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Matsuda just finished writing a letter and folded it. She then handed it to Yuna. "Find a man named Yahiro Sabu and give him this letter. You are to be one of two observers from one of the Kandachime's allies. The other will be me."
She put her hands together in a seal and puffed away in a cloud of smoke. When it cleared a young girl a few years younger than Yuna stood before him. She resembled him ever so slightly. "I will be your younger sister Miki. You may use your given name, no one will know you here."

Yuna pocketed the letter. "I see," With that he dashed towards the entrance of the Kyuujo.

Sabu walked down the main hall while glancing over several papers in his hands. The problem with organization is the unbelievable amount of paperwork. he thought to himself.

Yuna made his presence known by knocking on the front great door three times. At which point Shinji had already noticed the two figures. He was ready to alert the security, but realized they were not a threat. Yuna pushed the door open, to find stairs leading directly downwards. He descended from the stairs, finding himself in a textured corridor, dimly lit with flickering torches. He wandered around blindly, sometimes stopping to check if he was trapped in a genjutsu or to see if any traps had been laid.

"You mean in bed all alone huh?" Ganeni replied to her with a bit of a grin.

"But yeah My tongue slipped a bit but it did concern him. Anyway the only injured I have here ish that Sakurai kid over there. Ion-san is mostly tired."

Rin-Tao turned bright red at his comment but brushed past him ignoring it. She examined Sakurai and her brow furrowed. "Your chakra paths and disturbed greatly. Something seems out of place. How do you feel?"

"You do realise what's going to happen? Don't you?" Mokuhakai snarled feraly, assaulting Sakurai from a range, with shap branches, protuding from his back like tenticles. "You realise one of us has to die?"

Sakurai bit his lip and was slashed across his cheek, but an oncoming sharp branch. He stumbled back. "Why? Why does it always have to be like this? Why do we have to kill all the time? I'm sick of it! I don't want anything to do with you! I hate you! Go away!" He acrobatically leapt back making some more distance.

"Oh, dear Sakurai, I would if I could!" He leapt back, too, spinning in the process, but only a meter. "Mate no Juzakura!" His tenticles intertwined, forming two eeirly long, clawed hands, the bubbled viciously with chakra, the charged at Sakurai.

"Mokuton! Sakurai Geijutsu Ryuu, Tsubasa no Kodama (Wood Element, Sakurai Art Style, Wings of the Tree Spirit" Sakurai yelled. Where had this jutsu come from, he wondered for a split second. Two crude, oversized wooden winds burst from his back and enveloped him.

The demonic hands collided into the wing-sheild with massive force, sending an aftershock, due to the sheer force of the jutsus used. He hands began to burn into the wings, but Sakurai retaliated. He flexed the wings wide open, spanning to 8 feet wide, in the process, he snapped both the arms of, but they still clung to the wings. Sakurai pushed the wings of out of his body, one under the over, so that it formed a pivot. Before Mokuhakai could throw his next jutsu, Sakurai used to pivot to launch himself into the air and onto a branch of the highest tree in the forest. Mokuhakai looked furious. He clasped his hands together and a root grabbed him and threw him in Sakurai's direction.

---

Mokuhakai was still in persuit, both Mokutons slithered around the peak of the tree, nimble as anything, as they were in there element. There was a moment when the boys locked gazes. It was only for a split second, but it was at that moment when Mokuhakai suddenly had a revelation, it was a question playing on him for a while now.

"Why do I exist. Who am I?" He thought in a mind or voice he was not familiar too. It was Sakurai. He hesitated for another second, the million-ryo question pierced him so deep that he had to momentarily stop wrecking chaos.

A blur.

Several, actually. Sakurai span around and impaled Mokuhakai with a razor sharp bokken. Tears dripped from Sakurai's rosy cheeks, his face twisted with shock and fear, as if he had regretted killing Mokuhakai. Mokuhakai looked at peace, however. He reached up an arm and placed on Sakurai's cheek.

"You know... I've never felt anything like this before, this sense of freedom. I feel that I must thank you for it, but then that would be stupid."

"Don't lie! I don't believe you! Please do not die! I'm sorry, I didn't mean it!"

"Shut up, you stupid boy. As you know, I've always been a part of you. Even though I could've easily broken through and become a dominant personality, I didn't. And I think I know why now..." He broke to gasp and spit out blood. "As a parting gift, I will give you all my memories, they maybe troublesome and even painful, but they will help you survive. I will also give you the ability to protect your friends. Sakurai... I won't just become a memory."

With that Mokuhakai drew his hand of Sakurai, and in his palm, a small seed popped out. It glowed with a luminous chakra, and Mokuhakai thrust it into Sakurai's chest. He then pushed of Sakurai, dislodging himself of the wooden katana.

He fell of the tree, smiling slightly.

Rio looked on at the conversations with a confused look to his face as Rin-Tao made her way in the door, though he had to curb his reflex to go for his kunai at the appearance on an unknown ninja. When Sakurai burst out in tears in response to Rin-Tao's question, his fingers again toyed with the lid to his Tomo tree as he said, "Did I miss something here?"

Rio turned to Rin-Tao as he asked, "Are you with the Kandichime as well?"

[[Did the rest of the Kandichime return to their base? I'm wondering as Akira and Issui were with them. Taki has no reason to follow them, as she would probably return to her village to report (though i want to bring her into the story somehow), but Issui and Akira would probably want to continue to be near the Kandichime due to the fact that Issui knew Kasa was with the Bakufu and that Rio had head out to find him. Issui and Akira would know that since the Kandichime are constantly in conflict with the bakufu, they would stand a good chance of coming across Rio with them]]