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| - Akira winced as she removed the bandages around her otherwise abdomen. She allowed the bloodied bandages to fall around her feet. Looking in the mirror, Akira traced the jagged shrapnel would with her finger. How Ironic the great Akira of The Explosion Release takes a piece of shrapnel in the field. Akira thought to herself. The crescent shaped wound still stung, despite being a week old. Even with the extensive medical treatment, the would would certainly scar. Just another battle reminder Akira would be forced to wear on her skin. This made the third and by far the largest wound she had received since the war began. There was little to be done about it. It was unlikely these scars would be the only ones she received, as the end of the war was far beyond the horizon. Akira didn't have time to dwell on her new body imperfections, as it was already mid morning and she knew Shiga and Garyu had already beaten her to the war room. Throwing on her undershirt and mesh top, Akira exited the bathroom and spotted Michi sitting absentmindedly on her bed, seemingly unaware of her presence. The young boy stared ahead as if fixated on something, despite there only being the dimly lit wall to look at. "You still don't like having your own room?" Akira asked her facial expression dull but her voice showing rare compassion for her long time companion. Continuing to speak, Akira began walking over the the small dresser wedged into the nearby corner. "Shiga was very generous about our housing. He tried very hard to make us feel like guests rather than refugees. You should at least try to..." "It's not that I hate it Lady Akira." Michi replied, cutting Akira off. "I just don't like being so far from you. I feel like I can't keep you protected if I'm not in the same room." Akira quickly pulled on her shorts and sat down on the bed next to Michi to get her shoes on. Shiga had indeed been generous with their housing, providing both Akira and Michi with adjacent rooms in a relatively luxurious inn. The inn was not far from the tower in which Garyū and Shiga lived. Over the past month Michi and Akira had lived comfortably, the complete opposite of the week they had spend trying to reach Amegakure. Though Akira still found that rest never came easily, it was a unfathomable load off her back to not only know she was safe, but that Michi was as well. "Thank you Michi." Akira replied as she finished dawning her footwear. "I truly do appreciate it. But I don't want you worrying over me if it costs you sleep. Every minute of sleep lost tonight is a minute of energy lost tomorrow." "I understand Lady Akira." "We should hurry. We don't want to be late to today's briefing." Michi nodded and sat up off the bed, waiting for Akira to pass him before following her out the door. "Wow...just wow." Garyū scoffed folding his arms across his broad chest. "She's late...yet again. I honesty don't know what wrong with this chick.... Like...she's not even all that good looking and she takes so long getting ready for these meetings..." He continued to complain much to Shiga annoyance. "Damnit Garyū, shut up. Geez. It has been a whole month. When are you going to let that petty little fight go?" Shiga shouted, banging his hand on the table. For a few moments the two brothers stared into each other's eyes, with Shiga's being of a dark shade of blue. The tension of the two brothers was continuing to skyrocket the longer they looked at each other. "Guys...calm down. I'm sure Akira and Michi are on their way as we speak." Jin informed, attempting to comfort his brothers, even though he knew Garyū hated the ground she walked on. "In fact..the two are closer than you think." Just as Jin spoke footsteps could be heard outside the door to the war room, to people by the sound of it. One larger than the other and traveling at a casual pace, but even without these indicators Shiga, Jin and Garyū all knew it was Akira and Michi. Michi was the first to enter, with Akira only a single stride behind. Michi was dressed in his full attire, jacket and all despite being indoors. Akira on the other hand lacked her jacket, only wearing her undershirt, mesh top and shorts. Her long brown hair hung down past her waist, still wet from her shower. Without a word the two of them stud next to Shiga, looking down on the detailed map of The Land of Rain that occupied much of the table. The map was dotted with small black figures and white figures, a majority of the black pieces gathered around the area representing Amegakure and the white figures forming an almost perfect circle. If Akira had the scale of the map correct, the radius of the circle was about ten kilometers. It wasn't very hard to deduce that the white figures represented the Zetsu forces and the black represented Amegakure's forces. Though she tried to ignore this detail, Akira couldn't help but notice there were many more white pieces than black. "Oh look. She finally decided to show up." Garyū scoffed, leading back in his chair relaxing his feet on the table. He grinned while doing so, watching as the young woman stud beside Shiga. Akira continued studying the map as Garyū spoke, showing no reaction as she had done many times over the past month. Michi looked over at Garyū, but the expression in his face remained neutral. Over the past month they had learned to ignore's comments, which wasn't difficult for either of them considering their fixation on the war at hand. "Have the scouting parties reported any significant information?" Akira finally asked, speaking to no one in particular. "Awwh. She's ignore me." Garyū cooed, crumbing up a piece of paper. "Hey Babes, how you doing?" He teased, throwing the paper at her. As the crumpled paper flew through the air towards Akira's head, Michi's hand emerged form his coat and moved in a blurred swipe. A moment later, a single senbon needle struck Garyū's paper projectile and stuck it into the wall of the war room. Surprised by Michi's sudden reaction, Garyū gashed his eyes at the young boy before smiling. "Awwww. He's defending her." The childish young man said. "Garyū! Seriously!" Shiga blurted in a rage. "Can you please stop!?" "I grow tired of your pestering." Michi stated coldly with his eyes locked on Garyū. The boy's sudden words surprised even Akira, who was very much used to a dormant and reserved Michi. "Regardless of the fact I do not know how long a wounded pride takes to heal, I feel your pettiness is a simple hindrance to the goals of this village, the village you so confidently seem to think you will lead to victory." Akira stud beside Michi, participial wanting to silence the young boy and preventing him from angering the short tempered Uchiha, but at the same time curious as to how Garyū was going to react to Michi's outburst. Everyone what speechless by Michi sudden act of emotion. Shiga was infuriated by Garyū constant picking and he often wondered why. Jin stood silently, listening to the bickering between the parties. "I knew it." Garyū laughed leaning back in the chair he was sitting in. "So you aren't a blank slate of non existing emotions." Garyū continue to tease. "It's about time you some form of human activity. Judging by how you've been acting I can tell that you've been struggling with a much deeper conflict than your home being destroyed." Michi looked at Garyū with his default brown eyes, doing a superb job of keeping his composure. Michi's mind already had a dozen well planned comebacks and was in the process of selecting the most hurtful set of words he had when Akira walked by him. She moved around the war table and closed the distance between her and Garyū, stopping just shy of walking into him. The two of them stood there, glaring at each other for a few moments, the tension thick as a toxic sledge. When Akira finally spoke, her words were filled not with harmful venom, but a eerie seriousness. "It has been almost a month since Michi and I came here. We have fought countless enemies and killed them all in the name of Amegakure. Despite all of this, you still can't seem to stand us. Why?" "Oh no... See you are mistaken." Garyū replied standing up from his seated position to stand up, towering over the young woman. "I actually understand the two of you quite well, more than you think." He glared down into the eyes of Akira. "You loss your homeland to the likes of Black Zetsu. That pain stained the two of you, created deep wounds that don't seem to heal. I know what that feels like... I too have lost people that I deeply cared for. By first glance, you wouldn't be able to tell.... I've studied the two of you for quiet some time. You can't shake of the events of the past, their grip on you is far too great. You can't hold on to those events, you can't use your hatred to eliminate your pain of loss. But instead, you must use their good memories to strive for the greater good of everyone else. Learn to open up to others. You can never move forward if you constantly hold on to the past." Akira looked up into Garyū's eyes, her poker face holding strong. Akira couldn't help but be impressed at the Uchiha's analysis of her and Michi. She couldn't deny the truth in what he said, but at the same time she knew he had effectively dodged her question. As much as she wanted to know why exactly Garyū disliked her, it was obvious now was not the time to probe for answers. There wasn't much to do at this point besides wait for Shiga to separate her and Garyū in order to continue briefing them on their current state of affairs. "That's enough Garyū. You nee-" Shiga was cut off by Garyū's hand lifted hand. Before anyone could speak again; Garyū pressed his large hand on the side of Akira's, softly caressing it along her excellently carved cheekbones. Though she would probably be distraught by his sudden display of affection, he didn't bother to rethink his actions, hoping that instead of having to explain, that she would figure out what the signs meant. After few seconds of this, Garyū removed his hand and turn toward Shiga. "We can continue." Genuinly surprised by Garyū's actions, Akira stud completely motionless for a few moments. It took a conscious effort to keep her facial expression from changing, something is seemed to do naturally these days. Michi was equally surprised, expecting another smug comment from Garyū rather than his shocking display. Michi wasn't quite sure whether to feel angry, happy or somewhere in between, but regardless he was confused. Though his face showed minimal movement, Michi couldn't help but barely raise an eyebrow at the situation. Akira, hoping she wasn't blushing, turned her head to Shiga and asked "Please, begin the briefing." "Well it was surely nice of you to hsbd the spotlight be to me.." Shiga argued sarcastically straightening his posture to continue speaking. "So guys as you know, we are basically surrounded be Zetsu on all sides. The ultimately means that sooner or later.. We're going to be attacked and wiped out. Now.. I've managed to set up a rendezvous with an official of Sunagakure. If this is successful, we will have the full support of the Hidden Sand on our side." Shiga paused for a moment, letting the bee sink in before continuing. "You two and others will travel to that point and establish a connection so we can win this for good." "How are we to get to Sunagakure?" Akira asked, Garyū's advance already having been shoved to the back of her mind. "If I recall our intel suggests that the Zetsu forces on the boarder is heavily defended. We could try to enter through the Land of Rivers or the Land of Stone, but we know little about their boarder with the Land of Wind." "Are we supposed to make it all the way to Sunagakure?" Michi chimed in. "With supplies how it is, any delays caused by enemy forces could be dangerous in the desert." "Of course I don't expect you to make it all the way there... That why we've set up a rendezvous point with the Suna-nin, so that way we can eliminate any unnecessary casualties." Shiga replied almost immediately. "The thing about that is... Someone's gonna do it... And no one wants to volunteer or be volunteered into a mission that could possibly end in their death." "So your taking no chances and sending out some of the top shinobi." Akira observed. "How long do we have to prepare for the mission? "I would like for us to be ready by tomorrow... But we can working with your earliest convenience." Shiga replied once more leaning his back against the brick wall. "Alright." Akira looked at Michi, then at Garyu. "If the rest of the unit is up to it, we should leave at sunset. That way we will be able to avoid the scorching heat of the desert. This plan work for you Garyu?" "Sure. I'm just ready to end this. I should have everything I need at sunset.... I shall go prepare for everything while it's still on my mind." Garyū stated jokingly exiting the conference room. Michi and Akira followed Garyū out the door into the hall way, leaving Shiga alone in the briefing room. Michi began making his way toward Akira's room but stopped when he realized Akira was not following. "Shouldn't we be getting ready?" Michi asked and Akira looked in the direction Garyū had gone. "Akira?" "You go ahead and begin the preparations for the mission." Akira answered. "I'll go see if I can get any extra supplies for one of the storerooms." Michi simply stared at Akira for a moment, not at all fooled by her lie. He considered asking her of her true motives until Akira shot him a stern look. With that Michi turned and began walking towards Akira's room. Hastily making her way down the hallway Garyū had gone down, Akira quickly caught up to Garyū. As the young man turned around, Akira drove her hand into the base of his neck and pinned him against the wall. Before even giving Garyū a chance to question what Akira was doing, he had his answer. "What the hell was that?" Akira asked in a almost robotic tone. Taken by complete surprise, Garyū's eyes widened as he was thrown into the wall and was then encountered by a ticked off Akira. His check rested against the cold brick wall, he eyes scanned his surroundings before being his attention back to Akira. "Whoa shit you scared me." Garyū mused, letting a chuckle or two slip from his breath. "I'll let you once you let me go." Rather than releasing her grip, Akira only pressed Garyū into the wall harder. "I don't know what kind of game your trying to play with me, but I don't have patience for any of it. I suggest you keep your hand to yourself and stick to your bitchy comments before you really make me mad." "So says the girl who has me physically pinned again the wall." He joked more. "You seriously need to take a chill pill." After speaking, Akira would feel as if her grip were loosening on Garyū. He began to slowly lift himself from the wall, turning slightly to make eye contact with her. It was that that moment, Garyū would have seemingly got a suddenly burst of strength from out of nowhere. Then out of shocking turn off events, Garyū had literally begun to defy Akira's forceful grip. Now completely off the wall, the young man was facing her direction as he removed her hand from his neck; placing it to her side. For a moment there was silence between them. Garyū slowly reached his hand upward, cupping her chin. His eyes beamed into hers. And then..... He removed his hand and slowly walked away. Akira stood motionless as Garyū rounded the corner and went out of sight. For a few moments, Akira remained still, gritting her teeth and clenching her fists. Since the slaughter of Hoshigakure, anger was been an emotion Akira had become well accustom to. Every waking moment of her life since falling into the mass grave of her fellow villagers had been consumed by the silent rage that burned deep within her soul. But this felt different. A new anger was bubbling up to the surface, but Akira didn't know where to direct it. She wanted to be mad at Garyū, but that somehow didn't feel right. She wanted to be mad at herself, but still the anger felt misplaced. Not knowing what to do with herself, Akira lased out at the adjacent wall with a furious punch. The blow send a wave of intense pain down her arm, but Akira welcomed the pain. It was something to be upset about besides the world. When Akira returned to her room, Michi had already gathered the entirety of their collection of ninja tools out on the queen sized bed. Every item was in a neatly laid out pile, every shuriken, kunai, senbon, explosive tag, food pill and miscellaneous item in its own space on the bed. Akira tossed a small white case onto the corner of the bed, next to a large coil of wire string. "I managed to get two syringes filled with painkillers form the medical tent." Akira explained. "I cashed in on the favor Akane owed me." Though Michi fully registered Akira's words, his focus was directed at the bruises on Akira's right hand, a fact that was not lost on Akira herself. "Don't worry about it Michi. I'm fine." "Yes." Michi seemed to agree. "Your alright, because I'm here to ensure of that." "Thank you Michi." Akira made her way towards the bathroom before Michi could give a reply. Though she genuinely appreciated her young companion's gesture, his words didn't possess the emotional relief they usually did. None of that mattered now. The only thing Akira could afford to worry about now was a good night's sleep to ensure her full strength for the coming mission. Slipping off her attire, Akira stepped into the shower and turned on the water. As the lukewarm pellets of water began peppering her body, Akira slumped into the corner, allowing her tears to mix in with the water. Knobs of the faucet screeched as they were shut off, the droplets slowly leaked until the flow of water ceased completely. The shower door flung open, revealing Garyū in all his naked glory. The bathroom was fogged with steam, the moisture from the air stained the mirrors. On the wall near him conveniently sat a rack of towels neatly folded into large rectangular shapes. "Tch.." Garyū voiced. "Such a perfectionist." Removing a single towel from the rack, Garyū wrapped it around the lower half of his body. Crabbing another, Garyū starting to dry off his wet hair, making it frizz in the process. The young man sighed lowly to himself, feeling as if the final days were coming closer. Whether I'd be a good or bad thing, only time could tell. Images of his dad flooded his mind, creating a small migraine making him nearly lose balance. "It'll all be over soon." Garyū tried to reassure himself, knowing that thing would probably get worse. Unlike his brother's optimistic nature, Garyu was more on the gloomy and self pity side. No one could ever tell because he had a hell of a good way of not showing it. Bursting from the bathroom door Garyū entered his room along with the steam that flowed from behind. On his bed where supplies packed and ready to go for the trip. It was surely a dangerous one, one that Garyū was sure that he would not make it from. After dressing himself, small knocks were heard at the door be fore it was slowly opened, revealing Garyū's brother. "Are you all ready to go?" Shiga questioned. "Well yeah...... I have this gut feeling that something bad is going to happen." Garyū sighed heavily resting his face within his hand. "And to be frank.... I'm really scared to see what that is." It was almost as of Garyū was a completely different person, Shiga was astonished at how vulnerable he looked. He wasn't able to process what his ears had just heard. "Listen Garyū..." Shiga started. "I can clearly see the sun rising above the horizon. Can't you see it too? This isn't the time to lose faith when we are a few steps away. We've made it this long. We will succeed. But only if we do this together." Shiga outstretched his hand toward Garyū. "Will you help me end this?" Through the encouraging words of his twin, Garyū had nearly cried from the thought of breaking free fr Zetsu's hold. Fighting back the tears that rushed their way into his eyes, Garyū gripped his brother's hand before he was pulled into a tight hug. "Once again, brother. You're right... Let's end this." Atop one of the desert's many tall dunes, Akira lay prone, a small telescope held in her hands as she scanned the vast ocean of sand. The rest of the Amegakure task force waited down at the base of the dune, waiting for Akira to inform them of what lay beyond. The team had traveled straight through the night, avoiding the scorching heat that persisted during the daytime. Now the sun was just peering over the horizon, gradually warming the sand and it continued to ascend. The task force had intended to locate shelter before temperature rose, but locating a suitable location had proven difficult in the bare desert. However, Akira believed she had found exactly what they were looking for. "I think I see an Oasis about a kilometer to the Southeast." Akira yelled down to Garyū. "That's probably the best we're going to get for shelter. There'll probably be water there too." Garyū attention was grasped by Akira before it was redirected to the oasis she claimed to have seen. "Alright" he simply replied before turning to he follow shinobi. "Come on guys! We're almost here!" He encourage as they arrived at the edges of the oasis. Upon finally reaching their destination, Garyū collapsed on the ground. "Phew... I'm beat.." He voice spreading his wingspan on the sandy floor. Though Akira's body demanded rest after the continuous journey, she calmly began searching the oasis for water, determined to refill her canteen before resting. Michi, his body under similar strain, followed close behind. "After everyone catches their breath have them set up a perimeter." Akira called to Garyū. "Michi and I will bring back some water if we find any." Garyū simply agrees by nodding Hus head. As Akira trails off, Garyū regains his stance strong ground and command the rest of the crew to set up Akira's perimeter. Deep within his conscious, the young man felt that something would bound to happen at their least convenience. In order to be prepared for such events, the Uchiha teen kept constant watch over his surroundings.. "I have a terrible feeling... Damn Zetsu..." It didn't take very long for Akira to discover a small spring bubbling up from between the foliage. Though the small body of water hardly exceeded Akira's arm span, it appeared clean and cool in the shade of the nearby trees. Akira filled up her own canteen and reached into her bag to retrieve some of the water purification tablets she had packed. Though it was tempting to immidiately begin gulping down large quantities of the apparently clean water, Akira's discipline dictated that she play it safe and wait the full ten minutes for the tablets to neutralize any unseen threats. Only after she deemed the water safe would Akira and Michi return to the rest of the group and fill their canteens as well. "Can we trust Garyū?" Michi asked, breaking the silence between the two companions. Akira pondered the question for a moment, not completely confident in how to answer Michi's question. "I don't believe he means us any harm Michi. But I'm not sure what his exact intentions are. He's proven his loyalty to Amegakure, and that even if he may not like us, he will fight alongside us for the sake of the village. In this war, in defeating Zetsu, I beleive we can trust him." "And otherwise?" "We'll worry about that when this war is over and Zetsu is eviscerated." Akira and Michi exchanged glances, neither completely sure what the other was thinking. Akira could at times be very deceitful with her expressions, while Michi never displayed any facial expressions at all. It was strange for both the young shinobi, to not know what the one person they cared for most felt. Neither knew what to make of the situation, and both mad a silent agreement to drop the subject. As Akira took a sip of her water, which appeared to be perfectly drinkable, Michi felt a sudden shift in the air. This didn't go unnoticed by Akira, whom after putting away her canteen felt the strange alteration in the air as well. "It appears someone had located us." Michi stated, his hand subtly inching towards one of the kunai hidden in his jacket. Without speaking herself, Akira looked towards the sky and spat into the air. When the saliva reached its zenith, it exploded like a large firecracker, causing a bang which resonated clearly throughout the oasis. Meanwhile at the perimeter, the men talked amongst themselves about the two "new" comrades. "Garyū... So, what do you think of Akira?" One man asked. Genuinely surprised by the suddenly question, Garyū pondered momentarily before answering, "Uhh well... I don't really a problem.. I'm not good at reading people... That what Shiga is for." He finished, looking around the area with his crimson eyes peeled. "Yeah... Shiga does have a way with reading people... We survived this long, I'm sure we can make it, with or without those two." Are that comment, the area grew quiet. The wind blew, howling in the ears of the Ame warriors. Garyū just could seem to shake the dark presence that lingered on his back... "Something isn't right." He said mere seconds before Akira's signal went off. Noticing the flare, Garyū gripped his massive sword. "Come on guys! Let's see what that was!" Michi, his hand wrapped around the kunai concealed under his jacket, pressed his back up against Akira's as they both carefully scanned the surrounding foliage. Akira prayed that the rest of the Ame group would arrive quickly. Hopefully the sudden arrival of reinforcements would deter any would be attacker, but Akira's hopes were not high. So far on the journey they had encountered absolutely no enemy forces. Though the group was knowingly taking the path of least resistance, Akira had expected at least some resistance as they entered The Land of Wind. "Should we move towards the rest of the task force?" Michi asked while continuing to scan for the threat. "We'll hold our position, keep the enemy's attention." Akira answered. "That way the rest of the task force has a chance to surprise them, or better yet, stumble across them and allow us to attack from two directions." Akira's tactical explanation was interrupted by the sound of rustling leaves at their flank. The two shifted positions, remaining back to back but with Akira facing the noise. With Michi covering her back, Akira prepared to face a potential enemy force, her muscles tensing in anticipation. Garyū and the rest of the team rushed through the oasis before time revealed Akira and Michi's position. He knew that something must've gotten their attention in order for Akira to call reinforcements. Garyū and his group slowed their movement, seeing at Akira was tense and ready to spike, Garyū too scanned the area. And with his blessed visual prowess he would most likely be able to uncover the hiding perpetrator. "What is it, Akira?" Garyū asked impatiently. A single sweat bullet trailed down the side of his face before falling into the dry sand. Akira couldn't help but release a shallow sigh of relief when the rustling turned out to be Garyū and the rest of the task force. Michi too was relieved, the only indication being his shoulders slightly lowering as his muscles relaxed. "I don't think we're alone in the oasis." Akira explained, continuing to scan her flanks. "We should try to move out to the open where we can't be ambushed. We have no idea what..." Akira paused, her eyes passing between the rest of the Amegakure task force with alarming concern. "Our sensory ninja is missing." She stated bluntly. Akira's words had confirmed Garyū's earlier suspicion, they weren't alone in thus dry desert. Garyū's heart rate started to slowly increase as she spoke. Then suddenly, she stopped. "Akira... What? What is it?" "Our sensory ninja is missing." She stated. Garyū's crimson eyes widened as he turned back toward the direction he can from. "Could someone have slipped right past us, unnoticed?!?" He thought angrily as he began to pace in that direction. "Garyū!" Akira shouted after him. Instinctively Akira and the rest of the Ame task force followed Garyū as he made his way back through the foliage. "He's going to get himself killed." "We shouldn't stick in a large group like this." Michi stated. "Why, aren't we at risk of being picked off one by one?" one of the other members of the task fore asked. "Spreading everyone too thin would be equally dangerous." Michi explained. "But stating in one large group, the enemy can easily keep track of us all and plan to take everyone out with a single large scale attack. If their strategy is to stick to the shadows, then dividing into smaller groups and covering each other may be a better option." "Michi makes a good point." Akira agreed. "Once we get Garyū to calm down, we can..." Akira's words were interupted by a sharp scream form one of the other Ame Kunoichi. Before Akira could even ask what frightened her ally, she saw it too. The Ame task force had made an abrupt halt, every one of their eyes locked on the mummified corpse slumped against the thick trunk of an oasis palm tree. The skin was dry and leathery, as if the corpse had been lying their for ages, yet the distinctive Amegakure uniform remained in near perfect condition, hardly more than a speck of sand upon the headband. "Ayumu senpai?" The kunoichi murmured." "Damn it" Akira growled. "Garyū better get over here." The sound of horrified screams, startled Garyū tremendously, resulting in substantially increased heart rate and sweaty palm. As Akira instructed. he walked toward she and Michi as they inspected the shriveled up body of the Ame nin. Garyū laid his eyes upon his and was traumatized by what he saw. Falling to his knees, Garyū lightly touch the edge of her face. "What....happened?" He left out, almost tearfully. "Oh my goodness." A fellow shinobi whispered. "H-his body is..." Another started. "This looks.... As if her entire body was dehydrated. It must be!.." Garyū mind scanned for answers. "Scorch Release! Everyone... I think I may know who this attacker is." "Just by their Kekkei Genkai? Your sure it's Scorch Release?" Akira asked, showing rare concern. "I've only read about Scorch Release." Michi inquired. "My Water Release may prove useful, but only as a hindrance to the enemy's..." Michi's words trailed off as the temperature of the air suddenly increased. Acting with haste, Michi formed a rapid series of hand seals, his hands almost a blur. Just as Michi completed his seals, water began erupting up from between the loose sand of the oasis, just in time to meet the massive wave of bright fire that had been traveling through the foliage. The water and fire collided, causing a steamy fog to envelope the area. "Damn it!" Akira shouted, unable to see what was happening though the steam. "Michi, Garyū, everyone all right?" "Yeah... I'm fine." Garyū assured looking throughout the stream filled area. "What about the rest of you?" From with the thick mist, Garyū had only heard two voices. Which caused him to grow concerned. For now, as with everyone else, Garyū's vision was too impaired. Even though he was things in greater detail, courtesy to his Sharingan. All he could take note of was massive blockage of chakra in the area. "Damn.... Even my vision is blocked..." "Garyū.. The rest of the team seem to unresponsive.. Do you think they could be--..." He was cut off by Garyū. "I can only hope that they managed to escape... It's highly doubtable at this point.." As the steam cleared, Garyū's fears were confirmed. Three mummified corpses lay scattered about, all having been healthy humans mere moments ago. Besides Akira, Michi and Garyū himself, only two other members of the task forced remained, meaning half the Amegakure task force was already gone. In the span of a mere minute, the enemy had vanquished five of Ame's elite. If Garyū's assumption regarding the identity of the attacker was correct, this would prove as no surprise. "I'm sorry." Michi said between his fatigued breaths as he dropped down to a knee. "I couldn't make the water wall big enough to protect everyone." Akira placed her hand reassuringly on Michi's back, still scanning for threats among the now barren section of desert. "You did everything you could Michi. You saved everyone you could save." "It wasn't enough." Michi murmured. "What the hell was that?" One of the other Ame ninja cried out. "Everything is just gone! We gotta get out of here before..." "Run and I might as well kill you myself and save the enemy the trouble!" Akira roared at the panicking shinobi. Her words had the desired effect, freezing her ally in his tracks. "My my." A feminine voice called out. Emerging from behind one of the few trees that survived the inferno, a cloaked figure approached the remainder of the task force, casually strolling out into the middle of the scorched foliage. "Watching all you fools lose your heads like this is more amusing than I anticipated. I almost wish someone was recording you so I could watch your frantic expressions over and over again. But alas, I'm just going to have to settle for watching them melt off you bodies instead." Garyū was in shock after the person had revealed to be a former "acquaintance" of his. Truly an awe stuck sight. Not able to fully wrap his head around what he was seeing, Garyū was at a lost for words. His left eye twitched slightly from the anxiety, and from such anxious feeling, his crimson eyes involuntary reverted back into his normal state. "Ju? What? I'm not understanding. How are you even alive? Where did you.... How could you? What happened to you?!?" He shouted wildly, staring into her purplish hue irises. "My dear Garyū, you act like you've seen a ghost." She giggled ignoring all the questions thrown her way. "You know this harpy?" Akira questioned Garyū, her tone suggesting her words were an accusation as much as it was a question. "What, he never told you about me?" The woman asked, her tone ominously cheery. "We were all well antiquated once, Garyū, Shiga and myself. Things were actually quite pleasant until they left me for dead." "She's form Amegakure Senpai?" One of the Task Force survivors asked, his question directed at Garyū. Garyū sighed heavily with his darkened eyes beam Jureu like lasers blasting her head off. "Yes.. She is." He admitted must to his team's dismay. "I don't know how you survived, Shiga and I were sure that you died. I don't understand. What happened to you?!? You use to hate killing, but one you've become ruthless." He spat clenching his fists in anger. "W-what does she mean left for dead?" The other one asked. "You make it seem as if we wanted to leave you!! I warned you that the mission was risky, but you insisted anyway. It was either risk the entire fleet on saving you or risk your life on saving the entire fleet. Shiga and I chose the lesser of two evils." "Is that it?" Jueru asked, taking a slow step forward. "Is that how it works with you Garyū, simple mathematics? You do not value the lives of nameless soldiers over the life of a dear friend simply because that is what the numbers dictate? See, that's what I always hated about you. You can be so simple. I swear, if not for..." A shuriken cut Jueru's words short, forcing her to tilt her head to the side in order to avoid the rotating blades. Several strands of her long red hair were severed by the projectile. The two surplus survivors of the Ame task force both charge past Garyū, each wielding kunai with lethal intent towards Jueru. "Well then... bring it, babes." She mused at she slowly began to walk forward. "Yes darlings, run right into your demise." She said yet again, dodging a lethal swing of the first kunai. Her moves were so swift, never lacking a single grain of grace and elegance. As the other charged in, Jureu calmly withdrew her own ninja tool, and with it, she tore right through the Ame nin's body; spilling blood and remain onto the sandy floor. The first attacker watched in horror as his comrade was easily discarded at the young lady's hand. She giggled sinisterly, slowly turning her eyes to meet his. "Well looks like your next." Bringing the bloodied tool above her head, which appeared to be little more than a metal ring, Jueru swiftly brought the weapon down towards her victim's neck, but rather than cutting into flesh Jueru felt her weapon meet a sudden halt. Shifting her gaze to see what had stopped her attack, Jueru found Akira holding a kunai in the path of her ring. The two konoichi exchanged tense glances, neither seemingly able to push the other back, the two weapons hovering over the neck of the Ame nin, who seemed to be frozen in place. The tense staring contest only lasted a few moments before Jueru let out a brief giggle. "Valiant effort." Jueru snickered. "But you'll have to do better than that. As Jueru finished speaking, the metal ring began emitting an intense heat. Akira refused to be detoured by temperature alone, but as the ring began tuning a bright white, the end of her kunai was sheered off. The white hot ring quickly sliced through the remaining Ame nin and Akira had little choice but to fall back. "Damn it." Akira growled. "Aww baby.. Don't look so upset." She amusingly stated licking the hot ring. "I'm getting quite hot." She continued looking Akira directly in the eyes. "All this death! It's starting to turn me on!" She yelled ecstatically groping her voluptuous melons. "Oh Garyū! Come to me! I want to feel the weight of you on top of me, right here, right now!" Garyū returned her statement with a look of utter disgust. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He spat angrily. "Well fine..." She shrugged before looking back at Akira. "What about you?" Akira raised an eyebrow at Jueru, unsure if the woman was making an attempt at some sort of twisted humor or a serious offer. "She's insane." Akira murmured. "I concur." Michi agreed. "I think we need to attempt to leave the area. If she's with Zetsu it is likely more enemies will be arriving shortly." "I agree Michi, as much as I want to see this crazy witch in pieces." "Are you two talking about me?" Jueru yelled over to Michi and Akira. "If your arguing over who gets me first, the boy is out. I don't like them so..." Jueru's words were cut off as Akira threw the broken kunai her way. The damaged weapon however was stopped short of its target when Jueru swiftly slipped her index finger into the ring at the base of the handle, using the momentum of the throw to spin it around her finger. "I see your not big on manners." "I've had about enough of the flaming whore over here." Akira growled. "Says the girl wearing tight little hooker shorts." "Shut up! Time for you to blow away." "Do you intend to make me?" "I'm amazed you haven't noticed it yet." Jueru wore a puzzled look on her face as she tried to decode what Akira was referring to. A look of realization washed over Jueru's face as the broken kunai around her finger stopped spinning. It had been nearly invisible while the weapon was in motion, but now the faint purple aura around the weapon was visible. Before Jueru had time to react, Akira had already slammed her hands together. "Explosion Release: Fury Shot!" A forceful explosion erupted from where Jueru had stud only moments before, kicking up sand and obstructing the view of everyone present. The three survivors of the Ame task force were all forced to shield their eyes, unable to determine if Akira's attack had been effective or not. The sudden explosion startled even Garyū, as he shielded his eyes from the sand and other forms of debris. Just before the explosion, Jureu managed to somewhat melt the kunai to reduce its explosion radius, saving her from suffering extreme damage. The dust cleared soon thereafter, revealing a tattered Jueru, whose hair was slightly frizzled from the explosions impact, it only left minor injuries; however is pissed the red inferno off, not because she has been damaged, but because... Part of her beautiful red hair managed to be burnt away, leaving her left side longer than her right. And after noticing this, the young woman's blood began to boil. "Ughvggfdfxvhgcc." She screamed inaudibly. "You bitch! My hair! My beautiful red hair!" Garyū eyes stared blankly at Jureu as she went on about her hair. "Oh wow." He said, chuckling lightly at the unraveling events. "She burnt her hair... Well things are about to go up in flames..." Garyū joked while even in a bad time, referring to both of the girl's fiery kekkei genkai. "This is no time for jokes Garyū." Akira stated, her eyes locked on Jueru as she began grabbing at the singed red strands of hair. "We have to end this quick, let's go." Without waiting for a response, Akira began running a wide arc towards Jueru's right flank, scooping up a handful of blackened sand as she ran. Jueru, still distraught about her hair, didn't notice Akira until the kunoichi was already at her flank. Akira's attack was very clever indeed, had Jueru not attempted to melt the kunai before tossing it away, the blast would have surely been powerful enough to maim, or even kill her. But the Ame konoichi had made the mistake of leaving Jueru capable of launching a counter attack, a mistake Jueru would take full advantage of. In an instant the metal ring in Jueru's hand once again turned white hot, heat radiating off the weapon. With a graceful spin to gain momentum, Jueru threw the ring in Akira's direction. The scorching ring soared towards Akira, but was intercepted in mid flight by a speeding blast of water that both cooled the ring and knocked it off course. "Get her Akira!" Michi shouted, his hands still clasped together in the Tiger hand seal. With Michi having opened up the opportunity, Akira threw the black sand at Jueru, quickly clasping her hands together as she hands together she had had previously. The sand Akira had tossed began detonating in a series of small explosions. The rapid succession of blasts forced Jueru to jump back, though she still felt several tiny explosions sting her flesh as she narrowly evaded the brunt of the attack. "I'd hate to do this, but you're right... We should end this now.." Garyū huffed, arming himself with his gigantic sword. Tightly gripping its handle, he patiently waited for an opbeing to land the decisive blow. He awaited for that very moment.. And then there it was, an opening created by the combined efforts of Michi and Akira. "There we are." Garyū whispered preparing to engage. Making good use of the Body Flicker Technique, Garyū sped to Jureu's blind side --still gasping his weapon-- he swung firmly in hopes if bisecting the young woman where she stood. But then, something in Garyū made him paused, slightly hesitating to do the job, and in the battle, such hesitation could make a difference in winning and losing. Now with Garyū's slight withdrawal, Jureu was given more than enough time to defend. Summoning yet another metallic ring, she and Garyū clash in a standoff; staring deep into one another's eyes. "Why such an evil look?" Jureu teased, noting Fatyuy malevolent facial expression. "You... I don't like what you've become. Ruthless and evil. You get a thrill from killing others.. It's sickening." He spat angrily as his black eyes began to return to their crimson color.. "Oh no. Silly Garyū, that's not going to work." She exclaimed blowing hot air into his face, quickly ridding his eyes of moisture, which his turn caused him to flinch. "Now let's see how the little boy does?" Darting toward Michi at full speed, she aimed her weapon to complete relieve Michi's head from his shoulders. Michi quickly attempted to form hand seals in hopes of protecting himself with anther jutsu, but it quickly became apparent Jueru would reach him first. Even if Michi did have time to perform the proper hand seals, he felt exhausted form his previous two techniques and a third likely would be too weak to be of any use. Michi tried to rapidly analyzed the situation in his mind, but an impending sense of doom clouded his thoughts. Jueru had successfully bypassed Akira and Garyū, and Michi couldn't defend himself. There was no way out of this one. "Michi!" Akira shrieked. Without even knowing what she was doing, Akira began running towards her young companion, though there was no chance she would reach him before Jueru. Everything seemed to move in slow motion to Akira, even her own movements felt heavy and slow. Michi had been one of Akira's few close friends well before the war against Black Zetsu, but since the destruction of Hoshigakure, Michi felt like home to Akira. The young boy was the last remnant form the village she had grown up in, the last true friend Akira had that wasn't lying at the bottom of a mass grave. Now the world was going to take him from Akira's grasp too, the mere thought of continuing without Michi almost felt like staring into a endless room of nothingness. Akira had failed to protect her family, failed to protect her village and virtually everything she held dear. Now, she had failed to protect Michi. As Jueru closed the distance between her and the young boy, Michi turned his head to look at Akira, something very strange about his expression. Though she only saw it for a moment, Akira could see a glimmer of emotion in Michi's eyes. It was hard to say exactly what it was Michi was feeling. Fear, sadness, anger, disappointment, all were possibilities. With here eyes swelling with tears, Akira reached out for Michi, just as Jueru began swinging the blazing metal ring at the young boy's neck. It all seemed as if it were in vain, Michi, the poor boy was mere seconds away from death, his companion Akira was so far from reach to aid him, and Garyū was still stunned by Jureu's hot breath. The metallic ring neared Michi, ready to take his head clean off in one fatal swing. And then, from seemingly nowhere, Jureu was forcefully halted... A force tightly gripped her wrist before throwing her back into the sand. "Hey what's the big idea?!?" She shouted, looking up at the person responsible for interrupting. It was a man; dressed in business attire of some sort, he had short hair that looked if where pulled to the back. Looking about the area, he bore a blank facial expression before kneeling to the boy. "Are you alright, son?" Unable to find his words, Michi could only manage a slight nod to confirm his well being to the stranger. Akira, having stopping in her tracks at the appearance of the formal looking man, was also at a lost for words, seemingly overwhelmed with relief. Though her lips moved no words escaped as she dropped to her knees, a tear running down her face. Jueru's malicious grin had been replaced with a scowl, her eyes digging into the stranger who had grabbed her wrist moments before she managed her kill. What was even more infuriating was the fact that someone was able to sneak up on her wearing such ridiculous clothing. "What a ridiculous outfit." Jueru said, her voice displaying the effort of her struggling against the young man's iron grip. "I'd kill you just for wearing something so stupid in the desert." Seika slowly began to turn his body to face the red head, glaring at her with a face of pure malice. His eyes dug into her soul as they kept contact. During this, Seika's eyes changed from their usually onyx color, turning into a bright white hue, spawning ripples from its center, they searched to the corners of each eye. "You like killing, ehh?" He spat with obvious aggression. Channeling the wonderful energies from deep within, Seika caused the earth to tremble under his might. Jureu's face clearly bore dread on it, as if it were stamped to her face. "Grrgh." She voiced backing away... "This isn't my last visit Garyū.." She blew a kiss at him before throwing a smoke bomb and vanishing away... Garyū sighed with relief, not knowing how to fully thank Seika for saving them.... Scurrying up to her feet, Akira rushed over to Michi, nearly bumping to his savior in the process. Before Michi could react, he was engulfed in Akira's arms, his face pressing into her shoulder. "Are you alright Michi?" Akira asked, attempting to hold back sniffles. "Please tell me that witch didn't touch you." Michi remained motionless, his arms hanging limp at his sides. "I'm unharmed." Michi reassured Akira. "This man stopped her well before she reached me." As if suddenly becoming aware of the man's presence, Akira shifted beside Michi and stud erect. Quickly wiping away her tears with her forearm, Akira faced Michi's savior and gave a formal bow. "I cannot thank you enough sir. If not for you our losses would have certainly been greater. We are in your debt." Seika tilted his head in Akira's direction, simply bearing a pleasure smile upon his face. "I'm just glad that I made it when I did. Unfortunately, even with my timely appearance I was still too late. Truly saddening to see such young lives wasted." Straightening his posture, Seika looked towards the sky before looking at down as the trio. "Where were you all headed? If you don't mind me asking." "We were on on our way to Sunagskure, before our team was picked apart." Garyū respond, joining where Akira and Michi stood. "Oh! Well you guys should join me.. That's where I'm headed now." Seika said happily looking back toward the sky. "I don't think it's best if you three continue this path alone. Luckily, I'm here to be your escort.." "The extra protection would be comforting." Michi stated, finally finding his voice once again. Akira tried to hide her disapointment in Michi's words, knowing in truth having the the man with them would be the wisest decision. "It would be an honor to have you with us." Akira said. "I would at least like to deliver my proper respects to my fallen comrades. It saddens me that they won't to able to see the end result of over struggle." Garyū said, walking to his fellow villager, kneeling before their body. "Their sacrifices will not be in vain." "It would be best if we simply left them." Akira stated. "If we stay here too long we risk another surprise attack. In addition we need to make up the time we have lost." Michi shifted uncomfortably, indicating opposition to Akira's suggestion but showing no indication he was going to speak against it. With Akira's words, Seika gave her a pointed stared. Indicating his displeasure from her blunt disrespect for the fallen soldiers. Garyū shifted his attention to Akira, clearly distraught from her most recent statement. "You can't be serious? You want to leave their corpses here? LIKE THIS?!? They died for our cause! And you wish to just leave them here? So they don't deserve a proper burial? I'm guess we would've just left Michi here too if he'd fallen prey to Jureu as well?" Akira stud, dumbfounded by Garyū's retort. Her wide eyes blinked twice before her mouth opened, but no words were spoken. Akira looked at Michi, whom kept his gaze forward towards Garyū. All who were present could plainly see Akira silently admit defeat, her head hanging down in apparent shame. For the next few minutes, Garyū and Akira worked to construct a grave site for the fallen members of the task force, under the supervision of Michi and the tall dark man. It was difficult in the soft sand of the desert, but Akira and Garyū were eventually able to form a shallow grave of stone for the remains of their comrades. After covering the grave with stone, the duo erected a small stone pillar to act as a grave marker. Garyū had even taken a moment to mark the pillar, etching "Here lies the brave soldiers of Amegakure" into the stone. The grave was hastily constructed, but it was certainly an improvement form leaving the bodies in the charred remains of the Oasis. "We should move out." Akira said, her flat and steely tone making a return. "Yeah we should.. Time to finish the assignment." Garyū replied in a saddened tone. He trialed slowly behind Akira, glancingy back one final time before shedding a single tear. "Alright.. Sunagskure is straight alhead.. We should be there in less than one one hour." Seika announced placing his hand on Garyū shoulder to bring him a little comfort. Though the day was long and weary, the surviving member of the Amegakure's last hope remain. And because of the team's sacrifice, the treaty with Sunagskure was Weill within their grasp.
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