The four Sandagakure shinobi stood on the Ft. Haku bridge, their battle stances in opposition to Kuromeru, their target for their assigned mission.
Kuromeru had his longsword nodachi drawn and eyed the four shinobi across from him. "Feh! You call this a challenge?" He mocked, charging after Miko and striking, causing her to strike back but only to slash water. "A substitution!?" Miko reacted. "Miko, behind you!" Tanzou yelled, jumping in and slashing at Kuromeru, who turned out to be another water clone.
Yoichi looked around the area, "He's fast, I'll give him that." Yoichi said. More and more water clones of Kuromeru kept forming and charging after them, each one just as powerful as the last. "They keep comin' in!" Miko whined. "Sensei, what should we do?!" Tanzou asked. "We need to allocate the *REAL* Kuromeru to distract him from creating anymore water clones!" Yoichi responded, while fighting off and ultimately destroying two water cloned Kuromerus.
"But where could he be!?" Shai asked, looking around the area, but not moving from her battle formation. "We gotta find this guy and fast!" Miko shouted somehwat frustrated. Then yoichi noticed something, he was above them, squatting up on a bridge lighting fixture, creating more water clones of himself. "There!" Yoichi shouted. "I'm on it!" Miko blurted, charging through and plowing down every Kuromeru clone in her path. "Miko don't rush head first!" Yoichi scolded. "No way am I lettin' you go!" Miko blurted, creating shadow clones of herself to use as boosters to run up and jump into the air, punching Kuromeru off of the light fixture.
"You stupid kid!" Kuromeru cursed as he fell halfway, but managed to land on his feet, several feet away from the group. "Tanzou!" Miko hollered. "Got it!" Tanzou replied, forming handsigns and charging toward Kuromeru, "Fire style: Fire Dragon jutsu!" he cried. "Water style: Freezing snake beam jutsu!" Kuromeru countered with a wave of ice, freezing Tanzou's jutsu in midair and causing it fall and shatter to the ground.
"His jutsu and training are all incredibly advanced!" Yoichi noted. "He's-really strong!" Shai observed. Tanzou charged toward Kuromeru, kunai knife in hand "Why you!" He cursed as he approached, but no go. Kuromeru kicked him in the gut hard, and then backhanded him. Then Kuromeru held him up by his collar. "Well, well if it isn't the sleeper, hey kid you gonna pass out again like last time!?" Kuromeru mocked with a laugh. "Shut up!" Tanzou yelled. "Or else what!?" Kuromeru replied. "Let...Me...GO!!!" Tanzou yelled. "Hmph, you got it!" Kuromeru said, tossing Tanzou up in the air with ease and then using his longsword nodachi as a bat striking him with the blunt edge of the sword, causing Tanzou to fly and fall into the surrounding lake with a big watery CRASH!!!
"TANZOU!!!" Shai screamed. "Tanzou!" Miko yelled. Kuromeru laughed wickedly and cracked his knuckles. He slowly approached the remaining three. "Surely that's not the best that Sandagakure shinobi are capable of." he said. "Miko, Shai, stay by my side!" Yoichi said as he got in front of the two. "No way, not on your life!" Miko shouted, darting out from behind Yoichi and towards Kuromeru, fists flying and ready to strike hard!
Kuromeru caught Miko's right hand punch with his hand and squeezed her hand hard. "Ouch, you, big asshole!" Miko cursed. "My, my such a potty-mouth for such a young girl!" Kuromeru replied. "I'm not THAT YOUNG!" Miko added fiercely. "Heh, I like this one!" Kuromeru stated, before super kicking Miko into the side-railing of the bridge, knocking her out. "Two down, two to go!" Kuromeru said as he approached Yoichi and Shai at stalker speed.
"Miko..." Shai whispered. "It's just me and sensei now." She muttered. "Almost there!" Kuromeru said, dragging his longsword nodachi across the ground, making an eerie metallic scrapping sound. "Shai, I want you to forgive me." Yoichi said to her. "Huh, what for?" She asked before falling sideways and passing out. Yoichi had used a chakra hand technique to knock Shai out.
Kuromeru stood only twelve feet away now, and watched with a grin on his face. "That sure was dumb of you, getting rid of your own last cadet like that even if she WAS just a kid!" he mocked. Yoichi pulled out several kunai and prepared himself, "Actually, I saved her the trouble of being traumatized." Yoichi admitted calmly. This caused Kuromeru to abruptly stop and a quick glance of uncertainty came over him. "What!?" He replied. "You see you're the one who fell for my trap!" Yoichi said proudly, and pointing downward. Kuromeru looked down at the ground, both of his legs were being gripped by Yoichi clones, and soon two more manifested from the ground and gripped his arms. "Damn it!" Kuromeru cursed. "Well, well, seems as though I'm not so dumb anymore am I?" Yoichi asked, approaching Kuromeru.
Meanwhile, Shiraha, wearing his black anbu battle attire and white mask, bounded from treetop to treetop. "I pray that I am not too late!" He said to himself. Leaping at high speeds, from tree-to-tree.
"Curse it all!" Kuromeru groaned, struggling to get free. "Its no use, I made sure that those clones targeted your pressure points!" Yoichi explained while slapping the palms of his hands together. All at once the four yoichi clones touched Kuromeru's pressure points, causing him to drop his weapon and drop his arms and his knees buckled and gave-way like rag dolls. "You see, I now have the upper hand it is all about tactics my friend." Yoichi explained as he approached an unarmed defenseless Kuromeru.
("NO!!!! Damn it! It's not supposed to end like this, I can't go out now!!!") Kuromeru thought to himself. He recalled in his past, coming home from academy training sore and bitter towards his harsh father and talking about killing him. Often he would have these talks with younger Shiraha. (A young Kuromeru (age 12 talks with a younger Shiraha) "God damn it!" he cursed. Slamming shut his bedroom door and sitting on the bed. Shiraha sat on the top bunk. "What's wrong Kuro?" he asked innocently. "That-that bastard of a...no, no I won't even give him the pleasure of even being called a father!" Kuromeru cried. Shiraha's eyes widened as he heard this. Kuromeru stood up and faced Shiraha. "Little brother, I swear, I *WILL* kill that bastard, even if it's the last thing I do!" Kuromeru stated before rolling into the lower bunk to cry himself to sleep. Little Shiraha sat speechless and shocked by what he had just heard/experienced.
Now, all of those memories came back to Kuromeru in full-force. "No!" Kuromeru yelled. "I won't die now, not here!!!" He screamed. Blue chakra emitted from every pore of his body, he charged himself and called his blade to his hand and swung it out and wide, causing Yoichi to jump backwards a few feet and slashing/destroying the yoichi clones. Kuromeru held his blade aimed directly at Yoichi, "Let me get one thing straight here bumblebee, no one's gonna kill me, not until my brother gets the life that he has earned!" Kuromeru yelled before surging more chakra through him. "That massive wave of chakra, what could it be!?" Yoichi wondered.
Kuromeru was only a distance away from cutting down Yoichi when a big blaze of fire burst out onto the bridge, between them separating the two. "What is this?" Kuromeru asked.
"Kuromeru Igazuchi!" called a deep familiar voice. Kuromeru turned around to see Gaza, that tall man and resident kingpin of the Land of Trees standing a few feet away, and beside him was an even taller man garbed in bright blood red armor and his face was concealed within a mask. "You! Why are you here Gaza!?" Kuromeru asked. Gaza laughed, "You've been acting up lately Kuromeru, you've been stealing from all the WRONG people, and it's hardly enough to spare your little brother from an agonizing death." Gaza explained. "So what are you saying!?" Kuromeru asked. "Hmph! Impudent brat as always, even when I took in your half-beaten ship-wrecked carcasses from the Hidden Moon village...you should have been grateful but all I ever got in return was insubordination!" Gaza exclaimed. "You used me to make yourself richer while the whole town suffers Gaza, i knew that and I did it all for my little brother's well-being!" Kuromeru replied. "The fool you have played, until the end!" Gaza added. Kuromeru's eyes widened. "What are you saying Gaza, did you lie to me!?!" Kuromeru shouted. Gaza laughed, "What do you think boy? Do you actually believe that your brother's illness is really cureable!?" Gaza asked. Kuromeru gritted his teeth and spat on the ground. "You God-damned dirty bastard!" He screamed. "You should have known boy, Shiraha's as good as dead, but thanks anyways for those all so generous contributions, I HAVE become a MUCH richer ruler because of your thievery." Gaza said with a laugh.
"So, this is the infamous Gaza of the Green!" Yoichi said, standing near Kuromeru. He placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'll assume that since your current employer has terminated you, that you have no intentions of harming my students, so therefore might I propose an alliance..." Yoichi suggested. Kuromeru bit his lower lip, "Thanks but no, I don't need ANY HELP TO KILL THEM!" He screamed as he hauled his demon blade after Gaza and the red armored man.
Meanwhile, Miko, still badly wounded, sluggishly dropped into the water, and had hoisted Tanzou onto her back and crawled up the side ladder of the bridge. "Easy does it now, just stay with me Tanzou pal!" Miko said, as she lifted him first onto the bridge, laying him on his back. Miko crawled up and began performing CPR on him and helped him spit up water and breath again. "Miko...w-where..." Tanzou managed, very weakly. "Shh...just stay quiet for now Tanzou, you nearly drowned." Miko said.
Kuromeru's assault was halted by the firing of a kunai that bolted through and stabbed the ground between he and Gaza. Kuromeru looked up, and it was Shiraha, clad in his ANBU black gear and white mask. "No, why are you here? Go back home Shiraha!" Kuromeru pleaded. "Brother, I cannot allow you to throw your life away, that would be an unforgivable crime, you've...given me far too much as it is." Shiraha announced, jumping from off the ledge of the bridge and landing between Kuromeru and Gaza.
"Kuromeru! That other man in the red armor, he must be..." Yoichi shouted. "I know!" Kuromeru said, "Ketsuki of the red sand...the bloody killer of the five shinobi countries, none of which is home to him!" Kuromeru explained. Ketsuki, the red armored samurai stared him down through his mask.
Shiraha stared Ketsuki down, and looked back at Kuromeru. "I...I'm sorry for all of the trouble, brother." He looked farther to see an unconscious Shai lying a few feet away. He sighed and looked back. "Come. I didn't want to have to kill anyone today, especially our financial provider but if you intend to harm my family then it cannot be avoided!" Shiraha said to Gaza, who stepped back and allowed Ketsuki to be involved. There was a second man, Roi, a tall and lanky skinny man with no association to any shinobi village. He was armed with a crossbow. "I'll take this punk down!" Roi announced reeling and aiming at Shiraha. "No!!!!" Cried Kuromeru, trying to interfere but Shiraha activated his jutu, "Plant Style: Belly of the Beast jutsu!" He cried, causing a giant exotic flower to appear, which swallowed Shiraha and Ketsuki both whole. Roi fired the arrow which ripped into the plant and cut through, slashing a bit of Shiraha's arm.
"Shiraha!" Kuromeru cried. While inside the plant, Ketsuki looked around and was impressed with the boy's handle of jutsu. "I will tell you once...I have no fight with you boy...it is your brother that I must deal with." Ketsuki said in a deep voice. "Then it is I whom you must first face!" Shiraha announced, pulling several kunai and striking them at him. Ketsuki's nodachi sword deflected each and every kunai thrown at him.
Shiraha charged after him, jumping into mid-air and lunging down at him, throwing shuriken at the red bloody mercenary and then parrying his nodachi with kunai. Ketsuki struck and slit Shiraha's other arm a little. Shiraha pressed on. "If I must then I will use my sacred justu to vanquish you here and now!" Shiraha declared. He held his hands together and forged seven handsigns: "Ram-Boar-Ox-Rooster-Dragon-Boar-Rooster!" He said in succesion, "Plant Style: Fleur-Assimiliation jutsu!" He cried.
At first it was as though nothing happened, and then Shiraha slowly sunk into the bottom of the plant and became "one" with the plant itself. The gash that was made from Roi's arrow automatically healed up, Kuromeru watched anxiously, nervous, praying for his little brother's safety. "Now, now I am at total control of the situation!" Shiraha announced with a disembodied voice. Ketsuki looked all around the plant to see if he could detect a location for the boy, but none could be found.
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Chapter notes: Miko, Tanzou, have just arrived to aide their sensei Yoichi in the struggle against Kuromeru, their "A" ranked target to complete. Shai arrives just in time to lend a hand as now it's four against one on the bridge of Ft. Haku.
Miko, Tanzou, Shai, Yoichi, Kuromeru, Shiraha, Gaza, Ketsuki, Gaijinbo
Chapter end notes: Land of Trees Arc...