Roji hesitantly looked back at his men.

  Tsubaki grabbed Sora's hand.

  "We're leaving."

  "W-What's happening?"

  Roji protested, "B-But Kuda, all the good we've done for the Kusakyu in the past. It's- It's not too late to rebuild trust.”

  "The funny thing about trust Roji is it's oh so easy to break. And the thing about a Kusakyu promise is once it's broken - the only way to pay it back is with blood."

  "B-But our battles across the-"

  "The Onmyodo aren't as important to us as you think," she said with a smile, "your entire organization, and the goods you distribute could disappear, and it wouldn't bother us in the slightest," she paused and extended her finger, "But you know what? You're not entirely useless Roji... because you do matter to someone. You and your men. You matter to Okita Kiriyama." Kuda said.

  "Kuda please! S-Some of our men have families!"

  Sora looked around as Tsubaki dragged him through the crowd. It was then he noticed it; all of the Kusakyu were lined up on top of the walls; the gate leading out and to the drawbridge was closed.

  'Oh no.'

  "Whatever happens, don't let go." Tsubaki said.

  Tsubaki, and Sora weren't the only ones trying to leave. The Onmyodo started to panic, and in a frenzied shuffle they all began to run in unison back to the drawbridge.

  Mercenaries clawed at the walls begging for escape- begging for life. Kusakyu shinobi lined the walls, took aim with their fingers, and shot focused bits of clay into the crowd. On impact arms, legs, heads, and entire torsos flew all over the courtyard.

  Sora watched as an explosion caught Manzo's feet sending them up in the air, and then as if it was a competition his legs were shot out of the air painting the crowd a deep maroon. What was left of Manzo flew into a wall splattering on impact painting it a crescent red.

  The smell of burnt flesh filled Sora's nostrils as a white light overtook him.

  Like vultures, various Kusakyu clan members scoured the remains of the mercenaries for the swords they wielded, and any personal belongings that could prove useful to the clan. The blood of the mercenaries sank into the ground through the drains, and through the gutters; it traveled downward, creasing itself around pipes and etching itself into concrete walls. It was underground where rats, and roaches fed on what little human meat flushed itself into the sewer, and it's where a small percentage of survivors remained.

  "Hey, get up kid. Come on!"

  Sora tried to open his eyes, but everything was blurry. His hand felt like it was on fire, as if it had been dipped in molten lead, he felt as if his fingers were in places where they shouldn’t be, and his head was pounding like a drum.

  When he finally opened his eyes he saw Tsubaki outside her armor, but there was someone else with her. A boy anxiously looking around as if he was guarding both him, and Tsubaki.

  "Damn Kusakyu." He said seething. He looked back at the two.

  "Hey, is he up yet. We need to go."

  "Look at him. What do you think?"

  "I think you're lucky I saved your asses. If it wasn't for my lightning nijutsu he'd be a gonner. So thank me by getting his ass up so we can go. It's already been an hour."

  Tsubaki sighed, and lifted Sora up by his right arm.

  "M-My hand?" Sora asked, confused. He wanted to look over at it, but he didn’t think he’d be able to handle what it’d look like. For a brief second he thought back to the carriage again, but he forced the thought out of his head as the urge to puke followed him.

  "I've stopped the bleeding, but the kid is running on nothing but dopamine. We need to get him situated ASAP or he's going to be in a world of hurt."

  The group started to move through the Kusakyu sewers. The water was a tinted maroon with red humps of gore listlessly flowing through it.

  "Who are you anyway?" Tsubaki asked.

  "Doesn't matter."

  "Um, yeah it does."

  "Your friend's sword. That was me; I was using a substitution jutsu."

  "So that's why he was complaining..."

  "Yeah, I didn't get the weight quite right. Substitution isn't my strong suit."

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  "But, I still don't unders-"

  "Look, I'm not asking you why you're here am I? Or why you have Sora with you."

  "Sora? Who's-" Tsubaki brought a hand to her mouth.

  'I never even asked for his name.'

  "How do you know who he is?"

  "I know everyone there is to know in Amegakure, the important people connected to the Kusakyu family aren’t excluded."

  "I take it you know who I am then?" The girl asked.

  "As a matter of fact, I do - Tsubaki Akinoyo."

  "Tch," she gritted her teeth.

  About a dozen meters away or so the group saw light coming from an exit-way.

  "There." The mysterious boy said. "That's our exit."

  But as they approached they saw a man's silhouette, the light shining past his figure.

  "Oh come onnnnn!" The man yelled. He brought his hands up to his hair, and started to pull angrily. "Thanks to you idiots, I owe that damn vixen 1,000 ryo. Why couldn't you have just died with the rest of those cretens?"

  "Shit," The boy whispered.

  "Do you know his name too?"

  "Shusei Kusakyu, he’s a Kusakyu jonin, and one of Kuda's lieutenants."

  "Guess beating him is out of the question then." Tsubaki said. “Then we'll need to get around him somehow."

  The boy paused for a moment and stared at the man angrily. It looked as if he wanted nothing more than to kill Shusei right here, and now. He started to breathe more heavily, and he clenched his fists.

  "Look, I don't care what kind of personal vendetta you have against him-"

  "It's not just him," he said angrily, "I will kill every member of the Kusakyu clan."

  The man named Shusei seemed to be lost in thought, and was talking to himself. He paid no mind to the conversation between the boy and Tsubaki.

  "Hmm, if I can wipe them out before the vixen gets here then maybe I can save face, and keep my Ryo."

  "Look man, I don't give a damn about your vendetta; figure that shit out another time. Right now we need to get out of here."

  He took a deep breath, and shook his head.

  "Yeah, whatever.”

  "It's decided." The man said, clapping his hands. He pointed at the three. "I'll kill all of you before Miami gets here, slug your remains into the sewer here, and go buy cotton candy with Miami's money!"

  "Do you have a plan?" Tsubaki asked.

  "Just focus on getting him out of here. I'll be the distraction."

  Sora was still barely conscious, hanging on to Tsubaki with his good arm. She grabbed him by his legs, and lifted the boy up and onto her back. She then placed his arm firmly around her chest.

  "Just like that. No matter what happens, do not let go."

  Sora didn't say anything, but he was gripping Tsubaki tightly so she figured he must've understood her.

  Then, in a burst of light, and strength the boy torpedoed toward the Kusakyu Jonin, Tsubaki following close behind him.

  "Woah, you kids are fast! Ah, I suppose that's what it means to cling to life."

  Shusei leapt backwards, and took aim. Small forms of clay generated in front of his finger, and then:

  blam! blam! blam, blam! blam blam!

  He shot chunks of clay straight toward the boy, and as he did Tsubaki focused the chakra in her feet, and ran up the walls of the sewer until she was on the ceiling running upside down toward the exit.

  "Lightning Style: Electric Shield" He cried out. As the first clay explosive entered his range, a chaotic blue shield erupted from the boy's body, and as it did the clay explosive simply evaporated into nothing.

  "An affinity for lightning release huh? So annoying." Shusei said as the rest of his bullets met the same end.

  "Well, it isn't the end of the world. Can't hit em?"

  He raised a second hand, and pointed at the ground under Hilt's feet, and up at the ceiling where Tsubaki was running.

  "Hit around em."

  blam! blam! blam, blam! blam blam!

  Several bullets blew up the ground beneath Hilt's feet sending him flying up, and toward the celling. He'd lost control of his momentum, and started to flip endlessly, and Tsubaki on the other hand leapt from the ceiling avoiding the explosions.

  "Dammit all!" He yelled.

  The boy had lost control of his lightning shield, and so it dispersed.

  "Gotcha." Shusei said, sending bullets straight at him as he fell.

  "I don't think so."

  Tsubaki threw several kunai at the bullets, catching them before they'd get too close. The bullets exploded in midair, but the shockwave from the blast sent all three back against a sewer wall. Before any of them could recover, Shusei was standing before them holding one hand out ready to annihilate them.

  Tsubaki checked on Sora who was still on her back.

  'Still breathing.' And no signs that her plants were sucking him of his chakra or life force.

  The mysterious boy on the other hand was not done. Just like before he was seething, looking up at Shusei in disgust, and anger.

  He clenched his right hand tightly. Tsubaki could see a small fizzle of electricity coming from it, and then -

  "I don't think so." Shusei said, stepping on his hand, and twisting the heel deep into his wrist. the lightning went just as soon as it had come.

  "Aghhh, dammit all!!"

  "Didn't know the Onmyodo had a couple of shinobi with em' bit of a shame too. Ame is lookin' for runts like you to fight in the Mock Exams."

  Just then the sound of footsteps could be heard coming from the other side of the tunnel.

  "Looks like you lose again, Shusei."

  The woman was skinny, almost anorexic with short purple hair and pink highlights on the tips.

  "Damned Vixen." Shusei scoffed.

  "Agh, Miami K-Kusakyu." The boy muttered.

  "Your detonations lacked range, and precision. Though it's a good thing they did. That is Rubin's son you're stepping on - Hilt was it?"

  ‘So that’s his name.’ Tsubaki thought. ‘And he’s Rubin’s son? What’s the son of the lead jonin doing down here?’

  Shusei stared deep into Hilt's eyes, and scoffed.

  "Give me a break. What the hell is his son doing down here?"

  The girl shrugged her shoulders.

  "He probably snuck in with the Onmyodo. He has a bit of an obsession with us. It's quite unhealthy."

  "You shut your goddamn mouth!" Hilt yelled.

  "Hilt!" Tsubaki said glaring at him. "Shut. Up."

  "As for the girl?" The woman continued. "She belongs to the Akinoyo clan. I don't recognize the boy on her back though."

  Shusei stepped off of Hilts wrist.

  "Guess it's your lucky day kiddos."

  Tsubaki, and Hilt struggled to their feet, and watched as Shusei, and the woman started to head off in the opposite direction of the exit.

  "Can you stop showing me up like that?" Shusei cried out.

  "Hey, if you killed him Kuda would've dragged you to Blood Prison herself."

  "What's so wrong with that? Bet Yuta'd be glad to see me. Bet I'd get some appreciation down there." Shusei said.

  "L-Let's go." Tsubaki said to Hilt, and the two made their way to the exit.

  "Ohhh by the way! Tell Rubin no hard feelings!" Miami yelled.

  It was a long, and arduous day but Sora, Hilt, and Tsubaki had finally escaped the clutches of the Kusakyu. Over 200 mercenaries went behind those doors, and not a single one came back out. The screams of the forever dead were heard all across Ame as the Kusakyu massacred them between their walls. The Kusakyu castle of inebriation was a graveyard full of loss, and complete annihilation.