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fire is beautiful as it is destructive.

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Haru was sitting on the shore, by the water, staring into the distance. When he saw her stoic face appear from the fog, he pursued his lips. "I— I'm sorry, Ki-Chan."

"Oi, oroka (stupid), what's wrong? You've been acting strange." Kiyomi sat down beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder, "you're lucky you didn't wake up the thing beneath the water."

"There was something underneath the water?" He blinked in disbelief and shook his head before continuing. "It's just, well, my curse mark's been acting up. It hurts, like hell," he mumbled, clutching his side. "How did you get yours under control?"

"Be strong, Haru," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Even though I may not show it, I appreciate you. You're the one person I can count on to always be there for me."

His lips curved up into a wide smile. "You're so cute, Ki-Chan. Can you check out my curse mark?"

"Don't call me cute, oroka," she mumbled, but what caught her eye was the boat emerging from the fog, she grabbed his arm and dragged him behind the bushes, away from prying eyes. She quickly lifted up his shirt and looked at his curse mark. "It looks fine, for now. I'll deal with it later. Rest up. I'll carry you."

He grinned. "Really?! Thank you Ki-Chan!"

"Yeah, yeah. Rest up." She grumbled, letting out a soft grunt when he jumped onto her back.

"Kakashi-Sensei, it's Rei and Kiko!" Sakura pointed.

He looked over to the distance and noticed the brunette carrying an unconscious male, presumably 'Kiko'. He believed the two to be good, it didn't worry him.

"Can we go after them?" Naruto asked.

"I mean— should we really?" Sakura grumbled.

Kakashi shook his head, "no. I have a feeling we'll meet them again. Let's make our way back to Konoha."

"She was really pretty," the blond commented with a grin, causing the pinkette to glare over at him. He sweatdropped, "Not as pretty as you though, Sakura-Chan."

"I don't care about that you baka (stupid)!" She scoffed.

Sasuke sighed at his teammates and looked back at the fading figure of the duo one last time before walking ahead. He wanted to meet her again, soon. Under different circumstances.

"Now, now you two." Kakashi smiled. "Get along."

"What village were they from? It wasn't exactly clear, was it?" Sasuke mused, his hands in his pockets.

He looked in the direction where the brunette ran and realised that the Uchiha was right. There was indication to which village they belonged to. They didn't wear a headband, armband or anything. "Yes.. I wonder."

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After another five hours, they'd arrived at a hilltop that overlooked the village. Kiyomi looked down at the seemingly peaceful village and sighed. Another serene and beautiful village that she needed to destroy, but they was something beautiful about a fire burning.

She needed to make sure that the village and its surrounding areas were secure and he wanted to know the topography of the village before planning the attack. She transformed into the younger version of Tsunade, changing her facial features slightly as well as the shade of her hair from blonde to black.

"Halt! Who goes there?!" A guard asked, pointing his spear at her.

"Ju— just Rei Naizo.." Kiyomi stuttered, acting shy. "This is the first village I came upon after three days. I'm just here to restock on my supplies before I head back home.."

"I'm sorry, Naizo-Chan, the whole village is on high alert since there could possibly be threat due to Orochimaru. We're worried he might send his goons." He reasoned, hesitantly moving aside to let her in.

"Who's this Orochimaru? May I ask why?" Kiyomi rose an eyebrow. She knew who he was, of course. Having to work for him all her life.

But what she didn't know was why, she wanted to know why he was after them, from another person's perspective. Because, as far as she knew, they just went back on a deal made with the bastard. Everyone knew not to back out of a deal with Orochimaru.

"We made a deal with him, to protect us in exchange for our blood and giving him all those who were dying or dead. But when the leader of our village's father died, naturally he'd want a proper burial. We thought we got away with it but, four of his goons attacked us, no one died but many were injured." He explained sadly.

An overwhelming feeling of guilt rushed through her. "I see.. Uh, what's so special about your blood?"

"Our blood isn't normal.. It's not red all the time, it turns yellow. We just don't know why.. He was helping us find out why.. But I guess it's all for naught," he sighed.

"I hope this isn't over stepping the boundaries but, I'm a medical ninja. Maybe I could find out why your blood is yellow and get back to you. No charge," she offered.

He stared at her curiously, "Why do you wanna help us?"

"Don't take offence, but you look like you need it.." Kiyomi muttered, rubbing the back of her neck.

"We can't give outsiders our blood." He shook his head.

She nodded, "No problem. Thank you for your time."

"Enjoy your visit, Naizo-Chan," he smiled.

Kiyomi began walking around, memorising the structure of the village and its surroundings. She couldn't help herself, she'd managed to buy quite a few items that caught her eye: weapons, jewellery, clothes, foods and things she'd never seen before.

"Nee-San!" A small boy called out, hugging her leg.

She frowned and looked down at the boy, "I'm not.."

"Jiro!" A young woman shouted and prying him off her leg. "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine, don't worry about it." She shook her head, confused at her sentimentality. She just assumed it was because of all the blood she was seeing. She wanted to pay a visit to their hospital before destroying it too.

When Haru woke up and the brunette wasn't there but all her things were, it meant she went to scout the village. When he saw an unfamiliar female walking towards him, he jumped back and aimed a kunai at her. "Who are you?" He snarled.

"Don't be stupid, Haru." Kiyomi gave him a blank look and transformed back into herself. "You should be able to recognise my chakra by now."

Blinking, he sighed in relief. "I'm not as good at the stuff like you," he pouted and hid the kunai away. "How was the village? I woke up a few minutes ago. I knew you would be scouting the village."

She rubbed the back of her neck, "I— I don't know.. The village is small meaning it'll be quick. Night will be best, the guards will probably be posted so we'll take them out," she explained, looking over at the village. "He said to kill most of them, even so, we cannot leave survivors. Orochimaru will just experiment on them anyways.."

Haru smiled softly at her. "You saw the children, didn't you?" He knew her so well.

"They looked so happy and innocent, they have a childhood that I'll never get to experience," she whispered sadly.

"What do you want to do?" He asked.

"I'll go to talk to Kuro and Hageshi. Wait a moment," she told him, closing her eyes.

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━━ 𝑾𝑰𝑻𝑯 𝑲𝑼𝑹𝑶&𝑯𝑨𝑮𝑬𝑺𝑯𝑰 . . .

"Oi, kid." Kuro called out.

When the brunette opened her eyes, they landed on the two beasts residing inside her, her inner demons, quite literally. Kuro, the black wolf and Hageshi, the white fox. Both were in their beast forms and thus ginormous.

"It's been a while since you came to visit us." Hageshi mused, sitting beside her, laying his head down on the ocean-like surrounding.

Kuro scoffed, "You brat, we told you to come visit us here at least three times a week, but how long as it been? It's been three fucking months," he pouted and glared at her, obviously sulking.

"You know better than to curse around Kiyomi," the white fox used his tail to whip the wolf in the face.

"Whatever," the black wolf in annoyance, sitting on her other side. "Whatever."

"Interesting choice of scenery," she trailed off knowing that they could choose their own surroundings. "But, I'm sorry. I've been busy contemplating whether to escape or not and I am, with Haru.."

"This situation with the village.. I'm guess you need our help?" Hageshi smiled, baring his fangs at her.

She nodded, "yes.."

"Oh, and don't think you're weak Kiyomi, you're just compassionate. You probably get that from me," he said proudly.

Kuro rolled his eyes and nudged his face into her cheek, "You're too soft. I'll gladly take control of your body. Hageshi's honour would be at stake if he decided to kill innocent people not to mention children, plus, I haven't been out in a while. It'll be fun," he smirked, glancing over at the fox.

"You're such a pain," the white fox growled out. "But he's right. He's ultimately the best choice for the attack," he looked over at her and licked her cheek. "You better not lose control Kuro."

"Who says I will?" He retorted.

Kiyomi shook her head, "Can you please get along?" They scoffed and looked away from each other. "Kuro, leave ten of the townspeople alive, alright? I want some kids in that mix. Oh and don't touch the hospital please."

He whined at her instructions, "Fine.."

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"So, how was it?" Haru asked. "What did they say?"

"Kuro will take over when the time comes," she informed him.

He sighed, "I'm guessing I should just stand back then?"

Kiyomi nodded, "That'd probably be for the best anyways. Kuro hasn't been out in a while and knowing him, he can get really wild."

"You know, if we were to kill them, we could've snuck in at night and set the houses on fire. Those who didn't die would probably wake up and run out, then we'd have a challenge. We could easily kill those guys." Haru's eyes sparkled.

"You're so weird. That plan is so sadistic," she shook her head. "Though, I can't really say anything.. I'm more sadistic than you are."

Haru nodded, "That's right! You influenced me."

They waited until it was absolutely dark. It must've been just past midnight. A cool breeze blowing onto their face as they stood beside one another, looking down at the village.

"It's been a long time, boy."

Haru looked over at Kiyomi and froze, her chakra and aura felt different, no longer calm like he was used to, more murderous. He watched as she was looked over at the village.

"It's been a long time since I've been out, the world feels more shitty.." Kuro groaned out and began stretching Kiyomi's body.

"Ki-Chan?" He asked hesitantly.

Kuro snapped towards him, baring his fangs as he a low growl escaped his lips. "I thought you would've recognised boy. Kid's chakra isn't nearly as murderous as mine."

Haru held his hands up, "sorry, sorry. After all this time, I don't really get it. Where is Ki-Chan anyways? Plus, I don't really know what to call you. You're you, but in Ki-Chan's body.."

Kuro rolled his eyes and transformed into his human form. "Is this better for you Haru?" He mocked. "Regarding Kiyo, she's in my place with the fox, probably braiding each other's hair. Now, shut up and follow closely but not too close." He ordered and grabbed his wrist, teleporting them to the village.

"Don't go too wild," the male muttered.

He glared over at him, "who are you to tell me what to do?" Smirking, he rubbed his hands. "Let's start with something simple.. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." And six clones of himself appeared. They dispersed to different parts of the village. "Katon: Kaji no Tatsumaki (Fire Tornado)." They announced in unison.

Haru watched as the demon wolf lit the houses on fire, the villagers began to wake up, all in a state of shock and panic. They gathered their things and tried to flee, but Kuro had the whole village surrounded. He walked calmly to what seemed like an armoury and grabbed twin swords. He then began dashing around and stabbing people. He was so fast that Haru could hardly keep track of him. Most of the townsfolk were dead, if not heavily injured within ten minutes if not quicker. But the demon wolf kept to his word, he left some people alive and he didn't touch the hospital.

What stood out the most amongst the fire and the ashes were the group of scared, vulnerable children. Now, Haru understood why Kiyomi didn't want to do it.

"Little kiddies," he cooed out, a sick smirk displayed on his face. "Sorry about this.. It really is nothing personal, think of it as I'm doing you a favour. The world is a shitty place. Wait a sec.. You five, move to the side."

Haru watched the children, nod and shakily move apart from the group. He felt somewhat guilty.

"Hyōton: Kōri no Dangan (Ice Bullets)," the demon wolf uttered and thousands of sharp ice bullets launched at the children.

Haru stood by and watched as the children fell, one by one. They never got to experience life, it made him feel guilty. Not to mention, he couldn't believe he managed to take down an entire village, within a short amount of time.

"See kid, you didn't have to do anything." Kuro spoke, wiping the blood off his face. "I heard you have another mission."

"Yeah, capturing a guy named Hatsu.. He was last located in Suna." Haru trailed off.

"Interesting. Well, guard those kids. Kiyo said she wanted some kids and there's some adults around, find them," he walked over to the kids and using the back of the sword, knocked them out. "And also, tell her to burn the hospital when she's done. Wouldn't want to leave too much of a trace to track back to her."

He nodded, "thanks."

"I'll be going now.. Oroka, take care of the little princess," he muttered, going back into the 'cage' and returning to Hageshi.

His transformation disappeared and soon, Kiyomi's familiar face came into view. Though, she was barely conscious. Haru lurched forward and caught her, laying her down on the floor. "Ki-Chan?"

Hey eyes widened at the sight in front of her. "He really went wild," she breathed, watching as the houses began to collapse. The fires were still raging and she could feel the heat they were radiating. "Perhaps it was better that I wasn't here. If I think about it— This part was in your back up plan."

He nodded, "hm, knowing you, you probably would've killed them in their sleep so it was less panic, less stress and less pain," he wrapped an arm around her. "You may be a killer Ki-Chan, but you're a softie.."

"Go ahead, I'll meet you up there. We'll spend the night here. There's food in my bag if you're hungry," she told him, staring at the flames, which somehow enticed her.

Haru hesitated but obeyed nonetheless, "son't take too long, or I'll come back."

"Yes, yes. Go." Kiyomi muttered.

Once he was gone, she began walking around and sure enough, the demon wolf did leave survivors. Five. She healed them, so they wouldn't die and sealed them in a scroll. It was a neat trick she taught herself but the jutsu was extremely cruel, when they woke, if they woke, it would be like slowly losing air. The feeling of slowly dying, but never dying unless you get released from the scroll.

Kiyomi circled the village three times and came back to where they were originally. There she saw five unconscious kids, not much younger than her. "I'm sorry," she uttered as she sealed them inside the scroll.

A curious smirk appeared on her lips as she looked over to the untouched, unburnt, white hospital. "Good boy Kuro."

"Shut it kid."

She made her way inside to where they held the blood bags. She snagged a couple dozen and sealed it in one of her many scrolls. Kiyomi made sure to acquire all the unused medical supplies so that she could put them to use. She made her way outside and looked up at the building, "Katon: Kaji no Tatsumaki." And she watched the white building set ablaze in a magnificent shade of red.

"You should probably go back to Haru, Kiyomi."

"Right." In a blink of an eye, she was back at the hilltop where Haru sprawled out onto the grass, eating potato chips. "Why are you so unhealthy?"

"I was just about to get you and because it tastes good," he grinned up at her.

"How was Kuro?" Kiyomi asked, placing a hand on her hip.

Haru pursued his lips, "terrifying. The amount of strength and power. Not to mention his speed.. And it wasn't even his body! Just amazing, but so scary.."

"HEAR THAT HAGESHI? I'm scary and amazing."

"Wow, soo amazing."

Kiyomi let out a soft for chuckle and sat beside him. "Yeah. But he's just a softie, well to me anyways.."

"Ha, softie."

"SHUT IT FOX!"

Haru touched his side and winced loudly at the pain it brough, "Can you check on my curse mark, Ki?"

"Tomorrow morning," she ruffled his hair. "Does it hurt much?"

He shrugged, "k— kinda.."

"Get some shut eye. I'll check it out tomorrow," she told him and ruffled his hair.

He placed his head on her shoulder, "goodnight.."

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▬▬▬▬▬ 𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄

also travel time to the village is
around like 12hrs oops,, big like
just a little guide for u lovelies !

text : next to a character means
thinking, otherwise emphasis.
text : this is hageshi speaking.
text : this is kuro speaking.

and i'll make it obvious when
she's with them in her space !