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Zephyr was sweating profusely, as pale eyes bore - rather angrily - into his back. Oh. That's right. He forgot to ask WHICH room Marcus was taken to. "Eh...calm down Yokou...ah ha ha...ha..." Nervous laughter, ignoring the killing intent. "Don't worry, besides, how many rooms could there be in a hospital!" Ho-humn. Turned out there were LOTS of rooms and LOTS of floors. The Senju king could feel his student's patience wane with each step... Sighing, he asked a passing nurse: "Hey, do you kn-...?" The nurse ignored and brushed past by him, rather in a hurry. Doctors followed her too and... Those uniforms. So. The ANBU was here? "'scuse...?" Zephyr tried talking to one who wore a fox mask, but was ignored again.

Finally, the head doctor passed. He took the time to stop. "There is a disturbance in the lobby - the nurses called and the hospital is now surrounded with the black ops. Nobody is allowed to enter or leave."

Zephyr blinked. "Huh? I thought the ANBU went along their way once Marcus was brought here..."

"No. New troubles...it's rather hard to explain..."

"How dare you attack Tsuchikage-sama!" Clamors from just around the hall.

Well...at least Zephyr managed to find the right floor.

However, his eyes widened, and, quickly apologizing hurriedly to the head medic, he rushed after his renegade student. Once the words 'attack' and 'Tsuchikage-sama' registered in Yokou's head...dammit, dammit... She's gonna be in a rampage...how would he look Marcus in the eye then? He barely saw her slip through the crowd outside a certain room - roughly shoving people aside...and if they didn't step aside, blowing them away with a burst of chakra. Zephyr himself began struggling his way through the crowd. Damn the density.

"Let me through...let me through... Dammit, let me through or that woman is going insane...dammit, stop pushing...ugh!" In frustration, Zephyr slammed his fist into the wall.

CRRAAACKK.

s**t.

Not good, not good, not good!

A flurry of handseals.

"Don't you-!" That was about all Yokou got across, when she finally managed to get inside the room...when the floor began shaking, as if an 8.0 earthquake had just decided to hit the hospital...or rather this floor...as its target. Her balance was one thing but...the ceiling...it's going to...

...

But it never did collapse. Besides the seals in the room that took effect (perhaps for the destructive idiot case like Zephyr), wooden beams with Fuuinjutsu lines were now also supporting it...and even down the hall of the whole floor. However, from where Zephyr's fist contacted...the wall that made up the hallway next to this room was gone. Obliterated. A giant gaping hole.

"Uh..." Marcus would certainly have a few words to say to him, when he wakes up (expression: =_=).

Unfortunately, this particular ANBU squad were only recently returned from a year long mission. One member, with a mongoose mask, glared at the "child". "Kid, are you involved with those hooded people down there?"

"Huh? Hooded people? That's a misunderstanding!"

Too late. The irate captain popped in restraints (though they probably weren't much use anyways) and tugged the "kid" away.

"Nuuuuuuu! Yuuko, 'elp!" (expression: crying )

The Henka, being a cat, had perfect balance but the wall didn't. Coupling the fact that it had just been dented in with this new shockwave of an attack, she had to pull Marcus in as the wall acted as if it'd give way. Thankfully, Marcus was able to gain a sense of balance and get out of the woman's grasp.

"Damn... the hell is that?!"

Marcus grinned, he knew where sudden yet short Earthquakes coud come from, he'd have to guy the 'earthquake' a jug of sake later. He looked to Morde and sighed, "Look love, I decided to come back and finish up some loose ends... the town needs me ya know?"

"HAY! This s**t hole? I'm all for family and s**t but your family, in case you forgot, ditched you cause they didn't like your style. I do, however, and that should say something. Sides, you belong to me, remember?" The woman reached into her pinstripe suit jacket and pulled forth a contract with Marcus' signature and a drop of his blood on it.

She sighed and looked to him, "Now Marcus... baby, we can't just having you goin on about 'loose ends' and all this. You got an obligation to me and the girls ya know. You just gonna leave us like that? After all we been through?"

Morde walked over to Marcus, a soft look in her eyes but soon she jacked him up again by the shirt, "Cause if you is, I'll be more than happy to beat some sense into ya..."

No matter how good Marcus was, in a straight up hand to hand combat match, he was none for Morde. She was the physical specialist of the group after all.

Regardless, a bad situation was about to turn worse. A flash of smoke appeared and vanished and soon. The mask of joy had appeared. Her arms were crossed and she looked off to the side. She looked a bit... well ok, you cant see her face but Marcus could tell from her eye's that she wasn't happy about something, "Well Marcus... nice place they brought you too... care to explain what's goin on here?"

Marcus swallowed a bit hard and looked over... he knew that his new title wouldn't fit well with his companions but... he sighed a little and looked off to the side, "Ummm well..."

And even worse yet, somehow or another, from the hallway that was now partially destoryed came two more women. One being followed by another drapped all in black with a mask of shyness on. The first one was wearing normal clothes and had a darker skin tone than most, she was still going on about customer service or something before she saw Marcus in the air, "Ooooh, hold him there, let me gut him!"

Out of no wehre, the one following the louder one reached a hand up and from it came chakra strings to attach to the loud woman. "S...Sin... stop. No hur...hur...hurting Marcus..." the smallerone spoke softly. This was Sin and Crystal...

All that was missing was the Uchiha but Marcus knew she was probably around, watching... waiting, that was more her style. In the end, Marcus knew one very important thing... he was ********...

"teheheheh...well if it issnt kitty king pin and her batch of dumb kittens nyao!" Harumi henka of the feline branch would appear behind the giant cat morde, she was of the same blood as her, and form the exact same ascendants of the original feline branch like her. Except things went horrible wrong for her and she we rouge, harumi knew much more about her than probably the rest of them seeing as she was actualy close to harumi. She just sat off behind the giant henka legs crossed leaning forward her hands on her knees smiling. She didnt mean to start a fight as she didnt even act like a threat it she was perhaps there as she was supposed to for the kage. Several guitar riffs would come down threw the hall way they were all congregating at, and walking down the hall from behind where marcus was was the man in red armor, looking down at the ground playing his guitar with his amp turned down quite low. "Why wassent i invited to the party?" Much like harumi he was there for his child hood freind marcus and the entire hunter cell had know each other since a young age. Much like them harumi, shishimaru, marcus, and hyoumaru were out casts they didnt really stick in with any body else but the other black sheep. Much like how he had helped these girls before in there pasts, they knew him sicne he was young and knew how he really was and always was there for him do to it. the hunter cell just like the four emotional women, would protect him with there lives. Hyoumaru being the researcher he was knew, they were out to kill him as he knew each of the back ground, but he was there to make sure of that.

Shishimaru would sink down from the ceiling upside down and she would turn the the mongoose anbu captian which was not current on the situation. "Shishimaru third commander of the black operations unit of Iwagakure speaking. The man of which your are questioning is Senju Zypher, as well as the current kage of Konoha so before you continue with your interrogation of this man discontinue your operations under my orders, else providing the possible hostile chance to break ties with one of the few allied nations with Iwagakure, there in by under my order your are to stand down on your actions." She would make sure they were and then suddenly she would sink back in to the ceiling of the hospital to appear else where.

Shishimaru would make her appearance out from the wall behind the big henka, and she would just stand there as she came out, she didnt have anything to say, no analysis. But like hyoumaru and harmui she was there to protect marcus until he said other wise, none of hunter division was going anywhere. There shishi would kind of act like sonar to the surrounding area. There was eight present...one was at a incredibly far range watching frm the distance, and nine including the non living material known as sin.

The captain of black ops squad twelve stared...at her prisoner. ...really...? This pipsqueak? She gave the same said pipsqueak a light shake (whose expression was still: T^T, from the fact that Yokou ditched him). That's it...Konoha's insane. She was sure of it. Unfortunately, only insane villages attracts equally insane allies... It was depressing, dammit. Even if it was true... And those old geezers of the Council had conveniently forgotten to mention this. Hn. Lazy bastards. It seemed to have taken them quite some effort to even drawl out the fact that they had a new Kage.

But honestly...a year on a mission...it feels like a time warp appeared and everything familiar has been turned upside down. And...were there so many crazy people around last year? Sighing, the crimson mongoose mask wearing ANBU popped out the restraints. "My apologies..." She mumbled. "...those geezers..." A sweatdrop seemed to appear on her team's heads.

"C-captain...please don't say such things of the Council."

Council this, council that. Bah.

Zephyr didn't even seem to notice the cuffs came off. From how quickly Yokou disappeared, and from her mannerism...he had been around her long enough to recognize that woman was upset when he sees it. The memory of the vow made in that valley... He didn't even think of the Shunshin first, except running, running...down the hall, down the stairs...down another flight...and yet another...he needed to get down to the first floor... Zephyr winced, as he crashed into another kid, on the third floor...the general patients' area.

No way...that face, those eyes that changed colour in different lighting...it can't be...

"Mu...sei...fu...?" Three syallables. The forbidden word...whispered brokenly into the air.

The expression that met Zephyr was blank. A doll-like face, long dark lashes...neatly kept hair, with long bangs and sideburns. A boy, of perhaps no older than eleven or twelve, was wandering around the hallway...barefoot, in the white pajamas of the patients. "Who...is...that...?" The boy whispered. But then his eyes widened, seeming to recall something. "Red...red eyes..."

No...this wasn't anywhere near Museifu's chakra capacity...the child wasn't suppressing anything. And taking a closer look...he looked like Museifu, yes...back when the Uchiha prince was a child. It was there, he was sure of it. That appearance...even the familiarity of that chakra...meaning...this child is..

The poor thing, he was shaking...? The next words the child whispered confirmed his suspicions. Akeru. This boy... Uchiha Akeru. What on earth was Museifu's son doing here? And unguarded too...wasn't he supposed to be living in Oto now with his cousin, the head of family...in the case that madman comes across here again? Zephyr thought quickly. Unless...

"Akeru-kun. Can you walk?"

"Ake-ru...?" The fear had disappeared and the child had noticeably calmed. A puzzled expression greeted Zephyr. "But Yuumei-san says Akeru doesn't exist. I'm Reimei, Sento Reimei...who are you?"

Zephyr blinked. Not Akeru...? He wasn't wrong, he was sure of it! Amnesia? "Come'on kid...let's get you to a safer place."

((exit))

[[Dude, she's not here for a reason! And could you ASK before doin' s**t with my characters first of assuming you know things about them? For one thing, these are Kage level folks and I think they would know how to hide from some ANBU, top anbu or not?]]

["Explain this Marcus. Are you really the Tsuchikage?!"

"There is no explanation! It all makes sense now! What the hell Marcus!?"

"Ok... Ok I know this looks bad but I can explain this... I promise..."

"Oh no! None of your fast talkin bull! GET'M!!"

What a catastrophe this had turned out to be. Marcus knew this wasn't a battle he could win in such a small place... not against these women who knew him so well. Sure he knew them but they knew him as well. Plus he didn't have his favorite tool... his guitar was missing. When had he lost it? At any rate, his first instinct was to get out of here. Without a second thought, the man vanished using Body Flicker. The three women gave chase... although the small one draped in black soon had a sweat drop and began to bow profusely before she scurried out of the door.

[[exit]]

((Teeth of the devil: eight needles on each hand
Armor of thorns: Double density on both forearms
Sacrificed 32 health for 16 Temp. Cp to transfer to the completion of the jutsus, which cost 106 Cp))

Nikolai Temp. Cp: 0/20
Nikolai Cp: 0/90
Nikolai HP: 128/160

Kiyoshi stepped to the doors quickly, whistling a strange rhythm, incredibly complex, as a well-practiced code.

Nikolai --very deliberately-- stepped towards the hospital, looking just like a child who had been caught listening just outside his parent's door. When he saw that Kiyoshi looked less like he/she was murderous, and more like he/she was impatient, Nikolai ran forward and stopped in front of his leader, kneeling and staying down, his fists pressed into the dirt. "At your service, milady." He knew it was pointless to try to explain why he was here. He settled for trying not to get killed. He kept his eyes averted, because he was almost as tall as his Mistress, even while kneeling.

"There is a new member of the family. He is not to be harmed. Do you understand? He is the boy you brought here."

She wasn't going to kill him? He could live with that. "Yes, milady."

"Go." She dismissed him, walking back to Yuumei and talking as if nothing had happened. She even let the subject of her sister drop. It was not important. Matters of the throne had long since ceased to interest her.

Nikolai stood, flexing his fists as eight needles sprouted from them, and as hundreds of needles erupted from his forearms in a thick, black armor. He turned and walked away, still wearing his scythe on his back and looking like something from someone's nightmares. He was on a mission now, and the scent of the hospital didn't even bother him anymore. He turned to tail Zephyr and the boy, who he could feel had left, the pull of that blood still on him.

Jutsu Name: teeth of the Devil
Description of Jutsu: The user uses their temporary chakra to push the thorns of the plant out of their hands, resulting in what is most easily described as a set of brass knuckles.
Rank: E
Cp Cost: 10 temporary Cp to bribe the Flower, 1 temporary chakra point to push 1 needle out, one temporary chakra point to pull one back in
Damage:taijutsu damage +1 per needle(2 damage to user for every needle pushed out)
Requirements: Takani planted inside of you, 10 ninjutsu, 10 chakra control
Training: 3 days
Special: no more than eight needles can be pushed out on each hand.

Jutsu Name: armor of thorns
Description of Jutsu: While this technique does nothing in the way of protecting the user, it does have its uses. The user pushes thorns out to cover part of his/her body, causing the Flower to steal life from any who p***k themselves on its thorns.

While the user can push out needles at about a distance of one inch apart from each other, they can double this density for an additional cost of chakra, resulting in more damage put out to both parties.

(please note that a body part as referred to by this jutsu only refers to a distance from joint to joint, e.g. wrist to elbow. For the front or back of the chest, double Cp cost.)
Rank: D
Cp Cost: 20 temporary Cp per body part covered, 40 for high density armor
Damage:10 damage from piercing needles (per body part struck by opponent) (ONLY FOR OPPONENT STRIKING WITH TAIJUTSU)

high density doubles the above statistics,

damage to user from the piercing of the needles through the skin: 10 per body part.
Requirements: 13 constitution, 15 chakra control and 15 ninjutsu
Training: 4 days
Special:

"Elruda-hime will be fine. A few fractured ribs, but we fixed that. And you, mister, will not be using chakra for at least a good few days - you reached critical chakra exhaustion! I'm surprised you didn't collapse... But...it was a very good thing, Nara-sama..."

A voice drifted from the hallway, through the open door of Sakeme's room. A woman's voice...perhaps one of the doctors.

"...that you managed to remove most of the poison."

Another voice responded. Shikamori's.

"But how is she?"

"That girl? She was in critical condition, but is fine now. There were remaining traces of poison in her system, but we drew it out before healing. She should be fine after some rest."

A doctor, as well as several nurses entered Sakeme's room. The doctor who entered had eyes as pale as Elruda - a Hyuuga. One of Yokou's clansmen must be working part-time again, as a gesture of gratitude to their Iwa hosts.

"It is pretty amazing..." Continued the doctor, shaking a lock of dark blue hair away from her eyes. "Considering you only done it from watching Yokou-dono, with no prior experience. Perhaps you should consider going into the field yourself, Nara-sama."

A soft pause.

"Elruda-hime." She spoke gently, to the child beside her. Elruda had her face covered, but even though she did so, it wasn't hard to see the tears staining her pretty doll-like face.

A small smile crossed Shikamori's face, as he bent down and ruffled the child's hair. "Don't cry, Elruda-hime. You hear? Sakeme is fine now."

"I heard..." A sniff. "I heard Terasu-san (lit. meaning to illuminate) talk to the other medics during...the operation. Sa-chan was hurt really badly..." She refused to remove her hands from her face, but they kept rolling down, dripping to her wrist and down in a glistening trail. "That...Sa-chan almost died because of me...because I was too weak..."

Her small frame started trembling again.

When she spoke, the older Hyuuga paled slightly. She...heard? That the older girl, Sakeme...that her injuries were only two ranks short of fatal, by the time Shikamori rushed both to the hospital?

"Elruda-hime...you shouldn't push it...we only just healed-..." The doctor, or Terasu-san as Elruda had addressed, too tried to comfort the child. The princess hadn't exactly escaped unscathed and she may possibly open the bone injuries.

A choked cry interrupted the older Hyuuga.

"Why...? Why... Did okaa-san ask for this? Is it because of that stupid noble system again? But I don't want that kind of protection!" Her hands fell from her face, and though her vision was blurry, she set her steadfast gaze on Sakeme's sleeping form...or so she thought...the other wasn't asleep, after all.

"I just want the people I love to be safe...yet...yet...the one thing that's meaningful, I can't even do!" Her hands covered her face again. She didn't want to be comforted...