Chapter 3

Ashidon stood before his new team. Five shinobi stood before him, and he took a moment to examine them. He couldn't notice anything remarkable about them, nor did he recognize them. As he eyed them, so too did they eye him.

"Alright, now that everyone is here, we can begin. You all know what the mission is, so I don't need to go into it again. You all have a scroll to signal the other should the situation demand it. You'll be splitting into two teams of three, I'll act as command. Are there any questions?" Kyusai finished, no one spoke up.

"Good, now move out!" Kyusai ordered and they dispersed.

They all vanished and moved with great speed deeper into the land of grass, where the fighting between Konoha and Iwa took place. Without any words spoken, two teams were formed. Ashidon was in the team on the left while Kursai was in the center and the other team on the right.

The further they got from the camp the slower they moved. Each inch forward was fraught with danger as the enemy could have laid traps or could be hiding in ambush for them. Each team had a sensor in their group, Ashidon was the sensor for his team. The other two were more experienced ninja and should the situation call for it, they will take command. Being promoted to jonin didn't suddenly make him a leader.

As they moved, Ashidon cast his senses out. When he told Kyusai that he was a sensor he wasn't lying. But his abilities differed from that of a typical sensor. And this difference was tied to his wish. While typical sensors were able to sense the chakra of others from varying degrees, Ashidon had the ability to sense the very soul.

He has the ability to sense the souls of living beings in a certain radius, this ability is a passive one as well so it would be very difficult to sneak up on him. In his mind's eye, Ashidon could perceive the world in shades of gray. Everything seemed dull in his eyes, but this wasn't simply him just looking at the world in this new light. The world was being superimposed by a place he referred to as the soul realm.

To Ashidon, the soul realm is the dimension where souls reside. Or more specifically, Ashidon's link to it. The true home of souls is in a different space, but through the soul realm, created by Ashidon's power, he is able to access it.

As they traveled, Ashidon spotted countless bluish colored shapes. These shapes were the outlines of the body the bluish soul was inhabiting. Occasionally, he would spot a blueish wisp that had no shape, no outline housing it. These were souls that had no body, they were the dead. And as Ashidon passed, he would suck the soul into his being then direct the power into his two black ghosts. They soundlessly flew on either side of him, ever vigilant.

As they traveled, Ashidon collecting any soul that he came across, he noticed three-man shaped souls not too far ahead. A quick scan told him that they were most likely the enemy, though he couldn't be certain. This sight of his doesn't provide detail but judging by their positioning, he was fairly certain what they were. He made his suspicions known to his two comrades.

"Three you say. Are they aware of us?" one of the jonin asked.

"They are not, I could remove them without alerting them of our presence." Ashidon replied.

The jonin eyed Ashidon for a moment before nodding his consent. Turning back to his targets Ashidon raised his hand, though the action was not entirely necessary. From his body, a cloud of IBM emerged. The cloud split into three and took the shape of his crows. When they took form Ashidon wordlessly gave them their orders.

The crows, having received their orders, shot forward on swift feet. They shot through the trees, closing the distance between them and their target. Ashidon watched them as they went, he did not notice however his eyes glowing a faint green, but the two jonin beside him did and they locked eyes with each other for a moment.

The enemy nin were perched in a tree, vigilant to any approaching enemy. They had been here for some time, so their guards were slightly lowered. They were in each other's line of sight, so they felt secure. Unfortunately for them, normal sight is useless against the threat rushing towards them.

The crows separated, each taking a target of their own. Once they were in position they descended upon the unsuspecting ninja. They dove from above and drove their claws into the hearts of their victims. After piercing their chests and clutching their hearts in their hands they swiftly decapitated them with the other. Three heads simultaneously fell to the forest floor. Their mission complete, the three crows began to dissolve, and with their departure, the bodies of the enemy nin fell as well. Ashidon watched all this with fascination, and once the job was done, he turned to the two jonin behind him.

"It's done, we can move forward." He said and the two jonin looked quizzically at him.

"Are you sure?" one asked.

"We can confirm their deaths if you'd like." Ashidon replied.

"I think," the jonin began but was cut off by the other.

"That won't be necessary. Let's just move on."

They continued onward for some time before Ashidon spotted another group. With his early warning they were able to eliminate the enemy swiftly thus allowing them to move quickly. It wasn't until later on that they received word from Kyusai to group up. They all stood in a clearing waiting for Kyusai to begin.

"We've spotted a camp not too far ahead. We are unsure of their numbers, so the question is how should we handle this?" Kyusai asked the group.

"Captain, I think I might be able to distinguish their numbers." Ashidon spoke up.

"Is that so? Well, that would be a great help. Why don't we get a read on their numbers, if we outnumber them then we attack. If they outnumber us, we will mark the location and continue onward." Kyusai finished.

"Captain, I don't think it's a good idea to leave an enemy behind us." Ashidon voiced his concerns.

"We are meant to scout, not engage a superior force. You have your orders, we move out." Kyusai certly replied before giving the command to move out. Ashidon didn't like the idea of moving on with the enemy at his back and possibly more in the front. But he followed his orders nonetheless.