Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Naruto Dragon Champion ❯ Social Graces Part 2 ( Chapter 26 )

Naruto Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Naruto at all.

Chapter 22

Part 2

Social Graces

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In a strange ornate room…

There was a small collection of unknown figures that seemed to be in deep discussion with a shadowy figure and it seemed that they were having something of an argument with the hidden figure…it was after a few moments of serious discussion that the figure appeared…

And it was a silver scaled Dragon who appeared and spoke in a human tongue…though in a language thaws arcane…quite similar to the language spoken by Naruto in summoning allies from the powers of the sword Holy Talon…the Dragon then seemed to sigh and with a simple number of gestures…as massive portal opened and the robed and hooded figures knew that this was going to be a serious deal and looked at one another to confirm that they were doing the right thing. As the glowing portal glowed and began to break apart the robed and hooded figures moved forward and in a few minutes, they vanished…and the silver Dragon seemed more exhausted and took in a deep breath and looked at the now fading light and it seemed…

Concerned for those who had gone into the portal and the Dragon seemed to sense that the spell was not going to be entirely effective and things were not going to be a simple matter for the party who had came to him. He had attempted to dissuade them from their course of action…but they were utterly adamant in what they had planned to do and nothing he said seemed to dissuade them from their chosen course

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Back in Konoha…

Naruto was somewhat surprised to hear just what Hinata had asked him…he had been very surprised to hear that from the normally shy and timid young woman…but his opinion of her was different than before and he respected her as she worked very hard…harder than anyone he knew with the exception of Lee himself.

And to suddenly be asked by her if he could go out on a date with her was something that surprised her…he however was lot more mature due to Tsunade's social lessons and could tell that it had taken a great deal of effort for Hinata to ask him that and it would be utterly rude and crude of him to say the wrong things and he did respect her…and he gave an answer.

“Sure, I'd love to go out with you Hinata-san…are we going to meet at my home our at your home in the Hyuuga Estate?”

Hinata didn't answer Naruto at first…not that she didn't hear him…but because she had been utterly overjoyed by his response to her request of going out with her on a date…she had always dreamed of doing this with Naruto for as long as she had ever laid eyes on him, but she never thought that today she would be able to say it and she was utterly overjoyed by it all.

(Naruto-kun said it! He actually said it!!! I am going out on a date with him!!!)

Hinata felt her heart beat ever faster and she began to feel the urge to faint but she quickly regained her wits and managed to stop herself from fainting and she gave an answer to Naruto's inquiry on where they were going to meet for the beginning of their first ever official date.

“I'll…I'll be w-waiting at the gate of my home Naruto-kun.”

“All right…I'll be there!”

Hinata bowed and moved away to head for her home but as she left Naruto apartment…she couldn't help but move a few more feet away before she leaned on a wall and smiled happily at her good fortune and she gave a cheer as she blushed all the way home…her mind was now filled with thoughts on what she should wear for this very important day.

(Oh…I have to wear something nice for Naruto-kun!!! But what will I wear?!” I have never been on a date before….oh…I wish I…wait, calm down…I know there's something that I can wear at home…I have to hurry!)

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The Hyuuga Estate…

Hiashi looked at the latest reports from the Council and on the current situation of Konoha and he was happy to find out that things were very much in a balanced state…the village's standing with the Daimyo of the Land of Fire was in high levels and the village was improving after the battle with Sand and Sound and that pleased him greatly. The head of the Hyuuga family was tired but was happy to know that peace was on the village and wondered on his late wife Miyami...it had been some time since her death after Hanabi's birth all those years ago and he wished she was around to see her daughters grow…

He had no doubt in her mind that despite him being the head of the family…Miyami would have been very unhappy and cross with him with his previous relationship with Hinata, she had doted on her children when they were very young but her weakened state and poor health didn't allow her the chance to see them grow up. He had no doubt she would be happy that Hinata was in good hands and she was now stronger and braver. Hiashi sighed once more and looked out the window and spoke to himself.

“I hope that you are resting well Miyami…and I hope that someday you can forgive me for the strain I placed on our children.”

He then turned and placed aside the scrolls and walked out of the house and it was then that he spotted his eldest daughter blushing bright red and twiddling her fingers…he was surprised as these were normally the signs she displayed when in the presence of her long time crush Naruto Uzumaki, this got his interest very quickly as he walked towards his daughter and called out to her.

“Hinata!”

Hinata looked and she bowed before her father in greeting.

“Good day father.”

Hiashi smiled a bit and decided to speak.

“Hinata…you seem to be in an awfully cheerful mood this day…something going on?”

Hinata blushed once more and twiddled her fingers as she normally did and she knew that doing this in front o her father was certainly going to raise questions as she normally didn't behave like this before him. She decided to tell her father the truth as he was her parent and their relationship had been improving now as he was proud of her accomplishments in the Medical Convoy mission a few weeks before.

“I…I asked Naruto-kun if he would like to go out on a...date with me, and he accepted. I wanted to get ready for that occasion so I came here.”

“I see…well then…I guess you should get dressed for the occasion.”

Hinata smiled and bowed once more.

“Thank you Father.”

Hiashi couldn't help but allow a small smile on his face as he saw his eldest daughter nearly glide into the house in joy for her coming date…as far as he knew…a date was a significant part of a young woman's life and he recalled how hard Miyami had worked on making herself presentable to him on their own first date when they were younger…it was then that he had in idea that could very well help in Hinata's favor. He didn't mind his daughter being with Naruto as he had grown to respect and trust the blonde ninja…however…as he was a father and he was now working hard to mend things between himself and his daughter…he had planned to have a discussion with Naruto before this date would start.

In her room, Hinata fretted on what to wear for her upcoming date with her long time crush. She wanted to look lovely in his eyes, the same way she had seen women dress up and look utterly stunning before their dates on their days out…she wondered if she should wear lip-stick or makeup but decided against it as she was still too young for it at the moment, she looked in her closet and tried to find something that would prove to grab Naruto's attention…it was then that there was light knocking on her door and she moved away to answer it.

“Coming!”

She opened the door and there was her little sister Hanabi who looked at her elder sister with a curious look.

“Can I come in?”

“Sure…what seems to be the trouble?”

“Nothing…sister…are you going out with someone?”

Hinata blushed and nodded and Hanabi then gave an impish smile to her big sister.

“Is this young man in question a certain blonde ninja with whisker marks?”

Hinata blushed harder and nearly fainted as Hanabi smiled…like everyone who could see it…the younger Hyuuga knew of the deep seated crush her sister had towards Naruto and in her young mind, she understood the reason for the crush her sister had on the blonde ninja…even she had to admit that Naruto was certainly an eyeful as she had seen him training with both her sister and cousin in their estate from time to time.

Hinata recovered and smiled at her sister and nodded.

“Yes…I am going on a date with Naruto-kun…but I don't know what to wear!”

“Then maybe I can provide you with something for that Hinata.”

The two sisters turned and there was their father who had an article of clothing with him and he then placed it on the bed that Hinata owned and it didn't take long for both Hinata and Hanabi to recognize the kimono…it was deep indigo violet and had beautiful white lotus lilies on it and was in a very attractive and well placed pattern…the indigo violet was in a light and ark combination of shades to make it more appealing to the eye and there was a beautiful sash with gentle color patterns and then Hiashi presented a special hair crown with a beautiful lily on the hair crown. The two Hyuuga sisters were in awe and Hanabi replied.

“That is Mama's Kimono!”

Hiashi nodded and spoke to his daughters.

“This is the kimono your mother wore when she and I went on our first date and she hoped that someday when you two would be able to meet good young men that you would wear this kimono when you are both at the right age…and it seems that the time has come…I think your mother would be proud of you if you were to wear this on your date Hinata.”

“R-Really?”

Hiashi nodded and Hinata couldn't help but bow down and speak with grateful words to her father.

“Thank you father!”

Hinata then tried on the kimono and was happy to find it a good fit on her as well. Hiashi smiled and Hanabi looked on…happy and a bit envious of her big sister for being able to get the chance to go out on a date and Hiashi saw that expression on his youngest child's face and replied.

“You'll have your chance soon enough Hanabi.”

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Later…

Naruto checked his clothes once more to make sure that he was presentable and he was…dressed in a simple but classy long sleeved white shirt with the Konoha symbol on it and a pair of simple black pants and sandals…he had taken the liberty of showering and cleaning himself up to look presentable and wore his Konoha forehead protector as well. He knew that Hinata, being of a noble clan would have to be approached with being at his best…and he knew that he was going to be in for a long ride…he arrived in the Hyuuga estate and was greeted by none other than Hiashi…the elder Hyuuga saw that the blonde ninja was ready for his date with his eldest daughter.

“Greetings Naruto, it's good to see you have arrived.”

“Good day to you Hiashi-sama…I was asked by Hinata-san for a date…if that is all right with you?”

“It is…however…I must remind you that she is my daughter and is heiress to the Hyuuga Clan and I will not tolerate any young and foolish actions on your part. I'll be watching you two with my Byakugan…treat my daughter well…and we will have no problems.”

“You have my word Hiashi-sama.”

Hiashi nodded and turned to call out Hinata…and the Hyuuga heiress appeared and Naruto's jaw dropped like a ton of bricks as he gazed at Hinata…who was very stunning in her mother's kimono and he was drawn to the way Hinata wore her light makeup…she was beautiful and the way she was blushing at his scrutiny was just plain attractive. Hinata walked over and smiled warmly at Naruto and spoke hesitantly as she had no idea at the moment on how she looked before her crush..

“H-H-Hello Naruto-kun….”

“Hinata…you look great!”

“Thank you Naruto-kun!”

Hiashi allowed a small smile at then spoke.

“I'll be expecting her back at 3:00 this afternoon Naruto…don't be late and don't forget…I will be watching with my Byakugan.”

Naruto nodded and both he and Hinata were off and the couple was quickly turning heads as many young men were utterly shocked at how lovely the Hyuuga heiress looked in her mother's kimono and how the pair seemed to be very much made for one another and that was when the rumors came out that the two were officially a couple.

The two arrived at the fair and were moving about and enjoying themselves immensely as they played several party games together and evens pent time trying to use paper nets to catch gold fish, they also too the time to see all the colorful decorations and more of the small fire-works that were being played about, they even tried their luck with several small bingo lottery games. Hinata was amazed when Naruto's innate talent for gambling and games of chance had won a very sizable pot of money which he gave half to Hinata for her own use and half for himself and that was surprising for the Hyuuga heiress as she had no idea about Naruto's luck streak when it came to gambling.

They also took the time to go watching several beautiful shows such as theater doll shows, and small dances made by live actors and actresses, along with several circus acts by both animals and people…All the while…Naruto was the perfect gentleman and gave laughter and smiles to Hinata who smiled back at her crush…and she was in heaven as she finally got to be close to her long time crush. She blushed brightly as the day passed on and she wanted this date to last for as long as possible.

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Up on a roof…

“Well I'll be damned…looking good my boy!”

Jiraiya said with pride as he looked with his spy glass…he had heard the rumor of Hinata being out on a date with Naruto and he was somewhat surprised by this as he was aware of the very shy nature of the Hyuuga heiress…not to mention the fact that he was aware of the mountain sized crush the young girl had for Naruto…he decided to track them down and he saw them in the fair and he was impressed at how Naruto seemed to be handling his date. He was doing great and that was enough for the now young again Sannin to be happy.

“Heh…in a few years…he'd be a real lady killer.”

Jiraiya then directed his attention to the statues in the mountain face of Konoha and looked with a smile at the Fourth's face and he looked at the face of his former student and spoke with a grin.

“You have NO idea how much you're son has grown…you and Kushina would be proud of him…I hope to take him in as my student soon…but I have much left to do.”

With that in mind…the now young again Sannin packed up his telescope and got back to work.

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Back with Naruto and Hinata…the pair were busy enjoying some fresh bean dumplings and some other sweet foods and Naruto began to tell Hinata about his training and his hopes to finally be a great ninja and thanked her for all the time and effort she put into putting him on the right track, along with Neji's help and that of the others. It made Hinata very happy to hear the praise given to her as well. As the day passed, they decided to take their lunch in Naruto's favorite hangout and there…as they ate their ramen and were happy in each other's presence…several other people noted the closeness of the young couple.

Kurenai and Asuma were walking along when the male Jonin smiled and pointed in the direction of the ramen stand and Kurenai turned to see and to her surprise…there was Hinata having lunch with her crush…in a very beautiful kimono no less.

“Wow…looks like your shy wall flower of a Genin student is growing up Kurenai.”

“I know…I feel happy for her…she's always had a crush on Naruto for some time now and I am happy that she finally got the chance she had been dreaming of for years.”

In Kurenai's mind…she was being pulled in two directions…one was the fact that she was indeed happy for her student Hinata…not only has she finally been acknowledged by her father and she is growing stronger and braver, but she finally got to go out with the one young man she had ever had affection for all her life…the other half was the fact that she was jealous at the moment as she had hoped to finally ask Naruto out for a date as well….a friendly date to be sure…though a third voice called her a liar as she had more intimate plans involved with being with Naruto and her being alone. Ever since the incident between the two of them several weeks before…the red eyed female Jonin couldn't help herself as she was getting ever interested in getting a chance to get alone with Naruto…

However…she wanted to have Hinata happy and this was her surrogate daughter's chance at the moment to be happy and that was a good thing as well…there would be other times after all and when she had the chance…she would take it. In the meantime…she decided to approach the young and very much happy couple. Hinata saw them and she smiled in greeting.

“Hello Kurenai-sensei!”

Naruto turned and smiled in greeting as well as Hinata did as he spotted both Kurenai and Asuma as well. The two began to chat for a while as Naruto even paid for the ramen that Kurenai and Asuma partook and that was a surprise for them all, including Teuchi and Ayame who also was in the very same boat as Kurenai when she saw Naruto and Hinata together.

The two then left as Naruto escorted Hinata back to her home…right at 3:00 in the afternoon and Hiashi was right there at the gate and he was giving a small but warm and utterly honest smile as he could see that Hinata had enjoyed herself immensely and to see Hinata happy was something that he liked to see and he was also impressed that it was Naruto who made his daughter smile…he was not alone as Hanabi and some of the servants and even Neji saw the whole scene.

Neji had gone to the Hyuuga estate to meditate and train with Hiashi when he had heard from Hanabi that Hinata and Naruto were out on a date and he had been somewhat surprised by the information as well and watched the utter happiness on his cousin's face. Hiashi smiled a bit more as Hinata and her date came and both bowed to him and he looked at Naruto.

“Nicely done…you arrived right on time…thank you for escorting Hinata back home as well Naruto-san.”

“Not a problem Hiashi-sama…well I should get going.”

The Hyuuga bade Naruto farewell and Hinata was happy beyond words as she glided back to her room and lay down with a deep blush on her face as she hugged her pillows and whispered.

“Naruto-kun….”

Hanabi smiled at the situation and spoke to her cousin.

“Hinata-nechan has it bad…right Neji-san?”

“I guess so Hanabi-san.”

Later…

Naruto was happy with how his date went with Hinata and he decided to pay the hospital a visit and his team-mate Sasuke…he used his Dragon senses that he had been working with for the past few weeks and was happy to know that Sasuke was not sneaking out from the hospital. As soon as he entered the room, Sasuke turned and looked at him silently.

“Hey Sasuke…you all right?”

“What are you doing here dobe…shouldn't you be training?”

“I'm done for today…we need to talk.”

“About what?”

“About that guy we ran into in that hotel…he's the one you're after?”

Sasuke glared at Naruto and Naruto knew that this was going to be rather risky at the moment, considering Sasuke-frame of mind but he needed to talk to his team-mate about his situation and he had a sneaking suspicion that Sasuke was tampering with the Seal that the snake bastard Orochimaru had given him at the moment…he knew Sasuke was going to shoot him down after that question and Sasuke didn't disappoint him.

“I don't want to talk about it.”

“We do have to talk about it.”

Sasuke turned and glared.

“That is NONE of your business damn it!”

“It is my business if you're trying to get yourself killed! Look…I'm not going to stop you from avenging your family Sasuke.”

Sasuke was surprised by that and asked the blonde ninja who was his team-mate.

“You're not?”

“No…but I can't let you go out there and get yourself killed or let that snake bastard Orochimaru use you as his new body either. Look, I told you before about that Wraith Knight before didn't I?”

“So?”

“So…if you're thinking that I'm more powerful then you're not at all correct…I made a damn stupid mistake and nearly lost my life to that undead monster. And I have to be even better before I face off with that monster's master…I am not going to say I know how you feel because I can't…unlike you I never had a blood family so I don't know the pain of losing them…”

“Shut up!”

“Listen Sasuke…and hear me out…you want to avenge your family more than anything and doing that means killing your brother…I can't say I understand that or know how it feels…and I won't stand in your way if you're dead set on this…but what are you going to do after that? Suppose you do kill your brother, then what?”

“What do you mean by that?! I will revive my clan!”

“I KNOW that Sasuke…but how can you do that when you're dead? The way you tried to beat that brother of yours showed to me you were willing to throw your life away without a second thought so to kill him…that's not enough. You hate him for what he's done…but when you kill him…will hatred be your only goal in life? You can never revive your clan if you let hatred be the only thing that drives you…hate may give you drive and power…but it will also blind you and make turn on innocent people and in the end you become a monster and you become nothing but hatred personified and in the end…it will become your weakness. What kind of clan will it be if you remain full of hatred all your life?! You want to know what drives me? How I was able to best Gaara?”

“It's to protect my friends and loved ones…who are more important to me than my own life! And I have a dream…a dream that I will accomplish no matter wha…so I refuse to die until I accomplish that dream. I have people I care about and that also includes you…you're my friend damn it! You and I might be always at each other's throats at times but I do respect you…and I wasn't lying…you're a far better ninja than I am and why? Because of the fact you're an Uchiha for crying out loud!”

Naruto looked at Sasuke and Sasuke looked back and said nothing and that was enough for Naruto to speak once more on the matter at the moment.

“So you were unable to beat him before…so what? Train and grow stronger…just because that…guy has better control with the Sharingan than you do is no excuse for you to start acting like a stick in the damn mud…and go around getting power from any source…especially Orochimaru…that snake bastard might know a lot of those jutsus and those forbidden techniques…but do you honestly think he's willing to help you without an ulterior motive? You KNOW he wants the Sharingan…he doesn't care at all about the plan you have…he cares only about the fulfillment of his desires and one of them is to have the Sharingan. You want power? You get power in your OWN way and on YOUR terms…not his or anyone else's…especially Itachi's because if you take that path...then you're doing nothing but follow him…and that's what he wants… and I know for a fact that you DON'T want anything to do with him so if you want to beat him…do it in your own fashion, you understand?”

Sasuke was silent and so was Naruto as he got up and left as it was already going to be a very long night…as he left Sasuke looked at the moon and thought about the massive discussion he had been in with Naruto.

As Naruto made it home to his apartment he took the time to have dinner with Kin who was back from a simple mission that required only her presence…he hoped that Kin would soon be assigned to a good squad and be ready to take official missions. The two relaxed and Naruto spent some time talking with Holy Talon and the two then decided to get some rest and rebuild their reserves of Dragon Fire…

Due to the fact that Holy Talon lowered it's senses…the sword was unable to sense a portal opening somewhere near Konoha and also around the different areas of the Land of Fire…things were about to get rather crowded in the next few moments.

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The next day…

“So…how did it go?!”

“Come on Hinata, tell us how it turned out!”

Hinata was currently sitting on a nearby bench in one of Konoha's parks with Sakura and Ino there as well as Tenten, Kin, and Temari…the girls were utterly eager to get the latest information on how the date the Hyuuga girl had with Naruto had gone. The rumors they had heard of Naruto and Hinata having a grand time together had tugged on them and now that Hinata was there with them…they wanted all the juicy details of the heiress' time with the man they were all dying to be alone with.

“Are you sure…I mean…isn't that kind of private?”

The others looked at the white eyed Hyuuga heiress as she blushed about the memories she had with Naruto and those were very nice…the fact that she was not hiding the blush and she was twiddling her fingers as she normally did whenever Naruto was involved that made the other girls even MORE interested in getting details.

“Come on Hinata…we're not going to laugh and we're not going to do anything foolish either…we just want to know how much Naruto was as a gentleman.”

Ino implored as she was eager for the details and the same could be said for the others as they wanted to get all the juicy details and Hinata decided to tell them everything…she recounted how much fun she and Naruto had in the fair and how much of a kind young man Naruto was…enough to make her wish the date had lasted longer…the group listened in to what Hinata was talking about and as she finished…they sighed and smiled at Hinata…Kin was first to comment on the results of Hinata's first date with Naruto.

“Man… you're lucky Hinata, I guess that means that Tsunade's work on him with social skills paid off well.”

“I'll say…who thought that blonde would be such a gentleman…if he had been like that back in the Academy…then I would have liked him more than Sasuke-kun.”

Ino said as she thought about what Hinata had done with Naruto and hoped that she could try it out as well.

Temari agreed with Ino with a nod and she was hoping to finally get the chance to snare the blonde for a while herself.

“I guess Tsunade-sama was able to turn Naruto-kun into a gentleman like she said…I never thought that would happen actually but I'm glad she did.”

Sakura said as she smiled at how Hinata enjoyed the date she had with Naruto and wondered if there would be a chance for her to do the same thing too.

The same was seen in Tenten as well, as the weapon mistress had a plan to take a personal shot at being close to the blonde ninja.

However Sakura then realized that she had to meet up with Naruto as they were supposed to meet up with Kakashi…the Jonin was returning back from a key mission and they were going to report for any new missions from the Hokage and to her relief…Sasuke was also being released from the hospital and was already going to meet up with them.

“Sorry I have to go…we're supposed to be meeting up with Kakashi-sensei for a mission briefing.”

The other girls nodded…while showing some displeasure mentally as they were unhappy with the fact that since only under serious circumstances would a three member cell be expanded so Sakura was only one of them officially paired with Naruto by law and that was a bit difficult to deal with…but they could do little as they went about their usual chores.

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In another part of the village…

Rock Lee had gone to this side of the village to train but now the Genin had other concerns at the moment.

He looked at his new opponent and was rather confused…the person spoke in a in a very much unknown dialect and was rather insistent on something…and while he didn't want to fight unnecessarily with anyone…the stranger was not giving him much choice at the moment…however the stranger was quick to move…he tried to grab the cloak but the person wearing the cloak quickly lashed out with a kick at him and he was forced to block the attack and respond with his own attack. The stranger moved away and then they fought with one another for a brief moment.

He blocked the kick and lashed out with his traditional Whirlwind Kick but to his shock…the stranger not only evaded the blow but lashed out with a powerful kick as well that he barely blocked…as soon as he hit the ground…the stranger lashed out with several punches and he was forced block as the stranger lashed out with a kick as well…and he saw that the stranger wore boots and some sort of shin guard that had a flame pattern on it…and to his surprise…flame erupted from the person's feet and fists…the attacks were very much surprises as the stranger began to fight in a very elegant and prices fashion.

The Genin launched several kunai but the stranger somehow evaded them and spun using the robe to catch some of his kunai and then as the stranger somehow caught one of the kunai and threw it right at him…forcing him to flip backwards and as soon as he stood up…he quickly blocked a flying side kick from the stranger, eh moved the stranger's foot aside but the attacker lashed with a heel kick from the other side with the same foot and he blocked it and managed to toss the attacker aside as the stranger landed nimbly on the ground and moved to a defensive position.

Lee took the offensive and lashed out with several punches and kicks at the stranger who was able to match Lee attack for attack and even forced Lee to back away in order to avoid the stranger's own attacks at him and then she made several hand gestures and lee suspected Hand Seals…but they were in a pattern that was utterly foreign to him as the stranger attacked with several powerful kicks and punches that unleashed powerful bursts of fire and he saw the stranger's forearm guards…which were glowing a bit.

The fight lasted a full two minutes and that was enough for the pair to stop for a moment.

The Genin was impressed by the way the stranger moved…by all rights the Genin would have been all over the stranger…but he was not able to easily land a kick or even a punch on the person before him and he was curious who this person was underneath the cloak. The person then spoke in the same dialect and from the way the voice sounded…the person was insistent on something. But lee didn't know what exactly it was and he knew that despite his efforts to try and be diplomatic…the fact that he had no idea what this person was saying weighed heavily on him.

It was then that the stranger reached for the neck of the hood and cloak and the Genin got ready and tensed up for anything.

(So you are revealing yourself…whoever you are…I will be…what that?!)

Lee gasped as he found himself looking at a young woman…and a VERY unique one at that.

The woman had strange elongated ears which amazingly were not unattractive to the Genin and she had a radiantly attractive face and deep blue-green eyes that were very attractive to the eyes, she had the most unusual hair color…which was jade green…a lighter version of his own jumpsuit's color, her eyebrows were longer but in the same jade green color… and her head full of hair was long and wavy…in what appeared to be in a ponytail with feathers in a bind of leather on the back. She was very attractive and had beautiful cream white skin as well…the kind that can really grab a man's attention…and it grabbed Lee's attention right off the bat.

She was a bit taller than Lee, at least a foot taller and seemed to be pretty strong despite her lithe and slender frame…and despite looking delicate as a rose…Lee knew better as she was quite agile and strong as they had traded punches and kicks with one another…she wore what appeared to be some sort of halter top made from strong padded leather and had a metal circle there near the neck area that had a flame pattern on it in deep gold…the top appeared to cover her rather considerable bust much to lee's discomfort, the halter top also exposed her toned stomach and there was an intricate number of patterns made from silver on the top as well.

She had bracers on her forearms and those were of soft brown leather from what Lee could see and fingerless gloves connected to them as well. And on those forearm bracers were metal forearm guards which had also the same flame patterns.

She also wore some sort of short skirt that reached the top of the knees and had quilted leather thigh and hip guards there on the sides and an intricately made belt of gold on the skirt…she wore soft boots on her legs and had shin guards made from an apparently light weight metal that appeared to have silvery color and there was also the symbol of flame on the shin guards.

The strange looking woman looked at Lee and then went back to her own defensive stance as Lee looked on and managed to get his attention back and focused on his foe…if she really was his foe…Lee had no problem fighting with female fighters but he was not the kind to attack a stranger and she was certainly not from any village the Genin knew of so he spoke once more.

“Please tell me who you are and why are you here in Konoha. I have no intention of fighting you any further at this point but I will defend myself if you attack me again.”

The woman looked at Lee and gave a slight scowl and lowered her arms and seemed to relax herself and then spoke in a very odd language that Lee did not recognize at all at the moment. Seeing that the woman was not in a fighting position, lee tried to speak again.

“I am sorry but I do not understand your language.”

The lady seemed even more confused and even cocked her head to the side a bit and then she seemed to have some sort of thought come to mind and she walked over to Lee and to his surprise she chanted something and her hands glowed…Lee was about to fight when the woman gently smiled and placed her right hand on his mouth…and her left hand on her own mouth. After a moment…the woman spoke again…only this time…Lee was shocked to hear her speak in his language.

“There…can you understand me now young man?”

Lee nodded and then spoke.

“Who are you?”

The female bowed and replied.

“My name is Valena, of the Order of the Fire Dancers, and you are?”

“My name is Rock Lee, Genin of the village of Konoha of the Land of Fire.”

Valena gave him a curious look and replied.

“You have an unusual name young one…but no matter…I have to apologize…the spell that brought me here disoriented me and I fought only by instinct and my senses were somewhat in disarray at the time. I only regained my senses after a few minutes of fighting with you.”

“I see….”

“I know that I spoke of a rather odd dialect earlier…it is only through the Spell of Understanding that I was able to grasp your language Rock Lee. But I must ask…what is a Genin?”

“A Genin is a ninja of lower rank Miss Valena, I graduated from the Ninja Academy a year before and I am a Genin, my team mates are Neji Hyuuga and Tenten…and my sensei is Gai.”

“I…am sorry…but what is…a ninja?”

“You do not know what a ninja is?”

Valena shook her head and replied.

“No I do not…though I know that you refer to yourself as a ninja…and I understand that Genin is a ninja rank. But I have other matters to address first…have you seen others like me?”

Lee shook his head truthfully and replied.

“No… I do not know if there are others like you at the moment Valena-san. If there were those like you I do not know.”

Valena thought about that and figured that the spell that brought to a close approximation of the location of the Holy Dragon Sword would be located. She knew that they were taking a risk to find the sword and ensure that it was safe and in good hands…and if a Dragon Champion had been chosen…then she and her comrades would be willing to fight alongside the champion in question. She then decided to ask the young Genin the question that she knew she needed to ask.

“Rock Lee…do you know of a sword named Holy Talon?”

The Genin nodded and smiled.

“Yes I have…though I must ask Valena-san, where have you heard of Naruto-san's sword? Almost no one outside of Konoha's heard of it.”

Valena gaped in shock…like all of her people and those who resided in their world…they knew that Holy Talon was a living blade that chose it's master…did that mean that this…Naruto was chosen by Holy Talon as it's master? He's a Dragon Champion?

“Lee…can you take me to this Naruto…I need to see for myself if he is the one Holy Talon has chosen…please?”

Lee saw the sincerity in Valena's eyes and saw that there was nothing wrong with her request…and he couldn't help but blush mildly at how attractive she was…even more attractive than Sakura herself in his eyes. Valena noted the hesitation in Lee and spoke out of concern.

“Is something wrong?”

Lee shook his head and then escorted Valena towards Konoha.

--------

In the same hidden sanctuary…

Death Fang was busy on many things….sampling the energies of the world it had been sent to along with it's rival…the evil sword plotted and prepared itself for yet another foray into the world and spread forth carnage…fear, pain…suffering and death…sweet carnage. However, the sword knew that it's rival Holy Talon and it's young master Naruto Uzumaki would interfere…but it cared little for that…all the better for more slaughter to begin to rain down on it's foes.

The sword glowed with dark power and then the shadows and earth began to move as it's Chaos Magic began it's grisly and evil work..it seemed that the Chaos Dragon Sword was going to use it's time once more to cause destruction, chaos, death, and decay on the land before it…but this time…there was not one figure that began to take shape…but many forms of shadow and crimson light.

This showed that not one was being sent out by the evil blade…but an army…

--------

Back in Konoha…

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were getting ready to move out and meet up with Kakashi for their next mission when Rock Lee appeared and next to the green jumpsuit wearing Genin was one of the most attractive people the three had ever met…Sasuke himself was shocked and couldn't help but stare at the women accompanying Lee…there was no one in his mind who dressed in such a fashion before and it was making him VERY curious about who the person was.

Naruto however had no trouble recognizing the Valena as an Elf…after all, Leena and her brother were elves and told him of some of the features that distinguished humans from elves apart from the ears…he had also learned some elven words, along with some basic gestures and as soon as Valena recognized him and was close enough…Naruto placed his hands together in a cup like shape and bowed to Valena and spoke in a few words that were elvish.

“Dal Sumraath Kaila Mellonamin…”

Valena was surprised as Naruto apparently spoke a Northern Land Elf tongue and she did the same gesture and bowed to Naruto.

“Dal Sumraath Aida Mellonamin…”

The group were very much surprised as they had no idea what sort of language Naruto and this odd looking but undeniably attractive woman who was dressed in a very odd fashion…Lee recognized that the language was the same one Valena had used towards him previously. The elf woman then spoke and the group now understood her.

“It is good to meet you Champion…Holy Talon chose you?”

“How do you know about Holy Talon?”

Sakura asked as she was curious as to who this strangely dressed woman knew about Holy Talon and she was curious about what that language was. Valena replied to the question patiently and with a great degree of diplomacy…showing that the elf Fire Dancer was trained as a diplomat and warrior.

“The sword Holy Talon is legendary where I come from young lady, it is recognized as the sword of heroes and defenders among my people and many of my kind have been able to wield the sword in their life-times as well. May I know you're name by the way..it would be considered more formal and polite if we know each other's names.”

Sakura nodded and replied.

“My name is Sakura, Sakura Haruno.”

“Good to meet you…and you young man…you are?”

Sasuke looked at the elven female and while he was not in the mood for these situations he replied in a simple tone.

“Sasuke…Sasuke Uchiha.”

Valena bowed and then turned to Naruto and saw that the changes shown by those chosen by Holy Talon had already taken effect on the young man and the elf was curious of what sort of abilities the new Dragon Champion had and she was eager to see this…however…she had her party to consider as they were still missing and she needed to find them soon and inform them of the presence of the new Dragon Champion.

“I must apologize but I need to find several of my party…”

Naruto however curious on something as Holy Talon spoke to him.

((“I know of the Fire Dancers…they are a warrior order of monks from the Elven lands and on occasion Human lands as well…and she is trust worthy…though I am very curious about how she has come here.”))

(Is it possible for magic to be the case?)

“((“Yes…but only pure Dragon Fire can have enough power to open it…but as far as I can be sure…it would severely drain the caster if they did this…only Dragons would have the needed power and strength to do this.”))

(A Dragon brought her and her companions here?)

((“Yes…though I can imagine the Dragon in question being severely drained of power and strength in doing so…short portal spells are not too draining for small bands of people…but a portal spell that sends them to other worlds and massive distances is another thing entirely. The worst thing that can happen is that the others in the party would be separated from one another…that means that there will be others here as well…and the worst part is the fact that once the spell is cast…it will require another spell caster cast the return portal…but if a Dragon had done the spell than that means only a Dragon can do the spell to send them back.”))

(That's harsh…can you send them back Holy Talon?)

((“I'm afraid not…the demands of such a spell would be too much…it could equal the time we summoned Lord Faldren to this plane and that would be too damaging on our reserves of Dragon Fire…it might cripple or even kill you if you attempt to use the reserves you have now.”))

(Yikes…all right so that means they're stuck here?)

((“Pretty much…we'll need to find the others soon…if she's here…then the others would not be far behind.”))

“Where can we find them?”

They got their answer as Pakkun suddenly arrived and the dog summon of Kakashi was exhausted. The dog then spoke.

“You guys…had better…hurry…”

“Whoa…slow down Pakkun and tell us what's going on.”

Naruto asked as he reached for a small piece of dried meat and Pakkun ate the food quickly and the food was enough to get Pakkun to his feet and he replied.

“Thanks…Kakashi was on his way here but ran into some stranger wearing a cloak and hood…he tried to capture the intruder and figure what the person wanted…but somehow the person fought him off and wielded two swords and they crossed blades with one another!”

Naruto was somewhat surprised at that…whoever this was he wondered if the stranger was either and enemy or one of the elf Fire Dancer's party. He turned and spoke to Sasuke and Sakura.

“We'd better get going to help Kakashi-sensei! Pakkun! Lead the way!”

“I'll come with you all!”

Lee said with conviction as he followed the retreating Genin team…with Valena joining along as well. The Fire Dancer had a feeling that she might be able to meet up with the rest of her group…though she had her doubts as the magic that brought her and her companions here to this world had been unstable and would have sent them in other directions. She only hoped that the one that was fighting this…Kakashi at the moment was one of her comrades.

--------

In a nearby field…

Kakashi panted as he looked at the robed figure before him at the moment…whoever this stranger was…he or she fought with amazing skill with the two Longswords he or she had in hand…however…there was something odd about the fighting style used by the stranger that got Kakashi's attention when they fought

(That style is almost the same as Naruto's dual wield style…)

The Jonin had been returning from a mission and was taking a temporary new route when he had spotted the unknown robed figure making the way to Konoha and he decided to intercept…he used a Kage Bushin to track the stranger…but to his surprise…the robed and hooded stranger took out a pair of daggers and hit the Kage Bushin dead center and the stranger then took out a pair of straight double edged swords that he recognized as Longswords and he moved out…

He had talked and warned the stranger that entering the territory of the village without any sort of identification was asking for trouble but the stranger spoke in a very odd tone and quickly attacked him with both swords at the ready…the Jonin managed to dodge them but whoever this person was…he or she was fast the swords came at him like a blur of steel at forced him back…he managed to block the first blade using his kunai and blocked with his hand guard with the other…he kicked the person in the chest and forced the attacker back…but the Jonin quickly forward with his kunai ready and attacked the stranger with several fierce slashes and stabs with his kunai but the stranger was more than capable in evading the attacks and the counter slashes, arcs, and thrusts forced the Jonin back and Kakashi was surprised when he got a cut on his arm…it wasn't bleeding but the cut was long and very much an indicator to the Jonin that whoever this person was skilled to be able to cut him without spilling blood.

Kakashi tried to talk once more and it seemed the stranger was listening but she responded in a tongue that made no sense to him and he move forward…but his action was apparently seen as hostile by the stranger as he or she charged right at him and lashed out with an attack that resembled a spinning top with the blades biting hard into the air and he moved back and he attacked with a kick but the stranger blocked with the flat of the sword in the left hand and attacked with the sword in the right hand…Kakashi quickly blocked with his kunai and lashed out with a charging punch with his free hand and forced the stranger back.

The robed and hooded stranger was still ready for a fight and Kakashi was not happy with the fact that he was not completely recovered since the battle with Itachi at the moment but he was not backing down from this new battle though he still wondered just who this person was…he couldn't see the face under the robe and hood at the moment.

He got his kunai ready as the stranger readied the weapons…but that was when Naruto appeared and drew his sword Holy Talon and there was Sakura and Sasuke with him…and sure enough..there was another pair coming this way.

“Kakashi-sensei!”

The three Genin were now ready to fight with Kakashi and Sasuke and Sakura were armed…Sakura with her kunai and Sasuke with his windmill shuriken…but suddenly the stranger looked at Naruto and amazingly placed aside the weapons and bowed…and spoke in an arcane tongue.

`What the?!”

The group were stunned but Naruto quickly recovered and then began to speak in the same arcane tongue that the group recognized as the one he would use to summon allies from Holy Talon. In a moment Naruto relaxed and re-sheathed Holy Talon and then turned to them and spoke.

“It's all right guys…she's not a threat.”

Kakashi was not entirely convinced and neither were the others. Sasuke was the first to say that.

“How can you be so sure about that?”

Because if she had been an agent of the enemy she wouldn't bother to lower her weapons…”

“She?”

“Yeah…she's a War Blade from Holy Talon's world…her name's Kaelyn.”

The apparent woman stood up and then removed her hood and her robe and stunned the group…especially Kakashi…

Kaelyn was a stunning redhead with her hair in braids, she had deep green eyes that resembled emeralds…and a very attractive face…enough to make her equal to even Kurenai or Tsunade in attractiveness and the small scar near her right eye that ran to her cheek didn't detract that…she was tall as well…nearly Kakashi's height and perfectly proportioned despite the fact she wore chainmail and had plate armor on her shins, thighs, forearms and she had a breast plate that held her bust which was considerable to say the least. She looked at Kakashi and to the Jonin's surprise…she smiled at him!

The others looked on and when Kaelyn spoke…it was still in the same language and Naruto then translated.

“She said she was impressed with the way you fought Kakashi-sensei…she's never met anyone who fought the way you did and it was very entertaining to her.”

“I see…well tell her that I apologize for the misunderstanding.”

Naruto did so and Kaelyn listened to Naruto explain and she grinned and spoke once more with Naruto as interpreter.

“She said it's all right and she wants to apologize for the unprovoked attack.”

Before Kakashi could respond to that…Kaelyn walked up to Kakashi and without any fanfare...kissed the Jonin right on the cheek! That action was very much unexpected and after Kaelyn moved back and gave Kakashi a very seductive smile… Kakashi's exposed eye widen and to the utter amusement of everyone…even Sasuke for that matter…they saw Kakashi blush for the first time in all the times they had traveled with him….

Kaelyn smiled at Kakashi's blush and spoke once more and Naruto translated…this time with a grin on his face.

“Oh yeah…she said you're very handsome Kakashi-sensei.”

It was then that Lee and Valena arrived on the scene and the Elf Fire Dancer spoke in elvish to Kaelyn and the War Blade smiled in greeting and Naruto was then told by Holy Talon to use the Spell of Understanding that he had learned and cast the spell into Holy talon…Kaelyn looked and allowed Naruto to touch the flat of Holy Talon to her and when the Dragon Fire faded…Kaelyn spoke to Kakashi in the same way Valena did with Lee.

“You are a great fighter…Kakashi…but don't think I won't challenge you for a rematch.”

Naruto looked at the Fire Dancer and the War Blade and knew that things in Konoha were going to get very crowded soon, and there was a party here from Holy Talon's world…then there was no doubt in his mind that there would be others in the area as well…just who was a rather interesting question in his mind.

--------

In another part of Konoha…

Kiba and Akamaru were walking towards the training field when the pup growled and that got Kiba's attention right off the bat…the only time Akamaru acted like that was when there was something he didn't like.

“What is it boy?”

Akamaru leaped off Kiba's head and began to smell the ground and moved out as Kiba followed him and they arrived at a nearby garden and to his surprise…there was a large wolf there and Kiba could tell that the wolf was not one he knew of and he saw a strange burn wound on the wolf's leg…the wolf turned and growled at the pair and Akamaru was growling back as Kiba spoke.

“Hold on Akamaru…this wolf looks wounded…maybe we can take it to the clinic and have Hana patch this one up.”

However…to the shock of the Genin and even Akamaru the wolf spoke…in a human tone…however the language was odd and unheard of to the Genin.

“What the, look what did you say? All right…let me try this…my name's Kiba and this is my companion and animal familiar Akamaru…who are you?”

The wolf got up and replied as it looked as if it was about to collapse…still in a very odd dialect…but spoke only a word that Kiba was able to understand.

“Liara…”

The Genin watched in surprise as the wolf suddenly glowed in a gentle halo and then turned into…a human…and a girl at that!

She had deep brown hair in a lush tail to her shoulders and had a leather cord with bird feathers in it like some sort of decorative piece and she was tall and slim figured…and to the Genin's rather embarrassed eyes…she was well shaped and slender…in her leather armor…she had some sort of long curved sword on her back with a single hand grip and a set of throwing knives in a bandolier on her thigh and a dagger on her belt…the armor seemed to be in shades of brown and green…so as to better hide in the undergrowth and the surrounding trees and greenery.

Kiba came closer and saw that there was a tear in her leather armor and she was bleeding from a deep gash of some sort, he then noted several paint markings on her face…similar to his own fang markings but of a more intricate pattern…and he had to admit that this Liara was…attractive.

The Genin tried to revive Liara…but she was out cold and he decided to help her up and find out a solution to this current situation he was in…he had no idea who this Liara girl is or what sort of powers she had but he was not going to get much answers if she was out cold at the moment.

With that in mind, he lifted Liara and made his way to the Konoha hospital…though he managed to smell her and to his amazement…instead of smelling bad…she smelled of spring grass with scented flowers and sandal wood…with the hint of female sweat…rather nice…

(Damn it…quit thinking about that for five minutes! I need answers and I won't get them if she's out cold. I can worry about how good she smells later.)

--------

In the Land of Wind…

A wave of cloaked figures watched from above a massive sand dune…the walled off village of Sand the robed figures looked with silent relish at the village and the carnage they were about to rain down on the people who resided deep within the village…it was rumored that there would be many victims for them to slay in the village and the being were ever eager for the battle.

The tallest of them moved forward and then as if in an unspoken command…the behemoth and all under it's command ripped off their cloaks and appeared for the first time. They were all dressed in blood red chain-mail and black as midnight plate armor wrought with protrusions that resembled the skeletons of people. The leader of the army was dressed in a demonically made skull with horns and teeth…the jaw missing and revealing a human face underneath…but like his comrades…the flesh was grey…as if the man was trapped in death. The others wore the same skull shaped helmets with the lower jaws missing…evil and dark but less decorated.

The leader then shouted in a booming voice that filled the desert…

“People of the Village of Suna! Hear me well…for the hour of death comes upon you all!!!!”

“YOUR SCREAMS SHALL FILL THE AIR!!!”

“YOUR BLOOD SHALL FLOOD THE EARTH!!!”

“YOUR BODIES SHALL BE GROUND INTO THE EARTH!!!”

“AND YOU LIVES SHALL BE CONSUMED BY FIRE!!!!”

“YOU SHALL KNOW TRUE FEAR AND TERROR!!!! FOR WE HAVE COME!!!!!”

“WE ARE THE REAPERS OF CHORVAX….AND WE SHALL HARVEST YOU ALL!!!!”

The behemoth leader slammed his staff into the earth and revealed a trio of curved scythe blades all made of a midnight black colored metal that glowed blood red and the blades were on a trio…one blade in the middle and the other two aside it, the leader positioned his Battle Scythe in a swiping action and moved towards Suna. The other Reapers unleashed their own Battle Scythes and the army advanced right at Suna… a large cloud of armored warriors resembling living armored skeletons.

The look-outs of the village saw the incoming army and raised the alarm…they had no idea the bloody days that awaited them…as the reapers advanced the look outs noted a blood red haze appearing on the sand dune…and a blood curdling laughter was heard all throughout the desert…as if the spirits of the damned had arisen to take bloody revenge on the living.

The Hidden Village of Sand…was about to be besieged…

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Author's notes:

Well now…that wraps up this little number all right. On the next chapter…as you have already found out…the Land Of Wind will be under Death Fang's sights as it has deployed a large force of it's minions…the Reapers. The Reapers are a vicious force and are well known not just for their brutality and cruelty…but of their use of Dark magically imbued Battle Scythes. And they have the Village of Gaara in their sights at the moment. With Suna still recovering from the betrayal of Orochimaru…will it survive even with it's high defensive walls and ninja forces?

The next filler will have Gaara and Naruto fighting side by side on this one…so expect things to get dicey on the next chapter.

See you at the next Chapter…Suna Under Siege!

----------

Valena is an Elf Fire-Dancer, the Fire Dancers are an order of warrior monks who reside in the Elven lands of Dagern and are skilled martial combatants and rely only on very few light weapons and wear little to no armor of any kind except those made by their Order…Fire dancers earned their names because they practice the use of Dragon Fire but not in the same fashion as those who use Dragon Fire in spells. Instead they only know basic Life Spells and several more normal spells such as the spell she used on Lee to speak in his language.

Now you're all wondering just why I paired Valena with Rock Lee right? Why pair a sexy female elf to someone like Lee? My answer is why not?

Lee might not be the most attractive of guys to most people and has really odd traits…but he is honest, respectful, hard working, he's got a kind heart and good deal of optimism, he's got a strong sense of justice, and honor, and he's got a warrior's spirit.

I can't help but admire all those traits…and despite his weakness with Genjutsu and Ninjutsu…he's pushed himself to master Taijutsu and he is one tough guy to have the will to push himself to such extremes, Kakashi himself admits that lee's hard work and his innate gifts have given him abilities with opening his chakra gates that surpass even Jonin like him and Gai and that is saying something, and he's got something that I like…the will to do the right thing because it is the right thing.

And I've seen him fight in the anime against many good foes and despite not being able to beat some of them…he gives it his all and never gives up…and the same goes for his roles in the movies…namely that Moon ninja Kongou. And I can't help but think of finally giving Lee a reward in my fic and that is someone who can match up to him move for move and respect him for his abilities, and find him nice to the eyes.

Lee's a nice guy and nice guys get due rewards as well…so that's why Valena is paired with Lee, if you don't the pairing then please say so…and give me a good reason why Lee doesn't deserve to have a girl paired with him for a change.

And he's not the only one…Kaelyn from the trailer makes her appearance as well…and as you have read…she finds Kakashi interesting . Ahh…but things are not going to be quiet for long…as Kiba himself gets into the act with another one of Valena and Kaelyn's group…the Druidess Liara.

Liara is a human Druidess and like her kin…they are masters of Nature Magic and are skilled with weapons as well…and are considered to be similar to the Falcon Rangers, though a bit more peaceful than the warrior order of the Falcon Rangers.

Their skills with Nature Magic make them able to assume animal forms and also to communicate with wild life…making them able to blend into the background easily and while they are concerned with the caring of nature…they are not above wielding their magical powers and steel to protect nature and all life before them.

And here is something that can show a sample of what to expect in the next chapter…

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Trailer:

Naruto and Gaara looked at the coming wave of Reapers wielding their bloody War Scythes and the two looked behind them to see the Sand ninja gathering the injured and their comrades getting ready for the battle. The two then saw the leader of the Reapers on top of the sand dune before them…beckoning them to attack.

Naruto looked at Gaara and asked his friend.

“Are you ready Gaara?”

Gaara looked back and nodded.

“Ready as I'll ever be.”

With that both ninja charged…Gaara riding a wave of sand while Naruto ran alongside him with Holy Talon at the ready. The Reapers roared in battle challenge as the pair got ready to smash into this dark army…

On another sand dune…

“Hmm…this is interesting eh Itachi?”

“In a way Kisame…we need to see this after all.”

On yet another…

Kabuto watched the situation carefully…with him were a small band of five ninjas…not wearing Sound Jonin outfits and were all cloaked and hooded…The medic nin and Orochimaru's personal healer, assassin, and right hand man looked on as Gaara and Naruto charged right at the army of unknown but undeniably brutal warriors armed with scythes…

The two groups then spotted something…a blood red mist the size of an orb…and to their eyes…there was an outline of something…resembling a…sword?

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See you there!