a wanderer's path: joining Anei-Kumo

Walking down the path of wilderness, her lazy eyes glowed with vivid-gold, her hair billowed with the breeze, and her soft gasps for breath echoed through the silence.

Hina Hikari, 16, former Tenkage, wandered around nowhere in search of... she doesn't know... but she'll know it once she sees it. She's been travelling for a month now, without food or water, not even rest, which caused her other personalities to be unconscious. Now, she's all on her own. She could still go back to Tenshi, there's still time, but to her, that place is the last place she'll consider to resort.

She didn't know where she was right now, her vision was getting blurry. She stopped on a nearby tree to rest. She sat under, leaned on the trunk, and stared up at the light-blue sky. She sighed, hoping something unusual and exciting would come up.

[Action-Ninja]

A ninja walks in with a black hood over his face. The bottom of the cloth attached to the hood covered his mouth like a basic ninja would ware. His eyes were the color of blue and he continued you walk foward. He was walking at the height of eight feet and eight inches. His hair was all that was visable from coming under his hood. It was the color of black. His clothing was also of dark black. On the back of this clothing bore the Symbol of the Kumo-Anei. The symbol had a spiked sun along with red lines curving around it and through it.

[Speaking-Ninja]

"So your the new recruit are you? Well then my name is Usuke you will call me no more do you understand. Our mission is simple destroy the villages and capture the bijuu in order to do so. Do not let anyone stop your mission if anyone gets in your way I expect you to kill them. Is this understood?"

[Inner Thought-Raijuu]
"Hmm her chakra balance seems to be pretty strong...it seems to be that she used to be a kage. I'd have to say becareful with this one. Remember if you die you will be of no use to me so don't mess things up. Anyways let me slumber and only awake me for emergencies."

[Inner Actions-Raijuu]
Raijuu the six tailed beast suddenly lays in a cage sealed up. The bars with electricity surging around it. The tails lie flat as the beast is now in slumber.

[Inner thought-Ninja]
So this is an ex kage ninja is it...hmm i do supose i need to be careful. no matter i do not believe she has any strangth to take me out. She die along and I'm sure she does not have the audacity to do such a thing. Never the less i still need to keep a close eye out for her.

Hina sighed as she continued to stare at the sky. It's no use. She's all messed up. What the hell was she thinking anyway, leaving the village while she's the kage. Being born in a clan of nobility, she never knew what it felt like to actually betray anyone. And in her situation, she realized that it wasn't as simple as she thought it would be.

Then, she flinched as she felt the presence of someone close by. Too close, in fact, but her exhaustion was getting in the way of her senses. Even her Empathy, the ability to feel one's emotions, acted strangely slow. She scrambled up, the sand gourd behind her almost dragging her down because of its weight. With a flick of her hand, she had already took a kunai on her pouch as she faced the the incoming ninja. But before she could ask him, she heard him say something about Anei-Kumo, new recruit, and Usuke.

Her eyebrows crossed as she raised the kunai of her right hand, acting as a defence stance rather than an offence one. "What the hell are you talking about?" she smirked. She had heard of the famous Anei-Kumo, but she never ever thought of encountering the leader. As a former village ninja, her instincts was to still fight him.

She gasped as her vision staggered, almost losing her balance again, but was able to maintain by movements of her feet. Hitomi, Fumiko, Misora... Please wake up. I can't fight like this. she thought as she called out to her other personalities. Unfortunately, they were nowhere.

[Speak-Usuke]
"I do not like it when I am ignored girl! Anyways I know you knew what i was talking about...oh and also..."

[action-Usuke]
Suddenly a kunai is fired off and hits the kunai sending the kunai to go flying out of her hand.

[Speak-Usuke]
"Do not use a weapon against me especaily if it is in blade form...I'm sure you know of the anceint clan buki...In any case your the new recruit now go do what your supposed to do instead of standing here being bored you got ninja to find."

[Action-Usuke]
Usuke throws a scroll with the information of the jinchuriki she was assigned to capture.

[Speak-Usuke]
"There is your mission..."

[Inner Thought-Usuke]
I can use her kage skills to capture the bijuu with out a sweat...how ever there is the case of if she does do what i ask of her. If she runs I will kill her; however she seems to have good expeirance in fighting. Lets see how she does for now but just case I will have to follow her while she is on her mission.

The next she knew, a kunai was soaring in the air and hit the kunai she was holding, sending it away from her hand. "Tsk." she smirked as she held her wrist with her hand. This guy is no beginner, nor even a normal jounin. Of course. He's the leader of Anei-Kumo anyway. If only Fumiko was here, she could at least match with him in terms of weapon skills. She continued to listen as he mentioned the Buki clan, another clan of nobility which is at the same level as the Hikari Clan.

''In any case you're the new recruit now go do what your supposed to do instead of standing here being bored you got ninja to find." throwing her a scroll which she caught with her left. "This is you mission." she heard him say.

She stared at the scroll for a moment, then her grip tightened, her teeth grinding with anger. She threw the scroll back to the Usuke. "What the hell do you think you're saying, commanding me like you're in charge?! I don't know you! And what's with the 'new recruit'? It's not like I applied for something here!" she was losing her temper, the kind of thing that she doesn't usually do. However, her body can barely move because of exhaustion, and she's purely acting on instincts.

The sand gourd behind her bursted out and a huge amount of sand were like waves moving behind her, and some circling around covering most of her front. She sat down and closed her eyes, replenishing her chakra, a jutsu technique of the Hikari clan, while the sand were still there, moving freely. She has no problem with her chakra, but her stamina is a big issue. She could barely concentrate.

She opened her eyes and looked at Usuke. "I'll join you. If you could persuade me to do so."

"fine how bout this if you don't go do what i say I will be forced to use the Buki forbidden technique to kill you!."

He sighs looking at her with little emotion catching the scroll thrown back at him with ease and he sighs removing the hood and the mask covering his mouth droping it on the ground. His hair was black and spiked up much like sasuke's. And his eyes were of the color of blue in Ni Buki stage. The ninja currently known as Usuke now stood before her enraged but had not shown it as if his emotion was cut out of him.

"If you had no intention of joining this orginization...ex kage then why are you in the Kumo-Anei Teritorry?"

"fine how bout this if you don't go do what i say I will be forced to use the Buki forbidden technique to kill you!."

She heard, but wasn't listening. She was still there, replenishing her chakra.

"If you had no intention of joining this orginization...ex kage then why are you in the Kumo-Anei Teritorry?"

She blinked, then tilted her head. "Eh? Am I?" She scratched her cheek. Now that she thought about it, she really didn't know where she was, nor where she had been going. "Whaaat?? So, you mean this is Anei-Kumo territory?!" she finally took down what he said. She pouted. "Still, I'm going to battle you. I'm not afraid, you know."

Immediately, a few blocks of sand formed into sand kunais and fired towards him. Meanwhile, Hina was still considering if she would join Anei-Kumo. Besides, isn't this what she wanted? To be a certified missing-nin of Tenshi. Moreover... she thought as she placed her hand on her stomach. ... I'm really hungry. she pouted more.

He flips backwards dodging the kunai...suddenly from the midst of the area he appears infront of her and holds hi palm at her as if he was about to strike her but instead the palm made one handed handseal. Suddenly in his right arm a sword is formed sliding through his palm. He grabs the hilt and slashes it to the side of her.

"Very well you want a fight then you got one! Buki Blade!"

He sighs as he looks at her emotionless

He dodged the kunais. That's expected. She just did that to have time to think anyway. Then, he was in front of her. She looked up at him, neither surprised nor afraid. A sword emerged from his hand, and she found it creepy. He took the hilt and slashed to her side. But since her sand was still there, some circling around and most at the back, the sand simply moved to where the sword was going, and blocked it.

Wrong move she was still staring up at him. The small wave of sand floating behind her formed into what seemed to be a giant hammer which then rose up into the air and smashed down Usuke.

the hammer struck down at him but the sand dispersed it was visable that Usuke was unharmed from the attack. "come now you don't expect to crush me with that sand do you? What a pitty kage level too weak to understand that the buki eye activates the Clan members skin to be as hard as iron. Simpleton you are just in my way time to kill you." he forms another handsign and holds it in postion in the form of 'Hai' "Buki Art:Dance of the Swords!" suddenly five hundred sword float in the air and form in groups of 10 around the girl. "Ready to die? RELEASE!" the swords are sent off after her.

The swords struck towards her, but as the smoke of dust dispersed, a great ball of sand was visible surrounding her. Most of the swords fell to the ground as they were unable to pierce through it, while a few managed to, but only the tip of their blades. The sand ball pushed out the remaining swords and dispersed, forming back to its usual sand gourd shape.

Hina tilted her head as she stared up at him. "Come now. You don't really expect to crush me with those swords, do you? Everyone knows that my sand can be as hard as any metal. ". She sighed. "Furthermore," she placed her hand on the ground. ".. I can also manipulate sand besides my own by inducing chakra on them." . Immediately, the ground where Usuke was standing shuffled, and the sand were like snakes as they crawled up to Usuke's legs and eventually his body.

Then, she felt a sudden thump throughout her body. Exhaustion was definitely consuming her. For a moment there, she lost control of the sand crawling up Usuke, but immediately regained his focus and continued. She hang her head down as she panted. She might be able to replenish her chakra over and over again, but with the fact that her body is lacking food to do so, Replenishment is also getting weaker.

"looks like you have a weakness girl!" he spins his body in a rotation with his arms out wide and he cuts through the sands and jumps back. He suddenly does handsigns. "forgive me for waking you raijuu but I need you to lend me some of your chakra."

"ugh fine!"

suddenly a burst of lightning surges through Usuke's body. Markings appear on his face and his chakra visable. He then creates handsigns. "Buki Art-Lightning Shuriken!" Suddenly lightning shuriken fire at the feet of the girl which then bounce up ad go through her barier of sand which then atemps to hit her and if successful her chakra points would be momentarily pralyized.

OOC: Lol, the barrier of sand had already dispersed and is now my sand gourd. XD. I'm basically defenceless.

IC:

The sand in his legs were cut through, although the sand were still floating in mid air. Hina stood up. He jumped back, finally, and she heard him call out something about Raijuu. So they were the same. They both have bijuus inside them. Maybe that's why he became a missing-nin. she thought as she watched the marks appear across his face. Lightning shurikens began to move towards her. A wall of sand appeared between them, but to her astonishment, they were able to pierce through. The shurikens were approaching her quick, and she's apparently defenceless. Even if she uses her sand right now, it'll be useless. But, would it? Another wall of sand appeared in front of her, and without any handseal, a big explosion occurred, together with the lightning shurikens.

Sand Explosion, basically the ability to make her sand explode anytime, anywhere. She jumped back, and made a handseal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" and 5 Hinas were visible in the scene. The four Hinas then dashed towards Usuke, throwing out kunais as they do so, while the other Hina watched from a distance.

Usuke sighed and did handseals once again and then chakra blades slid out of his palms. He grabs each by the hilt then charged chakra again as he dashed toward the girl. He fliped up in mid air and ran across it with speed so he wouldn't have to deal with the clones. How ever it had a risk of easily to be hit down. Suddenly he drops his chakra down and lightning is sent into each blade as he jumps down and is infront of the real hina. "do you think im stupid...I can see past your Bushin jutsu...I'm skilled at it being a child my sensei taught me how to...thats how i was able to kill her..." He sighs now charging chakra into his throat. "Ninja art: Buki Style-Spitting Needle!. Suddenly his chakra creates vaguly visable needles which are shot from his mouth toward her vital points " Time to die!" he spins his body and flips trying to strike down at her just incase the needles don't hit her.

Usuke was in front of Hina and had already charged his jutsu. "do you think im stupid...I can see past your Bushin jutsu...I'm skilled at it being a child my sensei taught me how to...thats how i was able to kill her..."

Hina tilted her head. "But I never said I was the real Hina. I always knew you would fall for this." The real Hina, who was with the clones, grinned as she shot a handseal. "Kage Bunshin Tai no Bakuhatsu!"

Spoiler:

And the Hina in front of Usuke exploded, stronger than the first explosion of her sand. The four Hinas outside the explosion's range watched calmly.

"He said he wanted to recruit me. But then he wants to kill me. Why would you kill someone you want to recruit, right?" said a Hina to another Hina.

Suddenly Usuke's body wasn't visable then he was infront of the other hina's "because it's simple I'm testing you" he spins the swords into place and throws them on the ground. Blood trickles down his mouth and the marks fade and the lightning gone "it seems that im almost out of using Raijuu's chakra...hmm i guess ill have to finish this fast..."

The Hinas were actually emotionless as he appeared, as if expecting that would happen. Immediately though, the other Hinas grabbed the real Hina and threw her backwards, missing the sword, before they were destroyed themselves. She looked at him and heard his words.

"it seems that im almost out of using Raijuu's chakra...hmm i guess ill have to finish this fast..."

"This Raijuu of yours... " Hina began as the sand leaked out of the sand gourd and swirled around her again, in case Usuke attacks. She also took out a scroll from her pouch behind and bit her thumb. "... is one of the tailed beasts, right? But Anei-Kumo's objective is to capture the tailed beasts. How do you actually plan on saving yourself?" she asked him as she gently stroked her bitten thumb on the scroll to summon a small wolf cub which appeared sitting on her shoulder.

"simple my plan is to capture the bijuu and seal them in the rcruits to destroy the villages. Have you not figured that out yet...Im suprised and to think you were a kage." Mocks her and laughs at her sighs "no matter I don't need raijuu anymore...it seems like you are almost out of chakra as I am so this might be easy to finish this..." he walks up to her looking at her emotionless.

"Well, sorry for being a lame Kage, alright? Unlike you, I don't have evil mind, you know." Hina pouted.

"no matter I don't need raijuu anymore...it seems like you are almost out of chakra as I am so this might be easy to finish this..."

Hina looked at him. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but since Buki Clan have plenty of tricks on their sleeves, Hikari Clan has some too." Hina was calm as always. "Let's finish this then." she walked towards him, Ren, her pet, looking playful as usual. She was panting slightly. Apparently, she has little to no strength to engage in hand to hand combats.

Ren then jumped in front of Hina, and the small little cub a while ago was now a 5 feet tall wolf with sharp fangs and piercing golden eyes like Hina's. Hina rode him, while the sand surrounded them.

Then, they launched towards Usuke

Usuke sighs and stands still closing his eyes yawning "Well then lets go now because im sure you won't win and I have place to go." He sighs as it begins to rain and he looks up "Go figure...I hate rain..." His hair drapes over his eyes and the back of his head no longer spikey due to the rain. "this is just perfect..." he was emotionless and waited for her attack while still standing into place as if mocking her yet again.

However, Ren squinted into a halt.

"Eh? What's the matter, Ren?" Hina leaned forward to look at him. Apparently, Ren recognized Usuke from somewhere. Hina became worried. Ren wouldn't stop like this normally. Usuke must be either an ally from somewhere, or a really strong opponent. Surely, he not really strong since he hasn't killed Hina yet. But is it possible they already met somewhere?

No matter, Hina grunted as she saw Usuke standing there, as if mocking her again. [u]He's really something.[/i] she smirked. She un-summoned Ren, which dispersed into a poof, and she landed on the ground. I'll show him

She touched the ground again.
"Decomposition Technique!"

Spoiler:

And the entire ground they were standing at turned into sand. Though it's raining, since the sand in coated with Hina's chakra, it remained as sand. The ground where Usuke was standing became a quick-sand in which it sucked Usuke down.

"this is why I hate rain..." he sighs just standing still then he opens his eyes and sighs..."hmm your wolf is gone? why is that" he looks at her as if not caring that he was beggining to sink into the ground. He sighs waiting for her reaction as his blue eyes shine through his dark black hair. "Either way this jutsu of yours is impressive how ever it is not strong enough to hold me back." He smirks just standing there sinking through.

Her vision then triggered into a blur, on which, she once again almost lost her balance. She still has an entire 3/4 chakra left and is still replenishing, but her consciousness is beginning to fade. The blurred vision, unlike before, didn't turn back to its clear sight. It continued like that. She placed her hand on her right eye, covering it to focus the left eye to clear as she panted.

"I... never wanted to hold you back, anyway." she smirked. And at that instant, every sand in the area exploded. A massive explosion destroyed almost the entire forest they were at. The explosion was too great that it could be heard throughout Anei-Kumo.

He sighs looking at her as it seemed like he blew up. The area began to grow quiet the suddenly a log appeared in his place which when blew up it sent senbon at her. suddenly Usuke grabed her from behind holding her down so she wouldn't move "Looks like it's the end for you girl..." he sighs as the rain drips from his hair onto her clothes from behind her.

Hina was covered by her automatic Shield of Sand as the explosion triggered. Then, she could still feel his emotions. That means he wasn't caught up with the explosion. Senbons launched towards her, but the sand all blocked them.

Suddenly, to her astonishment, he was already behind her. Even before she could react, he was already reaching for her, grabbing her from behind. But her Shield of Sand blocked his hand. Hina took this opportunity as the sand engulfed his hand, and triggered another explosion from her technique Sand Explosion, causing the sand to explode together with his hand.

"This is so unfair." tears rolled down her eyes as she turned around and jumped back, away from him. She looked at him with her bright golden eyes, which were wet with both the rain and the tears. She could no longer hold back her tears. Besides, of all the personalities, she herself is considered the soft and shy one. No matter how hard she tries to be fierce, it just doesn't work. "I'm tired. I'm so tired. I just want to eat and rest. That's all. " she wiped her tears, feeling stupid to cry in front of her opponent. She panted heavily, suppressing any emotional extremities.

"Fine. You win. I'll join Anei-Kumo. Just don't drive me to the edge." she said. The least she wanted right now is to be taken over by either "Zero", The Fallen Angel, or Nibi no Nekomata. In her current state, if she goes any longer, one of those three will surely emerge.