For all of his bad temperament. For being so hot blooded. For being so unreasonable, Sasuke Saruobi was still a man of a prestigious upbringing. Born to a high ranking Sarutobi commander, he had enjoyed being thoroughly educated and being trained by the finest shinobi of his time. He had a certain class and taste that went beyond the typical shinobi.

What made Sasuke so different from someone like Arata, who had been born into a high place, was the fact Sasuke wasn't infected with the germ of self importance. He didn't believe that he was above the law or the law itself. He had never impregnated women in his younger days without a care. He had never taken the wives of other men.

He never found himself at odds with certain people in his clan like Arata had. Before allying with the Domou, there were few Uchiha, Izuna included, that would put up with the funk that was known as Arata. Truly a man who only cared about his own power and nothing more. He had learned early on that he could take what he wanted with brute force.

When the Uchiha became allies with the Domou, the situation had been magnified. Arata had faced execution at one point and had been confined, several times. He caught the ire of a noble by seducing the noble's wife. In the end, Arata had ultimately brought shame. He had been one of the higher ranking members in that army, and he had lost his position.

But, perhaps, what separated Sasuke from his fellows was his ability to shut off his temper and hot blooded outbursts. He could be reasonable. He could negotiate and listen. He was capable of seeing the bigger picture. While so many others were hubris and felt themselves above everything, he was just the opposite.

This upbringing along with his ability to be sensitive to certain situations, made anyone who knew better, listen to him with keenness.

Sasuke Sarutobi, Genzo Sarutobi, and Kurou Hyuga drank sake and wine. Seated just a few inches from each other, they neither spoke nor made any reaction for an hour straight. They just drank the alcohol served to them and entertained thoughts going on in their minds.

"Sasuke...You backed out." Kurou broke the silence, pale eyes frosty.

Sasuke sipped his sake, reclining back on his hands. He glanced at Genzo, noting how the man was glaring daggers at the floor. The argument that had ensued between himself and his second in command infuriated Sasuke as much as it disturbed him, and even now...

"Sasuke." Kurou started, tone rigid.

Sasuke looked at Kurou. "Attacking the Lightning capital would have been a mistake."

"I lost men!"

"So did I!" Genzo snapped.

Sasuke scowled, realizing these men could come to blows. "We all lost men, but we are going to move forward."

"I am not sure you have the guts to proceed, Sasuke. You backed out at the last second before when it came time to launch our attack. The Hyuga under me were ready to strike, and did, but were killed by those shinobi of Kumogakure!"

Sasuke tried not to let the jab get to him. Kurou hadn't been a willing participant in the madness their kin had been committing in the Lightning country, but he wasn't stopping them either. Through those men that fell, they learned that Kumogakure was a true force. A killing force that wiped out their men completely. A titan that could absorb or wipe out anything it wanted.

"We should strike back at them. I hear Arata and Tunoichi were taken out by assassins, that means Katsu is the only Raikage. Now would be the perfect time to put the noose around that village's neck and throw it off a cliff." Genzo added in.

Sasuke took a deep breath, looking at Kurou. He turned to Genzo next. "To focus on Kumogakure is a waste of time right now. We have mutual enemies."

"What do you mean?" Genzo asked, looking confused.

Kurou unsheathed a fan from his sash, opening it swiftly. "Are you speaking of the Subatsu?"

Genzo growled softly. "I for one do not agree with going after them! Kumogakure is the larger threat! I lost too many men to those damn vassals and retainers for the Lightning damiyo!"

"Kumogakure is finished until I say otherwise." Sasuke's tone broke no argument.

"My men died and you didn't back me up! More Sarutobi are furious than you think!"

"It wasn't wise! We have to move forward and we are!"

Genzo fumed.

"I will not let their deaths be in vain!"

Sasuke clenched his fist, struggling to stay calm. "They will be if you don't think clearly. We will avenge them, but first we have to take care of one problem. It'll do us no good dealing with a titan like Kumogakure while our focus remains elsewhere."

Genzo growled, still fuming, and chose not to make another comment on the matter. He made his feelings extremely clear, and he wasn't going to do it again. The only thing he was going to do was try to slice off a part of Sasuke's face-the Sarutobi had lost face and this man-with all of his wives-dare not make a move.

It was madness and Genzo wouldn't stand for it. He would avenge those men, and those rabid dogs of Kumogakure would die by his hand. Katsu would die by his hand, all of the blame fell on him-for he is the Second Raikage.

Seeing his second in command calm down, if only slightly, Sasuke moved forward.

"The Subatsu have become a problem. I am being light about that. They and the Mo attacked your compound, killing your previous leader. The Subatsu, Mo, and Hagoromo attacked us in the Fire country, preventing us from burning down the capital and preventing Hashirama's shinobi village of being founded. It is clear to me that before we do anything worthwhile, we will have to handle them. The damiyo are too quick to call them whenever something severe is about to happen."

"And, both of them are too quick to take those missions."

Kurou's eyes shifted from cold to icy.

"The problem is, we haven't been able to draw them out into a prolonged battle that turns into a war. We can go into their territory, but we can only get so far until the landscape and predators become too much for us."

Sasuke took note of something. "What do you mean?"

"Hyuga have always sent out scouts and spies. Those spies and scouts never return, and we know it is not the Subatsu doing it because they'd send us the corpse. There are man eating plants and bugs ten times the size of you. The temperatures are great along with the humidity and dew point. Dehydration and cramps can happen at any time as well as heatstroke."

That was insightful.

Maybe he was thinking about this the wrong way. Sasuke had always been more bold and prone to attacking up front than hiding in the shadows. He always made his presence known. But, perhaps, that is why he had always lost sight of the bigger picture.

It would seem that the Subatsu didn't partake in conflict, at least not willingly and openly. They were nearly pacifists, if not for the fact twenty of them would run a single person through in battle and they trained specifically for warfare.

"To be clear, we are talking about going to war with the Subatsu?" Genzo demanded.

"No." Kurou replied, tone a bit edgy.

"Then what? I don't trust you, you damn Hyuga."

"We are going to wound them, and hammer that wound."

"I don't understand."

Kurou shifted slightly, taking a sip of his tea. "I don't expect you to understand."

"You better explain or I will snap your neck."

Kurou's mood dropped drastically, his eyes hardened, and his posture became rigid. There was no emotion in him. No hatred. No love. No anger. No fury. No sorrow. No sadness. Everything that could remotely hinder him was tucked away in the deepest pocked of his mind.

"We are going to kill one or more of their young."

Genzo's eyes snapped wide.

Sasuke mulled it over, meeting Kurou's expressionless gaze. "You've sealed everything away but I can feel your hatred, Kurou. It is too strong, and it isn't just hatred for the Subatsu. It is hatred for all clans other than your own."

"This must be done."

Sasuke didn't turn his eyes away from Kurou's own-he had no fear of the Byakugan.

Kurou remained as still as a statue, nothing changing from his form to his expression.

"You do not deny your hatred then?"

"No. I hate them. I hate anyone who is not a Hyuga. That will never change."

"Sasuke, is this wise?" Genzo asked, tone measuring.

Sasuke mulled it over. "Doing it would create a wound as Kurou says. It might be enough to break their spirit. If it is just Subatsu young, we leave the other clans out of it. But, it may not be possible. Either way..."

"There is no way in hell any children in those clans are wandering around right now." Genzo bit out.

Sasuke shook his head. "One or two always wander away."

"That would mean we'd have to ally with these damn Hyuga for real! It wouldn't be just a one off and be done with it-we would have to make it permanent!"

"If that is what it takes, so be it. Ever since our battles in the last region..."

"No. I do not want to be long term allies with them! They brand their own with a curse. I will not stand for it and the clan will not stand for it."

"Everyone..." Sasuke paused, taking a sip of his sake. "In the clan will understand."

Genzo growled, growing heated. "Maybe you've forgotten, Sasuke. The Hyuga attacked two children before and that is why Daiki and more than a few of their division leaders and commanders were killed. Their compound was obliterated. It failed once. It isn't going to work again. Doing something so reckless will only lead us to our ruin and doom."

"No different than Kumogakure."

"No! We take out the damn Lightning damiyo and they lose funds! We cripple the village through their pipeline. We have options with Kumogakure!" Genzo snapped.

Kurou scowled, cutting between the two men. "Daiki developed a kenjutsu technique that followed the same principles as our taijutsu, but he never shared it with anyone. When he died, so did his knowledge."

"It is no different with your sub-par taijutsu. Only the Main Family knows the full extent of the Gentle Fist." Genzo spat.

"It is not your business, Sarutobi."

Genzo's chakra flared. "You are pushing it with the wrong person this time."

Daiki developed a kenjutsu based on the Hyuga's taijutsu.

Sasuke wondered how that must have looked. Beating a Hyuga in taijutsu was nearly impossible. Of course, he had done it, but he wasn't exactly normal either. If Daiki really put the two together, he would have been surrounded by a mouth of blades that pulsed with his chakra.

"And this is what we are dealing with! A clan that brands their own. A clan that makes itself weak." Genzo roared, finally having enough with the formalities.

The statement held merit, for all three men.

Sasuke looked at Kurou, noting the man didn't jump up to his feet. Any other Hyuga, especially those of the main branch, would have jumped up and attacked. To insinuate that the Hyuga were weak was an insult. But, the Sarutobi were a powerful clan, in more ways than one.

Perhaps Kurou understood this, or...

"If recent events have taught me anything...A clan is only a clan, and a clan by itself can only do so much. Daiki provoked and started a battle he could not finish, one that he shouldn't have started. He wasn't cut out for it. Depending on which clans ally, amazing things can be done. Kumogakure has taught me that. A strong clan allying with another strong clan turns into something far more powerful."

It was logical.

Something he had learned the hard way. There was just no way Kurou could discredit the sheer superior power of Kumogakure. With the damiyo's backing, and more than three clans together, it was more than a force to be reckoned with. It was a titan that could swallow everything. There had been little he had been able to do during that whole thing.

Genzo took Kurou's statement as best as he could. There was a moment he had almost forgotten that the Hyuga could be idealists and were extremely well spoken. But, Kurou's half ass statement brought him back to clarity. It was just a sign of fine education.

Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest, carefully observing Kurou. "Are you seriously proposing an alliance between the Sarutobi and the Hyuga?"

Kurou nodded slowly. "We have mutual interests and it seems, we will have mutual interests in the future. For our survival, we must do this. Alone, our clans cannot stand against Kumogakure or something like it, but together, we can bring it to ruin."

Sasuke glanced at Genzo for a few seconds, then turned his eyes onto the floor. He was certain that Kurou wouldn't betray him. The Hyuga were nomadic at the moment, considering it was winter.. The Hyuga needed an ally, a stable and reliable ally who was strong.

Who had funds.

Hashirama and Konoha weren't an option in their eyes-the Hyuga didn't want to be absorbed into the second titan that was Konoha.

So, the next step would be to seek out a powerful clan-one renown and infamous-and there were few that came close to the Sarutobi. The Hyuga would have to relocate somewhere close to the Sarutobi compound, at least until there was enough funds to start rebuilding their compound, which wouldn't be anytime soon.

"And, why are we focusing on the Subatsu when they are allied with Mo and Hagoromo? They have no damiyo to target."

"Because they are a huge problem, and as long as they remain a problem-we cannot do as we please. If we kill one or more of their young, we will effectively crush their spirit. They won't battle us, they will be too busy mourning." Kurou nearly hissed, glowering at Genzo.

"Stupid."

"How dare you! My kin were slaughtered by them! Women were killed-"

"Because of a battle that stupid fuck Daiki provoked, and now you want to do the same thing. The only difference between you and your previous leader is that he didn't put us in the middle or try to use us, and that is what you are doing right now. You are trying to use us to further your own ends. You are trying to make us your scapegoat."

Sasuke gripped Genzo by the shoulder. "Let go of your grudge toward Kumogakure for the moment."

"I will not."

"That is an order."

"I will not let go of my grudge, and I will move against that titan with or without you. And, I will rally many to my cause, make no mistake about it. Many Sarutobi are dissatisfied with what has happened, and many more will be ressentful of this decision...Trusting these damn tumor eye carrying..."

Genzo shrugged Sasuke off, leaving the room.

Kurou gave Sasuke a pointed look after a silent few minutes. "Tell me you are not going to be like him. You understand I am not trying to corner the Sarutobi?"

Sasuke smirked a little, trying not to laugh. "I can be a lot worse. But, you caught me on a good day, I am feeling more than a little reasonable right now."

And, he didn't mention the fact the Hyuga would never corner the Sarutobi-even at full strength.

Never.

"So, we are in agreement?"

Sasuke noted Kurou wasn't holding out his hand-while handshakes were not so common-during meetings like this, a handshake was normally performed to seal an alliance.

It was also used to sense if the person one stood across from was honest or lying.

Well, Hyuga were always skittish.

However...

"You are finely educated, Kurou. I wonder if that is why Genzo doesn't trust you, I always truth his instincts. The Sarutobi and Hyuga have always been enemies-our interests have never lined up."

"We should all have reservations."

"What are your conditions. Kurou?" Sasuke asked, tone a little dry.

Kurou grunted softly, crossing his arms over his chest.

Sasuke refilled his glass, passing the bottle to Kurou.

The Hyuga took it, refilling his own glass.

"Conditions?"

Sasuke sighed just a little. "Are we really going to play this game and chase our own tails?"

Kurou carefully sipped his sake, setting the cup down precisely. "You want me to be honest? Shinobi are not honest."

"I am telling you to stop fucking around and be upfront with me. I see through ploys, Kurou. I was battling Daishiro for a very long time."

Kurou grunted, taking the statement for what it was worth.

"The first, we Hyuga will not change. The Hyuga shall remain the Hyuga. The second, we will relocate somewhere close to your compound, just a few miles away. The third, we will need some funds and manpower in order to speed things along. Of course, there is clone jutsu, but manpower is still needed. Once we do that, we will be able to relocate further away. When that happens we will continue our alliance and trade."

"And, no marriages?"

Kurou shook his head. "Hyuga do not marry outside of our own. The Byakugan cannot fall into outside hands."

Sasuke nodded.

"Interesting proposal you've lain before me, Kurou."

Basically, Kurou just wanted to do things within the Hyuga as they had always been done and didn't want or welcome outside interference. It would be a small problem with his kin-who did not like the Hyuga nor their need to brand their own-but it was a mutual alliance. So long as the Hyuga did not exhibit their snotty and hubris nature with his kin...

But, even if that happened.

They did have mutual interests.

He needed to be careful though. His kin would not take to the Hyuga, and more over, the way they think and act. The curse mark was going to be the biggest point of their focus-such a thing even being remotely associated with the Sarutobi would not be tolerated.

The last thing he wanted was his clan to fracture.

That could not and would not happen.

"It is mutually beneficial, right? We Hyuga have always had good trade with certain goods. The Sarutobi have a lot of goods and have connections with certain port-towns where fishing is popular."

"And, after all of this...You won't stab me in the back?"

Kurou looked Sasuke in the eye. "So long as you don't back out, I will not stab you in the back. This is about the Hyuga and has nothing to do with me."

"You can lead the Hyuga as you see fit, Kurou. We can trade. We will give you funds as well, but only so much, as for the rest, everything else is taken care of. I can actually pick out a location for your clan now and even use some doton jutsu to speed along the infrastructure of your compound. How many Hyuga remain?

"We suffered heavy losses, but there are still many of us."

"I will support the Hyuga, in that case. I'd say we have a done deal, Kurou."

Kurou smirked, taking a sip of his tea. "The Hyuga will return the favor in kind. I hope you don't go back on your word, Sasuke. This could be a very fruitful alliance."

"If we can wound the Subatsu and crush their spirit, you have my support. We should do the same thing to the Domou. Once both are taken care of, it won't matter who their allies are. No damiyo will be able to contact them, and if they do, neither will respond. That leaves us to do as we please."

Kurou set his cup down, veins bulging around his eyes. "What if other brats get in the way?"

"We will deal them the same blow."

Kurou closed his eyes, contemplating. "Two birds. One stone."

"Indeed. If we can take out both, there will be little stopping us in the long run. Taking out Kumogakure and Hashirama's village will be easy enough."

"And, then we are at leisure to deal with the Water damiyo as we see fit."

Before I was on earth-I was a being of light.

I was free.

My light was too much for comprehension.

Not hindered by flesh and blood nor by blood.

The curse of a physical body.

I was pure light.

I fell from my lofty grace. Confined in a cursed physical body. My light is no more.

Only darkness.

Hitting the first rough patch, the mood changed. There was little respite. They were immune.

They loved the sky. They liked it when it was clear and they loved it even more when it was tempestuous and the winds smashed against them. It gave the world everything it needed, texture, and color. It was a reminder that humans were only momentary creatures. When the winds would howl, and the clouds would clear, it was almost like the sun was parting a path.

Everything rocked and roared. Everything shook. They held in defiance of the casual fury. It had no bearing on them. They were well beyond such things.

Breaking waves of energy, swells beyond anything that could barely be comprehended, like the mouths of infinite valleys obscured the and banks of clouds chained everything together, forming one massive storm. Lightning flashed within the uncomprehending mass, too far away, or perhaps even too powerful, to hear.

It was a solid wall. But they drew closer. Details stood out. They were right in the storm, but they were not affected by it. They were quiet and calm. They observed the stormy horizon, welcoming its embrace. Thunder and lightning topped what appeared to be millions of feet-there was just no end to the violent mass of power and energy.

The storm threatened to wash over them completely. It grew darker and the further they went, the more they began to vibrate. It was not disconcerting. They plummeted as if they had fallen into a deep, dark hole. They started to dance and shake. They nursed and jockeyed, flashing through the storm. They plummeted again, descending even faster, as if they had sunk into a picket.

They were buffered and battered. Fresh sunlight streamed against them, piercing through the streaking rain. The vast ocean rolled below and was shaded with varying depths. Jagged white lines marked where reefs hid below the surface. Even more jagged green outlines marked where landmasses held above the ocean's surface and parted it into streams and other channels.

Waters broke and everything came into clarity as if a mist was parting. Every landmass had a specific shape and there were too many to try and make out individually. But, collectively, they were able to see them all in their detail and clarity. From their lofty place, nothing escaped them. But, the more they descended, the noisier it seemed to get.

The harmony of nature was lost and was giving way to something else...

Something chaotic...

Sweeping beaches ended where dark jungles began. Inland, there were tree covered valleys, hills, and mountains. Sharp ridges, deep ravines, and steep drop offs remained hidden from sight and could scarcely get any streaming sunlight. There was no sign of mankind's influence anywhere near them-no roads, clearings, or buildings. No deforestation. No footpaths and no communities.

Still-the noise grew to an agonizing level-almost on a matter of principle.

Something was present causing it...

Flocks of birds rising and falling kept pace with them, scattering and spreading out as they took their different paths across the world. The ground seemed to rise sharply, almost all at once, and they fell away into a valley. Its bottom was marked by a dark channel that could be an even deeper pocket into darkness.

Everything extended left and right. The land, the ocean, and the sky. From one end to the next. One end of the world to another. They seen it all, briefly, fleeting, before they were absorbed into another pocket.

The overwhelming noise was not as bad where they were-the depths of it could be felt, but around them was a bubble. It kept them impervious from its affects and reach, and so they went about with impunity. Had the noise grown overbearing, their descent would have stopped, they would have stopped themselves and try to ascend once more.

It darkened again, and everything before their vision blackened...They entered another deep pocket, but this one wasn't like the others. They felt the full force of it, pulling, yanking, and heaving. Insistent and almost persistently, the sensation continued until the rays of sunlight beamed on them full force and the wind caressed.

The sound of waves echoing through them, nursing them.

It carried them until the sensation of being slammed and crushed jolted them back. All of it came back and faded at the same time. One reality for another. A parting of clouds. The sun and moon rising. The stars traveling through their paths, and the sounds of nature.

All things constant.

Spring.

Water.

Life.

Breath.

Breathe.

Ancient eyes cracked open and received light for the first time. The confounding physical body was composed of nerves, tendons, muscles, and many other things. Moving it all at once was a simple thing, but it was confounding in its own way.

Before they had been able to just move and be lucid, there was no delay at all...

Now it felt like they were confined.

An equally ancient breath left their cracked, blood-dry lips.

They tried to move, finding the whole process to be extremely difficult. It wasn't until they really dug down and heaved that they were able to right themselves, and it took everything they possibly had to perform the simple action.

Water.

They looked upon the surface, taking in the reflections. The reflections looked foreign to their eyes...

when had they...

A sorrow broke through as the realization hit them full force. It was without reprieve and without mercy that the horrible truth fell upon them with crushing weight.

They had been pure energy. Pure light. They had seen the entire world and the stars, and the heavens, but now they were from far from their lofty place.

Now they were low, confined in a physical body of blood, bone, and skin.

They were no longer pure energy.

Why must it be this way...

They let themselves fall face first into the water and they remained there.

Syrus remembered...

He remembered all of it.

He remembered the dragon that brought fire from his heart. He remembered the cold venom in his blood. He remembered the furnace of his fury, and the hatred seizing him. He remembered the jaws of anguish locking on him. The fangs of despair gripping his throat with a crushing force that suffocated him, he remembered all too well.

There was only him.

Only Syrus Subatsu.

It was all him.

Him.

Only him.

He did it.

He blamed himself.

He killed them.

He killed them because he was careless.

Because they wandered off.

Syrus blamed it all on himself.

He finally understood the trap of the shinobi world, the final cruelty of the shinobi creed. The final cruelty of the shinobi as a whole. Because now all he has is himself and the clan. That is all a shinobi will ever have. And in his rage and fury, he could only scream and reach through reality with chakra to crush the shadow that took away everything you ever had. That took away everything that meant everything to you.

But as a shinobi he was far less. He was more than half machine. A painter gone blind. A composer gone deaf/ He can remember where the power was but the power he could touch was only a memory. With all of his world-destroying fury unleashed, it was only the ground he stood on that imploded, and the trees, and the the landscape that tangled around him that shattered.

And in the end, he could not even touch the shadow.

He could not unleash his fury upon the source.

And, with all of that, the weight in his arms was far more. It made everything else just mere paltry. Everything to this point was paltry. This weight was unbearable and to carry it any longer would kill him.

Yet, he had no choice.

Because, he lived in the shinobi world, and in the shinobi world...

Innocence dies.

Those with the brightest flames, must pass first.

The final cruelty of the shinobi world was to save another one must be sacrificed. For a clan to survive and thrive, another had to be wounded. Another had to be attacked for resources. The final cruelty of the shinobi world was the fact innocence died. Innocence would be sacrificed and killed-if it preserved the clan or a clan, or a village, or a country...So long as the world had shinobi...Innocence would die.

And, that was the final cruelty of the shinobi world and shinobi creed.

To live...Another must suffer...

And, in the end, you don't even want to lash out at the shadow. You don't even want to touch it. Because the shadow forgives. The shadow accepts. The shadow understands. You become the shadow itself.

The world of shinobi.

A world of darkness.

Syrus understood all too well.

Too well.

Peace was impossible.

Shinobi were cursed.

Only cruelty was in the shinobi and the shinobi creed.