The sky was darkened by clouds. It had been for almost as long as Soramaru could remember. He raced down the steps of the Kumoh shrine. He had a criminal to catch, just another random thug who escaped the incompetent police escort. His head pounded with his steps. Why have I been feeling so sick lately? He wondered.

He sighed, Soramaru knew he would have to keep his distance from Nishiki, the unfledged Fuuma girl whom he took in. He also knew that this would mean that she would most likely go crazy with the chores. What would she end up overdoing this time?

He reached the forest near his home where the criminal would most likely be hiding. If I were a wanted thief, where would I hide? He thought to himself. He recalled one time in these same woods when he and Chuutarou were looking for a swordsman together against Tenka's permission. That had only been, what, a month or two ago? So much had changed. Tenka was dead and Chuutarou had last been seen with Kagami. Soramaru forced his thoughts about Tenka from his head. He needed to move on. He had to live in the now.

Soramaru heard a snap of a twig, and followed the noise. As he walked toward the sound he had heard, he pulled his swords from his belt. Three kunai knives suddenly embedded themselves in the ground near his feet. "What the-?!" Soramaru leapt backwards, but felt the dirt fly up and hit his legs. He looked up to see his attacker. Perched on a tree branch, was a man who, Soramaru would guess, was maybe a little older than Takeda. He was tall and had gray hair that was pulled back in a ponytail. He wore round glasses and his eyes were a cold and unrelenting onyx color.

Soramaru readied his swords in a defensive stance. "Who are you?" He yelled. The man chuckled. "I am Kabuto Yakushi, and I serve Orochimaru. He is in need of a new test subject. A portal to a different dimension was opened, and I was asked to bring someone back. " Soramaru noticed how this man, Kabuto, seemed so relaxed, but still on edge.

The Kumoh narrowed his eyes. "If you plan on laying a finger on anyone from the land of Shiga- You'll pay! As the 15th head of the Kumoh shrine, I swear I will personally make you regret it!" With those words Kabuto's eyes seemed to spark with a little interest. "My, my, what a title," He began. Kabuto jumped down from his tree and took a step toward Soramaru. "Regret is not an emotion that I'm very prone to. I was sent here to retrieve a test subject and I don't plan on going back empty handed." Kabuto continued to walk closer to Soramaru, he was so calm that it was angering.

Soramaru readied himself in a fighting stance. The ninja kept taking steps closer to him. He didn't even pull out any weapons; he just maintained a fixed stare at Soramaru. Kabuto tilted his head, a curious gesture, one that caught Soramaru a bit off guard. "Do your eyes have any visual prowess? Like the Sharingan? Or the Rinnegan?" The Kumoh did not understand what he meant by that at all. His face must have shown it.

"I've already been around this country, and no one else has the same eyes as you. I'm curious about them. So, I've just decided to take you for Orochimaru's test subject." Before Soramaru could move, Kabuto was behind him, but Soramaru was still able to deliver a blow from his swords to Kabuto's stomach. Kabuto leaped back, looking uninjured.

What the heck? How can he be fine? I know I got a good hit on his stomach! With almost lightning fast speed the ninja was behind Soramaru and had jabbed something into the back of his neck. Soramaru jumped forward, startled;he had serious issues with anyone touching his neck. He touch the back of his neck carefully and saw a tiny bit of blood on his fingertips.

This was one of the very few times that Kabuto was surprised. His target was still standing, after that large a dose of tranquilizer! Soramaru charged at Kabuto, and the shinobi took that opportunity to inject Soramaru in the leg. Soramaru took that chance to slice at Kabuto's back.

They continued fighting like this for a while. Eventually, all the doses of tranquilizer forced Soramaru into darkness. He stood for as long as he could, trying not to succumb to the sedative. HIs legs buckled, his head was foggy, and every place he got an injection burned. He made a pathetic whimpering as he crumbled to the ground.

Kabuto exhaled, subduing his target was not as easy as he had thought it would be. He healed a cut that Soramaru's swords had made on his arm. He took a length of rope out of the pouch at his waist and bound Soramaru's wrists and ankles. Then he swung the unconscious teen over his shoulder, and disappeared into the forest. He had marked where the hidden portal was with several kunai. He walked into the bush where it was hidden and left the new world.