"Where are you hiding at now? HOW ABOUT YOU FACE ME LIKE A MAN INSTEAD OF HIDING IN THE SHADOWS LIKE A COWARD!, came from the words on a frightened man who was flailing his sword through the darkness. Zetsume had just accepted a job to take down this man because he has been causing some problems with the locals in the town. They say he is a demon  that can not be killed. Zetsume would have to put this to the test. He already managed to strike this man's knee, and he seemed a little less immortal than how the stories were told to him. This man seemed like he was not even a threat at all by the way he was using his sword. It seemed he had little experience when it came to the field of combat.

"Why was I hired to take this harmless man down. He could not even hit me if I was chained down.", those words came from Zetsume's mind as he was looking down his bow for another shot. However, even though he had a clear shot for a vital organ on him, he could not bring himself to shoot down this man. It could have been all of the killing he has done in his life on people who were on a higher par than this man. Killing this guy seemed more like a slaughter than a saving. Zetsume was high in a tree looking down at him with distasteful eyes. Then he had the idea of just apprehending the man instead of killing him and just collecting the bounty that was put on his head. Curiosity stuck his mind as he wanted to see exactly why this man has made so many people cower in fear just from hearing his name. Is he that powerful?, Zetsume thought while climbing down the tree. He just had to know why, even if he would get hurt in the process. It seemed that curiosity weighed heavy on Zetsume's mind as he slowly made his way down the tree to get a better look on this man. Hopefully, he will show Zetsume why people feared him.

While on his way down something odd struck Zetsume, it seemed that he stopped shouting and started to focus on things that are going on around him. This man, his whole being seemed to have changed, he even gave off a somewhat different feel when you looked at him. A cold complacent stare bore his face as he was looking in the direction that Zetsume was in. He must have noticed his position a long time ago, but only looked his way to ensure that he would get close enough. Not like this really bothered Zetsume, he was still in a great position in case he charged him. It was a straight shot, with no trees or anything to block the shot. It was all over but the crying.

"You dare call me a coward? I was only giving you the same treatment you have given your past victims.I bet they did not see you coming either before it was to late. Though unlike you I have no business killing weak fries like you, Ha and here I thought I would actually get to see why people fear you. Alas, I am only dissapointed."

Zetsume drew back one of his lighting arrows in his bow. Though the man did something peculiar, he simply pointed to behind Zetsume. In a natural reaction Zetsume took a quick look behind him to only realize that he was standing there. "IMPOSSIBLE, WHEN DID HE?, Zetsume thought while he shot the bow at the man who was now only a few feet from him. Instead of the usual sounding thud from hitting something with an arrow, it only flew through the man and hit a tree off in the distance. SHIT AN ILLUSION Before he could turn around to get a lock on the man, now he was really only inches away with a grin on his face that had the look of a demon in it. It was the look of victory. Even though he was in striking distance from Zetsume with his sword, he did not use it. Instead he simply put his hand on his head. Zetsume could feel a small force of chakra invade his system but was more worried about stopping it at the source. In a moment after his hand touched Zetsume's head he had an arrow ready to be shot. One by one he shot them into the man at point blank. Each arrow went through and through him, leaving only large holes and blood in its path. Large amounts of blood started to pour out of his mouth as his body was struck through and through with 5 arrows. Even though his body looked like it was in immense pain, he still had an obnoxious looking smile on him. This disgusted Zetsume even more that this man thought he won, when in reality he just got himself killed. Zetsume leaned down to check his pockets. The only thing that was in it was a picture of him, and what appeared to be his wife and children. Was he not thinking of them when he decided to go against his own village. Did he not even for once realize that his actions might hurt people that he cared about. Zetsume quickly threw away these ideas as he picked up the body to carry it back to the village for a proper burial. It was the least he could do for his family.

The walk through the knee-high snow proved to be more of a challenge than he intended. It would have been easier if he did not have to carry this dead weight around. Zetsume would have to take breaks from time to time to catch his breath and let his muscles take a break. Even though he enjoyed the rest times, he could not shake the feeling of someone stalking him, waiting in the shadows to strike. Zetsume would just act normal, just with his guard highly raised. There was not a moment where his bow was further than an arm/s length away. He would not allow this stalker to kill him so easily. After drinking some water and checking his clothes for over moisture he decided it would be time to make the run again. Picking up the man's body, something seemed off, yet no matter how hard he tried to focus on what it was, he could not figure it out. Doubt clouded his mind as he neared the gates of Kumogakure. It took an entire day to track this man down and bring him back.

Upon his arrival he was greeted by many known faces. They were all shinobi of Kumo who dealt with the dead bodies to give them a proper burial. They did a great job at it though when they went to get his body, only the look of fear and disgust was on their face when they hauled out his body. This man has gained a name for himself. Apparently he could harass twenty different people all in the same time. Some people even went as far as suicide when they realized they could not escape him. Yet, when Zetsume fought, he did not even try to attack. The mystery of this man was over in his mind. So he decided it was time to go home to his puppy that was probably waiting for his return for quite some time.

While unlocking the door to his house the feeling of being stalked never left the back of his mind. It kept his hair on end, and left his hand a little unsteady. What could have caused this?, he thought while he was taking a shower. The hot water felt nice after a long day of working and carrying a dead body. Zetsume quickly hopped into his bed and tried to sleep. Hours after hours passed however and he could not sleep. Something was keeping him up. A nerve racking feeling that he could not shake. It shook him down to his very soul.

"DAMN IT WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!, Zetsume shouted as he threw his lamp against the wall in anger. The man did something to him. He intended to get his hand on his head, even though he could have killed him. Was this a fate that was more cruel that death? A feeling of being attack at any moment, the feeling of eyes gazing upon you on every action you attempt to do. It was haunting and nerve wrecking. Maybe in the end the man did win.

Many nights passed as sleep became impossible. Zetsume felt drained and tired of going on for so long without sleeping. Whatever that man did to him, it was killing Zetsume from the inside, and not the out. Maybe that was why he wanted to get close. Zetsume went out to find any suitable doctor that could help him sleep. Many of the just gave him sleep medication and told him to be on his way, and did not even attempt to try to find out what really was wrong. Zetsume deep down knew that the pills would not work, as he had tried so many times already. Anger filled his mind as he could not sleep for almost 6 days now. It was really becoming to much. It seemed as though anything was keeping him awake.

On the seventh day glorious things happened. After six long and grueling days it seemed that Zetsume would finally rest on the seventh day. A whole week has passed since he has gotten any rest. A whole week since he killed that man. Now sleep deprivation consumed his mind. He could not even remember the guy's name nor his face. His memories seemed clouded in his current state of mind. The moment of rest was not an easy one. First it started as an intense headache followed by an immediate pass out. In a moment Zetsume went from standing to face first on the floor with a loud thud. Finally a moment to rest his worried mind came.

"Ah you came at last.

Zetsume was awoken by the familiar voice, but when he woke up he could feel a bright hot sunshine and not a cold brisk air. He was not in Kumogakure anymore. With a slight rub of his head, he opened his eyes to see a beautiful sight indeed. It was a sunset on the beach. Zetsume could feel the cool sea breeze engulf him while the sand trickled across his feet. Never once has he seen a beach this beautiful. It seemed a bit to perfect. Even with all of the perfection, many things troubled his mind. How did I get here? Where the hell is my bow? Also when did I change clothes? These things filled his mind. He was used to feeling like a zombie from the lack of sleep that when his brain was at full potential it was almost overwhelming. Instead of the usual white shirt with a fur leather jacket on, Zetsume found himself in his Academy Graduation outfit. It was a formal uniformed style outfit which was hand crafted by his clan. It held no fighting properties, yet the elegant work of blue and gold trim was one to be admired. Zetsume however, never did like to wear such rubbish.

From the corner of his eye a man appeared from what seemed to be from thin air. Impossible, how are you alive? As the man was the same one he was hired to kill. The same exact man, down to that silly looking grin he had on.

"What have you done to me? I demand to kn-", Zetsume went to speak more but somehow his words fell short to the man when he simply raised his hand and in an instant Zetsume could not speak.

"What have I done to you?", he spoke in a sarcastic way as if he was trying to be-little Zetsume.

"Take a look at your life. How many people have fallen victim to you just because someone told you to kill them? You could not even protect your family from your own, Ahem, what were the words you used? One true love or something?"

Zetsume wanted nothing more than to rip out this man's heart again then stomp on it like he was trying to learn tap dance. How does he know about that incident? Better yet, why can I not move.. The man came walking calmly towards Zetsume, almost as if he knew without a doubt that Zetsume could not move.

Now the man was only inches away from Zetsume's face, with that same fucking smile. Zetsume did not know if it was more annoying that this man was easily manipulating his body, or that stupid fucking grin. Oh how he wished he could just beat that grin off of his face. Each attempt at moving only seemed to be stopped by an unseen force. Which only seemed to entice this man more. Quickly Zetsume tried to evaluate the situation in order to deal with it, because as of now, things are not looking good for him. The man began talking, this time however dissing on his entire clan. Zetsume was not even paying attention though to his words, they fell deaf to his ear. Zetsume was too focused on how to get out.

The man noticed that Zetsume was not paying attention, this only angered him. The man came running full speed and kicked Zetsume hard in the gut which caused him to fly back a couple of feet, grabbing his stomach from the pain.

"It seems I have your attention now. I think you need some motivation." the man chuckled as the word motivation slipped through his snake like tongue. In an instant Zetsume found himself laying on his back sprawled out with spikes running though both of his hands and feet. Pain surged through his body in the same moment, it was unreal how things went from terrible to OH SHIT in two seconds. It was even coming from someone he had already killed. How can you kill a man twice?

Zetsume was now on his back nailed to the ground with some crazy grinning psychopath. The man appeared and put his foot on Zetsume's chest, and in an instant right above Zetsume's body came a boiling pot and a rope. The man grabbed the rope and gave it a tug. From the pulling of the rope it caused the pot to slightly tip as boiling water poured onto Zetsume's chest. Zetsume let out a large yell from the pain as he kept pouring and pouring. Zetsume could see his skin being boiled and burned. Then the pain was gone, and his chest was healed. The pot was even gone. Only the grinning son of a bitch remained. With each attack on Zetsume, it only fueled his want of beating his grin off of his face. Yet still, he could not move as he was still nailed to the ground. The man began to circle Zetsume, kicking dust in his face with each step.

"You see, I was born with an incredible gift. One that has made me a legend, well as locals call me demon. You may have killed me in the physical world, but in here, I reign as judge jury and executioner. I am your devil and welcome to hell."

From there the fun really began as the guy started to use some inventive ways to cause pain to Zetsume. It would be anything from getting his limbs ripped off and beat with them to a simply eye gouge. The man went from one sick and twisted idea to the next. He seemed to enjoy every moment of pain he was causing. Each time he was almost to the point of dying somehow Zetsume would find himself fully healed and the pain would be gone. Though those moments are lived short and far from each other as the man would proceed to his next idea. This went on for hours and days it seemed. It went on for so long that Zetsume thought that this was indeed hell, and he would be trapped here for all eternity for killing this man. Zetsume started to think he deserved the pain that was bestowed upon him, maybe this was his way to atone for all of his sins that he has done. This somewhat brought joy and an ease of mind with each painful experience. Then Zetsume found himself grinning just like the man does. It was somewhat.... Poetic. The victim of this grinning man would indeed grin in the end.

"What do you think is so funny", the man hissed as he grabbed a fist full of Zetsume's hair. Zetsume then did not speak which only made him angrier. The man balled his fist up and  gave a nice hard smack on Zetsume's face. The force was so strong that it caused his nose to break and for him to be sent a couple of feet back. Zetsume easily stood up and spat some blood on the floor. Zetsume knew now exactly what has been going on. Everything before him was an illusion, that this man was indeed dead, but he somehow forced some of his chakra to remain dormant for this one revenge. Zetsume whipped the blood from his mouth and fixed his nose.

"Tell me if I am close. You gained the title demon because of how you could invade peoples nightmares and know what makes them tick. Only problem with this trick is when the owner's mind realizes that it is still in its own mind. You had me fooled into thinking that this was your world, when it is really my world. Not only did you use some odd jutsu on me but you also made it to where i could not sleep and when i first arrived here I would be able to understand what is going on until my body rested for awhile. You should have killed me right away from the start but you couldn't because it would end your existence. Tell me, am I close?", Zetsume said coldly while staring at the man who was just minutes ago trying to make me beg for mercy. It was Zetsume's pride that kept him from begging to this man for mercy. He would never beg, not in this lifetime at least. Zetsume's grin formed even bigger when he could see and feel the fear in this man, that same fearful guy that he saw in the woods.

"I, unlike you, am a merciful man. Do not worry I will not make you suffer like you did to me. I will destroy you and then shit out your chakra in the morning. Thank you for knocking some sense into me, I really needed it."

With a slight motion of his hand Zetsume caused the man to explode into tiny millions of pieces. At last that man was out of his life. Peace felt so nice and so worth it.

In another moment's breath, a sword was plunged straight through Zetsume's heart. Zetsume staggered back only to find the man once again back, with that same damn grin.

"Did you think it would be that easy boy?"

Zetsume pulled the sword out of his chest and healed it almost instantly. How much balls does this man have to attack him in his own mind. Zetsume knew of a better way to handle this. Zetsume raised his right hand and made a lightning chakra bow appear and then shot two shots into the man causing him to disappear. Seconds later he re-appeared and tried to do a downward slash but only caught another arrow to the face. Zetsume could sense the slightest change in the air, everything seemed so in tune. Without this man clearing up his mind, Zetsume would still be in the turmoil state that he has been in. After a few more times of killing him, he was finally gone. Zetsume knew this from when he woke up instantly after killing one. The feeling of being followed and watched was still there but it was not from a stranger but from his puppy Repede. Who happily greeted his master with a ton of licks on the chin. Zetsume loved everything about his home at that moment. Everything from the cold harsh air to the tiny puppy that was smacking him around with his tail. This was indeed a perfect place for him to be at this very moment in time.

After a quick reunion of master and pet, Zetsume had some business to attend to. He had to make sure that the man was really dead. Even though he has about killed the man twenty times now, he still had to be sure. Zetsume quickly hurried to the morgue where the bodies were being processed. The people there looked at Zetsume almost as if they had seen a ghost, then again no one in the town has seen him in a whole week. This is no surprise when most people knew everyone else. After getting through security and getting the proper clearance to examine the body, he finally gets to see if he was dead.

When the body came out, everything seemed normal. Zetsume unzipped the hard rubber bag to see his cold lifeless corpse in it. Though now when Zetsume looked at his body his face had no grin, he could have sworn that the man was grinning right before he died. Zetsume tried asking the other people but all of them said that he looks the same as he did just days before. They tried to ask him why he needed to see the body so urgently and Zetsume really had to beat around the bush until they finally gave into his demand. Zetsume gave them a quick thanks and left the building. While on his way out a woman came running up to him, and even calling out his name.  She came running up in a rather provocative dress that clearly showed more than it should. Zetsume was not one to complain. She had her hair in the pony tail and glasses that seemed to make her emerald eyes shine. She held a folder in her hand, and when she reached him she was out of breath. Zetsume waited until she was done panting to let her speak. She had a voice that only angels could produce. FOCUS, She is saying something important. his mind told him as he stopped staring at her cleavage to hear her out.

"Uh, yes. You were the one who asked about Sven right?"

"Is that his name?"

She shook her head to agree that, that was indeed his name. I did not picture him as a Sven he thought while he tried to focus on her eyes and not her tits. Roughest battle he has yet faced.

"Well I have his personal files right here if you wish to have them. Do not worry on bringing them back, we can make copies."

She held out the folder which Zetsume gladly took and thanked her. She gave a small bow and returned back inside of the morgue.

Zetsume was tempted to flip through his folder on the way back to his house but decided not to as the wind was blowing to hard to let papers get lost in it. Especially ones that held the key to this mystery man. Even though he was hired to kill him, he never once tried to learn his name.

When he arrived Zetsume sat down and began to flip through this man's life it seems. He was an orphan with incredible genjutsu powers when people were sleeping. With a small portion of his chakra he could manipulate peoples dreams into nightmares with ease.

Zetsume flipped through more pages that seemed to only depress Zetsume further. The man killed his wife and kids because of an affair that his wife had. That would explain why he was sent after them. It also seems that this man could extract memories while you were sleeping. Maybe that is how he knew so much.

Zetsume threw the folder on the table and leaned back in the chair. Interesting skill he had. Shame he could not stay sane enough to still be a use to this village. Zetsume gathered the papers and put them in the burn pile just outside of his house. With a simple shot from a fire arrow it began to burn. Zetsume watched as slowly the man called "Demon" burned away.