Tanuki Territory

"But, Shoichi-sama, we mustn't do this. There's a reason why we were neutral during the last war five centuries past!"

Shoichi, leader of the Tanuki clan, sighed and directed his gaze to his territory. "I am aware of that, Makoto; however, I can't just stand here and let Hebi destroy the home Ryu and Kitsune had fought so hard for. The peace must be maintained, no matter the cost." His coal eyes landed on a corner of the room, where his impregnated mate sat. "For their future."

Makoto glanced over to Shoichi's mate and let a smile, which looked more like a feral grin, cross his face. "That's right. The nine legendary Bijuu are set to be born next full moon. You will surely be proud of your son for being a part of that old prophecy."

Shoichi frowned. "On one hand, it's an honor for my son to be blessed enough to be chosen as the Ichibi. However, if the prophecy does become true, it means the end of our ruling age."

Makoto nodded. "Men will come."

"I just hope my son will be ready for that time."

Ryu Territory

Midoriyama huffed as he flew through the corridors of his home. His lizard-like body was only seen as a flash of red and blue as his wings carried him to his flat, where his right-hand dragon was waiting for him. He burst into the room, landing swiftly on the ground.

"Any news?" Midoriyama asked, looking over to the green-yellow dragon in the middle of the room.

The dragon bowed low then straightened up, nodding his head. "Yes, sir. Tanuki are joining the war. They'll become our allies from this moment on."

Midoriyama nodded, a grim smile gracing his lips. "Good. Now we have all the future Bijuu's families on our side." He looked turned to look at the ground. "Now I just hope we won't have as many casualties as in the last war, Minoru."

Minoru nodded grimly, remembering the last war clearly. "Hopefully, sir, we won't come out of this completely damaged." He snickered, looking up at his master. "I do have to admit, Midoriyama-sama, that to contact the future Bijuu's families was an excellent plan."

"Yes. We all owe it to Kiyoshi. He was the one who came up with the idea. If it wasn't for him and his kitsune, we would've been destroyed by Orochi long ago." Midoriyama said, looking out to the land below him.

Kitsune Territory

"Are the offense lines informed of their assignment?"

"Yes, sir."

"What about the defense lines?"

"They're informed, as well, sir."

"And the medical circle? Have they been situated and begun preparations for battle?"

"In-progress, sir."

"Good." Kiyoshi muttered, turning to glare at the land surrounding him as his troops got ready for battle. "Let's give Orochi a battle he'll never forget."

"Yes! But, sir?"

"What is it, Nao?"

Nao's glare hardened when his captain looked over to him. "I have just been informed that the tanuki have abandoned their neutral status and are joining our forces against Orochi."

Kiyoshi's lips curved upwards into a grin. "Perfect. All nine Bijuu will be on our side." The blood-colored kitsune sat down, his single tail swishing from side to side calmly. "And Aika? How is she?"

Nao lowered his head in thought. He took a deep breath before looking out towards the land, speaking directly to his master, "Aika, along with the other Bijuu mothers, are to go into labor in forty-six hours, Kiyoshi-sama."

Kiyoshi hummed then stood up, growling out his orders. "Very well. Gather the troops! We must prepare for war."

"Yes, sir!"

(A/N: I'm back! And I know this is like a year late but it's finally here! And you better hold onto your PCs, laptops, Macs, iPhones, iPods, and any other electronic device with internet because if you thought that the first one was good, you will drool over this one. Expect me to be active this summer, guys, because I'm officially back. I might be writing other stories that are in no way related to my regular works so if you're interested, you know where to find me. See ya in the next thing I post!

7th Creature)