Near the ocean, there was a huge pagoda. Inside, there was now a tall, muscular man dressed in black clothes sitting on a tatami on the floor, conversing with some rogue ninjas he had tamed. His hair and beard were pitch-black like raven's feathers, and his eyes were dark brown. He had a strict and merciless look of a shinobi who had experienced many battles and had slaughtered a lot of people, so that his eyes got used to blood and dead corpses.

He snarled once he heard the news brought to him by some of his scout ninjas.

"What?!" he yelled, "So, they've already infiltrated our territory and are coming here?! And Yowai's with them? Those bastards! So, all eight of them are alive, aren't they?! Ughh..." he calmed himself as he could, and glared at the scouts: "Is the eldest one among them? The girl?"

"Yes, my lord," one of the masked scouts answered, "she's with them. However, she seems injured. She is being carried by the black-cloaked shinobi, and doesn't really engage in battles."

"Hmm... It seems like she's injured indeed, and right in her core." Akuno, the black-haired ninja leader, grinned. "Well then, that just makes our task easier... Taru!"

At his call, a massive man with brown skin came out of the ninja ranks. He had long black hair and black eyes, and was dressed in black clothes like the others.

"Taru," Akuno retook, "take some of the finest ninjas with you, and teach those kids a good lesson... But watch it, bring the white-cloaked kunoichi alive... or rather, barely alive."

Taru walked out, and four masked men followed him. They scattered through the forest.