I do not own Naruto.

Talk now – normal talk
What now – normal thoughts
Speak – biju, higher being talk
Listen – biju, higher being thoughts

Chapter 17 : Year IV part I

Both Naruto and Tenten sat on old wooden chairs looking up towards the night sky from the window in their apartment.

"So, ready for the New Year sister?" Naruto asked passing his sister a cup of warm tea.

Tenten shrugged taking the cup. "Sure, why not."

Naruto rolled his eyes at her attitude commenting in a droll voice. "A bit more enthusiasm can't hurt now can it?"

Tenten rolled her eyes in turn looking at him and taking a sip of tea. "It's nothing special, well." She smirked. "Some of us have gotten quite far in the academy, unlike others… "

Naruto let a growl escape his throat and prepared reply stopping when he saw his sister getting up from her chair and brining him a cup of water.

"Here, brother."

"Huh?" He looked at the cup puzzled by her action.

Tenten smiled and started laughing full heartedly. "It's water for that burn!"

Naruto grit his teeth before placing the cup down on the floor. "You know I could have been in the fourth year by now right?"

Tenten shook her head still smiling. "Could have, should have, bottom line is you're not, circumstances be damned."

Naruto pouted and crossed his arms over his chest. "Fine, I'll kick your ass for this during sparing."

She grinned at him. "Bring it fluffy!"

"My hair is not fluffy!"

"It is with the shampoo I got you!"

"Why do you think I don't use it?!"

They both glared at each other before bursting into fits of laughter.

Naruto wiped a few tears from his eyes. "Well at least it's shaping up to be an interesting year."

"Yeah" she nodded "we finally have more money now!"

"Yep" he nodded smirking "I guess those books came in handy after all, though it's kind of bad seeing as how I can't go to meet any of my fans."

She rolled her eyes. "I never said they wouldn't come in handy, besides they aren't that many die hard fans now are there?"

He shrugged. "They're a nice little group, besides I feel like I'm slapping them in the face with my refusals for any kind of meeting besides the one with the publisher."

"I'm sure that you'll eventually be able to dazzle them brother, the image of a reclusive author isn't that bad now is it?"

"No, I guess not, for now at least."

"Uh, you do know that those could ask some uncomfortable questions."

"I could handle them."

She raised an eyebrow looking at him. "If they ask about the inspiration for the books, some elements in particular…"

He looked to the side trying to avoid her gaze. "Well, ok, that could be a problem, but I can think on my feet quickly enough so…"

"Right, best to stay in the shadows for now at least."

"Fine."

"Cheer up; I'm sure something will happen to help keep your mind of the matter."

"You think so?" He asked looking back towards her.

"Why not?" She shrugged. "Last year was pretty eventful."

"Was it, I didn't notice?"

Tenten sighed heavely. "Uh…"

He smirked. "Not all of us can have drug peddling teachers after all."

"They weren't those kinds of drugs." She rolled her eyes again; she knew how the discussion would proceed.

"Right the good kind of drugs, except not really."

"It was a messed up situation, and I've already explained the details to you."

"Yeah, yeah, heh," he snickered "I still remember when Katsue approached me and tried to oh so subtly warn me about one of my teachers offering me drugs."

She shook her head. "Shame I couldn't be there, she did talk to me about the matter, and told how to break it down for you."

"She didn't do a bad job of it; her trying to bring in hand puppets was peculiar." He scratched his chin thinking about the memory.

Tenten blinked several times trying to imagine the scene unfolding. "Really wished I had been there."

"It was interesting I'll give you that, curious as to how many new classmates you'll this year with everything that's happened."

"Hmm, I figured that the children involved with Hirai will either be moved to another class or to a special one, I doubt that they would be dropped from the program."

"Who knows what damage their bodies sustained from the drugs?"

"True, either way they'll be a small shuffle with the classes, I figured that they'll transfer some of the better students from the other classes over to mine."

Naruto smirked. "Best of best huh?"

"Damn right." She nodded her head.

"I'm still surprised that I haven't heard whispers around the academy about the matter."

"It's not something anyone would want to talk about, or let it get out; I think the headmaster covered everything up. A small talk with the parents about what had happened and what the consequences for their children could be if things got revealed and well they would probably get the hind and keep their mouths shut."

"Hmm, true, a shame we couldn't see how the parents reacted, who would understand the issue, the civilians or the shinobi parents?"

"Uh, well, those students weren't actually know for their parents so to speak, in fact, I think only to actually had parents, Yatsuhiro I think had an uncle, the rest were orphans."

"Ah, even better, someone who doesn't have anyone else to stick up for them and have to rely on the higher ups for it."

She places one hand over heart before lowering her head. "Yeah, glory to Konoha."

Naruto replicates her gesture. "Glory to Konoha."

"Uh, maybe it'll be an eventful year."

"I doubt it."

"You know you could be a bit more positive."

"I'm just being realistic."

"No, you're being a pessimist."

He shrugs. "Same thing really."

"Uh, I'm going to round house kick you if don't change the attitude."

"Of, fine, I sure its going to be a wonderful year, filled with new friends, wonderful events and exciting things."

"Really?"

"No." He quickly dodges a round house kick aimed for his head.

"Geeze, try being a bit more positive."

"I am positive sister; it's going to be a boring year period."

"You never know, things could surprise you."

"Bah, what could possible happen?"

Katsue took another sip of her drink before setting the glass down on the table; she licked her lips enjoying the sweet flavor, luck had favored her when she found a few bottle of apple juice given the season.

Hmm, I should go and check the place more often, I remember the shop only opened up recently, even if I forget the location of it, all I need to do is ask about the rather unique shop keeper, honestly I've met people with blue, purple and even orange hair but the man's bright pink hair was something else.

She glanced down at her desk looking over the recent notes she had been painstakingly making. Katsue stretched her arms to side and then behind herself enjoying the feeling from her muscles. She smiled slightly then in a swift moment she used her hand and caught the backside of the chair and raised her self into the air holding onto the chair before using her hands to launch herself into the air where after a quick back flip she landed on the ceiling of her apartment feet first and remained there. Heh, I still got it.

Looking down at her notes she felt a head ache coming up on her, she sighed and started walking around the ceiling. There's so much though that I have to put into this now, so much planning for the future, I almost miss the old days where I would only put in the required amount of work and be done with it. Still this is for the best, no regrets on my part anymore.

Tsk, the last academy year couldn't be over to soon for my taste, after the fiasco with Hirai, I ended up being the only main teachers the class had, the substitutes helped in their own way, but all the important decision still fell into my lap. Not to mention that parts that Hirai was supposed to cover became my responsibility as well, coming up with that material after what he became unavailable was such a joy.

Tsk, I still don't know how the headmaster managed to keep everything under wraps; if someone alerted the Hokage about it I can't see any sign of such a thing. I guess it was his luck that most of the students involved were orphans and were for the most part on their own, the man can be intimating when he wants to be. And the students were so to speak caught with a bag filled with shit; they couldn't do much about it. In theory they could have tried going to the Hokage with the matter, the chances of them getting to see him are low though.

Maybe if they made a scene there and ranted about the situation they could have gotten in to see the man, a quick medical scan would have proven part of their story. Provided that said student managed to reach the Hokage's office, and that no one knocked the child out cold when he started to make a scene and that the Hokage was in his office.

Heh, far to many things that depended on something else, of course the headmaster could have told them that the Hokage has been informed of the situation and has left the matter up to his judgment, anybody talking about the incident would find themselves neck deep in a dark hole never to see the light of day again who's dream would be a knife across the neck to give them a sweet release from their confinement.

She shook her head seeing where her thoughts were going. Maybe it's all the blood going to my head. With a quick move she jumped back down to the floor, she stretched one more time before taking a seat in from of her desk again. Her hand reached out for a parchment that she had worked on before her break, she looked over it with an appraising eye before nodding to herself and setting it back down.

After the incident with her fellow teacher she had decided to write up the full academic program for the class and to gather the required materials for it. Even if she believed that such a situation wouldn't occur again, this time she wanted to be sure she had her base covered, when Hirai was removed from the academy and her class she had to scramble to write up and research the other half of the curriculum for the class. Given the countless nights she had lost because of the matter she had decided to make a change and hoped to prevent finding herself in a similar situation.

She sparred a glance out the window, the problem with working on completing the class curriculum had been that she hadn't had a great deal of free time on her hands, the result had been that she couldn't spend all that much time with her little student. Ugh, and now with working on this, I'm just as strapped for time. Well at least I know you're safe Naruto. She smiled. And you managed to pass the year in good standing. Having his sister by his side helped more that I thought, and making friends helped him learn to trust people.

Explaining how drugs are a bad thing and how he should tell her if see saw anything similar occurring in his class had not been an easy conversation, she couldn't tell him outright what she meant given his young age, so she danced around and with the subject until she was satisfied with the result.

Perhaps the hand puppets were a bit too much, I can't say that I found it odd, when Watanabe-sensei did it for me back at the academy; then again I was far younger then.

Things will definitely get better for him from now on, they have to. Her heart fluttered for a moment thing about what she would have to teach them soon. How long before I have to teach those two about killing? How long before I have to break that smile of his a second time? Maybe I can delay the matter another year of two, let them keep their innocence for a while longer. She let out a tired breath before returning to her work, she shelved the thought for another time, as she had done in the past before and for that she hated herself a bit more.

The sun was rising overlooking the ice filled landscape; two figures each stood a top an ice.

"Another wonderful in paradise." Sayaka smiled looking over the scene.

Yukimura grinned looking at the sun rise and feeling wind biting into his flesh. "I think it looks lovely."

"Yes, breath taking." Sayaka waved her right hand sending waves of ice water towards Yukimura.

He broke the waves charging towards her, for a moment he is puzzled by the more waves appearing, it's all the time she needs as she rushes through the water and catches him in the jaw with her fist sending him crashing into the ground where he is buried under the snow and ice.

A moment later he punches his way out rubbing his jaw, he spits blood to the side before grinning at her. "Good punch."

She shrugs casually. "You left yourself open back then; we can't have that now, can we?"

"Of course, this round goes to you."

Sayaka smiled confidently. "Naturally, not shall we change the setting for our discussion?."

"I thought you would like it here."

"I do, after the beating I thought you could do with a change of scenery."

"Always thinking about what's good for me."

She smiled warmly at him. "Always."

A few steps later the two were in the study of the house; Sayaka grabbed her tea cup with three fingers keeping her small finger and ring finger closed. "This year shall be an interesting one."

"True, we're going to have to step up the children's training;" he hesitated for a moment before continuing "a few of our more bloody memories are in order."

"Indeed, it would have happened eventually, their profession" she spat the word out, "allows for no respite from such things. At least we still have time before we tackle the matter, the summer will be appropriate, they will have the time needed to deal with the experience and be away from the constant attention at the academy."

"True."

"There is the matter of the event related to this year."

"Yes, the massacre."

She raised an eyebrow looking at him. "Not too angry about it from what I can see."

"It's a complicated matter; we can discuss more when the children get here."

"To tell them of such a thing" she shook her head "a cruel world."

"Yes, a very cruel world." He took a sip of his tea allowing for a moment of silence. "I'm curious to see if we can add another person to our little group."

"Ah, that girl, you believe she will join us soon?"

"Perhaps, her uncle doesn't have a lot of time left, with his death an opportunity will arise."

Sayaka rolled her eyes. "Ever the sentimental one."

Yukimura shrugged. "Whether the proposal is made or not an opportunity will still exist, I am not advocating that we use this opportunity simply to get her on our side, she is his friend and he will console her no matter the case."

"I remember a time when you would have never thought of such a thing, your first thought would have been of simply aiding a friend."

"Time's change." He sighs not meeting Sayaka's gaze. "Being around so many people who only saw opportunities to strike for so long, it changed me as well, to many lives lived in a court. The schemes and plots of the powers that be were never my strong point."

"It's a good thing I'm here then isn't it?" Sayaka placed her tea cup on the table near her and made her way to Yukimura where she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Yes." He nodded and smiled at her. "It frightens me sometimes, even being incomplete like I am now, as the Kyuubi I should have retained most of my old personality. I have to ask myself was I always like this? "

"No, don't think such foolish thoughts; enough of your true personality has survived." Her hand drifted to his chest near his heart. "Even if some things are missing, that's what I'm here for; we will recover all of them."

He nodded again leaning towards her. "Thank you."

The day started normally enough for him, still he decided to play a few pranks to lighten things up. He grinned reaching the academy early in the day; he was going to have plans within plans.

He made his first visible move when enough of his fellow students arrived; a few of them were integral to his plan. Quickly he made his way towards the teachers' desk and removed a few items from his pockets and opening the desk drawers, he ignored the few people telling him to stop. After he finished he returned to his desk, Yakumo gave him a curious look, she had seen him preparing pranks, and this one felt wrong to her, it was far to visible for him. She shrugged and decided to wait and see how things would play out.

A few minutes after Iruka entered the classroom, three of the students told him about the prank Naruto set up. Iruka gave Naruto a hard look and disarmed the trap. "Detention for a week Uzumaki."

"Ohhh, fine, it would have been so cool." He gave the three an angry look before returning to his notes.

Three hours later the class had returned from their physical training, the hour was left for them to rest, whether they read anything or simply rested was up to them. Iruka was seated at his desk, marking some papers. The more diligent students had started doing homework or reading up on the future lessons.

Naruto grinned, his eyes lighting up.

Yakumo caught his look and turned her attention to her teacher. Plans within plans huh? He distracted people with a clear fake trap to hide the real one.

Naruto placed one hand in a seal and released a small amount of chakra.

Next there was a flash and a bang that startled the students in the class, many jumping up awakening from their slumber. Iruka jumped up and attached himself to the ceiling, kunais in hand, looking around frantically.

A loud laughter filled the room with Naruto rolling on the ground laughing with tears in his eyes, gripping his sides. "Heh I was counting on someone telling you about what I set up, no one noticed how I set up the real thing. Not my fault you didn't check your surrounding better."

"UZUMAKI!" Iruka yelled his face red with rage. "DETENTION FOR THREE WEEKS!"

He smiled up at him. "Just three? You can do better then that sensei!"

"That's it you damn demon, two months detention, and where going to see the principle after class." Iruka realized his mistake he shut his mouth with a force that rattled his teeth.

Naruto just smiled closing his eyes and showing quite a few teeth in his smile. "I can't wait sensei."

Demon? What was his reaction after saying that, his face shifted through so many emotions. "Plan within a plan, well done, had it been serious sensei might have been injured."

"No, I tested things before to make sure it wouldn't hurt anyone, just a low powered stuff, we have them in the training supplies here at the academy."

"Well done, either way, I really need to study up on traps."

"I can help."

"Not with you pranking me."

"Oh, but Yaku-chan it's the fun way to learn!"

Yakumo gave him a deadpan stare. "No."

He sighed dejected. "Alright."

The two didn't noticed the widened eyed look a purple haired girl was giving Naruto, her eyes drifting from him to their teacher and then the ceiling.

Well at least they look competent. Tenten looked over her new classmates; they were apparently picked from all of the other classes in her year. Some of the best the rest had to offer, and perhaps something less, she eyed a number of her new classmates, amongst them a boy with bushy brows and long black hair tied in a ponytail.

From what Tai had had heard the boy hadn't been in the top of his old class, and neither had some of the others, that meant that they either had a connection that aided in transferring to the class, something that was possible or the other option that they had a skill good enough that it caught the attention of the teachers and they decided to move them up in the academy.

Well, I can't wait to see what they can actually do once the things get serious.

"Ah, good day Umino-san."

Iruka looked up from the ground towards the woman and smiled faintly. "Oh, good day Miwa-san."

She took a seat next to the man on the bench. "I don't mean the pry, however you look quite upset, the saying goes that it helps talking about your problems, not always of course, especially not if it's a personal matter."

He smiled and nodded again. "Thank you, it's actually related to work."

"Oh, having trouble with some students?"

"One in particular, the rest are good children, him though..."

Let's see if I can get him to open up on matter. "Yes…."

"He's like a rotten apple spoiling the rest" he shook his head looking towards the ground and missed the look over anger crossing the woman's face "I can't seem to act professional around him, his attitude only makes things worse, it's well, him."

Damn it! Even if I play right into the Hokage's hands this is for the best, I'll be here to counter his influence so I'll let the relationship grow for now. "I see" she pretended to mull over the situation "that is quite the predicament. Tell me Umino-san, did you know that I had him as a student the first time he joined the academy?"

"You did?" Iruka looked up at her surprised. "I heard how he had been at the academy since before the other children; I didn't know he had been in your class Miwa-san."

"Yes" she nodded "he was quite different the first year, mistakes were made then of which I am not proud, it is in part my fault that he ended up the way he is now."

"I don't understand." He looked at her puzzled.

She smiled tightly. Fool you should it's why the Hokage wanted you for this job! "It's alright, I can explain, you see my attitude and that of my other colleague was different then yours, we couldn't act truly professional around him. I still remember the wide smile he had on his face when the academy year began." She shook her head. "Sadly things changed drastically during the first year, he didn't make any friends nor could he, my colleague was more liberal in expressing his views about the boy, and I myself didn't make things better."

Katsue let her words sink in b before continuing. "I remember now how he slowly lost that wide smile, it culminated in him dropping out before the year even ended, a classmate tried to blame him for his thefts, unfortunately everyone in classroom believed the accusation. It was unfounded, Naruto had been found innocent, however the damage had been done. I still remember before he was accused of the thefts, he actually brought me a present for my birthday." She shook her head and smiled sadly towards Iruka. "I don't know where he found out, I think he overheard a fellow teacher; he said he bought it for his favorite teacher!"

She enjoyed the maelstrom of emotions passing over the man's face; everyone of them would help in advancing her new plan. "Oh don't worry, there wasn't anything wrong with it, looking back I've realized that his pranking started in that first year. You remember what you told me about your childhood Iruka-san, why did you prank people?"

Iruka's eyes widened and his face turned pale, he appeared as if something had finally fallen into place. "Attention."

"Yes" she nodded at him "with the mark he bears people shun him, making the academy no different drove him to find other ways to gain attention, whether good or bad, it doesn't matter as long as someone acknowledges his existence. What you said about the academy, and being a teacher is true Iruka-san, we shouldn't discriminate in such a way. This place is supposed to be different, we're supposed to teach about the Will of Fire here, can you honestly say that you've done that with how you've acted? By doing such things we demean the institution, my greatest regret is not helping his back when he was my student. Hindsight is painful Iruka-san, don't make the same mistake I've made. If you must hate someone, hate the beast, but not the boy, he is innocent in the matter."

"I…..thank you, Miwa-san, you've given me a lot to think about."

She gently placed a hand on the man's shoulder and squeezed. "It's alright, we are comrades" with her free hand she touches her headband, "we're supposed to be able to help each other during difficult times."

"….yes" he bows to the woman before leaving "thank you Miwa-san."

That went better then expected, I was right talking about the issue does help; she smiled again, I guess I didn't realize that it also applied to myself as well.

Naruto chuckled as he ducked behind another wall; he had noticed a change in one of his classmate's behavior, one that greatly affected him.

Did I lose her? Well that's a shame, of well, better luck next time then.

The last week the Hyuuga girl had taken to following him around the village in a few selected days. He caught onto the matter from the first day however he couldn't figure out her motives, he still had difficulties talking to her at the academy. In the end sensing no one around her he decided she was doing it out of her own volition and he would have some fun with the matter, if she wanted to spy on him she would have to chase him first.

The skies were dark and clouded as far as the eyes could see, a darkness seemed to have settled across the land. Cat let out a breath visible in the cold weather, the constant rain made the mission more difficult. The team jumped from tree to tree and branch to branch silently making their way forward, the forest was early silent and she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. No birds were heard, no insects, no animals, it felt as if life had abandoned the land. It's too quiet, what happened here to cause everything to flee?

Her Anbu team had arrived at the Land of Rivers a week prior to deal with the attacks upon its villages and something far darker lurking in the land. With the land's great agricultural importance in helping to feed the neighboring lands, a part of the Land of Fire included, and a few beyond, insuring its stability became a vital issue.

The country encompassed was a region of plains, forests, hills, and endless rivers, the numerous rivers that ran across their expanse were used for trading and the transport of goods. In times of peace fisher folk in skiffs and grain barges poled downstream and merchants on floating ships sailed on the rivers. With so much trade on the rivers, villagers would haul their grain and other goods to it to see it sold and carried elsewhere by merchants.

The land itself was dotted with populations accreted around small farm townships, and a few large cities, every one of them was separated from its neighbors by rivers, or the lucky few by bits of land.

The first township to have been attack had been Tawamoto, the main township in the area; it had a port, grain hoppers and mills. The cultists had taken over the city in the absence of the people, it had been the team's first stop, alongside the others in their group, the cultists were killed without question or quarter. The fight had been quick; it took the team longer to find all of the cultists who had hidden themselves in basements and attics of the houses in the town.

Armed with small spears, bows, axes and rusty swords the cultists were cut down quickly, their own swords and kunai cutting cleanly through the weapons of their adversaries. By noon that day the cultist flag that had been raised above the town had been removed, tossed with the corpses of the fallen in the fire.

Boar, the leader of the her squad, and the other Anbu captains, along with his their squad officers, had met with the chunin in charge of the investigation, Shinji Kawada, who had spent the last three weeks in the land trying to uncover the incidents before the squads were called in.

The situation at first had been a simple, a few people had disappeared, animal and bandit attacks were believed as the most likely cause, when the situation continued and River's own forces failed to uncover anything they had come to Konoha and asked for aid. The initial team sent by Konoha reported, after almost a week, finding unusual tracks in the places where the disappearances occurred, possibly from a summons of sorts or a chakra construct.

With the news of the possibility of such a creature existing, a second team was sent out as well, the reports later received painted an even darker picture. Worse was that the disappearances were becoming more frequent, with an atmosphere of fear becoming palpable across the land, a prophet had reportedly risen and hailed the creature as a god that had come to purge the unworthy and prepare the world for a great change. The team reported had the man was a danger and how that the people across the country seemed to slowly loose their grip on sanity, being seduced into the newly risen cult.

When the second team arrived in the land they discovered that the first team had disappeared, the mater was reported back to Konoha and the team began back tracking their comrade's movements. With the disappearances continuing across the land and worse yet the rise of the cult the team had hurried in attempting to find their lost comrades, the last report sent included a description of a hidden abandoned laboratory the team had discovered.

A week later, Konoha, with no news incoming had send another final team, it was the person put in charge of the team that had called in the proverbial hammer down upon the land. No less then four Anbu squads had arrived alongside three detachments consisting of jounin and chunin. The chunin in charge of the investigation reported to mounting loss of life and the possibility of the recent discovered laboratory belonging to the traitorous sannin Orochimaru.

In the atrium of the guildhall, the phalanx of Anbus and jounins stood in a semi-circle around the chunin in charge of the investigation, all stood in dutiful silence as he apprised them of the situation.

Cat quickly looked over the faces of the people assembled, they represented some of the best Konoha had to offer, a few would argue that they represented the very best it had to offer. To her right stood, the Anbu captain Dog with his vice captain, Crane, even with the mask she knew the man behind the mask was Hatake Kakashi, the former student of the late Yondaime Hokage. His reputation had soared in the past years, the man had blazed through missions, his presence alone was thought to be more then enough to accomplish the mission.

To her left stood another Anbu captain, Crocodile, the only female captain present, at her side was her own vice captain, Monkey. Cat felt a chill running down her spine looking at the woman; the aura she got felt from the woman was that of cobra waiting to strike. The beady blue eyes were like two chunks of lapis lazuli took everything in. Her thick, curly, shoulder-length hair was as black as the night and was worn in a utilitarian, precise style, she had a slender build.

Past her stood the youngest Anbu captain wearing the Crow mask, his vice captain Squirrel at his side. She had overheard talk about how Itachi Uchiha had been tapped since his promotion to chunin to enter Anbu and had been kept on eye on by the former captain of the squad, Sparrow.

Good instincts in hindsight, had he felt his own death near or was it just talent that he spotted?

The last of the group where the three jounin leaders sent with numerous chunin under their direct command. Maito Gai, who was easily recognizable, next to him stood Hidehira Sakata, she judged the man to be in his early thirties, he had a solid built to his feature, brown, wet shaggy hair revealed a chiseled, friendly face with squinting amber eyes, set buried within their sockets. Miyo Matsuzaki, the woman had pale skin, an angular face, hazel eyes and very short black hair, Cat noticed a bronze ring on the woman's left hand.

Compared to the other squads her squad seemed smaller, Crocodile' squad possessed shurikens that had struck and drew blood from the first Tsuchikage, she heard they had a right involving earth before entering battle. Dog's squad fought against Kumo during the first great shinobi war, their own relic was a sword used to cut the second Raikage and the gold and silver brothers. The last was Crow's squad who had fought against the first water masters of Kiri, she could see the special kunai's at the man's sides, the team had a similar ritual to Crocodile's squad only involving the giving of water instead of earth.

Cat knew it wasn't because they lacked skill, her squad was one of the newest ones, the other three squads were amongst the oldest and had their history and relics, they had been tested over time while hers hadn't.

Kawada began by praising their work in liberating Tawamoto. From outside came the crackling noise of the fire as the bodies burned, proof of the squad finishing its cleansing. The bodies of the fallen cultists, some thirty six or more, had been stacked in an outlying granary and torched with flames. The pungent scents of burning filled the air, despite the heavy rain.

"They call themselves the Children of the last Lord." Kawada had said, his lofty voice faltering just slightly as he was forced to pronounce the name. "The cult seems to have appeared in the south of country around a year ago and spread from there, during the time the second team of our comrades disappeared they began to attack the townships in full force."

"Is it restricted to only the smaller population centers?" Dog asked.

"Yes, captain, I believe it is. So far the areas around the larger cities haven't reported anything; likewise the cult has found no ground to hold there." Kawada got to his feet and wandered over to an ornate side table.

Standing to the right of her captain, Cat watched the investigator with curious eyes. Her own promotion to vice captain had come as an unexpected surprise, while she believed her skills were up to par, she thought that other members of her squad would be promoted given their seniority. She had spent the last three years of her life in Anbu with her current squad, she thanked the Anbu members of the Old Guard that helped to train her after the initiation, the Anbu Chicken had gone beyond duty for her.

Shinji Kawada was a dark-haired man in his thirties, with a round pudgy face, short in stature and with a solid build to him, he wore a dark trench coat, his left arm was wrapped in a golden bandage. Kawada lifted an object from the table; it was a figurine, about thirty centimeters high, woven from straw. "A corn-doll." Kawada told them, holding it up for them to see. "A votive object, common to so many rustic and agricultural communities. Both in the land of Rivers and in parts of our own land, they weave them at harvest time, one to represent each of the outlying harvest towns, and they are displayed in the main guildhall during the Time of Celebration."

He lifted another from the table. There was something hideous and twisted about this one, even though it was only a doll woven from straw. "I found this and six more like it, demon dolls, if you will. Each one has been made according to the practices of various harvest townships, but the designs have been perverted to make them symbols of the cult."

Kawada let the thing drop back onto the table top as if he had no wish to touch it any longer.

"And from that, we may infer that at least six of the outlying townships have been polluted by the cult. Though the main uprising here in Tawamoto has been quashed, it is vital that these outlying offshoots also be checked and, if necessary, burned and cleansed. The powers that be have given us a free hand when dealing with the cultists."

Given how one of our own mistakes may be the cause of this, Konoha may have been more than generous in their offer to aid the country.

"You can identify the relevant townships from the dolls?" Crocodile asked picking up one of the straw dolls.

"Yes, you must send teams out at once, captains. Send them out to purge these places. In between these townships are smaller settlements that fall under their jurisdiction, they must be checked as well."

Kawada and his aides had identified six positively from the loathsome dolls, but he insisted that all should be checked in turn. A part of Crocodile's squad would stay with him to hold Tawamoto firm and engage the creature should it be encountered, the rest of the squad would sent out with the vice captain to undertake the purge.

In addition of detachment led by Hidehira Sakata would stay in the town to defend it as well, the detachments led by Maito Gai and Miyo Matsuzaki would sweep through the areas between the targets. The other two squads rest were broken down into smaller teams lead by their captains and vice captains.

Her squad would head towards the farthest township of the six and would stay at full strength for most of their journey, their only need to separate into teams would arise when they reached a crossroads each leading through the small settlements before reaching the main township.

She looked around herself another time after the plans were finalized before leaving with her captain to depart for their objective.

Their direction had been north-west; four settlements lay in that direction: Kuwaya, Shodon, Hamada and Kotanuka.

Of these, only the most distant, Kotanuka, had been positively marked by a doll. It took Cat and her squad half a day's hard march across the rain swept land to reach Kuwaya, and the other half to confirm it was free of the cultists. A day's trek brought them to Shodon, which proved to be clean, though the fear and resentment of the townsfolk kept them suspicious and prolonged the search.

A day through fallow uplands followed, the weather remained the same with low storms and hard rain, the mud made travel on foot difficult and the wet branches brought their own issues. They approached Hamada on the fourth day after leaving Tawamoto. By then, reports had drifted in from the other squads. Dog's squad had found cultists in the township of Natachi, far to the south, and had been engaged in a running street battle for a day, with the cultists barricading themselves in the few buildings the place offered.

Crow's squad had uncovered another nest of the cultists in a township called Kindazaki, and had been forced to put it to the torch, the reports stated how there were no survivors of the villagers and the corpses of the villagers had been desecrated by the cult members.

The squad reached the Hamada settlement and found it was dead, a week dead, Cat estimated, the squad moved and fanned through the blood-wet streets, finding nothing but burnt-out sheds, ransacked store houses and slaughtered animals. Nightingale finally found the villagers. Forty people, men, women and children, butchered with corn-scythes, their bodies and body parts piled in a corn silo to rot. The place had crawling with ravens and crows on the silo, the birds giving the silo an eerie feeling even before approaching it.

Boar had transmitted the news to the main command center at Tawamoto, following instructions he proceeded to look for any signs the cultists may have left behind, a shrine or any markings to identify their god.

Besides Kawada, the rest of the investigation team alongside one of the jounin lead detachments that finished their mission were currently running missions to ensure the devices left behind by each squad to ensure radio communications were up and running.

"The cultists were behind the attack, after hearing the details about Kindazaki I report similar discoveries here as well. The signs we found are the blasphemous sigils daubed in blood on the sides of the granary where the cultists piled the bodies. My people have found tracks trampled in the corn and rice fields around the township. I thought at first it might be the signs of the murderers' escape, but the tracks wind and overlap. From the top of the granary barns, you can see they make a pattern. The trampled lines are quite deliberate. They form a vast, symbol in the rice, hundreds of paces across."

"You have done well, captain. From your reports, I am sure that Hamada was some sort of sacrifice. These madmen are making statement out of Hamada and Kindazaki, a declaration if you will. You must hunt them down. From the evidence as it presents to us, I'd hazard Kotanuka is the most likely the place to start."

The squad made ready to move on to Kotanuka, Boar had a few of the squad mates use fire jutsus to burn the corn and rice fields, obliterating the marks. They also burned the dead, Cat caught Deer, Dove and Pelican making prayers over the vast pyre, her captain looked on impassively. The new member Goat looked locked in place as he stared at the pyre, noticing no one approaching the man she made her way to him and whispered a few words of encouragement that seemed to snap him out of his daze and the node to her. She herself had other members offer similar encouragements during the more difficult moments after entering Anbu and felt it her duty to offer the same to another member.

The squad split up into two teams with Boar, taking Bear, Horse and Goat, with Cat taking Deer, Dove, Nightingale and pelican, the two would reform into one squad near Kotanuka.

As her team searched their target, Cat looked over her squad, named Hollow winter squad, formed during the Sandaime's second reign, three years after the Kyuubi incident, during a winter that looked to be one of the fiercest they every experienced. That winter proved to be a gentle one with a small breeze of snow, many called it an extended autumn with no real cold in it, and why the team gained their name. During the small amount of time the squad had been active it hadn't been able to gain the same prestige as the other squads. As her team finished their search she made a sign for them to regroup and prepared to depart the city.

Kotanuka township lay before them, the team made a final check of their gear before they began making their way towards the city through muddy roads towards the cluster of barns, houses and mills.

"Ten minutes and we enter the township." Cat acknowledged and looked around at her squad. One by one, she took in their appearances.

Boar, broad-shouldered standing at one meter and eighty with blue eyes and a short cut black hair. Bear, third tallest of the group with his greasy black hair pulled into a bun was checking his shuriken packs.

Horse, the second tallest of the group, her head was bald with three scars visible on it, she had stormy grey eyes, her left hand resting on her sword while she flexed her right hand. Deer, with her deep-set brown eyes and shoulder brown hair, was checking the radio equipment.

Dove, sharp-faced, black-eyed was cleaning his sword. Nightingale, grey eyes and shoulder length, curly black hair usually neatly braided. Goat, short black hair, dark eyes, oval shaped face, strong well defined jaw line, medium build and height, he had a bandana tied around his left arm. Pelican, who was thick of a barrel, the medic of their squad was checking, his equipment, a small scuff of blond hair could be seen on his head.

The squad entered the township keeping to the shadows; their first impression of the place was that it looked deserted. Boar gave a crisp signal and Hollow Winter squad fanned out across the township, weapons armed and raised, hunting for movements. Nothing, so very ominously like blood, the rain washed down over them all.

The squad spread down the main street of the township, looking to all sides for any movements, weapons braced ready in their hands.

There was no sound except the crunch of a set of footfalls, the squad looked at the person responsible for the noise, Goat was frozen with his feet above a broken branch, the group shook their heads before continuing.

Boar held up his left hand, showing three fingers, circled his hand and pointed. Bear, Horse and Goat moved ahead on the left sweep, checking doorways and the dingy breezeways between building units. Bear signaled back ''clear'' and the three took up attack positions on the left side of the street.

Boar gestured again, his right hand this time. Cat led Dove and Nightingale down the right side. There was a longer wait, as Nightingale checked an open side barn that the farmers had used to store broken wagons and trash. He emerged and shook his head in a clear, over-emphatic gesture. Dove checked the main entrance of what appeared to be the town hall. He turned back and made a gesture of clasping his hands together that boar knew meant ''locked'' or ''chained''.

Boar strode across to Pelican, who was gazing around the dismal place speculatively. Boar's feet splashed through puddles of gore-like rainwater that had accumulated in the gouged tracks of the muddy street.

''Like Kindazaki, you think?'' Boar asked.

Pelican shook his head. ''Something feels different, captain. Oh, we may find the townsfolk butchered in some corner, as Crow did in Kindazaki, but there is something else…''

Pelican lifted his face mask and slid it up so that the drizzle flecked his bare face. Had any other member of Hallow Winter done such a thing without permission, Boar would have reprimanded him for breaking one of the Anbu fundamental rules. But Pelican, old Pelican, had more experience than the others members and he could breathe in signs of danger. When Hallow Winter was formed, Pelican was the most experienced Anbu of their squad. Sometimes, Boar knew well, it paid to let him scent the location.

''Fear, anticipation, anxiety… the air is heavy with it, there are living souls here.''

''Hiding.''

''I would think so…''

Boar looked at Deer, the best sensor of the group; something had disturbed her senses when she attempted to scan the township. He wondered if he should hail the hidden people with a declaration of support and rescue. He decided against it. The quiet was unnerving but somehow he had no wish to break it.

Boar crossed to where Cat, Dove and Nightingale stood by the doors of the town hall. Pausing only to allow the pair to raise their weapons ready he cut the doors in with one powerful sword slash. A broken trailer chain dragged across the floor from the splintered doors, someone he realized had locked themselves in.

The four entered, weapons ready their eyes looking for targets. The room, a huge hall with wooden pillars, was dark, and the floor was scattered with debris. One massive skylight far above was shattered, and rain streamed in, flooding the floor. Nightingale tried the wall lever for the lights, but the power was out.

''The floor is flooded, rain.'' Nightingale's voice crackled.

''Not all of it.'' answered Dove. He had reached a far corner that was slick with red liquid though it was far away from the hole in the roof lights. ''That's rain. This is blood.''

He was right. It was impossible to tell where the rain ended and the blood began, but by any standards, there was a lot of blood. It splashed and smeared the walls, and there were smudges and occasional hand prints, but no sign of corpses. Boar moved through to a council chamber behind the main hall.

There was more blood here too, soaking the plain looking rugs and the soft furnishings of the rows of seats. The far end wall was covered in framed placards listing the names of the town's mayors and the annual harvest yields in proud yellow leaf. The boards were peppered and riddled with small arrows, punctured, holed and splintered, numerous blades, knifes, shields and broken spears could be seen as well.

Bear realized there were tens of arrows littering the bloody floor alongside the other weapons.

''Quite a fight.'' Said Dove beside him.

Cat looked over a few of the weapons picking up one of the swords. ''The quality of the weapons is too high for simply bandits.'' She placed the sword back down on the floor. ''Perhaps, the armed forces of country arrived here during whatever occurred.''

Bear nodded. ''Most likely.''

''What were they fighting here?'' Nightingale asked, moving forwards past them. He pointed, and to their expert eyes it was clear that the damage made distinct arcs and sprays across the wall, as if continuous arrows had been fired trying to chase and catch targets that had moved with frightening speed.

Dove kicked open a door to the left, off the council room, and found store closets and filthy cloakrooms. Blood covered the grimy blue tiles in here too, and the wooden latrine stalls had been destroyed, by the looks of it people had ended up fighting in there as well. Behind the council room, down a long onyx tiled hallway, they found a chapel dedicated to Inari, depicted as the provider of bounty and fruitful harvest.

But the statue of Inari, had been decapitated, one of the loathsome daemon-form dolls, had been nailed to the statue's chest. Words composed of letters and symbols so foul they made Boar sick to see them had been daubed across the plinth. Beside him, the captain heard Nightingale cough and gag behind his mask, choking on his rising gorge. ''Nightingale?'

''I'm alright captain, it just...its sends shivers down my spine for some reason.''

Boar raised his sword, swung and destroyed the deformed statue and the corn-doll into fragments with a series of sword slashes. ''Cat take the lead and continue searching this place, Deer try to sense this town again.''

Outside, across street, Bear heard his captain's words, with Horse and Goat; he held the positions on the left side of the thoroughfare. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a small shadow moving and jinking in a disordered pattern. Fifteen paces off, behind the row of buildings.

''Contact!'' he reported.

''Ah!'' a shout was heard before Pelican's voice followed. ''Deer's down, moving in to assist.''

Horse and Goat saw it too, and the trio swung around to address the buildings on the left side.

Goat looked at him uneasy. ''Do we go in?''

''Captain?'' Bear queried.

''We're coming out.'' Boar returned over the link. ''Move in.''

''What's the situation with Deer?''

''Just unconscious captain, she should recover soon, I don't know exactly what happened, and considering that she was trying to senses this place when the creature appeared and her subsequent problem, the two I believed are linked.''

''Understood, stay safe and await further orders.''

Bear, Horse and Goat moved off the street down a littered breeze-way, a side alley that took them along behind the store barns and smithies into the back yards of shanty terraces. Horse broke open the door of a shed and advanced through the gloomy interior, passing farm vehicles under tarpaulin wraps. Rusty chains dangled from the low beams of the roof.

Bear and Horse pushed through a back gate made of rain-warped pulp board and slid along a crumbling brick wall, thick with black moss and lichens. They were in a narrow back ditch behind the habitats where they backed on to the farm shops and the farm shed.

The light was bad and the rain heavier. The swirling black clouds seemed to be right down low over their heads.

''There.'' said Dove pointing ahead. ''It's in that outbuilding.''

The structure was a single storey lean-to of corrugated iron. Bear and Dove advanced and approached the entrance at the western end, furthest from the main street. Horse signaled that she and Goat were approaching the other end from the back of a shed. Dove tried the door, easing the handle down, testing for locks.

Something came out of the lean-to, taking the door off its frame and slamming it into Dove. The force was so great that the man was thrown backwards and through the moldering wall on the other side of the ditch. He took down a section of rotting bricks and ended up on his back in the yard of one of the terraced houses. Just behind him, Bear braced and threw a combination of shurikens and kunais, raking a bright line of through the air that blew out the framework of the lean-to's left side. He tried to track the shape that had exploded out of the shed and floored Dove. It was all he could do to see it.

He glimpsed a quadruped, long and lean, twice the size of a man, it seemed, it was as blood-red. Bear saw a suggestion of teeth, huge as scythe blades, of claws, of a whipping tail, as long and knobbed and gristly as a length of human spine. All his throws missed, but they drove the thing back into the lean-to. He charged after it. ''Horse! For the love of Konoha! It's coming your way!'' he bellowed into his link.

At the far end of the shed, Horse and Goat tensed and unleashed their own storm at the beast, but were still too slow. A red blur, something they couldn't even see but knew must be there, burst out of the shed and leapt up over their projectiles.

Horse felt a hard impact and lurched away, winded and dazed, falling sideways and hard into a stack of wagon wheels. She heard Goat exclaim over the radio. An utterance of surprise roughly cut off.

Boar, Cat with Nightingale close behind, came out of the rear of the shed at a run. They found Horse slumped against the rusting wheel hubs. Something had ripped through the front of her chest, making three jagged stripes in the vest; blood leaked out of the torn armor. There was no sign of Goat except his fallen sword.

They regrouped at their chose base of operations. Cat and Nightingale carried Horse in and tended to her wounds. The rents were deep and blood wept out of her like rainwater. Bear was dazed but intact. Boar tuned up the units radio and hunted for Goat, hoping to find a sign of him, there was nothing. It was as if Goat had simply vanished.

Cat could see how black Boar's mood was, and how spooked Hollow Winter was as a whole. They were all used to the superiority of the Anbu, the elite shinobi, and on the rare occasions they encountered something more formidable, it left them dazed.

For herself, Cat couldn't begin to account for the speed of the thing. It had moved so fast, so powerfully, she hadn't even seen it clearly.

''I must find him.'' Boar told Pelican quietly. ''Alive or dead, I will find Goat.''

Pelican nodded. He expected no less of his captain.

''I simply won't accept that he's just vanished.'' Boar cast a dour look at their unit's radio equipment. ''You felt life here, which we have found, that creature though.''

''It was part instinct and part ability, I was never that good of a sensor, the years have aided me in that field at least.'' He cast a look at the sleeping form of Deer. ''She is more talented than I at sensing. That creature may have some sort of aura; I believe its presence is what overwhelmed Deer. I felt something since approaching this place, captain. It may have been that thing.''

''You felt fear, old friend. That thing faced down three Anbu and took one of them as a trophy. It was not afraid.''

''True, so we cannot trust any of our sensing abilities.''

''No, indeed.'' said Boar. ''Something's disrupting it, something that's hiding Goat, the locals… and that thing.''

''You believe that there could something else and not the creature that's causing this?''

''Perhaps, there are only a few things that could disrupt a sensor in such a way and I do not see them here, either way we will need to engage the creature in combat.''

''Search teams!'' ordered Boar, his voice sounding strange and raw, unfiltered by the radio. ''Section the town and take it apart!''

The six remaining active members of Hallowed Winter squad searched Kotanuka, basement by basement, attic by attic, barn by barn, silo by silo. They worked in pairs. Horse, whose wounds had at last been staunched by Pelican's medical jutsu and supplies, stayed at the base, watching the streets from the roof tops while keeping an eye one the unconscious Deer.

As he searched, Boar went over the report he had sent to Crocodile and Kawada at Tawamoto. He told them exactly what had occurred and their current situation, several scenarios were considered before ultimately being rejected. One was for his team to dig in and await reinforcements, ultimately the plan would be used if they suffered casualties, and there was the risk to the people of township to consider, the cult's interest in it and creature's presence that could still disappear back into the countryside to kill others if not stopped.

With the rest of the townships cleared Crocodile has reorganizing their forces, a part would stay in Tawamoto in case of other cult activity and the remote possibility of the creature's presence being a trap, the rest of the squads would move out and head towards Kotanuka in a net formation.

A few messages came from Kawada, wanting to know the nature of the cult and more details on some of their findings.

Away from the base, Boar ignored the chime of the radio. He would do this his way. He would find Goat and salvage the situation. At the base, Horse heard the beep of the radio, all but demanding a response. It would involve a great deal of pain to climb down into the cabin, so she screened it out, no doubt someone would silence the man.

Nightingale and Pelican found them in the basement crypts of a temple at the north end of the main street. Three hundred and fifty farmers and family members cowered terrified behind locked and barricaded doors.

Under Pelican's supervision, the civilians were brought out and taken to shelter in the farmstead's mess hall, a long, low building full of trestle tables and crude metal chairs. Medical aid was provided by Pelican who remained to guard them while Nightingale broke open the stores and made food for them on the mess hall's ranges. Boar and Cat questioned the farm leaders, three scared and emaciated men. ''We heard what happened at Kindazaki?, so we decided to hide. Some… thing came, killing dozens. That's when we hid in the crypt.''

''This thing… what is it?'' asked Boar.

''For the love of Inari, we didn't even see it!''

''It came in! It slaughtered!''

Boar looked over at cat. ''So Kotanuka is to be made a sacrifice like Kindazaki?''

''It seems so, captain… and therefore the cultists are hiding out there in the corn fields.''

Boar got up and stalked the room. Something wasn't right. He could feel that as plainly as he was sure pelican felt his ''scents''. The doll back at Tawamoto clearly marked this place as a cult centre, or at least a place where cultists were active. Yet there was nothing here but townsfolk driven underground by some beast, and an attempt made to bleed the populace for the worship of some otherness deity. Which was it? A cult centre or an innocent place? It couldn't be both.

And if it was innocent, what of the doll at Tawamoto? What had been its purpose? To… bring them here? The leader of the farmers broke off his reverie.

''You will save us, won't you, brave shinobi? Please!'' Boar nodded. He would. He swore it.

Bear and Dove were searching the grain silos at the eastern edge of Kotanuka when the rains came down in a torrent. Flash floods of grain and squirming weevils burst from the sodden hoppers and washed around their feet. Bear moved forward into the pelt, his sword ready.

When Dove glimpsed the red shape flashing through the rain, he first thought it a ghost image; a phantasm conjured by his mind. Then he realized he could still see it after blinking several times. Dove threw a storm of shurikens of the creature aiming to cripple it while preparing a lighting jutsu; he sent a quickly single to the other to let them know that the beast had been spotted and engaged in battle.

Bear ploughed over to join him, one arm on his sword, the other on his shuriken pack, in time to see the great bestial thing, with its whipping spinal chord tail, flying out of the rain to take Dove down.

Bear emptied his pack of shurikens into the side of the monster, the beast howled in pain and he could see other marks on its body, not doubt the work of his squad mate. It was busy killing Dove and thus formed a stationary target for an instant. Seeing the first blows land he mad a quick decision and threw his explosive tags tied to his kunai. If it hadn't paused to rip Dove asunder, it would have been moving too fast to allow such a blow. He blew it apart with his kunais and explosive tags, the open wounds making ideal targets. Tissue and bloody matter exploded into the downpour.

Bear's sense of triumph was short-lived. Dove had been decapitated and eviscerated by the thing in the blink of an eye. The dead Anbu lay sprawled beneath the exploded carcass of the daemon. Bear opened his radio and reported in. ''We have slain the beast!''

Boar exclaimed to the farm folk around him. ''Winter Hallow, with me! You people stay here until we return. Your nightmare is at an end. '' Winter Hallow squad formed up and left the mess hall. None of them noticed the disquieted looks the farmers gave them.

Bear watched over Dove's body and waited for the others of Winter Hallow to arrive. He tried to imagine what the thing's purpose had been. To kill and terrify the township, that was certain. But what else? Why had it been here? What had it been protecting? Despite his orders, Bear crept forward and entered a silo to the left of the alley. What he saw chilled him to his soul. In the open metal bin of the silo's base, an altar had been arranged. Candles fluttered and hideous patterns had been inscribed on the walls. Goat hung, upended, on a crucifix made of baler twine and wire. He had been tortured and abused, his armor stripped off.

The Children of the Last Lord, twenty of them, resembling those Crow and his squad had slaughtered in Kindazaki, stood around performing a ceremony.

Goat looked wounded, perhaps close to death, with the squad on their way there was a chance to rescue the man, quickly Bear made his decision, a small tap of his foot started everything. One of the cultists turned and saw Bear. He cried out in alarm. In an instant, the twenty ritual heathens turned and pulled out weapons, swords, daggers, bows, he chuckled as one of the cultists threw a wooded stick at him, while another one threw a spear.

Bear drew two kunais waded into the chamber, easily he dodged the clumsy attempts of the cultists to hit him. He made the first move, swinging his kunais, cutting down one cultist after another.

When he reached the crucifix, he paused to look over Goat. ''I'll get you out of here, pal, don't worry.'' Bear said. He looked around himself, all the cultists were dead and from little he could sense no one else was there, he looked back to the entrance and concentrated ignoring Goat's mumblings, no one else was near either, but he knew they would be there soon enough.

With a quick move he grabbed a scythe from the floor and stabbed Goat in the chest with it puncturing his heart. ''You should have kept your mouth shut and laid low'' he shook his head ''you had such a good thing going for you there at the academy, sensei told us all about your little stunt, idiot. A shame, you got Horse injured with your incompetence, why couldn't you just die there? No response eh? Well, good bye old friend.''

As investigator Shinji Kawada later concluded in his summation of the Land of Rivers's cultist outbreak, the main cult centre was Kotanuka township; and not Tawamoto at all. When the main uprising in Tawamoto was overthrown, the cultists had left deliberate traces to draw the forces investigating the attacks to the remote harvest town, where they intended to perform a sacrifice for their new lord. The beast that Bear had killed… that had just been a diversion, a guardian force, to keep the armed forces busy.

Kotanuka and its people all converted to the new belief and wanted a strong warrior as sacrifice. Everything they had done had been for the purpose of ritually spilling the blood of people for their god, to empower him and to ask for his blessing.

Boar only took a step out into the open with his squad to support Bear, when they found themselves attacked from all sides by the very farmers they had sworn to save.

The cultists, who but minutes before had seemed to be ailing farm workers eager for help, came at them from all sides. They were feral, insane.

''Kill them! Kill them all!'' Boar told his troops as they fought towards the silo.

Their armor and their weapons were more then a match for the cultists, jump from place to place, Boar reigned death down of them, Cat charged through their lines, slicing throats and eviscerating people left and right.

Nightingale joined the fray, using genjutsu to confuse his enemies before cutting through them, Pelican snapped and twisted necks all around him, Horse killed anyone getting close to her position using her kunai and shurikens; she blinked once when she saw that Deer had recovered and joined the battle.

In the end all of the people in the town had been put down alongside them more joined as cultists from the surrounding fields joined the attack.

Pelican approached his vice captain who looked out at the stormy sky. ''Your thoughts, vice captain?''

The woman turned slowly towards him, a far away look in her eyes. ''I...should have done better here.''

''Oh?''

''If I had gone in a different direction perhaps Dove and Goat would still be alive, perhaps I could have... ''

''You did what you thought was right at the moment, there's nothing wrong with that, you didn't know where the enemy was, you couldn't have know in which direction the beast lay.''

''Still...''

He shook his head laying a hand on her shoulder. ''Don't let your mind be consumed by such thoughts, everyone makes mistakes, I made them, the captain made them. You followed his orders didn't you?''

''Yes.'' Cat nodded.

''And you have learned from this?''

''Yes.''

''Then that it is all there is to it, you should not doubt your abilities.''

''Given my time on the squad I don't think I deserved to be given the position.''

''I believe our captain chose you because he saw potential, swords are not forged in mud they are forged in fire. I believe this was one such occasion.''

''Thank you.''

He nodded and departed casting a look at his captain who was talking to squad member overlooking the road into the township.

''Mission accomplished, in every sense of the word.''

''Dove's loss is regrettable.''

''Aye, still this is a truly fortunate hand we've been dealt, Goat needed to be removed and now we have the best excuse for it.''

''Yes, a shame the fool couldn't act like a proper meat shield for Horse.''

''Pelican said she'll recover.''

''She regrets not throwing him head first into the creature's teeth when she had the chance.''

''Heh, will you inform sensei on the matter?''

''I'm sure that he will find out through the usual channels about our comrade's passing.''

''Death to traitors and fools.''

''Indeed.''

A victory of sorts. It didn't feel that way to Boar. He ignored investigator's Kawada's attentions as he led his battered squad out onto the field to depart towards Konoha.

''You have done a fine job, Boar. The Hokage will be proud of your squad.'' Kawada's voice was lofty as ever.

''I walked my people into a trap you should have seen, investigator,'' Boar replied as the watched his squad assemble. Next time fire willing, you will do better.''

Bearing their dead, Winter Hallow left the Land of Rivers and began making their way back home. Behind them, unceasingly the rain fell.

-The Anbu part is yet another story I changed around slightly, I don't own it, those who want to read the origina, which I encourage should check out the book Brothers of the Snake

by Dan Abnett.

-personally I think I did a good job with the Katsue and Iruka scene, I know that in the manga it was the third who had a similar talk with him, and in the anime it was expanded to include Kakashi, so I decided to mix and mash things together. Thought on the result?

-good news is that if we're going by the 1 chapter/1 month then I have the chapter until February written out and only needing editing. Depeding on how I wrap up the final year at the academy for Naruto and Tenten's first year as a genin I could be switching to shorter chapters with more frequent updates, 2 chapters/month.

-this chapter was supposed to be uploaded on the 5th however I got side tracked reading Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria by Eiji Mikage and Mokushiroku Arisu by Takaya Kagami, I plowed through the first two novels of Maria while going through the three of Arisu. While I recomande both series, Arisu felt at first like a bad Naruto fanfiction with the protagonist being an ashole, who is powerful and people still seem to like him for some reason. While one had mystery the other had action and made a good pair.

Anything you recognize belongs to someone else. Any overtly original twists placed on old ideas you may wish to incorporate, feel free. Completely original ideas and concepts, please ask.

Review away

Constructive criticism or pointing out possible errors/issues within the story is always welcomed.

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