How time flew by, they didn't know. Whether it was day or night, such knowledge was withheld. They couldn't hear the birds on a summer morning, nor the hooting owls that haunt the dark night. Like the prisoners they are, the only thing they've grown familiar with were the steel snakes crawling along the cavernous like room. The hiss of pipes became their roll call.

Strangely though, the man with wild, unkempt hair and a goatee seemed certain of time and the schedules their meals come. It was a mystery, but it only made them realize that he had been imprisoned long enough to count the hours and days.

The only one who seemed to know as Saizo, the most deadpanned and pessimistic prisoner the shinobi have encountered. But as he had revealed to them some time ago, he had been locked up in this prison for quite some time now. It'll be cruel to call him deadpanned and pessimistic in that outlook—it only proved that escaping wasn't possible.

Sakura refused this and for the next few days observed her crystalline prison. Every bit of nook and cranny her eyes could find had to have a weakness. There was no thing as a perfect prison, the pink-haired shinobi was sure of it. One good thing she realized was the fact that guards didn't stay posted in their prison room. Apparently, they were that confident that no one could escape. Well, Sakura was sure that she and her friends would break that record.

"Don't bother. I already told you: there's no way out," said Saizo with his usual pessimistic glare. His eyes peered through his long, unkempt hair, telling Sakura to give up. His beard seemed to blend together, practically hiding his face.

The kunoichi grunted indignantly.

"There has to be another way!" She insisted as she poked around.

"Have you tried tugging at the caps?" Captain Yamato's voice croaked from beside her. The man had just woken up a few hours ago, and was still groggy from his long sleep. He couldn't completely open his eyes as wide as he usually could. Compared to the others, he was more tired as well.

"I already tried that," Sakura replied to her teacher. "It won't budge. If I had my super strength, it wouldd've been easy."

"Losing your gorilla strength must suck," groaned Ino. She woke up a few days before, shortly after Sakura did. And like her friend, she couldn't perform any of her jutsus from inside her own prison cell as well. "Even Choji can't use his. . well. We're stuck."

Ino was right, but she didn't have to reiterate it like it wasn't as obvious than it already is. Sakura's disposition quickly turned sour, seeing Ino was still her irritating self even when imprisoned. The others though were busy sulking—Kiba was on panic mode when he had woken up without Akamaru. Neji was silent when he found out that he couldn't feel his chakra flowing. Shino only felt groggy the entire time, and things might get complicated for him when he had insects living inside him. Then the other teacher with them was Guy—though he wasn't sulking, he was quiet and serious, which was a rare sight for anyone to see.

"I've never encountered a crystal like this," Captain Yamato commented. "To actually stop chakra from flowing. ."

"How were we out for a week?" Neji's voice suddenly spoke out. 

"What was the last thing you remember?" Shino asked.

"We were fighting that horde of shikabane. . then I remember the Demon Samurai appearing," Neji paused for a moment, racking his brain of whatever memory could lead them to where they are.

"Then what happened after?"

"He had this hostile aura to him. I can't say bloodthirsty—he seemed more like furious. Everything went pitch black after that." After Neji explained that, he seemed uncertain and so did the rest of the captured ninja. Why was the Demon Samurai upset? What was he looking for? Or was it who?

They didn't know. The shinobi weren't too sure.

Suddenly that night flashed before their eyes, remembering the pungent stench of ash and burning flesh permeating the air. The particles scorched their eyes, making it painful to see. Tears would pop up at the corner of their eyes to ease the sting. 

In the dark of the night, the haunting glow of burning veins lit the horizon. It burned the village down, but everyone was safe. They had been taken somewhere safe, but the warriors forgot that they themselves required protection from their advserary who loomed in the battering rain. Lightning was flashing everywhere in the sky, and from what they could make off from him—his face was as horrendous as they thought it'd be.

Peering eyes glowing with so much hate, red like the fiery dawn. Skin pale as a corpse, given his palish blue hue. And his clad of sable armor gleamed from the light. His face though, hid to what looked like a mask.

The chaos that ensued after, was all but a haze.

"Do you think they got everyone?" Choji asked and leaned to one side of his cell. 

"I don't think so," said Shino. Like the rest of us, we're stuck in some room in god knows where," he groaned and patted on his chest. "This is definitely not your ordinary prison."

"Not as bad as that Blood Prison is it?" Choji asked.

"Can't anyone really tell me if Akamaru came here with us?" Kiba's voice came out almost like a growl but leaned towards a despairing groan. 

This was the nth time he asked of the whereabouts of his dog. Ever since he had woken up and not find Akamaru with him, his soul left him. Or was it gone the moment he realized Akamaru's absence. But none of his friends had any answer, most unfortunate for them.

Before anyone could say anything for reassurance, a girl classes in white and red came into the chamber. With her was a cart with their meals, and she came twice a day to feed the prisoners—that being the shinoni. And as usual with her arrival, Kiba yelled and demanded to know where his best friend was. He banged on his cage to snatch her attention, and she, as usual, would momentarily gaze at him before tending to her chores once again.

"Who's the boss of this place?" Sakura asked the girl. "We need to see him!"

The girl shuddered as she opened a latch that opened just enough for the metal shallow bowls could pass through yeh gap. Today's meal: some mush of rice and fish. It was Sakura's turn to accept her meal  when she inquired from the servant. 

Obviously she was startled by the question—she stiffened in her spot for a split second but quickly recollected herself and gave Sakura her meal from the small gap.

"Please. Who's the boss of this place?" Sakura asked once more. Truth be told, she was getting irritated that this servant wouldn't say anything. But it looked like the servant  wanted to explain things to them, but there was a look of fear in her eyes. It was as though speaking to any of the shinobi was a crime.

"Please."

Glancing around her surroundings briefly, the girl slowly opened her moth to speak. But—

"It would be wise of you not speak to these people. " A man's voice suddenly echoed into the chamber. Immediately the girl bowed and fell to her face. The revered Imperial Adviser had finally come down to meet the shinobi from a foreign land after many days. Every one of the prisoners had been stripped of their original clothing, which were replaced by white happi and pants, thus other than completely drained of chakra, they, too, are completely weaponless.

From the shinobi's eyes, the man donning silk kimono with golden embroidery etched on it was obviously a man of higher power. The way he carried his shoulders spewed with confidence and grace; his head held high. His cat-like gaze silenced the captured shinobi like mice cornered into the far back side of the room. He was smiling cordially, but behind it was a menace.

"Hello shinobi from the Leaf," his cooing voice greeted them. "How was your stay here so far?"

"Who are you?" Yamato asked then suddenly winced.

"Ah my apologies. My name is Lord Hakaku, Imperiel Adviser to the Emperor," the white-haired man replied. "Surprised that you can't use your chakra in your beautiful cells? Or perhaps your fellow prisoner here has already told you?"

"He has. ."

"Quite the useful material, fufu! Troublesome individuals who use chakra can only be completely held back with this. We have chakra users all across the country and ordinary prisons won't be able to hold them with mere iron. Truly, we're blessed."

"Tying our hands aren't enough?" Neji sneered from the far corner cell.

Hakaku chuckled.

"No. We are well aware of techniques and gifts beyond mere usage of hand signs. Your eyes are definitely not ordinary," he laughed. "Special cases require special measures. Now. . let me ask you: are you shinobi well-versed in legends and your history?"

"We have our own written documents."

"Here, the trees sing your songs and the spirits remember your name. The emperor unfortunately is losing faith to said spirits. I'll have to change that or else we'll suffer severe consequences."

"This sure is a strange country," muttered Choji. And he wasn't the only one who thought so. Yet, there was an intrigue that perked up their curiosity.

"What are you planning?" Sakura growled.

"We're plagued with angry spirits already if you don't already know. The curse is spreading, but while people are useless to counter it I've found some usefulness for it!"

"We only know them as shikabane, not some angry spirits." This information dump the man was giving them was giving her a headache. It was akeen to opening a door to an entirely new world.

Hakaku frowned at the kunoichi. "You lot really are disrespectful. I honestly pity you."

"How are the spirits even relevant to this case? How could you say the shikabane are angry spirits?" Ino asked before Sakura might say something stupid. 

"Well, dead things remained dead and unmoving unless they have a core to fuel their life. Spirits are capable of inhabiting bodies once souls that once inhabited those leave." 

The shinobi couldn't believe their ears. It was a strange madness. Or is this country really otherworldly?

"Disbelief is a dangerous thing, shinobi," Hakaku chuckled. "I'll tell you a little story: there were two brothers who were both glorified to succeed their great father's name and legacy. They both trained in the myriad of obligated acads, but this is where these boys greatly differed—one was a warrior, the other a scholar. Their father being a warrior himself found it more reasonable to favor the warrior of a son than one that was a scholar. He didn't think a scholar was capable of running a country. But this is more than a simple samurai country, sad that he never understood that. While the elder became the emperor, thanks to that, the young son found out some dirty little secrets. Now, I won't be telling you what secrets they are at the moment. They are quite scandalous, after all, not to mention it will kill the thrill. Yes.

"And thanks to the neglect his father gave him, the second son managed to master other fields his brother didn't excel at. One of them being science and curses and all types of things his brother isn't even aware of. Thanks to this, I was able to chemically reverse engineer the shikabane."

What? How was that possible? This thought screamed in the prisoner's thoughts. As good as it could be true, remembering the day Yoshie showed them her swords, that day that turned her white dress red, and if the man was telling them the truth then Yoshie didn't have to take down a shikabane again.

But what was this sinister grin the Imperial Adviser was giving them?

The man clapped his hands and his assistant came over and held out a tray. Whatever was on it made the shinobi skin crawl by instinct. He seemed to be leading on to something, but the ninja from lead knew better, and suspected dthat he was up to know good. The things the assistant held out were certainly bad news.

Slowly the man picked up whatever was on the tray, and when he held it out—everyone recognized it as a capsule. Glass and transparent, it displayed a yellow colored liquid inside, completely viscous. But Hakaku picked up another, this time purple in color.

"These are the results." Hakaku's face clearly displayed a pernicous smirk that sent chills to those  who saw it. His hands made sure everyone saw it, and he enjoyed every moment of it.

"The yellow serum, if injected into a living being. . turns into the regular shikabane," he explained as he gazed at the glowing substance inside the glass vial. "The violet one. . turns someone into half shikabane."

"You're weaponizing it?!" Guy yelled from his cell. "Thousands have died and you're trying to use this as some war strategy?!"

"You caught on quite quickly. I didn't even finish explaining." Hakaku chuckled amusedly. "Good. You're accustomed to war then."

"What the hell are you planning?" Guy growled.

"The Land of the Rising Sun is a country the world will soon know. I could assume you never even heard of our country before the samurai came to you."

"How did you know?"

"It's the only explanation really. My subordinates found you unconscious at some riverbank in your country before hauling you back here, and we don't have diplomatic relations to the rest of the world. The spirits here hide this country from outsiders like you. It was unfortunate, though, they didn't find Lady Yoshie Masashi with you. Things would've been more swift. Well, no matter—she will be found soon."

"What do you mean?!" The pink-haired kunoichi quickly perked up. 

A chortle of laughter croaked from the man's lips; his smile still there. "Two of the assassins managed to spar with her. She's alive, but the clock is ticking for her. Her death will save the rest of the thousands who live in this country and appease the spirits."

"Spirits?"

"The samurai here in this country have ways you shinobi aren't familiar with. We have seishinsu, bonding with a spirit to enhance our abilities and even our own mortality. Each clan may or may not have the blessing of a spirit. Perhaps you've seen Lady Yoshie use her dragon?"

None of his prisoners uttered a word. 

"You see. . there are four major clans here who are descended from the Dragon Emperor, and they are meant to stay pure from the wiles of evil," Hakaku chuckled. "I believe she's now just a lost soul who's supposedly the heir to the White Dragon Clan. A stained sword."

"She's innocent!" Yelled Sakura, banging on her cell. "She's trying to save you guys!"

"A blatant lie she fed you. She killed her father and burned down her village in retaliation for execution her husband, Takashi Motochika. After that the spawns from hell popped up, according to my sources. The spirits are unnerved. And a war is dawning because of it!" 

Eyes blinked at this. They were found at a riverbank? So the Demon Samurai and this lunatic weren't together, but that only means the enemy was more than one. Both wanted Yoshie but the shinobi knew that the samurai woman was accused of crimes against this country. Did they not know that Yoshie was keeping the shikabane at bay for four years?

And what war?

"Strange that I'm explaining all this to you. But the serums I developed will allow me to create an army no one has seen."

"What?!"

"There are people loyal enough to throw their humanity away. Such is this land blessed."

"You're going to kill innocents!" Yelled Yamato, banging his hand against the crystal. "Are you trying to kill your own people?!"

Hakaku glared.

"I don't need to explain my intentions to you shinobi. Your opinions are of no value to me, thus. . disposable." The air grew cold at the sound of his words. And while the shinobi scrambled through their minds, Yamato began to cough and wheeze. 

His eyes bulged out as he reeled over, clutching his chest as he gasped for air. The poisonous color of blue suddenly started pumping in his veins, much to their horror. Death seemed to creep up up his skin as what was once natural turn ashen and purple before adapting a more molten red saturation. 

His cries his students will forever remember. That moment his onyx eyes shudder with the beating drum of fear, his face contorting while fighting so hard to stay strong. But to suddenly be forced to turn into one of the shikabane was not what the captain thought would be his style to die. He wanted to smile in his last moments, to know that the future was ensured in the right hands.

But the throbbing pain surging inside his chest  made Yamato writhe and cry, groaning to find some words to say. Slowly, his eyes turned hazy. Everything was ringing into his ears—sharp and piercing. The younger shinobi looked like they were mouthing something to him, but his mind was too muddled to try deciphering their messages to him. Tears were streaming down ther faces, dripping down their sharp chins. Fists banging so desperately, so violently against the crystal cage.

Puff of smoke suddenly poured into their individual chambers. Yamato watched them cough with tears still in their eyes. He saw them struggle to keep their eyes open and to him.

So this was goodbye, huh?

So sudden. 

Unjustified.

Then all went red.

~~~

Number of words: 3040

ACK, LATE UPDATE AGAIN. I'm officially late on my schedule by three chapters ;;;; Will try to catch up ; u ;

Whew, so what do you guys think? Though there's still no action, it was a lot of information to swallow, and I hope you all managed to swallow anyhow hahahah xD I remember a reader speculating about spirits in the middle chapters of the first act, and so here's some info about spirits and their role! We'll definitely see spirits later on ;)

And poor Yamato.

Sorry guys ; u ; Nothing personal uwu

- Rai