Third installment and conclusion of the Ten Tails 'arc' if you will lol. Enjoy guys :)

Pic of some cute, blonde girl ;P  --->

The Demon pulls his head back and laughs mockingly, eyeing Madara with amusement.

“Is that suppose to impress me human?” he taunts. “I am a higher being than you, you and your name mean nothing to me!”

“So you’ve heard of me then?” the Uchiha asks wryly, making the Demon growl.

“I’ve heard the name Uchiha before” he sneers, lip pulling back in distaste. “But you specifically, no, of course not. I don’t trouble myself with insects like you.”

Madara scowls in annoyance at the arrogant beast. He didn’t appreciate being talked down to, and the Demon was going to get a taste of the man’s Sharingan in a minute. Then it would recognise him as being more powerful than itself.

“What’s Madara doing?” Niora asks herself rhetorically, trying to hurry through writing symbols on the ground, and setting up scrolls around the circle. “He’s not a part of the plan!”

Kia breathes heavily, lugging an unconscious Eran into the middle of the large circle Niora had drawn, dropping him and heaving a sigh.

“I don’t know” she pants, wiping her forehead. Eran was heavy! And she was about half the man’s size, so dragging him had been no easy feat. “But he kind of saved Hatsuchi, so let’s just see what he can do….”

Niora rolls her eyes, mumbling under her breath. She didn’t like Madara. She just got a weird…..vibe from him, and she didn’t trust him any further than Kia could throw him.

“As you will soon discover” Madara informs the smirking Demon, “I am no insect. I’m a rank above the rest, one of the most powerful Shinobi to ever exist Demon.”

The Demon’s smirk grows into a wide grin, exposing his sharp teeth to the unfazed Madara.

“Arrogance” the Wolf hisses lowly. “Arrogance will just get you killed Leaf Ninja. It will lead to your demise……”

The Wolf suddenly lurches forwards, aiming to catch Madara in its jaws. The Uchiha easily leaps up into the air, performing rapid hand signs and placing a hand in front of his mouth.

“Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!” he calls, taking a deep breath, before blowing out a huge chakra filled fireball.

The Demon looks up, baring his teeth at Madara irritably. As the fireball nears it, the Demon whips through the fire with its tails, easily making the fire disappear.

“Pathetic” the Wolf growls, shaking his head and racing after Madara, who is sprinting across the ground. “Just as weak as the others!”

Madara scowls again, glancing back at the incoming Demon over his shoulder.

“Alright then” he mutters to himself, whirling around and skidding to a halt. “If you’d rather me skip the warm up….”

The Wolf Demon lets out a terrifying roar, before diving towards Madara with its jaws wide open.

Madara glares into its red eyes with his Sharingan, determined to defeat the loathsome creature.

“Stop right there” he growls, placing his hands together in a hand sign. “Because I’m going to finish y-”

Madara pauses, watching as the wide eyed Demon suddenly skids to a halt, its mouth only metres away from the Uchiha.

“What?” the Demon growls, his body twitching as he tries to move his limbs. “I can’t……I can’t move!”

Madara stares at the Wolf in confusion, as it glares right back at him, seemingly unable to break free from the man’s gaze.

“What have you done to me?” the Demon growls lowly, sounding absolutely furious. Madara shakes his head and stalks towards the Demon, whose eyes follow his every movement.

“What did I do?” the man wonders out loud, studying the great creature crouching low to the ground beside him. “What did I- Ugh, stop growling at me beast!”

To Madara’s complete shock, the growling immediately ceases, making the Demon’s eyes narrow dangerously, a soft groan escaping from its mouth.

“Ugh……What’s…going on?” the Wolf asks quietly, trying to control its temper. “What’s happening to me?!”

Madara eyes the Wolf suspiciously, tapping his chin in thought.

“Sit up” he suddenly commands, eyes widening as the huge creature begrudgingly does so, his body twitching as he tries to oppose the command.

“I DON’T WANT TO SIT UP!” the Demon roars angrily, baring his teeth down at Madara. “WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?!”

“Lie back down” Madara commands, pointing to the ground at his feet. The Wolf Demon roars again, thrashing his tails around angrily, as his body heeds to Madara’s voice, lying down on the ground in front of the Uchiha.

Madara walks right up to the Demon and looks into its eye, seeing his reflection in the bright iris.

As Madara stares, focusing on the Demon and how he can control it, the Demon’s eye slowly grows three black tomoe, resembling Madara’s Sharingan.

The Uchiha’s eyes widen with realisation, as the Demon hoods its eyes, realisation also having dawned on the ancient being.

“Ahh……” it growls lowly, angry that it can no longer control itself. “Your Sharingan………It’s the reason you can control me…You Uchiha, such arrogant people…….Without your precious Sharingan, you are nothing! Nothing but weak, helpless inse-”

“Silence!” Madara shouts, landing a powerful punch on the side of the Demon’s face, making its head whip to the side. “I’m in charge now…….”

Madara smirks to himself, rubbing his hands together and ignoring the way the Demon glowers at him hatefully.

He had a powerful Demon under his control, finally! He could bring the beast back with him, and kill Hashirama! Maybe he could even use his Sharingan to bend the Nine Tailed Fox to his will, or any of the Tailed Beasts! He’d be unstoppable!

“Rise to your feet beast” Madara spits harshly, shoving the Demon’s head up and making it growl angrily.

Against the creature’s will, it pushes itself to its feet, rising to its full height and standing before Madara, focusing its furious gaze on the smirking man.

Madara could have them all. He’d have all of the Tailed Beasts at his command, and he’d be able to take over the Leaf Village. No! Not just the Leaf Village! He’d have it all. The whole world would have to fall down before him. No one would ever be able to oppose him! He’d be the strongest man to ever li-

“Time to say goodbye you Demon!” a voice suddenly screams, making both Madara and the Wolf look to the side.

They see Niora leaping for the Demon, blood on one hand and chakra in the other. Slamming her palms together and infusing the chakra and blood together, Niora reaches forwards, slapping a hand against the growling Demon’s chest and writes Eran’s name, before dropping to the ground.

“Now Kia!” Niora screams, leaping to the side as one of the Demon’s tails crashes to the earth, trying to crush the red head.

Kia, her hand glowing with concentrated chakra, slams it down onto the ground, pouring chakra into the kanji written inside the circle and on the scrolls.The kanji letter leaps up from the ground, trailing out of the scrolls and swirling inwards, like a whirlpool, circling around until they reach Eran, who is lying in the middle of the circle. The kanji letters disappear into his stomach, making the man wince and groan in his unconscious state.

Suddenly, a ring of glowing kanji letters appear around the Demon’s neck, making its eyes widen.

“No……” it growls lowly, casting its hate filled glare down to a smirking Niora. “A Sealing Jutsu!”

Madara’s eyes widen in horror, as rings of kanji letters appear around the Demon’s ankles. A Sealing Jutsu?! Those idiots were going to take his Demon away from him!

“A very powerful, very secret Sealing Jutsu Mister Demon” Niora taunts, poking out her tongue and grinning as a large ring of kanji letters appears around the Wolf’s tails. “Passed down through the Uzumaki Clan for generations. Lucky Kia’s got such good chakra control…….”

The Demon roars in pain, as the kanji rings suddenly shrink in size, shackling him and binding his thrashing tails together.

“You wretched humans!” the Demon roars, rearing up on his hind legs madly. “You can never defeat me, so you resort to sealing me away!”

“No idea what you mean buddy” Niora yawns, waving goodbye to the furious Demon.

“I will break free, mark my words!” he roars, his body beginning to fade as he is sealed inside Eran’s psyche. “If I can escape from the moon, I will escape from a human body! You will all pay!”

Niora releases a heavy sigh, as the Demon disappears from view, the Sealing Jutsu complete. She drops to the ground, her chakra exhausted, as Kia does the same.

She runs a hand through her pink hair, watching as the kanji letters swirl on Eran’s stomach, before fading away and creating an invisible seal.

Hearing a low groan, Kia shakily rises to her feet and runs over to Hatsuchi, who is trying to sit up, despite his injuries.

“Don’t Hatsuchi!” Kia cries, dropping to her knees beside the Hyuga and forcing him to lie back down, resting his head in her lap. “You’re really hurt, so just lie down for now.”

“Unghh….Did….Did you guys?.....” he asks weakly, making Kia nod, a tiny smile on her face.

“Yeah, Niora’s Sealing Jutsu worked” she replies, making Hatsuchi sigh with relief. “The Demon’s gone.”

“What just happened?” Chief Shiran asks, coming out from behind a wall and approaching the tired Leaf Shinobi.

He was definitely impressed with their skills, and had known better than to get in their way. He hated not being able to help, but nothing the Minami’s had ever done before had worked. He was so grateful to them, and glad that he’d requested their help!

Niora runs a hand through her long hair, before leaning back on her elbows and grinning up at the Chief and his incredulous Wolf.

“I used a special Uzumaki Sealing Jutsu to imprison that Demon back inside of Eran’s body” she explain brightly, confusing the Minami and his Wolf. “Basically it means that the Demon can’t break out of his body anymore, and is safely contained inside of Eran. I’d be willing to teach you guys how to perform the Jutsu, even though I know you don’t really use chakra.”

Chief Shiran nods slowly, willing to do the hard yards and learn some Ninjutsu, if it meant he could keep his people safe.

“It may take awhile my dear, but we are more than willing to learn from you” Shiran says, bowing his head thankfully, and making Niora laugh.

Madara on the other hand, stares down at the ground with a blank look, his onyx eyes fixated on the spot where his Demon had been standing.

He’d had it. Right there in his grasp, and those Leaf idiots had taken right from under him! The thing he’d wanted for so long. Power.

“No matter…..” Madara suddenly mutters, smirking to himself and raising his head. His Mangekyo Sharingan blazes intimidatingly, as he grins darkly. It didn’t matter. He knew how to control the Demons now. Not very long now, and he could use the ferocious Nine Tails…….He would defeat Hashirama Senju, no matter the cost.

Madara’s blazing eyes flick back to his team, as Kia and Niora carefully help a seriously injured Hatsuchi to his feet.

Madara’s top lip lifts in distaste, silently seething that they had secured his Ten Tails inside of the Minami man, before he subconsciously shrugs a shoulder.

All he’d have to do is dispose of them before they got back to the Village, and the Ten Tails would remain his little secret. As far as the Hokage needed to know, they had died in the fight.

Madara grins to himself darkly, fists clenching with determination. Seeing as the Leaf and the Land of Ambience were Allies, it wouldn’t be hard at all to come back for the Ten Tails one day……

Ashley’s POV

I push the window open, a hard look on my face as I lean on the window sill, the morning breeze cooling my skin and giving me goose bumps.

I can sense it. I don’t know what it is, but there’s something weird in the air. It’s putting me on edge a little bit, like a bad omen or something.

“Hyvää huomenta” Ace’s voice greets from behind me, making me close my eyes and sigh softly. (Good morning)

“Yes, good morning Ace” I reply, turning away from the window and giving my Guardian a wry smile. He watches me intently, as I walk over to my dresser and pick up my hair brush, running it through my blonde hair.

“You did not sleep last night” he eventually says, sounding hesitant. I roll my eyes as I face the wall, remaining silent and brushing my hair.

“I can tell Milady” Ace sighs, walking over to me and head butting my hip, something he used to do when we were younger to get my attention. “You seem down, and I have only just walked in here.”

“I’m fine Ace” I murmur, placing my brush down and gazing at Ace with my hands on my hips. “Something’s just bothering me okay?”

“What is wrong then?” the navy Wolf asks, being patient with me, like usual. I sit down on the end of my bed and nod towards the window, placing my hand on Ace’s head as he sits beside me.

“There’s something in the air” I mutter, frowning at the window. “I don’t know what it is, it’s just bothering me.”

Ace gives me a sideways look, before raising his nose and sniffing the air curiously.

“I am sorry Milady, but I cannot feel nor smell anything strange” Ace informs me, rising to his feet and standing in front of me. “Perhaps you are just on edge because you did not sleep last night, or the night before?”

I stubbornly look away from Ace, crossing my arms and shutting him out. I know what he’s getting at, he’s just too polite to ask.

“Why don’t you just say it?” I mumble, now feeling annoyed with my Guardian, as he tilts his head to the side.

“Say what Milady?” he inquires, making me growl.

“Don’t play stupid with me Ace” I warn, glaring at him challengingly. “You think I’ve been taking those pills again, don’t you?”

A guilty look flashes across Ace’s face, before he looks up at me with his usual stoic expression.

“I never insinuated such a thing Milady” he tells me seriously. “However, I do recall you promising that you would not take them anymore, so I trust that you have not been ta-”

“I didn’t promise anything!” I suddenly shout, a pang of guilt in my heart. Here I am yelling at Ace, when I know damn well I’ve taken those pills these last few nights. I guess they really do affect me.

“Milady” Ace says gently, eyes filling with hurt at my shouting. “Please, I am merely concerned for your wellbeing….”

“In case you haven’t noticed Ace” I say, smirking nastily. “I am fifteen and am a Jonin. I don’t need you to look out for my wellbeing! I’m a big girl now, so stop acting like you’re my Father or something!”

Ace’s visible eye widens at my angry outburst, before he casts his gaze down to the floor. An uncomfortable moment of silence passes between us, before Ace finally speaks.

“I apologise Milady” he says softly, ears drooping sadly. “I did not realise that I was such an inconvenience to you. I will be sure to keep my distance from now on, so as not to irritate you anymore.”

My eyes widen, guilt flooding through me as I look at Ace’s dejected form, his words laced with hurt.

“Wait Ace, I-”

“Farwell” Ace mutters, disappearing in a puff of smoke and leaving me alone in my room. I blink a few times, surprised that he actually left, before my lower lip trembles slightly.

Why do I do that? Why do I manage to hurt the people I care about? Am I really that selfish?

I kick the corner of my bed, before stalking from my room and down into the hallway. I see Rei, who is lying on my couch, glance over at me, her tail beginning to wag merrily.

“Good morning Milady!” she trills, giving me a closed eye smile.

“Go away Rei” I retort, immediately making the pretty Wolf’s good mood disappear. Her ears and tail droop sadly, as she casts her lavender eyes down at the floor.

“Oh….Okay” she whispers, sounding upset and making me pause. I feel Rei jump as I suddenly stomp out of the house, slamming my door shut behind me.

I don’t really know why I’m in such a bad mood, but I do know that I now have a headache. Probably another side effect from those pills I take.

Shaking my head, I take a deep breath, and decide to go for a walk through the Village, hoping it will calm me down.

Walking down the path, my feet crunching on the gravel beneath them, I fix the black cloth holding my Leaf Village symbol tighter around my neck. I briefly wonder what my Minami friends are doing, before dismissing them from my mind.

The last thing I need right now is to deal with them and the chaos that seems to follow along behind them. I love them, I just don’t think I’d handle them very well right now, considering the crappy mood I’m in. If I’m able to snap at my Guardian, then there’s no way I’d be able to keep myself from snapping at my friends. Or wringing their necks.

I kick at an invisible rock, heaving a heavy sigh. I’d have to apologise to Ace eventually. We both know that I’m in the wrong, even though he was gracious enough to go along with it and give me time to cool off.

It’s a very rare thing for us to have a fight, and I don’t think the few that we have had, have ever been instigated by Ace. It’s always me, since I tend to just speak my mind without thinking.

I wonder how many other people get upset when I speak my mind, but are really too afraid to tell me that I’ve upset them. I pull a face as a strong breeze blows against my skin, bringing that weird feeling with it again.

‘Chakra……’ Hakuba whispers inside my head, making me frown. Chakra? If it was chakra, wouldn’t I be able to tell?

‘Chakra……’ Hakuba repeats firmly. ‘From……the Nine Tails? No, it isn’t………Wait…’

I roll my eyes at his indecisiveness.

‘Is it chakra from the Nine Tails or not?’ I ask rudely, making Hakuba growl softly.

‘Don’t take that tone with me’ he warns, his voice becoming stronger as I begin to converse with him. ‘From this distance, it’s hard to tell…’

‘Are you sure its chakra that I can feel though?’ I ask, before something occurs to me. ‘And if it is chakra, how come Ace couldn’t feel it?’

Hakuba pauses, seemingly sensing for the apparent chakra again.

‘Yes, it’s definitely chakra……’ he replies, pausing again. ‘And it would seem to be the chakra that the Nine Tails got from me……Perhaps that blonde kid on your team is using his stolen power.’

‘First off Hakuba’ I internally sigh, running a hand down my face. ‘The Nine Tails didn’t get its chakra from you. The Nine Tails is a part of you. Secondly, Naruto didn’t steal that power from anyone. It was sealed inside of him. And thirdly….’

‘What?’ the Demon snaps, annoyed with my attitude.

‘You’re an ass, so get lost’ I command, making Hakuba growl at me.

‘I help you, and you still treat me like dirt’ he muses, shaking his head in disbelief. ‘Humans are truly hideous creatures.’

And then, Hakuba just disappears, leaving me with my own thoughts for the first time in ages. I almost feel bad, knowing that Hakuba’s right. He was just helping me out……..For once.

‘Hey Hakuba?’ I ask, addressing my Demon carefully. I am met with inner silence.

‘Hakuba?’ I ask again. ‘Hakuba, come on! Don’t be such a baby!’

I release a sigh when he continues ignoring me, making my shoulders slump slightly. Somehow, I’d managed to offend even Hakuba. The murderous, blood thirsty Ten Tailed Demon inside my head. How is that even possib-

I am suddenly jarred out of my thoughts, as I walk right into a wall, stumbling backwards.

“Whoa!” a familiar voice barks, as an arm reaches out and wraps around my waist, steadying me. “Careful there Angel!”

I blink a few times, before looking up into the grinning face of Kiba. He chuckles softly and releases me, placing a hand on his hip.

“You’re usually a lot more graceful than that” he laughs, shaking his head at me as I dust myself off, blushing slightly.

“That’s one way to get someone’s attention” Shikamaru murmurs from beside Kiba, carrying a box of what looks to be a mix of different supplies. “Crashing right into them.”

I give Shikamaru an unamused look, before Kiba snaps his fingers in front of my face, bringing my attention back to him,

“You alright Angel?” he inquires, tilting his head and letting a few strands of his messy brown hair fall into his eyes.

Not wanting to blush, I glance back over at a yawning Shikamaru, as he juggles resting the box on his hip and trying to cover his mouth with his hand.

“What are you two doing anyway?” I ask flatly, rubbing the eye hidden under my fringe tiredly. I don’t miss the flicker of concern in Kiba’s eyes, before Shikamaru speaks up.

“Well, Kotetsu and Izumo are busy at the entrance gates” Shikamaru says sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “So Lady Tsunade snagged me and commanded me to bring her some stuff from the store room at the bottom of the Hokage’s Tower. It’s such a drag, but she’s kinda hard to say no to…”

I laugh shortly at that, crossing my arms.

“I don’t think it is” I scoff, as Kiba elbows Shikamaru in the side playfully, making the Nara sigh.

“I just happened to be on my way home from dropping Akamaru off at the Vet” Kiba explains, deadpanning, “Since Hana decided that he absolutely needed a Physical, and I ran into Shikamaru. He somehow dragged me into helping, but that’s the last box. Finally.”

I nod slowly, before flashing my teeth in a wry smile at the two boys, deciding to continue on with my walk.

“Well, you two have heaps of fun with that” I call sarcastically, brushing past them both, only to feel a hand grab my shoulder.

I pause, before turning my head slightly and glancing back over my shoulder. Kiba regards me with kind eyes, a worried frown on his face.

“Angel, what’s the matter?” he asks softly, making my face drop. Why can’t people learn when to leave me alone?

I shrug his hand off of me, and continue with my walk.

“Nothing!” I call brightly, hearing Kiba sigh behind me.

“Can you take that last box by yourself man?” he asks Shikamaru, making me walk more briskly.

“Yeah sure” comes the dry reply. “Good luck with that.”

A few seconds of silence, and then I hear hurried footsteps behind me, as Kiba jogs to catch up with me.

“So, now that Shikamaru’s gone” he says with a light chuckle, appearing beside me. “What’s wrong Angel?”

I raise an eyebrow , tilting my head up and flicking my eyes up to look at his face.

“I already told you” I say pointedly, turning my head back to face forwards with a flick of my hair, “Nothing.”

“I know you said that” Kiba pushes, making me internally growl, “But I also know that you were lying. I know you better than you think Angel, and something’s on your mind.”

“Now that you mention it” I begin sarcastically, frowning at nothing, “You’re beginning to irritate me.”

Kiba pauses in his walking, giving me a questioning look as I roll my eyes and continue walking, not bothered by the fact that he’s stopped.

“Angel, why won’t you tell me what’s wrong?” Kiba asks sadly, jogging past me and turning around, walking backwards in front of me. “You know you can talk to me…..Right?”

I nod briskly, shutting my eyes and keeping up my swift walking pace easily, thanks to my Katsuryoku.

“Right” I agree dryly. “But right now, there’s nothing to talk about, so you can go away.”

Kiba pauses again, a look of hurt no doubt plastered on his face, as I brush past him and open my eyes, happy to not have to look at the caring look on his face anymore.

“Ashley, what’s up with you today?” he asks sharply, obviously getting sick of my attitude. For good reason, I don’t blame him. I’m not even sure why I’m being so cold to everyone today. Stress maybe?

“Nothing!” I explode, whirling around and glaring at Kiba, my jaw clenched tightly. His eyes widen slightly at the look on my face, his brows furrowing in confusion.

“I just have a lot on my mind right now okay?!” I snap, before spinning on my heel and taking off into a quick jog, heading for the forest on the outskirts of the Village. It’s mainly used as a training area, but maybe I’d be able to get some peace and quiet there…..

I skid to a halt, as Kiba suddenly appears ahead of me, back leaning against a wall with his foot resting against the wall as well.

He turns his head slightly, face pulled down into a curious frown. The brunette pushes his hands into the pockets of his black pants, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at me.

“What’s on your mind Ashley?” he asks simply, staring into my eyes and making me look down.

“A lot of stuff, now just……go home or something!” I suggest in an exasperated voice, bending my knees, and suddenly taking off, leaving him behind again.

Normally I admired Kiba’s determined attitude, it was one of the things I loved about him really, but right now, it’s just annoying me. I wish he’d take the not so subtle hint and leave me alone!

I almost shriek with fright, as a hand grabs onto my shoulder tightly.

“Ashley!” Kiba barks, trying to get my attention as I skid to a halt, my eyes wide. How had he been able to keep up with me like that? He never used to be able to. It seems I’d have to pick up the pace a bit if I wanted to outrun the determined brunette.

“Please, stop acting distant like you did when you first arrived here” he pleads, running his free hand through his hair. “Just tell me what’s bothering y-”

Kiba is cut off, as I reach up and grab onto his hand. Pushing chakra into my arms, I tug on his hand with all my might, swinging the tall boy up over my shoulder and into the air.

Bending forwards, I use the momentum to slam Kiba down onto the ground, making him land on his back. I lean back and release his hand, glaring down at Kiba, as he exhales sharply and stares up at me, blinking in surprise.

“Now that hasn’t happened in awhile” he murmurs, as I shake my head and step over him.

“Maybe now you’ll get the hi-IINNT!” The last part of that word comes out as a shocked yell, as Kiba catches my foot between his legs and trips me over, making me crash to the ground.

He easily jumps up, landing on his feet and placing his hands on his hips, smirking at me smugly.

“You forget that I’m not the thirteen year old idiot that I used to be” he informs me smartly, making my eyes narrow. He thinks he can beat me so easily?

“Yeah” I agree, also leaping to my feet, giving Kiba a suspicious look as he crouches down. “The only difference is now you’re sixteen.”

Sensing the muscles in Kiba’s legs beginning to release from their bent position, I leap up into the air, as Kiba launches himself at me.

“What the hell Kiba?!” I growl, landing back on the ground and whirling around as the boy shakes his head and climbs to his feet.

“You’re going to tell me what’s wrong” comes the confident retort, making me growl irritably.

“No!” I snap, before suddenly shooting forwards, racing towards the forest at speed. I grin to myself, seeing the incoming foliage ahead of me, before my eyes suddenly widen.

I dive to the left, narrowly avoiding a skilfully thrown kunai from hitting me in the back.

Glancing back over my shoulder, I see Kiba close behind me, his face blank and his black eyes focused on me.

“Dammit Kiba!” I shout, flipping up into a high tree branch. “Just go away!”

I grit my teeth, whirling around as Kiba swiftly appears on the branch behind me, fists raised threateningly.

“Not happening” he growls, narrowing his eyes and throwing a fast punch for my stomach. I duck underneath it, only for Kiba to swing a powerful kick for my face.

Pumping chakra into my arm, I bend my elbow and push myself up over his kick, before being hit in the side by a sneaky chop from Kiba’s hand.

I tumble across the branch, placing my hands down on the bough and flipping myself over into a crouched position.

“What are you doing?” I ask lowly, not moving from m crouched position, bracing myself as Kiba takes a step towards me, grinning determinedly.

“Trying to beat you up obviously” he says sarcastically, before suddenly launching himself towards me, moving so fast that the untrained eye wouldn’t be able to see him.

I bring up arms up to block another punch from Kiba, before flipping out of the way as he tries to uppercut me.

I land on another branch, only to swing underneath it and drop to the ground as Kiba slams his knee down on the bough, splintering it significantly.

He’s obviously gotten a lot faster in the last two and a half years, even though I’m really not tying at the moment. If I try to fight him, he’ll probably end up dead.

My hooded eyes flick up, watching as Kiba hangs upside down from a branch above me, arms crossed and his signature smirk present on his face.

“You’re not making this any fun Angel” he chuckles lowly, eyes flashing as he takes in the unamused look on my face.

“Maybe because I’m not having any fun” I retort, disappearing around to the other side of the tree, as Kiba abruptly swings down from the branch and whirls around in a kick aimed for my head.

He lands in a crouched position, before sniffing the air, and launching himself after me, somehow managing to stay mere metres behind me as I flip and leap through the trees. I suck in a breath as one of Kiba’s fists shatters the tree trunk beside me, before I wave my arm at the ground, using my Katsuryoku to create a jet of wind and propel myself high into the trees. Kiba comes skidding around the side of the tree, his keen eyes flickering around wildly, trying to find me.

“Come on Angel” he teases from far below me, as I lean my back against the tree and sigh. “You’re not even trying here!”

I raise an eyebrow, as I tilt my head back and gaze up at the clear, blue sky above me.

He wants me to try? What’s he doing?.......Why does he want to fight me anyway? I don’t want to talk to him right now, so what makes him think I want to fight?

I release another sigh and purse my lips in thought. Fighting would be a good way to release some of the tension I’m feeling, and I haven’t fought anyone for ages. Fighting with Kiba would be a pretty good workout, judging by how fast he seems to have gotten.

“Don’t sigh in the middle of a fight” Kiba’s voice scolds from below, making my eyes widen. “I heard you all the way from the ground!”

Kiba suddenly leaps up into the air above me, hands clenching into tight fists. As he falls back down, Kiba spins around and kicks out his foot, aiming to crush his foot into the side of my head.

I narrow my eyes at the fast male and throw my arms out, pouring chakra into my hands. To Kiba’s surprise, I catch his foot easily, breaking him out of his spin. I jerk him down, slamming his back against the bough beneath my feet, before leaning back and hauling him up over my head.

With a grunt, I swing Kiba down powerfully, sending him sailing down towards the ground. Seeing him flip around, to land on the ground on his feet, I suddenly dive down from my branch, disappearing from sight.

“You asked for this” I whisper in Kiba’s ear, appearing right behind him as he falls. Before he can react, I land a swift, chakra fuelled kick to his back, sending him rocketing to the side.

He collides with a tree branch, snapping it clean away from the trunk, before flipping around and skidding to a halt on the ground.

I land gracefully on a low hanging branch, sitting in a crouched position and leaning my elbows on my knees, watching Kiba intently.

Kiba rubs his back, before turning around and glancing at me, one eyebrow quirked up in amusement.

“What?” I ask suspiciously, frowning when he begins laughing softly.

“Good to see you’re finally getting serious” he chuckles, winking at me charmingly and making me sweat drop. Just what is that boy up to?

“I’m still going to beat you though” he smirks, immediately irking my inner Uchiha, who can’t seem to overlook a good challenge.

“That’ll never happen Mutt” I retort, smirking determinedly as we both leap for each other.

*Two Hours Later*

I throw my arm up, blocking a punch from Kiba, before swiftly throwing my leg up into a high kick aimed at his face.

Kiba catches my leg and flips around, pulling me down with him and releasing me at the low point of his flip, sending me tumbling across the dirt.

Flowing chakra into my hands, I spin around and slide to a slow halt, as a panting Kiba charges at me, claws brandished.

I duck under a nasty swipe, before catching his arm on the second swipe and pulling him towards me, jamming my knee up into his stomach.

Kiba coughs a few times, reeling backwards from the impact, before I drop to the ground with my leg outstretched and spin around, attempting to trip him up. With a tired laugh, he jumps over my leg, landing on his arms and doing a back hand spring when I aim another swift kick for his back.

“It’s no fair” I complain, starting to sweat a little from our lengthy fight. “You’re cheating!”

“My All Fours Jutsu counts as Taijutsu” comes the cheeky reply, making me roll my eyes. “And besides! I need it to keep up with you! Even now, I’m struggling, and I know you can move faster than that……Dammit…”

I shrug, pushing some hair back from my face and smiling tiredly.

“Only when I really need to” I reply, watching as Kiba bends over, hands resting on his knees. He closes one eye, breathing heavily as his open eye focuses on me.

“You’ve definitely gotten faster Angel” he compliments, making me wave my hand dismissively as I walk towards him. “You’re hard to hit.”

I pause beside the puffed Inuzuka and lean against his shoulder, looking down at him with a light grin.

“I was gonna say the same thing to you actually” I say fondly, ruffling the brunette’s hair playfully. “I’m quite impressed with your speed Kiba. Your Taijutsu as well. You’ve obviously been training really hard.”

I squeak in surprise as Kiba suddenly wraps his arms around my waist and lifts me off of the ground, spinning in a circle.

“Thanks for noticing” he brags, hugging me tightly and making me giggle with embarrassment. I pat Kiba’s head a few times, making him sigh into my skin as he drops me back onto the ground, hands still on my waist.

I feel him staring at me, making me drop my gaze down to the ground. I hate when he stares at me, his eyes are just so intense sometimes.

“Are you feeling better now Angel?” Kiba asks me softly, making me look up at him shyly.

“What do you mean?” I ask, tilting my head. Kiba grins at me cheekily.

“Well, you weren’t exactly friendly before” he informs me, raising an eyebrow. “But now you seem fine, which I was expecting actually. It seems my genius plan worked!”

I frown at Kiba, not understanding his idiotic words as they fall out of his mouth.

“Genius plan?” I ask doubtfully. “What genius plan? And wait, when has anything you’ve ever said been genius?”

Kiba pouts at me, before heaving a sigh and hugging me to his chest, one hand sliding up my back to hold the back of my head.

I feel my cheeks heat up slightly at his actions, my hands grasping onto the front of his leather jacket.

“Ignoring that insult of yours” he chuckles softly. “I drew you into a sparring match, to try and help relieve some of the stress you were obviously under. Sometimes a good spar can clear your mind, get rid of some built up tension. Trust me, when you were gone, Shino and I had some killer sparring matches. Hinata always got so worried that we really were going to kill each other.”

I laugh into Kiba’s jacket, leaning back and gazing up at him with shining eyes. It was pretty thoughtful of him I guess. Even though he’s an idiot like Naruto, he always seems to know how to make me feel better.

“Yeah, I actually feel a lot better now” I smile, before rising onto my toes and giving Kiba a swift, embarrassed peck on the cheek. “Thanks Mutt.”

Kiba blinks in surprise, before his face darkens and he frowns down at me, making my heart just about stop.

“Wh-what?” I ask unsurely. “What’s wrong?” Kiba shakes his head, grabbing my chin in one of his hands, glaring at me cutely.

“Not good enough” he growls. “I just did something really smart, so I deserve a better reward than a kiss on the cheek.”

“A kiss on the nose?” I offer innocently, making Kiba roll his eyes.

“Nope, not what I was going for” he sighs, before shaking his head and leaning down, pressing his lips softly to mine.

My eyes automatically close, my body reacting to him instantly. My grip on his jacket tightens, as I try to push myself up higher, wanting to be closer to him.

I hear Kiba chuckling against my mouth, the sound reverberating through his chest. His arm tightens around my waist, as he begins kissing me a bit more fiercely, making my cheeks warm. Kiba strokes my cheek with his thumb, as our mouths move in sync with each other, a soft, almost inaudible moan escaping from my throat.

I couldn’t help it! I didn’t even realise the sound came from me until it had already happened! How embarrassing! I feel Kiba smile against my mouth, clearly amused with my reaction to his kiss.

I pull away after a few more seconds, needing air, as my heart pounds against my ribcage and my cheeks flush. My eyes drop down to the ground shyly, as Kiba laughs lightly, his warm breath fanning across my face.

“It’s so funny how you’re pretty much afraid of nothing” Kiba muses, looking over my head thoughtfully as I stare at the ground, “Yet one kiss from me shuts you right up. I must be pretty amazing to be able to do that.”

My lower jaw juts forwards, as my head snaps back to glare at Kiba.

“What?” he asks innocently, making me roll my eyes and release a sigh.

“You’re amazing alright” I mutter sarcastically. “Trust you to ruin a moment with your asshole-ish comments. Stupid Mutt……”

Kiba smiles down at me charmingly, hooding his eyes as his sharp teeth shine brightly in the sunlight.

“Love you too Angel.”

Yeah, don't judge me, romance just ain't my thing :/ I try though :P

Lol, hopefully you enjoyed the chappy, and that concludes the story of how Hakuba came to the Land of Ambience. If you remember, Ashley explained this story, very very briefly, to Kakashi during the Chunin Exams, when he was sealing Sasuke's curse mark, and I just randomly thought it might be interesting if I elaborated on it a bit :)

40 Votes til next chapter, and please drop me a comment or something haha. And none of you seem to want to vomit rainbows, so I won't suggest it again ;P PEACE!