Silver Dog and the Dog General.

181…

"Sasuke-kun, what's going on?" Sakura asked. The sun wasn't even up yet there they were like a pair of religiously devoted trainees… Sakura with her wooden boken and Sasuke with his gleamingly dangerous bladed sword.

Every morning they met in this spacious dojo room and every morning they went through the kata sets together. The rice paper walls decorated with various weapons and the special tatami flooring absorbing their sweat, tears and blood.

Sasuke, who finished his katas and was now executing a cool down exercise looked at his teammate briefly. He's been acting a little more aloof than normal, serious – Sakura noticed, because although she didn't spend most of her time shamelessly stalking him, he still existed and was part of a major hunk of her day.

"I have to get stronger… If I can't defeat Naruto, there is no way I can defeat that man" After cooling down, the raven haired boy stashed his sword and sat down to mediate. Sakura hummed pensively.

182…

"Who is the person Sasuke hates the most?" Sakura asked her two fellow female friends. Ino looked a little startled at the question, but Hinata didn't seem that surprised, though her pale face whitened to a new notch that had the blossoming medic inside Sakura a little worried.

Straightening, Ino narrowed her eyes in thought. "I have no idea… I thought he hated Naruto the most, but that isn't the case. They're friends right?"

Nodding, Sakura then looked expectantly at Hinata, waiting the other's hopefully helpful input.

After a moment of hesitation, the Byakugan user managed to control her stutter well enough to try and guess "Um… M-maybe it's t-that person…"

Now both Ino and Sakura, who previously had massive crushes on Sasuke pruned their ears in avid curiosity. Hinata blushed appropriately. "Can you tell us, Hinata-chan?" Being the other major clan member in their group, Ino felt a sliver of sympathy – there were some secrets that shouldn't be disclosed or discussed with non-family members.

It wasn't the case though, for Hinata started soon enough. "A-a few years a-ago, Sasuke-kun's family w-was murdered b-by someone" Blonde and pinkette frowned. They knew that already. The Uchiha clan being wiped out in one night had everyone in their village not sleeping for weeks in fear and distrust.

The village went through an economic repression and was majorly boycotted for a while – most active ninja were put to work to cover for the gap the Uchiha left and things only got better a couple of months later when Sesshiou mysteriously settled in their village.

With a shiver running down her spine, Sakura asked dreading the answer immensely. "Who…?"

Gulping, because it represented a reality that reached really close to home, Hinata whispered voice almost didn't reach them. "S-sasuke-kun's o-older brother… U-uchiha Itachi"

183…

Jiraiya looked down at the couple of boys sitting dutifully in front of him. Somehow he got roped into overseeing the Uchiha boy's training as well as his godson's. It wasn't such a bad thing if he stopped to think over properly. The Uchiha brat was disciplined and eager to please while Naruto was brash and lacked patience.

Closing his eyes as he remembered the request (order) he received from Sesshiou-dono before she left, the sannin contemplated the better way of milking it all for what was worth. And knowing Naruto's temper, it was worth a lot.

Time to prank the prankster. "You know… Your guardian told me a lot of interesting things" Jiraiya started in a purposely irritating sing-song voice. Naruto froze, looked up at the sannin with large, large blue eyes and silently begged. 'Not another word, please,pleaseplease!' Of course Jiraiya pretended not to see. "She said something about someone's homework"

Flinching, Naruto shuffled his feet pityingly. "B-but what about training?"

"After calligraphy practice" The sannin relishingly pointed out. If he was being extra vicious in this particular occasion, it wasn't solely because he wanted his beloved godson to learn some fuinjutsu as well. "If you don't finish soon, I guess Sasuke will have to train by himself"

Sasuke didn't mind being used as bait if Naruto's dark glare was that amusing.

184…

"Name the sword?" Sasuke asked Naruto when they were done training for the day. Jiraiya already gone, the two boys were left strewn on the dewy grass breathing deeply. After being done with his calligraphy book and reading some of Sesshiou' scroll, Naruto ran back to the training ground where Jiraiya was already drilling Sasuke in chakra control exercises.

"Yeah… swords that have names are more powerful, that's what mom said" Tennoarashi hummed silently. Sasuke sunk deep in thought. What should he name a blade? His sword was beautiful in design and the blade high quality, but it didn't exude a personality like Naruto's.

… "Buraijingurai…" The blinding ray. With the way he was planning on using it, no enemy would ever witness it's blade ever again – All they would be able to see is a blinding thunder cutting them in half.

185…

Aburame Muta looked as stoic and serious as any member of his clan did. His Kikaichu were buzzing beneath his skin feeling the excitement of the oncoming battle he could sense was coming. Though he was used on missions of this kind, somehow this time there was something different.

As if storming inside an enemy's country with a six men cell was not enough, their client herself was among them leading their group and acting like a general so much it was a little hard to disregard her as unimportant.

Daiyokai Sesshiou was something else. She wasn't like any other woman he's ever met. The Lady carved a place for herself using her own hands and she exuded so much power and control he bet there was someone able to resist her magnetism. His own bugs were growing more and more agitated as he spent time in the lady's company, and they haven't even left fire country yet.

186…

"Maybe I should have gone with them" Jiraiya sighed. Wanting or not, that wondrous specimen of the female persuasion that took Naruto as her own without prompt or command has wormed herself into his esteem. "However we look at it, six against a whole country is not a fair prospect."

Tsunade looked serious, she understood him. "I know… but we need you here in case…"

"Damn it…I know"

In case someone came after Naruto.

187…

"Are you ready to see my art, hmmm?"

"Shut up, you're irritating me"

Two figures suspiciously shrouded in darkness were following the trails after the konoha group for some time now.

"Do you think he will be part of the strike?"

"I don't think so, now quiet already"

"Tsc…" The shorter of the two stopped talking, his mind wandering toward a dark corner as he picture that man's pretty face caving in after one of his beautiful master pieces exploded right on it.

188…

"Things are going surprisingly well" Kakashi drawled, dusting his hand in an absent gesture after dispatching of yet another team of useless thugs. Following his example, the Hyuuga relaxed, dismissing his eyes and nodding to Tsume and Muta who relaxed minutely.

"There are no more enemies within my range" Shinjou Ren – or should he put it, the root ANBU agent only let down his guard when Kouchou spoke.

Looking ridiculously pristine in the middle of a war zone after the five other jounnin let loose a little, Sesshiou sheathed her sword with a contemplative sigh. Kakashi's eyes were following her for a while now. It was annoyingly obvious that he wanted some time alone so they could talk privately, but ninja were paranoid creatures by trade and nature, so it was certainly obvious that one of their traveling companions would snoop.

Gold met carbon black for a single second. Understanding flowed between them. "This one will scout ahead" Kakashi hid a grin. Then he overtly met Kouchou's eyes, signaling something that the other ex-ANBU operative caught and realized.

"Maa… I guess I will keep the lady some company" He spoke boredly. Tsume, bless her soul, bit the bait and winked mischievously. She and Kouchou would keep an eye on Ren.

Kakashi felt thankful.

189…

"There is something you should be aware of" Kakashi didn't hesitate in speaking. He has lost so many people that he wouldn't measure effort in protecting someone he saw as precious to him – and Sesshiou counted in that category as of lately.

Settling herself comfortably against a tree, the lady in question focused those deep golden eyes of hers on him. Suddenly distractingly nervous, Kakashi had to remind himself once of the severity of his concerns.

"You know about the kyuubi being sealed in Naruto right?" A blank faced nod. "In this world, there are other monsters similar to the kyuubi, demons… to stop them from rampaging and destroying the land, they can be sealed inside a human host"

Sunny eyes narrowed as conclusion painted Sesshiou's face. "You fear this one shall suffer the fate of those inferior creatures" Her voice dripped contempt. "This Sesshiou is not without caution… this one is a dai-yokai, a superior being who will not fall prey to the human's pathetic magic" Then her face had to soften in a way that made a certain blood pumping organ located in his chest give a painful throb.

Even if she thought herself strong – he'd guard her back.

190…

How dare they?

It was laughable that they thought they could take him head on with such meager forces… was this an assassination attempt? If it was then they would be failing epically.

It was amusing enough that Orochimaru even entertained the thought of greeting them himself. What was Tsunade thinking? Was this some sort of crowning to her new regiment? Get rid of her traitorous teammate before he could come up with another nefarious plan of konoha leveling.

Already getting bored, the snake sannin raised an arm to summon one of his minions.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama" The boy groveled as he should.

"Get your team ready. I want the pests encroaching in our terrirroty dealt with before sundown"

With another 'yes Orochimaru-sama' his follower scampered out the gargantuan throne room, leaving the fallen ninja to his own devices.

191…

Hyuuga Kouchou didn't know what to think.

He thought the women in his clan were graceful. He was old enough to remember the women in the Uchiha clan as well – and though their overall unpleasantness, he had to admit that even he had been silently fascinated by the females in the upper clanswomen.

The Hyuuga were born to be graceful. Their moves should flow impaired and they shouldn't waste any movement. An unnecessary move was an opening in their style which marked death in any shinobi book. The Jyuuken depended on flexibility and mobility, a silent technic that didn't depend on strength as much as it depended on skill and speed.

If he thought himself impressed by his clanswomen grace and beauty, and have been silently fascinated by the Uchiha women, then this silver haired mystery was a big jumble of everything feminine bottled inside a female who had being perfect down to an enviable art.

Every move she made was calculated. From the almost gliding rhythm of her walk to the way she only ever had to move her eyes to stare any of them down. She never appeared in front of him in less than sparkling condition – never ruffled, never sweaty or dirty, not a crease in her expensive looking clothes.

Then he had to use his eyes on her… he had to see what she was made of inside and had to hold the urge to gasp. Different… raw… powerful. Like watching the sun shine inside a human shell. Her power ran in thick rivers all throughout her body and curled around her protectively. Then he took note of small nuances. Like the fact she didn't have tenketsu… or the fact that there were no gates of power there, out of seven, there was none.

What was she?

192…

Tsume wasn't as thick as her peers liked to believe she was just because she was a little brash and rough around the edges. She was a ninja first and foremost, so subterfuge and espionage were practically engraved in her very bones – she only showed these particulars traits once in a blue moon, but they were there running in the back of her mind.

Right now, her kunoichi senses were sending alert after alert the more time she spent with Daiyokai Sesshiou. Oh, Tsume found herself liking the other younger looking woman. There was something magnetic about her that drew Tsume in – a half forgotten piece of animalistic attraction that prompted similar to meet similar.

As they traveled through the wild, it was also easy to see just why that brat Kakashi was so besotted with the lady… all Daiyokai's movements were measured to perfection – not wasting any energy and acting with utmost grace. Even the Hyuuga – Kouchou something or other – with the permanent stick up his xxx seemed somewhat enchanted by the silver haired woman.

After a few days in their travels, the usually cold blooded Hyuuga was caught by Tsume figuratively sniffing up the lady… intrigued, because it was such a rare sight, the Inuzuka stuck close to Kakashi since the other silver haired man was unusually protective of the female…

"Daiyokai-sama, would you excuse a question I have?" Kouchou finally seemed to grow a pair large enough to approach the lady. Sesshiou inclined her head slightly, saying without word that she wouldn't mind. "You know the power of my clan doujutsu. It allows us a 360 degrees field of vision, and also allows us to 'see' chakra"

Heh? Now Tsume was kind of interested on where this questioning was going to. Not signaling that she was listening at all, Sesshiou simply ignored the Hyuuga who remembered himself and continued. "Forgive me for speaking bluntly, my lady… but I find myself curious… what is it that flows through your body?"

Yes… he was implying that Sesshiou had no chakra… Tsume smiled.

193…

Muta heard everything. He was also curious about their client lack of chakra, but he wouldn't dare send another of his bugs to spy on her again after his last attempts resulted in a bug exploding most gruesomely… If he was glared at occasionally whenever one of his poor Kikaichu tried to fly too close to the silver haired lady – he'd recall them before another of his friends suffered the same end.

194…

"Ehh? What are you talking about" Kakashi flashed suddenly to the space between Kouchou and Sesshiou… He was aware of Tsume lagging behind and shamelessly eavesdropping. He expected nothing else. Though to his chagrin Danzo's personal dog was also indulging in a little listening.

Face flustering impressively well for a Hyuuga, Kouchou blinked Byakugan white eyes back at Kakashi. "I was just-" Before he could continue, the silver haired dog summoner made sure to press his eyebrow so close together that the glare he sent the Hyuuga shinobi was so impressive it would have intimidated even the Sage himself into crawling back into his mommy's arms. Gulping, the Hyuuga quickly backtracked. "I was just… curious about your fighting style, my lady"

Hiding his smirk behind a well placed book cover, Kakashi hummed nonchalantly. "Is that so? It's quite precise if I must say so myself"

No one ever brought up Sesshiou's weird 'chakra' again for quite some time.

195…

Ren was mystified.

Of course that Ren was only a code-name his master came up with for the sake of this mission. After this, the one known as Ren would put back his mask and disappear in the bowels of konoha's root once more, fading back into the grand scheme of things and mingling with his fellow ANBU. He had a strong sense of loyalty burned into his very being by his master. He wouldn't call himself a dog, not yet, but if he had to choose between life and a mission, he'd make sure the mission was completed even if he was taking his last breath.

But as he watched after the silver haired lady his master was interested in learning more about, he remembered inwardly the first time he saw her.

She was fresh. Pristine and white like snowfall, or a rainfall of sakura petals that glistered white under the spring sunlight. He remembered her blank expression softening as she held the Kyuubi boy for the first time – being the one assigned to tail the boy – and that was the first time in many years that he found himself wondering about his own mother.

Danzo-sama then assigned him the task of following after the lady, though there weren't many openings once she settled in that mansion of hers. For some reason, none of root recruits could come close enough to spy effectively. After a lot of time studying the case, Danzo-sama concluded that Daiyokai Sesshiou had access to fuinjutsu and barriers which made things harder on their end.

That Ren had the chance to once more keep in close contact with the lady was… nice. If only Hatake Kakashi would stop staring.

196…

Battling.

A deadly dance in which if you miss a step you lose your life.

Orochimaru's minions were relentless in their attacking though they were ridiculously ineffective. There were five powerhouses and one devastatingly dangerous noblewoman from konoha and they were spearing ruthlessly their way into sound.

197…

Sesshiou should have guessed that fighting alongside these weird super-humans was bound to be mystifying. She knew they were spell bound by her honestly brilliant usage of a pointy sharp object to the point of adoration if the glint in the long haired, pale eyed man was any indication. Kakashi was also getting territorial in an endearing way that brought a mix of exasperation and murderous affront.

She could protect herself, thank you.

But she kept an eye on her temporary allies. The bug whisperer was little by little swiftly entering her hit-list. If he tried to stick another one of his bugs on her person, she would do more, much more than simply explode them with youki.

There was also the only other female in their group. She smelled like an Alpha, and from what Sesshiou heard of her, she was the leader of her own pack – The woman, Tsume, was as irritating as Inuyasha and that wolf Kouga blended together in a single mold made to drive her saintly patience to the ground and grind it there until there was nothing else but self-control – though unimaginably, Tsume knew when to be professional and that was admirable. Inuyasha couldn't do professional even if it bit him.

Then, there on the corner of her eyes was the shifty one. Ren. From Kakashi' suspicious vibes and Sesshiou's own cunning it was easy to spot the cloud of simple fakeness that surrounded the man. He wasn't a weakling and his skills were up to par with their team – yet he never met her eyes with his, and that made him estranged.

198…

It was as impossible as it was amusing. They didn't even had to track the konoha guys anymore, they only had to follow the trail of defeated sound nins. It wasn't a full scale war yet there were full platoons batted around like someone with a racket and a cloud of mosquitos and lots, lots of anger management problems.

Annoying but laughably easy.

"At this rate, they will be able to corner the snake, hmm" The blonde hummed under his breath. An anticipation building in his chest since he wanted to be part of the show. "Let's catch up to them since he used to be your partner, yeah?"

"That wasn't the plan" The hunched, bulky form replied. "We shall wait until Orochimaru is helpless and take the ring back, the konoha-nin mean nothing to us"

"Right…" Boring..

199…

It was unexpected. Being taken by surprise like this was unbelievable, and having a tenth of his able forces already down thanks to six people was daunting and a little intimidating.

His mind went back to his plans of inciting suna against Konoha. Truthfully, at the time his main goal wasn't carnage or destruction. He wanted to set an elaborate trap to catch his old teacher and relish in a bit of revenge - and if one or two konoha-nin ended up dead, he'd simply have more to be glad about.

Sadly, his plans were thwarted and he never had the chance to pitch his army against Konoha's forces. But now, looking at how his ninja were falling like flies to six jounnin (and hidden ANBUs) Orochimaru seethed quietly at the ineffectiveness of his training regimen… were his troops that weak and pathetic?

Gathering his wits, Orochimaru amassed his strongest teams close to home. If they wanted to trap him, they'd have to go through a horde of ninja ready to die for their master. Let's see if Hatake brat's team was able to go against a whole country inside sound's wall.

200…

The smell of blood. The rush of battle. The cries of her enemies and the pleas of her allies. The fire burned brighter and brighter, growing in heat until she couldn't take it anymore and roared.

201…

"I-is that Sesshiou-sama?" Muta asked Kakashi as they were surrounded by enemies and were back to back. A huge pristine white dog – taller than the hokage monument and divine in its strength… The dog's eyes were red with blood lust, and there on its face and body, curling like brush strokes were Sesshiou's tell-telling marks. The last time he saw the lady, she's been fencing off a group of more than fifteen enemy nin and she didn't look very happy.

Kakashi used the chance caused by the uproar of the appearance of a bijuu sized monster to dispatch his current enemy – then he turned to fully appreciate the sight of one Daiyokai Sesshiou in all her animalistic glory as she tore through Sound forces ignoring completely the onslaught of jutsu and deadly projectiles. "Is she a Jinchuriki!?" Someone screamingly asked.

It was the beginning of the end.

202…

"They said there was a giant beast attacking sound!"

"What?!"

"There was only one tail, the Shukaku is a raccoon, not a dog!"

"It disappeared in a flash of light though, as soon as the konoha six breached the walls"

"So Konoha has one unknown Tailed beast? Isn't the Kyuubi enough?"

"Should we fear an attack as well? Sound's forces didn't stand a chance, it was like the beast was immune to chakra attacks and there was no one who could have sealed it"

"The Otokage is an old enemy of Konoha though…"

"I want that Bijuu"

203…

It was the first time he ever saw her in less than perfect condition. While her clothes were pristine, there was a layer of blood covering her form from head to toe, testimony to the terrifying rampage she wrecked on Sound's unprepared forces… Many were comparing her attack to the Kyuubi's twelve years ago, and the fear of a bijuu attack skyrocked as Sound's morale lowered to a pitiful level.

"You… you're a demon" Kouchou halfheartedly accused, already suspecting from the beginning. "You're not like Uzumaki-san, you don't have a demon sealed in you, you are a demon" He repeated. Sesshiou blinked – her eyes were still red and feral – then they weren't.

She didn't answer, but Tsume had a new glint in her eyes when she turned to look at the pale haired lady.

204…

Cat being out the bag didn't cause as much trouble as Sesshiou thought it would. Sure, she was half expecting the humans to snivel, cry or act rashly in crazed anger toward a demon. However, these five warriors took her by surprise and simply proved how right she was in halfheartedly trusting them.

"A Dog demon" Tsume was grinned like no tomorrow. There was a sense of limitless energy around the feral looking woman. Her nin-dogs were animatedly wagging their tails and acting painfully submissive in the presence of two alphas – one of them more powerful than theirs – they would defer to their Tsume anyway as the deep loyalty they felt for her was louder than the fear Sesshiou evoked.

"Aa… Let's keep that between us for now, yes?" Kakashi interrupted before Muta could add his piece. The bug whisperer might have glared behing those shades of his, alas, none of them could see his eyes so there was no way to be sure. "Thanks to her we now have an opening into Sound village" He pointed out.

Ren's eyes were still glued to Sesshiou's head. With a sharp burst of youki that had venon spilling from her claws, the silver haired lady managed to subdue him by terrifying him enough that he'd avert his eyes every time they wandered to her person.

"This one thinks it should be best to rest for a moment before storming into the enemy's fortress" Humans were awfully fragile that way. Her companions were terribly low on that weird energy of theirs. She also wished the people would use the hour's reprieve to evacuate their civilians. Of course, with human's obstinacy you never knew.

205…

"What did you say?" Orochimaru was beyond feeling rage. That happened when he got wind of konoha's apparently pitiful attempt at attacking him. Now, he simply wanted to cause the max amount of pain to whoever was responsible for this idiocy.

The man before him trembled before the rage of his leader. "T-they have a-a Biju w-with t-them… t-the western g-gates we-were destroyed…" Reports hastily drawn were stumblingly passed over to the Oto-kage for his perusal.

"A White, single tailed dog?" Yellow eyes glinted in the semi-darkness. His hands were itching. Maybe it was time to pay his visitors some homely attention.

206…

"Whoah!" The blond exclaimed, the wind caught his flying contraption and he had to steer it at an angle to keep it airborne. His hunched companion grunted in surprise, but kept faithfully glued to their mode of transportation – a horse sized white clay bird. "Did you see that?" The wind that rattled them came from a burst of energy escaping the light that encased the beast, making it disappear. "A demon, yeah?"

"It appears to be so… maybe those konoha nin weren't so foolish as I thought first" Was the drawled reply. "However, that is not a bijuu"

They should know, they were collecting them after all.

207…

An hour went by horribly quick when someone wanted to rest. Sesshiou in all her benevolence had erected a surprisingly effective barrier that kept their group of six hidden in plain view. It was astoundingly amusing to watch their enemies bumble about the huge hole in the wall in search of them and simply pass by without a second thought. She had to use her swords as anchors though, there was no time to write the runes and power them.

"This is impressive" Kakashi commented, eyeing the glowing bubble sustained by Sesshiou's blades. The two swords were glowing aggressively and he could almost hear them growling. He didn't think her knowledge of fuinjutsu extended this far – he was aware she has been teaching some calligraphy and fuinjutsu to Naruto – though he was smart enough not to speak out loud his low expectations.

Her ego was something to be terrified of, after all.

The others were also curious about the lady's abilities if their covetous looks were anything to go by.

The hour went by horribly quick when filled with the questioning of lesser beings who wanted to know about her impressive skill set. Kakashi felt oddly accomplished.

208…

Tokijin didn't scream. He simply slid effortlessly out of his scabbard and bit right into an enemy. He drank the blood he drew and only grew more vicious. Smiling at her sword's eagerness, Sesshiou executed another perfect maneuver that had the ones surrounding her suddenly missing a couple of limbs.

Her companions were equally engaged, and they had little breathing room since well… they were trying to conquer a ninja village with only six people.

The konoha nin might think she was out of her mind… their trust in her mad plan grew a bit after they found out she was a fifty foot tall dog demon who could shrug off most jutsu and crush their foes with a toe. What they didn't know was that her powers went beyond her beastly form.

With a rush of colorful light that blended together into a white, crescent shaped blast, Sesshiou's remaining adversaries were reduced to dust. Mercilessly. There was no warning as she unleashed Tokijin's might. Soon, she had decimated all who dared to stand in her way with the corrosive power of her sword and the fury powering her attacks. She would have liked to use Tenseiga too… but she was reminded that Inuyasha's tetsusaiga now had the heaven's fang's power.

The only ones remotely safe were the five she had to baby-sit – aside from Kakashi whom she actually wanted to come – they sat aside and were witness to the biggest massacre since the time Namikaze Minato was alive and had a "flee on sight" tag on his name.

209…

In less than fifteen minutes, sound village was left defenseless… Orochimaru could only watch with growing dread as the silver haired woman who signified the bane of his existence drew that sword of hers and started cutting down his forces… Greed filled his being at the sight of that sword… a weapon with the power to destroy hundreds of enemies in one swing of its blade.

Kusanagi had nothing on it!

Seemingly feeling his thoughts, he felt the prickling of his own blade… it was eager to test itself against such a frighteningly powerful opponent. Growing irritated and impatient, the sannin wondered if he should avenge his pride or if he should simply run to fight another day. Was his faith on his fragile immortality that shallow that he didn't want to risk his life by going against that despicable creature?^

As if deciding for him, an explosion had his honed instincts sharp into action. When the rubble lowered, standing there like a fallen goddess was Daiyokai Sesshiou herself, sword passively held at her side and covered in blood.

210…

It didn't take long to find the snake bastard. His mannerism all reminded her of Naraku who hid behind minions… this fowl man dared to mar her honor by placing a price in her head as if she was a common bitch? She was a lady, moreover, the lady of the western lands. She had pride and wouldn't stand for this half-man to exist anymore.

"You…" His voice was silky and high. Eyes narrowing, Sesshiou growled low in her chest, feeling Tokijin's bloodlust and all but containing her own. "You will pay!"

And so their epic duel started.

It didn't take long for Sesshiou's more inhuman traits to surface… her eyes bled red and her stripes thickened… she could feel her jaw crack and had to extent iron control not to let loose her beast form – even if she was itching to fall into it and simply swallow the pest – she learned the hard way not to underestimate a cornered enemy after Inuyasha severed her arm.

Orochimaru then smiled as he watched her struggle to control the changes while they traded blows. Her immunity to jutsu playing a big part of their fight since he's tried to induce one of those stupid genjutsu on her and failed miserably… "You are the beast…" He murmured in realization, making Sesshiou pause snappishly.

"This one is a Dai Yokai, not a beast" She leered with blood curling ruby eyes. Then her lips tilted up. "Human trash"

Unknonw to her, a plan was starting to slowly form in the snake sannin's head even if he fell for her taunting.

211…

"This was a blood bath, hmmm!" The blond hovered on top of his bird. He and his companion landed safely on top of sound village's wall and were watching the show from above, waiting for an opportunity to strike. "Who knew the lady had this much power, yeah!"

"She is the jinchuriki of an unknown demon… though she is not our mission, we should observe" The hunchback one agreed for once. They were simply minded their time while said lady engaged Orochimaru himself into a sword battle – none of the snake's tricks were working on her, it seemed – Kusanagi glinted under the fading sunlight.

"Who do you think will win, hmm?"

"If Orochimaru manages to seal her, the fight is over" was the cold answer.

212…

The yondaime had to call upon the shinigami to seal the kyuubi. Though the fox had nine smashingly powerful tails to brag about, sealing so much power was a task that killed the upcoming seal master in the end. This woman's beast form only had one tail. A single tail worth of power was something within his power.

Preparing the chakra so he could execute the seal, Orochimaru had enough time to ponder on where he'd seal the demon… In himself was out of question – he'd need to change bodies soon and he didn't know what effects his life's jutsu would have on the elemental seal when he disconnected it from his chakra source.

There were no (live) minions around… but… yes… maybe it could work… A temporary receptacle to the beast's power so he could harvest it later – maybe even create a jinchuriki of his own. That demonic sword of hers would be his trophy after all.

213…

Kakashi entered the tall chamber where there were clear signs of struggle. There was rubble on the floor and the scarce morbid furniture was scattered all around.

Then his eyes were drawn to the figures standing in the middle of the room.

Sesshiou and Orochimaru locked into a battle of wills with their swords interlocked. The jounnin knew that should Sesshiou will it, she could have had Orochimaru in ashes on the floor with that scary sword of hers – but she clearly was giving him a sporting chance if she hasn't smote him yet.

Only, with his sharingan eye spinning madly the silver haired jounnin was privy to the building up chakra in Orochimaru's hands.

So he had time to shout out a warning in time.

He hoped.

214…

There was a moment of impasse. Neither moved. That was the moment he lunged like a triking snake.

First was a dizzying sense of misplacement that only years of experience and her enormous power allowed for some centering. Her youki was being siphoned by an outside source… little by little she was weakening... an invisible hand started to compress her body and pull it into her enemy's blade.

"You… fool…" She spat, spying Kakashi sneak up and try to dislodge Orochimaru only to be knocked back by the obstinate bastard. "You shall… suffer…" Was this how being sealed felt like? Unpleasant. All her energy being suppressed and squirmed inside a mere blade.

Also impossible.

Her father was the most powerful demon to ever walk the lands. He defeated single handed the the mighty dragon lord and created out of his own fangs the legendary swords complementing aspects of the three worlds – heaven, earth and hell… She was his daughter, his heir, she was the killing perfection and wouldn't allow a simpleton human chimera to best her.

Ignoring the world around her, Sesshiou fought against the clasps of the seal trying to get hold of her. It was grasping at straws as it was, the glimpse of her true power shining through for a glorious moment when the world exploded in light and suddenly she had an interesting perspective and was watching as Orochimaru stared dumbfolded at his broken blade and Kakashi sag in relief.

As a huge dog, Sesshiou's mentality deteriorated to that of a beast quickly, so she had no consciousness of when her inner demon decided it would be a good idea to eat such a disgusting human…

A moment of silence in which Kakashi's eyes were comically large and the gigantic dog was contentedly licking its lips as pieces of expensive purple clothing fell from the corner of its muzzle.

215…

"You ate him? Really?" Kakashi asked, still a little out of it at having witnessed Konoha's number one missing nin being devoured by the innocent looking – now in clean, sparkling condition once more – silver haired lady.

Growing a bit uncomfortable with the staring because she didn't really plan on eating the snake hybrid – things just developed that way – Sesshiou shrugged nonchalantly to Tsume's and Kakashi's amusement.

"This one is content with the outcome of the expedition" Of course she was. The mar to her honor was gone and she gained a monstrous reputation that was immediately worse than the yondaime homage… the team she led broke through a village's defense and leveled its force to the ground without a single causality in their side.

Suffice to say, in a single day, all who heard of sound's unfortunate end has updated their bingo-books.

Konoha' strength was proved once more as it stood victorious… if only they could prove Orochimaru was gone!

216…

… Sneakily holding said prove was the couple of weird cloak wearing nins from before…

"So this is Orochimaru's ring, hmmm?" The blond asked redundantly since they both knew this had to be the ring. It was snugly positioned around the finger of a severed hand that the blond wasted no time exploding to smithereens so they could pick up the trinket. "Easiest and weirdest mission ever, yeah"

"Shut up and move, we have a lot to report"

If for some miraculous reason Pein wasn't already aware of Orochimaru' sad fate and Sound's unlucky fall, then they would have a heck of a time trying to explain just why those things happened.

It seems a new mysterious player has entered the board, and she literally swallowed her problems.

217…

When Danzo heard the news he felt torn between the mad power-hunger that urged him to find a way to contain Daiyokai Sesshiou so he could harness her power himself, or utterly elated that Konoha was on the way to being feared as the ultimate hidden village once again. Because who would dare move against them when they saw konoha had no qualms about striking and decimating another village for inane reasons?

Sure, the 'official' reason was the supposed attempt at a coup that sand fully supported.

The 'unoficial' reason was the vendetta of a woman against Orochimaru simply because the snake sannin got perky and put a sizable bounty on her head – that wasn't leaving his office, never. Let them think konoha was a vindictive power-house capable of employing a force enough to level whole villages to the ground.

"Let the woman be for now… Daiyokai Sesshiou is to be kept under watch, spread the news she is konoha' secret weapon" The war hawk ordered one of his children with a twisted smile on his lips.

If things continued to develop so nicely, his plans of reforming konoha into the proud militaristic village it once was would become possible sooner than he expected. Madara be damned. All that freak did was put wrenches on things… Now, Sesshiou was looking more and more like the light in the end of a very dark tunnel.

218…

"You're back!" Naruto rushed as if the fires of the seventh hell was licking at his heels and tackled his guardian mercilessly, snaking a couple of arms around her torso and holding for dear life with a squeeze or two just to make a point. "I missed you!" Was the cry muffled by her bosom.

Patting her ward on the head with the patience that would have made a saint weep in envy, Sesshiou allowed herself to indulge in the comfort brought by the warm little body. It always moved her heart how innocent children could be. "This Sesshiou has completed what she has set out to do" Was all she said.

After a while of shameless cuddling, Sesshiou pried a suspiciously red-eyed boy from herself and held him at arm's length. Looking at her with his wet blue eyes, Naruto pouted. "Let me sleep with you tonight? Only tonight, I swear!"

Maybe having her pup close would help reassure him… or maybe she wasn't being manipulated by the cuteness at all – she was a mighty powerful demon lady, she wouldn't be moved by a pair of bright, mischievous blue eyes now, would she?

The blond ray of sunshine slept like a stone, strewn all over her mattress and hogging the pillow. She didn't sleep a blink – not that she needed anyway – but her mind wandered to a previous time when she equally indulged in another's clingy ways. For the first time in a while, Sesshiou missed Rin.

219…

Ino, Sakura and Hinata were pensively watching Sasuke for the last couple of days.

"Should we talk to him about this?" Sakura asked her fellow kunoichi with trepidation in her voice.

"Of course not! He'd hate us!" Ino snapped. "But we should be ready anyway! I won't let Sasuke-kun deal with that alone"

Hinata, who was never one of Sasuke's fan-girls to begin with, just nodded uncertainly. "I think Ino-chan is right…"

The pink haired girl accepted that and nodded. "I knew that… I was just asking" Sakura argued but was more subdued. "I will train hard with Tsunade-sama and Sesshiou-sama to be the strongest kunoichi ever and become Sasuke-kun's partner!"

"What?! No way! I will be Sasuke-kun's partner!" Ino parried.

The third member of their group hung her head.

220…

Lick.

Blink…

Kakashi blinked back with impassivity written all over his face. "Yes, I licked you" He answered the deadpan question all over his companion's angrily furrowed eyebrows. Sesshiou's clawed hand traveled to the wet spot on the cheeks, eyes narrowing. "Want to spar?"

The answer was the four swipes that mysteriously tore his jacket to shreds.

The silver haired jounnin fondly watched as his partner lunged for him with the feeling of accomplishment bubbling in his chest.

Her cheeks were vaguely dusted by a pink tinge behind the magenta stripes. He swore to doggy kiss her again whenever she lowered her guard.

TBC~

I'm so sorry about the wait.. D:
I hit a big block and didn't know what to do to contour it… so I decided to bulldoze it anyway lol! If this part feels iffy, just let me know..