Ukiyo had been traveling through the barren lands of Tsuchi no Kuni for many miles now, still contemplating the battle with Sousetsu.

The Senju will have their time. My failure to eliminate the head of the clan will not save them. He, with the rest of them, will be buried by my creation. Konoha will be next, and not Sousetsu, not Takeshi, not a soul among them will stand in my way. Like my own, their fate has been sealed. You seem determined. Not determined, resolved. Angry? Hateful.

Ukiyo slowed down to a walk as she began to hear far off footsteps behind her. You're being followed. It would appear so. Ukiyo stopped and confirmed her belief as the feint tapping stopped with her. At about 100 meters behind her, two Konohagakure Anbu stood their ground. It was obvious that she had heard them, having stopped suddenly in a wasteland of stones and plateaus. One of the Anbu called out to her in a firm, confident voice. It seemed welcoming, almost reassuring in a way.

Senju, Ukiyo! We wish to speak with you! Ukiyo's eyes widened. Senju? Her fingers curled in on her fists and her nails dug into her palms. Konoha shinobi. Ukiyo tilted her head to the right, her eyes wide and staring forward. They seemed mindless, like their was nothing but a primal instinct driving her. Her lips were limp, hanging just barely open in dreary expression. Her head rolled back and around to her other shoulder, crackling all along the way. She lifted her head up, then began to turn it to her left. Ukiyo turned her body around and faced the towards the voice. She stared blankly forward, waiting for her targets to approach. The two Anbu walked up to Ukiyo cautiously. One wore a tiger mask while the other wore a fox mask. The one with the fox, Kitsune, wielded a long sword in his hands and had sais at his hips. Each of them had activated their sensory range technique already and were carefully observing Ukiyo and her surroundings as they approached. Ukiyo simply stood in place and watched them. Both of the Anbu were anxious; after all, their target was allowing them to approach her. Neither of them doubted their ability to defend themselves, but the whole situation struck them as odd. Kitsune began channeling chakra into his sword and molding it into Wind as he spoke,

What do you think you're doing here in Tsuchi no Kuni? Kitsune didn't have any intention of getting to know Ukiyo, hearing her side of things, or anything else of that manner. He was baiting her with seemingly meaningless question. No matter how she answered, it would simply help him by hopefully lowering her guard and letting Kitsune approach ever closer. The closer he was, the easier it would be to take Ukiyo out in one sweep of his longsword. Despite his question, however, Ukiyo didn't respond. She continued to stare at them with an eerie stillness about her. A hushing wind ran across the stone floor between them as the three shinobi drew closer in silence. As they came within 50 meters, Ukiyo  lifted her arms slowly.

Ukiyo... Kitsune called out in a dragging, foreboding tone. He was warning her not to use her jutsu, but such a request fell on deaf ears; literally. Ukiyo had already lost consciousness and had been taken over by the will of her plants. Her hands completed their three signs and activated her Living Anatomy jutsu. Just as it finished, grass began to rise up all around her. All the way to 75 meters from her, grass coated the surface of the stone. The two Anbu shinobi had grass beginning to grow on them as well, and it was at this time that they immediately took off. Kitsune leaped into the air while growing his sword over his head. It stretched out to a full 10 meters in length as he closed the remainder of the gap with his jump. It was amplified with Fuuton as well; wind flowing out of the blade in a defined current around it. The blade was coming towards Ukiyo at an alarming speed, slashing through the air as petite blades of grass began to sprout on it.

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As the blade neared her head, Ukiyo's eyes fell shut and her skin began swelling up. It quickly became coarse and thick, brown in color and dry as bone. The sword, now adorned with grass, lodged into the side of her head and became stuck in the bark. Ukiyo didn't flinch. She stood there, waiting for her opponent to do something. Kitsune pulled his sword back several times, but it wouldn't budge. He began channeling chakra into it the same way as before, now with wind blasting out of the side of Ukiyo in a furious stream of shredded bark and gust. Ukiyo's head tilted to the side from the force, and with that, she shot out her hand. She grabbed the Anbu by his coat just as the sword dislodged, then pulled him in. Before she could bring Kitsune's mask up to her now tree-like face however, a flash of lightning shot across the field in between the two of them. It blasted Ukiyo's arm, burning off part of the armor and forcing her to release her grip from the impact. Kitsune hopped back into position with the other Anbu agent, Tora. Kitsune reached into his pouch while holding his sword with his off hand and pulled out two food pills. He passed one to Tora and the two of them were soon devoured. Ukiyo could sense a spike in chakra from the both of them, and in response made a hand sign in front of her face. That one is as good as dead. A seed began sinking in past the ninja's armor and into his pores, coursing through his veins as he digested the food pill. The two ninja began rushing Ukiyo at the first sign of her making a seal, coming at her in an arch-like formation from two separate angles. Ukiyo felt them pound against the grass as they rushed towards her, and slowly slid into a defensive posture. She held her hands out to the side, parallel with an imaginary line dividing the two Anbu's positions. A burst of wind then erupted from Kitsune, surrounding his entire body in a typhoon. It tore up the grass and propelled him forward with immense speed and destructive force. At the same time, Tora became engulfed in a torrent of lightning, matching Kitsune's speed and power as she ran beside him. As they grew closer, their jutsus seemed to grow larger and larger, gathering strength from their momentum as they came barreling towards Ukiyo.

In response, Ukiyo switched back to her casting stance and slammed her palms together. Immediately, several large branches sprouted from all over Ukiyo's body, and a torrent of water began rising from her feet. As it rose above her head, Ukiyo slid two fingers down, forming the tiger seal, and even larger branches began to grow. These were complex networks of branches at this point, and the water made little work out of them. As the torrent grew fiercer, it tore the branches from Ukiyo's body. Some were ripped off whole, some torn in half, but all of the debris ended up in the same place. As the vortex of water rose higher and higher, reaching into the sky, Ukiyo's final two fingers slid down into the snake seal. Now entire trees grew from her trunk, being torn off into her typhoon with shattering sounds of mayhem. The water now swirled with all of the plant matter it had consumed, warning off any who might approach. The two Anbu ninja at this point split from each other, coming around to Ukiyo's flanks. There's no use, this jutsu surrounds us entirely. You cannot reach us in here.

Ukiyo could still tell where the two shinobi were from her grass, and could easily detect that their jutsus were still active. She was more than willing to grow the vortex until it consumed them, however, so at this point it would be a waiting game. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be the case for long. Tora slammed her hands down in front of her, casting a massive seal on the ground that stretched beneath Ukiyo's feet all the way to Kitsune. In a flash, Ukiyo's vortex sunk into the earth it seemed as the seal consumed it. As it was dragged down, the two Anbu were revealed on either side of Ukiyo. Both of their jutsus were still flaring with intensity, and it didn't take long for them to move. As soon as Ukiyo's jutsu had disappeared, the two ninja leaped towards Ukiyo with chakra enough to disintegrate her.

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As Ukiyo felt the two ninja leave their positions and sweep in on her, she herself began sinking into the earth just as her jutsu had. By the time she was fully submerged, the two Anbu met each other directly on top of where Ukiyo was once standing.

Gone. Tora said. She was right, Ukiyo had merged with the roots of her grass bellow and was now putting distance between herself and the two shinobi. The Anbu's sensory technique couldn't pick up Ukiyo while she was merged with the roots, allowing her to remain undetected for as long as need be. Once she was a sizable distance from the two, she re-emerged. She could sense they had released their jutsu and were now waiting for her. Ukiyo put her hands together in a tiger seal and waited for her opponents to make a move. They immediately sensed Ukiyo when she emerged from the ground and now looked over to her position. They nodded to one another and began a second charge. This time Kitsune stayed in front with Tora immediately behind, staying low and watching their feet. Their tactics aren't bad. I wonder if they've any wit though. Ukiyo activated her jutsu as the two Anbu made their way across the barren field yet again. Kitsune wielded his long sword as he did before, still extended and now with a strange glow about it. Tora began pushing out water from her heels, propelling the pair forward along with Kitsune's wind. That jutsu isn't as strong as the last one. Must be for speed. Vines began growing in their path; enormous constructs of plant matter spewed above their heads, wriggling in an ungodly manner. As each one sprouted up, however, Kitsune swept his blade in front of them and sliced the vine with ease. As each one emerged beside them, Tora shouted,

There! and Kitsune delivered. Their teamwork was impeccable, and one by one the vines fell. However this was Ukiyo's plan. They came up in such a fashion as to keep the two Anbu's attention facing forward, so that Ukiyo could grow one directly beneath/behind Tora. It snagged her foot before she could respond in time and dragged her off of Kitsune. Kitsune continued on his path towards Ukiyo as Tora slammed her hand against the vine, drawing it into a seal. Ukiyo then sprouted four vines from her back and curled them around herself, preparing for Kitsune to arrive. When Kitsune's blade was within range, he swept it above his head and came crashing down with it. It was aiming directly for the top of Ukiyo's skull, and even with her armor it would be a painful hit to take head on. Instead, Ukiyo began sinking beneath the earth yet again, just as she did before. Kitsune's blade clashed with the solid ground in an abrupt and dissatisfying *clink*. He lifted it up and smashed it down again and again, making descent progress into the stone, but Ukiyo was already far gone. She was heading towards Tora's position and before long was beneath her. Now then, the support. Ukiyo's vines emerged beneath Tora and surrounded her as Ukiyo herself emerged with them. They wrapped around Tora tightly and restrained her entire body, keeping her from casting hand signs or forming seals.

You pitiful humans. When will you learn to accept your fate? To be one with the soil, to feed your natural ancestors, to give your lives for the continuation of the planet! This is your duty, neigh, your destiny. Won't you accept it? Won't you embrace what you must do? What you must become? Alas, if you cannot, then that is no matter. You will see soon enough. With that, Ukiyo clenched her vines to begin tightening around the shinobi. Bones could be heard snapping and skin tore from the friction. The Anbu screamed before her body was crushed and blood spurted out from the clutches of Ukiyo's vines, dripping down the length of each of them. Ukiyo released the victim, who's body puffed into smoke upon hitting the ground. It had been replaced by a large stone, which came as a surprise to Ukiyo since she hadn't detected any other movement besides Kitsune's. When she turned to look at the male Anbu, she could see what had happened. Tora was now standing on the flat side of Kitsune's blade as he held it out to the side. Moreover, Kitsune was charging Ukiyo once more. She was under the impression that her armor would handle this, seeing as it had in the past. Therefore, she didn't give it much thought. But now that she saw Tora on his blade, the threat became all too real. As Kitsune approached, he swung himself around and threw Tora at Ukiyo using the momentum of his sword, while at the same time extending it for further reach. Tora flew through the air, casting a stream of hand seals as she came within range of Ukiyo.

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As Tora flew towards Ukiyo, forming a variety of hand seals that she knew would be trouble, Ukiyo took a breath in and formed a hand sign with her right hand. Tora was now growing grass across her body as Ukiyo's pinky and index fingers touched. In the blink of an eye, Tora was skewered by a barrage of bamboo. She fell dead out of the air, almost every vital organ damaged beyond repair. As she crashed into the unforgiving ground, the bamboo lodged further into her body, splintering and ripping apart whatever internal structure was left with a passion. She slid almost all the way to Ukiyo, though practically limp by the time she got there. Tora stretched her arm out as blood trickled out of the wounds that now covered her body, trying desperately to reach Ukiyo with her dying breath. Ukiyo felt her hand stretch through the grass and took a quiet, calm step backwards, keeping her just out of Tora's reach. As her fingers curled and her hand began to fall, the Anbu let out a cough of blood with a snarl. Her fingers formed a hand sign and Ukiyo could tell she had something left to offer. Ukiyo immediately took a large leap backwards, and as she flew through the air Tora activated her body removal technique. In a flash of brilliant pyrotechnics, Tora's body was completely disintegrated. Not a trace of it remained, besides the spattered blood across Ukiyo's grass.

As Ukiyo looked up, Kitsune was already directly in front of her. His sword smashed across Ukiyo's chest, taking the wind out of her lungs with the impact. It dug into her armor and grabbed hold of her, and with a mighty swirl of his wrists, Kitsune swept the young girl around on his blade and overhead. He slammed Ukiyo's body into the ground with tremendous force; stone shattered on impact and erupted from beneath her. The shine on his sword began to fade as he pulled it out of Ukiyo's chest, revealing the slice it had made through her armor. A massive gash could be seen across her torso, seeping blood onto the floor below. It was incredibly deep, though didn't seem to pierce all the way through. On top of that, it seemed to only have nicked her lungs. As Kitsune re-centered his sword on Ukiyo, it began to glow again with a light she had just seen. Ukiyo already activated her jutsu the moment Kitsune's blade made contact, though, and now her body was well under way of repairing itself. The wound was nearly halfway done healing, giving Ukiyo more than enough ability to maneuver. Kitsune raised his magnificent sword above his head once more, readying himself for the final blow. The blade then dropped, falling with the strength of a Sannin towards her yet again. Before he could bring it down, however, Ukiyo sprang backwards on her hands and flung her body out of the way. The sword made contact with stone as Ukiyo dodged Kitsune's attack (for a second time that day), shattering the already crumbled rock that lay there. Once out of the way, Ukiyo made a hand sign as her feet slid through grass. Kitsune swept his sword up yet again and lengthened it dramatically to catch her as she dodged, but the attack was clumsy and easy to follow. Ukiyo leaped up as the sword flew through the air beneath her. As she came back down, her jutsu activated. The Anbu agent dropped his sword suddenly, and began feeling his chest. Something was growing inside of him, he could feel his lungs be pushed up against his ribs and slowly his internal organs shift out of place. Kitsune knew what was happening; it was over. As a samurai, he had no way of stopping this jutsu. It was the end of the line for the promising Anbu, and this would make the second Konoha shinobi today that Ukiyo put an end to. Before her jutsu could reach maturity, Kitsune made a hand seal that Ukiyo immediately recognized. She leaped back once more as the Anbu agent lit up, exploding as the previous one did in a terrific show of pyrotechnics. As Ukiyo surveyed the area, sure that there was nothing remaining of her tail besides the blood-stained grass, her plants slipped their consciousness back into the recesses of Ukiyo's mind, allowing her to take over.

What? What happened here? Oh God... Relax Ukiyo, this is your first step towards the destruction of the leaf. These shinobi were nothing but trouble, nothing but murderous humans, and now they are gone. We shall pave the way to a new world, Ukiyo. This is merely the beginning.

3095/3000 ~Complete~