A forest near the Land of Grass was currently being traversed by a group of 4 moving through it silently.

"Haaa. Are we there yet?"

"Hold on! I'll check the map!"

Koyo reached into his backpack and pulled out his trusty map. He scanned the map from top to bottom and nodded his head.

"We're on the right path. Should be there within a day if we hurry."

"Ugh! I need a bath! Is there a river nearby or something?!"

Doren nearby just shook his head.

"Haaa! All you do is complain! Don't you have a summoning beast or a tattoo you can ride?"

Doren looked at Kaira with an irritated gaze, but she ignored it and shook head.

"I can't ride Squiggle-chan. He's too little! He needs water anyway to be of any use. "

"Don't you have a tattoo full of water?! Why don't you just use that then?!"

"That's for enemy attacks! Do you want me to waste it so I have none to help you with when you're on fire?!"

Doren just shook his head.

"I'll worry about that myself when it happens."

"Hmph! This is getting us nowhere."

"Then shut up and keep moving. It's not like you'll die from a little dirt or anything."

"Haaa. This must be why you died a virgin."

"What was that, slut?!"

"Enough."

They both became silent once the green haired teen spoke.

"We will move at a quicker pace. I want to make sure we get there no later than tomorrow."

""Yes, Lord!""

The four resumed their journey as they quickly went through the forest.

None of them noticed the shadow slowly trailing behind them.

[....]

Akumu gazed at the group, slinking behind them out of their detection range.

'Who is this guy? Is he related to Chaos?'

Akumu held on to his thoughts as he continued to stalk them.

The day quickly went by as the group continued their journey until night fell.

Despite Kaira's whining, the four made their way to a secluded canyon.

The four landed at their destination and looked around.

"Is this the place?"

"Let me check once more!"

Koyo whipped out the map once more and calculated their position. The other three just watched the area at ease.

"This valley is pretty big. I wonder if it has a name."

"What are you? A tourist?"

"Life is a journey, and everywhere is somewhere new. Of course I'm a tourist."

"Ugh! Don't pull that philosophical samurai crap out now! Just say you like the view or something!"

"Haaa. Why must you be so uncultured?"

The two bickered while Koyo nodded his head.

"Lord! I believe we are in the right area."

"I see. We should get his attention somehow."

"Do you want me to make some noise? I have a few explosive tags and tats left."

Kaira turned around with a smile on her face as she offered her services to the teen.

"No. We'll just wait for a while."

Kaira's shoulders sunk as she nodded her head weakly.

The four all took a seat as they waited for contact.

Akumu sat down in the dark as well, watching the four intently.

The group didn't have to wait long until they saw a shadow coming towards them.

A man appeared with a black cloak over his entire body, obscuring everything about him.

"Greetings, guests. Orochimaru-sama has been awaiting your arrival. If you could please follow after me."

The teen nodded and stood up. He began to follow the shadow as the other three followed closely behind him.

Koyo couldn't seem to stop shivering as he got behind Doren and Kaira.

"...What are you doing, Koyo?"

"I-Is that guy not creepy to you?!"

"Eh. Nothing a fire tattoo can't fix."

"Nor a blade."

"Haaa. I wish I had some combat skills."

"At least you're good at everything else."

The encouragement didn't seem to make Koyo feel better as he continued to shiver along the way.

The group followed after the man to a mountain nearby the valley surrounded by dead trees.

"In here, please."

 The cloaked man pressed down on a nearby rock on the mountainside.

*Clink*

The side of the wall opened up to reveal a long dark corridor.

"This way."

The cloaked man started to walk down the corridor as the teen and the other three followed inside.

Akumu stuck quickly to the darkness in the corridor and followed behind.

The hallway was dark for only a moment before torches started to light their way.

Koyo was virtually vibrating at this point behind Doren.

"Stop being scared. We're already dead."

"W-What?! I'm sorry! I didn't hear you over my teeth chattering!"

"Haaa. Just stay behind us and don't talk."

The five made their way to the end of the tunnel leading to a large arena.

They soon saw a string of bodies on the ground along with a woman carrying a kunai.

"Did we come at a bad time?"

"Not necessarily. This is just entertainment for Orochimaru-sama."

The woman hastily raised the kunai in her hand as she stared at the group.

"W-Who are you?!"

"Congratulations! It looks like you are the last one left."

The cloaked man clapped his hands in applause as he walked right by the woman.

"Lord Orochimaru will keep his end of the bargain and give you freedom shortly, miss."

"R-Really?!"

"Of course. Please get some rest down the hall there. I will have this cleaned up and bring Orochimaru-sama to you personally."

"...."

The woman didn't move from her spot and only stared at the group with shaky hands on her kunai.

"It seems I will have to assist her in getting to her room once we are done."

The cloaked man shook his head as he once again brought the group further inside.

Akumu watched in the shadows and followed the group slowly.

They soon came to a furnished room further down the hall.

"Please make yourself at home. I'll be right back with lord Orochimaru."

The cloaked man bowed as he exited the room.

'I should follow the cloaked man.'

Akumu treaded lightly behind the man as he headed down the hall.

The cloaked man quickly made his way to a large door.

The man approached the door and knocked cautiously.

"What is it?"

The voice caused the man to shiver slightly, but he steadily informed him.

"Orochimaru-sama, the guest you sent an invitation to has arrived. I would also like to tell you that the "freedom" competition has been completed as well."

*Krrrrr*

The door opened, revealing a bandaged man. His snake-like eyes scanned the cloaked man with a smile on his face.

"Wonderful. I'm glad to receive two pieces of good news tonight. I should go and greet them quickly. Bring me to them."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama."

The two headed back to the waiting room and entered inside. Once Orochimaru saw the teen, his eyes sparkled in fascination and obsession!

"Your chakra is very interesting."

"It's annoying to say the least."

"It all depends on perspective."

Orochimaru sat on the opposite side of the teen and looked at the other four with interest.

"Excuse me. I will go and settle in the winner."

"Yes. Make sure she's...comfortable."

The cloaked man bowed and headed back to the arena.

"Hmmm. Each of you are from different eras. How remarkable."

The three all looked at Orochimaru with caution as they watched him carefully.

The teen studied Orochimaru as well.

"You look injured."

"That's not quite the case. It's only temporary."

The three looked at him in confusion while the teen nodded his head.

"You will take the body of that women from before?"

Orochimaru's eyes flashed with intrigue as he nodded his head.

"Correct. I didn't think you could deduce that so easily."

"Your chakra and your body don't align with each other. I can feel it resisting you."

A wide smile crept up Orochimaru's face.

"I'm already interested in what you can see."

Orochimaru suddenly realized something as he stared at the teen.

"I realize you know my name, but I don't know any of your names."

"...."

The teen tilted his head as he seemed to be thinking.

"....Aeon."

The teen nodded his head and looked back at Orochimaru.

"Call me Aeon."

Aeon pointed towards the three behind him.

"The red haired woman is Kaira. The man in the worn armor is Doren. The last one is Koyo with the backpack."

"I see. Then it's a pleasure to meet you all."

"Likewise. Now, why did you invite us here?"

"Well..."

Orochimaru hesitated for a moment and looked at the four individually. 

"I want your assistance with two things, if possible."

"What are the two things, and what can you do for me in return?"

"I would like your help in my research of immortality."

Aeon's face frowned as he breathed in and exhaled.

"Now, How can I do that?"

"You can help me by allowing me to run some tests on you. Perhaps we can find the origin of your...peculiar disposition."

"I already know the reason why. Once you find out as well, how confident are you at fixing it?"

Both parties were silent as they stared at each other.

"I can do my best. My research has brought about many different discoveries. It should be plausible to give you a permanent solution."

"...."

Aeon lowered his head again and sighed.

"Fine. Killing myself isn't getting me anywhere. Perhaps a different approach can change that."

"Wonderful!"

Orochimaru couldn't hide his joy!

"Good! You can stay here for now. We'll begin research soon enough."

Aeon nodded his head.

"Fine. What was the other thing?"

"I need your help attacking the Hidden Leaf village."

Aeon tilted his head.

"Why?"

"I must kill my teacher, but the current Hokage is a bit... problematic for me to deal with. I need someone to hold him back. I can't deal with both of them."

Aeon frowned as he stared at Orochimaru.

"Why do you want to kill your teacher?"

"......"

Orochimaru closed his eyes for a moment and opened them slowly. His yellow eyes glinted dangerously as he stared at Aeon.

"He is a goal that I must pass."

"......."

Aeon turned to the three behind him.

"What do you guys think?"

"Beats being bored. I can get rid of some tattoos and make some new ones for it."

Kaira nodded her head in agreement. Aeon then turned to Doren and Koyo.

"I don't think it's a great idea! Aren't they strong?!"

"Do they have any swordsmen or unique weapons?"

Koyo was against it, but Doren seemed eager to find unique opponents.

Aeon turned to Orochimaru who answered with a smile.

"There is quite a few unique opponents and weapon wielders. Sensei's son has an interesting pair of blades as well as the current Hokage's kunai. I believe there may even be a few sword wielders now."

"Then I'm in."

"Aww man..."

Koyo huddled in the corner depressed.

Doren and Kaira chuckled at him while Aeon nodded his head to Orochimaru.

"We can hold them back however we wish?"

"Just keep him entertained while I do my business. I had initially planned to do this a different way, but your arrival has made things a bit easier."

Aeon nodded his head.

"In that case, I want you to prioritize your research on my problem. I want results before we go attack. Consider it an advance payment for the job."

"Consider it done."

Orochimaru stood up and extended his hand towards Aeon. Aeon nodded his head and extended his hand as well. The two shook in agreement to their partnership.

"Uwah!"

The group paused as they heard a scream coming from the hall close by.

"Well, it looks like the night has more surprises for me. One moment while I handle some business."

Orochimaru stood up and headed down the hallway to the arena.

He could see the cloaked man bleeding on the ground as the woman sat in the corner, still holding her bloody kunai.

"S-Stay back!"

Orochimaru grinned widely as he stared into the eyes of the woman.

"Your freedom is close at hand. Come with me."

"!!!"

The woman tried to resist, but she felt her senses diminish at a rapid pace. She soon couldn't resist Orochimaru's words and followed slowly behind him.

"Huhuhuhu. Your body will be put to good use."

The two disappeared into the darkness of the hallway.

Akumu appeared outside of the base and shook his head.

[...Everything is changing so fast.]

He could feel it. His advantage was slowly disappearing with the strange, new twists in the world.

[For now... I should just make due with the knowledge I have and regroup with the others.]

He had to go back. He couldn't handle this alone.

[I should probably give them a heads-up that I'm on my way.]

Akumu disappeared into the nearby forest and tried to connect to his chakra at the Leaf.

He continued to resonate with it for a while before he finally felt someone answer.

[Hello?]

{Hi, Sweetie!}

[Haaa. Of course you pick up. Hey.]

{Ehehe! How's the mission going?}

[Not too good actually.]

{Eh?! What's wrong?! Are you okay?!}

[I'm fine. It's just...things are changing too much.]

Akumu started to tell Fuyuki about what he learned.

{Ugh! That sounds bad! I don't remember much about the story, but it doesn't seem good.}

[Yeah. It is. I'm heading back now so I can discuss it with the 3rd and 4th Hokage.They might have a solution for this situation.]

{I see. Well, we've been pretty good as well. Hii is doing well with his training too.}

[Good. Hopefully, you two won't have to help me in this.]

{......}

[Fuyuki? What's wrong?]

{Don't leave us out.}

[....]

Akumu stopped running and looked up at the sky.

[Haaaa. Look, you know that this will be dangerous. The vibes that guy gives off is-]

{I don't care! Do you think we're scared of fighting?!}

[You're not ready yet. I'll pick up the slack until you are at my level.]

 {You do this all the time! Don't take everything on by yourself when you're scared!]

Akumu was silent. He didn't think she would get this mad.

[Fuyuki...]

{I told you not to do that! You did the same thing with Miyu's case, thinking you had to take care of her by yourself because of what happened! I got mad at you then, and I'll get mad at you now! We can help you, Takashi! You don't have to take the burden all on your own.}

[....]

{Haaa. Just come back. We both miss you. We can talk more about it then.}

[...Alright.]

Akumu started to run again towards the Leaf again with renewed vigor.

{Oh yeah! You want to know something good?!}

Akumu sighed in his head when he heard that. She always had a knack for finding rumors.

[Sure. What did you find out?]

{Hii got his first kiss way before you did~!}

[What?!!!]

Akumu slid to a stop!

He couldn't believe it!

[Wait! What happened?! With who?! Explain it from the beginning!]

{Nuh-uh! You have to come back to hear it. I'll tell you when you get here. Goodnight!}

[Hey, wait!]

Akumu no longer felt a connection to the chakra in Hii.

[Grrrrrr!! What the hell happened when I was gone?!]

Akumu would have never thought Hii would have a better love life than he did!

[I need to hurry and get all the details!]

Akumu speed up and hurried his way over to the Leaf.

He knew he couldn't miss this!

********

Hii woke up with an odd look on his face.

{Morning!}

"....Morning."

Hii slowly got out of his bed and stretched his body.

'Hey, Fuyuki?'

{Hmm?}

'Were you, talking to Akumu yesterday?'

{Yep! He said he was coming back! He can't wait to see us!}

'...I wonder if that's all you talked about.'

{Ehehe! Don't worry about it and go get breakfast.}

Hii nodded his head and flexed his hands.

"We can experiment with Akumu's power as well when he gets back."

{I'd rather you not do that, but I guess it's for the best. Just try not to hurt yourself so much. Your family wouldn't want you to suffer like that.}

Hii gave it some thought and nodded his head. He headed to the bathroom and washed up.

When he came back to the kitchen, he saw Riku preparing breakfast.

"Morning, Grandma! Do you need help?"

"Morning, dear. No, I'll be fine. Sit down and get ready to eat."

Hii nodded his head and sat down.

"How was the birthday party? Did she like her gift?"

"Ummm, yeah. She liked it a lot."

Hii tried to keep his face from becoming red as he remembered the kiss. He noticed Riku looking at him with a sly smile.

"Hmm~?"

"...."

Riku seemed to easily figure out what happened as she smiled.

She picked up his breakfast and placed it in front of him.

"I'll be waiting for you to officially introduce her to us soon, Okay?"

Hii's face grew bright red as he could only helplessly nod his head. Riku smiled and rubbed Hii's head before getting the rest of the food ready.

Di made his way into the kitchen and sat down.

"Morning, Grandpa."

"Hmm. Morning."

Di rubbed Hii's head and said nothing else.

Soon, the rest of the family came in as well.

"Morning, Hii."

"Good morning, Mom."

""Morning, Hii-Nii!""

"Morning, you two."

"Huaaaah."

"Heh! Morning, Dad."

The family all sat down and enjoyed breakfast as usual.

That was until Moya casually dropped a bomb.

"Hii-Nii! When will Onee-chan join us for breakfast?!"

"Hnngh!"

Hii almost choked on the rice in his mouth as he tried to clear his throat.

Everyone looked at him as his face started to burn.

"W-What do you mean?"

"Didn't you and Maka-Nee kiss yesterday?"

"Kiss?"

Moya and Yozora asked Hii and he couldn't help, but sweat!

"Well, Hii? Did you kiss her~?"

"Ohohoho! That's my boy!"

Kaya and Henda both had happy grins as they looked at Hii with pride.

Hii quickly devoured his food and brought his dishes to the sink.

"I-I'm finished with my food! I better get ready to go to class!"

"But Hii-nii! We don't have school today!"

"I'll just go train then!"

Hii flew out of the kitchen as the adults all laughed. 

Kaya called out to him from the kitchen while he quickly gathered his stuff.

"Make sure you invite Maka-chan for dinner sometime! We'd love to learn more about her!"

Hii's face was burning red as he quickly grabbed everything he needed and headed out of the door.

Kaya giggled watching her son disappear so fast.

She turned back towards the twins and grinned.

"Moya! Yozora! Make sure to tell Maka-chan to come by for dinner, okay?! I can't trust your brother to do it properly, so I'm counting on you two."

""Ok!""

The family gathered together and talked about the future of Maka and Hii.

Hii felt a shiver crawl down his spine and knew some stressful days were coming his way.