The fire crackled on the hearth as tongues of fire blazed like beautiful and graceful dancers. They burned to the touch, yet warm and comforting when there is enough distance in between. Burning embers floated into the air, and they quickly disappeared once they left the protection of fire. The light coming from the hearth was a sunset color, only that it had a darker hue. However, it was all still the same: beautiful.

It was late in the night, and the the sky was silent. There were no sound of wind howling through the mountain, nor was there any cloud in sight. It was as clear as glass with stars twinkling in the beautiful skies. They were bright like glittering diamonds, scattered across a velvet carpet. Along that carpet were stray cloths of satin. They were white and appeared to be drowning into the dark colors of the velvet carpet.

However, down  the mountainside was a long trail of corpses. Blood stained the white-snow like spilled ink on a clean parchment. The stench of blood lingered, but only a little. The corpses, most of them, were scattered in at least two pieces. The faces on those corpses only had the expressions of pure hunger with longing faces, it was as if they were left on a deserted island with no means to satisfy their hunger. They eyes were sunken and completely black, while their skin had paled into a deathly violet color. Their veins that were once burning orange had cooled into an onyx color.

A wolf howls a long, yearning cry; it sent chills along the spines of the customers in the inn and bathhouse. It made the hairs on the arms and nape raise, and fear swallowed them as they had to hold the memory of a river of corpses. In their beds and chairs, they hope to rid of the memory that darkened their night.

Meanwhile, two shinobi remained in high alert with their eyes to the distance. They bore solemn faces, but remain silent. The balcony where they stayed at was the best place in the inn as a lookout; they were waiting for the samurai's return.

"How long has it been?" Kakashi later asks Yamato who stayed up with him.

"It's been nineteen hours," said the wide-eyed ninja. "I doubt she would come soon at this rate."

Kakashi shook his head.

"The weather is calm. If it was a blizzard, then I'm sure she would have second thoughts in returning here," said Kakashi. "But it's a clear night. She would come back."

"How will we drag her back to Konoha?" Yamato asks. "I don't believe she'll be so cooperative as to return to the village."

"The information we've gathered has put the Hokage into high alert. We've seen these things, and an investigation needs to take place ASAP. Since not even Sasuke's blade could pierce into those things while Yoshie's katana sliced through them like sushi, then there's more than enough reason to know that Masashi-san is holding back valuable intel."

Yamato says nothing else to his captain. The day has been bizarre, and when night came it was no different. The younger ninjas were all fast asleep; they were tired from the day's activities. Rather than physically exhausted, the information brimming their minds were more than disturbing than reassuring.

 What was the meaning of all of this?

Who exactly was this samurai?

Kakashi stares into the distance, hoping to hear even the smallest sound the wind might bring them. But he doesn't hear anything, not even a gust of wind. It was strange though. Kakashi has never been on a mountain where even the wind doesn't howl. To think that the cry of wolves were what filled the air, he suddenly wondered if the samurai was busy fighting off the beasts.

It made him worry, but only a little.

Suddenly the sound of the floor creaking made the two jonins spin their heads towards the sound. They waited for the owner of those footsteps come into the moon's light. And in a moment, they realized that their visitor was only Sakura. Although from her appearance, her eyes didn't have the tired appearance one would have when they sleep.

She was still dressed in her mission gear rather than casual ones. The expression on her face was sad, and her eyes deep in thought. But they were focused on her two seniors with unsure emotions.

"Sakura, shouldn't you be sleeping?" Yamato asks concernedly. "It's pretty early in the morning."

"I couldn't sleep," she replied, approaching them. "Not after what. ."

"What Namika-san said earlier this evening?" Kakashi finishes her sentence for her.

Quietly she nods while her hands slide up her arms to comfort herself. A dismayed expression on the girl's face caught the glow of the moon. Her green eyes gleamed with sadness and disappointment, as if her admiration for the samurai had completely disappeared from Namika's story of a bloodthirsty samurai who seeked revenge for the humiliation inflicted upon her.

"Masashi-sama was like the princess of the village. Her father was the village head and leader of the samurai. She barely left her home though, she was always busy painting, playing her shamisen or flute, or even training with the katana," said Namika. "I used to worship her. I wanted to be like her: so beautiful, so graceful like a goddess."

From the maid's story, a happy beginning of a tail had a tragic end that still echoes into the present. It was like listening to a fairy tale from a book or perhaps a lore or legend, where a girl with a kind and brave heart captured the heart of every villager in the village. With a face like porcelain and hair black as ink but as silky as water, the girl was like a gift the gods decided to bless the mighty samurai head with. She was compared to as the flower on top of a hill where many tried to capture her heart, but no one succeeded. Her smiles were like rare treasures, and hearing her voice would be like those of a siren. 

In her village, the children loved her and women admired her. Men from all over would come just to see her face, to see the fire in her eyes. Her skill of the sword was what brought her fame though. Her father had decided to rear not only a woman but a warrior. And in time, no one, not even her own father, stood a chance against her swordsmanship. 

Rumors believed that the lord taught the girl the ways of the samurai at a young age, because he didn't simply want to eventually just marry her off to some man. He wanted a suitable man who can beat her in her swordsmanship, because, afterall, the young woman had beaten even her own father. After many matches, the princess found love in a warrior whom she considered as her equal with the ways of the sword. She was married him, but their marriage was the beginning of her downfall.

It was a beautiful fairy tale with a dark ending: from a princess into a monster.

Sakura didn't want to believe it.

The pink-haired ninja remembered the sad look in Yoshie's eyes during the festival. The samurai was enjoying herself, even though she was fighting hard to keep a straight face. She was with them eating snacks, watching them play games, and even deciding to play on stage. The samurai even wrote them poems as her thanks. All that time, Sakura noticed only one thing: loneliness.

It was all too confusing for Sakura. She couldn't wrap her head around it.

"Sakura," Kakashi's voice interrupts the girl's thoughts. "We'll apprehend the samurai after this. She may be killing those things, but we cannot allow her to roam freely cutting up people as she sees fit. We may be able to find a way to cure them, and if we're successful it would be a better alternative compared to killing them. Many lives will be saved. Since you're awake, I want you to help me and Yamato take her on. The three of us should be more than enough."

The kunoichi nods obediently.

"Where's Obito-sensei?" Sakura asks curiously.

"He's up on the rooftop," the gray-haired jonin replies with a sigh. "If you didn't notice, he was exceptionally upset with the story Namika-san gave us. He probably was shocked with the story, but there's nothing we can do about it."

Sakura could only nod in agreement. She didn't know what else to say. Sasuke's cousin seemed to have grown some attachment for the samurai. Everyone with a sharp eye would be able to notice.

But before another word could be spoken, the Uchiha suddenly jumps into the room through the balcony. His eyes was filled with anger and his fists were clenched tightly. Kakashi and Yamato knew that instant what was going on.

"She's coming," said Obito. "Let's tackle her before she arrives here. This way, none of the civilians would get hurt."

"Agreed." Kakashi stands up from the ground, and Yamato follows his lead. "Now, let's go."

With those words, he and the other ninjas quickly jump out through the balcony to face the samurai head on. Without a single sound, their feet land softly on the newly laid snow. It was strange since it was only raining the previous night. To think that it would continue to snow on the top of the mountain. It was a strange phenomenon that the ninjas could not understand. They await for the samurai to arrive at the desired distance, and they readied their hands to grab their weapons from their pouches.

Before their eyes, they could see a red figure slowly approaching. Ascending the side of the mountain was no easy task, especially due to the cold of the snow. It made their hearts pound anxiously to see the samurai stained with blood. Sakura's eyes instantly trembled at the sight, while the other three glowering. Before long, they found the samurai stop in front of their path.

Her white clothes were stained in crimson, and she had the stench of blood emitting from her very being. Her katanas, a pair of black and white sharp blades seemed clean, but they had small markings of blood on them. The expression the samurai wore was calm and stoic, but her face down to her neck was also marred with blood. Her hair was undone, and it was freely flowing behind her back. Her appearance sent a chill down Sakura's spine; she seemed so different compared to the samurai who was at their village, the one who pleaded for their help.

"Stop where you are, Masashi-san," said Kakashi. "We've come to apprehend you as ordered by our Hokage, and take you back to Konoha for questioning. We can't have you going around killing people if we can help them, not to mention that you've held back valuable intel that could have been of some use to us in this mission."

For a moment the samurai stayed silent, and simply narrowed her eyes at the ninjas blocking her way back into the inn. Clearly, she was displeased.

"I don't have time to cooperate with you, shinobi," she finally spoke. "I came here to the Land of Fire in hopes that you may have some answers. I only hoped that my land would contain the disease. But I was wrong. The shikabane have stretched all the way east here in the Land of Fire, and these people may have been trying to flee from their wretched village. However, they were already infected and had, unfortunately, turned into shikabane themselves. I've interrogated some of the survivors, and they have seen a red-faced demon in their village. If I don't return to my country immediately, things could only get worse."

"What do you mean?" Obito asked.

Sakura and Kakashi found their eyes wide with surprise at the sound of a red-faced demon. The horrible red masked that emitted an evil aura. The skill it used with dual katanas was enough to beat him and his students with ease, although the pink-haired kunoichi somehow managed to land a punch to the face. But even so, Kakashi couldn't help but feel fear when his students nearly got killed if the other team did not interfere. The battle on the snowy mountain before was something he and Sakura could never forget.

The samurai in front of him was also a double wielder, only that her katanas were different colors. He quietly notes that Yoshie might be as skilled as the demon samurai. Kakashi may be skilled in swordsmanship, but he wondered if Yoshie was as skilled as Namika had said.

"Like what you've seen earlier today, shikabane have started spreading. I don't know exactly how far, but the village where these people," Yoshie gestures at the bodies, "came from have been eradicated."

"You killed everyone?" Obito asks.

"Yes. Yes, I did."

His heart sank.

"I've lingered in this country for two long, Uchiha-san." Yoshie glowered. "Even I have something I need to fight for. I thought you would understand."

"I do understand, Masashi-san," said Obito, slowly walking up to her. "We all have someone we want to protect."

He extends out his hand.

"Let us help you," he continued. "Please. Let's solve this together where we don't have to kill everyone."

The hand extended towards her seemed gentle; welcoming. The muscles along his long fingers seemed strong, confident, and calloused. It was obvious that he had gone through hard training and it had learned the art of holding weapons. Then going up to the shinobi's face, there was a look of determination and yearning. They were strong and pure, showing his heart to be gold and warm.

In a fleeting moment, the samurai saw an all too familiar face overshadow the shinobi's face. A face of a warrior whom the woman held close to her heart. Her hand, as if with a mind of its own, stretches out to reach for Obito's hand while dropping her katana in the process. Her eyes were suddenly wide with surprise, and her fiery look was gone. For a moment, the ninjas behind Obito saw not a samurai, but rather the princess Namika had spoken about.

For a moment, it stunned Obito. He was taken aback to suddenly see this side of the samurai who always wore a scary mask over a woman's face. He remembered how aloof she was in the village; always so refusing. She couldn't even immediately accept his gift when they first met. He felt his heart pound as their fingers nearly touched.

But she suddenly stopped when words pierced her through the heart.

"Masashi-san! Is it true? Did you really kill your own child?!" Naruto's voice echoed into the samurai's ears.

In an instant, the samurai's face hardened into a scowl and she retracted her hand from ever reaching him. Her eyes burned aggressively at the shinobi, and it was the first time they've seen her face so dark. If looks could kill.

"Namika-san told us what happened in your village! I want to know if it was true," he continued.

"You idiot!" Thought Sakura, slapping her forward in frustration. "Obito-sensei almost got her!"

Naruto stood behind the rest of the four shinobi in front of the samurai, huffing and puffing for breath. His breath forms into a thin white mist that disappeared quickly. He had an angry look in his eyes, but it had determination and hope. His fists were curled into a ball, but they trembled. When he saw Yoshie all red in blood, he felt his heart drop. It was like what Namika had said about seeing Yoshie dripping with blood, and it wouldn't even bother her being drenched in someone else's blood. 

"Masashi-san, is it true? Did you kill everyone in your village? Including your own child and father?" Naruto continued to ask with discreet.

"Boy," Yoshie seethed through her teeth. "I don't care what you think of me. When you grow older, there will come a time where you would no longer care what people thought of you as long as you know what you're doing is right. But I have no time to answer your stupid questions!"

Naruto stays firm.

"Move aside, Uchiha-san," the samurai thundered. "We're wasting precious time dallying here over nothing."

"Masashi-san, then what Namika-san said is true?" This time the Uchiha asked, making the samurai flinch. "You killed your child and framed your husband? You eradicated your entire village just as you've eradicated these people's village?"

Shutting her eyes, the samurai forces out a sigh before meeting Obito's eyes again. She could see his swirling emotions in the brink of breaking loose. It confused her, twisting her heart. Her hands tighten around the hilts of her katanas. The samurai still says nothing and walks past Obito, but his hand firmly grabs her arm and kept her beside him.

"Masashi-san, we have to take you back to Konoha with us," he tells her gently. "You have a lot to explain."

But the samurai found no place in her heart to cooperate.

A strong gust of wind suddenly sweeps the mountain, making the outfits of the warriors flap wildly towards the west where the inn stood. The samurai's hair fly, and it came loose from the ribbon that tied it together. In a flash, she frees herself from Obito's grasp and hurls her blade at him. The ninja manages to pull out his kunai in time before her blade meets his chest.

A sharp sound screeched as Obito's kunai slides across the samurai's blade. But he quickly realized that his own weapon was being cut apart with the katana Yoshie used. He quickly jumps back the moment his kunai was cut in two, and it surprised him. He quickly pulls his hand together to perform hand seals, but Yoshie's swift speed refuses to allow him. Her sword lashes at him and all Obito did was flip backwards while trying to make a safe distance between her and himself, but the samurai kept closing the distance between them. She made it sure that he won't make hand signs.

The samurai made sure to guard herself from his kicks and punches, and even seemed to manage to anticipate his movements whenever he would teleport. Even his comrades behind him could not help but feel the urge to give him assistance.

Kakashi dashes to assist his friend, but Obito hurls kunai at his path.

"Don't! I'll handle her!" The Uchiha yelled.

Though hesitant, the gray-haired ninja keeps silent and obeys, even if he thought that Obito was being stupid and arrogant just like when they were kids. The others with him did the same, and all they did was watch.

Obito continues his defense: he dodges her lunges and jumps into the air while avoiding the tip of her blade. He tries hurling shuriken at her, but Yoshie quickly uses her strength with the use of her blade to change direction. It forces out a gasp of surprise from the shinobi, although he was impressed with her reflex. But her reaction gave him the opportunity to make a safe distance from her, and he made a swift move to make hand seals for a Fire jutsu. With his hand close to his lips, he blows a fire ball at Yoshie.

Her eyes widen for a moment and quickly jumps out of the way, but her reaction was anticipated and the samurai found Obito's foot flying towards her. She quickly shields herself with her swords and gets thrown backwards. Landing on her feet, Yoshie stances an offensive and charges. But with each kunai Obito uses to shield himself, he only finds it snapping into two. None of his blades were capable of withstanding Yoshie's katanas.

"This stone cannot be destroyed with ordinary weapons," said Yoshie. "I was only able to take this thanks to a sword forged out of that same stone."

Obito's eyes narrow at the memory. He had to think of a way to break her grip from her swords, because that was the only way he might be able to defeat her. But his thoughts were quickly interrupted when her knee crashes into his chest and send him flying backwards on his back. Then suddennly her blade came down on him, forcing out a cry of panic from his comrades. He, however, manages to catch her sword with the palm of his hands.

His sweat trickles down his face while his hands tremble under Yoshie's strength. Obito awaits for her second sword, but none came. But he sees her face close to his, while her long locks framing her face. And the shinobi found her sunset eyes dim with sadness, making his eyes wide. They gleamed as tears began to form on her eyes, and then lowly, they trickle down onto his face.

"Please," her words came in a gentle and pleading tone. "Let me go. I cannot let anymore people suffer as much as I have."

Obito found himself rendered speechless, too shocked to say a single word in reply. His mind was empty and the only thing he could process was the tears that flowed down Yoshie's stoic face. The samurai looked calm, but her eyes clearly betrayed her. For the first time, he saw pain in her eyes.

"Why?" Obito wondered. But he couldn't come up with any answers.

The sudden sound of thunder broke his thoughts, and a downpour of rain came pouring in the next second. It instantly soaked him since he lay on the ground, and he could feel the rain drop on him through her hair. A thought came into mind, but when he opened his mouth a loud, angry war cry filled the air.

Obito wa quick to realize that it was Sakura's voice.

The kunoichi came flying with her elbow behind her and her hand curled into a fist. She sent it flying towards Yoshie's face, but the samurai swiftly move ever so slightly but just enough to avoid her fist. Then with the tip of her hilt, she stops the girls momentum with a blow to the stomach. Sakura grunts, and her some of her dinner was coughed out. Afterwards, the samurai kicked her side and sent the poor girl flying. She violently tumbles down the mountainside, and crashes into a boulder rendering her unconscious.

Kakashi, Yamato and Naruto move to attack the samurai, but her words halted them right there and then.

"Stop! If you don't want the girl to die, you will have to let me go!" The samurai thundered. "I've injected her with strong poison, and if I don't give you the antidote she would die within the next three hours."

She showed them a tiny pointy blade that protruded out of her sword, and it made the three still.

"You dirty, cheating hag!" Naruto seethed angrily.

"If you had released me, I wouldn't have to opt to do a petty trick like this," Yoshie replied calmly. "And don't even think of performing any of your jutsus."

Yoshie pulls out a vial from underneath her hakama.

"A suspicious move from any of you, you'll pay with the life of the young girl," she told them with narrowed eyes.

"Fine," Kakashi replied.

The samurai remains alert; not letting the shinobi think that she'd relax for even a moment.

"Uzumaki-san, hurry to my room and get my belongings," Yoshie commanded. "If any of your comrades are awake, tell them to stay where they are. If you care about the life of your friend, then make sure to do what is right."

Without another word, the blond dashes off to get her things and he leaves Yamato and Kakashi with a face off with the samurai. The rain continued to pour in the waiting, and Kakashi didn't say anything all throughout. Yamato could see the frustration in his senior's eyes, but he despised himself for being useless. Sakura was quick to react, while he waited for orders. It made him wonder if Sakura made the right call to come to Obito's aid, although her goal became their failure.

After a while, Naruto came rushing back. He still had an angry look on his face, but he said no words. Then in the next moment, he throws her satchel at her feet.

"You got what you wanted," said Naruto. "So give us the antidote for the poison!"

"Come with me down the mountain, Uzumaki-san. Then you'll get what you want."

"That was not part of the deal!" 

"Shinobi, you need to learn to keep your mouth shut," the samurai boomed as she turned to leave. "If you want the antidote, then come with me."

"Naruto, just go with her," said Kakashi.

"But, sensei!"

"Naruto!" His sensei boomed, silencing the boy. "Just listen to what the samurai says, and come back with the antidote."

Reluctantly, the boy just does what Kakashi says and follows the samurai down the mountain. It continued to pour, but the samurai made no move of slowing down. The trees at the foot of the mountain seemed to mock the boy by dripping raindrops on him. Nocturnal animals flee at their presence, using their surroundings to hide from a threatening presence. The ground formed puddles from the night rain. It reflected the boy and the woman's reflection while they walked, and Naruto saw the angry expression he was making.

They have walked an incredibly long distance, and the forest was filled with massive trees that covered the sky above them. He could smell the scent of rain that permeated the air, and he could hear the wind howl through the trees. The sky that peeked behind the leaves was starting to lighten, and the stars were slowly disappearing from the sky.

Naruto soon realized that they have walked far enough. He realized that he didn't want to continue following the path down the mountain with the samurai, knowing that Sakura was running out of time. But the samurai stops right when he decided to, and it made him suddenly feel fear.

"Now do you realize how crucial time is for your friend?" Yoshie asks without glancing behind him. "She is dying and only I have the antidote. If we wait any longer, she would die."

Naruto grits his teeth. "Then--"

"This is how I feel, shinobi. I've been looking for a way to help my people fight a disease or curse without me understanding how it even happened until I saw that damn demon. I came to you in search for answers, but you had none."

The blond shinobi steps back at her angry tone as confusion slowly overwhelmed him.

"So like you, I don't have the antidote," said the samurai, instantly shocking Naruto. "But unlike my people, your friend is not exposed to danger from any poison."

"You tricked us!" Yelled Naruto, quickly grabbing a kunai and lunges at Yoshie.

She blocks blocks the blow by grabbing his wrist with which he held his kunai. And then with her katana's hilt, the samurai swiftly jabs him in the stomach. He sinks to his knees from the blow, and Naruto collapses to the ground and groans. His arms wrap around his stomach as numbing pain came over him. The numbness was quick to take over him, and before Naruto knew it he was nauseous while his eyes grew blurry.

His blue eyes watch the samurai walk away. His ears listen to her fading footsteps while it mixes with the sound of raindrops that splashed on his face". He could hear his heart pound slowly; his eyes slowly drooping by the second. With the last ounce of his strength, Naruto stretches out his hand as if he was reaching for the samurai.

He could see the sky brighten before his eyes. There was a yellowish color that stained the sky, but the beautiful blue was warm. The sun peeks through the trees, but it still creates a blinding light. Birds were twittering their morning song, and the shinobi realizes that the rain has stopped. Helplessly, he watches Yoshie get swallowed into the sun's rays, walking on to the east.

Then he blacks out.

~~~

Number of words: 4841

This chapter is dedicated to sall345! You can sit back and relax, I'm not giving up on any of the books I'm writing. The only one who'll ever stop me is death herself hahhaha xD

I really want to see your thoughts on this chapter! To be honest, I had a hard time writing this chapter because I was confused on how it should go without ruining the basic plot by adding things that were unnecessary. Anyways, remember that the best comment gets a chapter dedication and I hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter!

Just so you guys know, I searched up sword fighting scenes, samurai fights scenes, and epic fight scenes to at least make Yoshie's battle decent, hahaha xD