Administration building

A poster was hung up at the administration building's mission board. The future clan head of the Ouroboros clan: the snake princess Orochi Risu had been missing for a few days now, leaving not a single clue of her whereabouts. The Administration and the ANBU knew when she had vanished, as well as the fact that they had found her ANBU mask at the scene, but these things were only known by the internal affairs of Konoha, as the very idea someone could even abduct an ANBU captain would make more than just a fuss.

On the poster, the picture was a picture made in Takigakure at the watermark, where she was smiling brightly, with her hair still wet from the swimming pool.

Present: nighttime-Guardpost Konoha West

Murasaka Kenichi, a Chuunin of rank, was sitting outside the guardpost near the walls of the village, doing his duty as the nightguard of the gate. Yawning a bit, the young man had a scare when he suddenly heard the rustling of leaves nearby, while there wasn't any detectable wind. However, just when he was about to stand up, he noticed a small ferret running out of the bushes near the guardhouse. The little animal seemed to sniff the air for a moment before returning back into the bushes, leaving Kenichi alone again.

As he sat down again, opening his mouth in a loud yawn, another rustle of leaves sounded, yet he didn't mind it, thinking that the ferret had returned again, but when he heard the sound of a boot on the gravel of the road outside the small guard post, the young man stood up quickly, running outside of the small building onto the street, but he saw not a single thing wrong, so he turned around again, wanting to get some rest for the night inside the guardhouse again.

When he turned, Kenichi suddenly felt something was wrong, because somehow his shirt got warmer, while he himself was feeling a lot colder. Noticing that his shirt was getting wet, the young man reached towards his abdomen, while realizing someone was standing in front of him.

Feeling the hilt of a tanto sticking out of his gut, the young man lost his consciousness right at the point when he saw that the person holding the tanto was a person wearing some kind of black ANBU mask…

Present: Nighttime-Guardpost Konoha South

While a man was laying face down on the floor in an increasingly growing puddle of blood, the sound of more than a dozen pairs of boots resonated on the gravel road. A woman with long blonde hair and a black ANBU mask, wearing a black version of the ANBU armor with two silver chains attached between the left shoulder and the neck guard was giving orders with simple hand gestures.

"So, what is He up to now?" The woman hissed, before vanishing along with the others into the night.


Present: Somewhere else in Konoha

A young woman wearing an outrageous leather outfit and a leather headornament keeping her long black hair on the right side was walking slowly through the streets, bathing in the full moon of that night, while looking straight at the stonecarved face of the former Hokage Uzumaki Mitsuhide, before turning her attention to the carvings that were starting to look like the face of the current homage: Senju Sousetsu.

Clasping her hands together, she made a few hand seals, after which two massive snakes made out of mud rose up from the ground, crashing straight upon the half-made stone carving, destroying and disfiguring the image completely.

"Milord was right," A surprisingly male voice resonated from the young woman's mouth, followed by a wicked grin. "She really is good when it comes to destroying things."

637

Kyohei stepped out of an office deep within The Dungeon, having delivered the package he had recovered during his latest mission for Enaka’s black ANBU. He had no knowledge of what was in the package and just as little interest in finding out. At this point he didn’t expect anything Enaka was so eager to dabble in to be anything but disturbing. He was just glad to be rid of the damned thing and hopefully one more mission completed successfully meant one step closer to being done with Enaka and all of this for good… but he knew better than that. It was more than obvious that as long as that man still drew breath upon this earth, the Uchiha would never know rest. “There’s only one way this ever truly ends,” Kyohei reminded himself silently, “One of us has to die.”

Pulled from his introspection by the thundering sound of stomping feet through The Dungeon’s halls, Kyohei would hurriedly look up to see at least a dozen black ANBU operatives storming down the hall, led by none other than Myra herself. It wasn’t often that the black ANBU travelled in units greater than maybe three people. To see this many mobilized at once and the fact that they were being led by Myra only roused Kyohei’s suspicions surrounding what was going on further. Wasting no time he would dash after the group, running up alongside Myra before turning to ask her what was going on.

“A bit of an uncommon sight, all of these operatives moving together as a unit… and led by one of Enaka’s captains nonetheless,” he hissed slyly as he kept pace with his blonde associate, “Something I should know about?”

“We’re being sent to monitor what we believe could be an attempt on the Hokage’s life,” she spoke hesitantly, almost as if trying to avoid speaking of it to Kyohei directly, “That’s the reason we’re grouped like this.”

While surprised, Kyohei was not necessarily buying Myra’s briefing. “Hmmm, that doesn’t really seem like this organization’s line of work,” he replied, his voice tinged with suspicion, “Wouldn’t that be better left for the actual ANBU to deal with? I always figured Enaka would be the one to try and eliminate the Hokage. A power vacuum is the perfect place for a snake like him to operate in, after all.”

Myra fell silent for a moment, searching for the words to respond to Kyohei’s obvious jab at Enaka. For some reason Enaka allowed for Kyohei to speak out however he pleased, an exception she still did not fully understand, but others, not even captains, were allowed that much leeway. “We received the order to investigate it and await further orders, nothing more,” she answered, “And I know you are allowed a certain degree of freedom around here, but I’m going to keep telling you to be more careful when addressing Enaka-sama.”

“Oh don’t be such a stick in the mud, Myra,” Kyohei said teasingly, “I’m the one person in this place that you don’t have to walk on eggshells when speaking to. Either way, if this mission is of such great urgency I’ll just tag along. It couldn’t hurt to have some extra help, now could it?” Of course, this was just a way for Kyohei to stick his nose into something that Myra seemingly didn’t want him to know.


“That’s perfectly fine, Kyohei,” Myra insisted, “You just returned from an assignment, didn’t you? I’ve got this covered. Go home and get some rest.”

“Nope, too late!” he replied before running to the front of the group and exiting the Dungeon.

Some time later:


“A stab wound, captain,” a nameless black ANBU operative commented after examining the lifeless body of a shinobi at one of the village’s guardposts. They had stumbled across the corpse on their way to the village from The Dungeon.

“Maybe our little kage-killer got some warm up reps done on the way in,” Kyohei mused as he stood over the bled out man. Myra would remain silent and proceed to give signed orders to the group to move on from this point and continue with their assignment.

"So, what is He up to now?" he would hear Myra hiss under her breath before dashing off into the night with the rest of the group. So it seemed that even Myra was not even fully in the loop surrounding this whole ordeal. Whatever was going on, Kyohei’s sneaking suspicions that Enaka was behind it all was seeming to be more and more accurate by the moment.

---

[700/700 Str: C-2 > C-3]

792 | 92~

"Hokage-Sama. Are you not leaving? I'm sure that Chisaki would enjoy your company." his aide spoke with concern as always, holding the door open for him to follow.

"The feeling is mutual, but I have already informed her of my late arrival this night. I shall see you tomorrow. Sleep well." A smile reached his face as he replied. The two bowed before each other to say their goodbyes as the woman departed from his office, leaving him where he stood. His smile soon faded, his jaw tightened while he waited for the opportune moment to begin. He had to be alone, this was his problem. Why the ANBU were not involved was questionable, even to him. He felt this urge to go it alone, allow the primary units in the ANBU to deal with the search for Orochi Risu, the new captain of the highly regarded special operations.

He opened the drawer from behind the desk. Felt-tip pens and documents occupied its space before he retrieved them and placed them on the desk before him. He approached the notice board and took down its occupants, removing sheet by sheet and placing them on a nearby stool. The picture of Risu lingered in his grasp longer than the others as he gazed and wondered of her whereabouts. There were no clues. No note. She was a leaf in the wind, for now. He promised himself that he would join the search soon enough, after this personal assignment he had been working on. Before long, Sousetsu had found the documents he withdrew from the drawer residing on the notice board on the wall, pinned and in clear view with a tidy outlook making it easier on the eyes and on his mind. A picture of the infamous woman who assassinated his fellow clansmen that night before her attempt to do the same to him that very same night. Beside the profile lay his own custom description in bullet-points from what he learned that night.

'Female
Masked Voice
'Demonic' Blades
Elements: Wind, Lightning, and Fire.
Great Strength
Lack of Speed
Prosthetic Arm
S-Rank Jutsu
Careless.'

This was the centerpiece of course. Strings of red were leading to other pictures of female shinobi that bordered it, most of which he drew a great 'X' through them. Mikage and Tenmei remained within the options. He found Mikage within his village beating on children around her age. He had to be thorough and so went continued his cross examination. Compared to him, their lack of speed was barely noticeable but the elements and blades could help. For the moment, the blade wielding kunoichi, Tenmei was the stronger suspect. She had reason for a prosthetic attachment for her arm was burnt. A noticeable feature, while she may have matched the other descriptions as well, but it just did not feel...right.

He brought his hand to his chin while the other arm supported his elbow in the process. Scratching and rubbing, he thought of the possibilities. He barely knew either, just that they were misunderstood and prone to violence. Mikage seemed too young, the height made no sense and her mental stability would not help this prove her guilty. She earned her very own 'X'. Tenmei was the only one left, but it still did not sit well with the Hokage. She was a Special Jounin, the techniques did not add up. She spoke with respect and was known to be unstable also. The only difference was, she did not need a mask. She reveled in her crimes, burning brightly with such passion as history told. Another 'X'.

A large sigh left the Senju. His hands ruffled through his hair. It was not someone he met. It was a foreign ninja from a distant land which only made it that much harder for him to find. Something clicked however. As his hands gripped his hair he was struck with another vital piece of information. He remembered going to the hospital after that fateful fight.

-----------------------------------------------

"Squads Two and Four of the ANBU are missing!" a rather hesitant voice shouted.

'Missing..? They came from the village... They came...' Sousetsu gripped the side of the bed and lifted himself over to see the ANBU that were nearby.

"It was an insid--!"

---------------------------------------------------

His memory faded there. It was an inside job. With haste he approached his desk once more and retrieved the village map and placed it on the notice board away from the pictures. The map was a birds eye view of course, showing every route possible.

'The ANBU came from this direction. If they were followed, it would be from directly behind... If from the side then they were expected. They were watched... Not many know of the ANBU's actions...' he scanned the map as if he could find the answer within it. It seemed like time stood still, giving him all he needed but his attention turned away scratching his head once more before something else caught his attention. The sheet with Risu's profile. She was missing also. A woman from the Ouroboros. His eyes widened before he made his way hastily back to his desk, finding another document and bringing it to the map. He pinned the piece of paper containing Risu's appearance on top of the map, along with her relation, Orochi Enaka. He knew the ANBU's movement. He knew everything behind the curtains. Risu was now head of the ANBU and now also missing. They seemed to be opposites in terms of personality. She was quite taken with the village but he seemed to want more from it. As head of ANBU she could foil his attempts of making any sudden movements. Or he knew the day might come he would have to face her...

Enaka wanted war. Sousetsu knew this from their first encounter. He was his 'adviser', and one that he did not need. He seemed distressed with Sousetsu's opposing actions of messenger birds and insisted that he would bring a message personally to the Tsuchikage. With little trust, he sent Rinshi. A Hyuuga with a doujutsu that would not let him out his sight. He continually thought of Enaka as someone with intellectual prowess but Sousetsu would not falter. He was the bane to his existence it seemed. Assuming he was the man behind it all, would he kill a sibling? It was not known, he was devious of course, but killing a sibling was thought-provoking. It was easy to make them disappear though, siblings were more persuasive than others...

It was not set in stone, he needed more time to review this. He found motives, possibilities and they seemed to stack but could he trust in himself at a time like this. Was Enaka the inside man he was looking for? The woman in question was careless and so someone had to clean up her mess. If it was Enaka, he would know the movement of the reinforcements. It fit too well. Still, he could not assume so hastily.

An eruption of rubble could be heard from the outside sending tremors to aid its appearance. His eyes widened once more as he turned to the window. 'Attacked at a time like this?' He rushed to his armour and katana which lay by the door and equipped them with haste. An ANBU operative arrived at his door, opening it and calling out to him.

"Sousetsu-Sama! The mountain---"

"Send units to all the gates! No-one leaves or enters without my knowledge. Send messenger units to accompany and relay the actions taking place. Have the civilians evacuated." he interrupted with such a stern and commanding authority as he rushed to the exit nearby. With the ninja in agreement, he vanished to fulfill his duties.

Reaching the outside, he looked towards the mountain nearby. His face was demolished by great snakes filled with mud. It only helped his assumption that this was indeed the ouroboros. He vanished from where he stood, his perception was near flawless as it led him to his destination. The radius of the snakes had told him the person responsible was nearby and so she was. As the wind forcefully breezed by and time seemed to slow, he found what he was looking for. A woman in leather and dark hair roamed the streets with no care in her steps. He made his presence known as he appeared before her. His coat with blue flames as opposed to the traditional red, flared as it made its way down to his sides once more. He took another look at the mountain where his face no longer resided before looking back at her with determination.

"It seems some are opposed to seeing the title of Hokage being passed onto me." he grinned as the Azure Beast arose from deep within him. He had many questions and it seemed that this was the right time.

"You did this merely for my attention." he smirked. "What is the meaning of this? And where is Orochi Risu and Orochi Enaka?" he spoke possibly a little too soon, but his determination did not falter. The snakes were a dead giveaway of its origins within the Ouroboro clan. His arms crossed and his head was held high while his feet remained firm. His stoic presence was a common feature and one that would not be broken so easily.

Location: Hospital

Sighing somewhat Chisaki performed her third spin in the chair within her office. Not exactly one of the most elegant things she was capable of doing but boredom was a cruel mistress. Sighing somewhat, Chisaki sat in her office and idly surveyed the room. The elegantly dressed room held nothing that could spark excitement in her right now it seemed. Sighing, Chisaki span around on her chair once more. On the right hand wall of her rectangular shaped office, some jade incense was quietly burning, sending small tendrils of smoke into the room. The scent was pleasant and delicate, refined and suitable for any woman who associated herself with those words. Chisaki hadn't put the incense there, her aide had. Sighing somewhat she continued to spin around in her chair, the g-force knocking her sick somewhat but she continued anyway. Chisaki wasn't even supposed to be here at this hour, but she had nothing else to do. So, rather than stay at home she thought she might as well try to get something productive done. Her name in the medical world was quickly being heard around the globe, and hospital who had heard of her skills had asked her to become their head doctors. Instead of becoming the head doctor for each, she merely took on a director role for each of them. Currently, well over fifty hospitals and smaller medical practices answered to her, something they were all glad for.

Standing from her desk was a big mistake but she did so anyway. As she stood, she staggered somewhat and very nearly fell over. Steadying herself against the side of her far-to-large desk took a few moments but she managed it in the end. Becoming extremely dizzy was something a shinobi should avoid doing but this shinobi was extremely bored right now. After regaining her composure Chisaki walked the length of her office to the door at the far end of the room. Tomomi, her eternal companion, was currently buried somewhere within the archive room so he was not present within the office to wish her well. With a small skip in her step, the medical shinobi began to walk. Outside her office there was lavishly decorated waiting room. Beyond that square shaped room, there was a longer corridor. Shutting the door behind her, Chisaki put up a sign on the door stating she was away. Beyond her waiting room there was a corridor that was stark white in colouring. Several doors led off from it, including door to the archive room and other offices of higher ranking doctors. Walking quietly down the corridor, using the stealth skills only a shinobi could manage she quickly headed down the corridor. Once there, she debated whether or not to head down the stairs or use the lift. The lift pinging open next to her answered that question quickly. Inside the elevator, a few night nurses and a doctor were stood. The doctor and one of the nurses exited on this floor and headed towards the archive room but two nurses remained. Chisaki smiled at each of them in turn before heading into the elevator. Pressing the button on the control panel for the eighth floor; the doors slid shut with a small ping. The two night nurses remained utterly silent as the elevator began to descend. Tapping her foot, Chisaki sighed as boredom once more crept into her life. The smooth jazz playing from the elevator's hidden speakers didn't help.

The doors finally slid open on the eighth floor, four floors below the floor her office was on. With a small nod to the two nurses Chisaki headed out of the elevator. He heels clicked and clacked on the tiles of the floor as she headed down the corridor she was currently in. The sound was eerily loud due to the lack of people in the corridor; the sound was bouncing. This floor was the one the most intense operations happened on, usually. The first floor held similar capability to this one, but this floor could handle long term intensive care whereas the first floor was designed for quick response to injured shinobi. Patients could be found behind the doors on her left and right, all of them sleeping most likely or resting at the very least. Chisaki arrived at the desk from which the night nurses worked on this floor, which was sat in a small alcove in the otherwise straight corridor. Smiling to the nurses with a bright smile, she spoke in a quiet tone as to not rouse the sleeping. "Quiet night today ladies, scarcely a noise... Could you kindly hand me today's reports from this floor, please?" The nurse sat behind the desk stood up and dashed into a door behind the desk where Chisaki knew there was a small office. A dozen or so seconds later she returned, handing a folder to Chisaki, bright blue in colour "Here you are ma'am" Chisaki gratefully took it with a a murmured "Thank you" Chisaki proceeded to flip through the folder carefully reading each individual sheet within it. None of the patients status' had changed, thankfully, according the papers within this folder. Chisaki worked mostly on this ward due to the high skill level required for the intensive care unit, so she felt responsible for each of the lives on this floor. She felt that for every patient who came through her doors however, but the feeling was more prominent on this floor. Nodding somewhat she placed the folder on the front desk again with a small nod to the night nurse.

As sudden as a thunder storm and just as intense, a loud crack sounded through the hospital. Blinking somewhat, Chisaki turned around to look out a nearby window. Frowning, she looked into the night. Her attention was instantly grabbed by the Hokage Mountain. The many faces that were sat there, including her ancestor, Hashirama Senju, gazed back at her solemnly. Yet one face was missing. A pile of rubble stood where Sou's half completed visage had been mere moments before. The night nurse had stood up as well to look in awe at the pile of rubble "It's gone...." Was the only thing the nurse said as she stood next to Chisaki. Sighing, Chisaki calmly walked back over to the desk. Picking up the phone that resided there, she rapidly dialled a certain set of numbers. Waiting for a few moments, Chisaki then heard the other end of the phone pick up. "Boys, prepare the barrier and activate the security protocols for the hospital" Was all that Chisaki needed to say. A solemn voice replied, seemingly fazed "As you say, Lady Chisaki" Nodding somewhat, she calmly placed down the phone onto the machine, ending the call.

Quickly, Chisaki headed back up to her office after that without a word to the night nurse. The route back to her office was the same, only this time the elevator was empty. Once back in her office, she quickly changed into her much more appropriate shinobi clothing (See avatar) that she constantly kept within the office. Walking over to the window, she slid it open and dropped out without so much as a pause, this routine looking practised. Her voice was calm as she weaved the hand signs and the water coalesced behind her on her shoulder blades, the waters never denying her when she called upon them "Archangel: Embodiment of the Water Angel" The air whistled past here, causing her hair to become all messed up as the floors rapidly fell away, descending much faster than any elevator. Mere seconds before she hit the ground, two watery angelic winds spread from her back, the jutsu complete. Heading into the night sky Chsaki span around to look at the hospital as the wings slowly beat behind her to keep her afloat. Chisaki looked at the hospital carefully, the only sound in the sky were her wings slowly beating, completely out of synch with her beating heart. On the windows, silently, metal shutters slid into place and the same for the doors and around the hospital itself, a crimson barrier began to form in the shape of a cube. The hospitals defensive barriers were in place, no one would enter until they came down. Nodding as she hovered there, Chisaki flapped her wings quicker and shot off into the nights sky like a silver arrow.

Current Location: Base of Hokage Mountain
Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60IX8zwBeSo

Chisaki quickly closed the small distance over Konoha between the hospital and base of the Hokage Mountain. Looking to the ground, she saw where the cause of the destruction was fairly quickly, in the form of some earthen construct. From this height she could tell someone with formidable jutsu had conjured up this destructive power to crush Sou's face. A direct challenge perhaps? Sighing, Chisaki folded the wings upon her back and dropped like a stone from the sky. Spinning through the air, she landed upon the ground with a crack as stone was dislodged by the impact. Standing up from the crouching position she'd landed in, she dusted herself down and fixed her hair as she walked forwards, the wings folded upon her back still. Before her in the street, she saw the familiar back and silvery hair of her favourite Hokage, and someone else who was far less important. The crack had alerted anyone nearby to her presence but she didn't care that much and the look on her face said as much. Stopping besides the Hokage, she turned to look at him and her expression immediately softened and her smile and eyes, more gentle. "So, who dared to hurt your pretty half-finished face?"

1672/2000 Hellion Heart: Unchained Demon Queen

Ouroboros Clan-Orochi Estate:

A man was standing in front of a large window looking over the largest part of konoha, dressed in the traditional clothing of his clan, consisting out of a black kimono, ebony wooden sandals and a lavender haori. A soft, slightly wicked smile appeared on his face when he noticed the dust and rubble coming down from the Hokage mountain.

A mere instant after the occurrence, another person clad entirely in a black version of the standard ANBU outfit appeared at the mysterious man's location. Milord, Hataro has succeeded in luring out the Hokage, but it seems that Senju Chisaki is also at the scene."

A swift shivver went through the man's figure, followed by a deep chuckle. "Well well, surely Senju Chisaki will know who she's dealing with," The man laughed, his dark eyes pearing into the starfilled sky of the night. "Let's see if Risu is capable of doing what she is meant to do. With Hataro's control over her, she'll be perfect for my plans."

Near Lamya's location:

The team of Black ANBU under command of Myra along with Kyohei had finally arrived at a few dozen meters from the scene, hiding their presence while standing on top of the rooftops around the street. Noticing the few people that had shown up at the location, the masked woman could determine that it was the Hokage himself and apparently the one who was supposed to be seen as his future wife: Senju Chisaki.

"Make sure not a single ANBU member can penetrate our perimeter," The masked woman ordered around to the other members of the team, which quickly dispersed to follow their given orders."So, Hataro has already taken control of Orochi Risu…I sometimes wonder what people actually are to Lord Snake. It's as if he doesn't even care about his family, as long as he can achieve his goals, it's admirable in a way, but so ruthless and so wrong."

The scene:

"Oh, dont worry Sousetsu-sama," The young woman spoke calmly, with an eerie and cold male voice coming from her lips. Raising her head to look him straight in the eyes, the hokage would now be able to see who she was, or at least on the outside: the missing ANBU Captain Lamya aka Orochi Risu. "I'm not here to kill you at all…this is merely a test, to see how well this young woman has grown and how far my control over her goes. As for the person you call Orochi Enaka, he is most likely sleeping soundly in his bed, like every old man at this time of day."

folding her arms around her sides, the young woman made a soft grunt, followed by a loud, cackling noise. "So good, so good…she's still weaker than I am, but this feeling, this unbound potential for growth…it really is the best feeling there is!!"

499/1136

Dashing rooftop to rooftop it would not be long before Kyohei, Myra, and their squadron of Black ANBU operatives would arrive on the scene, just in time to get a front row seat for the show. It had appeared that the Black ANBU had arrived before even the Hokage’s ANBU, which Kyohei found particularly strange given the fact that they had to travel from outside the village gates. The only way a situation like this should have been possible was the Black ANBU knowing about the attack well before anyone in the village did. It was becoming more and more clear as Myra gave the order to intercept any ANBU units that would attempt to provide aid to the Senju that Kyohei was correct in assuming that Enaka was behind this.

Looking over the area for himself Kyohei would see the crumbling stone wall that once held the incomplete face of the most recent Hokage. It appeared as though Enaka was as much interested in sending a message as anything else. Open confrontation wasn’t the kind of game that the Orochi regent liked to play. Open left too much out of his control. Open was uncertainty. Open was a risk. It wouldn’t have made sense for Enaka to challenge the Hokage at this point. There was more to seizing control of a village than just killing the latest in a long line of short lived figure heads. He needed more men. He needed more time. From what Kyohei could see, the Black ANBU were not prepared for all-out war. Enaka was not the type of man to recklessly leave things to chance. There was something else that he was after.

Kyohei would look down upon the scene to see three people standing opposite of one another. The first was obviously the Hokage, no doubt drawn out into the open by the rather hard to miss obliteration of the Hokage mountain monument. The second was Senju Chisaki, the head of the medical division and current arm piece of the Hokage. It was no surprise to see her where trouble surrounded Sousetsu. The third person however, Kyohei could not get a good look at from behind. It was obviously a woman, but other than Myra Kyohei could not think of any high ranking members of the Black ANBU, and certainly none qualified to challenge a kage openly. Kyohei would begin to ponder the thought of perhaps a mercenary from outside of the Black ANBU being hired for the job, but his train of thought would be derailed by the next words that would come from Myra’s mouth.

"So, Hataro has already taken control of Orochi Risu…I sometimes wonder what people actually are to Lord Snake. It's as if he doesn't even care about his family, as long as he can achieve his goals, it's admirable in a way, but so ruthless and so wrong."

As an instinctive response to the anger welling up inside of him, Kyohei’s Sharingan would become active as his neck turned to glare at Myra. “What… did you just say?” He snarled through gritted teeth as he took a step towards Myra. Sensing the blood lust spilling forth from Kyohei as he stomped towards Myra, the Black ANBU beside Myra would step between she and Kyohei to cut off his path. A loud crack was the only sound that would come from the man as Kyohei yoked him up by his throat and snapped his neck. Tossing the man’s body to the side Kyohei would look back down at the three combatants, this time with his Sharingan enabling him to see the chakra of all three. It was true, the third person was Risu, or at least part of her. Her chakra signature was still there, but it was corrupted… by Hataro’s. Was this the same technique that Kyohei saw the puppeteer use during their first encounter? Either way, Kyohei had a score to settle with the old man.

Turning back to Myra he would continue to step towards her furiously. “I like you Myra,” Kyohei would begin, the anger in his voice still clear, “But I am not a patient man. If something happens to her, it will happen to all of you. Now talk!”

---

720 | 812~

"Oh, dont worry Sousetsu-sama," a male voice spoke in the place of the opposing ninja in the distance.

Sousetsu inhaled deeply, allowing the air to rush into his nostrils all while his jaw clenched tighter. His features began to tense in the spur of the moment, readying himself for a battle he was sure to enter. For too long, Sousetsu had been a pacifist during his time as Hokage. He felt weak and burdened by the pressure of a title. It was a simple name but held with such high authority. For a brief moment about all who was under his protection. The people, the ninja that were still in the academy, his friends and family. They were all at risk while they were under his leadership, simply because of the nature he had took on when he achieved his life-long goal. He wished to be a benevolent leader, the type that would lend his ear to anyone who sought it.

As of late, the problems were rising and continued to do so. Some could blame him, others would comfort him or seek comfort in his words;

'You could have prevented this...',

'You can't blame yourself.',

'You can fix this, right?',

'You.' For that word to come to him so often, it did not make him feel any more benevolent than a selfish man.

The figure in the distance rose their head and his heart almost skipped a beat. It was Orochi Risu, the missing woman whom he promised to help look for after his personal deed. He felt  the burden overwhelm him once more as his tight jaw began to fall as his eyes opened wider. It was true, he was not as benevolent as he had once thought he had been. Had he not pursued a ghost in the wind he could have found the person before him. It was not her voice however, that male voice rung through his ears setting off every alarm as it passed deeper and deeper.

"I'm not here to kill you at all…this is merely a test, to see how well this young woman has grown and how far my control over her goes. As for the person you call Orochi Enaka, he is most likely sleeping soundly in his bed, like every old man at this time of day."

His head darted to the side as he heard the approaching footsteps behind him. He recognized the pace, the skip in her stride that was his significant other. He turned to face Risu once more and swallowed wholesomely. His jaw tightened once more as Chisaki stood by his side. "So, who dared to hurt your pretty half-finished face?" she asked him. He took the question rhetorically and did not answer, only stared into the opposing ninja as he did before.

"So good, so good…she's still weaker than I am, but this feeling, this unbound potential for growth…it really is the best feeling there is!!" it cackled. It was no longer Risu, the voice and the statement confirmed that.

"I'm not sure anyone is sleeping with the disturbance you have caused." he sternly spoke. He could not grin anymore, this was the ANBU Captains body being used as a host for someone else. Risu would never have let her guard down for this to happen by someone she did not know. Orochi Enaka would have been here by now, that much he was sure of, but he was nowhere to be seen. A soft breeze rolled them by, causing his hair to flail slightly back and forth along with his coat. He felt his nails digging into his palm as he clenched his fists tighter with each passing moment. His teeth began to show like a beasts fangs preparing for its prey.

He was no longer the benevolent man he once thought he was. He remembered the white hallway in his dreams so vividly with the persona of the Azure Beast being locked away by none other than himself. It's grin was sharper than any blade and more ferocious to face than any wild beast within the many forests throughout the world. And he let it out. It was with him with every step he took, no longer did he have to call upon it when playing games with death. He placed his hand upon the hilt of his blade and withdrew it in a calm manner, almost as if he was just showing it to whoever asked, and let it linger by his side.

"To destroy a part of my beloved village for my attention, shows how foolish you really are." Slowly his nails began to grow along with his hair, increasing in length exponentially and forming a few braids.

"To lie to me directly, that shows insolence." the grip on his blade could not be released.

"To take someone from the Village Hidden in the Leaves and use them against me, nothing contains more cowardice." Red covered his face with a gold decal creeping its way across in a rather delicate pattern. The Azure Beast had awoken his Sage mode, something not many had ever got to see. His abilities were enhanced, sensing the chakra within the distance and finding wisps of the essence that he was not familiar with.

"You were never alone. You need them to ensure your protection, for your new host is still limited to that of Risu's abilities." he let the infamous grin appear once more with the same ferocity of a wild beast.

"They also ensure that no others intrude..." his voice was calm and tranquil, a voice only a thoughtful mind could be compatible with. He turned his entire body and looked at Chisaki with his grin. She knew him better than anyone else in the Village. He could trust her to take care of herself. She had fought Risu before, she knew her abilities better than he did. With a nod to confirm his actions he only turned his head to face Risu once more.

"If they try to keep others out, what stops those from the inside?"

A leap carried his body with the wind with high speeds, leaving Chisaki to keep Risu occupied. He would still sense her chakra and tell when danger would arise from Risu but for now, he would help the leaf ninja and ANBU alike to turn the tide. His newly reformed outlook on being Hokage changed only recently, a more determined approach that he would take matters directly in his own hand with a swift and coursing action. A small battle was only needed to be won. Chisaki was renowned for her abilities with medical ninjutsu and rose within the ranks of the with admirable pace.

The first black ANBU was near. He let himself be known with a roar from the side, his palm outstretched and ready to take its prey. A large thump could be heard as his palm connected with the mask, shattering pieces within his grip, scraping into the dark ninjas face before being forced into the building behind him with Sousetsu being carried with him. He exited the rubble leaving the ANBU to reside within the ruins as he hunted for his next target. Chisaki seemed to be doing fine with little danger disturbing her presence. He leaped to the rooftops once again and sought for his next target but rather found a small group, no doubt eagerly waiting the Leaf ninja. Within a reasonable distance between them he lingered on the building opposite, his toes curling into the roof beneath him.

"Where is he?" he gave off another stern voice. It could have been taken many ways; Where is the man in charge? Where is the man controlling Risu? Or maybe something personal which they thought up themselves. His blade was firmly in his grasp, ready to leap at those who would not share an answer, for the question was open to any possibility of finding someone important.

Chakra: 350/370

Sage Mode:

Chisaki calmly remained exactly where she was stood. Watching the comments fly between Sou and the mysterious person who kept their face masked in shadows. Whoever this person was, they clearly had a high level of skill, to destroy part of the Hokage mountain. That narrowed the list down to a select few shinobi who were in the village. Unless of course, the person was from outside the village which could be entirely likely at this point. Chisaki listened as the Hokage and the mysterious one exchange words. From the venom in both their words, you'd think they were exchanging actual blows as opposed to those that were merely spoken in the common tongue in which they all spoke. It was only when the mysterious woman stepped forward that Chisaki actually began to pay attention to what was happening. Blinking somewhat, in astonishment, Chisaki stared as Risu stepped forward. Supposedly, Risu had gone missing from Konoha several days ago without a trace, mere hours after her promotion to ANBU captain. Yet clearly, this was not the case. Before her, dressed in an absurd amount of leather, was none other than Risu, a close friend of Chisaki's.

It was strange to find out she was the one behind the situation. Chisaki blinked a couple of times to make sure it was not a trick of the moonlight. There was no mistaking it, no matter how much she might have wanted to deny the fact. Yet, when she began to speak, Chisaki's thoughts were brought into focus. This was her friends body, yes, but it was by no means her friends mind. The way she was speaking, and the way she was acting, were so un-Risu like that was almost amusing to behold. It was as if, someone had created a life-sized Risu puppet and was controlling her every move with a set of invisible strings. Blinking, Chisaki suddenly shuddered inwardly. An immense amount of nature chakra was building up in the area. The pressure noticeably increased for the Sage as she felt exactly where the Senjutsu was being performed. Turning to Sou once more, she watched as he entered Monkey Sage Mode. She was more than aware of the fact he was a Sage, yet this was the first time she'd seen his Sage Mode activated. Blinking somewhat, she recalled how this was the first time she'd seen any Sage Mode other than Owl Sage Mode. Her tutor had shown her his own transformation within the woods of the owls, but this was a lot different. The fur was the most noticeable difference, but otherwise he was the exact same, oh and the tail. The tail she thought was cute. Smiling at him, she spoke "Good luck, see you later, I can take care of Risu" Chisaki watched as he sprang into the night and vanished without a trace. In pursuit of what she did not quite know. Sighing somewhat, Chisaki turned herself to face the pseudo-Risu.

With a sigh, she spoke. "You're not Risu, you may share her body right now but this is not her speaking or acting. You've corrupted my friend, whoever you are, and I shall not tolerate you harming my comrades..." An immense pressure began to build in the air, and the ground beneath Chiskai's feat cracked "For now, I shall merely destroy your presence within her" A rumbling began to sound in the area as the ground noticeably shook. Chisaki closed her eyes for a moment, before slowly opening them to show two yellow eyes that did not belong to her, and she spoke with a voice that did not belong to her "The demon that resides within me has been unbound to darken the night and blacken the heavens, now go, Satan Soul, Demonic Body Reversion!" A final tremor released itself into the earth, cracking all the ground in the wide street. Shadows enveloped Chisaki as she spread her arms out to either side of her. The shadows then vanished, fizzling into the night. Where Chisaki had been stood moments before, now stood a true demon. Her usual form, only this time black water surrounded her demonic wings. "Lets go!" Chisaki bent her wings, and from behind her shot ten projectiles. The blackened projectiles took the forms of razor sharp feathers. As they flew towards Risu, Chisaki extended her hand out to Risu. Around her, more black water coalesced. After a deep breath, she spoke, "Water Release: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death!" Then thousand senbons of black water appeared around her. Chisaki launched each one of them towards Risu, directly after the feathers. Chisaki then leapt into the night sky, watching and waiting for her to make her next move. Her demonic visage casting a shadow over the village, black chakra still cackling through the air like thunder.

1672/2000 Hellion Heart: Unchained Demon Queen
843WC
328 used
2000/2000 Hellion Heart Training complete

Spoiler:

Kyohei

The commander of the current operation of the Black ANBU, second lieutenant under Lord Snake himself, Mya was looking at Kyohei with mixed feelings. She understood his anger, his rage, but her mind was filled with doubt, not only for him, but also for herself. There were many like him in the Black ANBU, like herself forced into servitude because of a secret or a promise binding them to Lord Snake. For Kyohei it was a promise of acceptance, a pledge of loyalty which forced him to join the Black ANBU. Myra knew that Lord Snake had knowledge on the poor Uchiha's past and also had him on the ropes when the Uchiha fell in love with Orochi Risu of the Ouroboros clan. She knew Lord Snake, Orochi Enaka, was a vicious, underhanded and manipulating person, but was time and time again astonished on how skillful but also ruthlesly he played all parties against one another.

Torn between telling him everything or keeping her mouth shut to ensure her own safety, Myra finally broke and decided to tell him at least the basics of the current operation.

"After her promotion to captain, Risu has been raiding several of our hideouts and safehouses," She began to talk, her voice trembling with every word, for she feared the Uchiha's wrath, but at the same time she felt the cold, looming embrace which her current betrayal prophesized. She was going against her orders, defying the one man who knew her secret, who held the life of her child in his very own hands. "She rallied th ANBU to raid the Hive, Hataro's personal fortress, for which she paid dearly. He will use her to deliver a warning to Konoha, to tell them to retreat, to stop bothering the Black ANBU and to accept what the future will have in store for them. When that is done, Risu will most likely be disposed of or end up in Hataro's personal collection."

Sousetsu

For the Hokage, it would seem his efforts did not really bother the Black ANBU at all, because for each man he struck down, it seemed two more took their place. a group of masked men and women arrived on his location, but one of the men was different. he had a silver chain from his collar to his left shoulder, depicting he had a higher rank than the usual members.

"Well well, trying to find master Hataro?" The man laughed, only pointing towards the young woman who stood as opponent to Chisaki. "He does not need strings to control her, he merely uses her as a shell, a container. Though I do not suggest killing her, for it would not stop him, not even the great Azure Beast can truly understand the power of Eien no Yami. Lord Snake will deal with the lot of you in time."

Placing his hands together, the man suddenly made a few hand signs, after which easily two dozen tiles from the roof lifted in the air and flew like shurikens towards the Hokage. "I'd be careful with who you're targeting, Hokage-sama, for before you know it, the monkey will be facing the Python."

Chisaki

Spoiler:

The young woman noticed the Hokage leaving the other woman to deal with her, even being quite impressed by the Hokage's earlier transformation to his sage form, which nor the original Risu, nor Hataro had ever seen before, but when the woman in front of them started ranting, Hataro's mind filled itself with images of that woman having drinks with Risu, talks around a campfire with another man and fights, lots of fights.

"It seems my control isn't as complete as I had thought. Not that it matters, I'll use this young woman to clear the path for my master," The cold, slightly masculin voice proclaimed, after which Risu's expression turned into an expression of glee and expectation. "Your efforts shall be futile, head of the medical branch, you do not posses the power to oppose my control over this fine specimen's mind. You have nothing that'll work on me, there is only one being in Konoha who can control me and such low lifeforms, such mortal lifeforms as yourself could not even phatom the power of the person you are up against."

The words weren't even cold, when Chisaki activated her satan soul, reforming herself into an impressive, slightly taller and dark being in front of Risu, through who's eyes Hataro could finally witness the transformation mentioned by his own master in a meeting in Takigakure. If this was the power that his master sought, it seemed that the provocation had worked, soon that demonic form would be in his possession, the secrets unveiled and the power granted to the one man who deserved the right to claim power beyond that of any god.

"Such a Mouthful for a mere bodyreconstruction," The young woman laughed, quickly creating a few handseals to create a purple colored, see-through barrier in front of herself to withstand the brunt of the two jutsu, though it cracked down when the two jutsu had been subsided against it. "I suggest you try harder, because now I'll show you something good"

With a deep grunt, the young woman's usually purple colored chakra now became visible in the form of a thin veil around her body, though it seemed tainted by flards of dark, corruptive chakra within it. In an instant, the veil reverted to a circle of chakra on the woman's back, from which two massive white, scaly wings with a thin purple veil of chakra on them appeared. "I reckon she had indeed created this jutsu with you in mind, but I know she has implemented something incredible in this jutsu."

Launching herself from the ground, the young woman flew towards Chisaki with an almost incomprehensible speed, only to halt about three meters away from the other woman, giving a gleefully mad grin. Risu's arm rose upwards, spreading her right hand in the direction of Chisaki, which in it's own was a minor sign that it was not Risu doing this, as she was lefthanded and favored using her left hand for almost everything. "Fall into despair…"

A blast of chakra was sent towards Chisaki, aiming to disrupt her entire chakra system, which given the hight on which the two of them were hovering, was not a good thing to happen. "Let's see you dodge this."

1095/2231

jutsu+chakra:

As he listened to Myra explain herself Kyohei paid no mind to the hesitation in her voice, instead allowing his anger to wash over his eyes like red before a bull. What her words did do was provide some clarity for Kyohei about Risu’s recent behavior. Of late she had been more distant… more secretive and although he had his own secrets to keep and things going on he always at least tried to find time for her and get her to open up to him. He wasn’t happy in the slightest with what he found out she had been doing, but concerning himself over something that was already done would not help him solve the problem at hand.

With a growl Kyohei would reach forward and grab onto Myra’s collar tightly, dragging her closer to him and up off of her heels, leaving nothing but her tip toes connected to the ground. “And when exactly was I going to be made aware of this plan?” he snarled furiously, “Enaka and I had a deal. I give him what he wants and Risu is left untouched. Like hell I’m going to allow Hataro to do anything with her body. I’ll burn his fucking hive to the ground with him inside of it. You all might fear Hataro, but I do not. My eyes see through his little tricks.”

Kyohei’s attention would be pulled away from Myra as something else seemed to be disturbing the battlefield around them. Glancing over where another squadron of Black ANBU operatives had arrived he would see what he could only make out to be the hokage, but… changed. Both in physical appearance and his chakra, the hokage had undergone some kind of transformation before entering the fight. His attention focused elsewhere while the original transformation took place, Kyohei was left to surmise on his own what manner of technique this was. If he had to guess he would say senjutsu based on the density of the hokage’s chakra. It appeared that Hataro could not contain the hokage as well as he had hoped.

“It looks like the Senju is on a warpath, looking for high-ranking Black ANBU members,” Kyohei would say as he turned back to face Myra, releasing his grip on her and letting her feet fall back to the ground beneath them, “I can’t have you dying just yet.” He would grab onto her arm and pull her towards him roughly before forming a half tiger seal with his free hand to perform the Body Flicker Technique, transporting both he and Myra some distance away from the center of the conflict. He couldn’t risk allowing something to happen to Myra until she gave him the information he needed to free Risu from Hataro’s control, so leaving her in the hokage’s line of fire was out of the question.

After arriving on a rooftop some ways away from their original location Kyohei would release Myra’s arm, watching her stumble a bit to regain her footing from the sheer speed she was forced to move at with the body flicker technique. “I don’t think I need to explain to you what exactly I brought you over here for, Myra,” he spoke commandingly, “Tell me what I need to do and I’ll be on my way.”

---

565 | 1377~

His blade exited another black ANBU operative, leaving blood to stain his steel once again. The group on the building opposite him seemed to mock him, laughing at his efforts to reach them as more ninja took the places of their fallen comrades. He curled his wrist and sliced through a new body with each flick of his weapon. One after the other, the bodies fell to the walkways below or resided on the rooftop at his side. At this rate, the earth would be as black as the night skies in the cold Autumn season. Soon, his hands were covered with blood that found it difficult to harden as a fresh layer would soon revitalize its fuller liquid form. He flicked his blade to lose the blood that had not yet dried and looked up to the men before him once again. A man with a silver chain laced from his collar to his shoulder continued to mock him.

"Well well, trying to find master Hataro?" he laughed while pointing in the direction of Chisaki and Risu.

It was only then that he realized that Chisaki's chakra had changed. The essence was still hers but it felt like it was tainted, something that he was not accustom to feeling during his time as a Sage. The Senju's eyes widened. 'Did he!?' he panicked, thinking that the man who cast some sort of spell of Risu had done the same to his significant other. His head darted up with his fangs grinding against one another.

"He does not need strings to control her, he merely uses her as a shell, a container. Though I do not suggest killing her, for it would not stop him, not even the great Azure Beast can truly understand the power of Eien no Yami. Lord Snake will deal with the lot of you in time." he continued.

'A shell? So it may be possible that his targets are limited to one at each time...' he tried to relieve himself of any harm that would come to Chisaki. He promised himself that no harm would reach her, and the village,  while he lived. He then felt an exertion of chakra emitting from the two females in question. They were fighting. Another wave of relief passed him by as he figured that she was still by his side in all of this, but the disturbance was still very real. He had came searching for answers and it appeared he found them from a soldier who loved the sound of his own voice. He grinned that infamous grin once more and tightened the grip on his weapon once again.

"I'd be careful with who you're targeting, Hokage-sama, for before you know it, the monkey will be facing the Python." he exclaimed while firing projectiles towards him.

'Eien no Yami... Eternal Darkness...' He leaped into the air and curved his body to let the projectiles pass him.

'Lord Snake.' He landed on the rooftop that this man and his small group lingered upon and sprinted towards them, cutting two of the men down in an instant before performing a spinning aerial heel-kick onto the side of a woman's jaw. Collecting himself as he landed once more he led a charge with a ferocious roar, lunging his katana into the abdomen of the final lackey this man possessed until he had reached the silver chain with his left hand.

"That is precisely what I am looking for!" the 'monkey' grinned. He spun his body and brought the man with the direction he was flowing before letting go and spinning in the opposite direction to meet the man once again but with his blade slicing across his chest with a deep impact. Blood spurted across his face as the man fell before him for his final rest. Scanning the battlefield, he had seen the ANBU that were loyal to the Leaf Village fighting with valiant efforts of exceptional co-ordination and strategic prowess. He looked down to see the fallen once more. This man talked.

'A silver chain. No-one else had worn this.' he began to understand clearer. A ninja who possessed a silver chain had spoken while the others did not. He kept his distance and let others fight in his stead. 'Rankings?' he assumed. He had found answers he knew others would have kept to themselves and he said so with little care of the repercussions or any telling him otherwise. The Senju giggled slightly as he had found his new targets. He needed to find 'Hataro.' He needed to confirm that the 'snake' was who had first thought it was.

'Orochi Enaka... What is it you plan to do with 'eternal darkness'?' he thought once more with a stern complexion. He gripped his blade once again and began his hunt, searching for more silver chains.

Sousetsu's attention was set aside however as he heard the screams of a mother and child. His head darted to the direction of three black ANBU operatives surrounding two of his village people. With his teeth coming to a grind once more, he hastily dashed towards them. The laughs of the three prodding at the two with blades sent his blood to a boil within one short moment. His eyes shot open with anger and determination as he drew ever closer. One of the members turned just in time to see the beast approaching, but that was the last that he would see. A blade pierced his ribs before exiting and slicing across his comrades within seconds. He flicked his blade to rid the fresh blood as he had done before and turned to the two with a look of disappointment, yet relieved expression.

"You must evacuate. Come, I will guide you." he stoically assured them. The two began their journey, running for their very lives while the Hokage himself acted as their shield and sword. With each enemy leaping for an ambush they found themselves thwarted in their acts as a now bloodied beast had his taste for blood. He soon found himself surrounded as three more members covered the two paths that they had. A swift motion had cost two of them their lives but the third had his own tactic.

"Drop it!" he yelled with hesitation.

Sousetsu turned to find the boy within his arms. The blade was shaky in his palm as he held it towards the young boy's throat. The young boy cried for his mothers embrace but it would go unanswered while the man was in control. With a clenched jaw, Sousetsu stabbed the corpse with his katana, allowing it to reside there for the time being, and turned to his newly found opponent.

"Okay. Now--" his words were cut short as his hand and neck were gripped by animal like hands. The nails dug into his wrist and neck alike, allowing blood to trickle down. The Hokage was known for his speed, and now this man had seen it for himself. Where the blade remained he had vanished within the blink of an eye, holding the man hostage, reversing the roles entirely.

"You will let the boy go." he ordered into the mans ear, and he accepted with shock written over his face. The boy ran to his mother and buried his head into her shoulder as she embraced him with tears streaming down her cheeks. Sousetsu leaped with the man in his grasp onto the rooftop above them and out of sight of the civilians view. The Senju's eyes stared into the man's. Anger looked at fear for that brief moment before anger looked at death. The Hokage's strength in Sage mode increases remarkably as his hand could almost fit around the man's neck at this point. He let the body drop and remain on the rooftop before returning to retrieve his blade and continue his escorting. The woman thanked him dearly but he was still not finished. There was still much to do.

Chakra: 340/370

-10 Sage mode

Chisaki's tail flicked to the side as she watched the shape of the not-Risu rise from the ground, with a set of impressive wings. Having convinced herself this wasn't Risu at all, she would be able to unleash her full power, for this was no longer her friend she fought against, but an enemy. Every other time they had fought in battle, Risu had only beheld the limits of Chisaki's power as it was a mere sparring session. But now? She could break past her limits and transcend her chains. With her Senjutsu affinity, she could feel the receding chakra signatures of all the villagers, most of them had left the nearby vicinity entirely. A small smile appeared on her face at that moment. With another flick of her tail Chisaki continued to watch as Risu ascended. Yet, as she watched, an immensely dense chakra pressure began to build up in the air around Chisaki. It could be felt for miles around, an excessively powerful chakra that was gathering in a single point directly in front of Chisaki. The human eye could not witness the form in front of her, only an insanely good sensor or practitioner of Senjutsu would be able to see the shape of the pure raw chakra that was manifesting before her, and what they saw would horrify them. Chisaki placed a hand upon her hip, lightly tapping said hip with the elongated nail of her demonic form. With a sigh, a lazy smile crossed the face of Chisaki Senju, Demon Queen. It occurred to her then that Sousetsu would be horrified if he saw this side of her, but the battle would be under way shortly and she could not hold back. "Forgive me, Sou" She thought to herself with a sigh.

Speaking in a voice that sounded as though it whispered from a thousand different places all at once, Chisaki spoke calmly "I find human lives to be fickle and meaningless should they choose to serve a master. Your loyalty makes you weak, you stand before me cowering in the shell of a girl far greater and more powerful than you can even begin to comprehend." A low chuckle escaped Chisaki as she continued on "This is no mere body transformation... This is merely breaking the seal, of she who commands Hell. Witness my power, and find your salvation in the depths of my kingdom of eternal darkness, bleed, puppet master" The pressure in the air was reaching a breaking point and was weighing down anyone within a couple of miles of her location. As Risu flew towards her, Chisaki's reaction time kicked in. Her wings closed themselves to her back instantly as she flattened herself into an arrow and plummeted down a couple of feet to hit the ground, landing in a crouching position. "Witness the dragons of the underworld as I call them forth from the depths of Tartarus, they answer their Queen's summons, now! Trinity of the Serpent!" In the spot where the chakra had been condensing mere moments before, a great black shape seemed to tear into the very air and fabric of space as it pulled itself forth from the skies above Chisaki. The three headed dragon of pure malevolence materialized in the skies, twisting its three heads as its read eyes gleamed and its three heads roared in unison.

It's three heads turned in the direction of Risu, as a technique flew towards the great three headed dragon. With a dull clang, the technique slid harmlessly off the dragons scales. With a small "tut" noise, Chisaki raised her hands to the sky once more. Lauching herself skyward, Chisaki once more built up chakra, but not the scale of the dragon. Black chakra cackled around her right hand as she flew towards Risu at speeds enhanced by her Water Angel technique. With one more second, Chiskai appeared behind Risu. All of this had merely taken a few seconds to occur. Jabbing out with her hand, Chisaki jabbed her hands into the middle of Risu's back. Before she did so, however, one of the dragons heads opened and expelled a torrent of black water at Risu. As it opened its mouth, Chisaki used her own jutsus in combination "Satan Soul: Distortion of Purgatory and the Chakra Reverse Pulse Technique, together!" Chisaki's aim was to one, take out Risu's aerial abilities and weaken her chakra system dramatically. As she fired of her jutsu, Chisaki flew up into the sky and span around, before landing on the central dragons head.

793 WC
4475/9000 SS-Rank Med

Spoiler:

Kyohei

It was surprising for Myra that Kyohei knew the body flicker technique, but to be dragged along with him was perhaps even a lot worse than she had thought. His anger, his rage was unrelenting and she knew that if she did not spill the beans, she'd be forced to fend him off or even worse, she'd have to make sure that he would not stand up ever again and that thought wasn't something she could decide upon in just a second.

It's a seal, Risu's conscience is sealed within a small place in her mind, making it impossible for her to resist the controlling power of Hataro," The Black ANBU woman explained calmly, settling herself a bit. "The only way to undo the seal without prior knowledge to the handselas would be finding the scroll containing the reverse seal."

For a moment, the scarred woman sighed, placing her hand against her mask and pulling it off, showing an expression which showed her fear and her doubts. "The problem is...I know where it is. It's inside Lord Snake's office."

Sousetsu

It really seemed that there was no end to the Black ANBU raiding the town, but worst of all was the fact that they all had jutsu used by shinobi of Konoha. Among them there were probably friends and family of those Sousetsu had sworn to protect the very day he took on the title of Seventeenth Hokage. To make matters worse, it had started raining, with black clouds covering the moon, after which flashes of lightning started to illuminate everything in an eerie light.

The regular ANBU were perhaps not defeated so easily, but regrouping had been made impossible, as the members of this Black ANBU were perhaps chosen with more care than the ANBU itself, each of them capable of holding their own against the regular ANBU or even overwhelming them on their own if it wasn't for their already superior numbers.

A single thing must've alerted Sousetsu, a cracking stone, the weight of armor on tiles, something must've done so, but when a flash of light was accompanied by a loud and deep rumbling thunder, it seemed the entire village fell silent.

On the roof of a building near Sousetsu's position, looking down upon the Hokage, was a massive armored person, with two silver chains on the armor. If the Hokage would look around he'd see something he would've never seen in his entire life, the true power behind those under control, those in service of Lord Snake, Over a hundred masked and armored men and women in various shapes and various attires, all with dull eyes, stood upon the rooftops, their feet on the bodies of incapacitated ANBU operatives that were meant to protect the Hokage and his entourage.

"While I'm fighting that girl of yours," The cold and course voice coming from the massive armor spoke loud and clear, a voice which was filled with arrogance, but which in this case seemed rather justifiable. "You can see them, can you? The strings that connect all of me."

It was indeed like the armored man said, all those men and women were connected with strings of chakra, hardly visible to the human eye and all leading towards the armored man. There was however a slightly different string going from the armored man all the way into the distance where Chisaki was facing off against Risu.

"Do you think you have what it takes to protect this village?" The voice boomed through the sky, the armor lifting an arm towards the Hokage. "I can destroy this village and everyone in it if I want to, so come at me, try to defeat me with all that you have and maybe, just maybe I might enlighten you. Don't you want to know who it must be, to be able to contain and control me? Who it would be that must be such a power in this world that it can contain a monster such as myself?"

Chisaki

By a miracle, the demonic Chisaki had managed to avoid the controlled Risu's initial retaliation to the earlier assault of projectiles she had endured. Not only that, but she managed to create or rather conjur up some kind of massive monstrosity, which  in its full glory roared above even the noise of the rolling thunder, shocking even the person who controlled Risu.

In an incomprehensively diabolical way, Chisaki in her more savage and less civilized nature dared to look down upon not only Hataro, but apparently upon the girl he was controlling as well. Irritating him to no ends with her high and mighty behavior, he suddenly yelled out, his voice mixing with that of Risu. "Enough!!"

"Queen of Hell, such a ridiculous statement coming from a woman with some flashy transformation," The controlled Risu fumed, the voice which came out of her mouth started to sound more like her own than that of Hataro, which was undoubtly because at that moment it seemed Hataro and Risu's mind were closer in sync than they were before. In reality this meant that for once, Risu's emotions and thoughts were almost perfectly alligned with those of the controller. "You have not seen true darkness, you have not witnessed true power. However, my master has interest in your abilities, only he and none other can deliver you the kingdom you so desire...but for now, you are no more than a lowly servant and a puppet yourself, attached to a broken system with ironclad strings."

With the ANBU sensory jutsu still active, the controlled Risu's reaction to Chisaki's attack might've startled the demonic figure a bit, as she simply swiped her hand, forming a snake out of mud behind her, taking on the brunt of the attack without even looking backwards, however, when the woman did look into Chisaki's direction, a tear welled up in her left eye, before she screamed like a banshee, almost clawing with her hands at her head, while seemingly losing control over her wings, as she suddenly dropped towards an apartment building ten meters below, skipping over the tiles of the rooftop, until she stood still, hunched over and still screaming while the wings retreated into her back.

"It hurts!!" The young woman suddenly screamed in agony. "It hurts!!"

Raising to her full hight again, it became apparent that Hataro had regained control again, as the woman's eyes once again had dulled and glazed over. A grin appeared on the woman's face, a grin which seemed totally out of place with the dullness in her eyes.

"She's resisting my control, but she will not be able to break it without the jutsu that I created," The voice rang through the air again, cold and calm. "I am surprised however, as it seems that this woman harbors rather strong feelings for you, oh Queen of Demons. Ah well, in the end, she is but a pawn in the game of my master, as are you if you do not accept his generous offer."

The young woman's hand suddenly rose towards the sky, with the clouds suddenly converging abover her, swirling around sinisterly. With the rain densifying as it dropped down. "All this, was simply to draw you out, to tempt the Hokage in making the mistake of leaving you to deal with this woman...sadly, I must inform you that I have to give you the simple choice of seizing all resistance, to join me and to accept my master's offer...or to see your beloved Hokage perish by my hand."

Pointing towards the place where Sousetsu's chakra was burning brightly, the flash of light from the lightning revealed that the Hokage was surrounded by a mass of people. "What will it be, love or life?"

1326/2589

jutsu+chakra:

Kyohei listened intently to Myra’s explanation, taking in every detail as she seemed to settle herself down after the landing, but still her words brought him no comfort. There was no solace to be found for him by hearing a confirmation of what he had already known, especially if it were involving that man. It had been months since Kyohei’s first dust up with Hataro as part of his “initiation” into the black ANBU. It was all too easy, that little test of his. All the masked spectators that looked on in awe as Kyohei went toe to toe with their commanding officers were nothing but fools. Only a fool would believe that the extent of Hataro’s abilities were on display that day. The only reason Kyohei even made it out of that ring alive with his current level of strength was that Hataro was ordered not to finish him off when he had the chance.

What Kyohei learned that day was not simply the gulf in where he was and where he still needed to be to keep his promise, but a key bit of information on who he felt from the beginning would be his greatest foil. Hataro was a puppeteer, and if he was able to sit comfortably as Enaka’s right hand it was safe to assume he was a master of his craft. So great was his skill with his little toys that he was able to create and use human puppets, an exceptionally rare and generally prohibited talent. One of the most dangerous aspects of a puppeteer is their unpredictable nature. The very craft they use relies less on raw power, but heavy leans towards deception and surprise, not unlike genjutsu users. Human puppets only complicated that matter further by leaving one who would oppose the puppeteer responsible for not only knowing how to combat the puppeteer, but their puppets as well.

In that same vein however, one’s chances of besting a puppeteer scaled linearly with how many of their tricks one could discover before they were caught. Kyohei was able to see one of those tricks first hand during their first encounter, when he caught a glimpse of Hataro going between his own puppets, forsaking his own body that had been caught in Kyohei’s flames. It was no doubt a related jutsu to whatever was now going on with Risu. Like a parasite Hataro could move between hosts. It was an interesting piece of information to have, but without a way to stop or counteract it, it was of very little use to anyone. It was during this train of thought that he would notice the shakiness in Myra’s voice and expression as she removed her mask and revealed the location of the scroll that he needed to release Risu from Hataro’s control.

Myra may have feared the repercussions of sneaking into Enaka’s office, but Kyohei did not, not when Risu was what was at stake. “Alright then, I’m going,” He replied sternly, unwavering in his convictions, “Where in his office is the scroll and how will I go about undoing the seal once I get a hold on it?”

---

536 | 1913~

Sousetsu continued his journey with haste with the young boy and his mother alongside him, gasping for air after each step. They did not have his stamina and so the journey was made that much longer. A new obstacle revealed itself behind every corner of the streets of the Village Hidden in the Leaves with more black ANBU, recycling their forces almost. As each one was cut down by the Senju's blade, another seem to take their place. The mother could not help but scream at the vicious cycle as she feared for her little boys life each time, hugging him, trying to cover to most of his body with her own. Like her mothers love for her child, it reflected his own actions as Hokage towards his village. He was willing to use his body as a shield and a willing sacrifice. The only difference was that he had the power to fight back. He was not just a shield but a spear, a sword, a blade of any sort that could be used to stand their ground and fight back.

The longer they stayed out in the open however, the greater the risk. He came to seek the man behind it all and end this dark fantasy. His blade found new victims within short distances while the mother and child ran close behind him. They seen each body drop and the blood that was spilled. For a child, it must have been traumatizing as he would live with this memory for the remainder of his life. The dark night of Konahagakure would be talked about for some time. Before long, after running for some time and coursing through the streets, they arrived at an alleyway. The alleyway was beside a local tavern and it was there that they found a cellar door.

"Down here." Sousetsu ordered as he ripped the chains that locked the doors with such force.

The woman thanked him with hesitation yet a mothers endearing gratitude nevertheless. The two scurried down before Sousetsu closed the doors behind them and wrapped the chains around the handles as it once did. Some links in the chain were broken as a result of his brute strength but he simply replaced the lock onto different links. He darted his head to the entrances of the alleyways and above him. They were safe, but not while he lingered there. He leaped to the rooftops and dashed towards a new area, far from them and assuring their safety. His attire was soaked with drying blood, his face with splattered blood like a paintbrush had been flicked across. What remained the same however, was his will and determination that could be revealed with his eyes. They were growing more bloodshot by the moment. He had been caught in the moment of fighting for the survival of the mother and child that he forgot about his own limitations. His body could not be weary just yet and he refused to let it do so. The night was still young.

His short quest soon came to a halt. There he stood on top of building that was overlooked by several taller buildings. The night grew eerily dark as the clouds covered the moonlit sky. The sounds of thunder clapping, awakening from their slumber within the clouds accompanied by flashes of light that was lightening came close to the the feeling that he was indeed in a dark hour. Rain began to pour heavily, soaking his clothes and attempting to cleanse the blood that simply lingered. It would not all go away however. The waters rushed down his blade removing hints of blood also while his hair was increasingly becoming damp and getting flatter with each passing second.

He scanned the area before closing his eyes and becoming more in tune with his senses to find the chakra that drifted within the shadows. His eyes opened. Among every rooftop that looked down on him, lay black ANBU in waiting, surrounding him and waiting for the inevitable onslaught that he would soon weave. A presence took his attention from the vast numbers. He looked up to the building that was dead ahead. On top, stood a dark and bulky figure, heavy compared to the others it seemed. The eyes of the many were cold and lifeless, almost mocking him with their gaze upon him. His jaw clenched tighter while his fangs began to show like they had done before. The anger in his eyes raged while the water trickled down his face.

"While I'm fighting that girl of yours," the cold and dark heavy being begun to speak.

"You can see them, can you? The strings that connect all of me."

His eyes glanced at the thin lines of chakra that escaped his body and each one led to the foot soldiers that overlooked. A slightly larger string led to the location of his beloved Chisaki and ANBU Captain, Risu. It tied Risu down and forced her to share a bond with this man. He was the one he had sought this entire time. Now that he was here, he could do what was right but something within Sousetsu's heart seemed to pull strings of his own. This night suddenly reminded him of an event some time ago that he would never let go. The attack of the crystal user that, by day, took half the village and the Hokage at that time down to perish in the abrasive dust. Was this his fate? Was this life punishing him for not reaching and aiding his comrades in the time he was given? He helped the civilians and extinguished many fires saving many that day but without him his comrades struggled and endured heavy casualties. Was this night to reverse the roles and place him in his fellow shinobi's position, allowing him to live what they had seen that fateful day?

"Do you think you have what it takes to protect this village?" the voice echoed throughout the village, conveying towards him.

Did he? He was not the man he was back then. He was stronger. He was now the Hokage. It was not a matter of thinking that he could protect this village, but to prove he could. He gripped his blade's hilt tight while the droplets of water continued to bounce of the metal making faint clashing sounds to reach his ears during the brief moments of silence.

"I can destroy this village and everyone in it if I want to, so come at me, try to defeat me with all that you have and maybe, just maybe I might enlighten you. Don't you want to know who it must be, to be able to contain and control me? Who it would be that must be such a power in this world that it can contain a monster such as myself?" He talked too much. He loved to hear the sound of his own voice much like the man with a chain attached to his attire did a short time ago. This man was his target. He knew the man behind the curtain and he would soon make him draw them open.

"Chisaki... When this is all over..." he mumbled but did not finish. He did not want to make promises he was not so sure he could keep. Whether it involved in his death here and now, or whether he had plans for the two, it had to wait. He had to be certain that he could keep the promise that he would make. The tightened grip on his blade soon flicked back into his sheath, allowing the blade to rest. His hands formed a simple seal before two water clones appeared by his side. The three looked at their new found opponents with tenacity and a ferocious intent to taking its prey. The three swung their right hands to the side causing water to envelope around it.

"To kill a puppet, we must sever its bond to the one in control. The amount of puppets we see before us, causes a strain on the user. Strike the tethers." he informed his clones.

They each dashed in different directions. The clones took the sides while Sousetsu himself went straight for the puppeteer. His actions came at a halt however as the vast numbers soon surrounded him. With evasive maneuvers, Sousetsu evaded the aggressive blades and fists that tried to take him him down and with a swing of his right hand, he severed multiple tethers before withdrawing his blade with his left hand to finish the human puppet with strong slashes. The clones seemed to mimic his actions, cutting the bonds and finishing the puppets also. The battle was not in their favour. The numbers were overwhelming despite their ranks. Despite being a sage, he was still human. He would soon run out of fatigue or simply be attacked from multiple directions, even a sage would see the trouble in that. He was soon forced back. Deflecting blades and dodging fists and feet with the various combat strategies being sent his way. It was his time to act.

'A puppeteers weakest point... Is the puppeteer himself.'

He leaped back to give his distance.

"Suiton: Suiryū Kōbaku!" he roared while the lightning and thunder collaborated with him. A large shadow of the Azure Beast flickered across the many buildings while his roar carried with the thunder clap as if he summoned it himself. A large pool of water surrounded the area on the streets below and surrounded his feet on the rooftop. Before long, bullets of water shot from around him, taking any who was off-guard and aiding his fight.

The time was almost nigh as the bullets continued their barrage and separating the forces opposing him. They surrounded him with a spaced out formation. There was no escape. Only then did he reveal his infamous grin. As they begun their offense, Sousetsu submerged with the waters below causing the human puppets, the black ANBU to stop their assault and scan the waters for the man they sought to kill. The last bullet emerged and shot up into the water cloud that was forming above. Another roar could be heard but it was not the beasts, it was a dragons roar.



Chakra: 215/370

Clone 1: 22.5/32.5
Clone 2: 22.5/32.5

Sage mode - 10

Jutsu Used:

Chisaki span through the air like an elegant dove in flight. With a quick flap of her wings, she corkscrewed through the air and landed on the ground, very close the building not-Risu was stood upon. The chakra that seemed to orbit Chisaki continued to throb and pulse like a beating heart, though the beats were not human, they were slow, and didn't follow a calculable pattern. It was as if a giant unseen hand was beating upon an equally giant drum at infrequent intervals. The chakra could not be seen by the human eye alone, though the pressure it caused was considerable enough that most of the village could feel the demon's heart beating. The glowing yellowed eyes of the demon upon the ground were trained upon Risu, where she could see the other woman stood like a silent assassin. Months ago, Risu had been no more than a child, innocent to the world in ways only a child could be. Yet now, the person who stood before her was fully grown and had bloomed into womanhood. All these thoughts, however, were quickly driven out of her mind by a malevolent presence that was keen on spilling the red blood of the snake princess.

With a sigh, a dull chuckle that rose into a full laugh escaped the lips of the woman who stood in the place of Chisaki. "You are a fool, to so blindly cling to misconceptions of 'true darkness'. Your master is past his prime, and you are past your own, puppet master. I choose both love, and life, to scorn you further" Chisaki stood motionless as the weather patterns shifted. The rain drops upon her body slowly carved dark red paths down her otherwise purple skin, like blood. The dragon screeched in the air, all three heads looking directly at Risu. The water that had coalesced around Chisaki's demonic wings vanished, leaving the wings in their usual state of bat-like appendages. Dark chakra once more gathered around Chisaki, the amount of chakra in the air actually caused some of it to be visible, in the form of a cackling black lightning that seemed to titter like an old crone, in a mocking tone. Chisaki's eyes glowed bright yellow as she said "Satan Soul: Seismic Shifting Strike" Chisaki knelt down and slammed her palm into the earth. Acting as an epicentre for the attack, a gigantic seismic ripple in the covalent currents of the planet tore itself out from the earth around her. Buildings, trees, and anything else man made was torn to shreds easily as an excessively large crater formed.  Boulders, and extreme vibrations, coupled with flying debris and crumbling buildings and nature sprang forth from the earth as if a child had tossed them aside like toys. The quake effected every single fight that was going in the nearby area due to the impact of the quake. Chisaki's dragon, still hovering in the air, sighted its eyes on Risu. The middle head turned itself in her direction, and launched a giant highly propelled stream of water at Risu. On the ground, the water from Chisaki's wings twitched and sprang into the air, forming a dragon made out of pure water "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique" This dragon also took off in pursuit of Risu.

As the quake ceased, Chisaki launched herself into the air once more, the moon framing her as she hovered motionless in the air. The devastation was large. The mountains had been spared but most if not all of the nearby buildings had been turned into rubble. With a small tut, the she devil chuckled once more. The two dragons began their pursuit of Risu, wherever she may be, hounding her with attacks, yet nothing that would cause a fatal wound. The dark chakra around Chisaki cackled again like lightning, as the moon slid behind a cloud, bathing the battlefield in the darkness of the night. Only demons and monsters would thrive in such a darkness, Chisaki remarked idly.

692
5167/9000 SS-Rank Med

Spoiler:

Kyohei

Myra sighed, placing her hands against her head, while looking at Kyohei. She wished she still had that courage, that strength of character to oppose Enaka, but she knew after witnessing first hand the true power of the Leader of Eien no Yami and it's Black ANBU subpart that she was no match for him and would never be, but Kyohei, the Uchiha had promise. What he lacked in raw power or knowledge, he balanced with an unrelenting, yet compassionate spirit.

Behind his desk, in the furnace," The scarred woman explained calmly, already imagining the death she would suffer when her time would come. Her time was already running out, her betrayal would without a doubt be noticed. "You'll find a switch to his archives, it should be inside there...but I do not know where inside it, for besides Hataro, not a single other person besides Enaka has been there."

Sousetsu:

Hataro's laughing quickly turned to a deep grunt when it appeared that the Hokage wasn't budging and bending so easily as he had wanted. After the sage had spawned some water clones, it seemed that the puppeteer had to decide on other meassures to contain the wild beast the Hokage had become. Ushering forth his army of puppets to combat the threat posed by Sousetsu, the armored man quickly realized that despite his initial succes of holding off the Senju, the man was much more than he had anticipated, cutting through his puppets or deflecting their attacks with apparent ease.

"Why does one so strong as yourself take the mantle of pacifism in a world were such a thing holds no meaning?" The monstrously tall and broad being inquired, lifting his right arm to emphasize his words, clenching his fist, the sound of creaking and cracking steel accompanying the single movement made by the armor. "All ways have a limit, all laws have boundaries, but power...power is without restrictions. Those who use it well could rule like gods or even surpass them."

When it became apparent that the clones themselves would not be even enough in the slightest and with Hataro noticing that Sousetsu had finally come to realize this fact, the Armored man gave a soft, yet cold chuckle, but the eyes hidden by the mask quickly noticed the water that washed over the ground, rising up to incredible heights. Knowing this jutsu, Hataro was able to maintain himself perfectly out of harms way, but this could not be said for a large part of his puppets, which either got shot by the massive bullets coming out of the water and the rubble and debris that fell down from buildings after they were hit by the bullets.

As it was necessary to use almost half of his attention to maintain the link with his newest 'alive' puppet, his reactions with the other legion of puppets was slower and without a doubt sluggish for someone heralded as the new Sasori. It also made it nearly impossible for him to really react to the Hokage's moves, as that man jumped into the water, completely vanishing from sight.

When the last bullet of the Hokage's jutsu shot up in the air, accompanied by a scornful roar, the puppeteer could only grit his teeth when looking at his decimated puppets and many of the lower ranked Black ANBU having been caught up in the Hokage's rather destructive jutsu.

A Black ANBU member clinged to the roof upon which the puppeteer was standing, begging for some help from his commanding officer. With the man's mask removed, his facial expression was rather clear when a simple 'tsk' sound came from the armored man.

With a wellplaced kick square in the man's face, Hataro cooled himself down a bit, with every part of the armor creaking and crackling when the puppeteer seemed to decide that he no longer needed to use most of his puppets. An instant later, the man only retrieved two puppets, while dispelling the rest.

"What a nuissance," The armored puppeteer sighed, looking at the amount of people floating in the water, which was finally receding."Now that this Hokage has decided not to deal with me, I think I'll retrieve my latest toy and handle that Senju woman myself..."

Knowing fully well that this might spur the Hokage to make another move, Hataro's arms went forwards, pointing towards the demonic woman still flying in the air, after which the two puppets sprang into motion towards the fight near the Administration building. From up close the two puppets were also more recognizable one being a former Jonin under the name Yuko Hamada, the two-bladed streamwalker and the other being a woman with a full ANBU attire, long black hair and pearl-white skin: Orochi Aori, the True White Snake of Konoha.

Chisaki

His master was past his prime?

This was clearly the view of a woman who had not the slightest idea of who the true master in this game was, no mere mortal would utter such words in the presence of the man Hataro dared to call his benevolent leader, his supreme lord and the only being in the entire world worthy of being called his master.

With a quick jump from the building to the ground, the controlled Risu reached the ground, which thanks to it still being soaked by Sousetsu's jutsu, was much more comfortable to land upon than any other footing she could've had.

"It seems you are pretty full of yourself, Lady Chisaki," The cold voice cackled loudly. "You obviously have not acquired the sense of humility and awe, that all in my master's presence should and would have. You claim to be a queen of Hell, the ruler of true darkness, but my master is not darkness, he is the light which casts the shadow that we call darkness. Comparing you to him, is like comparing a mere ant to a dragon."

When the demon woman suddenly threw her fist down, yelling the name of some newly acquired jutsu, the faintest rumble in the ground seemed to turn into an immense tremor, causing buildings to collapse, ground to break open and the very earth shifted along with it. However, she was not the only one with such an awe inspiring jutsu, for the young woman clad in leather and string slammed her own free hand onto the ground, cancelling out the tremors with a shockwave through the ground, equaling the power of the demon woman with her own. "Earth release-Swallowing Earth!!"

With another quick set of seals, the demon woman threw a massive dragon created out of the water from the rain towards the risu down below, probably hoping to tire down the young woman and force her to deplete her chakra reserves. With gritting teeth, Hataro finally realized that the young Orochi lady he was controlling did have a downside in that department. As Lamya was known to be one of those all out offensive types, she hardly seemed to use much defensive jutsu and her chakra reserves seemed to be substantially lower than the typically high reserves of the Senju.

With a set of seals, he forced the young woman to shoot off a barrage of sickle formed projectiles at the dragon, forcing two equal ranked jutsu to clash yet again."Water release~Water slash barrage!!"

"Maybe it would be better if I retreat," The young woman hissed with Hataro's cold voice. "My goal has already been accomplished, I have meassured the power of both the Hokage and Senju Chisaki...perhaps it is time to see how far I can go with this woman before she reveals her full dark transformation, that would most likely interest Lord Snake."

Creating another set of seals, the controlled Risu fired off four larger, sickle formed projectiles towards the demon woman, which crossed the distance at blinding speed."Water release~Water slash dominion!!"

"Is that everything?" The voice of Hataro taunted the woman. "You are lightyears away from reaching the power of the man you called 'past his prime', you wouldn't even be able to beat me with your current level."

1374/3963

jutsu+chakra:

training:

Kyohei would listen to Myra as she divulged the location of the scroll he needed. With a solution to his problem in sight, the Uchiha’s anger would quell, replaced instead by unwavering purpose. With his mind now clear and focused however, he could now notice the duress that his demands for answers put on Myra. He hadn’t thought about it before, but what he asked of Myra put her in a very dangerous position. The information she gave him was likely only known to a small handful of people. For all of the negative things that could be said about Enaka, he was no fool. It likely would only be a matter of time before the information leak that sabotaged Hataro’s plans was traced back to her, being the only person he could have gotten the information from realistically. More than likely, it wouldn’t even take that long, depending on good at covering her tracks Myra was.

Myra was about the only person within the black ANBU that Kyohei felt could be trusted. She wasn’t a fanatical follower of Enaka like Hataro. More often than not, she visibly expressed hesitation and doubts in the orders she was given. Something else must have been compelling her to serve Enaka, something that Kyohei never thought or felt his place to inquire about. Either way, he knew that the consequences for what was essentially treason against Enaka would be severe and despite everything, he couldn’t leave Myra at the mercy of Enaka. “We both know what will happen when Enaka finds out what you’ve done,” Kyohei expressed, “And he will find out. You should leave. Flee Konohagakure and stay away from the great shinobi villages, he’ll find you there. At least until I put an end to Enaka for good, it’s best you go into hiding. Go and get whatever belongings that you can’t leave behind and stay at my apartment until I return. I have a way to get you out of the village that not even Enaka can gain access to, but you need to be safe until I get you there.”

---

361 | 2274

'Their presence is gone?'

Sousetsu lingered inside the cloud of water that continued to mumble the dragons war, colliding with the thunder like it did before. His chakra sensing did not lie, it could not be mislead so easily. They really were gone but two new sources with a higher presence appeared off in the distance. The puppeteers attention was directed elsewhere, to the position of Risu and the woman he belonged to. He focused his senses further, wondering what had happened to Chisaki's presence. It was dark, cold, menacing even, but she was still within that aura of desolate wonder.

The two water clones had already begun their journey towards the two new puppets that had spawned in the distance. Water seemed to carry them as they 'surfed' to their new destination with immense speed that matched Sousetsu's without fail. They leaped from rooftop to rooftop as a new jet stream of water formed each time they landed, making good time in hopes of aiding Chisaki from becoming overrun. He could not let it happen again. He could not let it be the one whom he chose to stand beside him on his path. This was his time to avenge his past and set a new future for Konahagakure with his ideals, dreams, and ambitions alike. They would talk about this day in times to come.

'...power is without restrictions. Those who use it well could rule like gods or even surpass them...' the words rang through his mind. Was he using his own power wrong? He did not rule as a god and he did not try to surpass them either. He used his power to defend something he loved, not for something he sought. He used it well however.

The clones were within clear sight of the four ahead. Three were tethered to the man high above in the distance while one was something unlike what Sousetsu had ever seen before. The waters beneath their feet that carried them did not stop, but their minds came to a halt. Chisaki was the only one to ever have Sousetsu lost in thought and now she had done it again. Their jaws began to drop slowly and their blades loose in their grasps. Their tiring eyes became hollow and void of emotion for a short moment as they seen a being that was not Chisaki, not in his eyes. It as a demon to some extent. Something that even he could not explain. How did this happen? Where did this 'power' come from? Was this really the one who stole his heart? They could not think about the possibilities as of now, their attention was intended for the two newest recruits of the broad figure above. With a water blade surrounding one hand and his high frequency blade in the other, the two parted ways to take on an opponent individually.

The water dragon's head emerged from the cloud with another roar of ferocity and determination that the Senju shared before it charged off into the direction of the puppet user. With great haste, the long body of the dragon had also escaped from the cloud of water and followed in a zigzagging fashion through the air as its mobility also seemed to confuse the opponent during its attack. On its head, Sousetsu begun to reveal himself as he sprouted with his blade in hand. A menacing look of his own with gritted teeth and piercing eyes focused on his target that was the man in armour. He roared with the dragon once more, letting it be known that he was out to finish his hunt. He was within range of his target in mere seconds before he darted his eyes to the side, catching the tethers in his sight before leaping out of the dragons head completely.

He tossed and turned in the night skies, readying his blade as he let the dragon continue its assault on the man behind the puppets while he had a different agenda. His weapon was raised above his head as he positioned himself before allowing the waters to form around it. Before long the blade turned into a vortex of water, it was as if he wielded a large whirlpool within his grasp. He swung swiftly as he allowed his body to follow through and cut the string of chakra with clean precision. The string in question was Risu's of course, the largest bond he could sense. With her free of the man's will it may be that she could return to her former self.

As he landed, he immediately leaped over to the clones and assisted them by swiftly cutting the chakra strings also. It was not guaranteed that the three would break free of their ties between them and the man that held them, but it would make them easier to deal with nevertheless. It was then he had noticed the dark presence that had caught his attention earlier.

"Chisaki!" he shouted for her attention and turned to see what had caused this difference in her chakra signature

Then it became clear. His eyes widened. His blade fell from his grasp but it made no sound as it clashed against the earth below him. The thunder also grew quiet. The rain could no longer be heard as the clatter against the rooftops became non-existent. For Sousetsu, time stood still. Chisaki seemed to be consumed with another being also. Was this the work of the puppeteer? There were no strings attached to her, it couldn't have been. His hair was flat from the damp waters that surrounded him before but his mind was unclear once more with the head of Chisaki. To him, nothing else existed at this moment in time. He walked over slowly as the muffled sounds of his surroundings were unwavering to him. He walked what seemed like miles and miles before he could reach the one he needed most.

"Chisaki..." he mumbled softly to her. His Sage mode began to recede slowly. The gold markings on his face began to creep back from whence they came, the red face grew a fainter colour, his hair receded back to its normal length, his hands and feet returned to that of a human once more. All before he fell to one knee with one arm stopping him from falling all the way by placing it on the earth beneath him. He looked up. If he was crying, his tears would have been lost in the rain, much like his thoughts. He was not however, how could he? He did not know what to make of this. What had happened to Chisaki? Was it a curse of some sort? Was he under a Genjutsu?  His tired eyes had seen enough this day. He battled countless enemies, he had stopped and onslaught of puppets and maybe even returned Risu to her former self, but why did Chisaki have to be like this? Was this the punishment he deserved after all this time? All he could do was wait.

Chakra: 175/370

Clone 1: 12.5/32.5
Clone 2: 12.5/32.5

clone jutsu:

Sage mode - 10

jutsu:

Kyohei:

Myra simply nodded when the young man tried to convince her that she had to escape konoha, flee to safeguard her own life. She gave a soft smile, while putting the mask back onto her face, sighing deeply and placing her hands on Kyohei's shoulders, seemingly to seek, but also to give support.

"No one knows I gave the location to you," The female lieutenant spoke calmly. "And if you do it right, no one has to know that you were the one who stole it."

Patting the Uchiha's head for a second, she turned around and wanted to vanish, but she didn't, only turning her head a bit, so she could see Kyohei from the corner of her right eye.

"Hataro, the Black ANBU, Eien no Yami," Myra whispered softly, with a trembling tone in her voice. "In the end taking any of them down is meaningless without taking down the monster who governs them all. One last advice, be aware of who you're up against, do not underestimate the man who has manipulated Konoha and the rest of the entire shinobi world for over thirteen years."

With that being said, Myra vanished from sight, seemingly returning to the remaining Black ANBU operatives in Konoha, since she had to be able to delegate her forces during the situation in the village, despite the warnings from her kouhai.

Sousetsu:

With Sousetsu's clones racing for each an individual opponent in the form of Hataro's two most powerful puppets, the armored man watched on as he saw the Hokage make his way towards the place where Chisaki was facing off against the ANBU captain under the puppeteer's influence. With the puppet carrying a wind and a lightning blade turning upon the clone with the suiton blade and the puppet with the ANBU attire and the two scalpels turning towards the clone with the high frequency blade, the puppeteer was quite certain he had at least taken care of the actual thread, but to his surprise, it was not them who acted as spearhead of the assault, as it was all a ruse to allow Sousetsu to reach out and cut the thread which made it possible for Hataro to control Lamya.

As the thread snapped, a simultanious scream could be heard coming from both Risu and the armored man, followed by a wave of dark black and purple colored chakra to disperse from the controlled ANBU captain, who quickly dropped to the ground with her eyes wide open, but completely devout of any response: a catatonic state.

Hataro however, managed to recover from the backlash rather quick, watching as the Hokage's courage, rage and force seemed to vanish at the sight of Chisaki's Satan Soul form, a form Hataro had known about and read about thanks to his master. Even if he had failed to provoke Sousetsu or even to try and persuade the demon queen to come to his side, there was still one thing he could exploit. With his control over Risu gone, she was still in a less than favorable state, not to mention the shock the sight of Chisaki's transformation must've had on her poor beloved Hokage.

Vanishing from his spot, reappearing right next to the Kage, Hataro exploited the man's momentary loss of strength and will to further send him off into the deep ends of despair. His cold voice ressonating out of the mask.

"Would you call this a victory, my Hokage?" The man said calmly, with a hint of glee, leaning a bit closer to Sousetsu. "An ANBU captain brought back to how she was four years ago, a catatonic, barely living shell of a human being and your beloved woman, having surrendered to the darkness within her to become a monster not unlike my master. If only you had been so complient and had been smart enough to know that you aren't fit to rule, you would've been able to avoid all of this."

Taking a few steps back, Hataro started laughing, a rasping sound ressonating out of his mask, only saying a few words before he vanished from sight along with his puppets, the retainers of them and even the corpses of the Black ANBU operatives that had been slain by the hokage himself.

"Tonight, you have stained your hands with blood, bringing pain to many families and strained Konoha's fate in you, but most of all, even in victory...you still taste utter defeat, hahaha."

759/4722

jutsu+chakra:

training: