Welcome to Gaia! ::

Chiyoko woke up in a hospital bed unaware of how much time had passed. Her body was covered in fresh white bandages, and she quickly realized that notwen was no longer there. She let out a heavy sigh as she felt that once again she had failed a friend. It seemed she was always doing that. She was always needing to be rescued. She pondered on the Idea for some time before coming to the conclusion that it might be better for her to go out on her own for a while and become a little bit more self sufficient. As she took the bandages off of her body she slipped back into her clothes which someone had kindly repaired. For a moment she suspected that it might have been Notwen but she realized that he had probably left her here to continue on to where ever he was going.

With another sigh Chiyoko got up to walk out of the room. A wave of sadness suddenly began to well up in Chiyoko and she felt a lump in her throat. She didn't know if she would ever see her childhood friend again. With a hollow feeling in her heart, and the overwhelming sense of loss, and failure looming over her Chiyoko stepped out of the hospital room. She knew she couldn't go back to the desert without the map which was in Notwens possession. Her supplies were almost depleted and she didn't have enough coin to buy anymore. She cursed herself for leaving her money pouch at home.

With no place to go, and no way to pay for food Chiyoko was in a bit of a tough spot. She sighed heavily feeling the weight of her situation growing larger on her shoulders. She couldn't believe what she had gotten herself into. Some ninja I am, I can't even travel home from a foriegn land The albino girl thought as she headed down the hospital stairwell to the first floor. When she arrived she was surprised to find that there wasn't a single soul left in the reception room. She forced the front doors open and walked out into the cool night air. She stood there for a moment just trying to figure out what she should do next. Not long after she had left the hospital Chiyoko had a disturbing revelation. She was going to have to steal if she was going to have any chance of getting home, or even surviving in this land she knew nothing about.

Kaala continued flying until the mountain ranges that housed the Hidden Rock village were lost from sight. In that time Notwen had released his guardian clones and sunk into a tired slumber on the armored bird's back. While the three-eyed Uchiha was unconscious, Kaala descended to the shores of a mountain lake and put his burden down. Then chainging into humanoid form, proceeded to look through Notwen's pack to see if he could find any medical equipment he could use to mend the dark-skinned blonde's injuries. The humanoid bird found the Mesquite leaves and the first aid kit next to each other, and proceeded to brew the healing tea. First, Kaala removed as much glass as possible from the three-eyed Uchiha's arms and face, then went on to clean Notwen's wounds by pouring the slightly cooled tea on them. Notwen grimaced in his sleep but otherwise did not wake up.
He really needs to learn when to rest... thought Kaala, annoyed that he had to do this kind of work. But he's lucky that he escaped that encounter with his life. I wonder why the Haretsu Kinchou user didn't follow us that time. He could have finished us off right then and there if he wanted to... After rinsing the countless cuts, Kaala bound Notwen's arms in bandages and put band-aids on his cheeks. It was another hour until the dark-skinned blonde regained consciousness, and when he did, he sat up and looked around. Kaala was sitting against a nearby boulder.
"Where are we?" Notwen asked once he had established the mental connection with his summon.
"Somewhere between the lands of Earth and Wind, north of the Hidden Stone." answered the humanoid bird. The three-eyed Uchiha winced as the weight he put on his arms forced some of the cuts to open up beneath the bandages. He rested his arms on his lap and looked around. The area was no longer mountainous. There were several mounds of rock, with large boulders like the one Kaala was sitting against dotting the landscape. "How are your arms?" asked the humanoid bird. Notwen smiled as he turned his freshly bandaged arms slowly.
"They're fine, just can't use them as much as i want to until they heal some more." He paused and sighed, thoughts still reeling from what had happened the night before. The dark-skinned boy bowed his head. "Thanks, Kaala. I would be in a pretty tight spot had it not been for you saving me back there." Kaala dismissed the comment with a wave of his hand.
"You know there's no need to thank me, Notwen." he said, getting up and crossing his arms. A warm wind blew in from the south, containing a few sand particles, and tousled their hair. "I need to go back Redwing Valley, or i'll end up sucking up all of your chakra. Before i go, let me tell you that you need to get strong enough to look after yourself. That Haretsu Kinchou user let us go on a whim, otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation now." With that said, the humanoid bird took a few steps away from Notwen and was consumed in a tongue of golden flames before he vanished to the land of the firebirds.

The light made it's way towards Notwen, who squinted to see if he could make out what it was. Extending his awareness dome to identify the source of the light, the dark-skinned blonde was surprised to feel a presence that was so familiar, yet so old. The presence was almost identical to his own, but also had a surreal aura about it similar to that of a spirit's.
Why am i getting such a nostalgic vibe from that light? wondered Notwen as the light drew continuously closer. A few moments later the light was close enough to be seen clearly through the black fog. It was a person. A closer look revealed that the person was a bit taller than himself. The three-eyed Uchiha's eyes grew wide as the black fog revealed a young man who was strikingly similar in appearance to him, with a few exceptions. His hair was black, his skin was the same shade as Notwen's, he wore a high-collared sleeveless zip-up shirt, and loose combat pants, which were tucked into his ankle-high ninja sandals. The boy's left forearm was bandaged, tied off at the elbow. Folding his arms, he stared at Notwen with a disappointed expression.
"It seems like you don't understand the power i have given you." said the boy. The dark-skinned blonde now knew who it was, but he could not believe his eyes.
"Novvus... Is that really you?" he asked. Novvus, who was still giving off the pale blue glow, ignored his brother's question and looked around.
"I thought this place would have been a lot brighter than this. Didn't your third eye open up again?" The blue-eyed boy shook his head. "I cannot see any aura coming from your body, which means your spirit isn't kindled. It seems like i'll have to teach you how to use the colors of your heart." Using swift fluid movements that Notwen missed, Novvus appeared at his side. He was leaning in preparation for a punch that had yet to be delivered. The dark-skinned blonde was still staring wide-eyed at the place where his brother had been standing seconds ago. "If you lose to me here, you have no right to be the Urajjo's incarnation. Swift-" Novvus' arm rammed into the three-eyed Uchiha's gut at a speed that made it appear like a jackhammer. "Arm-" A phantom arm seemed to cut through Notwen's body, grow a few feet and retract. "Destroyer!" cried Novvus as he delivered a final punch that sent Notwen flying back a few feet. The dark-skinned blonde landed on his back, but quickly flipped over to hug his injured midsection. Novvus caressed the shoulder of his right arm, which he had used to deliver the barrage of punches.
Notwen's breath was knocked out of him. He coughed several times, but each convulsion caused pain to lance through his entire body.
He's fast, and hits hard too... he thought, getting slowly to his feet. I need to fight him seriously, but i don't understand what his motives are. Weaving seals as fast as possible, the dark-skinned blonde conjured his fire clones. A surprised expression appeared on Novvus' face.
"Tell me, Notwen, why are you fighting me?" he asked. Notwen smiled.
"So i can figure out what it is you're telling me. I don't understand what you mean by 'the colors of my heart'." The blue-eyed boy sighed.
"At least you're still straight-forward with your methods." Settling into a low stance that concealed any openings, Novvus faced his brother. "Come!" he declared, and Notwen did.
Four of the clones activated their Navel Chakras and charged at the blue-eyed boy, who did nothing but take a deep breath and hold it in. When the first clone was within fifteen feet of him, Novvus exhaled a white icy mist that caused the ground in front of him to freeze over. The attack was so unexpected that the clone could do nothing but slide into a powerfully executed straight punch. The remaining three clones had the time to jump over it and continue through the air using their jet propulsion. Taking another deep breath, Novvus waited for what would come next. The three clones rushed at him from three different angles, but before the got within five feet of their target the air suddenly vanished and they became trapped in a vacuum. The clones could have flown through the vacuum, but Novvus had erected a wall of ice a split second before they could pass through. Notwen and the remaining clones turned away, not wanting to see the effects of the technique on his body.
"If you think attacking me in such a mediocre manner is going to do anything against me, think again." said Novvus as the wall of ice he created began to break away into diamond-shaped chunks. The shards of ice began moving all around the three-eyed Uchiha and his clones, which were revealed to have reflective surfaces.
Mirrors of ice?! thought Notwen as he and the clones formed an outward-facing circle. How did he get this power? Notwen and the clones fired off fire streams propelled in an arch from roundhouse kicks. The flames glanced off harmlessly from the ice mirrors. Novvus dashed into the path of one of the mirrors, and to the dark-skinned blonde's surprise, was swallowed by the shard of ice. The blue-eyed boy's image was now on every single mirror.

Notwen stared at his brother, wondering what it was that he meant by 'colors of the heart'. Something that Novvus had said clicked inside the three-eyed Uchiha's memory.
The Urajjo chakra... Where is it that i heard that before? he wondered. Then it hit him, and Notwen recalled the day that he and Novvus were separated. That was the day when grandpa Pathik was searching our seven chakras for the eighth chakra, the Urajjo chakra. The dark-skinned blonde slightly recalled the fact that both he and his twin had it, and that there was a chakra string that bound their eighth chakras together, creating a unique bond between the boys. Notwen closed his eyes. The colors of my heart must have to be intertwined in some way to the eighth chakra. he thought. Looking deep within himself, the three-eyed Uchiha began the process of identifying his body's energy centers.

The Root chakra, was located at the perineum and was tinged a deep red. A bit higher was the Sacral chakra, located in the sacrum and tinged orange. The third up was the Navel chakra, located at the umbilicus, tinged yellow. Higher yet was the Heart chakra, located inside its namesake, tinged a light green. Next was the Throat chakra, which was in the throat, tinged blue. Next in line was the Third Eye chakra....Notwen gasped. He had continuously overlooked that chakra for a very long time. It dealt with insight, and the ability to see the 'bigger picture'. So many things had happened recently that he didn't think to correlate his third eye to the chakra. A lot more things made sense now, like the fact that his third eye's iris was purple, the same color of the same-named chakra. I've been so negligent of my nature, i failed to understand what Novvus meant... thought Notwen, ashamed that it took someone that hasn't been in his life for over a decade to tell him what's wrong. Clearing his mind, the dark-skinned blonde formed the seal that would allow him to activate his Third Eye chakra. Placing his hands in front of his chest he bent his fingers so that each one except the middle fingers, which touched at the tips and were pointing away from him, touched at the upper two phalanges. That being done, he began to chant the 'om' sound. A few seconds passed by before Notwen felt chakra surging into his third eye, which unknown to him, was going through a transformation. The iris shifted from it's usual purple color to a hazy blue, and six red tomoe appeared around the pupil. His regular eyes underwent a similar transformation, but only had three red tomoe. With this transformation also came new insight. The three-eyed Uchiha combined his new ocular powers with his crown chakra to examine the natures of his chakra. He knew they were fire, water, and earth, but now he could view them as colors as well. Fire was red, water was blue, and earth was brown. Are these, the 'colors of my heart'? he wondered.
Without warning a lance forged of ice was launched at Notwen, who didn't have time to react. Before it hit, the dark-skinned blonde's key pendant emerged from it's place behind the mesh shirt and got between him and the ice weapon. A shroud of boiling mist enveloped the key before the lance struck it and pushed it into Notwen's chest. The boiling mist caused the lance to evaporate, but the force of the impact sent the three-eyed Uchiha flying backwards several feet. He cried out in pain as the superheated key burned through the mesh shirt and made contact with his skin.
"Congratulations, brother, you have succeeded in finding the colors of your heart, and have found the key to your power." said Novvus as he walked towards Notwen. His skin had returned to it's brown shade, and his hair to it's normal length and color. The dark-skinned blonde laid on his back gasping and coughing from the impact of his landing. Novvus knelt on one knee and placed a hand on his brother head. "I will impart some of my knowledge and experience into you. Hopefully what i know will be useful for you in the long run. Remember, i am always with you..." With that said, the blue-eyed boy began to glow in a golden aura that, little by little, became so radiant that it was impossible to see him. Now in the form of a body of golden light, he began to flow into Notwen's body. When the transfer was complete, the three-eyed Uchiha lived through Novvus' life on fast forward from the point that they were separated to the point that he lost his life. A tear coursed down from his left eye. Even though he would never be able to see his twin physically, Notwen was relieved to know that Novvus was now much closer than ever. A smile spread across his face as the world around him faded to white.
"Brother, thank you for opening my eyes. You will live on through me, i promise you." he said, and from there he regained consciousness.

Chiyoko looked around the house as she waited for the old man to finish making the tea. The walls and roof were cracked and water stained, and the furniture was old and worn. The only thing that seemed to be in good condition was a shelf full of various scrolls and books. The man must have been an avid reader, or perhaps a collector of information. With a sigh of acceptance Chiyoko sat down on an old musty couch. The fabric had begun to disintegrate and there were large patches of exposed foam. The couch wobbled as she sat down, but settled into place soon after. Chiyoko didn't know that there were people out there that had to live like this. She felt sorry for the old man and didn't understand how he could still find ways to be happy living alone in this kind of environment.

As the old man brought the tea out and set it on the weathered old coffee table there was a knock at the door. The old man sighed and told Chiyoko to wait where she was. She did as she was told and waited on the couch while the old man went and answered the door. Several moments passed and she heard some things she didn't like from who ever had knocked on the door. The albino girl got up and walked to the door. The old man looked horrified and shouted at the man at the door. "She has no part in this! I'll pay your protection money just leave her alone!" The old man said as he stepped between the group of thugs and Chiyoko. "Too bad old man rates just went up, and the boys wanna have a little fun tonight!" One of the thugs said as he threw the old man aside.

Chiyoko looked the man dead in the eye and said something with a seriousness and a rage she had never been capable of until now. "You will apologize and leave now, or I will send you back in pieces." She said shaking with anger. "Oh lookie here boys! We got a fiesty one!" Another one of the thugs said as the rest of the group laughed. "Wrong answer!" Chiyoko said angrily as she teleported outside into the streets. "Now I'll give you one more chance, Leave while you still can." She said as she tried to reign in her anger. The men looked surprised for a moment and then continued to laugh. "You don't get it do you? We rule this place you stupid freak. Take her out boys!" The leader of the group commanded.

Chiyoko sighed as the group of thugs ignored her warning. Whatever happened to them now was their own fault. They surrounded the young albino girl hoping to overwhelm her by attacking from all sides. The strategy would have been a good one if they were fighting a normal opponent. However Chiyoko was no normal opponent. As the thugs charged in to attack the young ninja she saw how clumsy and inefficient their movements were. The attackers seemed to be untrained, but she knew that could simply be a deception to lull her into a false sense of security. Chiyoko knew it was never safe to assume an enemy was weak. Blood rushed to the albino girl's red eyes through bulging veins turning them a pale milky white. With her Byakugan activated Chiyoko could see all of the opponents around her. She was wrong about the thugs being clumsy. There were several thugs that showed remarkable technique. It seemed as though they were trying to hide among the less skilled member's of their group. The albino girl came to the very likely conclusion that they were going to try and catch her off guard while she was busy with the rest of their group. However they didn't know that she possessed the byakugan. This would give Chiyoko a much needed edge in the one sided fight.

The thugs quickly closed on the young Hyuuga girl. They brandished swords, chains, daggers, clubs and various other weapons, but it seemed as if some of them had no idea how to fight with them. Perhaps it was because until now merely holding them had been enough to intimidate others into submitting to their demands. If the thugs really didn't know how to use their weapons then they would be more of a danger to themselves than anyone else. Chiyoko's suspicions were confirmed when the first thug to attack nearly hit himself with his own chain. However the relief the young ninja felt was short lived.

The man was a natural born fighter. After just one swing he had figured out how to wield the chain effectively. He took the chain in both hands and with a wide swing of his arm he swept out the albino girl's legs. Chiyoko was astonished by how quickly his skill with the weapon had increased. The albino Hyuuga's attention was quickly drawn back to the fight as the back of her head slammed into the ground. The man smirked as he redirected the momentum of the low sweep into a powerful downward smash. Chiyoko was slightly dazed from the impact of the fall, but realized what was happening just in time to roll out of the way of the heavy steel chain.

The albino girl kicked the side of the man's knee, and heard a sickening crack as the bone gave way. The man's scream of agony echoed through the air as he fell to the ground. The young ninja took this opportunity to launch herself back to her feet with a backward hand spring. As she landed Chiyoko had to duck to avoid a sword racing toward her neck. As the blade passed over her head the albino girl struck at it's wielders extended elbow. She could feel the joint twist out of place as the man's elbow dislocated. He dropped his blade and screamed in agony. There were now two men down, but the thugs continued to rush the young albino girl.

The next person to attack was also clumsy in his movements. He tried to bring down a primitive wooden club on Chiyoko's head, but she stepped into the mans attack with a strike of her own. The young Hyuuga girl set the large brutish man off balance with a open palm strike to his chin and then swept out his legs. The hulking mass of muscle was more agile than he looked however and quickly rolled back to his feet. However he was dazed from the blow to his chin. He wobbled in place as he tried to recover. Chiyoko saw another thug try to catch her off guard with her byakugan. His movements were the clumsiest she had seen so far, and his strike missed the young albino girl. He was quickly pushed out of the way by someone who looked like he could actually handle his weapon. The man was tall and thin, but his body was toned. He held a short blade with a groove down the center in his right hand. The hilt of his sword came to a point on either side of the straight double edged blade. With refined movements that indicated that the man had trained with the same blade for long periods of time he carefully advanced on the young albino. When he was within striking range he made a quick jab with the tip of his blade. Chiyoko narrowly avoided the attack with a quick side step and tried to hit one of the chakra points in the man's sword arm. The man was able to maneuver the sword well enough to push the kunoichi's arm away with the blunt side of his blade.

The tall toned swordsman backed off, and disappeared back into the mob of thugs. He was smart enough to know that the rest of the group would wear her down, and then he could step in to finish her off. The next person to attack the albino girl swung at her right side with a large stone hammer. The attack was slow and the movements were wasteful allowing the young Hyuuga to easily move into her opponent's stance and redirect the momentum of the attack. She pushed the hammer down and away from her body sending it crashing into the ground. The pale skinned girl followed up with a swift kick aimed at her attacker's torso. The ragged thug dropped his weapon and fell backward to avoid the powerful kick.

As the thug who dropped his weapon scrambled away Chiyoko was assaulted by another attacker to her left. This time it was a woman. Her clothes were torn in places, and they were covered in bloodstains and dust. She had fiery red hair and piercing green eyes that held a look that the albino girl had only seen a few times before. It was a look of pure hatred, and malice that screamed a longing to see the world burnt to ashes. The young Hyuuga girl knew that her opponent was extremely dangerous, and from the way she moved she seemed to be skilled with the large hooked blade she carried.

The woman swung the blade in a rising arc towards Chiyoko who leaned back just in time to avoid being cleaved in half by the over sized blade. The albino girl felt the rush of air around the sword against her skin as the blade passed over her head. A few strands of long white hair drifted down to the ground as Chiyoko's attacker growled angrily. "I'm going to cut you open and watch you bleed you ******** b***h!" The red haired woman screamed as she brought her blade around for another attack. The woman recovered faster than the Hyuuga girl expected, and the element of surprise allowed her to land a blow on Chiyoko's right arm. However the young kunoichi was able to pull out a kunai in time to block the gigantic sword. The albino girl wasn't able to stop the attack completely, and her own kunai was forced into her arm with enough force to rip through her pale white skin.

The young ninja grimaced in pain, but the damage was mostly superficial and she would still be able to fight. She gave her head a quick shake and cleared her mind. She would need complete and total focus if she was to survive this fight. The kunoichi observed her opponent carefully and waited for an opening. When she saw a gap in her opponents defense around their right shoulder she immediately seized the opportunity and with one stride closed the distance between herself and the red haired woman.

The thuggish woman changed her posture as soon as she saw Chiyoko advance. The gap in her defense had been a ruse to draw the young Hyuuga into a trap. With her byakugan the albino girl could see that the rest of the thugs seemed to be backing off out of either fear or respect for the red haired woman. She could also see that in changing her stance the green eyed woman had left her right leg exposed. Chiyoko knew that it might very well be another feint but she was already committed to her attack. Hoping she was reading her opponent's movement's correctly the young kunoichi dropped down into a crouching stance from the gentle fist style, and delivered a swift open palm strike to the inside of her opponent's right knee. The attack didn't have much force behind it, but the young albino had struck a vital pressure point as well as the red haired woman's chakra network. As Chiyoko shifted her weight in preparation to roll back out of her opponent's range she felt a powerful wind rush over her head. A wave of adrenaline surged through the young girl's body as her breath caught in her chest. She had seen through her opponent, and read her moves perfectly. If the young ninja had not ducked the over sized blade would have sliced clean through her neck.

Chiyoko rolled out of striking range just in time to see the green eyed woman's sword slice into the ground with a loud thud. The thuggish woman grunted in pain as she struggled to stay on her feet. The albino girl circled her opponent waiting for her to fall, but after a few moments the red haired woman had recovered enough to stand without any real difficulty. A wave of fear flooded Chiyoko's mind as she realized her attack failed to do any lasting damage to her opponent. With her calm broken the young ninja knew her focus would falter, and forced herself to clear her mind of all thoughts that could possibly distract her from the fight at hand. With her focus renewed she saw that her opponent could not pull her sword from it's lodgings. As Chiyoko began to advance on the brutish woman her opponent ripped her blade from the earth and charged the albino girl.

The malicious woman moved with incredible speed seemingly unaffected by her injured knee. As she closed in on the young Hyuuga she swung her blade in a powerful horizontal arc. The flat of the massive blade slammed into Chiyoko's side and send her sprawling to the ground. The albino kunoichi's ribs felt like they were on fire as she rolled on to her hand's and knees. Having had broken ribs before the masked Hyuuga knew that if that last attack had broken her ribcage the pain would be far more intense. Thanking the fates for what little good luck she had Chiyoko got back to her feet.

The ragged red haired woman had jumped into the air to perform a falling slash in hopes of finishing off the young ninja, but Chiyoko had other plans. She shifted her weight onto her left leg, and lowered herself to the ground. With a quick and powerful push off her right foot the albino launched herself into a left hand stand. As her left leg left the ground the young ninja flung it out away from her body. The momentum of throwing her leg out spun her around on her left hand, and as the spin reached one hundred and eighty degrees the masked kunoichi pushed off of the ground and threw herself backward on to her feet.

Chiyoko landed just as the savage green eyed woman's blade slammed into the ground where she had been mere moment's ago. With her opponent still recovering from her aerial assault the young kunoichi knew that she had to strike quickly, and without mercy. She charged toward the red haired woman as she tried to tear her blade out of the ground. Her opponent abandoned the over sized sword and spun around to face the young ninja unarmed, but it was too little too late. Chiyoko slammed her palm into the brutish woman's chest, and forced her chakra into her opponent's body. The woman screamed in pain, and as her internal organs ruptured from the distortion in her chakra network her screams became nothing more than gurgles. The woman fell to her knees as blood poured from her mouth. By the time her head hit the ground she was dead and the rest of the gang closed in on the young ninja once more.

Now that the rest of the thugs had rejoined the fight the young kunoichi would have to change her fighting style again. Not only was she out numbered now, but the young ninja was also injured. The pain in the Masked girl's ribs and the fresh warm blood flowing from the wound on her arm were distracting the albino girl. That was something she could not afford. While the masked ninja tried to block out the pain of her injuries one of the thugs struck out at her left knee with a steel crowbar. Chiyoko saw the man advancing and was able to shift in to a different stance just in time to avoid the attempted surprise attack. Normally the young ninja would have retaliated with a quick strike to a pressure point or vulnerable joint but she was still fighting the pain that continued to surge through her body.

The man raised his crowbar over his head with the momentum of the first strike, and followed up his initial attack with a powerful two handed downward swing of the crowbar. Chiyoko was ready for his attack this time and side stepped the man's wild downward swing. Continuing forward the albino girl placed her foot inside of the man's stance, and delivered a swift punch to his lower abdomen. With his balance broken by the albino Hyuuga's advance, and the wind knocked out of his lungs by her punch, the man dropped his crowbar. The man's arms windmilled as he stumbled backward trying to regain his balance. As he fell to the ground wheezing for air his diaphragm tried to expand back to it's regular shape. Chiyoko took advantage of the man's weakened state, and closed the distance between herself and her wheezing opponent. She attempted to deliver a final palm thrust to the man's chest, but he was able to roll out of the way of her attack.

Though he still could not breath properly the thug was able to get back to his feet. The young kunoichi was amazed by the man's determination but she could not forgive him for being part of such a horrible organization. She moved into to attempt another finishing blow but the man picked up his crowbar and struck out at the albino girl. The wild poorly executed swing was easy to avoid by ducking under the cold steel weapon. As the kunoichi rose back into her fighting stance she delivered a powerful rising palm strike to the man's chin. Chiyoko could feel the jaw bone shatter as the heel of her palm pushed the man's head back in a violent snap. The young girl's attacker was launched a few inches off his feet by the attack and his body was limp as it slammed into the ground.

The next man to approach the masked was shoved toward her by several other members of his group. He was tall, but scrawny, and there was almost no muscle or fat on his bones. His skeletal structure was long and wiry, and his body was covered with poorly drawn tattoos. The clothes he wore were slightly less ratty than most of the other thugs, and he wore black gloves on his hands. With her byakugan Chiyoko could see that there was a pouch filled with some kind of powder covering the knuckles, backs of the fingers, and back of the hand. The tattooed thug seemed hesitant to move in close to the Hyuuga girl. Making sure to keep his distance the wiry man circled the pale skinned kunoichi. Unable to figure out if he was looking for an opening to attack or if he was actually scared the young ninja decided to test the scrawny man's abilities. She purposely left a glaringly obvious hole in her defenses. The tattooed thug hesitated for a moment and then charged toward the masked ninja recklessly.

A slight smile crossed Chiyoko's face as her opponent charged in without any obvious plan of attack. He had seen the weak point, and taken the bait hook, line and sinker. As soon as he was within striking distance the pale skinned kunoichi closed the gap in her defense. The scrawny man swung wildly at the young albino girl, but her he was moving in slow motion. Outclassed by leaps and bounds the wiry thug had no chance of hitting the albino Hyuuga with such a poorly executed attack. With a simple shift of her weight and pivot of her body the young ninja side stepped the brutish, and woefully unskilled punch. Sidestepping the attack left the masked girl in a perfect position to perform a counter attack. As the scrawny tattooed man tried to recover from his powerful, yet uncontrolled, haymaker the young kunoichi struck the man in the center of his chest with an open palm slap. The slap stunned the man for a moment, and allowed Chiyoko to follow up with a quick and accurate elbow to his left temple.

The blow to the side of his head staggered the tattooed man for a moment, but he quickly recovered. The albino kunoichi cursed herself for under estimating her opponent's ability to take a hit. The wiry man turned back to the young ninja with a wild look in his eyes. Without warning he charged her and began swinging wildly.

The sudden change in his fighting style shocked the albino girl but after several swings she spotted a consistency in his wild attacks. He always threw all of his weight into attacks made with his left arm. That meant he had to pull his arm farther back, and attacks made with his left arm were much slower. Chiyoko ducked under the wiry man's right hook, and focused her chakra into her hands. With a swift kick to the front of the man's right knee the young ninja brought her opponent crashing to the ground. Even though she felt the scrawny man's knee shatter under her foot the albino kunoichi wanted to make sure the tattooed goon stayed down. She gritted her teeth and plunged a chakra blade into his spine severing his chakra network's main artery. If the wiry thug actually managed to survive the extensive damage caused by the masked ninja's last attack he would be a useless cripple for the rest of his life.

After seeing their friend completely destroyed by the young ninja two of the thugs advanced on Chiyoko. "This b***h is ours! She's gonna pay for what she did to Bones!" One of them shouted angrily. The apparent leader of the group nodded giving his permission and the rest of the thugs backed off. The two goons that had claimed the right to fight the albino kunoichi were both large muscular men, however the one in front of her was easily the larger of the two. The smaller of the two men wore a blue sleeveless vest and tattered black pants. His long, greasy, unkempt hair had a pale blue hue and looked as if he had never cut or combed it in his entire life. The light blue hue in the muscle bound thug clashed with his dark brown skin, causing the scars on his face to stand out.

The larger of the two men didn't wear a shirt, and his dark red pants were covered in dust. Chiyoko assumed that the man didn't wear a shirt because he wanted everyone to see the horrific scar that spanned most of his torso. The pale scar tissue was glaringly obvious against his pinkish skin. The long spiky dark brown hair that covered the man's head looked as if it were purposefully styled, unlike his smaller counter part. The young hyuuga didn't like where this fight was going, both of the men wore bladed weapons at their side. The larger of the two ripped his machete from it's leather case while the smaller man drew a katana out of the sheath hanging from his belt.

The men advanced on the masked ninja from either side. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as she prepared for the imminent wave of attacks the two hulking brutes would most certainly unleash in the next few moments. The two men waited for a few seconds before blinking at one another. They charged at the albino kunoichi in unison, their growling battle cry of hatred clearly audible for some distance. The two muscle bound brutes swung at the young girl with their weapons one after another. Chiyoko was only able to avoid their attacks because they were unrefined, and the two men telegraphed their strikes several seconds before they attacked allowing the pale skinned ninja to easily maneuver around the deadly blades.

Knowing that she would not be able to keep dodging these two brutes forever the young Hyuuga girl decided that she would use their own strength against them. She positioned herself between the two brutish men and ducked under the blade of the machete as the larger of the two thugs swung at her head. The man's fighting style was based around power, and required more time to recover after missing his target so Chiyoko chose him as her first target. He lunged toward the young ninja with a heavy over hand swing and she gracefully side stepped the attack. The smaller of the two men played right into the albino kunoichi's hands by quickly following up his partner's attack with a forward stepping diagonal slash of his katana.

The masked ninja ducked under the blade as it arced through the air. Stepping into the man's stance with speed and precision she grabbed the handle of the katana with one hand and gripped the back of the man's neck with the other. Chiyoko broke her opponent's stance throwing him off balance and quickly threw him into his larger counter part. The larger of the two muscle bound brutes was impaled on his counter parts blade and fell to his knees as blood poured from the wound. The smaller of the two mean tore the blade out of his companion and charged the masked kunoichi in a blind fury. His rage made him even more reckless, and Chiyoko simply stepped out of the way of his wild and uncontrolled attack. Now that the man was open the young ninja struck him in the heart with her chakra blade technique and watched him crumple to the ground.

Before the young girl could even turn around she had to dodge an attack from yet another member of the street gang she had been fighting for the past eight minutes. The albino kunoichi had to roll forward to avoid the baseball bat that crashed down onto the spot where she had been. She quickly spun around to deliver a good kick to the side of man's head but he ducked down and avoided her counter attack. Chiyoko was starting to get fed up with these insults to neanderthals and when the man swung the bat at her again she sliced it in half with her hand and jabbed him in the throat with her middle and index fingers. The man grasped his throat with a look a panic on his face and he struggled to breathe. The albino girl had crushed his wind pipe and he would be dead in a few minutes.

Once again the thugs backed away from the albino Hyuuga and a tall well toned man pushed his way through the ring of thugs. His dark brown skin stood out against his black and white cloak. A large scar covered his right eye and he wore an malicious smile on his face. His bald head shone in the sunlight as if it were polished to a mirror finish every day. He pulled a scroll out of his cloak and summoned a strange looking naginata. The blade was oddly shaped and there was a hand guard around the middle of the pole. The end that wasn't bladed was tipped with a vicious spike. The dark skinned man looked at the masked kunoichi and began to laugh. "Finally! I have someone to play with, this is going to be fun!" He chuckled as he licked his lips.

The way this man moved, and the way he spoke sent cold shivers down Chiyoko's spine. He was quite obviously insane, and he looked like he was more skilled than anyone of the thugs the young ninja had fought so far. He lunged at the albino kunoichi with his strange looking weapon. He moved with more speed than the hyuuga girl expected, and the blade of the naginata sliced through the fabric of her coat narrowly missing her skin. The young ninja jumped back in alarm. This foe was not to be taken lightly. If she wasn't careful she would most certainly die.

The cloaked man charged at Chiyoko again, and once more he nearly wounded her. This time the blade sliced through the fabric of her pant leg. The young kunoichi did sustain a minor laceration, but it was only a flesh wound. Avoiding this man's attacks was all Chiyoko could manage. She still had a few aces hidden up her sleeve but her body wasn't fully recovered from the last time she used the gates. The man began to laugh again as he charged at the young Hyuuga. She managed to avoid his attack completely this time, but if all the masked ninja could do was defend she was guaranteed to lose this fight. The man stopped for a moment and a smirk crossed his face as he looked at his opponent. "Is that all you have to offer? You can't expect me to have any fun like this!" He laughed as he jumped into the air.

Chiyoko jumped back out of the way of his falling strike but she was really starting to feel the strain of the battle. Normally the albino kunoichi would be wiping the floor with trash like this, but after fighting for so long she was starting to loose her edge. Maybe it was the blood loss from her wounds but she was starting to think she might not survive this fight. The man landed gracefully on the ground. He had been able to stop his attack moments before he was going to hit the ground. The cloaked man was indeed very skilled with his weapon of choice. Chiyoko decided that it was time to go on the offensive. She was going to have to use everything she had to take out these thugs.

The Hyuuga girl's eyes turned red again as she activated her spirit byakugan. Hearing the footsteps of the dark skinned man charging towards her again the albino kunoichi open a rift into the astral plane. She felt the nothingness of the astral plane embrace her, and then she entered the realm forbidden to living mortals. As the young girl traveled through the astral plane she searched for the place she could use to emerge behind her opponent. When she finally found it she felt the world come into being once more. Her sudden disappearance and reappearance had confused her opponent and given her the opportunity she needed to strike. Since she had reappeared behind the dark skinned man she was able to deliver a quick surprise attack. The young Hyuuga girl used her strongest attack. to make sure that this one, and perhaps only, hit would take down the psychopathic man she now faced. With a quick palm thrust to the center of the cloaked man's back Chiyoko created a rotating sphere of her own chakra inside of the his body. The sphere quickly expanded and liquefied the dark skinned man's internal organs and a few seconds later his torso exploded leaving only his head and legs behind.

*STILL not done yet. I have a total of 7 more people to take out >.<*

Chiyoko was exhausted but there were still 4 thugs left. Thunder could be heard in the distance as rain began to fall from the sky. The young albino girl took a deep breath and assumed her fighting stance as two more men closed in on her. The thugs were either stupid, or incredibly brave as they showed no signs of fearing the masked kunoichi. A gust of wind whipped through the street as they charged at the Hyuuga girl. Even in a state of total exhaustion Chiyoko could easily predict their unskilled attacks. The two men swung their maces in unison. One weapon came from the left while the other came from the right. It was a classic pincer maneuver and it forced the young ninja into a tight spot. Bending her legs she ducked under the swing from the right, but the weapon on the left landed a glancing blow to her shoulder. The impact of the heavy weapon hurt, but there was no serious damage done.

The spirit could no longer stay on the mortal plane of existence and faded away before he could reach the young Hyuuga girl. Chiyoko would be on her own for this last leg of the fight. Since she was already low to the ground the masked kunoichi decided on a leg sweep as her counter attack. The men were not experienced fighters and the sudden attack caught them off guard. Their legs flew out from underneath them as they fell to the ground. One of the men landed in an awkward position and dislocated his shoulder. He writhed in pain as he struggled back to his feet. His partner was unharmed by the fall and rolled to his feet. Undaunted by Chiyoko's successful counter attack the two closed in on her once again. The man with the dislocated shoulder was slower with his attacks. That gave the albino kunoichi the edge she needed to dodge their tag team attack. She ducked under the weapon on her left, and rolled out of the way of the follow up over head smash.

Sliding back into her battle stance Chiyoko waited for the men to charge again. The first man charged in and swung his mace in an over head strike. Waiting until the last possible second the masked kunoichi side stepped forward and away from the attack. She pivoted her body so that the mace traveled parallel to her shoulders. Now that the young girl had created an opening she quickly followed up with a precise strike to the center of the man's chakra network. The thug's muscles tightened for a moment and he let out a grunt as he stumbled backward. Chiyoko followed up with a swift kick to the side of the mans head. He immediately crumpled and fell to the ground unconscious.

The man with the dislocated shoulder charged the Hyuuga girl with all his strength. He attempted to slam his good shoulder into the young girl, but she simply placed her hand on his shoulder and vaulted over him. As the masked kunoichi passed over the injured man she attempted to deliver a quick strike to one of his chakra points, but he moved just enough to throw off her aim. Landing behind the man Chiyoko tried to knock him down with another leg sweep, but he was just out of her attack's range. The man came to a sliding stop and turned to face the albino Hyuuga. A fiery anger filled his eyes as he charged toward the young ninja again. As he ran he brought his mace back, and when he was in range he made a wild, but powerful swing with his weapon. Chiyoko slipped under the attack and stepped into the man's stance. A shock wave traveled through the albino kunoichi's body as her shoulder slammed into the man's stomach. Shifting her body weight onto one leg she rose up from her crouched stance and pivoted her shoulder away from the man's body creating lift. As the man rose off the ground the masked kunoichi grabbed his neck and placed her other hand on his lower abdomen. She spun on one foot and threw the man several feet using his own momentum and body mass against him. He landed on his neck and Chiyoko heard a sickening crunch as it snapped under the man's weight.

The last two thugs were the leader, and the man with the short sword from earlier in the fight. The albino kunoichi didn't enjoy the concept of fighting either of them, but she knew it had to be done. The tall dark skinned man from before stepped forward as Chiyoko's next challenger. His dripping clothes clung to his well toned body as he walked slowly over the bodies that littered the street. The wind picked up again and whipped his long black hair away from his body. The man stopped several feet out of attack range and walked slowly around the albino girl studying her condition. A smile crept over his sharp facial features as his eyes narrowed. The dark skinned man opened his mouth and took a deep breath in before addressing Chiyoko. "All things considered you are in much better shape than I thought you would be. However you are no longer a match for me. Don't worry...it will all be over soon." He said in a deep and foreboding voice.

The man let out a chuckle as he placed his hand on the hilt of his weapon, and suddenly advanced on the young Hyuuga girl. His movements were graceful and elegant as he ran toward his target in a zigzag pattern. The bodies that littered the ground did not slow the dark skinned man and he had quickly reached striking distance. With incredible speed he pulled his sword from it's sheath. The blade moved through the air so quickly Chiyoko nearly didn't see it. The albino kunoichi stepped back just in time to feel the tip of the man's sword brush against stomach.

The young girl knew that she would not be able to fight this man effectively surrounded by the bodies of her fallen foes, and quickly jumped back to a safer distance. When she landed she continued to slide back from the momentum of the jump. This created an opening for the dark skinned man, and he pounced on it like a jungle cat. He disappeared in a blur of motion, reappearing only for a brief moment when he changed directions. He positioned himself behind the masked kunoichi, but she was able to see him thanks to her byakugan. He tried to strike a vital organ with a quick jab of his blade, but Chiyoko was able to tumble out of the way of his attack. As she got to her feet the dark skinned man was already moving to execute his next attack. The young girl knew that she was going to have to fight with everything she had left if she was going to have any chance of surviving this fight. Thunder echoed through the streets as the albino Hyuuga tore open a portal to the astral realm, and crossed over to the other side.

The familiar sensation of nothingness washed over the young girl as she passed through the veil of darkness between realms. When the feeling passed Chiyoko found herself in a great dinning hall. The building was made of stone, wood, and metal. The architecture was very foreign to the albino kunoichi. The hall was filled with large men covered in furs and chain mail. They were all drinking what appeared to be some kind of alcohol, and eating meat. They were all seated at one huge table and at the head of that table sat an older man with only one eye, and white hair. He seemed to be the only one that noticed the young girl's presence, and nodded to her from his spot at the head of the table. The hall suddenly grew quiet as the old man got up from his chair, and raised his hand. The rest of the men stepped aside as the one eyed man made his way toward the albino kunoichi. He stroked his beard as he looked her over. "What business hath the likes of thee in Valhalla?" The man asked with an poorly masked undertone of disapproval.

Chiyoko was taken aback by the old man's tone. "I come from the land of mortals, and I am merely passing through these lands on my way back to a great battle." The one eyed man looked the young Hyuuga girl over again and seemed slightly perplexed. "A battle thou sayeth? Thou art no Valkyrie, and Thou art but a child. What would Thou know of battle?" The old man asked. His curiosity seemed to have been peaked by Chiyoko's statement. The young girl tried not to be offended by the one eyed man's attitude. She new that some places in the afterlife had very strange cultures. "I am from a clan of great warriors, and many have faced defeat at my hands." Chiyoko said proudly. She changed her posture to seem as large as she could. It was an aggressive move and the albino girl knew that it probably wouldn't intimidate the massive men. However they seemed to respect strength more than anything, and she couldn't afford to be thrown out of the hall. If she left the hall she might not be able to return to the old man's defense in time.

The old man let out a deep hearty chuckle, and a smile crossed his face. "Thou would stand up to the mighty Odin? If nothing else thou dost have the heart of a warrior. Should thee ever have need of assistance the mighty Thor shall render aid unto thee." The old man said as he clapped his hand on the young girl's shoulder. Chiyoko smiled and returned her posture back to normal. "Thank you Odin." She said as the other men gave a great cheer and raised their glasses in a toast to the newest member of their ranks. The masked kunoichi closed her eyes and blocked out the sounds of the great hall. Inhaling deeply she cleared her mind of and mastered her body causing the aches and pains that plagued her to slowly fade away. Feeling refreshed and ready for battle the young ninja nodded to Odin before stepping through a portal back to the physical plane.

As soon as Chiyoko reappeared in the street the dark skinned man appeared next to her and with graceful elegance tried to run her through. No longer suffering from exhaustion, the young girl was able to avoid the attack by shifting her body to the side and pushing the blade away from her body with a quick strike to the flat of the blade. The masked kunoichi had created a small opening in her opponent's defenses, and attempted to exploit it with a well executed jab to a pressure point in the dark skinned man's shoulder. However the man was too quick for her and stepped back shifting his shoulder out of the path of the attack. He saw a hole in Chiyoko's defense just below the arm she had used to attack him, and made a quick jab at the albino girl's ribs. With almost no time to react the young ninja shifted her body to the side, and watched as the blade passed through the space she had been occupying less than a moment ago.

The young Hyuuga girl tried to counter attack with a palm thrust to the man's neck but he disappeared before her strike could make contact. Reappearing behind her the dark skinned man attempted to cut the tendons in the back of the albino kunoichi's left leg. To avoid the quick and skillful cut Chiyoko fell forward, and let the blade sail over her leg. Immediately rolling away from the dark skinned man the masked ninja got to her feet. Before she could launch another attack the man appeared in front of her with his blade already in mid thrust. Pushing her body to it's limits the young girl narrowly sidestepped the attack. The albino kunoichi once again found herself with an opening to attack, and she did not hesitate to take it. Using the momentum of her side step to spin on one foot the young ninja delivered a powerful elbow to the back of her opponent's neck. Chiyoko heard the crunching sound of bone breaking as the man fell to the ground. His body was limp and his chakra system and stopped flowing. With a slight sigh of relief the masked Hyuuga turned to face her last opponent.