Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Negima.

Chapter 22

Red Clouds in Cloud and Snow

Ancor Vantian

Itachi glared disdainfully at Madara's orange mask. "Madara," he muttered coldly.

"I've always wondered when you would show your true colors, Itachi," replied Madara conversationally. "And now, here you are, betraying Akatsuki for the village you first betrayed. Konoha must be getting complacent or desperate if they're willing to keep you alive after your betrayal and countless crimes."

He didn't reply. He had no intention of giving Madara anything.

"Then again," Madara continued, "they probably found you too valuable to kill off, what with your wealth of information and your skills as a shinobi and as an Uchiha. Danzo particularly must be salivating at the prospect." He tilted his masked head, the act menacing when combined with his lone Sharingan behind the mask. "Well, I'm going to make sure that you don't use any of them any longer. You will be dealt with now."

"You were a big pain in our ass, boy," Shinno said with a sneer. "We won't let you escape this time." He still bore the wounds of the earlier battle but even those wounds apparently did nothing to his arrogance.

"You are severely outnumbered," cackled Mukade, "and severely outmatched."

Itachi drew his tanto and activated his Sharingan. Temujin caught onto his actions and drew his sword and unfolded his shield.

Madara laughed in dark amusement. "I applaud your efforts, you two. But it is ultimately futile. You will not escape."

Itachi replied, "Escape is not our intention, Madara. We are going to bring this whole thing down." He then raised his free hand into a seal and expelled his chakra.

The Akatsuki leader's eye widened. "You-"

BOOM!

A series of explosions rocked the fortress, blowing up multiple buildings around them and sending debris and plumes of smoke everywhere. Then, the fortress rumbled and slowly started to fall from the skies.

Caught off-guard, Mukade and Shinno tumbled to the ground but Madara managed to support himself in time.

However, Itachi wasn't done yet. He raised another seal and called out, "Katon: Goka Mekkyaku!" Then, the entire room was filled with fire, melting much of the equipment and bursting through the windows. Temujin took the cue, turned to the door, and ran. Itachi followed behind him as he cut off the stream of flame. As the door closed behind them, the flames were slowly absorbed into Madara's mask.

Madara cursed as he surveyed the damage around him. He then rushed to the main computer and accessed it. Damn him! He exploded a lot of the important systems here and melted the computer! There's no way to fix this fortress while it's in the air and away from Sora no Kuni! Damn you, Itachi! You're lucky I invested into Ancor Vantian! I'm going to have to give up on him for now! He growled under his breath as he put both hands on the computer and started gathering his charka, the space around his eye hole of his mask distorting and swirling.

En route to the hangar

Temujin and Itachi didn't stop running away from the main command room and quickly bypassed any Sora no Kuni ninjas who stood in their way.

As Itachi sliced the throat of one such ninja, Temujin glanced behind him and asked, "Where are they? Why didn't they follow us?"

Frowning, Itachi replied, "That most likely means that Madara values this fortress more than us. That's both good and bad. It's good because we would have a better chance at escaping and surviving. And it's bad because the fortress has some value to Madara and whatever is of value to him is not good for us."

"That's true. What's the plan, Karasu-san?"

"We leave." Itachi bashed open a door and looked around. The open air blasted in their faces coming from the lowered walkway but neither of them cared. "This is the hangar," he concluded, seeing a few flying devices docked nearby. He rushed to a lever and pulled it. "Get on board!"

Temujin nodded and leapt into the flying ship as it slowly moved down the walkway.

Itachi joined him afterwards and went towards the controls just as it flew off and out the fortress. He quickly studied the controls before taking hold of them and starting to maneuver it.

The knight looked behind him and gasped. "Karasu-san! Look!"

Glancing behind him, Itachi narrowed his eyes as the flying fortress was slowly absorbed into a space-time distortion and vanishing from their sight. "That's Madara's Jikukan ninjutsu."

"That's from the leader?" asked Temujin, his eyes wide. "How powerful is he?"

"The only person I know in recent history who fought with him Yondaime Hokage-sama sixteen years ago. Not even Pein and Konan knows his full power."

"By the Gelel," he muttered, "how could he amass such power?"

"That power needs just as much concentration and that's why he stopped chasing us," Itachi replied. "He can't focus on his jutsu on something that big and follow us at the same time."

"We're lucky, then, that he wasn't the one who faced off against us. I don't know how we would fare against him."

Itachi frowned. "Yes...yes, we are..." He shook his head slightly to shake himself from his thoughts and fiddled with the controls of the ship. "We should regroup with the others and Kazehana-dono."

Temujin breathed a sigh of relief, taking off his helmet and nodding. "Yes, let's go."

Kazehana Castle

Koyuki gave a wide smile as she regarded the group in front of her in her throne room. "I cannot thank you all enough," she said. "Thanks to you, the invaders were pushed back and were dealt a significant blow."

Itachi gave a small nod behind his mask as his teams returned her gratitude with exclamations of joy.

Temujin nodded at her as well, his knights kneeling behind him.

"I truly could not have done this without you all," Koyuki continued. "I will make sure your Hokage knows of your actions and rewards you well."

The masked Uchiha nodded again. "Hokage-sama will be pleased, Kazehana-dono."

She then turned to Temujin and said, "You should be proud of your knights, Temujin-san. They were very invaluable to the defense of Yuki no Kuni."

"You're welcome, Kazehana-dono." He paused. "With your permission, I'd like to leave my knights with you to continue to protect your land."

Her brows furrowed. "Um...permission granted," she softly replied. "I won't turn down an offer for protection but I'd be remiss if I didn't ask what you want in return." She already had an inkling of what he would want but she wanted to be sure.

He replied, "If you can continue to arm my knights with your more advanced technology for the duration of their stay and protection of your land, that would be sufficient."

That wasn't too far off the mark but he made it seem that he wasn't expecting to keep the weapons. She nodded. "Very well. I'll offer a share of Yuki no Kuni's technology to you and your knights, the same as my offer with Konohagakure."

"Thank you. I accept your offer."

She tilted her head curiously. "I can't help noticing that you didn't include yourself in the group defending Yuki no Kuni."

"Yes. I intend to join Karasu-san and his team back to Konohagakure."

Itachi turned to him. "You want to join us back to Konoha?"

Temujin nodded. "Yes. The reveal that this terrorist organization was behind this attack made me realize that I am more needed with you than I am here. Besides, it will also let me see the village that Sasuke talked about."

He smiled beneath his mask. "I see. Unfortunately, Sasuke is not at the village at the moment. He and a few others have gone to Kumogakure to attend the Chuunin Exams held there. I expect them to be back within a month or two."

"That's fine." He gave a small grin. "I would be able to at least surprise him when he returns."

"I'm sure he'd be very surprised and thrilled."

Both men shared a chuckle before turning their attention back to Koyuki.

"In any case, if your knights would follow my scientists, Temujin-san, they'd be outfitted with Yuki no Kuni's finest and then put to work alongside my people."

The knight nodded and signalled his knights to follow the aforementioned scientists.

After watching the knights and her scientists leave the throne room, she said, "I must get to repairing the damage done to my castle and my land soon. But before I do, I will write a letter for your Hokage for when you return."

Itachi said, "Very well, Kazehana-dono."

"It won't be a long one. I will only inform him of the conclusion of the invasion. I leave you to fully debrief him, especially given the true nature of the invasion as orchestrated by Akatsuki. I will also write to him about our continued alliance in light of this new development. Expect some of our weapons to arrive to Konoha soon. It should help you in case Akatsuki decides to invade Konoha next after their failed attempt here. I will also have my researchers start studying the flying machines that were left behind. Thank you for bringing back a fully-functioning one when you left the fortress, Karasu-san."

He gave a soft grunt of acknowledgement but said no more.

"My people will begin reverse engineering them as soon as possible. Hopefully, they'll be able to mass produce them for our use." She smiled. "If we're successful, we will send some of them your way as well."

"Understood," he said. "Thank you."

"Um...Daimyo-sama," Setsuna slowly spoke up. When Koyuki turned to her, she continued, "The prisoners that we brought here from the fortress. Are they–are they okay?"

The Daimyo gave her a warm smile. "Yes, they're fine. My doctors are treating them right now. With enough rest, they'll be back on their feet in no time. Once they've fully recovered, we'll be able to send them back to their homes, wherever it is."

The relief was visible on the young teens' faces, sighs escaping their mouths.

"That fortress of theirs is truly an abomination," Koyuki said, frowning. "It's unfortunate that it didn't get destroyed by your bombs, Karasu-san."

"Indeed," replied Itachi. "But we should be able to plan a counterattack should it appear again."

"But that's enough of that," she finally said, spreading her arms wide in a welcoming gesture and giving the group another smile. "For now, you all need your rest before your travel back to Konoha. Please, enjoy Yuki no Kuni."

Kumogakure – Unraikyo

Far on the outskirts of the valley, at another gate, a Kumo shinobi gasped for breath as he clawed at the hand around his throat.

The owner of said hand sighed, looking up at him with his pale red eyes. "Please don't call for help. It would be very, very bad for both you and us if the entirety of Kumo finds out about this."

"Mou," his companion complained from behind him, stomping her foot on the ground. "Don't play with your food! Give him to me if you don't want him!"

"You'll have him after I'm done with him," Hiruko replied casually. "We still need information. Now, as for you, my friend, I will ask only one question: where is the Hachibi jinchuuriki?"

"F-Fuck...you!" the Kumo-nin spat out between breaths.

Sighing, the Akatsuki shinobi raised his free fist, which turned to the color of stone, and punched his captive on the stomach.

"GACK!" A strangled cry left his lips, spittle flying from his mouth at the punch, before he was thrown towards the chained gate between them and the valley.

"You really should be more cooperative," he spoke with a sigh as he approached the fallen ninja. "This would make things much less painful for you and less troublesome for us."

"I won't—gasp—talk!" With a grunt and a struggle, the Kumo-nin slowly rose to his feet and glared at the two of them. "I am of Kumogakure! I...won't break so easily!"

Hiruko blinked curiously before chuckling softly. "Stronger men than you have broken. Perhaps I should start using some of the tricks my old friend, Orochimaru, taught me on how to make people talk."

The Kumo-nin's eyes widened. "Wh-what? You're friends with the Snake Sannin!?"

"Well, we were friends until he and the Sannin tried to kill me for my kinjutsu." He shook his head. "But that's neither here nor there. You're only prolonging the inevitable. Now, again, where is the Hachibi jinchuuriki?"

Regaining his bravado, he spat at Hiruko's face. "I won't tell you jack shit!"

Unconcerned, Hiruko casually wiped his face and took a few steps back. "He's all yours. But don't kill him until he tells us what we want to know."

His accomplice giggled, stepping forward, leering sadistically at the Kumo-nin through her round-rimmed glasses. "I have just the thing for that." She raised a free hand, which glowed.

A large...key? Hiruko was curious as a large, ornate key appeared in his accomplice's hands. Watching her grab it, he blinked in surprise when two beams of light came from the globe-looking model at the top that connected to both the Kumo-nin and to her.

Dismissing the key with another glow, she said, "He's part of the exam that's happening right now. He should be somewhere in the center of the valley."

"That key's really handy," Hiruko commented before sighing and shrugging. "Well, you kept your end of the bargain, I suppose. Have fun with him."

She giggled again, pulling a katana from her Akatsuki cloak. "Before you die, can you do me one small favor, please?" she asked the wide-eyed Kumo-nin, her voice eager and dark. "Scream for me."

Back at the main entrance of the valley, Samui narrowed her eyes as she watched her fellow Kumo-nin join her and her team in front of the main entrance. "There's two missing," she said. "Did anyone see Zee and Yuu?" She frowned when they replied in the negative. "I doubt they went in the valley to sabotage any of the teams; I expect them to have more discipline than that. Radios out," she called out. "Search for them! None of us are returning to the village until they are found!"

The grumbles that followed were drowned by the shouts of affirmation and the thundering footfalls of ninjas leaving to fulfill her command.

Within minutes, she heard someone call out through the radio. "Samui-taicho! We found Yuu! He's-he's-he's dead!"

It's as if she was doused with ice cold water. She stiffened, whispering, "What?"

"It looks like his throat's been sliced open by a blade," her fellow Kumo-nin reported. "It was quick, efficient. I don't think Yuu even had a chance to fight back."

Samui bit back a curse. "What about Zee? Has anyone seen him?"

"No, taicho. No one has reported seeing him ye-"

"AAAARGGGH!" The sudden scream of pain caught them all off-guard.

He exclaimed, "That shout came from entrance 17!"

Samui shouted into the radio in turn, "All units, head to entrance 17 and prepare for combat! We've got a hostile in the village!" She then rushed off to the source of the shout, Karui and Omoi rushing behind her. When they got to the entrance, she reeled back in disgust. There wasn't much left of her fellow Kumo-nin or the chained fence leading to the valley.

Another kunoichi grimaced as she studied the eviscerated corpse. "Whoever did this is a monster. Who would just do this?"

Clenching her fists, the blonde Kumo kunoichi announced, "Moroi, Harui, report back to Raikage-sama and Mabui-san that we have an intruder. Don't let anyone else know. That last thing Raikage-sama wants is for anyone else to know that someone breached his security before he can recover." The two aforementioned ninjas saluted her and rushed back to the village. "The rest of us are going into Unraikyo. We have a hostile in there who has no qualms with killing us and a valley full of genin."

"Hai, Samui-taicho!" they all shouted.

"What about Bee-sensei, Samui?" Karui asked her. "Should we let him know?"

She nodded. "I will have you two do that. Afterwards, stay with him. Raikage-sama has given him his orders and expects him to fulfill it. Let us deal with the intruder."

Karui and Omoi nodded firmly.

"You have your orders. Go!"

As the Kumogakure ninjas ran into Unraikyo to deal with the threat to their village, the other occupants within had no idea just what kind of a warzone the valley was about to become.

"I don't like this," Seishi commented with a frown. "We haven't come across anyone else since that one team earlier."

Yakumo nodded as she followed behind her. "Yeah. It's really crazy."

Beside her, Ki exclaimed, "That only means that we should be the ones going after them! We'll be catching them by surprise and we'll show them our Flames of Youth!"

Seishi blinked at her before laughing. "You're right, Ki-chan! But we should first get ready before we start hunting for other teams!"

The taijutsu kunoichi pouted and crossed her arms. "But we're ready now!"

Yakumo smirked teasingly. "Are we? You never know; Seishi might use the Suiryudan and tire herself out again."

The blue-haired girl glared at the brunette. "Hey! That was just that one time! And I know better now!"

"Things happen while we're fighting, you know," the Kurama heiress continued. "You might use it without meaning to."

Seishi pouted before turning around with a huff, her nose pointed up.

Ki laughed, wrapping an around around her teammate's shoulder. "Aww, don't be like that, Seishi-chan. We're just joking!"

"Hmph!" Seishi tried to maintain her affronted look before she deflated, giving them an exasperated but fond look. "You two suck. So, what's the plan?"

Yakumo answered, "Let's do what Ki suggested. You can use your Kanchi no Jutsu and find a close team for us to go after."

She nodded, raised her hands in a seal, and closed her eyes. Seconds later, she opened them and pointed in a random direction. "I sense a team over there!"

Ki grinned, tightening her gloves. "Then, let's go, Seishi-chan, Yakumo-chan! The enemy team awaits!"

"After you, Ki-chan," she said, smiling at her. Then, she watched as Ki launched herself in the enemy team's direction without hesitation. She and Seishi looked at each other before chasing after her.

"DYNAMIC ENTRY!" Ki shouted at the top of her lungs, aiming a kick down at the nearby team. The resulting splash scattered the three members of the enemy team.

"What the fuck?!"

"Aarrrrrgh!"

"Gurgle!"

Landing beside the taijutsu kunoichi, Seishi grinned as she called out, "Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu!" The water beneath her shifted and grew until three copies of the blue-haired kunoichi formed around her. Then, the clones ran forward and extended their hands to the enemy team, who were attempting to recover from the surprise attack. "Suiton: Suiro no Jutsu!" she called out next, making the surrounding water rise beneath and encase the trio in a dome prison, which the clones put their hands on. "Easy as pie!" she said with a grin.

The three growled and glared at them, their curses and angry exclamations muffled by the dense water imprisoning them.

She winked at them playfully, her grin widening. "Not our fault we caught you off-guard," she said before looking over her shoulder. "You can do your thing, Yakumo!"

Yakumo approached them in a brisk pace, her hands going through her hand seals. Then, she said with a smirk, "Nightie night. Nehan Shoja no Jutsu." Slowly, white feathers descended from the sky and fell around them.

The enemy team was slowed immensely by the water prison and could do nothing as the genjutsu took effect and they all slowly closed their eyes in an illusion-induced slumber.

Seishi released her control over the water prisons and the water clones, causing the three imprisoned ninjas to crash to the water's surface, still undisturbed in their sleep. "Well?" she asked Ki and Yakumo, her hands on her hips. "I didn't use the Suiryudan that time!"

Yakumo grinned wide as she started searching one of the bags. "I saw. Now, if you can keep from using it until we get to the center of the valley, we'll be golden." She fished out some supplies from the pack, which she added to her own pack, before moving over to the second bag.

She huffed but mimicked her teammate and searched the third bag. She too added the supplies from it to her own bag before pausing at Yakumo's exclamation.

"Found their scroll!" the Kurama heiress exclaimed, pulling out a rolled scroll from the bag. Turning it in her hand, she beamed. "It's an Earth scroll!"

Ki let out a loud whoop of joy accompanied by boisterous jumping in place while Seishi grinned wide.

"Nice!" said Seishi. "Now, all we gotta do is stay safe while we head to the center of the valley."

"With how many teams are in this place," Yakumo commented with a small grimace, "that'll be tough."

Ki laughed loudly. "If they try to attack us, we'll just fight them and win with our Flames of Youth!"

Both girls blinked owlishly at her, then at each other, and then back at Ki before they laughed alongside her.

"You're right, Ki-chan," Seishi said, smiling wide. "We've gotten this far! We won't stop now!"

Yakumo nodded. "Mmhmm! And if we do go down, we'll take them with us!"

Laughing, the three kunoichi started their trek to the center of the valley, leaving the three unconscious ninjas behind them.

When the three of them awoke, it was almost an hour later.

"Ugh, what the hell happened?"

"Where are those Konoha ninjas?! They took our scroll!"

"What?! We need to get after them!"

"Oh, I don't think so," a fourth voice interrupted them. They all snapped around and saw Hiruko sitting by a rock, peering at them past his snow white hair. "I have a few questions for you three and I can't have you running off."

None of them were focused on him, though. Their gazes were locked on his partner, who was leering maliciously at them while licking some blood off her katana.

"Please don't mind my partner," Hiruko said. "She just finished enjoying herself and won't interfere with us."

Swallowing heavily, the lone shinobi replied, "Wh-what do you want with us?"

"All we want is simple," he replied. "We want you to lead us to the center of the valley."

"Why do you want to go there? There's going to be a lot of us headed there, especially our next proctors."

He raised a finger, causing the team to tense up and crouch in a fighting stance, and wagged it. "I will be asking the questions here," he chided. "The only thing you are going to do is obey."

"And-and if we don't?" asked the taller of the two kunoichi.

"From what I can see, you three are taking part in the Chuunin Exams. It'd be a...shame if you didn't get to complete it."

"Are you threatening us, you bastard?!" the shorter kunoichi asked angrily, glaring at them.

Hiruko sighed. "I would think that, by taking an examination, you would have some semblance of intelligence." He ignored the giggles from his partner. "Yes, I am threatening you three with death if you do not obey my command. If you do, you get to keep your lives. Unless you stayed after bringing us there, that is."

"How can we trust you?! You two are complete strangers and just started demanding us to take you to the center of the valley!"

He raised his hand to stop the katana from unsheathing beside him. "You can't," he easily replied. "That's because I'm not appealing to your ability to trust; I'm appealing to your instinct for survival." He shook his head and stood up, rolling his shoulder. "Now, I will not tell you again. Take us to the center of the valley."

The trio looked at each other with uncertainty, their fists clenched. They had a quiet conversation between themselves, all the while shooting the two Akatsuki members dirty looks which they both ignored. Finally, they faced the duo, discomfort on their faces. "Fine," the shinobi growled. "We'll take you to the center."

Hiruko smiled mockingly and clapped his hands once. "Very good!" he exclaimed. "Lead the way, children!" He then watched as they gave both of them one final glower before starting their path to their destination.

The walk to the center was certainly a tense one. Hiruko could sense it. The team leading them obviously didn't trust him or his partner to not stab them in the back once they got to their objective. That's fine; Hiruko didn't trust them either.

The Akatsuki duo continued to follow their genin guides through the water-filled valley of Unraikyo. Hiruko found it amusing that they deigned to walk instead of run to their destination. He knew that it was to spite him and his partner on their path to their destination. He honestly didn't care either way but he knew that it was only a matter of time before the proctors arrived and intercepted them.

"Can we hurry this up, you three?" he called out. "We are running on a bit of a schedule."

The genin clenched their fists but they complied, crouching low before taking off into a sprint.

Hiruko chuckled in amusement as he joined them in their sprint with his partner alongside him.

Their opposition eventually arrived while they were halfway through the valley.

"HALT!" the voice of the proctor reached their ears. The five of them stopped and turned around to face Samui and the group of Kumo-nin approaching them. "You are interfering in village business, Akatsuki. Step away from the genin and surrender," Samui ordered, her frosty scowl stuck on her face.

Hiruko fully faced them and raised a brow. "Am I? I wasn't aware," he said, his voice mocking. "I'm terribly sorry but I'm afraid I won't be doing that. My friend and I have ajob to do and we are not going anywhere."

Samui gave a soft growl but called out, "You three, go. Get out of here. We'll handle this."

The genin took the hint and ran off, eager to get away from the mad duo.

Hiruko didn't bother chasing after them but his partner pouted.

"Awww! And here, I wanted to have more fun with them!"

"We're almost to the center," he soothed. "And your thirst for blood will be sated. For now, just stay back and let me deal with this group." He smiled at her. "But if someone tries to get to you, knock yourself out."

His partner's grin was wide before taking two steps back and watching intently.

"You are outnumbered, Akatsuki," Samui called out, hearing blades being unsheathed around her. "You will not win."

"Outnumbered?" Hiruko mused quietly, rolling up his sleeves. "That simply won't do at all." His eyes gleamed. "Shall we even the numbers a bit?" Then, he formed his hand seals.

The ground rumbled and cracked, making her eyes widen. "SCATTER!" she shouted.

Jaws of earth and stone formed and threatened to devour the Kumo-nin. A few ninjas were late or unfortunate and were crushed to death by the jaws, silencing their cries in an instant.

As Hiruko ended his jutsu, he hummed in thought, looking at the survivors scattered around him, "Hmm, you might need more people."

The Kumo-nin sprouted into action, descending down on him with their tantos glinting in the sunlight.

He smiled before he retaliated. He dodged one strike, ducked under another, and jumped over a third. He then pushed the offending ninja to the ground while using him to propel himself away from the group. Landing in another, Hiruko jabbed his elbows to the sides of the two ninjas beside him before hopping and sending them flying with a split kick.

A shadow appeared behind him, tanto raised high.

Hiruko raised his hand to block it, his arm turning to steel and breaking it in two. "Weak," he muttered before grabbing the ninja's arm and flinging him to one of the rock walls. Spinning around, he blocked the strike with his arm before punching his opponent in the gut, sending him flying.

"Raiton: Sandaboruto!" a chorus of voices shouted, sending a high discharge towards Hiruko, enhanced by the water beneath their feet.

He raised his right hand, the upper diamond mark glowing red. "Meiton," he called out, "Kyuketsuko!" Before the lightning bolts converged on him, they were absorbed into the mark, leaving him unharmed. He smirked at their shocked faces before he said, "Meiton: Jajimento!" The lower diamond mark glowed and spewed a large stream of flame towards the ninjas.

The Kumo-nin scattered again, some diving beneath the waters, some taking cover by the many mountains around them.

Hiruko followed by holding out his arms at his sides. "Raiton," he said, "Sandaboruto!" Lightning coursed through his hands and he sent it towards the group, faster and more powerful than when they used it against him.

They moved once again, avoiding the streams of lightning zooming past them or casting a jutsu to protect themselves.

Samui and a few others took a third option and rushed at Hiruko, dodging the lightning headed their way and readying their tantos.

Ending the jutsu, Hiruko charged back at them, his arms turning into steel and engaging them in unarmed combat. He dodged a downward slash and kicked the ninja away. He blocked a strike to his torso with one arm and the blow to his head with the other. Then, he pushed them both away to protect his face from the kick aimed at it. Pushing it away, Hiruko unleashed a sea of flames around him.

"Raiton no Heki!" a chorus of ninjas shouted, creating a wall of lightning that blocked the flames from reaching them.

Hiruko stopped the flames and prepared his next jutsu. "Doton," he said, finishing his seals by slamming his palm to the ground, "Retsudo Tensho!" The ground shifted and quaked beneath the Kumo-nin's feet. Though not as powerful or devastating as the jaws that claimed a few of their lives, it was still enough to break their concentration and lower the lightning wall.

"Kumo-Ryu," Samui chanted as she rushed forward, "Omotegiri!" Her hand was a blur as she swung in a quick motion down towards Hiruko.

"Jinton," countered Hiruko, immediately disappearing from her sight and reappearing behind her, "Mueisho."

Fast! Samui thought as she tried to turn around to block his next attack.

"Koton," he said next, his fist grey and poised to punch, "Tetsu no Ken (Steel Release: Iron Fist)!"

However, she was too slow and she was sent crashing to a boulder with a loud, pained cry.

He spun around and blocked the tanto to his head. "You really should learn to stop repeating the same mistake," he chided before kicking the kunoichi away. He raised his head to look at the duo that were descending on him from above when a flash of movement caught his attention.

"Heehee," his partner's giggly voice spoke. "I'm really sorry, Hiru-han, but I can't wait any longer."

The next thing he knew, two headless bodies and their two heads fell around him, his partner standing in front of him with a maddened look on her face.

Hiruko could do nothing but sigh. "Yes. You're right. I suppose we shouldn't hold back any longer." He turned to the remaining few Kumo-nin and prepared his last jutsu. "Ranton Ogi: Rankiryu!" Chakra shot out from the ground and to the sky. Dark clouds started to swirl around the chakra pillar before spreading outward, electrocuting the remainder and dealing with them in an instant. As quickly as he summoned the storm, Hiruko dispelled it with a mere thought. "Well, our guides are gone and we faced some delays. We should get going."

His partner grinned at him, licking her lips. "Yes...let's..."

Unraikyo Center

"That storm's not one of ours," said Karui, frowning, as she looked at the subsiding storm. "That doesn't look good."

Omoi asked, "What kind of monster can summon and dispel a storm like that really quickly?"

She didn't reply but she slammed a fist to the building beside her. "Damn it! Why now of all times do we have to have a security breach?! Raikage-sama will not be happy about this!"

"Hey, hey, Karui," a voice spoke from behind her. "Don't just think about my bro! Instead, you should think about having these kids go! Send them back home, that's what we should do. Us and those clowns, it should just be us two."

Turning, she watched her sensei casually sitting by a chair, tapping his foot on the ground while writing in his small notebook. "Bee-sensei," she said exasperatedly, "I don't think this is the right time for your raps. We got some dangerous people in the valley who just defeated Samui-taicho and the others – or worse – and who are probably on their way here now."

The exam proctor said, "Kirabi-sama is right. We shouldn't involve the genin here. It's bad enough that someone intruded on Kumo's walls. We shouldn't give the other villages more problems with us by endangering their genin." He raised a hand to his ear and spoke into the radio. "All units, we have a code red in Unraikyo. Evacuate the genin back to the village and then regroup at the center to reinforce our position here while we handle the intruders." He heard a chorus of 'Yes, sir' before cutting off communication. Looking at Kirabi, Karui, Omoi, and the few ninjas with him, he said, "Let's get ready. We'll show these intruders not to underestimate Kumogakure."

"Yes!"

The proctor could only twitch a brow as the strongest among them, the great Killer Bee, gave a nod, a hum of agreement, and a wave of his hand, all while still immersed in his notebook.

Kumogakure

"So, how long do you think the genin will take to complete the second part?" asked Kakashi to his old team.

"They're skilled kids," Sasuke commented. "Two days, maybe three if they have to face a lot of resistance."

"Yeah, I'd say around that time too," added Sakura, pushing some hair out of her eyes. "Most of the competition are not that strong; they shouldn't have any trouble."

"Nice to see you guys having faith in your teams," Kakashi said, his eye curling to a smile, before turning to Fate. "Hmm...you okay over there, Fate?"

The white-haired boy narrowed his eyes as he stared out the window of their hotel. "There's something in the air," he softly muttered.

"What are you talking about, Naruto?" his mother asked, her brows furrowing, glancing outside from beside him and seeing nothing but the bright sky and bustling streets.

He replied, "Something is happening; something big."

They all looked at each other before back at Fate.

"I think we will need something more than that, Fate," said Kurenai, crossing her arms across her chest. "All of us feel something and it's most likely the hostility Kumo has shown us so far."

"Besides," Kiba interjected, snarling, with his arms behind his head, "if there is something wrong, we should just let the Raikage solve it! He wants to show off his village? Let him worry about it!"

"There are still others out there, not just from Kumo, Kiba-kun," Hinata chided with a soft frown. "If something happens to them, it will not be good for us as well."

Kiba clicked his tongue and looked away, saying nothing else.

"Hinata-sama is right," Neji agreed with his cousin. "Besides, if there is something out there, chances are, the-the Raikage" – he grimaced in disgust at the title – "will most likely keep us in our hotels to keep us in the dark and I doubt any of us want that."

"Not only that," Shino continued, "given Kumogakure's history of kidnapping, keeping us contained will give them an opportunity to do it again. Why? Because Kumogakure is greedy for bloodlines to be in their control to give them an edge against the other villages. So, Kiba, it is not good for us to sit here and let them clean up after their mess."

"I get it," the Inuzuka male said. "I get it, jeez. But we still don't know what Naruto is sensing."

Kurenai frowned before turning to Hinata. "Hinata, can you use your Byakugan? See what's happening?"

Her Hyuga student nodded before activating her Kekkei Genkai. "Byakugan," she called out, the veins protruding from the sides of her eyes with a burst of her chakra. After a few seconds, she mimicked her sensei's frown. "I see two jonin coming from outside. They...they seem to be in a rush and are headed towards the Raikage's building."

"In a rush?" asked Kushina, an uneasy feeling forming on the pit of her stomach.

"Y-Yes," she replied, still keeping her Byakugan active. "They look rather anxious." She grew worried. "You don't think something's happened to the genin?"

"I hope not," Sasuke hissed with a scowl.

True to Hinata's discovery, two Kumo jonin leapt through the rooftops and past their window. While they looked in the direction the jonin exited, Fate looked to where they came from, his eyes still narrowed.

"I don't want to be a pessimist here," Yukizora said, her brows furrowed in worry, "but wouldn't jonin rushing to the Raikage mean that whatever is happening to the Chuunin Exams is too much for them to handle? These guys seem to be very stubborn about their security and I doubt they'd just go to the Raikage for something that they can solve themselves."

"That's my thinking as well," agreed Neji, putting a hand to his chin. "I wouldn't put it past them to keep quiet any small altercation. This is something else entirely."

"You think there's someone in the Chuunin Exams who's not supposed to be there?" asked Sakura, her eyes wide. "This'll be like the last two exams all over again!"

Kushina stood to her feet and headed towards the door. When she opened it, she came face-to-face with a Kumo-nin. She steeled her face to a mask of ice as the ninja started speaking.

"Is there a problem, ma'am?" he asked, his eyes narrowed.

"I saw two jonin rushing over to the Raikage's tower," she replied. "Was there a problem?"

She didn't miss his tense shoulders and the challenging glare in his eyes. "Just some minor problem that popped up. Please try not to worry; we can handle it."

"I still want to talk to the Raikage," she insisted. "Perhaps he'll need some help for this."

He tightened his jaw but shook his head. "Raikage-sama can handle this alone. He doesn't need your...help," he softly hissed under a veneer of civility.

Kushina almost scoffed at his tone but the ninja spoke again.

"In fact, he requests all visiting ninjas to remain in their hotels to avoid any complications from arising."

"What about our genin?" she asked. "They're out there still doing their exams. We can't just sit here and let them continue without making sure they are safe."

He was getting angrier with her insistence. "Rest assured, ma'am," he replied with a forced smile, "we won't let that happen; Raikage-sama will make sure of that."

She sniffed derisively, puffing out her chest and crossing her arms. "I hope so. If anything happens to them, it won't look too good for Kumogakure, especially since the Raikage wants to keep us here and in the dark about what's happening out there." Then, she turned around and closed the door just as his patience reached its limit and opened his mouth to retort.

"Why, you-"

SLAM!

"Was that necessary, Kaa-san?" asked Izumi worriedly. "I don't think we need to make even more of an enemy of Kumo and the Raikage while we're in their village."

Kushina scowled as she fell onto the couch. "Necessary? No. But we won't take this house arrest lying down. I'm sure the other jonin are also not happy with this."

"Still..." she said, her lips pursed.

"Besides," Kushina continued, "we can handle whatever that muscle head will do to us."

"Maa, maa, sempai," soothed Kakashi with his curved-eye smile, "we shouldn't be so overconfident while we're in a foreign village."

Sasuke agreed with a nod. "Kakashi's right. For all we know, they might try something while our guards are down."

Sakura piped up, "Well, while we're stuck in here, we could tell Hokage-sama about this. Surely, this is something worth knowing, that there's some problem that popped up that needed the Raikage's attention."

"You're right, Sakura," Kakashi replied, lifting his headband to reveal his Sharingan. "It'll also be a good way for us to know how the others are doing."

Sasuke's eyes shifted to that of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, smirking conspiratorially, watching Kushina get the writing supplies.

Kiba stretched as he walked to the bathroom. "Well, while you're doing that, I'll be giving Akamaru a bath then. Come on, Akamaru!" His ninken barked after him.

Tenten shrugged as she pulled out her weapon scroll and unfurled it. "Fine. Since we'll be stuck here until the Raikage removes the lockdown, we can at least keep ourselves busy." She summoned a pile of shuriken and started to inspect them.

While the rest of the group busied themselves to keep themselves occupied, only Hinata noticed that Fate hadn't moved from his spot on the window. Neither had he turned away from the spot the two Kumo-nin came from. She slowly approached him and poked his shoulder.

"Yes, Hinata?" asked Fate, not turning to address her.

"Umm...are you alright, Naruto-kun?" she replied. "You still look tense."

"I'm fine. You need not worry about me."

"But-" she said but was cut off when Fate finally turned to her, the slight ice in his eyes cutting her off.

"Thank you for your concern, Hinata, but I do not need it. I am simply concerned about the genin."

"O-Okay..." she finally said, slowly retreating and joining the rest of her team but not before giving him one final look.

Fate slowly returned his gaze out the window and to the horizon, where the genin are.

You felt it, didn't you, Naruto? The Akatsuki is in Kumogakure, most likely going after the Hachibi.

That's obvious. But this presence with it is...familiar. I just can't pinpoint it exactly.

Unraikyo

"Alright, the genin are evacuated," the proctor said, lowering his hand from his ear. "Now, it's just us and the intruders." He frowned as he looked at the distance. "They'll be here soon."

True enough, a few minutes later, the two Akatsuki operatives came into view, finally coming up the steps.

"You," he said, fiddling with the kunai in his hand. "You're Akatsuki."

Hiruko spread his arms. "Guilty as charged," he replied. "You must be the proctors of this lovely exam." His eyes then found the hulking figure of Killer Bee and nodded at him. "And you must be the Hachibi jinchuuriki. Your chakra is truly monstrous that any sensor can feel it from a mile away."

"Hold up! Slow down! Stop there, you two! I am none other than the great Hachibi-sama to you!" Bee rapped, hopping slightly on his feet while responding to Hiruko. "You two jokers, y'all messed up this here exam. Now, I'm gonna make both of you get out here, scram!"

He blinked before raising a brow. "You...you'll make us scram? That's a serious claim you've made, jinchuuriki. I surely hope you don't disappoint."

"Don't count us out yet, you bastard!" shouted Karui, stepping in front of her sensei with her blade drawn, her partner, Omoi, beside her.

"Or any of us Kumo shinobi!" the proctor agreed, causing the few others with them to crouch into their stances.

Hiruko's lips curled into a smile as he chuckled. "Well, I admire your fire; it's certainly something. Unfortunately, I won't be taking part in this fight. I promised my partner here the honor of fighting you and I don't renege on my promises." He then watched as his partner unbuckled her Akatsuki robe and let it fall to the ground. "You may kill the rest of the ninjas here," he reminded her, "just don't kill the jinchuuriki."

His partner giggled as she unsheathed her katana and tanto. "No promises, Hiru-han," she replied, leering at her opponents from behind her glasses. "If that big hunk takes a hit meant for someone else, I can't guarantee he'll live."

Sighing, he said, "Fine. Then, at least, try to keep him alive."

She didn't respond to that and instead charged at the Kumo-nin.

"Here she comes!" the proctor called out as he rushed forward, making the rest do the same.

She leapt over his slash, landed behind him, and quickly spun around to decapitate him before he could react. However, she wasn't done. She stabbed the head she had just sliced off and flung it at the incoming group.

The head hit the torso of a ninja and stopped him in his tracks while the rest continued their charge.

She blocked a downward slash with her katana and tanto before flipping backwards, hitting the ninja in the chin and sending him flying. Landing from her flip, she crossed both blades while he was still midair. "Samidarekiri!" she called out, slicing the ninja in half. Then, she spread both blades away from its cross, sending a burst of energy that sent the two pieces flying to the other ninjas. "Zankusho-san!" She jumped into the air, her blade crackling with lightning, and slammed back down into the ground. "Raimeiken!"

There was an explosion of lightning and debris that followed after the slam that Hiruko had to cover his face with his sleeve. "Goodness," he mildly said. "She doesn't waste a second, that one." Lowering it, he watched as she slowly stood from her kneeling position at the center of a crater where the bodies of her victims were scattered around.

"N-No way," Karui muttered, her eyes horrified. "Defeated so quickly. Wh-what kind of monster are you?"

"Monster?" she asked softly, grinning madly. "You cannot even imagine what I am." In an instant, she was in front of Karui, her katana already halfway to her head.

Beside Karui, Omoi was just as wide-eyed while he moved to defend her.

However, the blade didn't connect with her neck. Instead, it connected with another blade seamlessly placed between them. Then, the interfering blade pushed her back and she complied, disengaging with a leap to safety.

"Karui, Omoi," Bee said, holding his blade high, "you two go back to Kumo. I don't want you here while these fools and I go sumo. Tell my bro when you get back not to worry. Tell him I'll beat these clowns and make them feel sorry."

"Bee-sensei," Omoi protested, "you need all the help you can get! Especially when just one of them demolished most of us easily!"

Bee gave him a grin and held out a closed fist in his direction. "Omoi, my boy, who do you think you're talking to? I'm the great Hachibi-sama, that's who! I can handle myself in a fight, no sweat! They may be good but I'm better, you bet!"

He tried to protest further but the sight of the closed fist in front of him made him hold his tongue. Instead, he raised his own fist and bumped it against his. "I believe in you, sensei! Kick their asses!" He then took a few steps back, keeping his eyes on the two Akatsuki ninjas before leaping off.

"Go, Karui," he said, not rapping his next words. "This is not a fight you want to be in."

She gulped before nodding. "Hai, sensei." She then leapt off, following behind her partner.

"Aww, why'd you let the small fry go?" the deadly swordswoman whined. "It would've been more with them around."

Bee raised his free hand in her direction and resumed his hopping from earlier. "I ain't gonna let you kill more while I'm around, you fool! You've already done enough, enough things that were uncool! Now, it's just you and me, you two from the Akatsuki! Both of you against me, the great Hachibi! You may be sent to take me, to take the beast inside me. But you won't get far, I'll stop you both, me, the mighty Killer Bee!" He raised his hand to the air, his hand holding up the index and pinky finger to form hand horns. "WHEEE!"

She paused briefly to blink at him before she giggled again, brandishing her blades as she bowed before him. "The might Killer Bee and the great Hachibi," she said, "I am Tsukuyomi." Rising up, she graced Killer Bee with her mad grin as she crouched into her stance again. "Pleased to meet you, Kirabi-sempai."

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