Shikamaru and his team were ready to defend themselves from the Black Shadow ninjas and the rogue ninja army of Akuno.

"Guys," Shikamaru said, "there's too many of them. We need to start with simple moves and diminish their quantity, and then, if necessary, increase the quality of our attacks."

"Got it!" the siblings answered.

The enemies gave a battle cry and attacked.

"Dark Blue Spirit Style: Great Water Wall Jutsu!" Chao Lin cried.

He hit his hands to the ground. A great water current emerged and formed a grand water wall, solid enough not to let the enemies get in.

"Good job, Chao Lin!" Shikamaru cried, "Now then," he turned to the Black Ninja, "Shao Lin, your sister said that you work well with genjutsu. This is your time to prove it! Try to catch as many of them in your genjutsu as you can, but use such powerful jutsu that their friends wouldn't be able to release them. I hope you have something like that up your sleeve!"

"You guessed, Boss!" Shao Lin smirked. He wove signs. "Black Spirit Style: Great Black Mind Prison Jutsu!"

He looked at the army members. Half of them screamed and froze in the place. Their eyes widened like mad men's and their mouths opened in horror.

"Mission accomplished!" Shao Lin grinned.

The rest of the army members, who were still free, got worried about their comrades. Some of them wove signs and tried to release their frozen friends, but it didn't work. Shao Lin, on his part, seemed tired, but he continued to hold the jutsu. He grinned with delight, almost as if he was the only true demon in the area.

Chao Lin, however, appeared to have a hard time holding the water wall this high for a long time. He heaved a deep sigh and fell to his knees. The water wall broke down. The remaining enemies' leader, a powerful and determined ninja, cried to his comrades:

"Don't give up yet! They're outnumbered! Attack!"

The army bellowed and attacked, abandoning their frozen comrades.

"Okay, guys," Shikamaru cried, "now we get serious! I will stitch my shadows to the frozen guys and get rid of as many of them as I can while Shao still holds them. Meanwhile, you, the remaining siblings, deal with those remnants! Use as many combinations as you can! Your eldest sister told me you are good with that."

"Roger!"

The four siblings - Tao, Gao, Dao, and Chao - confronted the upcoming enemies. Shao held the other half of the army under his jutsu and Shikamaru stitched his shadows to get rid of them.

The remaining enemies and the four siblings clashed. Dao and Chao were holding each others' backs as a team, while Tao and Gao worked together. The Shadow ninjas started using their wind-style jutsus, but Gao could easily add fire to their wind and direct the magnified flames against them, so many of them got killed. Therefore, the rogue ninjas took the lead. Their commander, the lava-style user, Yogan, and his brother, the lightning-style user, Sanda, were the strongest among them. Tao and Gao confronted Yogan, while Chao and Dao faced Sanda.

"You two sluts, you will never beat me!" Yogan cried.

"We will make you eat those words, you scum!" Tao yelled, enraged by the term 'slut'. She went for a direct attack. "Wood Style: Jungle Prison Jutsu!"

"No, big sister, wait! Don't attack so recklessly!" Gao shouted to her, but Tao didn't listen.

A huge jungle was formed out of the ground, approaching Yogan at a high speed. The lianas and trees wrapped around him and imprisoned him. Only his head was left free.

"Haha, got you!" Tao smirked.

Yogan chuckled, making Tao confused.

"What's so damn funny?!" she asked.

"Your self-confidence!" Yogan smirked. "You think you can beat me with some trees? Lava Style: Melting Apparition!"

Gao widened her eyes. She knew what was going to happen. Yogan spat lava out of his mouth, melted the whole jungle Tao created, and freed himself.

"Now take this!" he cried, "Lava Style: Scorching Stream Rock!"

Huge lava boulders rushed out of his mouth, directed at the girls. Tao screamed in fear. She froze in place from shock and confusion. Gao, on her part, stood her ground. She wove signs to protect her older sister.

"Lava Style: Rubber Wall!" 

She formed a huge lava wall out of the ground, which resembled a giant rubber. When the lava boulders hit it, it turned them against the attacker, by throwing them back. Yogan was bewildered.

"No way! A brat from the eastern shore possesses Lava Style?!" He wove signs. "Lava Style:  Rubber Defence!" 

He formed a big lava rubber tube and parried the lava boulders. He was shocked to see that his opponent had the same style as him.

"Do not underestimate the Shin-Lin clan!" Gao frowned. "We possess all kinds of chakra natures and styles."

"Good job, sis!" Tao cried.

"Don't mention it!" Gao smiled. She turned back to Yogan: "Now then, let's finish you off!"

"We'll see about that!" Yogan retorted.

Chao and Dao, on the other hand, were having a hard time against Sanda, for the latter was the lightning-style user.

"Lightning Style: Thunder!" Sanda shot powerful lightning sparks at the twins.

"Dao, get back!" Chao shouted. "Water Style: Great Water Wall Jutsu!" 

He recreated the water wall. Alas, instead of protecting him and his sister, the water wall got hit by lightning and merged with it, giving it more power. The lightning reached Chao Lin and zapped him.

"Chao!" Dao screamed. 

Chao fell, badly injured. He winced in pain, no longer able to get up, let alone battle. His water wall broke down. Worried, Dao ran up to him at once to begin healing him.

"No, sis!" Chao coughed. "The battle's not over yet. Bring down... the enemy!" 

Chao blacked out. Dao screamed in fright:

"Chao! No!"

"Your precious brother has fallen!" Sanda grinned. He prepared his next shot. "Now, it's your turn!"

Dao frowned in response. She took a battle pose. Tao and Gao, on their part, were too busy fighting their opponents, so they couldn't help their little siblings. On the contrary, they had to split up and deal with Yogan and the Shadow Ninjas at the same time. Tao left Gao to take care of Yogan and confronted the Shadow Ninjas, for her Wood Style worked better against their number.

"Lava Style: Scorching Stream Rock!" 

Yogan shot lava boulders at Gao again. He was furious that his attacks had little to no effect on her. Gao rolled her eyes.

"You're getting annoying! I'd better finish you off in one fell swoop." She wove strange signs of three tigers, a horse and a boar. "Red Spirit Style: Lava Tsunami!"

A huge crack was formed in the ground below them. A lava tsunami emerged, directed towards Yogan and the Shadow Ninjas that supported him. Yogan gasped at the sight of the scorching wave. He wove signs and shouted:

"Lava Style: Lava Wall!" 

He formed a lava wall around himself and his army. However, the tsunami was stronger since it was infused with the energy of the Red Diyuma spirit part. it fell upon Yogan and his army and burned them down to ashes.

"Wow, cool move, Gao!" Tao cried to her sister with a smile, impressed by her work.

"Thanks!" Gao chuckled.

Dao's scream reached their ears. They started and looked at her. The opponent had just shot thunderbolts at her!

"Dao!" they cried in fright.

Dao covered her face with her hands. She didn't know what to do now when her Water Style had no defensive effect against the enemy's lightning.

"Dao, we're coming!" Tao shouted. 

Alas, she would be too late, even though she had already begun to cast her incantation. Tears filled her eyes. Dao would hardly survive in one piece against such a powerful hit! She would be incapacitated, and that would mean a certain defeat for them. 

Lightning struck. Tao and Gao screamed. Dao had covered her face with her hands, frightened of the hit. However, she sensed that the lightning didn't reach her. Confused, she took her hands off her face and looked ahead. 

A young man with green hair, dressed in a long green jacket, blue trousers, and green boots, had just jumped before her and taken the hit. However, he was able to parry the thunderbolts with his bare hands and remained unharmed. Tao and Gao, who had seen the whole ordeal, stared at him with no less surprise. Sanda, on his part, raised an eyebrow. 

"What's this?" he asked. "Reinforcements? Hmph, I'll just kill you too!"

Dao was shocked that a stranger protected her so out of the blue. She had never been shielded by anyone before, apart from her siblings - her family. A timid blush painted her cheeks.

"Wh-Who are you?" she asked the young man.

"Pardon me, Lady Dao, but let's save introductions for later!" he replied. "The main thing is that I'm an ally. Now, please treat your wounded brother! You can leave this scum to me!"

Dao grew even redder at being called a "lady". She couldn't fathom how this guy happened to know her name. However, there was no time to dwell on these thoughts. She gave him a nod and ran up to the fainted Chao to heal him. The stranger, on his part, prepared for the upcoming fight. Tao scrutinized his face, unable to identify him. When she caught a glimpse of his eyes, she grew bewildered.

"Wait a minute, his eyes... Is he blind?!" she exclaimed.

Gao glanced at the boy's eyes too. Their faded colour certified Tao's conclusion - he was blind.

"He really is!" she cried. "Wow!"

It didn't seem that his impediment bothered the boy too much, though. He was able to keep up with his opponent very well. He appeared to be completely aware of his surroundings as well as his enemy's movements.

"Prepare to die!" Sanda cried. "Lightning Style: Lightning Stream!" 

He spread the lightning bolts in the whole area around him. Tao screamed:

"Ah!" 

She raised a mud wall to protect her siblings from the shot. Their strange ally wasn't slow either. He shouted:

"Hei Style: Lightning Fang of the Demon Beast!" 

A huge bolt of lightning appeared, flashing blue. It hit the ground hard and discharged the lightning bolts sent by Sanda. The latter was shocked.

"No way! You possess the jutsu of our boss!" he cried.

"I possess far more than that!" the young man retorted. He wove signs and yelled another incantation: "Hei Style: Blackened Reaper!"

"No!" Sanda trembled and stepped back, terrified.

Tao, Gao, Dao and Chao widened their eyes at the ominous jutsu. Meanwhile, Shikamaru had finished dealing with the frozen ninjas, eliminating all of them. He and Shao too turned towards the siblings' battleground. Shao puckered when he noticed the dark smoke appearing near the mysterious young man. Shikamaru, on his part, widened his eyes in stupefaction, for he could sense an evil aura. The dark smoke the young man had summoned, turned into a huge fanged demon. It squealed and growled in an infernal voice. The siblings were shocked.

"That guy..." Shao frowned. "It can't be!"

"What the hell is that?!" Shikamaru was dreaded.

Sanda trembled in horror upon the sight of the black skull demon wrapped in a black cloak - the black reaper. It bellowed and stabbed its claws into Sanda, stealing his soul. The victim screamed and fell down, lifeless. The demon reaper squealed and vanished in the black smoke it had emerged from. 

Dao was terrified. Chao furrowed his brow. He was already healed and had regained powers. He covered Dao to protect her. He had a bad feeling about that guy. The enemies were eliminated, so the young man turned back to face Shikamaru's team.

"Who are you?" Shikamaru asked.

"If I tell you, you will never trust that I'm your ally," the boy replied.

"We already don't trust you!" Shao frowned. "I'm the owner of the Black Spirit powers of the Shin-Lin clan. I recognize dark chakra and I can tell you're filled with it. The jutsu you're using... You're of the Hei clan of the eastern continent, aren't you?"

The sisters gasped:

"He's of the Hei clan?!"

"I knew something wasn't right about this guy!" Tao frowned.

Shikamaru was no less bewildered. He already knew from these Shin-Lin siblings that the man they were hunting, Akuno, belonged to the Hei clan.

"I can't believe it!" Dao cried. "Our whole village was burned and the residents annihilated! All of the Hei clan members died, except for Akuno! How can this boy belong to the Hei clan?"

"Didn't you notice?" Gao cut in. "He knew your name and called you 'Lady Dao'. That means he belonged to our village once. He is of the Hei clan, there's no doubt. He was using Hei Style jutsu, which can only be performed by their clan members."

Dao grew sorrowful. She turned to the young man:

"Is this true?" 

"It is true." He heaved a sigh.

Dao widened her eyes. She covered her mouth with her hands.

"No..." she whispered.

"If you're from the Hei clan and you know these guys," - Shikamaru pointed at the Shin-Lin siblings, - "then you should also know why they're here."

"Yes, I do," he replied.

"Then, why are you helping us?" Chao Lin clenched his fist. "The ninjas you helped us to kill were ruled by the last remnant of your clan!"

"I have no concerns with Akuno Hei other than revenge for what he's done to me, my clan, and my village." The boy furrowed his brow.

"Why should we believe that you cared about the Hidden Fir Village?" Gao crossed her arms.

"We, the Hei clan members, loved that village. The territory it was built on was the birthplace of the Hei clan's ancestry," he replied. "Many of us, including my beloved mother, cherished the truce we had with the Shin-Lin clan. But the ones who cherished it had no prior powers, apart from me. My mother didn't have the special Hei Style dark power either. When my grandfather, Akuro, the Elder of our clan, entrusted my father - his son - with the task to take revenge on the Shin-Lin clan, burn down our village, annihilate all of its residents and harness the mighty spirit Diyuma, my mother opposed their decision. She loved the village she was born and raised in, so she decided to betray her clan elders and inform the Shin-Lin Lord, Ikari Lin, about the danger. Alas, she never made it. My father got rid of her. He went on fulfilling his plan. Knowing that he would have to fight against Lord Ikari Lin, who possessed Diyuma, he decided to magnify his powers. So, he killed every member of the Hei clan and stole their powers. Yet, that was hardly enough. In order to reach the might of Hei, the black energy of the world, one must sacrifice the sight of themselves or their blood kin, leaving them alive to suffer eternal blackness. My father did it. He sacrificed my sight to reach the true power of Hei. He unleashed the Cursed Jutsu of Black Imp in order to kill Lord Ikari. Thankfully, the latter managed to hand Diyuma to his eldest daughter in time. My father believed that he had finished off all of Ikari's children, so he came here to the west to gather strong shinobi and defeat the Tailed Beasts' Jinchuriki, as the next stepping stone towards greater power. After some years, however, he found out that some of Diyuma's energy was remaining, so he decided to search for it before fulfilling his further plans. He gained the info that Ikari's eldest daughter and heir, Lady Lao Shin, was alive. I got that information too, so I rushed over here to form an alliance with Lord Ikari's children and take revenge on my father, Akuno."

The friends widened their eyes.

"Wait, so, you're saying you're the son of Akuno?!" Shao was shocked.

"No way!" Tao cried.

"Alas, I am." The boy sighed. "I bear his name and share his blood, to my greatest shame. The only thing that soothes my heart is that I am my mother's son too."

Dao's eyes filled with pity for the young man, who had had such a bitter past. The siblings and Shikamaru, on their part, exchanged glances.

"Should we trust him?" Gao asked.

"I don't know." Shao shrugged. "He doesn't seem like a liar."

"You thought like that about Yowai too, but he betrayed us!" Tao frowned. "I say we be more cautious and not trust him so blindly!"

Dao fell into her thoughts. Chao glanced at her. He guessed what she might be thinking. He whispered to her:

"Dao, do you trust this man?"

Dao looked up at him with sorrow.

"If he really were our enemy, why would he save us?" she asked. "He had enough powers to knock both of us out, Chao, and delay the others before we reached Akuno's chamber and helped Lao! If we were battling this boy, Akuno would manage to finish Lao off, after tiring her out and draining her chakra and energy. He knows her weak spot well. Without us, Lao cannot unleash Diyuma's full power needed to defeat Akuno."

"Yes, you have a point." Chao fell in his thoughts. After some minutes of silence, he walked up to his other siblings and said: "We have no choice but to trust this young man! We must catch up with big sis as fast as we can, to help her unleash Diyuma."

The siblings could realise that their youngest brother was speaking the truth.

"Well, fine." Tao surrendered. She glared at the young man. "Know that I'm watching you!"

Akuno's son chuckled and nodded. Dao smiled, happy that everything worked out. She walked up to the boy and told him:

"You know, we've already been deceived once, so, please don't let us down now! I... I trust you."

"I will not disappoint you, Lady Dao! I promise." The young man bowed, as a sign of respect. "Thank you for trusting me!"

"By the way..." Dao blushed. "Can I please know your name? So I could always remember the one who saved me."

"I'm Kokujin Hei." He smiled.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Kokujin!" Dao returned a gentle beam.

Chao was watching them with a frown. But it wasn't caused by anger. He was sullen, as usual, and he was determined to protect his sister at any cost. He didn't care if this guy possessed lightning or Hei style. He would give it his best if it meant protecting his siblings, and especially his other shade - his dearest twin.

"Well then," Shikamaru said," I guess here we finished the job. It is time to join our friends. But, I see no eagle they should have sent," he looked up at the sky. He turned to the siblings: "Is anyone of you sensory type?"

"No." Tao sighed. "None of us are sensory type, unfortunately. Only Lao can be a sensory ninja and only when she opens Black Eye."

"Hmm, that's bad." Shikamaru frowned.

"I'm the sensory type." Kokujin smiled. "To be sincere, that is the way I survived without my sight. I'm the best sensory ninja known to the East. If you allow me, I could help!"

Tao puckered. She still didn't trust this man. However, Shikamaru knew there was no other option.

"Alright," he said, "I guess you're our only chance to reach our comrades now. Lead the way!"

"Got it!"

Kokujin set his blind eyes in a strange direction and stood still. He tried to sense chakra or even soul energy. At one point, he cried:

"Follow me!"

He rushed towards the pagoda. The friends followed him.