made the biggest selfish decision of them all.

Areku Inuzuka sat up in the bed his eyes looking around the room. He heard Kandai had been poisoned by an unknown variety. Gin was trying to help the medic-nin come up with an antidote to counteract the poison in their team mate's system. Way to go, Kandai. Areku's mind flashed back to the happy-go-lucky Hyuuga twin standing around in the training arenas. Now you really are the weakest member of the team.

Areku's hands clenched the sheets that were around his body. If Kandai died, Gin wouldn't forgive herself. She had finally come to accept the title as team leader. Shikamaru sensei had given her a lot of confidence boosters to cause her to react in a more positive way. He can't keep pushing you, Gin. You've got to accept things for the way they are.

Areku knew it was pointless to confront his best friend about the worries she had. It had been the same with Idai leaving the village a few years ago. At first, Areku assumed Gin was attached to Idai's memory and wasn't able to let it go. However, when Idai had returned to the village, her adoration had turned into love.

All of the extra training I gave you and this is how you repay me? Areku slammed his fist several times into the bed. Kandai had been lagging behind with every training session they had had as a team. Areku didn't want the Hyuuga boy to be injured on a mission, so he had stepped in, loyally, to make sure he caught up. You stupid bastard! Areku closed his eyes, gritting his teeth as Kandai's happy face swirled in his mind.

Takeru walked between Eiyu and Onari as they made their way down another level. "I wish we were finished with this," he said rolling his aching shoulder. The last stunt he had pulled had caused him to be slammed into the wall with a statue pressed against him. It had taken Onari and Eiyu to pry it off of him.

Stopping in the hall, Eiyu felt a strange sensation over his entire being. Takeru and Onari turned around wondering what was up. The look on his face was of uncertainty. His twin signal was strong. "Kandai's in trouble," he said to the other two on his team.

"Kandai's in trouble? How do you know," Takeru asked watched Eiyu shake his head, his head lowering as he tried to think how he exactly knew. "Eiyu?"

"Eiyu is bonded to Kandai," Onari said in her usual dialect her eyes watching her ex-boyfriend's posture. "Takeru does not understand how?" She watched his eyes soften.

"Kandai's with his team, Eiyu," Takeru said trying to ease the older boy's concerns. "As long as they are together, they should be fine." Eiyu only shook his head in return. Again, all three of them stopped.

"Kandai's the weakest member on his team," Eiyu said, but not in a disgusting way, which surprised himself and Takeru. "It's why I've always looked out for him. It hasn't been because of my authoritive nature," he said dismissing Takeru's scoff. "I thought if I ignored him, he'd learn to catch up to me, or do better to please Father. That hasn't been the case."

Takeru thought for a moment that Eiyu was writing off Kandai's abilities and skills. He moved forward with a step, stopping in mid-gait, Onari's hand on his abdomen to keep him back. His head turned to look at her. She shook her head at him not wanting him to interrupt.

"Kandai's a good kid," Eiyu said defending his brother. "He hasn't done anything wrong – he just takes longer to figure out moves, or what an opponent is trying to master. That's one of the reasons he was placed on Shikamaru's team."

"And… how do you know this," Takeru said seriously.

"I overheard something I shouldn't have," Eiyu confessed. "It was a few months ago. Mother and Father were talking about Kandai's improved progress with Shikamaru sensei. Father embarrassingly told her that he had asked Shikamaru to try and get Kandai to train harder. He figured if he couldn't get Kandai to react to him in the dojo, that Shikamaru sensei could in real life situations."

"Sometimes that's what it takes," Takeru said dryly speaking more of himself. He knew he hadn't been trying as hard as he should until Onari was put on Team 9. "Don't give up on your brother, Eiyu. I don't know if he's in trouble or not, but maybe that feeling of yours is just nervousness."

"I don't know if it is," Eiyu said as he started to walk again remembering where he was. He had to lead his team to the next level and to the top of the roof. "A gut instinct is pretty hard to ignore," he said as his team followed him further into The Crux Tower.