A screen was the only thing giving off any light in the dark room, the images on it flickering as the occupants in the room watched with mild interest. Anyone watching the screen would have been surprised, as it showed a battle between what seemed to be a small beast and a demon of sorts. But nothing surprised them anymore. They had seen too much and done too much.

Finally, the images began to wind down, showing the beast using a gun to kill the beaten demon-clown on the ground before turning back into a young boy. The images then faded, as there was nothing left after this they needed to see. They sat in silence for a while, until one of them rumbled in his deep voice, "I trust we were able to ascertain the boy's level of skill and power before the images were cut?"

Another voice, this one female, said, "Yes. As of now, the sensors show he is somewhere about level seven out of a hundred. He's learned some of this 'Jutsu' that the natives seem so fond of, but it only appears to be a few techniques."

A third voice, a deep male but not as deep as the first, asked curiously, "How so?"

"Looking at his battle with Kefka, he relied on jutsu of any type only about three or four times - one to create that copy of himself, the second to teleport out of there, and the third to make himself disappear from sight. The fourth time depends on whether or not the technique the clone used to explode was a separate one or built into the clone itself. In short, he either doesn't know more than those few because he doesn't need to, or he knows others but doesn't find any use for them in comparison to magic."

A muttered hmph, and then a fourth voice snidely said, "Well, at least the boy hasn't gone completely native to this rotten world. He'd be no use to us if he did."

The third voice then said, "Still, one thing bothers me. Kefka should have been strong enough to take the boy out if he was only at level seven. Kefka, on the other hand, should have been around level thirty. So how did the boy take him out?"

A fifth voice, this one female also, sneered, "Please. It's not that impossible for the runt to kill him. He may have only been at a fourth of Kefka's power, but everyone else up to this point is underestimating the boy and going in there without proper intel. They just assume that since he's nine, he's weak, but we all know that age has nothing to do with power. If a warrior at level one hundred just stands still and doesn't make the attempt to fight back, even a level one snot-nosed brat can defeat him."

The first voice then finally said, "Indeed. When the time comes, we'll go in there assured that we will win. As of now, the boy is inconsequential, as there's nothing there to give him a proper fight. He'll gain no experience fighting those wretches unless he fights their leader or higher-level warriors, and his own code of honor prevents him from doing that unless they break the rules first. When we find him again, we will crush him. Agreed?"

A chorus of voices rang out, showing that there were more than just the six there, saying their agreement.

The sun's rays filtered through the shades on the windows and shone down on the young boy sleeping in the bed. They tickled the whisker marks on his cheeks, and his eyes slowly opened. At first, he was confused about where he was, but then the events of yesterday filtered through his mind and Naruto smiled as he remembered.

He was home.

He sat up in his bed and rubbed his eyes before glancing around. The room was sparsely decorated, only having a bed, a small empty toy chest, two dressers, and a crib in the corner, and the whole room was painted a baby blue with a white rug. The golden nameplate on the door had proudly displayed, 'Naruto', showing who the room had been intended for. Naruto didn't understand why the bed was in here – probably so his mother or father could sleep here on nights he became restless – but it made sense about how bare the room was. After all, they probably would have only bought toys and such when he was finally born so that they would have a better idea of what to buy. No sense in wasting money on things he'd have no interest in the first place.

He stretched a little and stepped onto the floor, the new carpet still retaining its fluffiness due to not being used at all, before heading for the door. As he stepped out into the hall, closing the door gently behind him, he looked down the hall to see if anyone was up. There was no one else, so Naruto assumed that he had probably awoken early. Shrugging a little, he decided to head to the kitchens and see if there was anything to make for breakfast.

When he walked into the kitchens, he was happy to see Teuchi and Ayame up and already making the morning meal. They both turned when they heard the boy and gave him easy smiles. Ayame then handed him a plate laden with food, chirping out, "Morning, Naruto! Sleep well?"

Naruto nodded, taking the plate over to the table and sitting himself quickly to dig in. "Yep! Tou-san and Kaa-san had put in a new bed when they decorated my room way back, so it felt pretty comfy. I'm hoping to go someplace today and buy some clothes to fill the dressers, since what I'm wearing right now is all I have for the moment."

Both Ichirakus mentally raised their hackles at the thought of clothing stores not letting the boy buy proper clothing, but they hid it well, and Teuchi chuckled before patting the boy on the head. "I'm sure Ayame would love to go with you and help you decide what to get."

Naruto stared at the man in a confused manner. "But, Teuchi-san, what about the ramen stand?"

"It'll be fine leaving it closed for a few days," Ayame said as she sat down with her own plate. "Watching over you right now is more important as you get settled in. We'll have plenty of opportunities in the near future to make back any cash we lose. Besides, the Hokage told us that he would cover at least the daily costs of running the stand for the time we spend here from the village funds, so no worries."

Naruto felt a little guilty that they were spending so much of their time having to watch over him, though he was glad that they were getting something out of it. But as he was about to say something, a short but loud scream of terror sounded through the manor, coming from Kiyoshi's room.

He stood upon the clifftop and gazed upon the crystal pillar that held the floating sphere in place. How long had it been since their sacrifice? How long had it been since those bastards scorned his family and their friends for the choices they made? They had saved the world, damn it! His mother had fought for them all so that humanity could have a second chance, and those bastards repaid her with blood!

"No more," he whispered, his fists clenching with rage. "No more mercy." They had their chance, and now it was time they paid their ten pounds of flesh. It was the least they could do for making him an orphan, for killing Lightning and the others right in front of him – for killing the woman who birthed and loved him alongside the friends they had made. They would rue the day they let him live.

The Omega Weapon sat in its holster across the back of his waist, like it once had on Lightning's when she still lived, and he stroked the handle absentmindedly.

'Mom, Aunt Serah, Uncle Snow, Hope, Sazh – I'm sorry for what I'm about to do, but they don't deserve your sacrifice.'

Turning to the younger teen beside him - a black-skinned eighteen year-old with an afro like his deceased father's – he asked, "Ready, Dajh? If we do this, we can never go back. We'll be hunted to the ends of the world. We'll be branded traitors of humanity, just like our families once were."

Dajh scowled and stroked the twin combi-pistols in their holsters before snorting. "We seem to have past that point a while ago." He touched the l'Cie brand on his chest, exactly where Sazh's once was. He gazed back at the twenty-two year-old with blond hair that had small streaks of pink. "What about you, Kiyoshi? You sure you want to go through with this? Aunt Lebreau and the rest of NORA will be saddened by this, and you'll be leaving Rinnia and Jerix alone in the world."

Kiyoshi snorted and ran a hand through his hair. 'You would mention them, wouldn't you? You would do this whole thing alone, if you had it your way.'

It was true though. NORA – that crazy group that had become a bunch of fun surrogate uncles and one loving surrogate aunt to both boys – would be devastated with their choice, his pseudo-aunt-turned-mother-in-law Lebreau especially. Then there was the fact of his wife, Rinnia, and their three year-old son Jerix would be crushed if he left.

However, justice still needed to be done.

"You know as well as I do that NORA will watch over them. They'll keep them safe. Let's just get this started."

Dajh grinned and raised his hand to reveal a feather-shaped crystal before throwing it into the air and shooting it with his pistols, screaming, "Brynhildr!"

A fiery portal opened, and a female fire-elemental knight-turned-sports car burst out of it and raced towards her summoner. She then turned and slid towards the two, coming to a complete stop mere inches from Dajh and opened the hatch to allow him in.

Kiyoshi snorted and grinned. "Show-off." Dajh just laughed and climbed into the crystal-eidolon, while Kiyoshi raised the rose-shaped crystal in his own hand and said lowly, "Let's do this..." He tossed the crystal into the air and pulled out his gunsaber, cutting the crystal in half in an explosion of rose petals as he yelled, "Odin!"

The sky darkened while flashes of lightning struck all around, and a neighing was heard as a white horse carrying a double blade sword in the shape of a large "S" in its mouth descended from the skies. When it touched the ground, it turned sharply to its summoner and, with a toss of its head, threw the sword to Kiyoshi as it drew near. Kiyoshi sheathed Omega Weapon and grabbed the flying sword with one hand while his other grabbed the reins of the charging steed, flinging himself up into the saddle.

With a yell from both men, the two summons charged towards the crystal pillar.

There was a small settlement near the base of the crystal, though it was really nothing more than a few landing platforms for supply ships to come and go as well as a few administration and apartment buildings for the workers and their families. A small contingent of guards and mechs were stationed there, but they weren't at that high of a level to be more than an annoyance. The men on the watchtower noticed them closing in fast, and any attempts to deter the men were ignored. Kiyoshi just broke the sword into two and used them to summon thunder down on his enemies, while Dajh occupied himself with running over anyone who got in the way while burning the buildings to the ground.

It was over within two minutes.

The two then reached the pillar base, and the eidolons transformed into their humanoid forms before assisting their human companions in hacking away at the pillar. For a normal human being, this would have taken centuries to do, but when the human being is not only strong enough to take down some of the heavyweights of Gran Pulse alone but is also assisted by another like him and two beings of pure power, the crystal was being smashed through at an incredible rate. Between Dajh shooting spider cracks into the crystal that Brynhildr would smash with her bludgeons and Kiyoshi and Odin slicing out large chunks of the pillar, it wouldn't be long before the whole structure would collapse.

Finally, after maybe a half an hour of shooting, hacking, and smashing, Kiyoshi heard the cracking and shattering of the pillar and turned to Dajh, yelling, "That's enough! Get out of here! QUICKLY!"

Dodging to the side as a piece of crystal crashed near him and coughing from the dust, Dajh yelled back, "What about you!? Come on, man! There's nothing more to do!"

"Go on ahead without me! I've still got something left to take care of!"

Dajh reluctantly nodded and hopped into Brynhildr before driving away speedily. Kiyoshi gazed on as the man got further and further away before allowing a manic grin onto his face. 'Finally...'

Banishing Odin away, Kiyoshi dodged to the side as another large chunk crashed nearby before running up the side. He pushed himself off at the top and landed against the side of another, running up it before launching towards another higher up. One nearly came too close to pinning him underneath it as it fell, but Kiyoshi simply grabbed the edge and flipped himself from under it and onto its side before jumping out of the way as a smaller large piece fell alongside it.

He continued his ascent, climbing quickly and steadily to the top, landing upon a large flat expanse near the base of the sphere. There, two female figures trapped in crystal lay.

Vanille and Fang.

Rushing towards them, he started to lift both crystal forms into his arms, muttering, "Don't worry, aunties. I won't let the two of you die either." He looked away and raised his hand again, only this time, it was a different crystal, a dark one that oozed darkness from its gray ethereal core.

The one crystal that he had kept secret from everyone and would bring about his revenge against the world who had scorned him.

Throwing it into the air, he pulled out his gunsaber and shot it, yelling, "Let us purge the world of these traitors, Shinryu!"

A large portal of shadow and black fire erupted in mid-air, glowing white glyphs offsetting the dark background, and a golden-taloned dark claw burst forward and pulled a dragon larger than Bahamut made of black crystal with a golden front out from the portal, roaring with fury and hate.

It pulled itself free and flew down towards its master, swooping the man and the two crystal maidens onto its back before flying away from the destruction happening around it.

When it had reached a appropriate height away from the sphere, Kiyoshi swept a hand towards its target and commanded, "Do it! Chaotic Flare!"

Shinryu roared before a black light charged in its mouth. It reared its head back before quickly pointing it towards the falling sphere, a beam of black and gray light shooting from its mouth and impacting with it.

Cocoon, the once fabled continent in the sky, burst into darkness and black flames, whatever that managed to escape the summon's attack would soon be crushed on the ground, killing the millions that still inhabited the structure.

Kiyoshi laughed at the sight, tears of mirth leaking from his eyes, before those eyes turned red. He turned towards some unseen watcher and asked with a sadistic grin, "How much longer are you going to run, KIYOSHI-KUN?!"

Kiyoshi screamed loudly and shot up from where he lay. He was sweating profusely, and he glanced around, panting rapidly, wondering for a moment where he was while the tattoo on his arm burned with an unholy fire. The events of the last few days came rushing back, and he sighed in relief. He sat there, his arm still hurting but settling down, gazing towards the bed sheets but not really seeing them, mentally saying, It's alright. Just a bad memory. That's all.

There was a frantic but light-handed knocking on his door, and he croaked out, "Come in."

The door swung open to reveal Naruto standing there with wide eyes, while Teuchi and Ayame stood behind him with concern on their faces. Lee and Tenten stood behind the ramen chefs while looking in, having been awoken from the loud yell.

Naruto's eyes were wide as he asked, "Kiyoshi-san, what happened? Are you okay?"

Kiyoshi showed a small yet tired smile to the boy and swung his legs around to stand up from the bed. "Nothing, Naruto. Nothing happened. It was just a really bad dream. That's all." He stretched lightly and popped his back before heading towards the bathroom. "You can go back to what you were doing. I'll be there in a sec."

Naruto nodded slightly before exiting the room and leading Tenten and Lee towards the kitchen. Teuchi offered a small frown at the boy before following after the kids. Ayame just stood there with an eyebrow raised, but Kiyoshi ignored her and walked towards the bathroom.

Turning on the faucet, he splashed cold water onto his face and rubbed his eyes a little, willing the tiredness out of himself. As he felt the water drip down, he leaned against the sink and panted a little, trying to stop the dream from resurfacing.

He felt a soft hand rest on his back, and he looked into the mirror to see Ayame's reflection next to his own, a sad look marring her features. She rubbed him a little, tracing the wolf and dragon tattoos with her fingers, before resting her hand on his shoulder. "It was more than just a dream, wasn't it?" she quietly asked.

Kiyoshi just nodded his head before lowering it again. "Let's just call it a bad, long-forgotten memory, and leave it at that. It really would take too long to have to explain everything."

Ayame smiled slightly, though the sad look didn't leave, and she patted his shoulder. "Take a shower. It'll help relieve some tension in your body. Then come down to breakfast."

Kiyoshi nodded, and Ayame left the room.

Hiruzen had just stepped into his office and was currently barking out orders to his ANBU commanders. "I want groups of two, no, FOUR ANBU apiece to start heading for the various Daimyos and villages and inform them that Danzo Shimura is hereby a traitor to Hi no Kuni. Inform them all that we will reward them handsomely for that rat dead or alive, while harboring him will be considered an act of war against our nation. Say that he is a dangerous threat and to not take him on alone. Meanwhile, have the remaining shinobi start scouring the village for remnants of ROOT or ROOT sympathizers and start keeping an eye out for any one trying to probe our defenses. I don't want to rely solely on Kiyoshi-san's resources and abilities. We will prove to the Emperor that we can stand on our own feet and do our part for the Empire. GET TO IT!"

The commanders saluted and yelled, "HAI!" before vanishing via shunshin. Sarutobi sat down at his desk and buzzed his secretary. "Have a runner go to all the clan heads and call them here to me as quickly as they can. Have them all come around, say, ten o'clock. Also, I want all squad commanders in my office on the double. I have some missions within the village for the teams that needed doing yesterday!"

"Yes, Sandaime-sama," the woman replied back.

Sarutobi leaned back into his chair and tapped his chin in thought, thinking about last night. Need to find out about the loyalty of my forces, but I can't keep on relying on Kiyoshi's abilities. His Shinpan no Me is rather useful, but I doubt it's some sort of magic cure-all that can tell me where my ninjas' loyalties lie. Danzo's ROOT may have been tainted, but I know that some of his supporters are good people who thought they were doing the right thing.

He thought a little bit more before smiling and leaning forward to begin writing a decree. Of course! I have an entire clan of mind walkers at my disposal. I'll have Inoichi check a few of the clansmen he trusts, and then they'll check the rest of the clan. Once he's assured of their loyalties, I'll have all of them begin to check the regular forces. I'll leave the clans alone for now, since it seems that Danzo-teme was getting more of his support from the civilians anyway.

Finishing the order and setting it aside, Sarutobi formed his hands into a seal and channeled some chakra, summoning a two-foot high, white-haired, black-faced langur monkey in a red vest and a small matching fez perched on his head. Leaning towards the creature, he said, "Chokichi, I find myself in need of your services again."

The monkey raised a furry eyebrow and sat onto the desk while he scratched his back with his left foot, saying in a playful tone, "You know the rules, Old Man. You want me to do something, you gotta make it worth my while."

Sarutobi chuckled a little and reached into his drawer to pull out a bag of baked banana chips to wave in front of the little simian. "Made two days ago by my daughter-in-law Naomi."

Chokichi's ears perked at the gift and took them. As he started eating them, he said, "Now that's what I'm talking about. So what can I do you for?"

Sarutobi held up a scroll for the little primate. "I need you to take another scroll to Jiraiya for me. He needs to know about Danzo's betrayal of the village and to get the word out to his spy network to keep an eye out for him. He needs to do this before returning to Konoha."

Chokichi swallowed and nodded his head, wrapping his tail around the scroll. "Gotcha. Jiji also wanted me to pass on something to you."

"Enma?" Sarutobi said as his eyebrow raised. "What about?"

Chokichi closed the bag of chips and put the rest of them in his pocket. "Seems that he went to a summons meeting not too long ago, which is weird because they don't happen that often, and all of them are getting nervous about something, like some sort of predators are on the move. Even the Snake summons were there, and we all know about how Manda-san and his group are considered 'unmentionables' for the most part. Even more weird was the reappearance of some of the summons thought to be lost, like the Bears and the Lizards. Whatever's going on, it's spooked some of them to reconnect with the rest of us. Jiji was actually thinking that we'll see the Mystics begin to return, but everyone knows that they left this world eons ago. These predators... Jiji called them the 'Dark Hunters', and they're supposed to be the only thing we've ever feared."

Sarutobi's eyes widened a little. Could it be-? Looking back to the monkey, he asked, "Cho-kun, could one of these Hunters be a boy called Kiyoshi Tenshi?"

"The Tenshis?" The monkey repeated with confusion. "Naaah, it can't be them. Don't really remember which summons they've got – so no one's really actually met them directly in years – but we know they're on our side. Whatever these Hunter things are, they aren't exactly human. Intelligent, maybe, but not human. Besides, the Tenshis have always been around, while these Hunters have been off the grid for a long time."

"But why exactly do you fear them?"

Chokichi leveled a stare at the old man, and his next sentence froze Sarutobi cold.

"Because they're the only things that could actually kill us."

The little monkey waved a hand. "Don't get me wrong. We can still die from things like old age or poisons or even in battle, but in the case of the last two, we kind of go into this thing where we automatically return to our realms and heal from our injuries in some kind of weird stasis – something that the Tenshis TAUGHT us. Until we fully heal, we are unable to be summoned by anyone, though we eventually come out of it and go back to normal. However, that doesn't mean there aren't the occasional few who can overpower us and prevent us from returning to our realms via reverse summoning, though those people would have to be crazy-strong. Right now, probably the only humans who could actually do that would be most members of the Tenshi clan and a few other high-level nin, but they wouldn't have any reason to do so.

"Now the Hunters, these guys are different. They are that strong, and the wounds they could inflict on us would be so lethal and vicious that the stasis wouldn't work most of the time. Even worse, these things are old. Like, REALLY old. As in, they are so old, they've been around for centuries upon centuries, slumbering beneath the ground or in caves or mountaintops or wherever the heck they are – and the older they get, the more powerful they become. The last time some of them came out, it was somewhere around seven hundred to eight hundred years ago, and a few of the summon clans were wiped out while others took heavy losses before the Hunters were finally destroyed. Since then, we've been keeping an eye out for the rest of them, and they're now starting to wake up again."

Sarutobi leaned back, his face pale and his body shaking, as he ran a hand over his face. Is this what Kiyoshi-san was talking about? Is something like this really about to happen here?

He was broken from his thoughts when Chokichi said cheerfully, "But, don't worry! Everything's going to be fine for now."

He stared at the little monkey in shock, but the primate just grinned and raised one of his fingers. "According to Jiji, we've still got some years before any of these guys start appearing, and the strongest ones were actually destroyed the last time. So that means we still have a good chance of winning, and not to also mention that the Tenshi clan has been hunting them all for Kami knows how long – and no one knows how to hunt these guys better than a Tenshi. Anyway, I'd better get to Jiraiya-san before he goes on the move again."

"Wait." Chokichi looked back to Sarutobi after hefting the scroll onto his back, and Sarutobi asked, "If none of the summons know the Tenshi clan, then how can they put so much trust in them?"

Chokichi shrugged his shoulders as he answered, "Simple. Because the Tenshi clan has been around for a really long time, and their ancestors helped us before."

At Sarutobi's nod, the monkey poofed away, leaving the old man to turn his chair to stare out the windows behind him. Whatever these things are, we cannot allow them to win. I'll ask Kiyoshi-san about them when I get the chance, but now it's really time to start upping our training. That's probably the reason why the Emperor has never sent troops here – because there's no point in defending a continent whose people has grown stagnant. Better to wipe the slate clean than defend a lost cause, and the smarter people would run the first chance they get. Well, I won't have it! Of all the villages, I will make sure that at least Konoha will put up a damn good fight against these things before it's burned to the ground!

There was a knock at the door, and his secretary poked her head in. "Hokage-sama, the squad leaders have all arrived and are currently waiting for you down in the meeting room. Also, the clan heads have sent word back that they will meet you around ten-thirty. I have arranged for conference room number two to be ready at that time."

Sarutobi nodded his head and got up from his seat. As he passed her out the door, he handed her some scrolls and said, "Make sure some runners get these orders out quickly. We're short on time today with everything that needs to be done."

She bowed to him and rushed off to do as he commanded, while Sarutobi walked down to the meeting hall.

Kiyoshi, having finished his breakfast, was currently getting dressed into more appropriate attire for the journey he had to make. Everything was going according to plan, but there were a few things that needed his personal attention, and he needed to do them soon. Besides, Rufus had sent him some quick mission orders through his phone regarding a disturbance several miles near Tanzaku, and that happened to be on the way. Kiyoshi just hoped that they didn't cut into his time-frame, or else it might make things difficult in the future.

He tugged the sleeves of the coat a little, pulling out a couple folds from putting it on. He had decided on another clan set today – a dark pair of old-styled pants and matching over-shirt, with a navy sash tied around the waist, and white pointed boots. Around his neck sat a white cravat that hung loose from the confines of his shirt, showing the white linen undershirt underneath. To top it all off, he had donned a black trench coat with golden trim that hung open. In short, the clothes had once been worn by Setzer Gabbiani, though he looked like some sort of nobleman or rich merchant's child to everyone else, which he smirked at when he thought of it. Oh, if only they really knew...

Finishing his minor touches, he crossed his arms in thought about the situation here in the village. It was still too dangerous to leave Naruto here alone in the off chance that someone else decided to "drop in." Kefka's appearance was no mere coincidence; Kiyoshi just knew that the twisted harlequin had been up to something here. Why else seek the help of a native?

It's gotta be connected to Naruto and the Kyuubi. Considering what would happen if- No, I can't be distracted by it. I'll make sure it never comes to that, He raised a hand to the ten seals on his chest. No matter what the cost. Better death than allowing chaos to rule.

Uncrossing his arms, he began making various handseals, gathering chakra into one hand while magic flowed through the other. It was one of the Tenshi's specialized techniques, though Kiyoshi seemed to have more of a knack for them than anyone else in his family.

And why shouldn't I? After all, I am the one most familiar with them than anyone else. He chuckled at the double meaning of the words.

Finally resting on the v-cross combo he'd shown Sarutobi the other day, he called out as his eyes glowed a little, "Hikari/Yami Bunshin!"

Four clones formed in front of him, two from glowing light while the other two seemed to pull from the shadows of the room. While he could have simply done either light or darkness, he didn't want to chance anything happening, so he pulled a little more chakra to create two of each set.

Some might consider this clone technique to be higher than the Kage Bunshin, but there were drawbacks to them that would make one pause before rushing to try them. Like their names implied, both clone sets flourished in their respective elements while seeming to get weaker in their opposing ones. Hikari Bunshins were better suited for daytime operations in areas where they were expected to be closer to the sun. The further they went into darkness, their power would dwindle a little (though they still could be considered quite formidable). Yami Bunshins, on the other hand, were better for night missions or tasks that required they go into a cave or underground base for extended periods of time where sunlight (or moonlight, as Hikari Bunshins were capable of drawing some power from it) would be inaccessible. In other words, it would be foolish to use Hikari Bunshins where Yami ones were needed - and vice versa - if their power levels weren't high enough to compensate for their weaknesses. Also, like their names implied, they could only use techniques that were more tied to their elements – Hikari using "light"-based techniques and Yami using "dark" - though they could be reabsorbed back into their summoner before they dispelled and give back some magic and chakra to him or her.

Kiyoshi looked to the Yami Bunshins first, and he held in a snort at what he saw. It seems like even his clones wanted to wear clan attire, as one was wearing dark armor accented in blackish-blue and gold with a spiked helmet that had darkness ingrained into the very steel. It had once been the attire of the Dark Knight Cecil Harvey before he became a Paladin, a lance-sword of the same metal across his back. The other dressed in what used to be the traditional ninja attire of yore – a tight-fitting shirt and pants with gloves, padded leather boots, and a full face mask that only showed the eyes and a gold and blue headband on the forehead – that was reminiscent of the Master Ninja and Assassin simply named Shadow.

When he looked at the Hikari Bunshins, he choked a little bit in shock when he looked at them. One of them was simply wearing white-blue armor with gold linings and a matching cape – the Paladin armor of Cecil's – and a blue lance-sword with a red blade across it's own back, but it was the second that made him pause. In front of him stood a lithe girl with long blonde hair that trailed to her shoulders, clad in a silver and gold Valkyrie-like suit of armor over a black synthetic under-suit that covered her main body and lower arms, a shield on her right arm, thigh-high armor boots, and, over her left leg, a long sash made of white feathers, making her look like some sort of guardian angel. Hanging from her right hip was a silver and gold gunsaber that had been modified to more resemble a traditional sword.

Kiyoshi refrained from rubbing his forehead and just sighed, thinking, Maybe I am working too hard... Turning to the Yami Bunshins, he said, "For now, the two of you will be sealed into a scroll and will be released later on when night falls. When you are released, one of you needs to stay here near the house and keep an eye on Naruto, while the other goes out and canvases the town. There's no need to let the villagers know that I am gone. Understood?"

The two clones replied with a "Hai!" before Kiyoshi slapped seal tags on their shoulders and sent them into a storage scroll. He then turned to the Hikari Bunshins and said, "During the day, you'll need to be near Naruto at all times. Sarutobi will seek you out if there is something of import he needs to discuss, but he'll leave you to your own devices for the most part. When the night falls, unseal the Yami Bunshins and have them seal you into the scroll in their place. Try to conserve as much energy as you can, but if any major threats reveal themselves, then all four of you need to hold them off until I can get back here. Understood?"

The Paladin said, "Hai!" and left go do as he ordered, while the girl just stood there and looked at him with saddened eyes. They just stared at each other for a few seconds, before she said with a little smile on her lips, "You really are starting to run yourself ragged, Onii-san. You should rest more often. The world isn't going to end if you decide to take it easy for a few days."

Kiyoshi just returned the smile and shook his head. "Maybe, but there's so much to do right now. Once the package comes, I can take a breather, but until then, I have to keep going."

Her smile widened slightly, and she walked up to him and embraced him in a gentle hug. She leaned her head forward and whispered into his ear, "Don't worry, Onii-san. I'll always be here." They stood there in silence, before she unwrapped her arms and left the room to join the other clone.

He smiled and shook his head before stepping out into the hall. Just as Kiyoshi was closing the door, he heard something else – something far darker – whisper gleefully in the back of his mind and make him scowl.

Yessss, and so will I...

He growled and turned in the direction towards the front door. Not if I have anything to say about it.

Naruto was currently walking out of a clothing store, a large bag of new garments currently in his skinny arms and a smile splitting his face, while Ayame strode alongside him, humming lightly to herself. Naruto had always wondered why he had never gone to that clothing store before, since the lady there was rather nice and didn't give him any of the odd looks that he usually got in stores that hated him. Maybe she was a newcomer to the village or something. In any case, it was nice to be able to shop without the owner watching their every move and trying to accuse him of theft – or just outright throwing him out of the store the second he set foot in the place.

His good mood dropped slightly, however, when he noticed a few villagers striding up to them, a mixture of angry and disgusted looks on their faces. The man leading them had a sake bottle on his hand, and judging by his swaying, he had been drinking for some time.

Naruto sighed a little, hoping that ANBU was nearby. Well, might as well get this over with.

As the group drew closer, pushing its way through the early-morning crowd, the leader caught sight of the boy and pointed at him, yelling at the top of his voice, "There you are, you damn beast! You think you can get away from your just punishments?! Look at all the damage you caused, calling your fucking little demon ally to come and aid you in getting your revenge! This time, we'll make sure you stay in that hospital permanently!"

Ayame had tensed and was now cursing for being in the middle of a crowd and not in her ANBU regalia. Shit! If I reveal myself, it could blow my cover as a civilian! I can't protect Naruto if everyone knows I report to Hokage-sama!

Naruto, on the other hand, had mistaken her tension for fear and was getting a little angry now. That man's scaring Ayame-nee-san! Even worse, I think he's going to try and hurt me, and if they see Nee-san, they'll probably hurt her too! Gotta think of a way out of this!

Coming up with something on the fly, Naruto whispered to Ayame out of the corner of her mouth, "Nee-san, it looks like their main group is just them. I'll distract them while you try to run as fast as you can to Jiji, okay?"

Ayame widened her eyes and glanced at the boy. "But, Naruto-kun-"

"Just go!" Naruto whispered fiercely before turning back to the approaching group and yelling back, "Hey, go back to your bar, you assholes! I can smell the alcohol all the way over here! I didn't do anything to you idiots, so leave me alone!"

The man's face turned a little red, and he just yelled back as he started to swing the nearly empty sake bottle towards the boy. "What the fuck did you just say, you little shit?! I swear I'm gonna beat you til you can't breathe from that loud mouth of yours! You can count on that!"

With one last swing, he let the bottle go, and amazingly enough, it was on target for the boy's head. His arms being full and not having any time to dodge, Naruto winced as he thought, This is gonna hurt...

"Graviga."

A ball of gray light surrounded the bottle and sent it smashing to the ground, and everyone looked up to see a blonde-haired girl in armor standing there and pointing her finger down at the now-shattered clay jar. She nonchalantly jumped from the roof and slowly descended to the ground, the feathers on her hip fluttering in the breeze. She grinned at Naruto quickly before turning and staring blankly at the man now staring at her in drunken shock.

Or pedophilic lust - she really couldn't tell but was really hoping for the first as she shivered slightly in disgust. PERVERT!

He seemed to regain his anger though, as he started yelling again. "Girl, how DARE you defend that thing?! I have half a mind to-"

A red blade was suddenly leveled between his eyebrows, and the man's eyes slowly moved down the weapon to see the boy who had caused so much trouble since he had first came here a mere two days ago. "You're right," the boy intoned lazily. "You do seem to only have half a mind. Did you really think that I was going to let Naruto walk around so freely without someone to keep an eye out for idiots such as you?"

The man snarled and batted the blade away, readying a fist to strike the insolent brat in front of him. "And what is an insignificant little cum-stain such as you going to do? How about I make you wish you had dribbled out and down your kaa-san's leg rather than be born?"

Both children narrowed their eyes, but the man was confused when they smiled maliciously. The girl raised her thumb and pointer finger to her mouth and let out a soft whistle that rang clear.

Multiple sounds of fletches being pulled back in their bows and guns being cocked caused the man to look around himself and promptly piss himself in fright. There had to have been nearly twenty to thirty dark-cloaked versions of the same brat all standing on the rooftops and the street-sides from out of nowhere, wielding bows and guns that were now pointing straight at him and his group.

He let out an audible gulp.

The girl rested her free hand on her gunsaber and said playfully, "Wanna try your army against ours?"

The man rapidly shook his head.

Kiyoshi smirked and turned to the rest of the group. "Get out of here and go home. Public displays of drunkenness before five P.M. is a crime, and I really have no problem with allowing the ANBU currently watching you to take you all in. In fact, this is more merciful, since they were waiting for that bottle to hit Naruto-kun so they could put you down permanently."

The group paled, and the girl smirked as she waved the Kage Bunshins to vanish again. Just as the group was about to grab their friend and go, Kiyoshi struck a thinking position for a second before snapping his fingers. "Oh yes, I almost forgot."

Like a flash, he grabbed the front of the man's shirt and pulled him down into the path of Kiyoshi's fist. Knuckle collided with cartilage with a loud CRUNCH, and he let the man drop to the ground crying in pain and clutching the bleeding appendage. He glanced back up at Kiyoshi and nearly shit himself at the boy's malicious gaze. He actually did when Kiyoshi said, "If you ever insult my kaa-san in such a way ever again, I'll slit your throat and then force-feed your intestines to your children. Do I make myself clear?"

The man's eyes rolled back as he fainted.

Kiyoshi snorted and turned around, walking to Naruto. "Get this filth out of my sight!"

The man's friends were quick to grab him and carry him rapidly out of sight. As soon as they did so, one of the ANBU dropped down and saluted the boy. "Should we arrest them, sir? They still caused a public disturbance."

The bunshin shook his head. "Let 'em go. They're not worth going after right now. If the man tries it again, though, put him down permanently."

"Sir!" The ANBU saluted again and shunshined out of sight.

The male bunshin looked to the female and said, "I'll go canvas the town and surrounding areas. Keep close to Naruto-kun."

"Hai," the female responded with a nod. As the male jumped to the rooftops, the female looked back to the boy with a smile on her face.

Naruto appeared to be confused, wondering who this girl was supposed to be and what her connection was to Kiyoshi-san. He then asked, "U-Um, excuse me? Who are you?"

The girl fought a playful smile and put on a wounded look. She leaned down and crossed her arms close to her chest as she gave him a puppy-eyed look. "Awww, Naruto-kun. You mean you don't recognize me even in the slightest? That's soooo mean!"

More confused than before, Naruto looked closely at the girl and began to notice some rather strange similarities. The spikey-ish blond hair, the blue eyes that hid some sort of deep secret, the odd armor and weaponry...

Naruto's eyes widened considerably (making the girl suppress a laugh at the look), and he yelled out, "K-K-Kiyoshi-san?!"

Unbeknownst to the three, most activity on the street just stopped completely as almost everyone turned and stared wide-eyed at the young girl standing before them.

The girl did let out a laugh this time, and she patted the boy's head. "Close, Naruto-kun. Very close. In a way, I am Kiyoshi-onii-san, and yet, at the same time, I'm completely different."

Naruto just cocked his head to the side, the depths of confusion reaching an all-time high as he muttered out, "Huh?"

The girl adopted a thinking pose as she gazed up the sky. "Hmmm, how to explain this? I guess the best way to put it would be like I'm a part of Onii-san's soul given form, yet I am different enough from his original soul that my own soul could be considered only mine." She then shrugged. "I guess the closest thing we are would be twins, even though Onii-san's a lot older than I am, and we usually are never given separate bodies. Nii-san is the real one in this life, while this body I'm possessing is just a very advanced bunshin. I can survive outside of Nii-san for a while, but eventually I would have to go back inside him to recover."

Ayame managed to recover from her shock enough to say, "Sooo, you're saying that you're actually just a bunshin that possesses a large part of his personality?"

The girl pouted and waved a chiding finger. "No, that's the absolute opposite of what I said! I'm saying that a long time ago, I was "born", for lack of a better word, from Nii-san's soul and remain a part of it for whenever he needs me. Without Nii-san, I would not be able to exist, as I am still connected to him rather closely, but he can in fact let me out from time to time in a bunshin if he ever needs my help! I can think and feel completely on my own without Nii-san's influence, while a bunshin can only possess whatever emotions Nii-san puts into it."

She gestured with a thumb behind her towards the direction the other clone left. "Take that clone, for instance. It's a very close copy to Nii-san, reflecting everything he knows and feels as the original would, but it's still just a copy. At the end of the day, that clone's personality would just mesh back into Nii-san's, while in my case, all my experiences, thoughts, and feelings remain mine even when I go back."

Naruto thought about her words for a moment before nodding his head. They did make sense, in a circular and rather confusing way. He then asked, "So, if you're different from Kiyoshi-san, then what do we call you?"

The girl smiled widely and bowed a little. "My name is Rika. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." She then straightened again and said happily, "Well! Let's get back to the manor so we can take care of these clothes!"

To get from Konoha to Tanzaku, one could simply walk the road like some sort of common civilian, except the problem with that lied in the fact that it often took at least four or five full days to get there – longer if the roads were so muddy from the rain that traveling was either impossible or twenty kinds of frustrating. Ninja were not so hampered and could travel cross-country using speed- and tree-running. A typical genin would only make it halfway there before running out of chakra and needing to rest. A chuunin could make it there and still have a little chakra to spare, while a jounin would probably still have roughly half to two-thirds of his chakra left – depending on their control and reserves, of course.

That was one of the things that was best about being from the Tenshi clan. You got to break so many rules, it was almost too funny, and screw all the kekkei genkai holders who whined about it. All it would take for Kiyoshi to reach Tanzaku was simply a couple of Haste spells, and he would be in Tanzaku before evening.

As his first Haste spell wore down, Kiyoshi slowed to a stop and flipped open his phone to double-check the area. The in-built GPS showed that the disturbance was located in a wooded area that he could see about a hundred feet away, and Rufus had told him that the disruption was seismic in nature - meaning that this thing, whatever it was, had managed to move the ground enough to have every satellite under Imperial control going nuts.

Suddenly, Kiyoshi had a very bad feeling about this, because, in his experience, anything that large usually meant wide-scale destruction.

Recasting Haste on himself, he bolted towards the woods.

Deep beneath the earth, something had barely awoken as it felt the earth shift it from side to side, forcing it to make adjustments to right itself again. How many years had it been? The last time it and it's brethren had walked above-ground, it had been during some war years ago between them and the various summons after them. It remembered something else. A scent, one that was more familiar than anything else. Something that triggered an inexplicable rage just by thinking about it. A scent that the being would try to destroy with all of its power.

It sensed its brethren still asleep, scattered across the world and buried even deeper than it. Curse their conqueror, and all those wretched animals by his side! Why did he stop them from their mission? Didn't he see they only sought to protect the world by cleansing it? Life was fleeting anyway; no matter how many they killed, nature would find a way to bring those pathetic races back into existence and continue the cycle. How many times had he and his compatriots stopped them from achieving their goal? Too damn many!

Suddenly, even this far beneath the earth, it sensed something approaching. The smell! Even with the dirt and rock covering it, that smell reached it as clear as the wind.

With an enraged rumble in its throat, it began clawing its way to the surface.

Kiyoshi stopped in the middle of the clearing, his senses stretched out as far as he could push them. Whatever this thing was, it evidently hadn't broken from the earth, meaning it was just moving on through to someplace else or was buried so deep that it still hadn't reached the surface.

Neither of these explanations appealed to him right now. He was on a deadline, damn it!

Flipping his phone open, he frowned at the GPS. The seismic activity stopped here, not even a mile from its origin. Was it just a tectonic shift? There isn't anything out here that seems to be-

His attention shifted away from his musings, as the ground began to tremble a little. His frown deepened. Earthquake?

As the tremors worsened, his eyes widened when the ground directly underneath him cracked. NO! SOMETHING'S HERE!

He jumped away, and a giant white-and-gray claw shot out of the earth towards him. Quickly, he used kawarimi to switch with a log right as the claw closed around him, reappearing on the ground a few yards away from the ever-widening fissure.

The claw slammed into the ground, and it was followed by its partner as they both pulled the rest of the body out of the rumbling earth. The shoulders came out first, as they seemed to have taken on the forms of demented, flightless wings out of the back of the creature that open to release its devastating laser barrages. The head had no mouth or nose, almost resembling a helmet with glowing crimson-orange eye holes. A glowing crimson orb was encased in the middle of its chest, and all around the sides and back of its waist flowed a wide, fanned tail. As it finally pulled itself out of the ground, two giant, clawed feet stepped onto the earth, sending small tremors with each step it took while it stared at the boy with rage.

Kiyoshi's eyes widened slightly more, a little fear beginning to enter his gaze, and he whispered, "No way...Diamond Weapon..."

To the north-east, far past Kaminari no Kuni, out of the isolated peninsula that was known that Elemental Nations, and deeper in the mainland that was the heart of the Empire, sat the Imperial Capital – the seat of the Jade Emperor and the location of all his military, financial, and political might. To be allowed into this city as an outsider was indeed a great honor, as the Jade Emperor's army patrolled this area religiously. No attack had ever made it to the Imperial Capital's walls, so effective was the army's might and tactical prowess, making it and its citizens the most protected in the world.

Travel through the busy streets, past the many intertwining roads and various squares, and one would eventually make it to the gates of the Jade Palace, a large, sprawling estate that made up the very center of the city. It was a community within itself, almost totally self-sustaining, and very few were ever granted the privilege to come and go as they pleased from its grounds.

And it was from this place that many alarms began blaring loudly.

Beneath the palace, underground, a command center had been built, with various screens showing multiple satellite views from around the world, zeroed in upon what region had been deemed of interest. The moment the alarms went out, many stationed there began to scramble to get the threat on screen. Something like this had never happened before, not for many, many years.

As the technicians scrambled to get updates, the elevator doors opened to reveal a ten year-old boy. His hair was strawberry-blond, his long bangs parted to the sides out of his face, and his ice-blue eyes were currently scanning the room. Underneath his royal robes, all patterned with green Imperial dragons, he wore white pants and a light-blue button-up shirt. He had a small scowl on his face, as his day had now been disrupted even further due to this intrusion. Damn that fat old bastard he called a Tou-san. No doubt the lazy SOB was currently playing with his mistresses and would no doubt complain of his "fun time" being disrupted as well.

In other words, the world had better be Kami-damned ending right now, or some heads were going to roll...

Rufus walked up to a dark-haired man with a mustache and beard that was currently wearing a closed dark blue trenchcoat over his business suit, who saluted him as the young prince approached. "Reeve, there had better be something going on right now, or I'm going to put whoever's responsible as part of stable duty for the caravans for the next twenty years – and I'll make sure the animals are fed laxatives each day."

Reeve Tuesti-Tenshi had long-since gotten used to Rufus' threats and simply saluted again. "My lord, we've just started to receive rather unusual seismic activity emanating from the Elemental Nations. It is within a mile-radius of the earlier activity we scanned a few days ago."

"Any idea what's caused it to elevate to this?"

"We're still looking into it. The satellites are currently having trouble focusing on the area right now, possibly due to some form of static interference."

Rufus' scowl deepened as he crossed his arms, considering what to do. Right now, he didn't wish to send any of his troops into that accursed peninsula, lest the various pig-headed Daimyos there start to raise a fuss about him supposedly encroaching on "their" territories. It was that kind of behavior that made Rufus just want to send them anyway to shut them up, but he really didn't want to deal with a potential rebellion right now, despite how quick and effortless it would be.

He glanced back at Reeve. "Any word from Kiyoshi?"

The man started shaking his head but was interrupted when Rufus' phone began to chime. The boy grinned a little and muttered, "Of course you're somehow involved, Kiyoshi," as he pulled it out and answered it in a more normal tone. "Kiyoshi, what a-"

"Shut up (crackle) listen, Rufus! You know (snap) seismic activity (crackle) me to find?!"

Rufus put his free hand against his other ear to try and drown out some of the surrounding noise. "Kiyoshi, I can't hear you. There's too much static right now." He turned over to Reeve. "Get him on loudspeakers. I can't hear him with this much noise – and someone get those alarms shut off!"

The speakers crackled to life, and Kiyoshi's panicked voice sounded throughout the room."It wasn't (fuzz) -mic activity! There's (spark) Kami-damned (crack) -pon out here!"

"Static is currently clearing up! We should start to get an image soon," Reeve called from one of the stations.

Rufus turned towards the large screen on the wall, and when he heard an explosion, he then yelled, "Kiyoshi?! Kiyoshi, talk to me! What did you find out there?"

"Can any of you hear me?! It's Diamond! Fuck! Do any of you hear me?! It's the fucking Diamond Weapon!"

All activity stopped at those words, and Rufus nearly dropped his phone as he and the rest of the room stared in shock at the screen, revealing a fully-awakened Diamond Weapon shooting lasers at what appeared to be hundreds of Kiyoshis – and it was tearing through them all like butter.

"Is anybody there listening to me?! I repeat! DIAMOND WEAPON HAS AWOKEN IN THE ELEMENTAL NATIONS!"

Kiyoshi dodged another laser blast that had gotten a little too close, taking out another ten Kage Bunshin in the process. He seal-lessly formed another twenty in their place as he tried to put some more distance between himself and the being of destruction, throwing a spell at it here and there to try and ward it off. He'd tried using the Bunshins to make some attacks of their own, but the problem was the fact that Diamond was tearing through them faster than they could make hits on it. Kiyoshi himself could try to take it on, but he hadn't been able to use his Scan spell and take a reading of its strengths. In other words, there was a very high chance that the moment he tried to take it on without any support, he would be obliterated without any effort – hence the Kage Bunshins. He figured if he could make enough cannon fodder to go against the blasted thing, it would give him a few precious moments to shoot something off.

His uncle's voice came through his earpiece. "Kiyoshi, it's Reeve. Try using thunder-type spells on it – that's supposed to be its weakness!"

Kiyoshi snarled and dodged another blast that took out another five Bunshin. "Gee, you think?! Where the hell do you think all of this static is coming from?! I've been shooting it with Thundaga and Triple Thundaga, tried using Sparkstrike on my weapons and getting close to it – not a smart idea, by the way; damn thing nearly crushed me! Hell, if I could take the time to summon anything else, I'd probably be using Ixion or Odin right now, because Ramuh sure hasn't been able to cut through it! I summoned him right before I called you, and the damn thing just isn't slowing down!"

He turned back to the beast and screamed "Thundaga!" as he pointed at it, causing another flurry of lightning bolts to drop from the cloudless sky and strike the giant.

It paused for a mere second but continued on, shooting another laser ray after him before stomping on another batch of Bunshin.

Rufus turned from the screen and barked out, "Who's the nearest group to him who has the highest levels to help take it down?"

A tech down the bank of consoles called out, "Delta Squad 5 is the closest, but they've just engaged a large group of loose monsters! By the time they finish, they won't make it before the Weapon makes it to any nearby settlement, unless Kiyoshi-sama can somehow stall it for over twenty minutes!"

"Twenty minutes?! Are you all insane?! I can barely stay alive long enough to merely draw it away from the nearest town! I'm running out of places to go!"

Rufus slammed his fist onto the table. "There's got to be some other team nearby!"

Another tech yelled out, "It's hopeless! The only other squads closest to him are Alpha Squad 7 and Sigma Squad 43, but Alpha's been mostly disabled and needs to return for medical treatment, and Sigma's levels aren't high enough! They'll be slaughtered!"

"Just got the specs on Diamond!" Reeve yelled as one of the smaller screens changed. "Maybe we can find out- Holy shit! That thing's HP aura is one million! That's impossible! It's levels only show it at fifty-five! The greatest increase should have only taken it to around forty-thousand!"

"One million?! What kind of Kami-damned power boost did this monster get?! Of course, that would also explain the magic resistance on this thing! No wonder my Thunder spells aren't working!"

Rufus turned back to Reeve and asked, "What about the Clan? Surely there is someone available you can send!"

Reeve thought for a moment before shaking his head. "It's no good. None of the family is anywhere near there at the moment. Sephiroth had been planning on sneaking into Ame for a little bit, but he hasn't left the compound yet. As it is, none of them will ever make it, even if they flew there as fast as possible."

Rufus growled and started scratching his head in frustration. "Kiyoshi, what about portals? Could you make something to get out of there, or maybe bring someone to you?"

Another explosion cut through the speakers, and then, "Negative! Everything's happening too fast for me to achieve the proper concentration to do it! Besides, the farthest I could go would only be about ten to twenty miles in any direction, and the damn thing's got my scent now! It'll follow me no matter where I portal off to!"

Reeve groaned and ran a hand through his long hair. They were running out of time, and no matter where Kiyoshi led the thing, it would still destroy just about everything out there. He tapped the back of his head a few times before he perked up and allowed a small smile on his face. "Kiyoshi! What about Cosmos-dono and Chaos-sama? If you issue a challenge to the Weapon, it would at the very least enclose it into a fighting sphere and allow you to wittle it down! The lack of space for it to maneuver would allow you to miss a fair portion of its attacks!"

"If that would have worked, we wouldn't be talking right now! You seem to forget that the challenges only work on sentients - and Diamond is still considered a mere automaton! This would be different if it was Magus or ExDeath or, hell, even one of the Glyph Espers, but this damn thing doesn't have a will of its own! If I issue the challenge, all that would happen is I might get incinerated in the time I gave it to get a lock on me! Not to also mention the chance that the Fallen will see it – if they aren't watching already!"

There was another explosion, and Kiyoshi began cursing up a storm before yelling, "Okay, I am seriously running out of room here, as well as chakra and mana! Anyone else got any more bright ideas before I race to my doom?!"

Rufus tried to wrack his brain for some way to help the imperiled boy, but for once, he was ashamed to say that he was at a loss. He truly wanted to help his oldest friend – oldest than could possibly be believed by any of the "regulars" of this world – but unfortunately, for once in the longest he could remember, he was truly and honestly unable to aid him.

He sighed and sat himself into a seat. There was only the sounds of explosions coming through the speakers, with a few muttered curses and spells coming from Kiyoshi, before Rufus finally broke the silence.

"Kiyoshi...I'm sorry."

A pause, and then the boy on the end chuckled lowly. "I guess I really am on my own on this one, huh?"

Rufus allowed a small smile onto his face. "Try to survive using any method you can. You have my authority. That's...about all I can give you."

More silence. It was hard to tell if the boy was having a hard time finding the words to say at a time like this, or if he was just too focused on dodging the various lasers being sent at him. Finally, Kiyoshi said, "If the screen goes black, then that means the one plan I've come up with has started. If I don't contact you within three days, then I'm dead."

The connection then went silent, and Rufus hung his head. Complete and utter silence now hung in the room, as the rest of those present watched the screens for some idea of what the boy was planning.

Kiyoshi held the now silent phone in his hand and flipped it closed before opening a portal to toss it through. If he succeeded in this, he was going to need some way to contact Rufus, and the phone would most likely be destroyed in the ensuing attack.

He stopped running and turned to face the now approaching Weapon. It would still take another minute before it got close enough to attack again. A fiery white light formed in his palm, and he threw it high into the air. He smirked as it exploded, thinking, Good luck trying to watch me now. That had enough interference to prevent any magical or technological viewing on this area for days.

He glanced at the Kage Bunshins nearby and said, "Get 'im. Don't hold back."

The bunshins nodded before charging the monster with various cries. Some were blasted away, but many more managed to latch onto the creature and start stabbing it repeatedly with whatever weapons they could summon. Whenever one got close to either being destroyed or running out of energy, it self-destructed in an explosive blast, causing Diamond to shriek with enraged pain every time it happened.

While this was going on, Kiyoshi calmly slapped his hands together and started chanting as his eyes began to glow with a white light.

When the screens suddenly turned black, Rufus' head snapped up in horror, and he called out, "What happened? Where's the damn feed?!"

Several techs tried to correct the problem, but one yelled back, "Whatever spell that Kiyoshi-sama used has caused all visual and audio to go completely dark. It's like he's set up an EMP field over the whole area. It doesn't matter which satellite focuses in – it still won't show!"

"Dammit! There's gotta be something we can pick up!"

"Confirmed intel coming in, sir!" Another said. "We've managed to pick up both Diamond Weapon's and Kiyoshi-sama's stats. Putting them up on the screen now!"

Various numbers flashed onto the screens, showing the HP auras and physical statuses of the two combatants, as well as Kiyoshi's heart rate and brain patterns.

Rufus allowed some relief to show on his face. They may have only numbers to show it, but at least they confirmed that Kiyoshi was still alive at this point. He then called out, "Keep those numbers on the damn screen and start mobilizing Sigma Squad 43 to intercept! Whatever Kiyoshi's planning, it should be enough for them to finish the beast off and secure his transport back here! I want a medical team ready on stand-by for when they approach the Capital!"

"Sir! Look!"

Suddenly, Diamond's aura began to drop steadily as thousands of numbers detracted from the overall total. Some of the techs let out shouts of victory, and Rufus grinned before calling out, "No time to celebrate yet! Kiyoshi's own mana is still dangerously low, and we don't have any way to know how much chakra he has! What's the ETA of Sigma 43?"

"Nine minutes, sir! For some reason, they're hitting turbulence and have to find a safer route for their stealth hover!"

Rufus nodded and stared at the screen as the numbers continued to slowly but steadily drop. Come on, Kiyoshi. Just hang on.

By the time the last bunshins exploded, Diamond was staggering as it tried to keep its balance, and Kiyoshi could sense its aura down to where it should be for its level. It was still pretty tough, but at least now there was more even ground.

The beast glared at the boy before it with hate, and Kiyoshi's glowing eyes stared right back as he smirked. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I piss you off?"

The beast roared and started to walk towards him again, its speed now hampered due to its injuries while the pauldrons were sealed shut from the blasts.

Kiyoshi just summoned T-Murasame and ran a hand down the side of the blade, leaving a long line of crackling thunder behind, before hefting it into a ready position and yelled, "Come on then! COME GET SOME!"

Like a shot, he raced towards the beast's feet before shooting up its middle while screaming, "Heaven's Light!" His blade glowed white and left a trail of light in the wake of its slash. Once he reached the gem, Kiyoshi then rolled in mid-air and launched towards it, striking the creature fervently and continuously in seconds, before kicking off to dodge its retaliatory swipe.

He sent several energy waves in response, and when he reached the trees, he kicked off again, this time towards the beast's arm. He cut deeply as he passed, kicking off another tree at the end, before cutting across the back. He never stayed in one place for longer than a second, and the massive Weapon was having trouble keeping up with him as he jumped and weaved around it, cutting and slashing when he could.

Soon, Kiyoshi landed back where he first jumped, and he pumped what little chakra he had left into his legs and launched himself straight into the sky, mana gathering in his hand. Diamond tried to swipe after him again, but shadow claws shot out from the trees and prevented the beast enough from doing so. Kiyoshi reached his apex, the mana in his hands swirling violently, and he swung his arms around until his right palm was facing the beast.

Only have one shot at this. Make it count! He then screamed, "ULTIMA!"

The mana turned dark and shot towards the giant beast, swirling around it and wrapping it into a sphere of pure black. Some glyphs appeared on the sphere's sides, and it shrank smaller and smaller until it was the size of a small boulder before exploding into a flurry of green and black flames.

Diamond let out a pained cry and fell onto its back, its chest fully exposed, and Kiyoshi swung his sword around until it was pointing downwards. He then dropped from the sky, gaining more and more velocity while his eyes changed to the Shinpan no Me, and he yelled, "HELL'S GATE!"

The sword pierced the beast's chest, and time seemed to stand still for a few seconds, as if the world had decided to hold its breath. Then the orb began to pulse violently as energy leaked out from the wound, and Kiyoshi's eyes widened before his world exploded around him.

Rika paused in her walking as she headed for the dojo area. She needed to take an account of the armory there and see what could be used to teach Naruto further in his studies, but she felt something in the air and turned her head in the direction that she just knew where Kiyoshi was.

Her eyes widened, and she whispered, "Nii-chan..."

She remained still for a few seconds before shaking her head and headed off to her original destination. Hopefully, that feeling was just her imagination, and that the very fact that she was still here proved that her brother was still alive.

Down in the command center, the techs were all cheering as Diamond reached its final limits of life, shouting out encouragements that the boy could not hear. Rufus allowed a small smile onto his face and crossed his arms. Maybe we won't need the extraction after all. Kiyoshi, you always continue to be so surprising.

Just as the counter hit zero on Diamond's life, Rufus felt the pause in the air and frowned slightly. What was-?

Suddenly, the numbers for Diamond surged violently, and all of Kiyoshi's screen went blank. Rufus stood up and said, "What happened? Where are the vitals? What's going on?!"

One of the bewildered techs started typing frantically at his station, trying to bring something, anything, up onto the screen. "I-I don't know, sir! Whatever that energy reading was, it's knocked every satellite in that sector out. It'll be some time before we can get any sort of reading from there, and even that's still iffy. Diamond's blast must have let out a EMP pulse of its own that's added to the one earlier."

Rufus swept an arm to the side and yelled, "Then get Sigma out there and find out what the hell just happened! We need-"

"Belay that order, technician."

Rufus paused for a moment before letting out a growl and turning towards the elevator. Standing there in all of his "Imperial glory" was Augustus Shinra, head of House Shinra, sixty-fifth Emperor of the Jade Empire. A rather portly man whose blond hair was receding and a rather thick mustache on his face, he held himself arrogantly, though the way his royal robes seemed to have been hastily thrown on took away much of the authority his image would have commanded.

Behind him stood Danielle Shinra, the Empress and Rufus' mother. It was obvious who Rufus took more after, as she had the exact shade of hair and eye colors as he. She was gorgeous, which made some wonder just what the Emperor's problem was to ignore such a gem, her angular features belying a softness underneath that endeared her to her people. Her long hair had been done up into a bun held together by golden pins with jeweled tassels on the end.

Rufus glared at the man before him and snarled out, "What did you say, Tou-san?"

The Emperor ignored his son, merely passing off the boy's feelings on the situation as stress on finding an active Weapon roaming the world, and he turned to the technician who had been speaking earlier. "Can you confirm if whether or not Diamond is currently gone?"

The technician seemed to stare with incredulity before remembering himself and turning back to the screen to type in more information. After a few seconds of going through the earlier data, he sighed and replied, "Yes, my lord. Diamond is confirmed to be destroyed. That blast it let out seemed to contain what was left of its life energies. Upon its death, it did not have anything left within it to survive its own attack."

Augustus smiled and turned back to his son. "There. You see? There's no need for any more confirmation. If it's dead like our computers say, then it's dead. If not, we'll soon find out any way."

"But, Tou-san!" Rufus snapped back. "What about Kiyoshi-san? What if he's currently hurt and needs medical attention? Sigma 43 is the only one who could reach him in time!"

"We cannot waste resources for a rogue agent who always seems to go off and do his own thing," the man replied, waving his son's concerns away. "If Kiyoshi-san is alive, he will have to find his own way back to safety. He should have been equipped for such measures, and it's his own fault if he has not been."

He turned and headed back for the elevator. "Bring Sigma 43 back, sochi, and don't think about sending any others out after him, even the other Tenshis. Leave the Elemental Nations to their own devices."

When the doors closed, Rufus could only stare in shock. Was the man really so stupid as to ignore the plight of someone who served them so faithfully? And since when had Kiyoshi been a "rogue agent," when that callous bastard had sent him there in the first place? Soon his shock gave way to anger, and he picked up a nearby chair and threw it into the wall, yelling wordlessly as he did so, before slumping into another and holding his head in his hands.

He felt a hand rest gently on his shoulder, and he turned to look at his mother smiling softly at her only son. She rubbed him a little to calm him down as she said, "Worry not, my sochi. If I know dear Kiyoshi-kun, he's still alive. He'll be okay. Just have faith in him." When he nodded, she then turned to the elevators. "Come along. Let us go and have dinner."

Rufus sat still for a few seconds before rising to his feet, and as he moved to join his mother, he barked out, "Keep searching that area for anything you can! The moment you can confirm something, I want it brought to me immediately!"

The room sounded back positively and got to work, while Reeve ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Cloud's gonna have my head for this – or at least, she gonna have the Emperor's when she finds out.