Shinobi: The Rising Darkness

[Chevron 7 locke]

"What brings you two here?"

 

Karela smiled at the hokage and patted Akagi on the back before her smile was replaced by a sad expression. "I really wish I could have came back with better news but I'm afraid thats not the case."

 

She looked over at the samurai and then back at the Hokage. "Akagi's village was destroyed by unknown forces. These shinobi we fought at his village...they were really powerful. We managed to save most of the villagers but Akagi lost a lot of men trying to drive them back. As of now...Akagi's villagers have no home and I was hoping that they could stay here."

 

"And we have another problem...these shinobi that we fought...they managed to somehow bring Zarela back from the dead. I fought her and couldn't even land a punch on her. She's gotten much stronger somehow."

[Cyborg Ninja]

Takeda listened to the exchange between Karela and Akagi. He heard Takai snort and mutter something about Zarela upon Karela mentioning her. He followed the two into the Hokage's office.

 

"And we have another problem...these shinobi that we fought...they managed to somehow bring Zarela back from the dead. I fought her and couldn't even land a punch on her. She's gotten much stronger somehow."

 

"These shinobi are quite strong. They're much more difficult to combat, but can still be beaten. I shall find out where these shinobi got their abilities, and how they brought Zarela back if you will allow me," Takeda said.

[SkywalkerRules]

The young girl helped the villagers, seeing if they needed anything. She felt bad that she left the Leaf village, but she had to calm that hurtful spirit. Was it worth it?

 

Two days later...

 

Asuka played a flute while sitting on a tree branch. She figured if Karela or the others needed her, she'd be sitting on the branch playing her flute. This was one of the methods the monks told her about: playing a flute to calm herself.

[DrPhil2501]

"Akagi's village was destroyed by unknown forces. These shinobi we fought at his village...they were really powerful. We managed to save most of the villagers but Akagi lost a lot of men trying to drive them back. As of now...Akagi's villagers have no home and I was hoping that they could stay here."

 

"Destroyed you said?" Naruto echoed. "Though they lack major practices for basic ninjustu, they are a tough enemy to face. To hear they have been swiped is indeed a disturbing thought."

 

The Hokage crossed his arms. "We will provide a safe haven for the Villagers. But I'm afraid they are going to have to set up camp in the training fields; we dont have enough buildings here in Konoha to sustain and shelter an extra population.'

 

"These shinobi are quite strong. They're much more difficult to combat, but can still be beaten. I shall find out where these shinobi got their abilities, and how they brought Zarela back if you will allow me,"

 

"If these people are as dangerous as you make them sound, then by all means. Normally, we would send some of our own in the archives for research and investigation. But because you have had first hand experience with the enemy, I'll grant you full access to the archives. This acception is strictly limited to your investigation only."

[Chevron 7 locke]

"If these people are as dangerous as you make them sound, then by all means. Normally, we would send some of our own in the archives for research and investigation. But because you have had first hand experience with the enemy, I'll grant you full access to the archives. This acception is strictly limited to your investigation only."

 

Karela nodded and then looked over at the hokage. "In the unlikely event that we don't find information on this new enemy in the archives I would like to make a request: I would like to take a small force back to Akagi's village just in case some of the enemy are still there."

 

She looked over at Takeda. "I was talking with a few of the remaining samurai before we arrived here. They told me that if we were to return to Akagi's village they would like to have Takeda with them. They said he has proven himself as a formidable warrior and he has earned their respect."

[DrPhil2501]

""In the unlikely event that we don't find information on this new enemy in the archives I would like to make a request: I would like to take a small force back to Akagi's village just in case some of the enemy are still there."

 

"Since the Samurai are now under our refuge, this inevitably will become one of Konoha's affairs." Naruto stated. "I will organise a Team for you, under the condition that a Jounin be selected for leading the epionage, of couse."

 

He pulled from his filing cabinet a pile of documents, detailing profiles. "Takeda may accompany you as well, seeing as he is took a good role in the defences. Its logical of course to send you, because all of you have witnessed it first hand."

 

Naruto placed his hands together. "Give me time to assemble you a team."

[Cyborg Ninja]

"I will organise a Team for you, under the condition that a Jounin be selected for leading the epionage, of couse."

 

Takeda nodded his head slowly. Sure he had preferred to do things on his own, but a team might not be so bad. The samurai respected him, and he was honored by this.

 

"Takeda may accompany you as well, seeing as he is took a good role in the defences. Its logical of course to send you, because all of you have witnessed it first hand."

 

Takeda raised an eyebrow at this. Had the Hokage mixed up his words? No, he clearly said that Takeda could accompany the group as well...as in, in addition to the selected Jonin. Karela had been given praise upon being absent for a year, and the Hokage's respect.

 

"Why send a team for this? I could easily return to the village, and get to the bottom of this. A team would only slow me down," Takeda said, allowing his emotionless lone wolf attitude to resurface.

[Chevron 7 locke]

"Why send a team for this? I could easily return to the village, and get to the bottom of this. A team would only slow me down,"

 

Karela slowly turned toward Taked and raised an eyebrow. He didn't seem to realize how dangerous this new enemy could be.

 

"In case you forgot Takeda, these enemy shinobi seem to have tricks and jutsu that we've never seen before. If they managed to bring Zarela back from the dead then they may have brought more of them back. And we have no idea how many would be back at Akagi's village."

 

She shook her head. "No...I think it would be better if we went there as a team just in case."

[DrPhil2501]

Naruto was not at all pleased to hear Takeda's particular choice of words. Words that were all too familiar.

 

"In case you forgot Takeda, these enemy shinobi seem to have tricks and jutsu that we've never seen before. If they managed to bring Zarela back from the dead then they may have brought more of them back. And we have no idea how many would be back at Akagi's village."

 

"That is essentially the concept of Team Work, you of all people should understand Takeda. With allies by your side, you gather the strength you need. Working alone will have you facing difficult situations where you are forced to get out of your own way."

 

Naruto crossed his fingers and eyed Takeda. "Here's an example: I'm a bad guy. I hold you at knife point. I tell Karela to kill an innocent child, or you will die."

 

"A close friend of mine once chose this path. He became one of the most notorious, dangerous people of the Shinobi World, and I was forced to kill him. Dont make the same mistake as he did."

[Cyborg Ninja]

Takeda crossed his arms and listened to both Karela and Naruto. He nodded his head a few times.

 

"Yes yes, of course. Karela's right...she's always right. Me? All I am is a defense...no a distraction! I could never compete with the mighty Karela, or the smart Kaneda, or the kind Asuka, or the experienced Tategami! I'm just Takeda. The one who everyone abandoned!... the one that never left!"

 

Takeda turned around and walked to the door, stopping right in front of it.

 

"I guess I don't have that either," he said a bit softer before he walked out the door.

[Chevron 7 locke]

"Yes yes, of course. Karela's right...she's always right. Me? All I am is a defense...no a distraction! I could never compete with the mighty Karela, or the smart Kaneda, or the kind Asuka, or the experienced Tategami! I'm just Takeda. The one who everyone abandoned!... the one that never left!"

 

Karela's mouth was wide open due to the shock she was feeling. Takeda was being very disrespectful towards the Hokage...the strongest ninja in the village. But Takeda had been acting different since she had met him in the samurai village during the attack.

 

What happened to him? This isn't the same Takeda that I used to know. As of now he needs to be watched.

 

She turned to the Hokage and closed her mouth. "I-I'm sorry about that...I really don't know what got into him."

[DrPhil2501]

Naruto was not at all suprised with Takeda leaving the office; confused and frustrated. Though he could see the look of shock in Karela's eyes.

 

"I-I'm sorry about that...I really don't know what got into him."

 

"Dont blame yourself." Naruto added. "Its obvious he is going through a tough time. Probably ever since that battle from last year. We lost many people."

 

He held onto his hands and placed them on the table calmingly. "You're his friend, Karela. Its up to you to support him. Maybe he needs some time, in which case I'll be more than happy to give him time off from the mission."

[Chevron 7 locke]

"You're his friend, Karela. Its up to you to support him. Maybe he needs some time, in which case I'll be more than happy to give him time off from the mission."

 

"I don't think he would like being called off the mission...but I think I know why hes upset now that I think of it. Back when we were evacuating the village he seemed to be upset because everyone went their seperate ways after the Arashi incident."

 

She looked past the window and watched a few of the children playing on the lawn outside the hokage's office.

 

"I've always wondered what would have happened if we had stayed after defeating the Arashi...Would we be better off or worse?"

 

I wish Kaneda or Tategami were here, they might be able to talk some sense into Takeda.

 

"If I may ask Hokage, do you know where Tategami is? I haven't seen him since we got back and I'd like to see him again."

[DrPhil2501]

"If I may ask Hokage, do you know where Tategami is? I haven't seen him since we got back and I'd like to see him again."

 

"Tategami is currently within the Land of Tea conducting a mission. Though I just received word yesterday that he'll be returning ASAP to brief me on his overall mission status and results."

 

He pulled from his filing cabinet a document marked with logo of the Masurao Kenjustu Academy. "And speaking of Kaneda... Since his import to the Kenjustu Academy, I have been mailed his progress reports. He appears to be doing quite well; save for History Lessons (was not my strongest subject either)." Naruto smiled sheepishly. "Though they have just started giving him assignments for practical assesment."

 

__________________________________________________

 

Soaring through the clouds, a dove approached the proximity that was Konoha. It flew towards the housed perch where all the other messenger birds flew resided.

 

It flew passed the buildings, zoomed through the open window of the housed birds and sat on one of the open perches. A scroll with a message tied to its scaley leg, with name and address printed on the base of it. A message intended for Karela was written as follows:

 

Karela

 

Sorry I have not written in a while: I've been conducting assignments and practical assesments, and its hard work. Believe me.

 

I have received word of your return to Konoha. I have been informed of some recent developments: its good to hear you and Takeda have caught up. And Asuka as well. I figured I may as well join the club: they asked if I would like to join your mission as one of my first serious assignments, and I said yes. By the time you get this, I oughta arrive within the next day. Looking forward to seeing you, there is alot to catch up on.

 

Yours faithfully

 

Kaneda xox

[Chevron 7 locke]

"Tategami is currently within the Land of Tea conducting a mission. Though I just received word yesterday that he'll be returning ASAP to brief me on his overall mission status and results."

 

Karela sighed in relief. When she hadn't seen the Jonin she had assumed the worst. It was good to know that Tategami was alright.

 

"Though they have just started giving him assignments for practical assesment."

 

"Thanks you for informing me on Kaneda's progress Hokage. I think that I'll send him a letter informing him of the current situation."

 

Karela waved at the Hokage before turning around and leaving the room seeing Takeda in the hall she stopped for a moment. She stared coldly at him. "For the record Takeda, I didn't expect you to act that way in front of the Hokage. And I always thought that you were one of the most gifted among us."

 

She then turned and walked out of the building heading for where the birds were located. After a short walk she arrived at the building and looked over the birds when she saw one with a message attached to it's leg. A message for her.

 

She smiled brightly as she looked over the letter and raised her hand up into the air and let out a cheer.

 

Kaneda is finally coming back!

[Cyborg Ninja]

Takeda continued walking down the hall, until he heard a noise outside. He looked out a window, but only saw some children playing. He sighed a little as he continued to watch them play. He rarely got to play when he was that age. It was always training and helping others, it was practically all he knew.

 

Things were happening too quickly for him. He was still dealing with be left by everyone he knew, and now they were coming back. Speaking to him like they had never left...but it had been a whole year. Why hadn't he left the village as well? Why did he choose to stay?

 

"For the record Takeda, I didn't expect you to act that way in front of the Hokage. And I always thought that you were one of the most gifted among us."

 

He turned around once he heard Karela. They way she stared at him...he had seen that look before. He clenched his fists as she walked away.

 

"Don't patronize me," he said, mostly to himself.

 

He turned and left the building as well. He jumped up on the nearest roof and proceeded to jump to the next one. He kept moving until he reached the trees, still refusing to stop. He moved from tree to tree, until he found a nice spot in the forest. He jumped down and tossed his hat and robes away.

 

He did what he usually did when he had time...he trained. He was much more aggressive in this training session however. He was going through a lot currently, and needed to hit these trees to calm down. If that didn't work...than he'd do what he proposed earlier. He'd go back to Akagi's village and stick with his plan.

[SkywalkerRules]

((Hey, guys, whazzup? Quick question: Where are we at now? :S ))

[DrPhil2501]

((its only been a like... half a page since you posted lol. The characters and the Samurai have returned to the Konoha, Karela got a letter from Kaneda and Takeda is going through some tantrums. Oh, and Chev? If its okay, I might to do a time skip exclusively in my post to the next day. That way incase people need to catch up in the present or finish something... or we could just play along with it haha))

 

The Next Day

 

He could feel the rushing wind breezing on his face as he leaped from tree-to-tree within the forest. Luckily he carried light - only his small backpack, ceremonial katana and basic ninja equipment were with him.

 

"Kaneda-kun" Ryuu called from behind. "There's honestly no need to rush - we are not that far now."

 

He couldn't help it. Kaneda had looked forward to returning back to his home village, catching up with familiars. Takeda, Asuka, Yoroi, Akagi... Tategami as well. And Karela. Its been a while since he saw those faces. There was a lot to catch up on.

 

Ryuu and Kaneda finally made it to the edge of the forest. The great gates of Konoha stood infront of them. Kaneda took a deep breath. Ryuu walked beside him.

 

"Nervous?" Ryuu enquired.

 

"Very!" was all Kaneda could bring up.

[Chevron 7 locke]

((I think we should just play along. I'm sure everyone could make it to the gates of Konoha.))

 

 

Karela watched from the top of gate as Kaneda and his friend approached the village. She had to admit, she had been looking forward to today and hadn't gotten any sleep. She had wanted to make sure that everything was perfect. She knew the others were on their way but she had wanted to arrive early.

 

She continued watching as they got closer and closer until she finally jumped down and managed to land directly behind him. "Hey Kaneda!" She shouted as she ran at him, fully intending to tackle him to the ground.

[Cyborg Ninja]

Takeda simply leaned back on the gate, once he saw the others. He had cooled down enough to still continue with the mission, even though he was still very displeased. This would be the first mission that he was part of team since he became a jonin. He had left his hat and robes behind, and decided to stick with his usual attire.

 

Though he wouldn't show it, he was somewhat eager to be part of the team again. Karela had talked much of Zarela and her increase in strength. She had even given Takai trouble as well. Karela didn't know that he too had become stronger since they had met, and when he fought Zarela he would prove that. For now he needed to focus on the journey ahead. He moved from the gate and nodded his head to Kaneda. He crossed his arms and waited for the others to arrive.

[DrPhil2501]

"Hey Kaneda!'

 

His eyes widened as he heard that familiar voice. Just as he was about to turn around, someone had tackled him onto to the ground. Luckily he had his arm to guard his head going face first into the ground.

 

A role of sweat rolled down his head. "Good to see you haven't changed, Karela..." he muffled.

 

Ryuu smiled amusingly down at Karela and Kaneda. "I've noticed he always either hesitates or holds back when it comes to sparring with girls..."

 

Kaneda struggled to move his head to eye Ryuu. A glaring, yet visually amusing face stared back at the Kenjustu Master. "They didn't need to know that, Ryuu-sensai!"

 

Ryuu beamed. He focussed his attention on Karela. "We've met before; back at the village. Its good to see you again."

[Chevron 7 locke]

"Good to see you haven't changed, Karela..."

 

Karela smiled sweetly and then rolled off of Kaneda before helping him to his feet. "It's always nice to see you Kaneda. Did you miss me?" She asked sweetly.

 

"I've noticed he always either hesitates or holds back when it comes to sparring with girls..."

 

Karela looked over at Kaneda and tried to hide her smile. It had been a long time since she had seen Kaneda and it was time to make up for lost time. Still...she had to mess with him somehow.

 

 

"We've met before; back at the village. Its good to see you again."

 

Karela turned toward Ryuu and smiled. "Its good to see you again as well. Some of the samurai were talking about how you helped them in the battle, in fact...I think a few of them wanted to see if they could spar against you if you came along with Kaneda.

[Cyborg Ninja]

"I've noticed he always either hesitates or holds back when it comes to sparring with girls..."

 

"He should remember it is not wise to hold back against Karela, even in a sparring match," Takeda chimed in, sounding surprisingly amused.

 

This came as somewhat of a shock to Takeda. Just yesterday he was angry and distant, and now here he was speaking his mind...just like he used to. He was always quiet, but when he was with these guys he was more open.

 

"Its good to see you again as well. Some of the samurai were talking about how you helped them in the battle, in fact...I think a few of them wanted to see if they could spar against you if you came along with Kaneda.

 

Takeda walked over to Karela, pulling a map out of his bag.

 

"I figured you might say something like that, which is why I took the liberty of remembering my journey last night. I've labeled spots that made good rest points for the night, and a path I deemed the most efficient for our group," Takeda said as he showed it to her.

[DrPhil2501]

"Its good to see you again as well. Some of the samurai were talking about how you helped them in the battle, in fact...I think a few of them wanted to see if they could spar against you if you came along with Kaneda."

 

"Another time, perhaps..." Ryuu replied. He wondered whether the Samurai of his village had forgotten who he was before he abandoned them. He also wondered whether there was any meaning behind the words "sparring", as if payback or retribution for being a missing-sam.

 

Takeda presented a map of the way to village. Ryuu nodded. "Well organised. Hopefully we wont encounter any enemy forces along this route."

 

"Who else will be on the team?" Kaneda scratched his head. "The briefing said an accompanying Jonin will be with us on the mission, in addition to other members."

[Chevron 7 locke]

"I figured you might say something like that, which is why I took the liberty of remembering my journey last night. I've labeled spots that made good rest points for the night, and a path I deemed the most efficient for our group."

 

Karela raised her eyebrows as she saw the map. It was quite detailed. She looked over at Takeda and grinned at him. "Good work Takeda. This will most likely come in handy."

 

She looked over at Kaneda.

 

"The briefing said an accompanying Jonin will be with us on the mission, in addition to other members."

 

"The Hokage hasn't decided on who will be joining us but he did say he was working on a team. I know Akagi and some of his men may join us while the others remain at the village."

 

 

 

 

Hyuga Compound

 

"- and in addition the Hokage has asked that one of our more experienced family members join a team that is going to be sent out on a dangerous mission. Apparently a samurai village was attacked a few days ago and was completley destroyed. I recomend that we send Dren. He has just returned to the village and he does have quite a bit of experience."

 

Hyuga Neji, the current leader of the Hyuga clan nodded in agreement. "I will notify Dren that he is being considered for this mission. This meeting is now over.

 

the other Hyuga clan members nodded and rose to their feet. Neji didn't even turn around before speaking. "It's alright Dren. You may enter."

 

A tall man with dark hair who was wearing a traditional Konoha jacket walked into the room. "I thank you for nominating me for this mission."

 

"Don't thank me yet Dren. You will be working with the woman who destroyed our home nearly a year ago. Karela. I want you to remember this...she was not herself when she attacked us. You must remember this."

 

Dren's fists were clenched even as he calmly nodded. "Very well." He said quietly as he walked out of the room and headed for the Hokage's office which was on the other side of town.