"Even the best laid plans of mice and men will never survive contact with the enemy…"

(…)

Natsumi did nothing to hide the scowl on her face as she was forced to dodge out the way of yet another volley of senbon, before immediately rolling to the side when the ground at her feet erupted in a spray of dirt and debris when a hurricane-force blast of wind plowed into the spot she had been standing in only seconds prior. Thankfully the forest offered no lack of cover but this game of cat and mouse could only go on for so long.

"We became complacent." She crouched down low into the dense shrubbery of a nearby bush, anxiously scanning the foliage overhead for slightest signs of movement. "We had every advantage and we still managed to be caught of guard"

It all happened so quickly. One moment they were all basking in the aftermath of another successful scroll hunt seemingly at the top of the world, then in what seemed like a split second Kiba and Akamaru suddenly fell over screaming, blood pouring from their ears as something drove them to gibbering madness before the pair fell unconscious. Hinata hadn't even had the chance to activate her byakugan before the heiress was forcefully ejected from the clearing by an unnaturally strong force and she was left alone.

Naturally her first instinct was to try treating Kiba's wounds and get them out of the open but she was quickly forced to abandon that plan of action lest she end up a pin cushion to the storm of senbon that rained down from the treetops, herding her away from the rest of her team.

Seeing as Hinata hadn't returned to her side, she could only assume the heiress was either incapacitated, engaged in combat, or captured.

She refused to even entertain any other possibilities.

The hair on her neck stood on end and she pivoted to the right. Just in time to avoid being tackled by a shrouded figure that leapt down at her from above.

As he rose to his feet, Natsumi got her first clear look at one of her attackers. He honestly seemed more like a mummy than a man if she was honest, with thick white bandages obscuring a majority of his features barring one of his eyes and ears. He bore a foreign headband with the symbol of a music note around his forehead. It wasn't one familiar to her.

"Hmph, you have impressive reflexes." The bandaged boy stood to his full height as he appraised her, something akin to respect gleaming in his only visible eye. "Better than the rest of your squad at least."

Natsumi narrowed her eyes at the jab but fought down the urge to retort. "I'm assuming you're here to take our scroll?"

Dosu chuckled, a far from pleasant sound. "Something like that, yeah."

Understanding the danger in fighting a needless battle against an opponent she knew nothing about was enough to curb her usual pride. Carefully reaching into her pouch, she produced one of the extra Earth scrolls they had gathered. Drawing it into the open for her opponent to see as a symbol of good faith. "I'll gladly offer our scroll in exchange for safe passage then, fair?"

Dosu tilted his head, his expression impossible to read beneath his wrappings though the slight narrowing of his only visible eye was not a promising sign. "Negotiation? You are clearly not in a position to decide terms. Why wouldn't we just take it from you?"

"You certainly could do that, but does the risk outweigh the benefits? Perhaps you defeat me, but at what cost to yourselves? I won't go down quietly." She knew the rest of his squad were watching this little exchange. She could practically feel their eyes on her back even if she could not pinpoint their location. Still, to show weakness now was paramount to suicide.

Besides, losing an extra scroll wasn't a major loss. Especially in exchange for the opportunity to walk out of this without a fight.

"Hmm, you make a fair point…" Dosu hummed and seemed to consider her offer, shuffling forward with a relaxed gait to his steps.

It was only then that the hair on her neck began to tingle in warning

"Sadly, there is no walking away from this. Not for you." The mummified boy quickly pulled up his sleeve to reveal the heavy gauntlet underneath before swiping at her. There was no indication that he'd even done anything and yet she found herself doubled over nonetheless; coughing up a thick mixture of blood and spit onto the ground while her vision blurred and her strength left her.

"W-What kind of attack was that!? There was a deafening ringing in her ears, akin to the jiggling of a thousand small bells concentrated directly into her eardrums. "Some kind of sound attack?"

To say it was nauseating did no justice to the excruciating feeling of sensory overload, but it was the only explanation for what just happened. Was this what Kiba had experienced? If so it was no wonder that he'd been brought down so easily… to his enhanced senses this must have been agony.

But how was she supposed to dodge attacks that she couldn't see?

She needed to retreat and regroup with her team!

Fighting past the nausea as best she could, she hastily drew several small pellets from her pouch and threw them to the ground at her feet. Thick clouds of smoke immediately filled the air and she used the opportunity to put as much distance between herself and her attackers as possible. Now more than ever was she grateful for her years of medical training as she was able to mitigate at least some of the damage to her ears, turning a nearly debilitating migraine into a manageable headache.

"Where do you think you're going!"

Natsumi hissed in aggravation as another figure leapt out from the woodworks to halt her retreat. A black haired kunoichi bearing the same mysterious symbol as before charged her with a kunai in hand. Sliding a kunai from her own sleeve into her waiting palm, the two kunoichi met in a small shower of sparks, each seeking a decisive opening to exploit.

Every second wasted was time she didn't have to spare

"What exactly do you want from me!?" She practically growled as the two locked up again, close enough that she could nearly feel the other girl's breath on her skin. "I already offered you our scroll. What more do you want?"

The raven-haired kunoichi just grinned cruelly and pushed harder. "You still haven't figured it out? I thought Dosu made it pretty obvious the first time."

Natsumi ground her teeth at that mocking tone. "Enlighten me then."

"It's just like he said, you aren't walking away from this-" Kin shifted her aim and thrust her knife forward in an attempt to spear her through the chest, though found herself blocked once again. "-This forest… it's going to be your grave! Zaku!"

"Decapitating Airwaves!"

The visage of the sound kunoichi abruptly dissolved before her eyes into a puddle of mud and wet earth. A simple earth clone that she could have easily dispatched with a minor lighting jutsu had she known, but hindsight was often a bitch and the fake had done a more than adequate job keeping her in position. With no time to dodge, Natsumi could only hastily brace for impact as what felt like a runaway cart barreled into her sloppy defense immediately sending her careening deeper into the forest. The bones in her arms ached under the intense pressure and the sharp lashing of branches digging angrily into her back as she flew through the thicket did nothing to help before she crashed hard into the unfeeling trunk of one of the nearby trees.

Her vision swam with stars upon impact, the breath leaving her lungs as she was nearly knocked unconscious from the collision alone. It was only the knowledge of the fact that she was actively being hunted that prevented her from giving into the darkness that clawed at the edges of her eyes. In spite of her body's vehement protests, she slowly climbed back to her feet and began to hobble away once more.

For the first time in years she was on the backfoot. She was the prey.

It made her wonder…

"Is this really the extent of my ability?"

Injured and alone, she only had so much time to consider her options. With no idea where her teammates were, overwhelmed, and actively being targeted by a hostile team that seemed almost purpose built to counter her every move with a take no prisoners mindset… Her prospects looked grim, but laying down to die wasn't an option either.

"You're still kicking? Impressive." Dosu's gravelly voice echoed through the trees behind her as she continued to limp. "But you are only delaying the inevitable."

Defiance stirred within her at his words. Spinning on her heel, she flashed through a set of seals and cupped a hand to her mouth as her chest swelled. In a beautiful display of a light, a swelling torrent of formless scarlet flames exploded out through her lips and into the treetops. At this stage she could care less about attracting unwanted attention, instead she continued to heave fire until the trees behind her were charred black and their leaves burned to ash. She only prayed that would be enough to slow them somewhat. It might also be enough to draw Kiba and Hinata to her if they were nearby-

"You bitch, did you really try to set us on fire!?"

From the flames the trio of shinobi emerged like bloodhounds, landing in perfect formation around her. Much to her disappointment they seemed mostly unharmed from her attack beyond a bit of singing around their clothes and the sweat dripping from their brows.

"I hope you don't expect an apology." She sneered, falling into a defensive stance as they began to circle in like vultures. She might have possessed a vague understanding of their skills but she had yet to a work out a viable plan of action

Zaku grinned with pervert malice and cracked his knuckles in anticipation. "Oh you'll be begging by the time I'm through with you, on your knees preferably."

Natsumi narrowed her eyes in disgust and drew a handful of senbon in preparation. "I think I'd rather cut out my own tongue."

Dosu shook his head. "There is nothing left to say, but for what it is worth know that this isn't personal. Just business."

"Just business," She parroted spitefully. "I'll remember that."

Moments later the forest came alive once more with the sound of combat.

(...)

"-nata… Hina… Hinata!"

Pale lavender eyes snapped open at the sound of her name being called and the firm grip locked around her shoulders. Chakra surged to her fingertips as she instinctually moved to defend herself.

"Wait, Hinata it's us!"

The heiress stopped, her fingers barely an inch away from striking the nearest figure squarely in the chest before squinting as her vision began to clear and she could fully make out the two faces kneeling over her. Instantly she was engulfed by a sense of confusion and slight shame as she realized she'd nearly stuck the flailing figure of one her old classmates.

"Troublesome woman…" Shikamaru sighed, running a hand through his hair. "What were you thinking just shaking her like that?"

Ino huffed and gave the boy a dry look. "We couldn't just leave her unconscious! Besides, you and Choji weren't any more gentle when you woke up Kiba."

Hinata's eyes grew wide and she quickly sat up, ignoring the way her body creaked in protest. "K-Kiba-kun!? Is he-"

Ino rested a reassuring hand atop her shoulder. "He's right over there," The blond pointed off to their right and true enough she could see him being attended to by Choji, the two sat side by side in hushed conversation. He looked a bit worse for wear but overall she was just glad that he wasn't still screaming. Akamaru was curled up next to his master, seemingly asleep for the time being.

"He's having some trouble hearing out of his left ear and he's a bit weak right now. We don't have anything to give him for that, but at least the bleeding has mostly stopped." Ino continued softly, falling back onto her legs.

"T-Thank you." Hinata knew that they had every right not to assist them. That they chose to in spite of the risk it posed was proof enough of their character.

"We're allies, no matter what this test says." Shikamaru waved her thanks off, however his expression turned grim. "That said, Natsumi wasn't with either of you and we know she wouldn't just leave you guys like that."

Hinata's breath hitched.

"N-Natsumi isn't with you?"

Ino frowned and shook her head. "We didn't see any sign of her."

Hinata immediately activated her byakugan and pushed her range to its limits, consequences be damned. Fractured images of various teams and creatures moving through the forest quickly assaulted her mind's eye as her domain of vision raced rapidly expanded out. She knew Natsumi's chakra signature by heart, it shouldn't take her very long to-

"There! I can see her, but her chakra..."

Hinata couldn't help but physically recoil at the pulsing streaks of crimson chakra seemingly corrupting her pathways, filling her like a raging wildfire.

If asked to describe Natsumi's chakra, the word refined would likely be the most accurate way to describe it. It flowed with the same controlled grace that the blond herself exemplified. Yet the image before her now was more akin to an untamed firestorm. Her chakra flowed with neither rhyme nor reason, to the point where it was actively bleeding into the air around her creating an ominous scarlet haze in her vision.

It was so thick it nearly drowned out the three other signatures around her.

"N-Natsumi's in t-trouble, she needs help!"

Hinata's desperate cry and subsequent scrambling to her feet took the rest by surprise. Ino quickly moved to support the struggling heiress while Choji helped Kiba prop himself back up.

"What has she gotten herself into?" Shikamaru scowled and stood at attention. "Ino, stay here with Kiba for now. He can barely move, let alone fight like this, he'll only slow us down."

"H-Hey! Don't count m-me out just yet…" Kiba growled and tried to stand, only to quickly collapse back onto his ass much to his frustration. "Damn it!"

"Don't be an idiot, Shikamaru and Choji can handle anything." Ino placed a reassuring hand on the feral boy's shoulder and nodded towards the rest of her team. "Just don't take too long okay? I'll try to keep us out of sight until you get back."

"We'll try and wrap this up quickly." Shikamaru turned towards Hinata who was being supported by Choji. "Are you sure you're good to move?"

"Y-Yes!" The shy heiress nodded detemindly.

Shikamaru nodded back. "Lead the way then."

The trio quickly leapt into the tree, leaving Kiba and Ino to watch them disappear into the foliage.

"When did that lazy bum learn to take charge of anything?" Kiba muttered. "I didn't think Shikamaru could be that serious about anything."

"Hmph, most of the time he can't even be asked to get up and go home." Ino sighed with a shake of her head. "But when things get bad he's surprisingly reliable, though whatever's got Natsumi of all people in a bind can't be good news."

"You're telling me." Kiba sighed, grimacing slightly as another wave of pain spiked in his ear.

"Hurry you guys…"

(...)

"How… How is this happening?!"

Everything had been going so well… Their ambush had been textbook, their teamwork near flawless, and they had taken liberal advantage of their superior numbers to overwhelm the girl with ruthless aggression. If they had taken things seriously from the outset she wouldn't even be alive right now.

It wasn't supposed to be like this!

*SNAP!*

"AHHHHHHH!"

Dosu flinched, physically shuffling back as he watched Zaku's arm bend in ways the human body was never meant to, the bones snapping and piercing messily through his skin. He felt bile rise in his throat but he dared not wretch, not at the risk of drawing attention to himself. Fear outweighed any sense of camaraderie the two might have shared, and so he allowed the oh so arrogant boy to suffer in his place.

Anything to keep that monster at bay…

Natsumi smiled a manic smile, dimpled whiskered-cheeks stretched wide to reveal knife sharp canines. She almost felt like laughing… and so she did! A melodious yet haunting chime that sent shivers down the spine of all near enough to hear it. It was a twisted sound, like a siren's call just beckoning others to come meet the same grizzly fate as the fool whimpering at her feet.

She felt good. Very good in fact!

"What's wrong?" She twisted the sound genin's already broken arm further, giggling as a fresh screech of pain echoed through the clearing. "Where did all that confidence go?"

Natsumi spared a glance down at the other squirming bug crushed beneath her foot, the ravenette of their little band sobbing silently into the dirt as she ground her heel atop her head. Cheerfully, she lifted her foot for only a brief moment before viciously stamping down again, burying the girl's face deeper into the muck.

"I-I'm so sorry…" Zaku wheezed, blood loss and pain blurring the world around him. "P-Please… Please…"

Crimson slit eyes burned with a mixture of rage and playful malice. Scarlet streams of hissing chakra swirled around her like snakes, lashing out anything that strayed too close.

"I should rip you apart for what you did to me." She cooed softly as she grabbed the trembling boy's cheeks and brought his face inches from her own. "These arms that you're so proud of… what would you be if I tore them off?"

Zaku's eyes widened in terror as the blond's grip tightened around his already fraying limbs. "No! P-Please no…"

Natsumi merely laughed and squeezed harder, pulling as she did so and delighting in the agony written across her prey's face. "But I am just so curious! Aren't the rest of you interested in finding out?"

With her face in the dirt, Kin could offer no reply but the way her body trembled underfoot spoke volumes. Dosu, still clutching his bleeding stomach, dared not to speak. What would he even say? No… In his heart he knew that nothing would save Zaku from that monster.

Nothing would save any of them…

Natsumi was unbothered by the silence, instead she focused on breaking her newest toy. She could feel the strength within to simply rip his arms from their sockets with but a single pull, but where was the fun in that? After the humiliation she'd endured did she not deserve a little bit of revenge?

"How long can you last I wonder?" She uttered mockingly. Removing her foot from atop her sniveling stool she placed it upon the boy's chest and began to tug upon the already frayed limbs. Carefully measuring her strength to prolong the suffering as much as possible, she laughed gleefully at his spasms of pain. "The human body is remarkably resilient after all!"

Just a little more and-

"Natsumi, stop!

To the surprise and disbelief of the terrified Sound trio, the blond she-devil did in fact halt.

Recognition flashed in those vile crimson eyes as a group of familiar faces leapt from the treetops and rushed to her side.

"Hinata?…" Natsumi met the worried gaze of her teammate, ruby orbs glancing over the assembled trio with curiosity. "Choji-san, Shikamaru."

Hinata flinched as those eerie crimson eyes settled back onto her but managed to hold her ground. "N-Natsumi stop this, please… y-you don't need to fight anymore."

Natsumi tilted her head and turned her gaze back to the utterly defeated sound genin, a small frown replacing her grin. "You are far too soft for your own good, Hinata. It is going to get you killed one day."

The Hyuga heiress's confidence spiraled at the calm but sharp rebuke.

Shikamaru stepped forward and held up his hands in peace. "She isn't wrong, Natsumi. This is going too far, look at them…" He gestured towards the broken shinobi. "They aren't a threat."

"Then it would be foolish to let them regain their strength." She bit back, tightening her grip on Zaku's arms. "They attacked us, they started this… do you believe for even a second that they would hesitate to end any one of us? I didn't take you to be so naive."

"Then let them go as a favor to us." Shikamaru countered, remaining stalwart even as those smoldering slit eyes rounded on him.

"A favor? On what grounds?" Natsumi scowled.

"We helped your team out, Kiba is back at our camp recovering from his injuries right now." Shikamaru explained. "Who knows what might have happened to them if we hadn't intervened, I think that deserves at least some compensation."

Choji glanced nervously at this friend, it was clear to all that the dark-haired boy was playing a dangerous game. Hinata was no better, anxiously looking between the pair as a tense silence fell over the clearing.

…

"Tsk, very well." At last, Natsumi released the mangled arms of her prey and stepped off her unwilling perch with a displeased click of the tongue. "You three are lucky I despise owing debts. Get out of my sight."

Dosu didn't need to be told twice, hastily retrieving his teammates before fleeing into the brush.

Shikamaru let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, pleased that things had worked out for the most part. Granted he could tell that the whiskered-girl was not pleased with their intervention judging by the way she all but brushed past them.

Hinata squirmed and reached out to her friend. "N-Natsumi, I-"

"Not now." Natsumi cut her off without so much as a passing glance. "We will speak later."

Hinata shrunk into herself, practically disappearing into her hood. "O-Okay…"

Shikamaru's frown deepened at the frigid interaction but didn't want to push their luck any more than he already had. All he wanted now was to get out of this god forsaken forest.

This was all way too troublesome…

AN. Chapter Complete

Happy Halloween!

I doubt anyone was expecting an update but I hope it was worth the read for everyone who still remembers this story exists. I've been busy with a lot of things in my personal life and when combined with a seemingly permanent writer's block, chapters obviously have slowed to more than a crawl. Either way, not making any excuses but that's sorta where we are at now.

Anywho this chapter has gone through a lot of revisions. It's a little shorter than the others but I figured better to make some progress as opposed to none. My ideas for this story have jumped around quite a lot in my absence and even now I'm still toying with a bunch of possible branches to follow. This chapter covered a lot of what I had tried to set up before my break from writing since I still wanted to pay that off for the people waiting on that. I'm sure people would have loved to see more of Kurama's influence over Natsumi but there are future moments for that. As it stands I still wanted to give a glimpse into what that looked like. As opposed to mindless aggression, I wanted a more controlled but equally dangerous feel from Natsumi's character. At least for the lower tails, we'll see how that pans out going forward.

Regardless, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter for what it was. I don't know when the next update will be but hopefully it will come sooner than this one lol. Thank you for all your support and enjoy the end of the spooky season!