Chapter 15 Hidden Village of Rock

I made my way to the ninja academy seeking out the Hokage. I arrived early in the morning to ensure I had his full undivided attention. When I arrived I saw no trace of Kakashi, but knowing that he is late for everything, I assumed he would show up at some point. I walked to the Hokage's office alone. I was greeted by two anbu who allowed me in right away. I bowed my head slightly to show my thanks before entering. I saw the Hokage looking over reports, as I approached where he was seated he looked up and put down the reports. He folded his hands up and waited for me to speak.

"Lord Hokage, I have come this morning to give you this."

I pulled the scroll out of my satchel and placed it in front of Lord Hokage.

"Isamu this is the scroll I gave you the other day from your father. Why are you bringing it back to me?"

I sighed as I crossed my arms,

"Lord Hokage Kakashi and I read over the scroll last night. I think that you need to read it over…there is concerning information that you need to know before we start any kind of training."

He nodded and began to unravel the scroll and read it. As he was reading he took a puff of his pipe. I heard and felt a gust of wind next to me. I looked over and as expected it was Kakashi…late again. I looked over giving him a scolding stare. He shrugged it off and placed his hands in his pockets.

"It's nice to see you've finally joined us Kakashi…"

The Hokage said sarcastically while continuing to read the scroll. Kakashi bowed his head and stood there waiting for the Hokage to finish reading.

It took him some time to finish and I was staring intently the entire time. I wanted to see if I could read his reaction which, I wasn't because the entire time he had an expressionless face. He placed it down in front of him and looked from me to Kakashi.

"Kakashi…I'm assuming you read this with Isamu?"

He nodded as he looked down at the scroll,

"Yes Lord Hokage I read it fully with Isamu last night. I told her that it would be best that we bring this to your attention first thing."

He nodded and sat back in his chair taking a puff of his pipe.

"I am glad that you brought this to me…I already knew some of the information as I told you before…but the rest was news to me. This is very important and sacred information."

I looked down and crossed my arms waiting for him to continue.

"Isamu…I am going to keep this scroll hidden and locked away. If this information were to get into the wrong hands…it could turn out very bad. As for us three knowing the information on this scroll…no one else knows about this correct?"

I shook my head as my eyes grew wide.

"No Lord Hokage, only Kakashi and I read this. I placed it away until we came here. No one else to my knowledge knows any of this information."

He nodded and closed his eyes, relaxing a little.

"Good, it needs to stay that way. You two will never speak of any of this to anyone else is that clear?"

Kakashi and I nodded in unison understanding the severity of the situation.

"Having this information I think we need to start your training now. I want to change how it's done. Kakashi you are going to have to start with control and meditation training with Isamu. We need to get her to a state where she can control her emotions and with that control the spirit. I am also going to send you two on a mission today."

We both looked at each other with curiosity,

"Lord Hokage, what kind of mission?"

He took a report and placed it in front of me. I took it and started reading through its contents.

"This is a rescue mission in the Hidden Village of Rock?"

He nodded as he gestured for me to continue reading. He then started explaining more about the reasoning of sending us.

" I am sending you two on this mission for two reasons. The first reason is to help build our alliance with the Hidden Rock Village. The second is to help you control your emotions and get the full attention from Kakashi you need. This will ensure that no one else is put in the line of danger if something were to happen."

I tilted my head as I passed the report to Kakashi so he could read over the details.

"Lord Hokage…are you saying this mission will just be me and Kakashi? What about Team 7? What will they do while we are away? We still need to train them and continue our missions."

Lord Hokage sighed,

"Team 7 will continue their work as usual. I have already discussed things with Kurenai. She is willing to watch over them while you two are away. She will add them to her team for the time being and conduct training and missions including them. When you two return you can resume training as usual."

I nodded and felt a little better that they were with Kurenai. I really need to treat her to something when we get back for her help with everything. She has been so helpful, I should show my gratitude since I haven't been able to spend too much alone time with her since I returned.

Kakashi then closed the report and placed it back on the table.

"Does the Tsuchikage know that we will be arriving and completing this mission?"

Lord Hokage Waved his hand and nodded,

"Of course, I sent parcel word this morning advising who specifically I was sending and that you should reach their village in about 3 to 4 days. I know the village has been experiencing a lot of rain making their terrain muddy and unstable. So do be careful on your way."

Kakashi and I nodded, with that we were on our way. We began outside the village gates and started heading northwest towards the mountain range. The Hidden Village of Rock was surrounded by a rocky mountain range that cuts them off from the rest of the land in Niji. We never had much contact with this village that I have heard of. I do know that Lord Hokage is trying to strengthen his alliances even more now. With the potential threat of Orochimaru and the Akatsuki he wants to ensure we have all the forces we can get.

I am a little uneasy though, even when I was in the anbu black ops we didn't do much with the village of rock. There was not much need for any assistance from them since they were secluded and did most things on their own. They reminded me of my village but, were larger and a lot more structured. Their inawin are merciless and will follow the Tsuchikage's orders even if it means their inevitable death.

This made me wonder why they would send a request to the Hidden Leaf Village for a simple rescue mission. From the details of the report, we are being sent to rescue a nobleman's daughter who went missing about 5 days ago. It made me wonder again...it made me uneasy. Maybe this mission isn't as simple as it sounds. It is ranked a B-Rank mission but still, this doesn't make sense

I think Kakashi could see the uneasiness on my face.

"Isamu…you alright? You have been surprisingly quiet this entire time."

I rolled my eyes, yeah real funny Kakashi.

"I …don't understand why Lord Hokage is sending us on this mission. If the Village of Rock has their own shinobi ranks why don't they just send their own to complete the rescue? Why would they send requests to the hidden leaf to do it?"

Kakashi pulled out his icha icha book and started reading. I became annoyed because it always seems like he is not listening and ignoring me when he reads that damn thing.

"They sent for help because their shinobi are above simple missions like this. They are sent to do military and dangerous work. The Tsuchikage doesn't want to waste their power on something simple and demeaning. So they ask for help to show their villagers they still care but…not enough to send their own forces. Plus…we are their biggest ally so we do what we can to keep the peace."

Yeah okay, that makes sense. Even so, I still have an uneasy feeling about this. Something isn't right and I feel it deep in my stomach. I will make sure to keep on my guard and alert no matter what. This normally should be a larger team mission, I understand why Hokage sent only us two, but it still doesn't make me feel any better about the situation.

We continued walking until the sun started to set. Kakashi advised it was time to set up camp so we found a secluded spot. Once we got everything set up I started prepping dinner while Kakashi went to grab firewood. He placed the wood in a pile and used his fireball jutsu to light the campfire. I placed the pot in the middle of the flame barely hovering over. I made sure the soup was nice and hot and divided it between us. As we sat around the fire eating dinner I looked up at Kakashi.

"Kakashi…how do you feel about all of this? I mean with everything we read on the scroll to the Lord Hokage's order about my training? How are we going to go from here?"

I saw him shrug as he put his bowl down to the side. He leaned forward looking into the flames of the fire.

" I think we need to keep the information to ourselves and conduct training as we normally would. We can't draw any unwanted attention so we have to be cautious on how we move forward. We need to start with getting your emotions under control and build your will power. The only way to do that is to put you into situations that would cause you to experience strong emotion. Then from there we work on getting you to tap into your subconscious and level yourself. I know it sounds easier said than done…but this is the first step. Once you can get that under control is when we can begin to tap into the spirit."

I nodded in agreement but then tilted my head as I placed my bowl to the side.

"How are we going to get me to that point so I can begin working on this? I can't just wait for something bad to happen in battle and then try it. If we are in battle I need to focus on that."

I saw Kakashi stand up and come to my side. He crouched down in front of me so he could be at eye level. This made me a little uncomfortable. I could feel the heat coming to my face. He looked into my eyes and I saw him place his pointer finger on my forehead. I was about to ask him what he was doing when, I felt an excruciating pain. I felt it jolt from my head all the way down to my feet. It was pulsating and I began to grow furious and full of rage. I felt the burning sensation begin to grow in my chest and throat. I fell to the ground when Kakashi removed his finger from my forehead and stood up. I felt the burning getting worse, my vision was starting to turn red. I closed my eyes and tried to look past the pain and rage I was feeling, but it was too late. I slipped away and everything went black.

Kakashi POV

I stood back to give enough distance between Isamu and I. I saw her on the ground in a fetal position with her eyes closed. I could see the pain on her face and the struggle she was having.

I noticed her body began to be consumed by the black of the tattoo. Her eyes went wide open and were fully red. I saw the smoke coming from her mouth and nose. I knew now I had to ready myself. The dragon took over and as soon as I grabbed my kunai and held it up, I saw Isamu's eye dart to me. I lifted my headband to expose my left eye and activated my sharingan. I stood there and I could sense her next move. I quickly darted up to the branch above her. I looked down as she pounced towards where I was standing. I could hear low growling coming from her as she looked up to see me in the tree.

"Come on Isamu…fight it…don't let it do this to you…"

I stood there for a moment until I saw her open her mouth and a fireball was forming. As it shot out with great speed I dodged onto the next tree.

"She's fast…almost too fast for my sharingan to keep up with…"

She turned to face me and stood up straight from her crouched position. Her right hand lifted and her left hand started to sign. I knew what this was all too well. I then quickly cast my substitution jutsu. I made it back a few yards as I saw my substitution burst into flames. She saw this and got even angrier. She made some type of screeching sound that made me put my hands up to my ears and cover them.

"Damn it…I don't know how much longer I'll be able to avoid these attacks…ISAMU YOU NEED TO FIGHT THIS AND NOW!"

I threw three of my shuriken at her, I knew she would easily dodge them. I needed to get her focus on me. I needed her to get close and in range. I needed her to get close enough to see me…maybe then she can fight it.

Isamu stopped the shuriken attack by reflecting them off of her arm. When they hit her, they didn't leave a mark! I looked with a wide eye. Her skin is like armor. As I saw her turn her sight to me I jumped down from the tree and stood to face her.

In a blink of an eye, she was in front of me grabbing me by the neck. Her hand was burning and I knew I couldn't be like this for long or I'll be severely wounded. I gripped on to her wrist with both of my hands and looked down at her. I didn't fight, I didn't struggle, and I tried to stay as calm as I could. I needed her to fight this, and this was the only way I could think of provoking it so she could focus on the spirit and nothing else. I stared at her wishing this was over. I couldn't see her like this, this wasn't the Isamu I knew…this is one thing that has frightened me for some time. I wasn't frightened by what she could do to me…I was frightened that this spirit was going to be too much for her body and mind to handle… I couldn't stand the thought of losing her…no, I couldn't lose her I wouldn't allow that to happen. I'm not going to lose another person in my life that I care about. I couldn't stand the thought of not having her on this earth….or with me. I felt a tear come down my face. I opened my eyes again to look her dead on. I saw the hesitation…yes this was it…Isamu come back to me.

End of Kakashi POV

I found myself in complete darkness, I had no idea where I was or what was happening. There was no sound and it was cold until... I saw a light coming toward me. The light was a bright red and it continued to grow as it got closer. I could feel the heat it was emitting, as it got close enough it started to change shape. It started to form into a dragon…it was large with flames coming out of its eye sockets and the rest of it was blood red. It towered over me trying to show its strength, trying to intimidate me.

I wouldn't allow the beast to intimidate me so I stood my ground staring straight into its eye flames.

"Who are you? What do you want? I'm not scared of you."

That last statement was true, I wasn't scared of the dragon in front of me. No, I wanted answers and I'd be damned if I let it go before getting anything from it.I heard a low growl and I saw the flames were growing. I felt anger, rage, and blood lust in the air emitting from this dragon. It lowered its head down so its large snout was touching my chest. I stared into its flames trying to stand my ground, waiting for the beast to answer my question. It chuckled deeply as if it knew what I was thinking.

"Isamu…my host…my life force…it is about time we met face to face…"

The deep and dark tone of this dragon sent chills up my spine, but I knew who this was.

"Blood Dragon…we finally meet…I was beginning to wonder if you would ever show your face to me."

I tried saying that as strongly and intimidating as I could, but his size and presence overpowered it all. He chuckled again as he lifted his head up, still staring down at me.

"Yes Isamu…you will call me Oni…I am glad to see that you accepted my invitation."

I crossed my arms still on my guard but confused,

"What invitation…what the hell are you talking about?"

I was getting sick of its game and I wanted it to get to the point already.

"Isamu…my invitation for you...was to allow me the…pleasure…of meeting with you so you know who I am and what it is I want."

Its wings spread out to make itself look even larger. It swung its tail to wrap around me. I jumped at the sight and it laughed again.

"Do not worry child…I will not hurt you…not like this. I simply needed you to be aware of how this…connection works."

Connection…again with the evasive words and game, I was getting tired of this!

"Just spit it out already! What do you want and what do you mean by how this connection works?"

It sat down lifting one of its clawed feet up. He pointed the tip of one of its claws to my chest.

"The connection we share as I am trapped and sealed within you…I will not be ignored and you will obey my needs. I have been trapped inside of hosts for as long as I could remember and no one has been able to provide me with what I need. You…I feel it…you are different, you are strong, and you are capable."

I couldn't believe what this spirit was saying to me! I was not going to allow it to use me as its weapon or vessel for it to control. I stared right into the beast's eyes pointing my finger up at him.

"I will not allow you to control me! You will not use me for your selfish needs! You are trapped within me! This means you will be commanded by me, I will use you as I see fit and you will lend me your chakra when needed!"

The dragon tilted its head in confusion, its flames began to die down. They went to blue orbs in its sockets. It started to grow smaller as put its snout against my chest. I could feel the heat from its nose and mouth.

"Yes…you…you are different than the rest…"

Without saying another word the dragon became translucent. Before I knew it…it disappeared without saying another word. It turned black again but, I felt pain in my chest and held it tight as I screamed out.

After a moment I opened my eyes, when I did I had blurry vision. I had Kakashi by the throat holding him up off the ground. When I fully came to I dropped him as I flowed suit. I dropped to my knees, I was panting and out of breath, like I had just run for 3 days straight with no rest.

I saw Kakashi catch himself and held a hand up to his neck as he stared at me with his sharingan eye. He looked me up and down as if making sure it was really me. When he realized, he sighed with relief and put his headband back down. He stood up holding his arm out to help me up. When I got to my feet I looked up at him puzzled.

"Took you long enough to fight that thing off…You had me going pretty good for a while."

He told me in a sarcastic tone as he rubbed the back of his neck with a weary smile. He stopped as he saw my face looking at me seriously.

"Isamu…are you all right?"

I nodded my head as I looked down at my hands. They were dripping blood from the claws that extended out. I looked up to Kakashi with wide eyes.

"Kakashi…I saw it…I saw the blood dragon…"

He tilted his head as he came next to me to start helping me over to a tree stump and sat me down. He sat across from me with his elbows on his knees and his chin resting on his knuckles.

"What do you mean you saw it?"

I nodded as I put my hands in my lap.

"I mean…I saw the dragon…while I was blacked out I was in a dark space. I stood there trying to figure out where I was. There was a bright red light that started coming toward me. When it got close enough it formed into a dragon and…it spoke to me."

I took a moment to grab my bearings before I continued.

"It spoke to me…it told me its name and that I was different from the rest. It wants to control me to fulfill its blood lust….I told it that I would never allow it to use me for such a thing. That I won't allow it to take control over me…It then got smaller and disappeared... then I came back to reality…"

I saw Kakashi close his eye in thought for a few moments then sighed.

"What did the spirit say its name was?"

I looked into the flames of the campfire,

"It said its name is Oni…"

Kakashi sat up straight and got tense for a second.

"Oni? You mean it's a Blood Demon?"

I nodded as I went quiet. I saw Kakashi get up and throw another log into the fire to keep it going. I looked up with tired eyes.

"I stood up to it though Kakashi…when I did it started to shrink in size… its eyes went from strong red flames to subtle blue orbs before disappearing…After that, I came back to reality. I…I think I understand what I have to do now."

Kakashi sat down next to me, it looked like he was just as tired and drained. I must have really worked him..he used most of his chakra reserve with his sharingan.

"Isamu…"

I looked over and I saw defeat come across his face.

"Kakashi…it's all right... I can do this. I have an idea of how to control this. I would have never figured it out…unless I spoke to the spirit itself."

Kakashi shook his head as he put his hands out to be warmed by the fire. I saw his hands were burnt…I looked up at his neck and the material from his shirt was scorched. There was bright red underneath which meant his neck was burnt too. This caused great sadness to fall over me…I did this to him. He continues to go through physical pain, risking his life to help me battle this thing. Yet…even after, he stays near and is kind with me. I want to get this thing under control…to give him some peace of mind. I hate seeing him so worried all the time, I wish I could do something for him. I want to see him smile again…a real smile not his fake one he tends to give most of the time.

I pointed to his hands as I got up to get my satchel that was in one of the tents. When I came back I sat down in front of him getting on my knees. I grabbed one of his hands and laid it in mine. I took the medical ointment I had and spread some on his burn marks. I placed my free hand over his open palm and transferred my chakra. A green light appeared under my hand as I closed my eyes. After a moment I let his hand go as I opened my eyes. I saw him examining his now fully healed hand. He looked back to me with shock as I gestured for him to give me his other burnt hand.

"Isamu…where did you learn to do that? When did you start practicing medical ninjutsu?"

I shrugged as I started to spread the ointment over the burns.

"Well…most women in my village were only trained to use medical ninjutsu. Since I am female I was told I had to start studying medical ninjutsu right away. I spent a lot of time in the village researching and studying. When I came to the leaf village I continued to study and practice. I don't know everything but, I can use my chakra to heal minor wounds. That's pretty much as far as I got."

He nodded staring at his hand with the green light appearing from underneath mine. I was transferring chakra to his hand, then I stood up and pointed to his mask.

"All right mystery man…take down your mask so I can heal your neck."

He slowly pulled his mask down as far as he could to reveal not only his face but a burn mark wrapping around his whole neck. I looked at the mark with saddened eyes. He placed his hand on my arm as I started to spread the ointment on his neck.

"You don't have to look so sad Isamu…it's just some burn marks…nothing serious."

He said with a closed eye smile and a soft tone. I placed my hand gently around his neck, closed my eyes, and completed the chakra transfer. I stepped back and closed the ointment jar. I was going to the tent to place it back when suddenly I got lightheaded. I almost fell to the ground when Kashi ran to me, catching me before I hit the ground.

"Isamu!...you have used up way too much chakra…you need to rest and stop pushing yourself so hard…"

I wrapped my arms around Kakashi's neck as he carried me into the tent. He laid me down on my futon and pushed a strand of hair away from my face. I lifted my hand and grabbed his forearm. My eyes were half open as I could barely see anything. I was trying to speak but nothing would come out. He grabbed my hand, laid it next to me and went outside.

We woke up the next morning and got all packed. We continued our journey to the Village of Rock, it was surprisingly quiet the whole way there. There were little disruptions and the path was clear of bandits or rouge ninja. We got to the mountain ledge that covered the village's border within 3 days. We had a long hike up the mountain ledge. We reached the main gates within the hour and were greeted by two rock shinobi. They were stiff and emotionless, they were also on guard and held defensive stances to our arrival.

When we got close enough I held my hand up in a wave to show we were friends, not foe. They let down their guard and came to meet us. They both were very tall and muscular, they were also covered in dirt and dried mud. One of them looked us up and down as he began speaking.

"Who are you and why have you come to the Village of Rock? What business do you have here?"

Kakashi held his hand up with a smile,

"We are here on behalf of a rescue mission requested by your Tsuchikage. Lord Hokage from the leaf village sent him a parcel a few days ago to announce our arrival."

The two shinobi looked at each other and nodded. The one that spoke to us gestured for us to follow them. We went through the main gates and were lead through the middle of the village. I had a good view of the village and how their buildings were set up. Most of the buildings were built with red clay from the earth. Which means most of the buildings were a rust color. All of the villagers wore clothing that were earth colored. This made it look as if they were trying to blend in with their surroundings. There wasn't much traffic through the streets, not like the leaf village. The shinobi took us to a large structure that was built into the side of the mountain. It looked like a home but, half of it was hidden within the side of the mountain.

The shinobi stood at the front entrance and one of them pointed to the main doors.

"This is where we leave you, you will meet the Tsuchikage at the end of the hall once you enter."

Kakashi and I nodded as we opened the doors making our way to the end of the hallway. We were stopped by 2 different shinobi that were guarding the main doors to the Tsuchikage. They looked us up and down and nodded as they opened the doors. They gestured for us to enter so we did. They closed the doors behind us and the Tsuchikage looked up from his reports. He looked at Kakashi and then over to me. When he looked at me he stopped and stared for a moment. He moved around from behind his desk and came closer. He ended up too close for comfort and continued to examine me. He seemed very intrigued with my eyes and after a few moments of silent examination Kakashi finally broke the silence.

"Tsuchikage, we are shinobi from the Hidden Leaf Village. We were sent here by Lord Hokage to complete a rescue mission you requested our help with."

The Tsuchikage snapped himself back in to reality and stepped back. He opened his arms and gestured for us to take a seat in front of his desk.

"Ah yes…I received parcel from Lord Hokage a few days ago letting me know about your arrival. We are in need of your assistance, I can not lend any of my shinobi at this time for a task like this. I have requested aide from the Leaf Village due to our…growing alliance."

He handed Kakashi the report file and his eyes met back with mine. Kakashi looked through briefly and handed it over to me.

" Tsuchikage can you tell us what direction Lord and Lady Tochi live? We would like to visit them to get more information. It would be a good starting point."

The Tsuchikage darted his eyes to Kakashi and stood up. He walked towards the large window that faced towards the middle of the village. Kakashi got up to stand next to him as I followed behind. He pointed out to the north part of the village.

"If you travel North you will come across a large building. This building is blackened in color and has a large fountain in the front yard area. This is their home, let them know that I sent you and you will be working the rescue mission. They should be able to provide what your needing."

Kakashi bowed to the Tsuchikage and I followed suit. Once we said our goodbye we headed out traveling North. We went through the village square, as we continued the buildings became less and there was more open land. There wasn't much vegetation in the village, there was more dirt and rock then anything. We found the noble's house and walked up to their main doors. Kakashi knocked and a lovely women with long black flowing hair answered. She had beautiful emerald eyes and a delicate complexion. She smiled at us tilting her head a bit.

"Hello, how can I help you two?"

Her voice was soft and sweet, and without thinking I spoke up to her.

"Lady Tochi…we are here to assist on the rescue mission for your daughter. We were given the mission a few days ago and upon our arrival we met with the Tsuchikage. Could we come in for a few moments to ask you and your husband a few questions?"

Her eyes went wide as she nodded opening the door more to let us in. She gestured for us to follow her so we did, to an open living area. She said to sit, and that she would be right back with Lord Tochi. We sat there for only a few moments until Lady Tochi rushed into the room along with Lord Tochi. They both took seats across from us, Lady Tochi crossed her arms looking up with worried eyes. Lord Tochi sat straight up looking at Kakashi and then to me.

"Thank you both for coming so quickly…we are in desperate need of help. Our Daughter Yumi…she is only 15 and disappeared a few days ago. We have not seen any trace of her, nor has anyone in the village square…we have no idea where she is."

Lord Tochi put his hand on his wife's thigh squeezing it with a faint smile trying to calm her nerves.

"Lord Tochi…can you tell me what your daughter was doing the day that she went missing?"

He nodded and pointed out to the courtyard,

"Yes…she went out the back into our courtyard. She was going to the village to explore the market place. We asked her to grab some supplies and ingredients to bring home. When she never returned Kikko and I went running down to the village square. We questioned all of the merchants in the square and as many passer byes as we could. They all said they never saw her come to the square nor did she come to any of the merchant stands. With this information we feel as though she could have been taken on the road to the village square before she could reach it."

I nodded as I looked out the window to my right. I saw the village square slightly in the distance. I saw a small trail lead down from the Lord's house twoards the way we came in.

"Lord Tochi…is there only one road your daughter would have taken to the village square? Are there any other roads or hidden trails your daughter could have taken?"

The lord shook his head as he looked out the window with me and pointed.

"No, there is only one road that leads from our home to the village square. Since we are more secluded out here on the outskirts there tends to be more open land and forest so one trail was made to ensure no one would get lost or turned around."

I nodded putting my finger to my chin in thought. If there was only one trail from the Lord's house to the village market Yumi must have been taken on that trail. Which means we will have to go off trail into the forest and terrain surroundings to find any kind of clues.

I looked over at Kakashi,

"Lord and Lady Tochi…you don't happen to have a piece of clothing or some kind of fabric that your daughter has worn recently?"

Lady Tochi nodded running out of the room. When she returned she had a dark green kimono in her hands. She sat back down and handed the kimono over to Kakashi.

"This is the last thing she wore the night before she went missing. I haven't washed it yet, but that is all I have. Why would you need her clothing?"

The lord and lady looked at Kakashi in confusion. Kakashi then signed his summoning jutsu, I got what he was doing now. Suddenly in a poof of smoke a small brown and black dog appeared. He had droopy eyes and a small snout. His paws were small and had many fat rolls around his face. He looked up at Kakashi and waited for his command.

"Hello Pakkun…I need you to gather their daughters scent from this kimono."

He nodded as he walked up to the kimono. He began sniffing every part, once he was done he sat back down in front of Kakashi.

"Alright Kakashi…I have her scent."

Kakashi nodded and when I looked over I saw the Lord and Lady staring at Pakkun with puzzled faces. I am guessing they have never seen a ninken before.

Kakashi looked from Pakkun to me. I nodded as we both stood up at the same time. Kakashi handed the kimono back to Lady Tochi.

"Don't worry, we will find your daughter and bring her home to you."

Kakashi was first out the door as I followed behind. Pakkun started running then jumped into the trees. We followed him jumping from tree to tree leading far away from the trail back to the village square. We appeared at a small opening as Pakkun jumped down to the ground. He ran over to a rock that was next to the river running through the opening.

Kakashi and I both ran up to the rock. Pakkun was gesturing for us to look. When we looked closer there was a dried blood stain on the rock. I looked closely to the rest of the surrounding area. I saw blood stains on the ground, on some other rocks, and even on a tree trunk that was close to the river.

"Pakkun…is that Yumi's blood?"

Pakkun nodded jumping up to the nearest tree. He looked down at Kakashi and I.

"Yes…it is the daughters blood. We need to keep moving, her scent is starting to become faint. If we wait much longer I won't be able to track her."

We jumped up into the tree with Pakkun and continued to jump from tree to tree. We continued for a while as we got deeper into the forest. It was starting to get darker because all of the tree line was blocking most of the sun. Suddenly I felt something...something strong. I stopped on a tree branch. Kakashi and Pakkun stopped and jumped back to meet me.

"We need to stop…I'm sensing a lot of chakra ahead… it's all very strong."

I whispered incase someone was close to us, I didn't want anyone knowing we were here.

"Pakkun…this will be all…I'll call you again if needed."

Pakkun groaned and suddenly disappeared. I stood up to see what was causing such a disturbance, then in the distance I saw it.

"Kakashi look over there…it's an opening... I think I see tents."

Kakashi got closer to me and followed where I was pointing. It looked like a campground, this meant there were many ninja stationed there. For how strong the chakra I'd say they are at least Chunin if not Jonin level. I gestured to Kakashi for him to follow me. We slowly made our way closer to the campsite until we could see it more clearly. Once we got in closer we found ground covering. We hid ourselves behind some thick tall bushes that were resting against a large tree. I pulled the leaves to the side as I began examining the campground.

"1…2…3…4….and 5…5 total tents set up with the largest one in the middle of the camp ground. We need to be careful Kakashi I am not having a good feeling about this."

Kakashi nodded as he grabbed his kunai in his right hand. He then looked at me with determination in his eye.

"Then let's be careful…"

Kakashi disappeared and so did I. We were both fast so keeping up with each other was never an issue. I would say I was faster than Kakashi but, he would never admit that to anyone. We landed on a tree that was right next to one of the smaller tents. We snuck closer on the raised branch as I looked down to the larger tent.

"She's in there Kakashi…Yumi is being held in the large tent in the middle of the grounds."

Kakashi looked at the tent with me and nodded.

"Okay... we have to start drawing these ninja out so we can get into that tent."

I nodded with a smirk, I crouched down holding myself up by the balls of my feet. I started to sign, Wind Release! Wind Gust Jutsu! A large gust of wind formed and I was targeting the tent closest to us. The gust of wind started to shake the tent, it almost took the tent completely out of the ground. Once the tent settled we saw 3 shinobi walk out looking around confused. I looked at Kakashi and nodded to see if he was ready, he had his kunai in hand.

I jumped down and got one of the shinobi from behind. I was fast and quiet so I was able to sneak up on him. I shoved my kunai in the small of his back and he fell to the ground. I went in and dug my kunai in his throat to silence him so he couldn't get the attention of the other shinobi. I looked over and saw that Kakashi got one too. He went from that shinobis dead body to the final one that was trying to run to the main tent.

I pulled my shuriken and threw 3 at once to the target. They flew through the air with incredible speed. Suddenly the last shinobi fell to the ground and grew quiet... good we were able to get them before alerting any of the others.

I stood up as I examined the distance from the tent we were by to the main one in the middle of the grounds. From where we were positioned we should be able to make it to the larger tent without having any of the other shinobi stations become alert. If there are any shinobi in that large tent who can sense chakra that wouldn't work. I was going to look at Kakashi to ask him what his thoughts were on our next steps then my eyes grew wide.

I looked to the side and Kakashi wasn't there. I started looking all around to see if I could spot him. I closed my eyes, I could feel his chakra close by but his chakra was trying to be masked. I opened my eyes and jumped to the tree above. I began to make a circle to the other side of the camp ground. When I stopped I was facing the entrance to the larger tent. I was trying to see if I could see anyone, but there was no one around.

Suddenly…a tall slim shinobi landed on the ground out of nowhere in front of the large tent. From what I could see, he had white bandages wrapped around his eyes. He was harnessing a large staff on his back, he was dressed in white and grey so he really stood out. There were 4 shinobi that landed on the ground next to him holding Kakashi! From what I could see…Kakashi was unconscious and they were holding him by his arms. I tried to move closer to get a better view then a wave of anxiety hit. The ninja with the bandages looked back and it felt like he was staring at me. I cursed under my breath,

"Shit..they know I'm here and they have Kakashi…how did they even get him like that? I didn't hear or sense a thing!"

I jumped to the ground trying to run as fast as I could to behind one of the smaller tents without being caught. I peeked around the corner of one of the smaller tents and saw the 4 shinobi standing guard. The one with bandages began dragging Kakashi into the larger tent.

I shook my head as I took a deep breath trying to calm myself before going out there. I needed to be careful…the chakra I felt so strongly before is still here, but it's not coming from any of the 4 shinobi standing guard. It was coming from the one with the bandages which means I needed to draw these guys out so it only comes down to the two of us. I need to be quick though, I'm not sure what they have done to Yumi nor what they will do with Kakashi.

I began signing again as quietly as I could, Fire Release Fireball Jutsu! I inhaled deeply and as I exhaled a large fire ball came out burning one of the smaller tents that was just next to me. As the tent burst into flames the 4 shinobi got in a defensive stance and walked towards the tent to investigate. As they were distracted I signed again, Shadow Clone Jutsu! 4 clones then popped up next to me. I looked at them and nodded, they knew what they needed to do. Without hesitation all 4 of them sunk into the ground, I waited until they were all fully gone and then grabbed my shuriken. I sat there for a moment waiting for the time to strike, suddenly hands popped out of the ground near the shinobi's feet. The hands held all 4 shinobi still. While they were struggling to get, Free I threw 4 shuriken in their direction. Each shuriken met each one of the shinobi's forehead. They all dropped to the ground simultaneously and the hands let go disappearing into the ground again. The 4 clones popped back up next to me and I nodded as I released the jutsu.

I started running towards the larger tent with my kunai in hand. I rushed through the front flaps and stopped in my tracks as soon as I was inside. I saw, what I believe was Yumi tied to the main wood post in the middle of the tent. She was covered in blood and unconscious, I looked over to the left of her, then I had to drop to the floor and roll to the side. A shuriken was thrown and ended up going outside instead of hitting me. I looked around and I couldn't see where that shuriken came from, I then felt a large amount of chakra.

I could sense Kakashi and the bandaged ninja close by. I stood up and took a defensive stance as I started looking at every part of the tent. I saw the bandaged ninja dragging Kakashi out from the shadows behind where Yumi was tied up. The ninja dropped Kakashi next to Yumi and turned his attention towards me.

"Ah…the blood dragon has finally arrived. You know I've been waiting a very long time to meet you face to face."

I snarled and held my kunai higher, it was now pointing straight at the ninja's face.

"What are you talking about? How do you know who I am? Who are you?"

He laughed a bit and crossed his arms as he continued facing me. It looked like he was looking straight into my eyes, but I couldn't see his.

"Yes…of course… where are my manners? I am Kazenosasayaki of the village hidden in the cloud."

A cloud ninja? From the land of lighting? What is he doing all the way across Niji? Why was he here and why was he the one to kidnap Yumi?

"If you are from the cloud village why are you all the way over here in the village of rock? I can't assume it's just for the girl…there has to be something else you are here for."

He snickered putting his hand up grabbing the end of his staff pulling it out and laying it next to his side.

"Clever, clever aren't we? Of course there is more that I am seeking! The girl was just a distraction and bait... nothing more."

I held my hand up and held the beginning of the sign for my fire release as I eyed him carefully.

"A distraction? Bait? For what! From the looks of it I just see a young girl that was beaten and tortured by your group…"

He nodded as he held his staff up pointing towards the opening of the tent. His smile turned into a deadpan expression.

" Yes my group…well it seems you took care of them pretty easily…it doesn't surprise me though…and as for the girl? Well we pick off the nobles of the village one by one…it will lure the Tsuchikage out. It will make him vulnerable and then…well I'm sure you know what happens from there. You and your comrade are just a small setback, I'll take care of you both quickly don't worry."

With his last word he disappeared with a blink of an eye! This guy was fast…too fast…I needed to be careful and use my chakra sense to determine where he is. I closed my eyes taking a deep breath before…I jumped to the side and saw the staff swing down only inches of where I was. I looked over and he was there holding the staff down with his head facing towards me.

"Well well…you have a good sense of chakra…you may be a more worthy opponent than I thought."

He jumped again trying to cut me off with his staff. It ended up hitting one of my legs before I could fully lunge out of the way. I rolled to the side and got close enough to Kakashi to where I could cut the rope holding his hands behind his back. I looked down quickly and he was still out,

"Damn of course he would have used a Genjutsu!"

I began signing as I placed my two fingers to Kakashi's forehead. He woke up with a gasp as I broke the genjutsu. I felt a shock shoot up my leg as I cried out in pain. I looked over and saw the ninja with lightning covering his right hand. He aimed it at me again, before it could hit my chest Kakashi grabbed me and got me out of the way.

"Kakashi! You're finally awake! About time!"

Kakashi laughed quickly as he placed me down looking back up at the bandaged ninja.

"You know I'm never on time."

I rolled my eyes as the ninja was about to strike again. We were then able to get outside to the front of the tent. I grabbed Kakashi's arm pulling him up to a high branch that was covered decently so we could have a moment to figure out what to do.

"Kakashi…while you were out this ninja said he was from the cloud village…he is targeting the Tsuchikage, we have to stop him!"

Kakashi nodded as he looked down to see the bandaged ninja walking outside of the tent. I saw him move his head around his surroundings trying to sense where we were.

"He must use his senses as well to find chakra to lead him to his opponents…which means hiding and sneak attacks will not be an option."

Kakashi nodded and for a moment was silent as he lifted his headband to expose his left eye. The eye was still closed but I knew this meant he was going to use his sharingan.

"I have an idea…we have to attack from a distance…. what I want you to do is cast your water release to get him in the water. Once that is done I will use my Chidori and place it in the water. This will electrocute him, hopefully paralyzing him long enough to where we can get close and restrain him."

This could work, so I nodded turning towards the ninja again. I held my hands up and signed for my water release Water Severing Wave!

I expelled a high pressure stream of water towards the bandaged ninja. It was quick so it hit him, causing him to fall back. As the stream was continuing Kakashi used his Chidori. He placed the lighting ball in his hand up to the stream of water. You could see the electric waves flow down the stream to where the ninja was pinned down. Once we saw the electric waves hit the puddle of water the ninja was lying in we both jumped down next to him. He didn't get up so I bent down and reached my arm out to start signing my water prison jutsu.

Before I could finish, the bandaged ninja turned into mud as I hopped to my feat.

"No...it's a substitution jutsu! Kakashi watch out!"

Kakashi turned around and caught the ninja coming in from behind. He was forcing his kunai into the ninjas chest before he could reach him. I quickly signed my fire release phoenix flower, large fireballs were then dispersed from my mouth all heading towards the ninja. Kakashi jumped to the side before the fire hit him. The ninja took his staff and swung it in a circle in front of himself. Suddenly a circle of water appeared where his staff was circling. The fireballs went into this circle of water and all were consumed.

My eyes went wide as I looked over at Kakashi who also was in shock.

"How could he use that jutsu without signing it? How did he make it so fast to catch my fire balls? It's…incredible."

The ninja stood straight up and snickered at my comment.

"Of course it's incredible…you have no idea who you are dealing with. I'm called the whisper wind for a reason…"

He disappeared, and within a blink of an eye landed right on top of Kakashi. He pinned him down, before I could move a muscle the end of his staff turned into a blade and pierced Kakashi's shoulder. He forced it all the way through to the ground so it would keep Kakashi pinned. The ninja stood up as Kakashi began screaming in pain. I saw him struggle to get the staff out of his shoulder but it wasn't budging. It continued to cause him pain and I didn't understand why.

The ninja started laughing as I shot my eyes to him.

"What's so funny?"

He laughed for a moment, and stopped as he pointed over to Kakashi who was now unconscious again.

"That staff and blade in his shoulder are emitting electric shocks every 5 seconds that causes a wave of electricity throughout the body. I think he had too much, looks like he is unconscious again."

I saw him turn his head in Kakashi's direction as he began laughing again. I felt rage and burning in my chest that rose to my throat. I grew even more angry as my vision went red. I wasn't going to let this shinobi get away with what he did to Yumi or what he's done to Kakashi. I felt my skin start to burn, I could see the smoke rising from my nose and mouth. I dropped to all fours and felt my claws digging into the ground. My sight was set on this ninja and I wasn't going to let him go, not until he was no longer breathing.

I jumped and landed on top of the ninja, and when he was pinned under me everything went black.

All I could see now was blackness. Until I saw the red light in the distance come closer. The light turned into the form of a dragon with large flames for his eyes, it was Oni.

"Ah…you provide me blood and I provide you my power…this ninja's blood will do nicely."

The spirit chuckled and it boomed all around with an echo.

"What do you mean I provide you blood you provide me your power? What is going on? Why are you here when you have already taken over me?"

The dragon lowered his head so he could be level with me.

"Isamu…this is how it works…this so called 'partnership' it's a give and take kind of deal. I take blood from your victims and I lend you my power for a short amount of time. It's really quiet simple..."

I shook my head in anger and crossed my arms trying to eye down this spirit.

"How is this being helpful? You're lending me your power but I'm not conscious when you do. I end up doing more damage then I should! How is this going to work? I won't allow you to take me over anymore unless I can be fully aware and in control of my body!"

It was now my voice that echoed around the dragon. It held anger but also power. The echo made the dragon lessen in size as he continued looking into my eyes.

"I can grant you my power and you be fully in control…I will only allow this if you are willing to spill blood in the act. The only reason I have been taking you over fully is because I know you Isamu…you would have never spilled anyone's blood for me if I wasn't the one doing it. This is how I survive and this is how you survive…Isamu if I die I take you along with me."

The dragon growled and swayed his tail flapping his wings but never leaving the ground.

"I will not allow some puny human determine if I live or die!"

I saw the flames in his eye sockets grow larger, turning a bright red. He was angered, but I couldn't allow this to continue. I needed to do something so I could be back in control. I thought for a moment and looked back up at the dragon.

"I have…a proposition for you Oni"

He tilted his head as he came in closer. He huffed and I could feel his breath forcing me off balance.

"What is this proposition you have?"

I held out my hand in front of the dragon. I went to grab my kunai and surprisingly it was harnessed to my thigh. I took the Kunai and slashed my hand so blood started dripping to the blackness beneath. Suddenly as the blood was falling the darkness around us began to lighten. It started to turn into a reddish orange color. Oni shot his head up and laid his body in front of me.

" I propose the spilling of my blood before you grant me your power…I promise to provide any blood I can after…this is to show that I can be in control and still give you what you want."

I kept my hand out so the blood continue to fall. The dragon put his snout up to my hand that was slashed open. I saw his long black tongue wrap itself around my hand, suddenly the slash was gone and I was no longer bleeding.

I looked up at Oni in confusion

"Okay human I will take this proposal…but if you are unable to provide me what I want at any time I will take away your control and I will do it myself."

I nodded in agreement and suddenly Oni was gone. I then saw the bandaged ninja underneath me. I felt my claws digging into his arms. I felt his body shaking against mine. I heard sizzling as I looked even further down his body. He was beginning to burn in the places that were touching me. I looked back at him as the rage continued and I was fully aware of what was happening.

"You…you will pay for what you have done…I will not allow you to live"

I opened my mouth and large flames came out scorching the bandaged ninja's face and torso. After a moment my flame diminished, all that was left was a dark burned skull and the top half of his body reduced to bone. I slowly backed up and got to my feet. I looked over and I saw that Kakashi was awake now.

I made my way over to him, I grabbed the staff that was pierced in his shoulder and pulled it out. I threw the staff towards the scorched corpse as I bent down. I held my hand out to Kakashi to try and help him up. He grabbed my hand as I pulled him to his feet. I let go of his hand quick enough to where he wouldn't get burned. I could tell I was still in my dragon form because of the red vision. Kakashi looked at me for a moment like he was expecting me to do something. When I didn't move Kakashi held his shoulder and winced. I quickly held my hand out placing it over his wound. I began signing for my chakra to transfer to his shoulder to heal his wound. After a moment, a flash of green light appeared under my hand and his wound was completely gone.

I put my hand down as I continued to look at him. I didn't know what to say…I wanted him to say something to break this tension and silence.

"Isamu…is that you? Can you hear me?"

I nodded, as I tried to speak, nothing came out. I then closed my mouth nodding again to tell him it was me.

"You…you are controlling the spirit?"

I shrugged my shoulders as I closed my eyes asking Oni to release me. I was finished…I gave him his blood and I saved Kakashi which means we were done here.

Oni released me and I began returning to my human form. I felt a wave of a burning sensation through out my whole body. I held my head as I shut my eyes tight after I heard Oni screeching in my head. When it went silent I opened my eyes and everything was back to normal.

I realized that Yumi was still in the tent tied up. Without saying another word I ran into the tent. Yumi was slowly lifting her head to see who was coming. Her eyes widened a little when she saw me and Kakashi. I ran up to her and dropped to my knees taking my kunai to cut the rope around her wrist.

"Yumi…that's your name correct?"

She nodded as a small whisper came out of her mouth,

"Y-Yes…how do you know my name?"

As I cut the last rope she fell forward, I held her up resting her back against the post. I looked her up and down to see if there were any major damage or wounds. Thankfully there were none, but it looked like they banged her up pretty good.

"My name is Iasmu…and that is Kakashi...we were sent by your mother and father to rescue you…"

she smiled and tears started to fall down her face.

"M-mom…D-dad…I want to…go…home."

With that she passed out again, most likely from exhaustion. We left and made our way quickly back to the Lord and Lady Tochi's home. When we started walking through the front yard I could hear Lady Tochi yelling for her husband to come quick. I saw Lord Tochi run out of the front door up to me. He took Yumi from my hands and Lady Tochi came up and squeezed her. Yumi started to wake, when she noticed she was being held by her parents she started crying and held them tight.

"You will want to make sure she is seen for medical care as soon as possible."

Lord Tochi looked up at me nodding as he stood up and got to eye level.

"Isamu…Kakashi…thank you for bringing our daughter home safely…we were starting to think the worst and you were able to bring hope back…thank you."

I nodded and waved as we turned towards the Tsuchikage's building. We went to see the Tuchikage to ensure he knew our mission was complete. I advised him of the cloud ninja and to have his guards on alert for more. There could also be an attack forming against him.

He sent the parcel bird away to send the message to Lord Hokage that we had completed our mission and were heading back. The Tuchikage then turned to his guard shinobi. He ordered them to gather more troops and have more guards walking the village. Kakashi and I started heading back to the leaf village to share more information on the report with Lord Hokage.