Naruto: Dawn of a new era.

"Rumors or not, they need to be shattered and the villages peace reigns over others. If something comes up with a hint about disrupting our peace, we will get rid of it and prolong the village." The onikage demanded at the two shinobi.


"But sir, wouldn't us going in and demolishing that rumor, if it be true, breed hatred on their side? Which would result in war?" Shini asked.


"When i said any means necessary, i meant it. If you have to get rid of the whole village, do it." The onikage said with a sinister tone.
 
"So that's why they chose the two of us..." muttered Keiji as they were leaving the office. "His fallback plan is to destroy a village, but last time that happened, it was an accident! I swear! I'm pretty sure we had to explain that one before."


Grinning wildly, Keiji slapped his arm across Shini's shoulders, in a manner bearing resemblance of a hug. "...But I'm glad we finally get a chance to work together again. I was almost sure they would never let us back together after what happened last time! Just don't tell that geezer I'm happy about it. It might make him think he's made a mistake and split us up again."
 
"We should be fine this time round. This mission sounds a little to much about a personal gain though. I mean he could of sent a negotiation squad first." Shini replied to Keiji.


As they left the Onikage's office, he looked towards the main gate.


"Past that, we will hang a right and then head out. From there, it is a 1 day travel till we get to the outskirts of the demon country." Shini said as he checked his ninja pouch.


Shaking his head, he then sighed.


"We should better stock up on our tools first." He said in a comical manner, trying to lift the negative vibe of the mission.
 
Keiji lifted an arm and took a quick whiff of the odor wafting. Quickly he dropped his arm back down and tossed his travel sack lightly to Shini.


"Good idea, why don't you do that. I need a bath, and something hot to eat. I'll meet you by the village gate in an hour."


Less than ten minutes later, Keiji sunk into the scalding waters of bliss inside the village baths. Closing his eyes, he let the hot waters burn away at his tension and his worries. Sadly though, he knew his piece of heaven wouldn't last long. If he stayed too long, he would get yelled at, not the lest of which would be his stomach.
 
Leaping through out the village, Shini soon found himself at the high grade weapon shop. Entering through the door, he looked around to see if he could find something that he might need. Glancing over, he found a set of razor sharp scissor kunai. http://www.leafninja.com/images/weapons/KotetsuKunai2.jpg' alt='KotetsuKunai2.jpg'>


"Excuse me sir. Can i take a look at these please?" Shini asked the store manager.


"Actually, I am new here and I am not sure if I am allowed to do that." the store clerk replied.


"It's ok. Im not going to steal from my own village. I am a shinobi under direct order of the Onikage." Shini replied to the man.


"Oh ok. Well in that case, NO. That man is a terrible leader and i can not wait until the next Onikage is chosen!" The clerk yelled back at Shini.


Getting ticked off at what the clerk said, Shini preformed a string of handseals and charged his chakra in his hands and grabbed out a kunai from his holster. Charging the kunai with his lightning chakra, he held it out to the man.


"Say that again and your held will roll!" Shini yelled back at the man.
 
Keiji was sitting at an outdoor cafe with a steaming bowl of hot rice and a side of grilled fish-on-a-stick. with a famished energy, he tore into his food and washed it down with some hot tea, almost burning his throat. Tippng the cute waitress extra generously, he walked slowly back to the village gates in a happy haze, ready and waiting to meet up with Shini and start the mission.


As he sat at the gate, he did a final check on his equipment, picking the blood off his blades and razor claws. and reshuffling his packs to minimize disruption during speedy traveling.
 
:: Tasuki listened and nodded as Gari finished ::


Tasuki: "i wound never have suspected that"


:: Tasuki looked around, feeling very uncomfortable here ::


Tasuki: "umm... so, what now? are you going to kill me for hearing that? or am i free to go?"
 
Arriving at the gate, Shini waved at Keiji. Upon his back, the new scissor kunai he was looking at earlier.


"Are you finally ready?" Shini yelled out to him.


Turning his head to his gear, he soon nodded.


"Im ready and got some new stuff while i was at it. Can never have enough good stuff." Shini said as he looked back at Keiji.
 
Keiji nodded politely at Shini as he arrived.


"That's new" Keiji stated gesturing at the giant scissors on Shini's back "You're looking fit to kill. did you get me a present too?"


And with that Keiji clipped his pack's strap across his shoulders and zipped it tight.


"I'm ready, lets kill this job"


And with that, the heavy doors to the village swung open, and both of them dashed forward into the foggy evening .
 
Shini just laughed at Keiji.


"Yea, lets get this over and done with." Shini replied to Keiji.


Leaping a step behind Keiji, Shini took a deep breath.


"So what was your last mission anyway? Lord Onikage would not tell me." Shini asked as he followed in Keiji's foot steps.
 
Keiji scoffed, "My last mission?" the Onikage had me watch the Feudal Lord's brother's second nephew's dog... or some rubbish like that. He had me all the way out in the far reaches of the rice country doing that. if you ask me, it was a huge waste of time."


They slowed their pace as they neared the border of the country.


"so, how have you been keeping? been busy while I was gone?"
 
"I have been good. Just graduated to Jounin while you were gone. It's about time to. I have proved myself worthy time and time again and then finally the onikage realized." Shini replied to Keiji.


As they stopped on the boundary of the demon country, fogged seemed to roll in from no where. It blanketed the entire landscape and all that could be seen, where the mountain tops. Looking over at Keiji, Shini rifled through his pack and pulled out the scroll. Opening up the scroll, Shini started to read it.


"Ok, the mission states that the rumors lie within here. Some reports indicate a small rebel squad and others say that there is an entire force that lays dormant in here. I guess we are going in and obliterating whatever is in there?" Shini pretty much asked Keiji with out meaning to.
 
"Bah..." Keiji muttered. "it's just ghost stories. People naturally are more on edge around the borders."


A shadow skirted just outside Keiji's eye, and a kunai was in his hands before he even noticed he was nervous.


"Then again, there may be some truth in legend. Keep your eyes peeled. I think we're being watched."


A branch snapped behind them, and some leaves floated to the ground not ten paces away.


"Don't look now, but I think we're surrounded. At least three sneaky buggers following us."
 
"What?" Shini replied with a confused look on his face.


Just as he finished his sentence he felt the presence of the people.


"Shit! How was i careless! I should have sensed them before now!" Shini replied as he reached up and took a grip on the large kunai on his back.


Taking in a deep breath, he nodded at Keiji.


"You ready for this?" Shini asked.
 
Keiji had already slid back-to-back with Shini, his claws in one hand, and a kunai in the other. "I was born ready!" he shouted, as if he had been bored out of his mind until this moment. "Come on out! we know you're out there!"


Gripping the kunai in his teeth, Keiji made handsigns. Secret Art Shadows Implosion!. Suddenly the shadows around them seemed to darken and contract to pinpoints, drawing into them anything loose. even the trees which cast the shadows creaked and strained with effort to remain upright. One unprepared ambusher was thrown off balance by the sudden gravity shift and fell to one of the shadows. Moments later, all the shadows exploaded with a loud roar, shattering trees, and scattering leaves and branches everywhere. the unrepared ninja was killed instantly in the explosion.


With the tree-cover gone, the remaining exposed ninjas scattered backwards, but a well placed kunai hamstrung a retreating ninja. In an instant, Keiji was upon him and had literally ripped his face right off with a sweep of razor sharp claw. It was not a pretty sight to watch.
 
Using this time that Keiji just opened up for him, Shini took in a deep breath. Holding it in for a sec, he spun around and exhaled a large dust cloud.


"Get out of the way!" Shini yelled.


"Fire style, accumulating ash explosion!" Shini said as the ask exploded in a fiery barrage.


As the ash exploded, it lit up the shards of trees and loose leaves that flew through the air. Leaping through the air, Shini located one of the men and darted right for him with one of the large kunai drawn.


"Your mine!" Shini yelled out as he charged chakra into the blade.
 
Keiji watched in sick fascination as the last of the ninjas impacted Shini's large kunai with a sickening "thunck". the battle had lasted only seconds, but the entire area was a smoldering ruin.


"Well, Was that all there were to there ghost stories? that wasn't so bad, now was it?"


He tore the sleeve off a dead assailant and began cleaning the blood off his claw.


"Those were Demon Shinobi on our lands. we had every right to kill them, but I have the feeling that this will come back to bite us."
 
"Well technically, we did not know why they were here? I mean, they could have just been trailing us to give us a message or something." Shini replied to Keiji.


Looking around, he seen the carnage left by Keiji. Nodding his head and smiling, secretly holding back the sheer amount of fear, Shini smiled.


"You have surely gotten faster since our last mission." Shini said.


Standing on the cliff side overseeing the valley of fog, Shini and Keiji could see a small ripple appear in the fog. Neither Keiji nor Shini could not make what that little ripple meant, or if it meant anything at all.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Gari looked at Tasuki, then shook his head.


"No, you will not have to die for hearing that." Gari replied to her.


Forming a string of handseals, he soon placed his left hand upon her head and removed any and all knowledge of this room and any of it contents and it's location.
 
Keiji wrenched a bloodied kunai out of the hamstrung Shinobi's leg before wiping it off and depositing it back up his sleeve.


"You almost singed me with that ash cloud you have it expanding much faster and denser now." Keiji nodded to Shini, "tell you what, search the bodies. There must be some sign of where they came from or what they were after. I'm going to make a quick scan the area to make sure there are no stragglers lurking around"
 
"I told you to get out of the way. You didn't listen. I have been training that since the last mission i had." Shini replied to Keiji.


Looking down at the fallen shinobi, he kicked him and rolled him over. Kneeling down next to him, he looked the ninja over before removing the mask upon his face.


"Oh my god.....Keiji!" Shini yelled out towards him.


Waving him over, he wanted to show Keiji what he saw.


"This one was just a kid. Were they all kids?" Shini asked as he looked up at Keiji.
 
Keiji kicked over another blackened corpse reveling another young face.


"Yep, kids the lot of them. This one couldn't have been more then fifteen or sixteen"


After a quick scan of the surrounding forest Keiji declared the area temporarily safe.


"Ok, sack up and lets get going again. These kids can't be working alone, and they will soon be reported missing in whatever cell they work for. I wouldn't want to still be around when the big guns show up"
 
Reaching into his pocket, he grabbed out the scroll once more.


"It says that inside the cloud lies a temple. Inside that, lies every answer." Shini said as he pointed off the cliff and into the cloud of fog.


Taking a deep breath, Shini placed the scroll back into his pocket, gathered his pack, and walked to the end of the cliff.


"I guess we have no other choice but to venture forth." Shini said as he leaped off the cliff and into the fog.


As they walked, Shini and Keiji started to run into creatures that have rarely been seen before. Those creatures are known as ghosts.


"Ghosts live here. I guess that is a fitting name for this place. The demon country. There are a lot of them, but we can take them down. If move silently, we should be able to avoid most of them." Shini said quietly to Keiji.
 
The deeper they went, the denser the fog got, Keiji saw the outlines of ghosts in the mist as they went deeper. Within minutes they reached the bottom of the ravine, at the bottom, cradled in a gently swirling mist, lay the gates of an enormous temple. At least a foot think of solid wood, the ancient doors looked like they hadn't been touched in ages.


Keiji carefully approached the giant double doors and gave them a slight push. The doors swung open slowly with a loud horrible creaking sound. Before them lay the courtyard of the temple, completely mist free.


"That was way too easy. You first, I'll cover the rear." Keiji whispered, nudging Shini forward.
 
"Oh ha ha. Well, anyway, i agree with you about it being to easy." Shini replied to Keiji.


Walking into the clear courtyard, Shini looked around at all the ruins. As he glanced around, he could have sworn he seen a figure at the far end of the courtyard. AS he looked harder at the far end, he could not see any figure or anything. Even though it was clear of fog, it still had an eerie appearance.


"Be on your toes. Im not sure if we are alone." Shini said as he made a hand seal.


Focusing his chakra, he tried to sense if anyone else besides them two were in that temple. To his astonishment, he could barely focus his chakra and could not sense anything around them.


"This temple is screwing with my sensing. We'll have to go on pure sight and instinct alone. Trying to sense them is out of luck. Something is interfering with me." Shini said as he removed a kunai and held it slightly in front of himself.
 
Keiji swept at the fog in front of him with a annoyed sweep.


"Oh great, it acts like a nonconductor of chakra too? that makes it take more juice to pull out a big move, if the need should arise."


Keiji closed his eyes, and heard muffled footsteps that belonged to neither Shini nor himself.


"We aren't alone."


Keiji darted for the sound of footsteps, covering the distance in seconds, but there was no one in sight. The room was quiet except for the sound of his own breathing.


"Someone's hiding in here. Someone skilled."


Just then there was an audible "Click!" like a pressure valve being released. the sound of air being forced through a tight space that sounded akin to sheets of metal being roughly torn to pieces.


The fog began to circle in the courtyard, it became more and more dense, until it became completely opaque. It grew arms, and a head, and sharp teeth.


"Um, Shini?" Keiji shouted "I think we have a problem!"
 
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