Edited 20/04/2019

Third Person's POV

A young Ashley scowls at the pink haired girl before her, arms crossed and her lips pursed in deep thought. She stares without blinking, unsure of her answer, when the older girl finally heaves a sigh.

"C'mon Ley-chan" she urges impatiently. "Kiyu-chan already picked her element! You have to pick one too!"

"But I don't know Kurai!" Ashley whines, shoulders drooping. "Mommy said that Kiyu is naturally good using earth, so of course she knew what she was gonna pick......But I'm not just good at any of them!"

Sitting beside the frustrated girl, Ace merely rolls his eyes and says nothing. He'd heard this argument too many times already.

"Just like, pick earth" a lean, grey Wolf pup encourages, lying on his back with his feet in the air. "Kiyu-chan is already like, so good at it man. I bet you could get it too."

"Keilor, Ley-chan has to pick it herself......" Kiyumi informs her Guardian softly, her hands behind her back.

"Your sister is right" Kurai says with a firm nod, one finger in the air. "You gotta pick an element, and I'm gonna help you!"

"But I don't know what one to pick" Ashley complains, repeating herself for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Well, only the Chief is strong enough to use all of the elements" Kurai scolds, forcing herself to frown in a bid to seem serious. "So you gotta pick one and get really good at it!"

A brown and grey Wolf pup trots over, his fur rough and coarse. He nudges Kurai's arm, before wagging his tail and looking to Ashley.

"Sinun pitäisi valita tuuli" he advises, to which Ashley sighs again and Kurai grins broadly, her fuchsia eyes shining. 'You should pick wind.'

"But I can't Tamashi" Ashley reminds him, jabbing one had at her pink haired friend. "Kurai is the best wind user around our age. I don't wanna compete with her."

"Wind is the best element" Kurai boasts, eager for Ashley to focus on the same element as her. "C'mon Ley-chan, let's learn together!"

"........" Ashley stares at Kurai with a flat expression, not totally convinced by her friend's excitement.

"Well, if you don't want to learn earth or wind" Kiyumi suggests quietly, looking at the ground and shrugging, "Why don't you try water?"

"But Mom is the best water user the Land of Ambience has ever seen" Ashley says pointedly. "There's no way I'd ever be as good as her....."

"Well, Saffire is learning how to use water" Kurai reminds Ashley, to which the blonde girl merely shrugs. "You could learn it with your best friend!"

"We'll never get anything done" Ashley answers knowingly, a faint smile of amusement on her face.

"Then that would just leave the element of fire Milady" Ace states, holding back a sigh when he sees the girl sweat drop. At this rate, she'd never decide on an element...

"Oh, that guy Shimei is a fire user!" Kurai remembers, a dreamy expression crossing her face at the thought. "He's already so good too......The Chief thinks he's going to be one of the best when he's grown up!"

"Um......" Ashley pauses, doubtful. "I dunno about fire you guys. Isn't it super hard to learn?"

"Duh" Kurai giggles, hands on her hips. "That's what training is for! You might be really good at it Ley-chan. Have you ever even tried to use fire before?"

"Ashley and Kiyu aren't allowed to like, even try using fire near the house man" Keilor informs Kurai, blinking slowly. "Ashley tried it once and the curtains totally caught on fire."

"Hey!" Ashley barks, embarrassed. "I said not to tell everyone!"

"So, if you don't wanna use fire, or water, or earth, or wind" Kurai lists the elements, brows furrowing slightly, "Then what are you gonna pick Ley-chan? You have to pick something."

Ashley dumps herself on the ground, a cloud hanging over her head as she sighs yet again.

"I don't know" she replies, sounding defeated. "Even Mom keeps asking me which element I want. She keeps saying I'll just know which one to pick, but I don't! I'm the worst Minami ever...."

"Aw come on Ley-chan" Kurai tries to cheer the younger girl up, squatting down and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You're not the worst ever. My Mom and Dad always say that this is one of the biggest decision we'll ever make, so you don't have to rush. Kay?"

Ashley looks up at the smiling face of Kurai, before turning to her twin sister. Kiyumi stares back, through wide, concerned eyes. Seeing that, Ashley immediately feels bad for being so difficult.

Kiyumi was very sensitive sometimes and whenever Ashley was upset, her younger sister always felt it. Ashley usually tried to be cheerful, so that she'd never upset Kiyumi.

"Come now Milady, stand up" Ace instructs gently, placing his head under the girl's arm. "Do not beat yourself up about this. You will know which element to pick at the right time, I am sure."

"Yeah" Kurai agrees, bouncing up. "I guess it doesn't matter right now anyway! You're only six, so you've still got ages to pick!"

"You say that like you're so much older than me" Ashley pouts, to which Kurai and Kiyumi begin to giggle.

Suddenly, Ace, Tamashi and Keilor all turn their heads, their ears pricked up in alarm.

"Like, what is that smell?" Keilor asks, slowly climbing to his feet and automatically moving closer to Kiyumi. "It's totally gross...."

"What is it Tamashi?" Kurai inquires, head tilting to the side. "Is someone cooking something bad?"

The Wolf shakes his head, the fur on the back of his neck beginning to stand on end. He didn't know what it was, but it sure didn't seem......right.....

"I do not like this" Ace announces, stepping around Ashley to stand before her. "It seems to be coming closer-"

Everyone freezes, at the sound of a distant howl, soon followed by more and more howling down at the main part of the island.

Kiyumi begins to tremble, her eyes wavering as she places one hand on Keilor's back and curls her fingers into his fur. Kurai and Ashley look at each other through wide eyes, while Ace and Tamashi both begin to growl, their heads lowering.

"Don't worry Kiyu" Keilor assures the blonde girl, though he continues to stare ahead. "I'll like, protect you and stuff."

"We need to get Mommy...." Ashley whispers, nervously looking into the trees as an uneasy silence seems to fall around the girls and their Wolves.

"Y-Yeah...." Kurai whispers back, her eyes darting around. "I don't know what's going on, but we-"

Suddenly, two humanoid creatures burst out from the trees, one of them wobbling as he runs, causing him to move in an irrational pattern. He grins at the children, missing a large number of teeth, as he pulls out a kunai knife.

The other man's eyes, almost complete white, bulge out of his head. His thin hair, long and wispy, looks as if most of it has been ripped out of his scalp. He staggers forwards, cuts and bruises adorning his flesh, which is sickly pale.

Ashley, Kurai and Kiyumi all let out terrified screams, each child completely frozen in place by the nightmarish vision before them. They had never seen something so horrific in all of their lives!

Ace and Keilor immediately charge forwards to meet the creatures head on, while Tamashi throws back his head and lets out a howl, a large scythe made out of bones appearing between his teeth.

Keilor, being the fastest of the Wolves, streaks ahead of Ace and leaps for the man with the long hair, his teeth bared in unusual aggression. He was usually so laid back, but if the life of his precious Kiyumi was on the line, he wasn't afraid to attack.

As the man slashes at Keilor with long nails, the Wolf lands on his arm, and with a snap of his jaws, latches onto the man's neck.

Seeing that Keilor has the first man, Ace charges straight past them and tackles the second one, knocking him off balance.

"You foul creature" the pup roars, fangs exposed. "How dare you threaten Milady and her friends!"

The man moans in response, stumbling back and forth for a few moments, before he heaves himself forwards, grinning manically. He pulls out a second kunai and begins to slash at Ace with them. The Wolf manages to dart around and avoid the hits, when he spares a glance over at Keilor to see if he needs any help. To his relief, he sees Tamashi running over, scythe at the ready.

"Rarghh!" Ace howls in pain, as he is suddenly sliced across the face with a kunai. The Wolf pup is sent reeling to the side, his eye searing with pain.

"Ace!" Ashley cries out, running towards her injured Wolf as the man stumbles after him.

Before anyone can do anything further, a voice calls out and stops them.

"Out of the way!" Aeri Minami orders, sprinting towards the girls from out out of the trees, eyes narrowed and her own sharp teeth bared.

The woman had been down at the main part of the Village that morning and as soon as things had suddenly taken a turn, she had immediately rushed back towards her house to protect her girls.

A furious looking Kiyuna races right past her partner, eyes fixed on her pup. She ducks under Ashley, scooping the young girl up onto her back, before sliding in front of the humanoid man and carefully picking Ace up by the back of the neck.

She runs the two a safe distance away and then whirls around. With a thunderous growl, Kiyuna's whole body bursts into flame and she charges forwards once again.

"A-Ace..." Ashley whimpers, cuddling the Wolf as he hangs his head, blood dripping from his closed eye.

Coming to a stop in front of the man that Keilor and Tamashi have been fighting, Aeri's eyes start to glow, as water begins to appear out of thin air and pools around the man's feet. It swiftly turns to ice, freezing the creature in place.

"Demons don't belong in the Land of Ambience" Aeri informs it, unperturbed as it begins to screech horribly.

A thick pillar of water materialises above Aeri's head, swiftly forming a sharp tip and freezing into ice. The huge icicle then speeds forwards and lodges itself straight through the creature's chest, sending blood spurting out of its back.

With a final screech, it falls to the ground in a heavy heap, its body crumpling and its eyes wide open.

Looking over at Kiyuna, Aeri sees the charred remains of the second creature, as the flames surrounding her Wolf's body disappear. She looks to Aeri with great concern, before the two Mothers run to their children.

"Mommy!" Kiyumi cries helplessly, running into her Mother's arms. Aeri scoops Kiyumi and Kurai into her arms, with both girls clinging to her desperately.

Kurai wasn't her daughter, but she had been good friends with Ashley and Kiyumi since they had been born and she may as well have been Aeri's daughter.

"Ace darling..." Kiyuna murmurs, licking the pup's face gently.

"I-I'm really sorry Ace" Ashley whispers, her legs trembling as tears fall from her wide eyes.

She'd never seen anything like those two men before. They were something out of a complete nightmare and to make matters worse, Ace had gotten seriously hurt while trying to protect her.

"It is not your fault Ashley dear" Kiyuna assures the girl in a soft tone, her dark eyes warm. "My son was doing his duty.......Very bravely...."

"Mother...." Ace speaks up, his voice strained. "My eye hurts......And I cannot see...."

"....Turn to me dear" Kiyuna instructs, inspecting the damage with a strained look on her face.

"Ashley, come here" Aeri calls, seeing the distressed expression on her eldest daughter's face.

Ashley looks over at her Mother and sees the tear stained faces of Kurai and Kiyumi looking back at her, with her sister still bawling loudly. Struggling not to sob as well, Ashley runs over to Aeri and hugs her tightly, feeling somehow guilty for what had happened to Ace.

"It stings when I open my eye..." Ace tells Kiyuna, squinting up at her through his injured eye. "I cannot see anything anyway....."

"It is alright my son" Kiyuna hushes the pup, placing her paw on his back as he hangs his head again. "We will see the healers and get your eye fixed once this is all sorted out...."

"Kiyuna" Aeri addresses, sounding serious. "What's going on here?"

"I do not know Mistress" the Wolf replies, shaking her head. "But after what we saw down in the Village..........I fear we may have been invaded."

"But how is that possible?" Aeri asks rhetorically, trying not to let her distress show, to keep the children from further fear. "There are water specialists watching the oceans around the island. The sea is the only way to get here and if they had seen something approaching, they would have caused tidal waves or whirlpools or something......"

"Perhaps the Land of Lightning is invading us?" Kiyuna suggests warily. "They are our closest neighbours."

"......Those didn't look like any Cloud Ninja I've ever seen" Aeri dismisses, frowning in thought. "They almost look like those creatures from a long time ago........In any case, we need to find Chief Dashi. He'll know what's going on and what we need to do."

"I agree Mistress" Kiyuna nods, rising to her feet.

"Okay" Aeri says with a nod, taking a moment to release her breath, before also standing up. "Come on girls, inside the house."

"Sh-Should I go home?" Kurai asks nervously.

"No" Aeri responds firmly, gently ushering the three young girls towards the front door. "I don't want you going anywhere until I know that it's safe. That goes for all of you."

"Come along dears" Kiyuna ushers quietly, nudging Keilor, Ace and Tamashi into the house as well.

Ashley, Kiyumi and Kurai all look up at Aeri through fearful eyes, as the woman stares back down at them, clearly troubled. She didn't want to leave them alone, but just sitting around here while something very bad happened down in the Village wasn't an option either.

"Keilor, Ace and Tamashi" Aeri addresses seriously. "I need you all to keep the girls safe while I'm gone, alright? I know you're injured Ace, but right now......Right now something is happening in our homeland, and I need to help."

"We understand Mistress" Ace replies tightly, still in pain. "We will guard them with our lives."

"Yeah" Keilor obliges, head tilting to the side. "Don't like, worry about it."

"Ei ongelmaa!" Tamashi agrees. 'No problem!'

"Be safe dears" Kiyuna says with a faint smile, nuzzling both Ace and Keilor. "We will be back for you shortly."

"Y-You're gonna leave us here Mommy?" Kiyumi asks, sounding somewhat panicked, as her eyes fill with tears again. "Please don't....I'm scared....."

Aeri crouches down and smiles at her daughter, before pulling both Kiyumi and Ashley in for a hug.

"I have to go for now" the woman explains softly, "But I'll be back as soon as I can......Please don't cry Kiyu. Keilor and Ace will look after you, and Ashley, Kurai and Tamashi are here too.....You'll be okay."

"Y-Yeah Kiyu-chan" Kurai speaks up, smiling bravely. "We're gonna be fine! We'll um....We'll play games u-until your Mom gets back!........"

Aeri smiles appreciatively at the pink haired girl, as Kiyu tearfully turns to her, wiping at her eyes and nodding. Ashley merely stares at her Mother, brows furrowing slightly.

".........We love you Mommy" the girl says seriously. "Please don't take too long..."

"I love you girls" Aeri answers, kissing each daughter on the top of their heads, before she rises to her feet and walks over to the doorway. "Be good."

That said, Aeri closes the door behind her and shuts her eyes, hands balling into fists down by her sides.

"Come Mistress" Kiyuna encourages the uncertain woman. "We must not delay. You have made a good decision. Keilor, Tamashi and my son will protect the children in our absence."

".....I know Kiyuna" Aeri sighs, opening her eyes. "It's just....Hard to leave them in a situation like this. I know what they'll be thinking...."

"This will not play out the same way" Kiyuna states firmly. "Do not think of what happened to your husband now. You will return to them."

Aeri sends her Guardian an unsteady smile, not entirely sure she is ready to face whatever is down in the Village. Whether she was ready or not though, she had to do something to protect her home and her children.

Aeri takes a moment to breathe in and out, trying to calm herself down.

"Alright Kiyuna" the woman commands, "Let's go!"

"........They're gone" Ashley informs the others, watching through a window as Aeri and Kiyuna sprint towards the Village.

The girl watches as they disappear down the hill and into the dense trees. In the distance, pillars of smoke rise eerily up into the bright blue sky.

"What do you think is going on out there?" Kurai asks quietly, as Ashley climbs down from the window sill and Kiyumi grabs onto Keilor, cuddling him. "And what were those...those......things? They were like.....zombie people or something! They were gross and creepy and-"

"Kurai" Ashley scolds, hands on her hips. "Stop it. You're scaring Kiyu."

"N-No she's not" Kiyumi argues, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Perhaps it is best to speak of a different topic for now...." Ace suggests in a low voice, to which Kurai and Kiyumi both nod in agreement.

Ashley frowns at her sister for a few moments, before sighing heavily and disappearing into another room. She soon returns with a small roll of bandages and stops in front of Ace.

"Here Ace, lemme wrap this around your eye" she instructs, to which the young Wolf flinches.

"Do you know what you are doing Milady?" Ace asks doubtfully.

"I just have to wrap it around your head" Ashley huffs. "It's not that hard."

"Very well" Ace sighs, giving in. "Please be gentle...."

Nodding, Ashley grows very serious as she slowly and carefully begins to wrap the bandage around Ace's head, as best she can. After a few minutes of heavy concentration, Ashley steps back to admire her handiwork.

Ace looks back at her with a flat expression, his ears laid back. Ashley had done a sloppy job, but the bandages would hold for now at least. It was basically what the Wolf had expected of his young partner.

"Does your eye still hurt Ace?" Kurai inquires, Tamashi lying down beside her.

"......Very much so" Ace answers in a monotonous voice, his disdain for the question very clear. Of course it was still hurting.

"Hän yrittää vain keskustella..." Tamashi reprimands quietly. 'She is only trying to make conversation...'

".....Please don't cry Kiyu..." Keilor murmurs, nuzzling into the girl's hair. "It's like, totally gonna be fine, okay? Your Mom will be back like, super soon."

"Really?" Kiyumi asks tearfully, looking up at her Guardian, only to completely freeze in place.

"Kiyu?" Keilor asks, confused. "What's the matter? Are you like, cold or something?"

Everyone turns to look at a now terrified Kiyumi, with Ashley and Kurai exchanging worried expressions. Ashley walks over and kneels down beside her sister, one hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Kiyu?" Ashley asks in a soft voice. "What's the matter?"

"L-L-L......Look...." Kiyumi stutters, barely able to speak.

Brows knitting together in confusion, Ashley raises her head and glances around, only for her eyes to land on the window she'd been looking out of earlier.

Also freezing in place, Ashley feels the hairs on the back of her neck raise, an uncomfortable chill travelling up her spine.

Staring into the window with his forehead pressed against the glass, a mutant man stands outside of the house, his yellow eyes focused intensely on the girls. One side of his mouth pulls up into a creepy smile, his teeth thin and pointed, as if they had been filed down.

"I-It's another one of those things" Kurai hisses quietly, though her alarm is very evident. "What do we do?"

"Älä tee mitään" Tamashi instructs, his muscles tensing. "Eivät liiku....."

'Do nothing. Do not move.....'

Everyone in the room remains perfectly still, their hearts pounding in their chests, as the creature continues to stare at them, unblinking. After what seems like an eternity, the humanoid lurches away from the window with a grunt and trudges off, out of sight.

Kurai and Ashley both let out deep sighs of relief, though all three Wolves are far less relaxed. They all climb to their feet and step forwards, now growling at the door.

Before the girls can ask what their Guardians are doing, a hideous roar thunders from outside of the house, before the front door is suddenly blown off of its hinges.

Ashley, Kurai and Kiyumi all scream, tiny shreds of the door billowing into the room around them. Now standing in the doorway, the creature grins again, his yellow eyes narrowing at the children before him. He raises both arms, bulging grotesquely, to reveal sharp claws at the end of his fingers.

Keilor, Ace and Tamashi bare their teeth at the creature, their ears back and their hackles raised. Kurai stares at the beast through wide eyes, noticing its sharp claws. Not wanting anything to happen to her Guardian or her friends, Kurai gulps and takes a step forwards.

Activating her Katsuryoku, the young girl then swings both arms forwards and, with a yell, sends a powerful gale of wind blasting straight into the creature. It shrieks as it is hit with the attack, the force of it sending him sprawling right back out of the house and onto his back.

Kurai stares straight ahead, breathing raggedly, her shoulders rising up and down. Her legs tremble beneath her, about to give out, when Tamashi turns to her.

"Hyvin tehty!" the Wolf exclaims with pride, before immediately throwing his head back and letting out a howl. 'Well done!'

With a small puff of smoke, a large scythe made of bones appears between Tamashi's teeth. Gripping it tightly, the Wolf then throws his head forwards, sending his chakra flowing into the strange weapon as he does.

A large arc of chakra slices away from the scythe and collides with the creature Kurai had knocked over. As it does, the skull at the tip of Tamashi's scythe seems to come to life. Its eyes begin to glow brightly as the jaws open wide, chakra being drawn from the creature and straight into the scythe's mouth.

After a few moments, the skull ceases glowing and the chakra flowing into it fades away, just as the creature outside stops moving.

"Olen tyhjennetty kaiken luomisen energian" Tamashi says gravely, as his scythe vanishes into thin air. "Se on kuollut".

'I have drained all of the creature's energy. It is dead.'

"We cannot stay here" Ace decides. "We must seek shelter elsewhere."

"But Mommy said to stay here" Kiyumi cries, her voice full of panic. "She won't be able to find us when she comes back!"

"It is no longer safe here" Ace explains patiently, though he feels restless. "Your Mother would prefer you to be safe."

"A-Ace is right...." Ashley agrees reluctantly, her heart still thudding. "We have to go somewhere else."

"C'mon Kiyu" Keilor encourages, trying to sound cheerful. "We gotta go, but we'll like, come back later okay? Then your Mom will totally be able to find us."

"......O-Okay...." Kiyumi says with a nod, though she clings tightly to Keilor as she climbs to her feet.

"Tamashi, please help me outside" Ace requests, heading for the door. "We will make sure things are safe."

As Tamashi runs after Ace, Ashley steps over to Kurai, who still hasn't moved. She tentatively places a hand on her friend's arm, something that seems to catch Kurai's attention.

"Are you okay Kurai?" Ashley asks, only to see that the girl's eyes have filled with tears.

".....I want to go home" she whispers. "I don't like this. It's too scary....."

"You can't go home Kurai" Ashley reminds her friend. "My Mom said to stay here. It isn't safe to run off!"

"Well it isn't safe to just stay here either!" Kurai shouts, frustrated. She quickly takes a deep breath and gives Ashley an apologetic look. "I-I'm sorry Ley-chan, I'm just.....I'm scared and I don't know if my parents are okay or not....."

Tamashi turns back and whines from the doorway, with Ashley trudging over and sending Ace an imploring look. What were they supposed to do?

"Ugh...." the Wolf cringes, still in a great deal of pain, as he slowly walks back over. "I do not know the correct answer in this situation, but I do know, that we must stay together......"

"Well, we can't like, head down into the main Village" Keilor says, forehead wrinkling in thought. "I dunno about you guys, but man, it seems pretty dangerous down there."

"Ehkä metsä?" Tamashi suggests, looking towards the trees.

'Perhaps the forest?'

"Those things came from the forest" Ashley reminds everyone, also warily turning her head to look into the dense trees. "We'll probably run into a million of them in there...."

"Mommy's gonna get killed, isn't she?" Kiyumi sobs dismally, stepping outside with everyone else. "First Daddy died and now Mommy's gonna die too! And then we're probably gonna-"

"Kiyu stop" Kurai begs, interrupting the younger girl and placing her hands over her ears. "That's not helping right now..."

Ashley stares over at her sister, eyes hooded and her mouth set in a firm line. While she didn't like what Kiyu had said, the girl propably wasn't wrong and Ashley knew it. They all knew it...

"Maybe we should just find the Chief?" Ashley suggests dubiously, shrugging her shoulders. "He'd know what to do."

"H-How are we supposed to find him?" Kiyumi asks, wiping at her eyes.

"Our Wolves should be able to find his scent, right?" Ashley asks, turning to the three Canines for confirmation.

They looks amongst themselves, all three sweat dropping at the prospect.

"Well, it is not that we cannot locate them..." Ace responds hesitantly, only for Keilor to step forwards.

"There's just like, a lot going on down there" he finishes, nodding wisely, though he seems concerned. "I can smell about a million different things right now. Hard to pick just like, one thing, ya know?"

"Kiyu-chan is an Earth user right?" Kurai speaks up, brows furrowed in thought. "Can she track people yet?"

"Huh?" the blonde girl squeaks, before vigorously shaking her head in a panic. "N-No! That's way too advanced for me Kurai-chan! I only started last year! I can't do something like that......"

Kurai's shoulders slump, the girl seemingly disappointed, though she nods her head in understanding. It did take a very skilled Earth user to be able to track people through vibrations only. It wasn't Kiyumi's fault that she was just a kid.

"Scent it is then" Ashley decides with a sigh, highly unenthusiastic about what they were all about to do. "Come on guys, lets go. We can't stay here anymore."

"Woah, hang on!" Kurai argues, grabbing onto Ashley's arm and pulling her back as she begins to walk towards the forest. "We can't go in there Ley-chan! It's way too-"

"We have to go" Ashley interrupts defiantly. "More of them are going to come up here and the only way down to the Village is through this forest."

"That may be true" Kurai agrees, still tying to tug Ashley back, "But even if we do go in there, how are we supposed to fight those things? Ace is injured, Keilor and Tamashi have already used a lot of chakra, Kiyumi is too scared to fight and I'm not strong enough to fight them all on my own! Plus, you haven't even picked an element yet, so you don't know how to fight with your Katsuryoku! We'll get killed in th-"

Ashley rips her arm from Kurai's grip and glares into the forest, baring her teeth at it in annoyance.

Okay, so she couldn't fight with a Katsuryoku yet, so what? Doing something was better than sitting here doing nothing and waiting for more of those things to find them.

"My Daddy and Itachi-kun have taught me how to fight" Ashley informs Kurai lowly, to which the pink haired girl pauses, an uneasy look in her eyes.

".......With chakra?" she asks, the concept rather foreign to her.

Ashley nods once and begins walking towards the forest, her body shaking and her heart pounding. While it may have been true that she had been trained a few times in the Leaf Village by members of her Uchiha family, what Ashley hadn't mentioned is that her training was very insignificant. She couldn't wield kunai or other weapons properly and she certainly didn't have any Ninjutsu hidden up her sleeve. The best the six year old could do was basic Taijutsu and activating her Sharingan. She couldn't even do anything impressive with that yet....

Ashley gulps as she enters the forest, fully aware of her unimpressive strength. She didn't stand a chance against one of those weird zombie people, but....

"Wait for us Ley-chan!" Kurai urgently calls from behind, to which the blonde pauses and looks back over her shoulder with relief.

She wouldn't have been able to do this by herself.

"Milady, you are reckless" Ace admonishes, stopping at the girl's side and shaking his head. "Walking off on your own, how silly."

"Well, it got you guys to move at least" Ashley replies, smiling sheepishly.

Clinging to Keilor's fur with one hand, a teary eyed Kiyumi stares at her older sister as she approaches. She didn't want to be here and she certainly didn't want to find anymore of those creepy things, but she trusted Ashley. Her sister had always been the braver one, even if she couldn't use her Katsuryoku properly yet.
"Meidän on oltava hiljaisia....." Tamashi mutters, lowering his head as he gazes around the shadowy forest.

'We must be quiet.....'

"Y-Yeah..." Kurai agrees, nodding and glancing around cautiously. "No more talking guys. We gotta be real quiet and not make any noise."

Everyone else nods in understanding, though no one seems confident about the decision to move through the forest.

Seeing the scared look on her sister's face, Ashley takes a hold of Kiyumi's hand and sends her a reassuring smile, despite her own fear. She places one finger to her lips and then tilts her head to the side, leading Kiyumi as they all head deeper into the forest.

The girls and their Wolves proceed carefully, jumping at every sound they hear, no matter how small. Ace, Keilor and Tamashi keep their ears pricked and their noses raised, alert for any possible danger that may approach them.

They each had a duty to fulfil and they were going to do everything in their power to do just that.

After a few minutes of slow procession, all three Wolves suddenly pause and turn their heads slightly to the right. Their reaction causes Ashley, Kiyumi and Kurai to freeze, their hearts thudding loudly against their chests.

"One is coming this way" Ace murmurs as quietly as he can, already nudging Ashley and Kiyumi behind a tree.

Keilor, staring in the direction of the approaching threat, slowly walks backwards, towards Kiyumi. Tamashi takes a hold of the hem of Kurai's dress and tugs her behind a large bush, standing over the girl as she crouches down and hugs her knees.

Everything is silent for another few moments, when the sound of quiet footsteps reaches the girls' ears. Kiyumi presses her back up against the tree as tightly as she can, her eyes wavering as a faint whimper escapes her lips. To get her attention, Ashley squeezes her sister's hand. Kiyumi immediately turns to look at her older sister, only to see that she had one finger in front of her lips again.

"Keep looking at me Kiyu" Ashley whispers, to which Ace turns and shakes his head at her for speaking.

Kiyumi's trembling increases as the footsteps grow closer and closer, someone's feet crunching through the fallen leaves. The girl throws her free hand over her mouth to keep from making any sound, though she tries to focus on only her sister's face.

Over at the large bush, Kurai's breathe falters, as a pair of large feet stomp past her. Tamashi flattens himself over the girl, to keep her hidden, as he readies himself to attack, should the beast see him.

Glancing away from her sister as something suddenly appears around the tree they're hiding behind, Ashley can't help the way her eyes widen at the creature stumbling past.

With sickly pale skin and uneven, bulking muscles, the creature that may very well have been a man once, slowly walks past them, its arms outstretched. It's mouth hangs open, drool hanging from its cracked lips. Worst of all though, its eyelids have been completed sown shut, thick black wire forcing the folds of skin together.

Seeing Ashley's reaction, Kiyumi can't help turning her head to see what the creature looks like. Upon laying her eyes on the beast, the young girl is unable to stop a terrified scream from leaving her throat.

To everyone's horror, the creature immediately wrenches its neck around to face Kiyumi and lets out an awful shriek. It immediately lunges forwards, arms out in front of it.

Ashley pulls Kiyumi to her, as Ace and Keilor leap onto the creature's back, sinking their sharp fangs into its flesh. It lets out another shriek, the agonised sound piercing everyone's ears.

It reaches up and grips each Wolf by the throat with its clawed hands, ripping them from its back and flinging them away. Large shreds of skin are torn from the beast, though it doesn't seem to care, now growling madly.

Keilor yelps as he crashes into a tree and then collapses to the ground in a heap, as Ace is thrown straight into a small boulder. He bounces off the top of it and disappears over the other side.

"Ace!" Ashley cries out in distress, only for the creature's face to turn towards her and Kiyumi.

"Tamashi come on!" Kurai shouts, as both she and her Guardian leap out of their hiding place to help, Tamashi's scythe already summoned.

Not wanting her sister to get hurt, Ashley shoves Kiyumi away from her as forcefully as she can, before letting out a shout to keeps its focus on her.

Kiyumi stumbles to the ground, a few metres away from her sister and the monster.

"Ashley-chan!" the girl screams, though the creature remains focused on her sister.

Ashley, now walking backwards, continues to shout at the ugly beast, to keep its focus on her. She may not be able to fight it, but she wasn't about to let it hurt her little sister!

The beast suddenly takes a swipe at Ashley, its large claws hands catching the hem of her shirt and ripping it. Taken by surprise, Ashley falls over backwards and remains still for a second, only glancing down to see if there was any blood.

She quickly looks back up and gasps however, when the beast roars above her, raising both clawed hands up into the air

"Ashley-chan!" Kiyumi cries out, desperately climbing to her feet and throwing her arms out in front of her.

Ashley ducks her head and covers herself with her arms as the creature brings its claws down upon her, only to hear a loud thud right in front of her face.

For a few moments, Ashley remains frozen in place, only uncurling from her defensive position when she realised that the monster hadn't attacked her.

She lets out a squeak of fright and scoots backwards however, seeing a rocky dome right in front of her, the creature nowhere in sight.

"What....." Ashley trails off.

"A-Are you okay Ley-chan?" Kiyumi asks as she runs over, falling on top of her sister in a hug and crying her eyes out.

"You did this Kiyu-chan?" Ashley inquires in disbelief, before grinning at her sister. "Alright!"

"That was impressive Kiyu-chan!" Kurai praises the girl, placing a hand over her heart and sighing with relief.

"....Open that dome...." a gravelly voice commands, the angry tone causing everyone to turn around.

They see Keilor shaking himself off, also looking towards the voice. Ace, standing atop the boulder he'd been thrown at, has his head lowered and his ears back. He jumps down from the boulder and stalks over, focused on the rocky dome that Kiyumi had created.

"Why Ace?" Ashley asks warily, climbing to her feet and pulling Kiyumi up with her. "It doesn't seem like it can get out."

"I am going to incinerate it" Ace answers coldly, jumping up onto the dome. "It tried to kill you and so, I will return the favour."

Ashley watched to determined Wolf for a few seconds with a troubled expression on her face, before heaving a sigh and nodding to her sister.

Taking a deep breath to try and calm down, Kiyumi raises her arms slowly and partially brings them back down.

Everyone hears the creature roaring as the top of the dome is opened, to which they can't help wincing. With a furious growl, Ace's whole body suddenly lights up with fire, before drops down into the dome.

There is a loud scuffling inside the tiny prison, before the beast lets out a hideous scream and a blast of fire blows out of the opening of the dome, almost looking like a volcanic eruption.

As everything falls silent again, Ace jumps out of the dome and sits back on the ground, his back to everyone. His shoulders rise and fall as he breathes heavily, having expended far more chakra than necessary.

He couldn't help it though. That beast had been one step away from killing his beloved partner and it had made him angry.

"A-Ace?" Ashley finally asks, approaching the Wolf and placing a hand on his back. "Are you ok-"

"I am very sorry for letting that creature get so close to you Milady" Ace interjects sharply, mad at himself. "I am a failure of a Guardian. I promise, it will never happen again...."

"It's alright Ace....." Ashley responds softly, running her fingers through his fur. "I'm okay......And you're not a failure."

Ace lifts his head and stares at Ashley for a few moments, before heaving a sigh and rising to his feet. While he may not seem it to anyone else, Ashley knew he was relieved.

"We had better keep going" the navy Wolf instructs. "Remember, be silent and keep to hiding behind trees and bushes. Do no walk in any open spaces."

"Right" everyone agrees quietly, though there is determination in everyone's faces now.

"Wh-What........" Ashley whispers, horror stricken at the sight before her. "What is...happening down there?"

Fresh tears stream down Kiyumi's face, though she remains silent, her wide eyes staring down into the chaos. Tears begin to leak from Kurai's as well, with the girl slowly shaking her head from side to side.

Keilor, usually so cheerful, stands next to Kiyumi, his unblinking eyes staring down into the flames and smoke below with disbelief.

"Se on pahempaa kuin ajattelimme....." Tamashi utters quietly, to which Kurai nods sadly.

'It is worse than we thought.....'

".....It looks as though a war took place here" Ace expresses in a harsh voice, laying his ears back as screams of pain and horror reach his ears.

Fires burn the buildings and trees in the Village, with many of the homes and shop carts collapsing from the extensive damage. Thick, black smoke billows high into the air, choking it and making it difficult to breathe.

People and Wolves alike run in all directions, calling desperately for loved ones and shouting as they engage more of those mutated creatures. Hundreds of hideous beasts swarm the Village, like an army of ants, attacking everyone they come into contact with.

Jutsu from the Ambience Wolves fly in all directions, as flamethrowers streak through the air and bolts of lighting crack loudly. Gusts of wind billow in an attempt to blow the creatures back, as streams of water whip around and boulders are hurled in every direction.

"It's chaos down there!" Kurai exclaims. "How are we supposed to find your Mom or the Ch-"

"Kurai!" a voice suddenly calls from down below, causing everyone to look at the base of the small cliff the are on. "Tamashi!"

A woman with long pink hair waves her arms hysterically, a large yellow Wolf stalking around her and making sure no one approaches.

"Mom!" Kurai screams with relief, immediately jumping to her feet. "Come on you guys, it's my Mom! She'll help us!"

Ashley, Kiyumi and Kurai all begin to run around the side of the cliff, their Wolves all right behind them. Kurai's Mother also races to meet them, tears pouring down her cheeks, her clothes burnt.

As they reach the base of the cliff, Kurai runs towards her Mother with a smile on her face despite her tears, about to leap into the woman's arms, when something suddenly catches onto the back of her dress and lifts her into the air.

"Kurai!" Tamashi and the woman both wail, as the young girl lets out a terrified scream.

Blood soaks through the back of her clothes, the creature's claws having grazed her skin. Tamashi immediately charges forwards and slashes at the huge beast with his scythe, slicing a large gash in its torso.

It hisses in pain at the hit and turns to run away, taking a still screaming Kurai with it. She throws her arms out towards her Wolf, who gives chase to the beast, furiously building up chakra in his scythe.

"You girls need to get to the temple" Kurai's Mother says lowly, causing a stunned Ashley and Kiyumi to look up.

They see a dark expression on the woman's face, bolts of lightning crackling around her closed fists. The yellow Wolf suddenly breaks into a run and bounds after Tamashi.

"Chief Dashi is hiding the Village's children there" the woman adds, charging forwards with the fury of an enraged mother Bear. "You'll be safe there!"

"Kurai-chan" Kiyumi sobs, her knees shaking. "We have to-"

"We go to the Temple" Ace states decisively. "Tamashi and Kurai's Mother will rescue her. The four of us must get to safety."

"B-But-"

"No buts this time Kiyu" Keilor interjects quietly. "We've gotta like, save you guys. I wouldn't ever be able to like, live with myself if somethin happened to you...."

Kiyumi latches onto her Wolf and hugs him tight, as Ashley looks around her in distress. Her Mother was out there too, somewhere amongst all of this chaos.

"Ace, let's get out of- Aahhh!"

Ashley can't help letting out a scream, as a severed head suddenly lands on the ground right in front of her. It hits the ground with a sickening thud sound and rolls slightly.

Ashley's breath catches in her throat at the sight of the head. The head of one of her Clan members. Blood seeps from its shredded neck, large gashes dragged across the skin of its face.

Tilting her head back, Ashley looks up and sees a disgusting looking beast sitting on the roof of a building, crunching on the arm of a decapitated body. The girl immediately looks back down to see that Keilor has shielded Kiyumi from the sight, knowing she won't like it.

"Arghh!" someone cries out in pain, just in time for Ashley to see another Clan member fall to the ground ahead of her. A small, but muscular beast looms over the woman, one of its arms formed in the shape of a huge spear.

Without a second thought, the creatures jabs its spear straight through the woman's body, causing blood to spurt out of her mouth, her eyes bulging. She swiftly falls silent however, her eyes glazing over and rolling back into her head.

Before the creature can do anything else however, it is struck with a blast of fire that sends it scurrying into a nearby building for shelter. Two Minami men land on the ground and chase after the beast, not wanting to let it get away.

As Ashley continues to look around wildly, screams filling her ears and horrible, bloody death seeming to be everywhere she looks, the girl begins to hyperventilate. She takes a few steps back, reaching out to hold onto something for support.

Why was this happening? How had it happened? That morning had been as normal as any other and now....this? It couldn't be real.

And yet, as Ashley continues to look around, hearing the shouts of people as they fight for their lives, feeling the heat of the burning buildings around her and smelling the stench of fresh blood, it was real.....

"Rei!" Ace suddenly calls out, to which Ashley raises her head.

She watches as a small white Wolf flees from something in a fright, only to pause and turn her head. Her lavender eyes widen with relief.

"Ace!" she calls back, glancing over her shoulder, before running towards the navy Wolf. "Ashley, oh and Kiyu and Keilor! I'm so glad you're all safe!"

The wolf pup collapses in a heap at Ace's feet, panting heavily as tears drip from her eyes. She looked as though she was quite injured.

"Rei......" Ace repeats softly, lying down beside the white Wolf and licking her cheek. "What happened?"

"Wh-Where's Mina-chan?" Kiyu asks nervously, not actually wanting to know. Guardians never left their partners sides.....

"She.....She was killed" Rei answers, her voice catching in her throat. "I fought as hard as I could, I really did! But there were so many......A-And I couldn't fight all of them..."

"Rei....." Keilor says sadly, his head drooping.

"She was just a baby Ace" Rei continues, looking up at the larger Wolf tearfully. "She was only four and they....And they...."

".....I know" Ace answers, nuzzling Rei comfortingly. He looks to Ashley, who also now has tears running down her face, though she remains silent. "Milady, we must get to the temple. These creatures......They will show no mercy to any of us...."

Ashley merely nods her head, staring down at the burn marks covering Rei's body without blinking. While she wanted to get away, she didn't want to move anymore either. It wasn't safe anywhere. How were they all meant to get to the other side of the island and reach the temple without getting killed? The highly skilled Minami were having enough trouble fighting all of these creatures, so what hope did two inexperienced children and three Wolf pups have?

"Hey you kids!" a voice calls from behind. "You kids, come here! Quickly!"

Ashley looks back over her shoulder, only to see a young Minami man waving them all over, a look of urgency on his face. He beckons her and the others over, waving his hand wildly as he tries to remain mostly hidden behind a building.

"Come on!" he urges, glancing around. "We need to get you to the temple, where it'll be safe! Hurry!"

"Wh-Who is that?" Ashley asks the others, unsure whether they should go or not.

"No idea, but looks like he's gonna help us get to the temple" Keilor answers eagerly, rising to his feet.

"That's where I was hoping to go" Rei sighs heavily. "Perhaps with his help we can make it without further loss...."

"Upsy daisy Kiyu-chan!" Keilor chuckles, trying to sound cheerful as he pulls Kiyumi to her feet. "We're gonna go to the temple and be super safe!"

"Really?" the girl asks uncertainly, looking to her sister. "Will Kurai-chan be there? And the others too?"

"......There's only one way to find out I guess" Ashley mutters. "Let's go."

"Yes, come on children!" the man calls, smiling as the small group run over to him. "I'll make sure you all get to the temple. A war scene like this is no place for young ones like you."

"Thank you for helping us" Rei makes sure to say, remaining polite despite her pain.

"It's my pleasure" the man responds with a closed eye smile, leading us off into the forest behind the Village.

"There are gonna be more of those things out here!" Ashley informs the man, sounding panicked. "We need to hide while we walk!"

"Don't worry about it" the man assures Ashley with a kind look on his face. "Those things won't bother us......Looks like they're too preoccupied right now anyway. Now, lets pick up the pace a little bit."

The man breaks into a jog, with Ashley, Kiyumi and the Wolves following close behind. They try to tune out the sounds of screaming and explosions as they move, struggling not to wonder about their other loved ones.

When this was all over, who would still be alive?

As the small group travel further away from the Village and grow closer to the Temple, the sounds of the chaos diminish further and further, until they can no longer be heard.

Without incident, the man leads them all to the edge of the forest. It leads down into a small valley, with a huge cliff over the other side. A beautiful Temple sits atop the cliff, its white colour a stark contrast to the dark smoke pouring into the sky.

"There's the Temple!" Kiyumi exclaims with excitement, smiling for the first time since the whole ordeal had begun. "We're almost there Keilor!"

"We will be safe soon Milady" Ace turns to his partner, to which she nods back, feeling somewhat relieved.

"Well, let's keep going guys" the man encourages everyone, stepping out into the open. "We're close now."

Everyone follows after the man, feeling more energised by the sight of their Temple, as they descend down into the valley.

"I bet Mom and Chief Dashi will be waiting there for us!" Kiyumi giggles, looking to Ashley hopefully.

"You're probably right" Ashley replies, giving her sister a closed eye smile.

".....never let you touch them!...." a voice growls up ahead, a voice that makes Ashley pause.

"M-Mom?" she asks quietly, opening her eyes. "Why did I hear Mo-"

"Mommy!" Kiyumi screams, having just seen what is down at the bottom of the valley.

Up ahead, Aeri Minami stands with her arms pinned down her her sides, two large Anaconda protruding out of the ground and holding her in place with their fangs. A man with long black hair looms before her, a sword coming out of his mouth. It pierces through the already injured woman's chest and forces its way out of her back, blood spurting from the severe wound.

Kiyuna lies close to the edge of a cliff, unmoving, though she groans quietly. Her eyelids flutter as she struggles to stay conscious.

Not even stopping to think, Ashley charges forwards, with Kiyumi and the others following suit.

"I don't think so!" the man with the group suddenly shouts, reaching out and grabbing onto the back of Kiyumi's neck.

He lifts her up into the air and begins to laugh, before abruptly disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"Kiyumi!" Ashley shouts in a panic, looking around wildly for her sister.

"Down there!" Keilor growls, immediately spotting the man as he reappears down near Aeri and the other man. "Let her go!"

Focusing his chakra, Keilor takes off as fast as he can down into the valley, a furious look in his eyes. Nobody was going to take his Kiyu from him!

"Let's go Milady!" Ace howls, as he, Rei and Ashley run after Keilor.

Ashley looks between a struggling Kiyumi and her Mother as she runs, unsure of who needs help more.

Looking dazed, Aeri turns her head at the sound of a struggling child, only for her eyes to widen when she sees Kiyumi in the grasp of a boy with silver hair and glasses.

"Kiyumi-chan...." the woman exhales, only to see that Ashley, Ace, Keilor and Rei are running towards them as well. "Oh no......No! Get away from here!"

"Mommy!" Kiyumi cries helplessly. "Help me!"

"I'll save you Kiyu-chan!" Keilor snarls, launching himself at the boy holding onto his partner.

The boy barely even looks at Keilor, easily lashing out at the Wolf and nailing him in the stomach with a powerful kick. With a yelp, Keilor is sent sailing through the air, before he collides heavily with the ground and slides along it for a few metres.

"You're far to slow to be charging at me head on" the boy sneers, glancing at the now unmoving Wolf, before smirking back at Aeri.

"K-Keilor...." Ashley stutters, shocked that one kick had brought the Wolf down. How could someone be that strong?

"Don't come any closer!" Aeri warns Ashley, Ace and Rei, causing them to stop. "These are Ninja! You won't be able to fight them!"

"Ninja?" Ace repeats, blinking a few times, before he looks over at his Mother. ".....What have these Ninja done to her......"

"Poison" the silver haired boy explains coolly. "It's stopping her muscles and organs from working. She should be dead soon."

"M-Mother?!" Ace gasps, horrified, his ears pricking up.

"Why does that guy look different now?" Ashley asks, looking between the two Ninja warily. "Why does that guy want Kiyumi? And why is that guy stabbing Mom?!"

"It was a Transformation Jutsu" the boy answers smugly, shaking his head. "This Minami Clan don't know anything, do they?"

"Your Mother was making a nuisance of herself" the man with black hair hisses, the sword retracting back into his throat. "So we had to keep her in check."

Aeri groans in pain, sweat dripping down her face as her eyes dart between Ashley and Kiyumi. Those men had told her what they were looking for, but it just didn't make sense.

"Now, I don't know which one of you kids has the Sharingan" the black haired man begins, smiling broadly, "But one of you has it and you're going to-"

"I already told you!" Aeri interrupts, straining against the two Anaconda's latched onto her arms. "No one here has a Sharingan!"

"That's not what the brats' Father told me" the man grins, his snake like eyes flashing with amusement.

Ashley's eyes grow wide as she realises that these men have come for her. She didn't know why that would be though. Who would destroy a whole Village for the Sharingan?!

"Their Father?!" Aeri repeats incredulously. "I hardly believe my husband would have been fraternising with criminals like you two!"

The snake man merely laughs in amusement at this, before nodding at the silver haired boy. With a smirk, the boy pulls out a kunai knife and holds it to Kiyumi's throat, causing both Aeri and Ashley to gasp.

"Leave my child alone" Aeri warns, narrowing her eyes at the boy. "If you so much as leave one scratch on her body....."

"Your arms are a bit tied down right now" the boy laughs coldly, "And you don't know how to fight us and match our Jutsu. There's nothing you can do ab-"

Feeling something cold around his ankles, the boy looks down, only to see that ice has formed around is feet and is creeping up his leg. He quickly raises his head to look at his Master, only to see that he has been frozen to the ground as well.

"Lord Orochimaru?" the boy questions lowly, frowning over at Aeri. "You said if her arms were subdued-"

"It seems we have another class of Minami right here" Orochimaru chuckles, eyes shining. "She doesn't need to use her arms for her Kekkei Genkai to work. We'll keep her restrained for now though. We don't need you running around......Kabuto."

"Right!" Kabuto says with a nod, pressing the kunai further into Kiyumi's neck and drawing blood. "Which one of these two has the Sharingan?!"

"M-Mommy...." Kiyumi whimpers, tears rolling done her face.

"I've aleady told you" Aeri growls furiously, seeing the terrified look on her youngest daughter's face, "Neither of them have the-"

"I do!" Ashley shouts, eyes scrunched closed as she fearfully steps forwards.

Everyone turns to look at the girl, with confusion falling across Aeri's face. Ashley had it? She'd never seen it before and the girl had never mentioned it, so why would she.....

"See?......" Ashley whispers, lifting her head and opening her eyes, to reveal her now blackened irises.

"....Ashley-chan......you......." Aeri's mouth falls open at the sight of her daughter's eyes, with the young girl sending her a guilty look.

She felt bad for always keeping it a secret, but Aeri had never liked how easy it was for the Sharingan to control the demon inside her daughter. Ashley didn't want her Mother to be disappointed by her Uchiha trait, so she had kept the truth to herself.

At the sight of the Sharingan, despite its off colouring, Orochimaru grins with satisfaction and Kabuto smirks.

"Easy" he scoffs. "Then I don't need this anymore."

That said, Kabuto turns around and flings Kiyumi away. She screams with fright, before she hits the ground with a painful thud, landing rather close to Keilor, who seems to be coming to.

"K-Kiyu....chan..?" he asks dizzily, only for his eyes to widen when he sees small drops of blood along her neck. She lies perfectly still on her back, eyes shut. "Kiyu-chan! Hey, hey!"

Aeri watches her daughter with great concern, before turning her hateful glare back to Kabuto. Before he can so much as laugh about what he'd done, the ice swiftly travels up his whole body and envelopes him inside.

"If you so much as think about touching either of them again" Aeri warns a highly unconcerned Orochimaru, "I'll do the exact same thing to y- Ughh!"

Aeri cries out in pain as three kunai lodge themselves in her stomach, her head hanging. She'd been fighting with these two men for far too long, and her energy was beginning to leave her. Despite her best efforts, Aeri was not able to keep up with their chakra enhanced speed and strength, and the Jutsu they had been throwing at her.....Even Aeri knew that these two Ninja were something to be feared.

She couldn't die yet though......She had to protect her daughters......

"Mommy!" Ashley yelps, sobbing as she watches her Mother's body sag. "Stop it! You're killing her!"

"Who would've thought that Ninja without the ability to use chakra would be so annoying" Kabuto sighs, looking to Ashley as the clone encased inside Aeri's ice disappears. "Now, you."

"Do not take one step closer" Ace warns, jumping in front of Ashley, with Rei doing the same thing, electricity sparking across her fur. "I will tear you to pieces if you dare!"

"How cute" Kabuto says sarcastically, tilting his head to the side. "More useless puppy dogs."

"K-Keilor.....Ace...." Aeri speaks up quietly, her head still hanging. "Get the g-girls......to the.....to the temple......"

"She's still not dead?" Orochimaru muses, giving the Minami woman a sidelong glance. "Despite not having chakra, you're still alive. I am impressed. I look forward to seeing what the mixed DNA of an Uchiha and a Minami can bring forth."

"Keilor, Ace" Aeri repeats, her tone stronger now. "Get the girls to the temple. Now!"

"Yes Mistress" Ace replies, immediately spinning around and scooping Ashley up onto his back.

As Kabuto moves to grab at her, Rei darts forwards and tackles the boy, sending electricity coursing through his body. She drops back down to the ground as Kabuto moans in pain and collapses to his knees, before chasing after Ace.

Keilor manages to get an unconscious Kiyumi onto his back and flees towards the Temple, not hesitating for one moment to obey. He didn't want to lose his Kiyumi to these people. Evil people.

Ice travels up each of the Anaconda's holding Aeri down, until they are completely frozen solid. Using as much physical strength as she can muster, Aeri pulls forwards, trying to break free. She struggles for a few moments, before the frozen snakes suddenly shatter and the woman falls down to her hands and knees.

Orochimaru finally seems to grow irritated and turns to leave, not wanting Ashley to get away. Aeri finally looks up and glares at Orochimaru, her eyes glowing a bright blue colour. She raises one hand and clenches it into a fist, causing the moisture in the air to freeze. Using her Katsuryoku, Aeri forms the ice into a giant spear and, with a wave of her hand, sends the spear straight through Orochimaru's body. His eyes widen as the ice pieces out through his stomach and lodges into the ground, with the back of it still protruding out of his back.

"You won't be getting away" Aeri pants tiredly, turning her eyes to Kabuto, who is already up and chasing after Ashley.

Ace darts away from the persistent Ninja, turning around and racing back in the direction they had already come from. An annoyed Kabuto pulls out two kunai knives, one in each hand, when he suddenly comes to a jarring halt.

He lets out a grunt of pain from the abrupt stop, only to see that he has been frozen in place again. He glares over at Aeri, who is now on her feet and raising her arms into the air, a strained look on her face.

"You think this is going to work?" Kabuto snaps. "It didn't work last time and it won't work-"

"Ace, Rei!" Aeri calls out, ignoring Kabuto's complaints. "Get......Get to high ground......I'm g-going to see that they die here...."

"Mommy!" Ashley cries out, tears streaming down her face as Ace and Rei continue to run away, though Rei is crying too. "No, wait! I don't want to leave you!"

Aeri smiles up at her eldest daughter, as water very slowly begins to rise into the sky behind her, following the woman's hand movements.

"You're not leaving......me behind dear" Aeri responds affectionately, her arms shaking. "We'll a-always be together. N-Never forget that...."

"Nobody's going anywhere!" Kabuto informs everyone, suddenly appearing right in front of Ace, as if he had teleported.

Ashley lets out a gasp of fright, only for a large ball of flames to hit Kabuto right in the stomach and send him sprawling across the ground. The fireball lands on the grass next to Ashley, Ace and Rei, turning its head to glance at them.

".....M-Mother?" Ace asks, suddenly hesitant.

"Go on my dear" Kiyuna urges in a soft voice. "Fulfill your duty......Mistress Aeri and I will ensure you're safety."

Turning back around, the dying Wolf launches herself at Kabuto again, allowing Ace, Rei and Ashley time to escape. With one last glance at their Mothers, Ace dashes up the valley with Ashley on his back, Rei following close behind.

"Get to high ground...." Ace repeats, feeling confused. "What did she mean by that?"

"The ocean was rising Ace" Rei answers, panting heavily as she runs. "I think she means to flood the valley!"

"......Or maybe the whole island" Ace realises, his visible eye widening. "We must hurry! We cannot let their sacrifices be in vain!"

Ace and Rei run as fast as they can, taking the same course they had already walked to reach the Valley. They sprint through the forest and burst out into the Village.

"Do not look Milady" Ace instructs the young girl sternly. "Keep your eyes closed."

Ashley disobeys however, her eyes taking in the devastation around her. Mangled corpses lay strewn across the ground in their hundreds, limbs torn off, necks twisted and blood......Lots and lots of blood. The stench of death rises from the ground and forces its way into everyone's noses, a scent so powerful, it could almost knock one off their feet.

What was once a happy, thriving Village now lay in ruins, smoke rising from burnt out husks of buildings and an eerie silence filling the air.

Another tear slides down Ashley's cheek as she takes it all in, feeling so terrified and horrified by everything she had seen, she almost felt nothing now. Was she going numb perhaps.

As the Wolves continue on, they see a large tricoloured Wolf pup running ahead of them, his blood covered in fur.

"Hey!" Rei calls as they catch up. "Hey you! You'd better hurry! The island is about to be flooded!"

The Wolf glances back over his shoulder, before snorting and rolling his bright red eyes.

"You think I didn't figure that out already?" he snarls. "I saw those waves rising, I'm no idiot!"

"Well then Kai" Ace growls right back. "You had better shut your mouth and run!"

"You're not my master" Kai shoots back, though he doesn't slow down his pace at all.

While he didn't like Ace and didn't know Rei, he wasn't about to be swept away by whatever tidal wave seems to be forming around the island.

The three Wolves continue to run as fast as they can, heading for the high cliff that Ashley and her family lived on. Aside from the temple, it was really the only other place for them to go.

Rei lets out a gasp when she manages to catch a glimpse of the tidal wave between all of the trees.

"H-How is she doing that?!" the wolf exclaims, her eyes round. "Mistress Aeri.....She has so much strength!"

Ashley turns her head and looks over at the huge tidal wave forming around the whole island as well, her heart aching. She curls her fingers into Ace's fur, wondering what had happened to Keilor and Kiyumi. Had they gotten to the temple okay? Would their Mother be okay? Surely if she could do something like this, she'd be able to survive it too?

A huge rumble suddenly shakes the island, sending all three Wolves sprawling to the ground, as if their legs were made of jelly. A thunderous crash sounds down in the middle of the Land of Ambience, followed by a might roar, unlike anything any of the four youngsters had heard before.

"We better run!" Kai bellows a warning, scrambling to his feet and taking off again.

Ace and Rei quickly climb to their feet and follow after him, able to smell the incoming sea water.

Ashley clings tightly to Ace's back, her heart thudding painfully against her chest. She'd never felt so scared in all of her life. The whole day had turned from a normal, cheery day, into that of an unfathomable nightmare.

Trees are ripped from the ground and fall, as the huge waves Aeri had created surges across the entire island, seeming to just swallow it whole.

Ace and Rei burst out of the forest and run straight up the hill, to the front door of Ashley's house.

"Inside!" Ace instructs, darting past Kai.

Without argument, Kai, as well as Rei, disappear inside the house as well, not wanting to watch their home disappear under the sea. Ashley slides down from Ace's back and hugs both him and Rei very tightly, her head ducked down. Kai sits in the middle of the room, his back facing the window and his ears laid back. He lowers his head, though his wide eyes are trained on the carpet, unblinking.

The horrible rumbling and roaring continues for a few more minutes, before things finally seem to calm down outside. Everyone in the house remains silent, even as they slowly rise up from their cowering positions.

Ashley latches onto Ace's fur, as they all tentatively approach the nearest window, afraid of what they might see. Upon peering out of the window, everyone lets out an incredulous gasp.

The whole island has disappeared under the ocean, save for the high cliff holding the Minami Temple. It seems so far away across the water, looking like nothing more than a tiny island in the middle of the ocean.

".....I had no idea Mistress Aeri was so powerful" Ace says quietly, his shoulders slumping as he looks away from the window. "We only have our Mothers to thank for being alive...."

"Mommy....." Ashley whispers forlornly, tears filling her eyes again as she stares out into the ocean. "...Kiyu-chan........"

Rei steps forwards and gently nuzzles under Ashley's arm, feeling sad for all of the losses they had all experienced that day.

"....What about you Kai?" Ace address the larger Wolf, who is staring at the carpet again. "What happened to you today."

"........Same thing that happened to everyone today" Kai growls, baring his teeth. "I failed in my duties and my partner died. Happy?"

"....On the contrary Kai" Ace sighs quietly. "I am anything but....."

Kai watches Ace through hooded eyes for a few moments, having expected the conversation to turn into an argument, as they usually did. But this time, it doesn't happen. The know it all Wolf merely sits at Ashley's feet and closes his eye when she places a hand on his back.

".....Hey....." Kai says slowly, his nose twitching as he turns his head. "Someone else is here too."

"Huh?" Rei asks, lifting her head and sniffing the air. "Oh dear, there is!"

Climbing to his feet, Kai cautiously approaches an open door leading to a hallway and peers around it, only to come face to face with an extremely tall Wolf.

"Woah, what the hell?!" Kai exclaims, jumping backwards. "What are you doing here?!"

The large Wolf steps into the room and scans its occupants, seemingly less than impressed by what he sees.

"I saw the tidal wave" the Wolf replies, his voice incredibly deep. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out why I'm here."

Ashley looks up at the large Wolf, only vaguely recognising him from around the Village. She didn't know his name though.

"I've seen you around before" Rei speaks up, tilting her head. "Your name is....Ah! It's Jet! You're older than us."

"Hardly" Jet replies disdainfully. "But you're right about the name. You're Rei, I have the displeasure of knowing Kai already and you two......Well, that's the Jinchuuriki and the Jinchuuriki Guardian, Ace."

"My name is Ashley" the blonde girl responds indignantly. "I'm not the Jinchuuriki."

"I'm Chi!' a tiny voice barks from behind Jet.

He sweat drops at the sound, only to look down as a very tiny Wolf pup trots around him and jumps into the middle of the room, tail wagging.

"I'm Chi!" the puppy announces again, to which Rei can't help cooing with delight.

"Oh how sweet!" she chirps, immediately jumping forwards to snuggle the tiny pup, who giggles in response. "Hello Chi, my name is Rei!"

"I'm Chi" the pup barks again, at which point everyone turns to look at Jet.

"Before you ask" Jet sighs, "I just happened to find him. My partner and his entire family had been killed, so I was running for the hill by myself. I just happened to see him in a pile of rubble as I was running......Well, I couldn't let him die, so I grabbed him."

"Heh, who knew you had a soft side" Kai mocks the larger Wolf, much to his annoyance. "I always thought you hated others!"

"Just you" Jet responds flatly, glancing down as Chi bound up to him and stands on his large paw.

"I'm Chi!"

".....Yeah, I get it" Jet answers, to which the pup's tail begins to furiously wag again. Jet just releases another sigh.

Ashley looks at the five Wolves in her house, before hooding her eyes and glancing down at a picture on the dresser beside the window. She smiles at it sadly, tears pricking her eyes again.

It was a picture of her whole family.......They all looked so happy in it too. Who knew that the future would bring what it had.

Ace sees Ashley staring at the picture and lets out a low breath. He didn't like to see her this way, but what words could fix such a situation?.....

The young Wolf gets up and disappears from the room for a few moments, before returning with something in his mouth. He offers it to Ashley, who stares with wide eyes for a few moments, before taking the item and hugging it to her chest.

"The Wolf mask Daddy made for me" Ashley smiles. "Thanks Ace."

"You are welcome Milady" he replies softly. "I hoped it would make you smile."

"Well" Kai exhales heavily, "I'm going outside. We need to figure out what we're supposed to do now."

Rei sends Ace a concerned look as Kai steps out through the front doorway.

"I hadn't even thought about that yet" she admits, worried. "Where are we supposed to go now that the island is-"

Rei is interrupted by a yelp from outside, followed by a loud thud as something drops to the ground.

"Kai?" Ace calls cautiously, all of the Wolves swiftly rising to their feet. "Milady, stay here."

"B-But-"

"Please Milady" Ace begs, glancing over at her. "I cannot afford to lose you as well...."

"We're just checking on Kai and then we'll be back in" Rei reassures the frightened girl.

"Stay here" Jet commands, looking down at Chi. "Stay here."

"I'm Chi?" the pup asks, bouncing after Jet as he approaches the front doorway.

"No" Jet orders, gently pushing the puppy back, before turning back to the door. "Stay here."

"Chi....." the pup replies sadly, his ears drooping as he sits back down on the floor.

Ashley stares at the sorrowful puppy, clinging to her Wolf mask. She didn't know why she felt scared anymore but with everything that had happened today, she couldn't help it.

Both Chi and Ashley squeal with fright as some steps into the room. It isn't one of the Wolves though. Chi begins barking angrily at the intruder, though he is swiftly kicked and thrown into the wall.

"H-Hey!" Ashley protests, watching the tiny animal fall silent. "You can't-"

"Your eyes" Kabuto smirks meanly. "They've changed. Lord Orochimaru will be pleased."

Before Ashley can even think to scream, Kabuto jabs his fingers into a pressure point of the girl's neck and she falls to the floor, unconscious.

Ashley's POV

I feel something bubbling up inside of me. Something I don't think I've ever felt. I feel hot all over, like my body is on fire.

Anger....

Hatred........

Revenge.

I open my eyes and glare up at the source of my hideous feelings. Orochimaru. He and Kabuto are standing high above me, on the heads of two humongous Snakes.

I see them both staring at me, with Kabuto's eyes wide and Orochimaru's narrowed dangerously.

"Orochimaru!" I shout furiously, black chakra bubbling around my skin

'We'll see how dangerous this human thinks he is against my power' Hakuba laughs in the back of my mind. 'He will regret this day...'

I suddenly take off running, moving faster than I ever remember doing in the past. With one powerful leap, I jump high into the air and come face to face with a surprised looking Orochimaru.

"Orochimaru" I growl again, my eyes widening and my mouth pulling up into a dark smile as I throw my arm forwards and slug the Sannin in the stomach with a heavy punch.

He rockets down from the Snake's head and crashes straight into the ground, the impact heavy enough to leave a small crater.

"Lord Orochimaru!" Kabuto calls, only to pause when I land on all fours on the Snake and turn to look at him. "What......What is this? This looks like the Nine Tails' power.....But how?!"

"Nine Tails?" I can't help chuckling.

'That fool!' Hakuba thunders in my mind, offended by the notion that someone would mistake his power for the Nine Tails'.

Turning my head towards the ground, I see Jiraiya, Naruto, Tsunade and Shizune all looking between me and Orochimaru with wide eyes. I feel my amusement dissipate as I see the Sannin start to rise to his feet however, something that makes the chakra around me bubble even more.

"I'll kill you!" I roar, jumping down from the Snake.

I land on the ground beside Orochimaru and kick him hard enough to send him back up into the air. As he begins to fall, I perform some hand signs and press my palms into the ground.

"Earth Style: Stone Column Spear!" I shout, tilting my head back and watching with glee as huge, pointed rocks shoot up out of the ground.

I focus chakra into my legs and jump up into the air, Orochimaru grunting as I appear above him. I bring my hands together above my head and bare my teeth at the evil man.

"Die" I hiss, slamming my hands down onto his stomach and sending him straight back down towards the earth.

As I fall, I grin, watching Orochimaru crash into one of my stone spears. It pierces easily through his back and rips open through his stomach, sending blood spurting everywhere.

I land on the ground in a crouched position and laugh to myself, enjoying the look his dead, limp body hanging up there like that.

"Ashley-chan?" I hear Naruto call to me, my neck wrenching around so I can glare at him.

With a distressed look on his face, the blonde approaches me slowly, something that causes me to involuntarily growl.

"Leave her Kyuubi boy" Ace advises, though he follows closely behind Naruto, not wanting anything to happen. "She will not forgive herself if she hurts you."

"She won't hurt me" Naruto assures the Wolf quietly, eyes trained on me. "Will you Ashley-chan?"

I stare back at Naruto for a few moments, struggling to respond. I want to say no, but the influence of Hakuba's chakra is making me feel that I'll do the complete opposite. The closer he gets, the more I can feel my skin crawling under all this chakra.

"You'd better.....stay back..." I warn, suddenly not enjoying my power anymore. I don't think I can control it, even though its only a small amount of Hakuba's chakra.

'Let me out' Hakuba suddenly demands, his ruby eyes wide. 'Release the seal. I will take back my power here and now!'

"No!" I argue out loud, reaching up to my head. "N-No, I won't!"

'Release this seal' Hakuba thunders angrily. 'I will have what is mine!'

"No!" I shout back, squeezing my eyes closed.

"Milady!" Ace calls to me, breaking into a run, which prompts Naruto to do the same.

"Ashley!" Naruto addresses me urgently, dropping to his knees beside me, as I lower my head and tangle my fingers into my hair.

"Milady, do not listen!" Ace urges me frantically. "You must fight it! Fight!"

'With my help' Hakuba rumbles, 'You could kill that Sannin right now. Get revenge for those he took from you.'

"I....know..." I reply, cracking one eye open and looking up at Orochimaru's now wriggling body. "But...."

'Revenge.......'

"I c-can't."

'Just remove this seal, and you can have what you desire' Hakuba encourages me, his eyes now hooded and his sharp teeth revealed in a dark grin.

I look up at him, perplexed.

Revenge? Is that what I desire? Maybe I-

I suddenly freeze, a pale blue light beginning to fill my mind and a cool feeling running through my body.

"What is...."

'That boy again....' Hakuba growls distastefully, retreating from the blue light. 'How does he do that?'

I raise my head, pulling my hands from my hair, as the chakra begins to fade from around my body. I stare up at Naruto as he smiles gently at me, one hand on my shoulder.

"Naruto?" I ask softly, only for my eyes to widen. "Naruto! Your hand is burnt!"

"Ha, this?" the blonde asks, leaning back from me. "I'll be fine. That chakra or whatever it was must have burnt me. I hardly felt it it. Are you okay Ashley-chan?"

I turn my head and look around, to see Ace staring at Naruto in wonder.

"I'm......I'm fine?" I answer, sounding confused. "My body hurts though....."

I pull a face as I try to stand, only to find that I am in too much pain to do so. There have been very few times in my life when Hakuba has taken over me, but the few times that it has happened. I haven't remembered them.

I've never had this happen though. I let some of Hakuba's chakra out and I remember it. Not only that, but Naruto somehow got Hakuba to leave me alone.

What is it about him that makes that possible.

"That was a lot of power Ashley-chan" Naruto praises me, before pursing his lips, "But if it means you can't move afterwards...Maybe you shouldn't do it. Or practice with it, I dunno."

"Like you can talk" I scoff, smiling to myself when Naruto shrugs.

"My body heals super fast" he responds easily, only for both of us to pause at a strange sound above us.

Much to my horror, we see Orochimaru's jaw unhinge and his mouth widen, as two white hands push it open. Feeling very unsettled, I watch as Orochimaru drags himself out of the corpses mouth and drops down to the ground. He laughs manically as he looks at Naruto and I.

"If only it were that easy" he chuckles ominously, as Kabuto lands beside him, smirking at me.

"Milady, I will take you back to the others" Ace decides. "You are in no condition to be fighting now."

"Like I'll let you!" Kabuto objects, suddenly charging forwards.

I stare at Kabuto with wide eyes, when a strange sound next to me catches my attention. My eyes widen even further, to see two Naruto standing next to me now, a large ball of chakra forming between their hands.

"V-Visible chakra?" I ask rhetorically, watching in amazement as the real Naruto charges at Kabuto head on, the ball of concentrated chakra spinning violently in his palm. "Naruto, you're so....."

"Rasengan!" the blonde shouts, throwing his hand forwards and slamming it into Kabuto's stomach..

Okay, so next chapter we're going to skip this fight, as I tend to do. Partially from laziness and partially because we literally all know what happens. Ashley has no impact on the parts that I skip, so they remain as canon in this story.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this bit of back story. Actually, I really hope so, because even though its a rewrite of the original, it took me eight hours to finish.

Writing is great.