Well then, it seems i'm back. I would like to apologize to all that have been waiting for this update, I realize that i'm not the best author or the most well known on this site, but the few that have had concern over whether or not this story will be continued is truly touching.

A lot of things have happened in the time it has taken me to get to this update, unavoidable and stressful things, but i hope with this i can get back into my groove and complete this story, when that will be or how long it will take, i truly have no idea.

You may notice a change in my writing style, it is simply my evolution as a writer, and I hope it makes the story all the better.

be warned, it is a very short chapter, and more of a prologue until i get into the real story, the next chap will be up by Friday, it's already halfway written. and i'm aiming for 8k, no promises though, if i feel a chapter should end, then it does.

Chapter 9: Voices

"I won't ask you again, girl" the sound of an echoing slap followed these words, but beyond that, there was only silence. The masked man growled, as he stared down at his current ward, a lithe and enunciated white haired girl. she stared back, her continence one of boredom, eyes glazed over, to the point he wondered if she realized she was not alone in the room. shackles bound her wrists, inscribed upon the iron restraints were faintly glowing seals, designed to paralyze and negate the flow of chakra.

He sighed at this point, almost pleasantly "Whatever then, i'ts not my problem from here on out anyway." he signaled to someone cloaked in the shadows, a form nearly indistinguishable from the rest of the room, the darkness shifted, and from it emerged a a woman, one with long blond hair, tied in a messy bun, but any other features she had were hidden buy the black garb and white mask that was worn. "It's your turn now, the captain was very specific about exactly how much harm could come to her 'no more than a few bruises' was what he told me, and that's very obviously not working" he scoffed when he was waved off by the woman, and froze thereafter as a voice, plain as a blank sheet of paper resounded off the walls of the room.

"That will be quite enough, Mouse" he stood by the door, form bathed in a strange mixture of darkness and light, his existence seemingly at odds with the natural order of the world, and the man shivered, disturbed on an instinctual level merely by the presence of this person. "Of course, captain." he snapped a sharp salute and made for the exit, but his eyes found another, smaller form, hidden in the shadows of the room, right next to the captain, and his flesh stood on end. for there was a certain wrongness to this forms bearing, something otherworldly and vile, his senses were going mad merely being in the presence of these monsters. his foot passed the threshold and the door slammed shut behind him. 'Freaks, the both of them.' he shook his head of those thoughts and moved away, trying to ease his turbulent emotions.

"At ease, Deer" The agent relaxed at his tone, but did not move from her spot, she had not been ordered to, after all. "Now then," the captain spoke "I would like some answers, and you will be giving them to me" Deer stiffened at the words, as even though they had not been intended for her, the quiet promise that lay beneath his words was easy to understand, it was not merely a statement either, more along the lines of an assurance, that no matter what may happen, there would be answers. but the girl was ignoring him, her once distant and glazed eyes had locked onto the smallest form within the room, one could practically feel the excitement vibrate within her.

"Only him" her eyes had shifted, boring into the holes cut within the porcelain of the captains mask "I'll only talk to him." the captain had cocked his head at her words, and deer was sure that at any moment the girl would be screaming, spilling her guts after being trapped in some horrifying illusion, but, to her utter astonishment, he nodded once, turned, and motioned her to follow, the great iron door closing with a final creak of steal behind them, and she could only wonder, just what had possessed the captain to leave the rookie alone with a high profile captive.

She stared upon him, like a predator eyeing its next meal, it was unnerving in a way, the single minded tenacity she gazed upon him with, as if he was the only thing that existed within the world at that moment "Off" He was broken from his thoughts as the girl uttered a single word, although, he did not know what she wanted.

"Take your mask off" her words were louder, more aggressive, and yet he could also sense the desperation boiling beneath the surface. perfect.

"I might" he uttered, wistfully "but first, I'm going to need you to answer a few questions that I have for you" her face twisted into a scowl, but she held her tongue "what questions?" she asked, looking almost pained to do so, and he smiled behind the smooth white of his mask. "Firstly" he began "Is where your allegiance in this war lays, and just what you were doing with a party of loyal Kiri nin" her face had split into a horrifying grin at his words, a hacking laugh wracked her body, sounding more like a cough than anything else. "Loyalty?" this time, she actually did cough, violently "I owe my loyalty to no one, I was following them to have some fun, y'know, the good old hack and slash kind of thing" she was smiling broadly, but her face suddenly fell, her posture going slack as she looked away, pink dusting her cheeks "But, if i was loyal to anyone, it would be you." he was on guard the moment her personality took such a drastic shift, but from what he could see, she had nothing planned, and in fact, did not even seem to be trying to escape.

He did not relax, pondering her words, and contemplating her vexing actions "Very well" he allowed "where did you come from, and how did you escape the purge of the kaguya?" she smiled at him once more, the picture of innocence. "Mama hid me in the forest when they came, she told me not to move, but something hit me in the back of the neck, and when I woke up, I couldn't find Mama anywhere, and the clan house had been burned down." There were tears in her eyes, she stared into his very soul with her coal-like irises, but once more, something shifted.

"So ever since, I've been wondering around, looking for things to kill." her eyes were once more hard, bearing violent, he nearly reeled from such a sudden change. "so, any other questions?" He stared at her, for a long, drawn out moment. "Just one, would you be willing to become an asset to the great village of Konoha?" the silence that followed his question stretched on for what may have been an eternity, her expression one of shock. and once more, something changed.

Her face softened, her head drooped and her eyes grey wide, as she stared upon him with hope etched upon her face "Really?" she whispered, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes "You can really take me away from here?" He nodded once, and she lurched forward, but came to the realization that she would not be able to reach for him, so she settled for the most heartfelt smile she had to offer "Thank you" she whispered, softly, reverently. But her face hardened, and she spat at his feet "Don't take me for some sort of fool! there's no way I could get out of this place, you're just trying to bring my hopes up, aren't you?" she drew in a deep breath, attempting to stifle her rage "Do you get off on that sort of thing? That's got to be it, get a girls hopes up so that when you drive the knife through her stomach it's all the more satisfying, you bastard!"

He regarded her silently for a few moments, his form still in the wavering light of the single torch upon the wall, slowly, he reached for his cloak, shifting it over his shoulder so that it rested upon the middle of his bicep, before a bone grew, slow and steady as the seasons, it grew from his shoulder, its shape slowly becoming that of a katana, a testament to his skill in the bloodline he wielded. "I would not be so quick to judge" he said, in an even and monotone voice "The Hokage has already cleared your transfer to the village, so long as you prove to be none hostile and ready to co-operate, as you can see, i posses the same bloodlimit as you, when this becomes known, the villages will throw a fit and accuse Konoha of bloodline theft, one person more will not affect the outcome of our situation." his voice was a slow drawl, meant to belittle and anger the one spoken to, he expected her to exp[lode, whereupon e would play his full hand, and if all went well, agree to join the village. but there was no need, as she stared at him, moments passed, perhaps minutes.

Finally, she looked him in the eyes, tearing her gaze from the bone protruding from his shoulder "If you're lying to me, i'll make sure to haunt you from the afterlife, and be assured, i'll rend my penance from your flesh when you arrive at the gates."

He smirked, it was so much easier than he had thought it would be.

He had left, without removing his mask or giving her anything she had originally wanted, he supposed that she had ended up forgetting anyway, he had left her in such a state of disrepair and emotional turbulence as it was, if it ever became important, then he would grant her request.

An almost inaudible thud sounded out next to him, and he almost sighed, YugOu had become nearly insufferable as of late, always hounding him for a conversation and comfort. he put a smile upon his voice as he addressed her "Cat-san, how surprising it is to see you so early in the morning, shouldn't you still be asleep in the barracks with the others?"

A sigh sounded out from behind her mask "Naruto-kun, how many times do I have to tell you to call me by my name before you get it?" Her voice, while professional and monotone, carried a certain weight of annoyance and playfulness that he simply could not wrap his mid around. the past three days had been annoying to say the least, but, he had to admit, he was starting to enjoy the back and forth banter that had recently become a norm between them, she was interesting, and ambitious, to say the least. one does not simply dream of becoming the worlds most foremost mistress.

"I might remember the next time we speak, Cat-san

His plans were running smoothly, agents in place and an entire clan waiting upon his whims. he sank back into his chair, satisfaction pouring out into the atmosphere, emanating from his very soul, he was so very close, his dreams, his ambitions. Soon they would all come to fruition, years of manipulations and planning were finally coming to a head, he leaned back further upon his throne, a throne that would be traded in soon, for a more grandiose one, a more ruthless one "It will be for the best Hiruzen, your time is at an end, and I shall be the one, the one to usher in the true age of shinobi, and you will be remembered as nothing more than a vile mockery of what a shinobi is, and what they are bread for. your time has come." a slow, haunting laughter emerged from his aged lips, a promise of pain, a promise of change.

End chapter:

so some big changes have been made in regards to how i present this story, this is much closer to the level of writing i wanted when first starting the story, but still, i have much to learn, so any constructive critisism is more than welcomned.

what exactly is going on with the kaguya girl? i think it's pretty obvious, if not a nice element to add to the story, let me know what you think.

i know i promised the name reveal last chapter, but i just cannot decide on one, therefore, i ask that you post i fitting name for the kaguya in your review (if you wish to leave one) as well as the reason you believe that name would fit, an explanation as to what the name means is also required.