Stone of the Shadows
by Chuztox

Chapter 1 – Reminiscent Aftermath

 

A gentle breeze blew through the trees, cooling the air of the warm morning. Two figures were walking at a casual pace along the dirt path near the field. As they walked, the two figures were quiet, each pondering how long until they reached their destination. One of the figures stopped and sighed, her face quickly turning as red as her shoulder length red hair.

 

"Heh, again, Tayuya?", The other figure asked.

 

"Yes…", Tayuya responded, with her typical attitude.

 

"Well, hurry up", The other girl stated.

 

"Shut it," Tayuya demanded, walking into the trees near the dirt path.

 

After a couple minutes, and a few instances of a rustling-esque sound, the red-headed kunoichi emerged from the trees, with the same scowl she always carried, planted firmly on her face. Tayuya said nothing to her partner, and continued on the path. Her partner followed, just a step behind. Tayuya looked at her partner, Oshime Shiruba, her long, silver hair gently blowing with the slight breeze. Her piercing orange eyes stared straight ahead, not noticing, or much more likely, not caring that Tayuya was looking at her. Tayuya looked back ahead of her, thinking of the past as she walked.

 

 

Tayuya slowly opened her eyes, as an incredible pain engulfed the lower half of her body. Her head upside-down, she looked at her surroundings, too afraid of the potential pain to attempt to sit up. As she stared, she saw naught but demolished trees spread across the forest floor. She did not even need to sit up to know that she was currently lying under a tree trunk. Her memories came pouring back to her, remembering that shit-faced little shadow brat and the whore who came out of nowhere and defeated her. Since it was twilight, Tayuya reckoned she must have been unconscious for hours. She managed a small smile despite the pain, as she realized her attackers must have only assumed she had been killed.

 

"Dumbasses," She managed to state, coughing a bit of blood in the process.

 

With the only strength she could muster, Tayuya managed to lift the log off her abdomen just enough to slide her damaged body out from under it. She rolled over, noticing the wetness across the lower half of body, assuming it was blood.

 

"H-how much blood did I lose…?", Tayuya sputtered, before once again blacking out, this time falling asleep, instead of unconscious.

 

 

"Hey, Tayuya!", Oshime yelled, yanking Tayuya out of her memories.

"Huh, wha-!?," Tayuya said, oblivious to the surroundings.

 

"We're taking a left at the fork in the road, not right," Oshime said, standing on the left-bound path.

 

"Oh, right…," Tayuya replied, walking towards the left path.

 

"What's with you?," Oshime asked, "You've been distant and vacant all day."

 

"It's nothing," Tayuya stated, not looking at Oshime.

 

 "C'mon, Tayuya, you haven't even been as mean as you usually are," Oshime said jokingly, not even getting a scowl in return.

 

The red-headed kunoichi continued walking, not wanting to give her partner the satisfaction of a response.

 

"Seriously, Tayuya, if you don't have your head in the game, there's no way we can pull this heist off", Oshime said, showing concern.

 

"I know, I know, relax," Tayuya said, "We're at least a day away from the village, so it's no big deal."

 

"Ok, fine," Oshime sighed, "But if you screw this heist up, don't be surprised when I lop your head off with my Sui-Riu"

 

"Ok, ok, keep your damn sword sheathed," Tayuya stated, "We all know you're quick to draw that thing to compensate for your lack of breasts."

 

"You're one to talk, with those mosquito bites of yours!" Oshime shouted, glaring at her. "At least I don't have to wear…" She added, before stopping herself.

 

Tayuya shot her daggers, but decided not to press the subject. They continued silently, Oshime deciding not to apologize, despite feeling bad. The sun was beginning to set, as the sky began changing color to match the eyes of the silver-haired ninja. Tayuya found her mind wandering again, once again pulling her towards her past.

 

 

Tayuya once again found herself opening her eyes among the fallen forest. This time, however, she was coming out of sleep in the early morning, and was no longer being crushed by a tree trunk. She felt that she was lying in a wet patch, but looking around showed no signs of rain. Nervous that she had lost massive amounts of blood, she pulled herself to sitting position, and looked herself over. The lower half of her was soaked, but she noticed it wasn't blood. Not really caring where the liquid came from at the moment, she looked herself over for any significant wounds, and found that she had lost a moderate amount of blood, but nothing life-threatening, and found that her left leg and abdomen had suffered a good amount of damage.

 

"Fuck!" She yelled, as she pressed her arm down onto her left leg.

 

She didn't think it was broken, but nonetheless, she could only put very little weight onto it. Her right shoulder was in some pain, too, but she placed that out of her mind. She knew her abdomen had suffered massive damage, but that was to be expected after having a tree fall on it. Not knowing how to diagnose such an injury in anyway other than "fucking painful", she could do nothing but hope it wasn't life-threatening, and would heal soon. It was then that her mind wandered back to the wet patch on her pants and on the ground. Now that she had analyzed her situation more, she couldn't help but wonder where this liquid came from. It was cool against her skin, but she couldn't help but think it wasn't water. As she pondered, a certain odor reached her nose. Recognizing it as urine, she looked around for an animal that had snuck up on her. It only took a few seconds for her to put two and two together, and realize she was sitting in a puddle of her own urine.

 

"Dammit!" She shouted, wiping the hand she used to touch it on her shirt.

 

After a bit of thought, she realized she shouldn't be surprised. After all, she had been crushed by a tree, and had been passed out for many hours now. Summoning her effort, she pulled herself to her feet, yelling profanities as weight was put on her bad leg. She quickly lifted that leg, and balanced on the other as she snapped a branch off one of the down trees to use an impromptu crutch. She began hobbling, hoping she could find her teammates before too long. As she made her way towards the edge of the debris, she noticed a small object shining beneath the leaves. She winced in pain as she bent over enough to pull the object off the forest floor, and stared dejectedly at the twisted hunk of metal that had once been her flute. She placed the broken instrument into the damaged holster around her waist, and continued hobbling.

 

 

"Let's set up camp here for the night," Oshime said, once again pulling Tayuya out of her daydream.

 

"Yeah, sounds good," Tayuya said, looking around at how dark it had gotten since she began to reminisce.

 

The two quickly set up their two tents, and had a quick meal using the fire Oshime created with a simple jutsu. They ate in silence, Oshime noticing that Tayuya wasn't her usual obnoxious self.

 

"I'll be right back," Tayuya said, as she finished her meal.

 

Oshime nodded, knowing what Tayuya needed to do. The red-haired girl glanced at her friend, noticing her lustrous eyes seemed to pierce the darkness like small flashlights, and made her way to her tent. Oshime gave her friend privacy, hearing the rustling sounds she had come to recognize since they had been traveling together. She took the opportunity to find a tree she could use to go to the bathroom, making sure she grabbed a few tissues before she went. Both girls returned to the small fire at the same time, sitting back down on the small log on the ground.

 

"We should turn in for the night", Oshime said, getting a nod in response.

 

"Yeah, I can't wait to get this damn cloak off," Tayuya stated. In actuality, she found the cloak to be quite nice looking, but being almost entirely black meant it was sweltering to wear outside during the daytime heat.

 

"Don't complain. Just be lucky I'm letting us take them off to sleep," Oshime replied. "The Akatsuki never take theirs off. In fact, if a member took theirs off, it probably meant they were about to die."

 

"Yeah, yeah, but we're not Akatsuki, Oshime," Tayuya stated, "We're just masquerading as them."

 

"Well, duh, that was my idea, you know." Oshime said, "We need to keep the guise up as long as possible to fool who we need to."

 

"It can't be that hard to fool such a small, bumpkin village," Tayuya replied, "I mean, I've never even heard of this place." 

 

"We'll talk about this in the morning," Oshime said, "Right now, we need to sleep."

 

Both girls removed their cloaks, and placed them in their supply case, along with Tayuya's flute, and Oshime's Sui-Riu. Tayuya made a few handsigns, and put a sealing jutsu on the case, which would now neither open, nor move from its current location unless either Tayuya or Oshime performed the necessary handsigns. Tayuya bid her partner goodnight, and entered her tent, content with sleeping in the outfit she was wearing under her robe. Oshime, not wanting to do the same, entered her own tent, and changed into a long, blue shirt that reached her knees. There was a black symbol across the chest, round on one side, and with two, curved spikes on the other. Oshime sighed as she looked at it, and got under the covers, extinguishing her own lantern. Ten feet away, in her own tent, Tayuya lay under the covers of her sleeping bag, trying like always to find a comfortable position in which to fall asleep. She put out her lantern, and closed her eyes, falling into a deep sleep not long after.

 

 

 

Chapter 2 – The Fallen

 

Tayuya opened her still weary eyes, and blinked a few times, before stretching and sitting up. She opened her tent door slightly, and peered out into the early morning. She could tell it was early, but had no desire to return to sleep. She reckoned she had a couple of hours until Oshime got up, so she closed her tent door, and laid back onto her sleeping bag. Staring at the ceiling of the tent, she found herself once again getting lost in her own thoughts.

 

 

[I]Tayuya hobbled forward, only partially sure she was going the way her teammates should have been. As she made her way forward, she saw some type of white structure. She made her way towards it, not sure what it was she was seeing. Tayuya gasped as she entered the clearing in forest. She stared at the tall, white structures protruding from the ground, knowing instantly that they were the bones of her teammate, Kimimaro.

 

"Kimimaro?," Tayuya said out loud, "What the hell was he doing here, as sick as he is?"

 

Tayuya hobbled up to the bone formation, and worked her way around it, and through the spaces between them when possible, but found no sign of her teammate. Tayuya leaned against one of the structures, and eased herself into a sitting position, wincing at the slight pains across her body. Pondering what could have happened, she sighed, and looked at the bone structures. As she looked above her, she gasped in shock at what she saw. There was her teammate, sticking out of the top of a bone spire, a vacant look on his lifeless face, unmoving. His body was still in its second state of cursed seal, and his left arm was covered in his bone spiral technique still. Tayuya stared at her dead teammate for a few minutes, realizing that his sickness must have been what ended him, despite the observation that he appeared to be in the middle of a battle at the time.

 

"Well, that's the idiot gets for leaving the compound," Tayuya stated, "He should have known he was too sick to be of use to Lord Orochimaru"

 

Tayuya summoned her strength, and pulled herself back up, making sure not to put weight on her bad leg. Taking one last look at her fallen comrade, she began limping from her location. She made her way forward for a bit, before deciding follow the small river down the gorge, knowing Sakon and Ukon had fallen down there during their skirmish with that feral brat and his mongrel. As she made her way, she felt the terrain change, becoming more rock-covered and jagged. Careful not to lose her balance, she managed to continue forward, looking for any signs of her conjoined teammates. The first thing she noticed was a trail of blood splatterings leading away from the river. She followed the path, not sure what she was expecting to find at the end of the trail. What she did find was nothing she was currently prepared for. She stared at the bloody body of her two teammates, each head with a mix of rage and surprise on their faces, lying in a puddle of their own blood. It looked like they had been stabbed multiple times, from various angles.

"Them, too?" Tayuya asked, starting to feel alone, "Those dumbasses probably got overconfident again."

 

Tayuya sighed, and began trekking away from the bloodied corpse of her combined teammates, trying to find a way out of the canyon, hoping to find Kidomaru or Jiroubo still alive.

 

"With my luck, it'll just be me and Lardass…", Tayuya grumbled, continuing on.[/I]

 

 

"Hey Tayuya, you awake yet?" Oshime said gently, outside of Tayuya's tent.

 

"Yeah, I'm awake," Tayuya replied, stretching her legs under her sleeping bag.

 

"Ok, meet me out here when you're done changing," Oshime said, "Umm, if you need to that is."

 

"Yeah, yeah" Tayuya grumbled, knowing that she did indeed need to.

 

Oshime sat by the sealed chest, hearing the sounds she'd come to correlate with Tayuya. After a few minutes, Tayuya emerged from her tent, wearing a light green T-shirt, and a pair of baggy, black sweatpants. Tayuya said nothing as she walked over to the chest, and performed the necessary handsigns to release the sealing jutsu on it. Oshime opened the latch, and quickly grabbed her sword, followed by her Akatsuki cloak. Tayuya scooped her cloak and flute out the chest, and first placed her flute in its holster on her belt. She stared at her cloak, not wanting to put it on in the already humid and warm air. Sighing, she slipped it over her outfit, noticing that Oshime had already done the same.

 

"Ok, let's go," Oshime said, collecting her supplies into her pack. Tayuya did the same, folding her tent up awkwardly, and shoving it into its holder incorrectly.

 

 "Nice job…" Oshime said sarcastically, "And you wonder why your last tent broke…"

 

"Shut it," Tayuya growled, walking onto the path, "What's the name of this village, again?"

 

"Ugh, what CAN you remember?" Oshime replied, shaking her head, "The village is Kagegakure, the Village Hidden in the Shadows. It's located in the middle of a tall mountain range, so they say they're protected by the shadows of the mountains."

 

"Huh, well, you'd think they'd call themselves the Village Hidden in the Mountains, or something," Tayuya said.

 

"Well, they're not called that, so try to act nice when we meet the Kage of the village, ok?" Oshime pleaded, "I don't want your foul attitude to ruin this heist."

 

"Ugh, shut your trap," Tayuya demanded, "Wait, I thought only the five main villages had a Kage?"

 

"Official Kages, yes," Oshime replied, "But many smaller villages call their leaders "Kage" in order to boost the moral of their people."

 

"So, this village calls its leader the Kagekage, I assume?" Tayuya said, shaking her head. "This'll be the easiest heist we've ever done"

 

Oshime just shook her head, not saying anything. The two continued their forward progress, Tayuya noticing an odd look on her partner's face, but deciding not to mention it.

 

 

[I]Tayuya had finally found her way out of the gorge, and continued at her sluggish pace through the forest. She recognized a few remnants of the traps she had set for their pursuers just the other day, and knew she was going the right direction. She continued looking around for any signs of her other two teammates, and eventually found an area of trees with had fist-sized holes in them, along with a fabric-like material spread across the forest floor. Knowing this to be the work of Kidomaru, she looked around, noticing more webbing in every direction. She sighed, and walked around the area, until she saw a figure lying on the ground in the distance. Stumbling over to it, she saw the body of Kidomaru lying motionless on the ground. Noticing he only had a few nicks and scratches on his body, Tayuya grimaced, and painfully bent over to check for signs of life.

 

"Nope," She sighed, "Dead like the others."

 

Tayuya shook her head, and began hobbling away from Kidomaru, only somewhat sure she was headed in Jiroubo's direction. As she walked on, she looked at the six-armed shinobi one last time before shaking her head.

 

"How could a bunch of shit-faced genin decimate us like this?" Tayuya yelled to no one in particular.

 

Tayuya no longer expected Jiroubo to be alive, seeing as he was the weakest of their team. Despite this, she continued her slow pace towards the place she thought he was. Before getting too far from Kidomaru's location, she felt a warm sensation spreading across her legs. She was confused at the cause, as her pants had dried awhile ago. She looked down to see the wetness spreading down almost to the edge of her pants before coming to a stop. She looked around for a water source, but was unsurprised to find one.

 

"Did I just…?" Tayuya asked herself, the faint smell of urine answering her question before she could ask it.

 

Tayuya yelled a few profanities, and had to stop herself before she stomped on the ground with her bad leg. She realized the internal damage to her abdomen must have been pretty severe, having rendered her temporarily incontinent, or at least she hoped it was only temporary. She released a few more profanities, and continued going forward.

 

After twenty or so minutes, Tayuya found herself in a clearing, much smaller than the one Kimimaro had met his end in, with a small crater in the center. Hobbling over to center, she saw the body of Jiroubo lying in the center. His chest looked like it had been caved in by whatever had formed this impact crater. Despite expecting to find him dead, finding Jiroubo made Tayuya feel the worse. It's not that she cared more about him than the others, quite the opposite in fact, but seeing the last of her teammates dead made her feel alone for the first time in her life, despite fending for herself since the age of seven. Tayuya veered to the left, unsure of where she was heading, but knowing she would not return alone to Lord Orochimaru, lest she wind up the same as the rest of her team. She shed nary a tear for her comrades, as shinobi were trained to never show their emotions, lest they show weakness.

 

Tayuya continued for hours, hungrier and thirstier than she had ever thought it possible to be, and her pants incredibly uncomfortable as the urine dried. Just as she thought she didn't have the strength to continue any further, a snapping sound penetrated her ears, as the branch she had been using as a crutch broke, sending the kunoichi tumbling to the ground. Pain tore through her as she hit her leg and other other injuries against the rough ground. Not even having the strength to swear, Tayuya found a single thought in her mind, as she blacked out: "Fuck."[/I]

 

 

Tayuya snapped back to reality as she almost tripped on a pebble protruding from the ground, swearing at it as if it would respond.

 

"Nice going, Tayuya," Oshime said, "You were almost beaten by a rock…"

 

"Screw you, shit-face," Tayuya responded, "A damn fly could kick [I]your[/I] ass."

 

Oshime gave her a mean look, but then looked back at the path ahead, pulling a small container out of her pack. She opened it, and began munching on the food inside.

 

"Want some pretzels?" Oshime asked, holding out the container.

 

"No thanks," Tayuya responded, not even glancing over at her partner.

 

Oshime brought the container back close to her, and continued snacking, finishing the whole thing quickly. Tayuya stopped suddenly, causing Oshime to stop and look at her. Tayuya did not need to say a word, as Oshime nodded. Tayuya walked into the trees with her pack, and emerged a few minutes later, blushing as she usually did in the situation. Saying nothing, both girls began walking again, getting closer to their destination.

 

 

Chapter 3 – Salvation

 

As the duo walked, Tayuya began to notice mountains in the distance, ahead and on her left. She figured they must've been getting close, since the village was in the middle of a mountain range. As she looked ahead, she noticed Oshime stop, out of the corner of her eye.

 

"What's up?" Tayuya asked, also stopping.

 

"This is the way to get to Kagegakure," Oshime responded.

 

"What?" Tayuya replied, confused, "What do you mean?"

 

"Did you think this path would just lead to the village, a hidden village?" Oshime stated, "We need to take a left here, and travel through the forest for a bit."

 

"I guess that makes sense," Tayuya answered, "But how the hell do you know to turn here?"

 

Tayuya wasn't sure if Oshime hadn't heard her, or just simply ignored her, but she didn't answer the question. She simply turned, and jumped into the trees, beginning to tree jump at normal ninja speed. Tayuya quickly followed, going a tiny bit faster, making sure to catch up to Oshime. Tayuya watched the trees blur by, making sure to follow Oshime, wondering how she knew where to go.

 

 

Tayuya opened her weary eyes, and was met with blurriness. The last thing she remembered was collapsing onto the ground. She tried to sit up, but couldn't summon the strength. As she eyes began to focus, she saw she was in a building of some sort. Wondering how she got there, she turned her head, looking for a sign of another person. She saw a small light in another room, but found herself too weak to call out to the potential person in that room. It was then that she noticed her arm was in a sling, and her leg was in a cast. She stretched her good leg, noticing it was somewhat sore, and felt something odd. She realized she was wearing something around her waist and privates. Thinking it was some type of abdominal cast, she shifted with what little strength she had, and noticed that it wasn't anywhere near as hard as a cast, and it felt somewhat wet, crinkling slightly as she moved.

 

"I see you've woken up," She heard a voice say, "You've been asleep for two days now."

 

Tayuya turned her head to look at the voice, and saw a girl about her age, with shoulder length silver hair, and bright orange eyes, that despite mostly being hidden behind her bangs, still shone elegantly. Tayuya tried to speak, but her throat hurt too much, so she just nodded her head slowly.

 

"Don't try to speak or move too much. You're still weak," The girl said, "My name is Oshime Shiruba."

 

Tayuya just nodded again, as Oshime walked over to her, and brought a cup of liquid up to her lips.

 

"Here, drink up," Oshime stated, "It's a mix of water and medicine."

 

Tayuya slowly swallowed the liquid as it entered her mouth, content that this girl was not trying to kill her. After all, she reckoned, if she really wanted to kill her, she would have just killed her while she was unconscious. The liquid seemed to soothe her throat, but the aftertaste left something to be desired.

 

"Thanks…" Tayuya managed to say, wincing.

 

"It's no big deal," Oshime stated, "Now let's check on something else…"

 

Tayuya gave her a confused look, but had no time to try and ask her what she meant, as Oshime pulled the blanket off of Tayuya's body. Tayuya noticed she was wearing a plain white T-shirt, but gasped in shock at what she was wearing on the lower half of her body. She realized that it was not at all an abdominal cast, and understood why it was crinkling.

 

"What the fuck is that!?" Tayuya yelled, groaning in pain afterwards.

 

"I told you not to talk too much," Oshime replied, "What you're wearing is an incontinence garment, or as you might know it, a diaper."

 

Tayuya did not respond, due to her throat pain, but shot Oshime a look of anger.

 

"This cot isn't much, but I don't want it getting any wetter than it already has", Oshime stated, "I had to run to the nearest village to get these for you, while you lay in bed, wetting through the mattress."

 

Tayuya blushed at the thought that she had wet helplessly while blacked out, but then remembered that she had urinated while hobbling through the forest. Her eyes widened as she saw Oshime reach for the top-left tab of her diaper, and used her good arm to weakly try and stop her. Oshime easily swatted her hand away, not even looking at Tayuya as she undid the tab. Tayuya blushed again, but knew she was too weak to do anything to prevent the inevitable. Tayuya looked away as Oshime undid the other three tabs, and slid the sodden garment out from under her, exposing her moist privates to the cool air. Her sore body twitched in surprise as she felt a cool, wet cloth make contact with her skin, wiping away the spare urine. Tayuya tried to psyche herself up for the next part of the change, but having never changed a diaper before, had no idea what was left. She shuddered as she felt some type of powder applied to her skin, and heard a crinkle she assumed was her new diaper. She blushed as Oshime carefully taped it onto her, looking at Oshime for the first time since the change began. She noticed that Oshime was also blushing, but it faded quickly as she placed the changing supplies under the bed.

 

"Well, I'm not a medical ninja, so I don't know the extent of that abdominal injury," Oshime stated factually, "But it seems you're going to be incontinent for awhile, if not permanently."

 

"Dammit…" Tayuya said in a hoarse voice, "Just what I fucking needed…"

 

"Also, you are not going anywhere for awhile, with that leg of yours," Oshime stated, "You're welcome to stay here, as long as you need."

 

"What?" Tayuya asked, "But you put my leg in a cast, so shouldn't I be fine with some crutches?"

 

"I already told you, I'm not a medical ninja," Oshime replied, "I did what I could, but it's nowhere near good enough to have you walking around on it until it's healed."

 

Tayuya was surprised to discover that the one part of her that didn't hurt was the back of her neck. She rubbed her neck, and was surprised to discover that her cursed seal wasn't there. A quick glance at her refection on the metal bar of the cot showed a bare neck, devoid of the cursed seal Orochimaru had placed there years ago.

 

"My cursed seal…" Tayuya muttered.

 

"What was that?" Oshime asked.

 

"Oh, nothing…" Tayuya replied.

 

Tayuya sighed, and began looking around the location she was in. The room was not particularly large, nor was it well-furnished. There was nothing but the dumpy little cot, and a small, empty cupboard. There was only one door and one window in the wood-paneled room, but she could not see too well into it.

 

"This is just a small shack," Oshime said, noticing that Tayuya was looking around, "Only this room, my room, a small bathroom and an entrance area."

 

"Where are we?" Tayuya asked.

 

"We're on the outskirts of the Leaf Village," Oshime stated.

 

"So, why'd you build this shack here?" Tayuya asked.

 

"I didn't," Oshime replied, "I founded it empty, and decided to squat here till the owners returned, but they never did."

 

"Oh, I see," Tayuya said, losing interest in the conversation, "So, what village are you from?"

 

"You should get some rest," Oshime said, getting up, "I'll make us something to eat."

 

Tayuya decided not to press the subject further, and laid back onto the cot, watching as Oshime stepped into the other room. Despite having been unconscious for a few days, Tayuya was still very tired, and found herself falling asleep not too long later.

 

 

The two kunoichi continued tree-hopping for hours, the mountains in the distance getting only slightly closer despite the length of time they spent on the move. Tayuya shuddered as she felt a familiar feeling encase her lower half, increasing the warmth she already felt from the hot air and black cloak combination.

 

"Hey, Oshime, hold up!" Tayuya yelled to her partner.

 

"No, if we want to make it today, we can't stop for anything!" Oshime yelled back.

 

"Yeah, But, I need to…" Tayuya shouted, trailing off.

 

"I know, but you'll have to wait!" Oshime responded.

 

"Screw you, I'm stopping!" Tayuya shouted back, coming to a halt.

 

"Fine…" Oshime said reluctantly, stopping a few trees in front of Tayuya.

 

Tayuya jumped from the tree, and landed on the forest floor below, making sure Oshime couldn't see her from where she was. It was a bit harder this deep into the dark forest, but after a couple of minutes, Tayuya managed to finish up, leaving the used item on the forest floor, as she always did. She hopped back up to Oshime's level, and nodded at her annoyed partner.

 

"Shut your face," Tayuya scowled, before Oshime could say anything.

 

Oshime just shook her head, and turned around to begin tree-hopping again. Oshime sped up to her normal speed, in the direction of the mountains. Tayuya followed close behind, still scowling.

 

After a couple hours, Tayuya realized that they were traveling uphill, signaling that they had reached the mountain. The sun was beginning to set, so Oshime began to speed up her tree-hopping. Tayuya, not the fastest person, struggled to keep up with her partner, quickly becoming winded from the added effort. They had started moving down the mountain, and Tayuya saw a small village in the distance. She guessed that even if they moved at their current speed, which was all but impossible for Tayuya, they still wouldn't make it there by nightfall. The look on her face told Tayuya that Oshime knew this too, but nonetheless, Oshime began to travel even faster than before. Tayuya wheezed as she tried to keep up, unable to even yell to Oshime to tell her to stop. After a few minutes at this speed, Tayuya could no longer keep going, and stopped, wheezing as she clutched her side. Oshime turned around, and saw that Tayuya had stopped.

 

"C'mon, we don't have time to stop!" Oshime yelled.

 

"I…can't…keep…going…" Tayuya wheezed, "We're not…going to make it…tonight, anyway…"

 

Oshime scowled, but then sighed, knowing that Tayuya was telling the truth.

 

"Ok, let's make camp here," Oshime said, jumping to the forest floor below.

 

Tayuya nodded, and jumped down to Oshime. Oshime lit a small fire, as Tayuya set up her wrinkled tent. Oshime's tent was immaculate, but Tayuya did not care about perfection, just as long as she could sleep in it. The two ate in silence, Oshime still looking annoyed that they weren't already at the village. Neither said goodnight to the other as they entered their tents, each lantern being extinguished a couple minutes later.

Chapter 4 – Recovery

Tayuya awoke the next morning, due to something entering her tent. She groggily flung a kunai at the shadowy figure, hearing a high pitched squeal as it connected. As her tired eyes focused, the figure was revealed to have been a squirrel.

"Oops…" Tayuya said, rubbing her eyes.

She kicked the small animal's corpse out of the tent, and proceeded to change into her clothes for the day, along with changing her soiled garment. After that was done, she exited her tent, and retrieved her Akatsuki cloak and flute from the sealed case. She tossed the cloak to the side, not wanting to put it on until the last possible moment.

"You're going to ruin it, if you do that" Oshime said, exiting her tent, "We need that for our plan."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah" Tayuya replied, rolling her eyes, "I'm surprised you're not rushing us to leave."

"It's early" Oshime stated, "We have all day to get there, so there's no need to rush."

"Tell that to yourself from last night…" Tayuya said, "I couldn't even keep up."

"Yeah, because it was late, and I wanted to get there before the day ended." Oshime answered.

"Whatever…" Tayuya stated, "Why don't you go over the details of this heist again."

"Ugh, fine" Oshime said, shaking her head, "But this is the last time."

"Ok, ok" Tayuya said, cracking her knuckles

"Ok, we're going to the Hidden Shadow village, in order to steal their most precious object, The Stone of Shadows." Oshime said.

"Ok, and the Akatsuki cloaks?" Tayuya asked.

"We need a reason to be in the village in the first place" Oshime responded, "The Kagekage has the utmost respect for the Akatsuki, so we'll meet him pretending to be Akatsuki members, to earn his trust."

"Well, I guess that makes sense" Tayuya replied, reluctantly, "I still hate the damn thing."

Oshime rolled her eyes, and sat down next to Tayuya. She pulled a small canister from her pack, and popped it open. As she ate the contents, Tayuya ate her own. When they were finished, Oshime placed the empty can in her pack, thinking it might come in handy later. Tayuya, on the other hand, tossed hers into the forest, not caring to carry around useless baggage.

"Well, shall we go?" Oshime asked, standing up.

"Sure, let's pack up" Tayuya replied, shoving her tent into its case.

"Ugh, I swear" Oshime said, "I'm not buying you another one when that breaks."

"Shut it, lardass" Tayuya replied, "It's only a damn tent."

Oshime shook her head, and packed her own tent neatly into its case. Oshime reverse summoned the sealed case, and waited for Tayuya to struggle with her tent. After Tayuya finished, they each put their packs on, and began tree-hopping towards the village.



Tayuya spent most of the next six weeks lying in that old cot, begrudgingly allowing Oshime to take care of her. She was embarrassed during every diaper change, but gradually became slightly less embarrassed. Oshime never seemed to mind it, never having more than the slightest blush on her face. Tayuya was surprised that her arm was almost entirely healed after just two weeks, even if it was still somewhat sore. Tayuya tried arguing with her caretaker that she could change herself now that both arms were available for use, but Oshime would have none of it. Oshime argued that she'd be more susceptible to injuring her leg even more if she tried to change herself. Tayuya knew it was a losing battle, so she spoke an obscenity, and laid back as Oshime began to change her wet diaper once again.

At the end of six weeks, her leg had healed enough to allow her stand, but Oshime still insisted on changing her, "just in case." Tayuya put up an argument, but Oshime shot it down, saying that Tayuya had been weakened by inactivity, and shouldn't be wasting energy on minor tasks. This lasted less than a week, as Tayuya showed Oshime that her strength was mostly there, and she could change herself. Oshime tested her by allowing her to do so, and although it was not perfect, Tayuya showed that she could adequately change herself, forcing Oshime to back down from her stance. After that show of recovery, Tayuya began training again, trying to get back her strength, everyday hoping she'd find that her bladder had healed. One night, as they were getting ready for bed, Tayuya took the initiative to speak, which was a rarity at this time of day.

"Why did you save me?" Tayuya asked.

"Because you were injured and needed help." Oshime answered, not even moving her head to look at Tayuya.

"Cut me the bull, please" Tayuya answered, "Most people don't just nurse someone back to health for weeks, even going so far as to, err, change them…"

"If you want to know the truth" Oshime answered, "I figured I could use a partner, and I could tell that your injuries and garb were one of a kunoichi."

"If you needed a partner, why go for an almost dead ninja?" Tayuya asked.

"I figured if I nursed a ninja back to health, he or she would be more likely to want to repay the debt by helping me out." Oshime responded.

"Well, you found the wrong girl" Tayuya said, letting out a small laugh, "I don't feel as if I owe you shit."

"Yeah, I figured that out after the second day" Oshime replied, "But I figure you might stick around when you find out what I do."

"Hmm?" Tayuya said, slightly interested.

"I perform heists" Oshime stated, "I steal in order to pay for what I want or need."

"Seems pretty standard to me" Tayuya replied, "I do like money, though."

"Heh, well, I could use someone to help with the bigger heists." Oshime said, smiling.

"Well, it's not like I got anywhere else to go" Tayuya said, thinking of the Sannin she once referred to as "Lord", "As long as I get fifty percent of the cut, I guess I'm in."

"But of course" Oshime said, "Anything else you need to be at your best?"

"A flute" Tayuya said, "Oh, and for my fucking bladder to work again…"

"Well, the first is doable" Oshime replied, trying not to laugh, "But the latter is out of my hands."

"Good night..." Tayuya said, glaring at Oshime.

Oshime laughed, and left Tayuya's room, turning off the light as she exited. Tayuya pulled the covers over herself, knowing that she needed a change, but not wanting to deal with it until morning.



"We'll be there very soon." Oshime yelled back to Tayuya.

Tayuya nodded, and continued tree-jumping behind her partner. As they approached the village, Tayuya realized just how small it was. The village had no walls to defend themselves with, and even the gate at the entrance had no doors. As they stopped in front of the gate, Tayuya looked at the banner sign above the gate, depicting a headband with what must have been the village's symbol on it. The symbol was round on the left, but the right was two spikes which curved back towards the left. Tayuya couldn't help but think the shape was familiar, but had no time to ponder on it, as Oshime tugged her through the gate entrance.

"Come on, we don't want to keep the Kagekage waiting." Oshime stated, letting go of her arm.

"Right" Tayuya said, nodding.



"One more bowl of ramen, Old man!" The young shinobi yelled, pounding his fist on the table.

"Heh, right away Naruto" Teuchi said, quickly pouring a bowl of ramen for one of his best customers.

"Thanks!" Naruto said, laughing, before gulping down his food, and placing his bowl amongst the pile that was forming.

"Hey, Naruto!" A voice yelled, getting closer.

Naruto turned to look at the voice, recognizing it as his teammate Sakura.

"Hey, Sakura, wanna buy me a bowl of Ramen?" Naruto asked, smiling.

"Not now, Naruto, Lady Tsunade needs to see us." Sakura responded, resisting the urge to punch her teammate out of his seat.

"Really?" Naruto responded, "We have a mission?"

"I don't know," Sakura answered, "But we'd better hurry."

Naruto nodded, and placed some money on the counter.

"Thanks, Old man!" Naruto yelled back as he ran with Sakura towards the Hokage's office.

"Anytime!" Teuchi responded, waving at Naruto.

The two ninja made it to the Hokage's office, meeting Shizune outside the entrance to Tsunade's office. Shizune let them in right away, opening the door to the office, after greeting Sakura and Naruto. As the two entered, they saw Shikamaru waiting in front of the Hokage's desk.

"It's about time you got here" Tsunade said, looking at Naruto and Sakura.

"Sorry, Lady Tsunade" Sakura replied.

"Yeah, whatever, just give us the mission, Grandma Tsunade!" Naruto yelled.

"You've been called here today, because two Akatsuki members have been spotted in Kagegakure, a small village not far from here." Tsunade stated, ignoring the blond ninja's comment.

"The Akatsuki!" Naruto yelled. "Which ones!?"

"We don't know" Tsunade replied, "Our informant could not get close enough to see the faces of the two."

"Then what's our mission?" Shikamaru asked, "If we don't know which members, it would be reckless to just charge in. We need to choose the three ninja for this mission based upon the abilities of our opponents."

"Normally, yes, but we have no other choice but to act now, and figure out what reason they are in Kagegakure." Tsunade replied, "We were not hired by that village, so we can't afford to send our best Anbu or Jounin to figure it out."

"Ugh, what a drag…" Shikamaru said, sighing.

"You are to leave immediately" Tsunade stated, "Shikamaru, you are the leader of this mission, so I expect it to go well."

"Right" All three responded, turning around to leave.

The three quickly packed their bags, and met at the entrance to Konoha.

"Let's go!" Naruto yelled, with his usual enthusiasm.

"Calm down, Naruto!" Sakura yelled, pounding him on the head.

"Ow, that was uncalled for..." Naruto said, retying his black headband.

"Just shut up and walk." Sakura said, dragging him through the village gates.

"Ugh..." Shikamaru said, shaking his head before beginning to follow his teammates.

As they walked towards the Kagekage's manor, Tayuya looked around the small village, noticing how normal it looked. They received a few glances as they walked, most likely due to their odd clothes.

"This is it" Oshime stated, looking at an average building in front of her.

"That's it?" Tayuya asked, "It's pretty small for a Kage's manor."

"Yeah, but it's a small village" Oshime replied, "They can't afford a huge mansion, not even for their beloved Kagekage."

"Well, if they loved him so much, they'd pitch in the funds" Tayuya responded, "Not to mention give him a better title than Kagekage..."

"I swear, if you do that during our meeting..." Oshime threatened.

"I know, I know, I'll be good" Tayuya answered, rolling her eyes.

As the two approached the building, they noticed two Jounin guarding the doorway. Before Tayuya could even think of an excuse, the two Jounin nodded, and stepped out from in front of the entrance.

"But, how…?" Tayuya asked.

"I told you, the Kagekage has the utmost respect for the Akatsuki…which we of course are a part of." Oshime said, adding the latter, just in case.

"Yeah, but still..." Tayuya said, suspicious of the situation.

The two removed their sandals as they entered, and kneeled down in front of the small desk. They waited only a few seconds as a figure emerged from behind the curtains, dressed in customary Kage robes, colored black in the areas of color. The Kagekage was not a young man, sporting just a few black streaks in his shoulder length gray hair. His green eyes were quite intense, despite the wrinkles that adorned his face. His bulbous nose was in contrast to the rest of his face, which would be thin and streamlined if not for the wrinkles.

"Welcome" He stated, smiling, "To the Hidden Shadow Village"


Chapter 5 - Planning

 

"Thank you Lord Kagekage" Oshime said, bowing.

 

"Yeah, er, same here" Tayuya stated, uncomfortable being formal. As Tayuya finished speaking, she felt Oshime pull her to the floor.

 

"You're supposed to bow!" Oshime whispered, glaring.

 

The Kagekage let out a booming laugh, and motioned for the two girls to sit up.

 

"Please, there's no need for such formality at this time" He stated, as the girls sat up.

 

"Ok, Lord Kagekage" Oshime replied.

 

"Now, then, shall we get down to business?" The elder asked.

 

"Yes, please" Oshime answered.

 

"Ok, then, first of all, what do two members of the esteemed Akatsuki need from our small, simple village?" The Kagekage asked politely.

 

"We only require lodging for a night or two, sir" Oshime responded.

 

"That's quite doable" The Kagekage replied, "Forgive me for being so questioning, but we do have our precious stone which must be protected at all costs."

 

"We know, sir" Oshime answered, "But if our organization was after the stone, we would first try to coerce you into giving it to us."

 

"And if that failed?" He asked, raising his eyebrow

 

 "We would steal it by force, of course." Oshime said, smiling slightly.

 

"Well then, I guess it's a good thing that you aren't after the stone" The Kagekage stated, letting out a chuckle.

 

"Heh, it is indeed..." Tayuya replied, trying not to smirk.

 

"Lord Kagekage, there is information we need to discuss." A voice from behind the curtains said.

 

"Certainly, Mutsuki. I'll be there in just a minute" The Kagekage replied.

 

Tayuya couldn't help but notice an odd look on Oshime's face as the Kagekage said that. She pushed the thought to away, thinking that Oshime was just nervous about the execution of the plan.

 

"I'm sorry we could not speak longer" The Kagekage said, standing up.

 

"We understand, sir" Oshime replied, standing up also.

 

Tayuya did the same, and nodded her head in agreement with Oshime.

 

"Now, if you please follow the Jounin outside" The Kagekage said, pointing towards one of the two Jounin they had met at the entrance way, "He will bring you two to your lodgings for the night."

 

"Thank you, Lord Kagekage." Oshime stated, bowing.

 

"It is my pleasure, Ms. Shiruba, and Miss…I'm sorry, but I don't believe I caught your name." He replied, gesturing at Tayuya.

 

"Tayuya...sir" She answered, thinking something was wrong, but unable to put her finger on it.

 

"Ah, ok then, Ms. Tayuya" He stated, "I hope that you and Ms. Shiruba find your time in our village to be pleasant."

 

"Thank you, sir" They both said, turning towards the Jounin from before.

 

The two followed the shinobi down the streets for a few minutes, before stopping in front of a small house.

 

"This is where you will be staying" The Jounin said, "I hope you find it to your liking."

 

"It looks more than adequate" Oshime replied, sincerely impressed.

 

"Hmm, not bad for such a dumpy village...Oof!" Tayuya stated, getting an elbow in the gut from Oshime in response.

 

"Yes...well, I hope you find your lodgings pleasant…" The Jounin stated, walking back towards the Kagekage's manor, giving Tayuya a slight scowl.

 

"And you were doing so well, too..." Oshime said, glaring at Tayuya.

 

"Yeah, yeah, whatever..." Tayuya responded, "Let's just go inside. I need to take of something..."

 

"Aww, does wittle Tayuya need-" Oshime joked in a babyish voice, before being cut off.

"Finish that sentence, and you'll be swallowing that sword you love so much" Tayuya threatened, entering the house.

 

Oshime just laughed, and followed her inside, locking the door behind her.

 

 

The first thing Tayuya did when she had healed was to sneak into the Leaf village, and steal a flute from the music store. She had used a transformation jutsu to turn herself into a seven year old girl, in order to hide her identity, and make people think is was less likely that she would be a shoplifter. After she had returned to Oshime's shack, she released the jutsu, looking down at her usual body.

 

"Heh, nice one" Oshime said, standing in the doorway.

 

"Well, I had to do something to hide my identity" Tayuya replied.

 

"Oh? The Leaf village knows of you?" Oshime questioned.

 

"Well, somewhat" Tayuya replied, "It's better if I don't bring attention to myself."

 

"True enough" Oshime responded.

 

Tayuya spent the next few weeks learning the nuances of her new flute, learning how best to channel her chakra through it. Oshime, on the other hand, spent that time with a few medical books she had borrowed from the Konoha library, trying to learn about abdominal injuries. Nothing in those books gave her much hope that Tayuya would not be crinkling during their heists, but she kept at it anyway.

 

During the next few months, the two had committed a few small heists, giving them enough cash to sustain themselves, and refill the supplies for Tayuya. Tayuya had mastered her new flute by this time, and was now practicing her jutsu, and learning how to battle without help from her cursed seal. Oshime, Tayuya noticed, had been reading less and less, and had been practicing with a sword Tayuya had not known she possessed. Tayuya stared at the sword, which she had to admit was quite nice looking. The blade itself was thin and average length, with an etching of a dragon on it. The hilt of the blade was shaped like a dragon's head, with the blade protruding from its open mouth, as if the blade was its flame. The mouth was surrounded by small, sharp-looking, metal teeth, and a dragon fang/claw was attached to the bottom of the hilt. Tayuya overheard Oshime call the sword "Sui-Riu", and assumed that that was its name.

 

As the next two years passed, Tayuya and Oshime only grew stronger, performing heists that were more difficult, yet more rewarding. Tayuya was still incontinent, and had reluctantly come to terms with the fact that she would probably be incontinent for the rest of her life.  Tayuya noticed that Oshime never once cut her hair during this period. When she had first met her, her hair had reached her shoulders, but after these two years, her hair was approaching the top of her rear. Tayuya had let her hair get slightly longer, but not nearly that much. Tayuya also happily noted that her chest had developed a bit more, even if it was not quite as much as Oshime had. On one afternoon, after Tayuya had finished developing her newest jutsu, Oshime approached her, sporting a look that told Tayuya that they had a new heist.

 

"Ok, Tayuya, we got a big one coming up" Oshime stated, with ferocity in her eyes unlike Tayuya had seen from her before.

 

"Good, where is it?" Tayuya asked.

 

"In a small village, named Kagegakure" Oshime answered, with a strange look in her eyes.

 

 

"C'mon, you two, try to keep up!" Naruto yelled to his two teammates behind him.

 

"Shut up, Naruto!" Sakura yelled, tree-hopping towards him, "We can't just barge into the village at full speed!"

 

"Don't bother, Sakura" Shikamaru stated, shaking his head, "Naruto will never understand strategy, it's not his style."

 

Naruto glared at Shikamaru, but kept his silence as he continued through the forest.

 

"Shikamaru, what should we do first when we reach the village?" Sakura asked.

 

"Hmm, all I know of this village is that it is small, and without much of value" Shikamaru responded, "So I suppose the first thing we should do is speak with whatever leader the village has, since I'm sure it would be a big event in a small village for two members of the Akatsuki to enter."

 

"I suppose you're right" Sakura answered.

 

"Yeah, yeah, I say we just go search out those Akatsuki punks, so I can show them what Naruto Uzumaki is made of!" Naruto yelled, pumping his fist.

 

"Ugh, how troublesome..." Shikamaru mumbled, shaking his head.

 

 

 Tayuya and Oshime sat around the table in the dining room on the house they were allowed to stay in, planning for the heist of the stone.

 

"So, why'd you add the possibility of an extra night's stay here?" Tayuya asked.

 

"Well, I thought that vagueness might make it seem less like we have a plan for being here" Oshime answered, "Plus, it gives us an extra day, just in case we can't do the heist tonight."

 

"Well, makes sense, I guess" Tayuya replied, leaning back in her chair.

 

 "Ok, now, here's the plan." Oshime started, "at about two o'clock in the morning, we will leave this house, and make our way here." She pointed at a building on the map she had drawn. "There will probably be a couple of guards there, so we will take care of them discretely, and proceed inside. The building isn't too large, so I don't expect much in the way of security except for maybe more guards."

 

Tayuya listened, making mental notes of Oshime's instructions. After Oshime had finished, she picked the makeshift map up, and ripped it up.

 

"Ok, we should get some sleep now" Oshime stated, "We don't want to be dead tired for this heist."

 

"Right" Tayuya said, nodding.

 

Both girls ascended the stairs together, and turned in opposite directions, in order to enter their respective rooms. Oshime turned around to face Tayuya, noticing Tayuya was already facing her.

 

"Goodnight, then" Oshime stated, "See you in a few hours."

 

"Yeah, let's hope it goes well" Tayuya replied, "We'd better have that stone by tomorrow morning"

 

"Yeah, we'd better..." Oshime thought to herself, before entering her room.

 

Neither girl changed, knowing they would just have to change back in a few hours. As they turned off their lights, both thought of the challenge ahead, hoping they'd accomplish their goal.

 

 

12Chapter 6 – It Begins

 

The blaring of their respective alarm clocks shocked both girls out of their slumber, reminding them that it was two in the morning. Tayuya stretched, still somewhat tired, and looked out the window. Despite it technically being the "morning", it was as dark as it could be outside. She could feel she needed a change, and felt it smart to attend to that before she met her partner outside her room. Tayuya grabbed the small bag containing her materials from its location, and set it on the bed. She grabbed the waistband of her sweatpants, and pulled them down to her ankles, exposing her sodden diaper. Sighing, she undid each tab, and slid the garment out from under her. She tossed it into the trash can near the bed, and grabbed the moist wipes from the bag. After opening the package, she grabbed a cool wipe, and slid it across her nude privates, wiping away any spare urine off her skin. Tossing the wipe in the trash, she grabbed the small bottle of powder and applied it to her skin. After she rubbed the powder in, she grabbed a fresh diaper from the bag, and sat on top of it after she unfolded it. She taped the tabs on, and pulled her sweatpants back up. She sighed again, and stood up from the bed, putting the supply bag back into her pack.

 

"Tayuya, you ready to do this?" Oshime asked, before knocking gently on the door.

 

"Yeah, hold on." Tayuya answered.

 

Tayuya stretched once more, and then opened the door to meet Oshime.

 

"Grab your pack, Tayuya." Oshime stated.

 

"Won't taking our packs with us hamper our abilities?" Tayuya questioned.

 

"Of course it will" Oshime responded, "That's why we're not taking them with us."

 

"Then why do you want me to grab mine?" Tayuya asked, confused.

 

"Do you plan on leaving it here?" Oshime asked, "Do you plan to return for it after we're wanted fugitives?"

 

"Oh...um, err..." Tayuya stated, not having thought of this dilemma earlier.

 

"You're lucky I actually use my brain..." Oshime replied, shaking her head.

 

"Shut it, assface!" Tayuya shouted.

 

"Nice comeback..." Oshime said sarcastically, "Just grab your pack and meet me downstairs."

 

"Yeah, yeah, whatever..." Tayuya mumbled, grabbing her pack.

 

She left her room, and headed for the small den in the house. When she reached it, she noticed that Oshime was already there, holding her own pack. Tayuya placed her pack on the ground in front of her, as did Oshime. Before Tayuya could ask what her plan was, Oshime completed a familiar series of handsigns, which Tayuya recognized was used to summon their sealed container. When the slight smoke cleared, Oshime opened the waist high container, and tossed both hers and Tayuya's packs into it. She closed and sealed it, and then reverse summoned it, surprising Tayuya.

 

"I...never thought about that..." Tayuya stated, thinking it seemed obvious.

 

"Oh, really, I couldn't tell..." Oshime replied, rolling her eyes.

 

Tayuya glared, but before she could reply, Oshime began stating something else.

 

"Ok, I'm thinking we should wait about an hour before we head for the building." Oshime stated.

 

"What, why?" Tayuya asked.

 

"I think it's just better if we go over some strategies and possibilities for the next hour" Oshime replied.

 

"Well, I guess..." Tayuya stated, "I'd hate for us to screw this up."

 

"Exactly" Oshime replied, "This is without a doubt our most important heist we've ever taken on."

 

Tayuya nodded, and sat down on the sofa, waiting for Oshime to begin her strategy discussion. For the next hour, the two girls poured over any and all possible contingencies, not content to get caught napping. As the clock struck three, both girls nodded, and stood from their seats. Tayuya slid her Akatsuki cloak on, noticing that Oshime had been wearing hers the whole time. Oshime walked over to the door of the house and opened it, peering outside. Not seeing anybody in the darkness, Oshime gestured for Tayuya to follow her. They exited the dwelling, and made their way towards the target without a sound. Both had agreed that quiet and stealthy was better than trying to rush, so it took a bit of time for them to reach the building. As they did, they noticed two Jounin standing guard in front of it. The two girls ducked behind a bush near the entrance, and planned their next move.

 

"I hate the night shift..." The older Jounin said to the other one.

 

"Yeah, I know what you mean" The other Jounin replied, yawning.

 

Suddenly, the older Jounin began hearing music. It started off very light, but soon increased in volume. He looked around for a source, but not only could he not see anything, but it also seemed omni-directional.

 

"Hey buddy, you hear that?" He asked the other Jounin, not receiving a response.

 

"Hey, you hear me!?" He shouted, once again not getting an answer.

 

He turned around to face the younger Jounin, and let out a scream at what he saw. His partner no longer had any eyes, just empty eye sockets, and his skin was melting off of his skeleton.

 

"Wow, incredible Genjutsu, Tayuya." Oshime said, looking at the two Jounin standing there motionlessly with vacant looks on their faces, "They're not even reacting to the visions they're seeing."

 

Tayuya took her lips off of her flute, and nodded, "I figured it'd be best if they didn't make a scene out here, even if it is early in the morning."

 

"Agreed" Oshime responded.

 

The two kunoichi walked past the two stationary guards, and quickly entered the small building. Inside, was just a moderate sized room, with a small altar in the middle. On the altar lay a small, black object, which must've been the Stone of Shadows. Oshime took a shuriken out from her pouch, and threw it in such a way that it whizzed across the room just a centimeter above the ground. As she suspected, a few wire traps were activated, but not where they were standing due to the use of the shuriken. The two girls watched the groups of kunai launch at various spots around the room, littering the floor with metal. They waited a few seconds after the last kunai had struck, just in case, and proceeded to walk slowly over towards the altar. Not tripping any additional traps, the two stopped in front of the altar, and stared at the stone. It was small enough to fit in the palm of an average had, and it was obvious by looking at it that the shape of Kagegakure's symbol was based on the stone. The stone was black, yet translucent, and rounded on the bottom. The two spikes on the right side, curved just as the village's icon did, back towards the left.

 

"There's a good chance that there's a better trap on the altar itself" Oshime stated.

 

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking." Tayuya replied, thinking of their next move.

 

Before Tayuya could come up with an idea, Oshime pulled a kunai from the ground, and dropped it onto the altar, making sure it lightly hit the stone. Right as the kunai made contact with the stone, it shattered into a large number of pieces, leaving naught but small metal chunks.

 

"Well, this is interesting..." Tayuya said, glancing at the shattered remains of the kunai.

 

"Yeah..." Oshime replied, thinking up a strategy.

 

Before Oshime could think of an idea, Tayuya had pulled her flute out, and put her lips to it.

 

"Tayuya, what are you doing?" Oshime asked.

 

Tayuya did not answer Oshime, and simply began concentrating her chakra through her flute. Instead of playing a complicated musical melody, Tayuya simply played any notes she could, as loud as possible. Oshime covered her ears, wondering what in the world her partner was doing. Oshime stared at the flute, and was amazed as a blast of air shot out of it, launching towards the stone. As it made contact, the stone was knocked off the altar, and tumbled over to the wall.

 

"I...was not expecting that..." Oshime stated, staring at Tayuya.

 

"I wasn't even sure it would work, truthfully" Tayuya admitted.

 

Oshime lifted another kunai off the ground, and lobbed it at the stone. It lightly made contact, but even after several seconds, nothing happened. Tayuya walked over, and hesitantly lifted it off the ground. As she did, she felt a tingling in her fingertips, and felt her stomach turn. The world began spiraling out of control, colors pouring from and towards all directions.

 

"Dammit, a Genjutsu!" Tayuya thought to herself.

 

She tried releasing it a couple of times, but to no avail. The world only spun faster, more colors psychedelically flying around.

 

"Crap, she's in a Genjutsu!" Oshime shouted, seeing Tayuya thrash across the floor, "If she can't break it on her own, it must be a strong one."

 

Oshime shoved Tayuya, trying to knock her out of it via force. Seeing it was no use, Oshime sighed and grabbed a kunai off the floor.

 

"I'm sorry, Tayuya" Oshime said, slicing Tayuya's finger with the knife.

 

Tayuya yelled as the world slowed down, the extra color fading away. She felt the tremendous pain, and used it to break the Genjutsu on her. Tayuya panted as she stood up from the floor, still clutching the stone in her hands, realizing that she had wet while she was affected.

 

"I thought that might happen" Tayuya stated, dusting herself off.

 

"Then why'd you do it?" Oshime asked.

 

"I'm much better at breaking Genjutsu than you are, Oshime" Tayuya replied.

 

"True, but still..." Oshime responded.

 

"Don't worry, I'm fine now." Tayuya said, "So let's get out of here."

 

"What about the guards outside?" Oshime asked, "Are they still under your Genjutsu?"

 

"Yeah, don't worry about that." Tayuya answered.

 

Oshime nodded, but still decided to open the door outside slowly. She saw the two Jounin standing there, the vacant looks still on their face. Oshime gestured to Tayuya, who followed her outside.

 

"Umm, how long are they going to be in that Genjutsu?" Oshime asked, actually looking concerned.

 

"No more than 3 days" Tayuya replied, "Well, ok, maybe a week. But no more than two..."

 

Oshime tried to think of a response to convey how insane that was, but could not find the words to adequately convey her feelings. Instead of pressing the subject, Oshime took a quick glance in each direction, looking for any sign of people about. She noticed no signs of trouble, but did notice the faintest hint of sunlight peering over the horizon, and was surprised at how early the sun rose in this village.

 

"Ok, Tayuya, now we go, as fast as possible." Oshime said.

 

"Right" Tayuya said, "I can almost smell our victory."

 

Both girls nodded, and began running towards the entrance to the village. As they got further from the building that once housed the stone, the bushes to the side began rustling, and a figure emerged from within.

 

"Well, looks like my prize has been snatched from under me..." The figure spoke, "No matter. That stone, and its power will be mine…"

 

 

"Naruto, it's late!" Sakura yelled, "We should wait till morning before reaching the village."

 

"And let the Akatsuki get away!?" Naruto shouted back, "No way!"

 

"But, Naruto-!" Sakura replied, before being cut off.

 

"Sakura, Naruto may be right for once." Shikamaru said, cutting Sakura off, "We don't know why the Akatsuki are even in the Shadow Village, so we can't run the risk of them slipping through our fingertips."

 

"That's true, I guess" Sakura responded.

 

"Besides, we weren't hired by the Village, so while it would be a good idea, we are under no obligation to immediately visit the leader." Shikamaru stated, matter-of-factly, "It would be a good idea for us to investigate the Village for how ever many hours until we can arrange a meeting with the leader."

 

"Ha!" Naruto shouted, beaming, "And you doubted my intelligence, Sakura."

 

"Knock it off, both of you!" Shikamaru demanded, quite unlike his usual demeanor.

 

Naruto and Sakura stayed quiet for the next few hours, while the trio tree-hopped towards their destination. As they came closer to the gate, Shikamaru noticed that the sun was just beginning to rise.

 

"Sunrise, already?" He thought to himself.

 

When they approached the entrance gate, the three looked around, not seeing any villagers up and about yet. Just as they entered, Naruto pointed to the left.

 

"It's them!" He yelled, pointing at two figures wearing the standard Akatsuki robes.

 

"Who was that!?" Tayuya yelled to Oshime, realizing that the voice was somewhat familiar, yet unable to place it.

 

Tayuya and Oshime turned to look, just as Shikamaru and Sakura did the same.

 

"Fuck!" Tayuya shouted, recognizing two of the faces. They had, of course, aged a couple of years, but that was undoubtedly the blond kid and the shadow brat that helped beat her in that incident over two years ago.

 

"T-that redhead..." Shikamaru stammered, not believing his eyes, "It can't be..."

 

"Shikamaru?" Sakura asked, concerned, "What's wrong?"

 

"Naruto, look at the redhead" Shikamaru stated, "Don't you recognize her?"

 

"Actually, now that you mention it..." Naruto replied, trying to place the face onto a figure from his past.

 

"It's that flute girl..." Shikamaru responded, "Tayuya, I believe...but she should be dead..."

 

"Huh...?" Naruto asked, "Wait...Oh yeah, I remember her!"

 

"Tayuya, do you know them?" Oshime asked, curious.

 

"H-he's the one I fought almost three years ago..." Tayuya said, pointing at Shikamaru, "That fucker and his whore almost killed me, and they're the reason I'm incont…" She drifted off, not wanting to finish that sentence.

 

"Well, what are they doing here?" Oshime asked.

 

"Damned if I know" Tayuya responded, "But I have a feeling this isn't coincidence..."

 

"Same here" Oshime replied.

 

"That flute girl is in the Akatsuki?" Naruto asked, "I thought she was one of Orochimaru's goons?"

 

"Yeah, and I don't recognize that silver-haired one, either" Shikamaru stated.

 

"Let's go!" Tayuya stated, turning around to run from the three Leaf ninja.

 

"Right!" Oshime shouted, right behind her.

 

"After them!" Shikamaru yelled, beginning the chase.

 

"Right!" Both Naruto and Sakura shouted in unison, following them.

 

"Ok, what's the plan?" Tayuya asked Oshime.

 

"First, we ditch these Akatsuki robes, as they'll only slow us down" Oshime said.

 

"Finally!" Tayuya said, tearing hers off, and tossing it behind her as she ran.

 

"I figured you'd like that" Oshime responded, pulling hers off, and revealing the dragon cloak she usually wore.

 

"You…wore another cloak under the Akatsuki one...?" Tayuya asked, shaking her head.

 

"Heh, you know I like my dragon cloak..." Oshime said, rubbing the back of her head.

 

A kunai flying right past their faces reminded the two girls that they were in the middle of a chase.

 

"Crap! Ok, on my word, we split up" Oshime said, "You veer left, and I'll veer right, got it?"

 

"Yeah" Tayuya said, nodding.

 

"Also, give me the stone" Oshime said, "Since they know you already, they'll probably be more inclined to chase you."

 

Tayuya nodded, and slipped Oshime the stone, who slid it into a pocket inside her cloak.

 

"Ok, then…NOW!" Oshime yelled, jumping to the right immediately, seeing Tayuya do the same thing, but in the other direction.

 

"They're splitting up!" Sakura shouted.

 

"Naruto, follow the one with the silver hair!" Shikamaru shouted to his blond teammate, "Sakura, you and me will follow after Tayuya!"

 

"Right!" Naruto yelled, turning towards the right, and chasing after Oshime.

 

Sakura nodded, and followed Shikamaru in the direction of the flute-wielding kunoichi. Tayuya had no idea where she was heading, but she had a feeling that no matter where it was, a battle was going to be imminent. She let out a loud curse as she saw a large rock wall approaching her in the distance, impeding her progress.

 

"We've got her!" Sakura shouted, "She's trapped!"

 

"It looks like it" Shikamaru replied, "But keep your guard up."

 

Tayuya stopped almost twenty feet in front of the wall, unsure of her next action. She simply stared at her two pursuers, who had stopped fifteen feet behind her. She grabbed her flute from its holster on her belt, and pulled it out.

 

"Well, looks like this is about to get interesting..." Tayuya thought to herself, placing her flute to her lips.

 

Oshime, on the other hand, currently found herself being chased by four Narutos, which she assumed were clones. To her surprise, they grabbed each other, and threw each other towards Oshime, each using the momentum of the previous to increase their velocity. By the time the final Naruto flung himself, he was traveling faster than Oshime could run.

 

"Take this!" Naruto yelled, aiming his fist at Oshime's face.

 

Oshime drew her sword in order to block the punch, but wasn't sure she could do so in time.

 

"A sword!" Naruto shouted, his fist sore from hitting the metal at such speed.

 

"Well, looks like this is about to get interesting..." Oshime thought to herself, gripping Sui-Rui in her usual stance.





Chapter 7 – The Battle Begins

 

Tayuya assessed the surroundings, determining her next move. She could tell by the look on Shikamaru's face, that he was doing the same. She came to realize that there would be no escape from this battle, and began to plan.

 

"Dammit!" She thought to herself, "With the shadows of these mountains enveloping this village, his Shadow Jutsus should be much more potent!"

 

"Dammit!" Shikamaru thought, "The shadows of these mountains are too light for me to take advantage of!"

 

Sakura stood there, waiting for someone to make the first move. The following seconds of inactivity felt like hours to her, but suddenly she saw her opponent make a move.

 

"Summoning Jutsu!" Tayuya yelled, slamming her hand to the ground.

 

After the smoke cleared, Sakura saw three large figures standing menacingly behind Tayuya. Shikamaru recognized the three demons, known as the Doki, from the last time they had fought. He noticed, however, that they were slightly larger, and a bit more intimidating. Just as before, one was armless with pins protruding from his bandaged head, one had a massive metal club, and one had a couple of spikes attached to his hands. Nonetheless, he knew how best to deal with them, having done so in the past. As Tayuya began to play a simple melody on her flute, the three Doki stood up straight, ready to attack. Sakura took this opportunity to launch a few kunai and a half dozen shuriken at Tayuya, assuming that concentrating on her flute would make her an easier target to hit. This theory was disproven, as Tayuya easily dodged the projectiles, not even missing a note. The Doki leapt over their commander, at began to charge at the two leaf ninja.

 

"Sakura, watch out!" Shikamaru yelled.

 

"I see them!" Sakura shouted, getting into position.

 

Shikamaru dodged the Arm-spike Doki that was about to hit him, and placed his hands in the correct handsign position for Shadow Possession.

 

"If I ensnare all three, she'll have no choice but to reverse summon them" Shikamaru thought, "But even if I only capture one, I can use it to fight back"

 

Shikamaru extended his shadow from himself, and quickly caught the shadow of the Doki in front of him. He lifted his fist, causing the demon to do the same. He turned, and swung his fist through the air. The Doki did the same, laying a strong punch on the armless Doki. The downed Doki quickly got up, and attacked its brethren using its head. The controlled Doki fell over, causing Shikamaru to tumble also. Sakura took this opportunity to run towards Tayuya, not trying to fight the summoned creatures. As she approached Tayuya, the massive club of the remaining Doki smashed into the ground in front of her. Sakura halted before she ran into it, and watched as the demon lifted it back into the air. Sakura dodged to the side as the club once again was slammed towards her. Tayuya, still playing her melody, jumped backwards for safety, now just ten feet from the cliff face.

 

"Take this!" Sakura shouted, punching the Doki in the shin with her strength.

 

The demon stumbled slightly, but did not seem to have been fazed much by the punch. Sakura noticed this, and jumped backwards, barely avoiding being crushed by the club. As the club collided with the earth, Sakura leapt on top of it and launched herself at the Doki's face by strengthening her legs. Channeling as much chakra as she could, Sakura punched the demon in the face. This time, the Doki was affected a bit worse, falling backwards. Sakura took this opportunity to grab the handle of the metal club, managing to pull it away from the demon. Using her strength to lift it, she swung at the beast, knocking it in the head with a sickening crunch. Despite the sound, the Doki cracked its neck back into position and swung its fist at Sakura. She managed to block the punch with the club, albeit awkwardly.

 

"He's still got some fight in him" Sakura mumbled to no one in particular.

 

 Shikamaru was once again tumbling across the ground, mimicking the motions of the ensnared Doki. He stood up, causing the demon to do the same. Before the armless Doki could attack again, Tayuya's melody changed. Shikamaru recognized the difference in music, and prepared himself.

 

"Sakura!" He shouted, "Watch out!"

 

Sakura turned to look at the Doki she had been clobbering, and watched as it opened its mouth. From inside its mouth, white, ethereal material poured out, covered in numerous mouths. Sakura looked, and noticed the same ghostly material pouring out of the other two Doki.

 

"Don't let it touch you!" Shikamaru yelled, remembering its chakra-draining effect from before.

 

Sakura tried to dodge it as snaked through the air towards her, but the large club inhibited her movements slightly. The ghost managed to pass through her arm, and Sakura could feel it absorbing her chakra. She shuddered as it exited, taking some of her chakra with it. Before she had time to think, it twisted around and traveled back towards her. Sakura managed to dodge completely this time, even though she was still carrying the large weapon. Deciding it would be a bad idea to drop the weapon and allow the demon to take possession of it again, she held onto it, even if it meant it would be harder to dodge.

 

"Dammit!" Shikamaru shouted, "We need to stop her!"

 

Even though Shikamaru had control of one of the Doki, its ghost was still under Tayuya's control, which meant Shikamaru was having trouble fighting the armless monster with the ensnared one. To his surprise, the Doki ghost of the armless Doki did not seem to want to directly attack him, as the ghost of the ensnared one did. It seemed to just sit there, turning around as if it was looking for something. Before Shikamaru could contemplate what it was after, it dove for the ground between Shikamaru and the captured Doki.

 

"That's it!" Shikamaru shouted, realizing what it was after, but unable to do anything.

 

The ghost passed through the ground on the path where Shikamaru's shadow was lying. As it passed through, it "ate" the chakra in the shadow, canceling the Shadow Possession Jutsu. The now free Doki turned to attack Shikamaru, but the young shinobi managed to dodge its fierce punch. Shikamaru resumed the handsign for the Shadow Possession Jutsu, this time hoping to grab both Doki. Before his shadow reached the shadows of the demons, he heard Tayuya's melody change again, this time only slightly.

 

"Phantom Envelop!" She shouted.

 

Shikamaru watched as the Doki ghosts froze for a second, and then wrapped themselves around their respective demons. As they did, Shikamaru saw the Doki underneath become transparent, causing them to no longer cast shadows. Shikamaru gritted his teeth as he retracted his shadow, beginning the process of creating another strategy. Sakura, on the other hand, noticed that the club passed right through the Doki while it was enveloped by the ethereal beast. After a couple more seconds, the ghosts released their Doki, and went back to simply trying to pass through the leaf ninja. Shikamaru made note of this, but knew they could simply re-envelop the Doki if he tried Shadow Possession again. Shikamaru spent the next several minutes dodging the Doki and the ghosts, strategizing. Sakura was getting tired, but managed to land a hit every few swings of the club. She could see that the Doki she had been battling had scrapes and bruises across its face. She figured she was at least making progress, even if the Doki was not bleeding, although she wasn't even sure if it had blood.

 

"Ok, it's now or never" Shikamaru thought to himself.

 

He jumped behind the armless Doki as the other launched a punch in his direction. He quickly wrapped a few Shadow Tendrils around the armless one, preventing it from dodging as the other Doki's fist collided with its face. Shikamaru heard a sickening sound as the spikes of the Doki passed through the face of the other one. To Shikamaru's surprise, a cloud of smoke surrounded the armless Doki, revealing it to be missing when the smoke cleared. Shikamaru realized that it had taken severe enough damage that it was reverse summoned despite Tayuya's wishes. The annoyed look on the flute-wielder's face told Shikamaru that his theory was correct.

 

"Well, that's one down..." He thought to himself, planning his next move.

 

 As the other Doki tried to punch him, he dodged. The ghost used this opportunity to launch itself at him. Right before it reached him, Shikamaru smiled and disappeared via the Substitution Jutsu, leaving a log covered in tags in his place. The tags took no time to activate, creating a small explosion in that area. The Doki took little damage from the small blast, and tried to search for Shikamaru. Tayuya quickly realized his plan, and changed her melody to compensate. The ghosts wrapped around the two Doki, but it was too late. The Doki stood paralyzed, once again ensnared by Shikamaru's shadow. The ghost stopped wrapping around, and dove for the ground and the boy's extended shadow. Before it reached, Shikamaru took his own fist and brought it up to neck as fast as possible, stopping just centimeters in front of his neck. The Doki mimicked his actions, but because of the two spires attached to his arm, stopping just in front of his neck caused the spikes to stab the beast directly through the neck. With a roar, the Doki was reverse summoned, leaving just the one Sakura was facing.

 

"Dammit!" Tayuya thought to herself, not breaking the melody.

 

Sakura could feel herself tiring, but noticed that she still hadn't done much more than minor damage to the demon she was fighting. Shikamaru rushed over to his teammate in order to help her. As he reached her, Sakura summoned all her strength in her legs, and jumped high into the air, taking the club with her. As the Doki and Tayuya looked up at the pink haired kunoichi, Shikamaru captured the demon in his Shadow Possession. Tayuya noticed this, mentally cursing herself for falling for the diversion. Sakura dropped down from the sky, slamming the club into the Doki's head with all the strength she could muster. Mere milliseconds after the sickening crunch, the Doki vanished in a puff of smoke. Tayuya stopped playing her music, staring at her opponents as she moved the flute from her lips.

 

"Don't think I'm done yet!" Tayuya shouted.

 

 

Oshime gripped Sui-Riu, and stared at her opponent, waiting for his next move. Naruto grabbed a few kunai from his pouch, and threw them at Oshime. Oshime deftly sliced them in half, her sword clanging against the metal knives as she did.

 

"You're gonna have to do better than that, kid" Oshime stated.

 

"Heh, just you wait!" Naruto shouted back.

 

Naruto brought his hands together in the usual handsign, as five shadow clones appeared behind him in a puff of smoke.

 

"That Shadow Clone Jutsu is very chakra consuming" Oshime thought to herself, "Either this kid has got a massive supply of chakra, or he's th