Storm the Gate, the plans have changed but the plot is not o

Over about fifty yards outside the gates Ame to the south east the scene was serene and calm. A light wind blew through the general area, leaving a nice tickle of cold on the skin of any who were out doors. There was no sun, as there never was in these parts. The constant outcast weather outlook proved to be dreary and dismal, unless one was able to find a way to manipulate it into a form of life that suited his happy needs. For those who knew no other home, this place was perfect as any other, and more so in the eyes of the old fools who were masters of conformity with the way things always were, not susceptible to the winds of change.

Only one thing broke this calm peaceful scene atop a hill where ten people were meant to meet for reasons of a most questionable nature. Two of similar linneage had been the first to arrive, engaging in a conversation which lead to, as most conflicts of interests often do, in blood shed. Neither one of them escaped unscathed, though being that death is an instant fashion breaker, one looked much better off then the other. Here was an exchange of blows and an exchange of powers, two different sides each with the same round-about cause. Two such people could never work together, and the result was death.

The victor stood over his victim, looking into his what could be called a cousins eyes. They were near lifeless, yet still, something was holding one, not wanting to leap into darkness quite yet.

You brought this on yourself, I never wished for us to resort to such means, but Id be lying if I said I was sorry

Nara Senkou pointed his sword at the fallen Vice, previous leader of the group known as Akatsuki, and made three simple hand seals, unveiling the swords hidden power. A flurry of senbon rain down from its blade, the very thing the sword was comprised of, decimating what life was left in the man. Senkou smirked to himself, as there was no one else around and admired his keep. It was in his heart that you kept what you killed. And so, he had killed the leader of Akatsuki, and rightfully he had taken the position for his own. He made the hand signs he had made moments ago in the reverse order, and the senbon all retracted from the body of the fallen and returned to create a whole weapon once more.

Spinning on the ball of his foot, Senkou sat upon Vices chest, using it for a seat to rest upon as he waited for the others to arrive. As he descended, so did the now complete sword, completely slicing through the neck, separating the head from its body. The victor reached over and grasped the head by the hair and lifted it before replacing it on the ground between his feet, eyes looking out at the world, though seeing nothing.

They best not be late

Senkou couldnt stand such disrespects on small things such as not keeping to a simple schedule.

A laugh was heard underneath the new Akatsuki leader. At first sight there was no one around. However, there had been someone who had just arrived, and someone could very well hear and feel him arrive. From the looks of things, there was many more to come, he was just one of the first to arrive. The man had not seen what happened, but he knew someone was either badly hurt or killed. He looked towards the surface and jumped into the air, coming out from the ground. The man then smiled at the sight of death. He was glad to see that person was dead, and not the other. The man laughed and walked in front of Senkou.

"Ah, it seems your time has come. I'm glad." He said with a smile on his face.

He looked at the head and then the body. It seemed to be a bloody fight. Zutto wished he had been here to at least watch it. He loved to fight, and watching it was almost as fun. He sighed and looked over to Senkou. Zutto held his hand up, trying to show respect to him. He was happy to see they had a new leader. The only thing he liked about the last one, was the fact that he wanted to attack Konoha. Other than that, Zutto could not stand him.

"Well, it seems we have a new era ahead of us. I hope that you are not like him." He smiled and laughed. "It's good because I know you are not, but however, I do not wish to stand back and wait. I wish to find some action whenever possible. Things have been quite slow." He rubbed his face and sighed. "It's about time I advance with these eyes."

Most of Zutto's life he dreamed of getting powerful enough, to become one of the rare Uchiha to gain the most powerful technique his clan could obtain. He joined the Akatsuki do to so, but with Vice as leader, he could not move until he was told. He hoped that he could move more freely with Senkou as leader. In fact, he even hoped that he could almost be free, as long as he did not mess up with the plans. Zutto would want to do nothing more than fight, but he would not mess up any plans that his leader had. However, he did not know what was planned. He wanted to ask Senkou, he opened his mouth, ready to ask.

"I shall wait to ask my question until everyone has arrived. You will probably answers it when everyone gets here, so I'll just save my breath."

He looked at the ground and took a seat facing Senkou. Zutto was ready for the other members to show up. He wanted to hear what Senkou's plans were, as soon as he could. He looked around often and sighed when no one had come. He rolled his eyes at himself. He was typically not the first to come, but he thought it would be nice to come first.

"This is what I get for being early." He joked to himself.

Fresh cut, fresh blood, a bloody battle. Hidden in the trees stalked Travis. With his Sharingan fully activated, Travis observed the entire fight watching every moment of the two. Each fought with great skill and power, facing each other with huge force, causing powerful shockwaves emmitting from their collisions. But finally the battle came to swift end with Senkou killing Vice. With that, Travis figured that Senkou was the new leader, grinning, he closed his eyes and flickered behind Senkou. "Congratulations new leader." Opening his eyes again, his Sharingan was deactivated, gleaming a toothy grin.

His shiny black hair gleamed against the dim light, his raggy shirt, hung loosely around his body. Then strapped on leather straps were his two swords crossed criss crossed across his back. Looking at the Nara, "What is our agenda now?" Then turning on his heel, he stared at the Uchiha. "Ah, the showoff Uchiha, what do we owe the pleasure of such a grand ninja." Travis said mockingly and an over extended bow. Glowering, Travis cracked his neck several times while stifling a yawn.

A figure had been sitting on the branch of a tree, image obscured by thick foliage, for quite some time. Watching and never interacting, ever since the final blow upon the one she had learned to be called Vice from the meeting. Her face contorted slightly into something like annoyance, or disgust. Such a mess he had made. Sighing, she tilted her head forward, relishing the soft wind on the back of her neck as she leaned forward slightly. Though at the same time, hating it. That, and this new change she could feel creeping from somewhere deep inside her. She never wanted to be in Amegakure, or even leave Sunagakure. The abrupt difference in climate was making her unsettled and not to mention she knew nothing of this place besides brief sections in books or passing by on missions. The one man that would have enlightened her had been missing ever since the meeting's end three days ago. And because of his words, with more reasons to stay then leave, she would continue to be one of the Akatsuki.

Sighing, she studied how Senkou sat perched on the dead man's chest as if it were his prize. Then looked over the man who walked up shortly after the fight. This was the bold Uchiha, the one she disliked. There was no logical reason behind it, she realized, and turned her gaze away to the new man flickering behind them. The other Uchiha. Now it was even. Two Nara, two Uchiha. Funny.

Tsuki narrowed her eyes slightly at the men before slipping down from her branch, making barely a thump as she hit the ground 8 feet below. It was time she stopped hiding and got this over with. The plan to attack Konoha had never appealed to her, and she didn't have much confidence in the plans of Vice on how to do it. Maybe Senkou would prove to be a better leader, or maybe just a better planner. Or maybe he would prove to have won by fluke. Something told her it was no mistake; she had some confidence in this man, but she didn't know why. Yet another feeling without a reason behind it. How odd.

Stepping from the cover of the trees, she walked with flowing grace across the ground, just like the sands of her home country. Since she left the meeting, she had been exploring the town, working on ways to get herself used to the climate and more familiar with the surroundings. It was something she'd do more often so the unsettled feeling didn't return often. While doing this, she happened to pick up a few things.

Her slightly spiky black hair was cut shorter, so it hung above her shoulders. There was no sign of her Suna headband, nor the black hairband she used to wear. She'd discarded both in a sudden change of heart. Slung loosely over her shoulders and was a black cloak in the place of the yellow one she walked into the meeting in. It was old, it was about time she got a new one. She just wished this hadn't been the best one she could find. Black wasn't really her favorite color. Her black and white clothes were still as before, though now she wore strangely made sandals, with a heel on them. She told herself it was to help with balance, however much she hated them. She needed to hone her balance on harder ground as she was used to shifting sand. Tsuki tilted her head slightly as she studied the two Uchiha, then Senkou, from up close, never having gotten a good look at him before.

"Now, now; lets not give him trouble on his first day. That'd be rude."

A small smile touched her lips as she tilted her head in respect, golden eyes unchanging and unreadable. As she spoke she placed a hand on her hip, nails clicking on the sheath of her swords absently to remind her they were there.

"Congratulations, looks like your the new Leader."

With that little bit said, and a lot more waiting to come out, she stood by and waited for the others to arrive. Praying this would hurry along so she could hear what he planned to do with Vice's idea.

An'barak landed atop the hill grudgingly. He had spent the previous three days deep within his thoughts, deciding what to do. He had decided that Vice was not a man worth following. During the conference between the members of the akatsuki, Vice had clearly demonstrated signs of dementia, if not a far more serious mental incapacitation. His goal was outrageous, and his strategy incredibly flawed. Indeed, Vice had gone as far as to show disrespect to An'barak, and didn't even bother to respond to his questions, but rather told the akatsuki as a whole to meet three days later in order to prepare to move out. During those past three days, An'barak had thought long and hard about what actions he would take. He considered leaving the akatsuki while he wasn't being closely watched, but had finally come to the conclusion that he would probably live to regret such a decision. After all, he was already hunted by the ANBU forces of the world, and then on top of that, he would be wanted by the most dangerous group of collective missing nin in the world. So, after much deliberation, he had decided that he would maintain the appearance of being Vice's loyal subject... For now. He hoped to find a way to kill the akatsuki leader while his guard was down, and therefore end the insanity which was now controlling the akatsuki... An organization such as this had so much potential, and Vice would undoubtedly squander it all. An'barak had no intention of letting this happen, or, at the very least, of letting himself become a tool for this madness. He could give less than a damn what happened to the rest of them, although he did feel a miniscule twinge of regret that such talent may be lost due to a single mans delusions of power. And so, it was with this in mind, overcast skies above, that An'barak arrived at the meeting place, his sandals landing elegantly, his cloak not moving an inch around his slender form. He looked up at the surrounding crowd, and realized that something felt... off...

The air smelled of blood, and hung heavy with used chakra, and An'barak knew immeadiatley knew that something was wrong here. What on earth had happened? He gazed around at the four others who were gathered here... Recognizing the man who wielded two gigantic swords, the masked uchiha who had arrogantly flaunted his sharingan, and a woman who wisely was less obvious in revealing her capabilites, along with another man, who, when he compared him woman, realized they had striking similar features.... of the same clan pherhaps? well, it hardly mattered, until that is, An'barak spied the corpse of the deceased akatsuki leader, Vice, laying a short distance away. This discovery even brought a look of shock to An'baraks eyes, this scenario had most definitley not been in his calculations. However, it only took him a few short moments to recover his composure, and begin reevaulating the situation. Who had brought down Vice? Had it been a joint effort? At the very least, it was a positive sign that at least one other Akatsuki member had realized Vice's insanity, and had decided to take action. Now the question was who... He carefully gazed over each of his colleagues, looking for signs of the conflict. The man with the large swords had them sheathed, nor were they bloddied, so it wasn't him. The uchiha didn't look at all phased or wearied, and his sharingan was on display: he would likely be resting his eyes after such a battle. The woman seemed to have only arrived was unfazed as well... Which meant... An'baraks eyes gazed upon the final man, and the signs of battle were obvious... His chakra felt similar to the same one that hung so palpably in the air, and he had minor injuries dotted over his body. Recalling their meeting, An'barak remembered that he had taken note of this man, and reminded himself not to underestimate one so quiet, unrevealing, and composed as this... An'barak couldn't remember his name.... this man. And so it seems, An'baraks caution was well justified, as he had seemingly singlehandedly brought down the former akatsuki leader. As he finished his observations he called over "So, I take it then you're the one now in charge? Well... This DOES change things." he said with a faint hint of sarcasm and a wry smile. "I must commend you on bringing down that Vice... he would have gotten us all killed. He serves far better as a corpse than he ever did as a leader. Hopefully, you won't choose to be as ignorant as your deceased predecessor was." He said all this with feigned admiration mixed with true respect, he wanted to appear reverent, but indeed, it must have taken a man of quite some caliber to defeat the leader of the akatsuki... "In which case, I presume we'll probably have a change of agenda, am I right?" In truth he was actually quite thankful, he had deduced from their previous encounter that this man was quite intelligent, and indeed, far better suited to lead with some semblance of logic than Vice had been, and was quite curious how this change of leadership would alter the Akatsuki's, and more importantly, An'baraks future.

Vice Nara, now former Akatsuki leader. This wasn't an idea Kuro exactly supported, but it was nothing he could change. Vice's plan to attack Konohagakure no Sato was flawed and not like him, but that was his fatal mistake. Senkou Nara now overtook Vice's duties being that he was the one to kill him of course. Ironic that Vice wanted to eliminate all of the Nara clan because he despised them, though he trusted Senkou enough to allow him to join the akatsuki, now Vice is dead because of Senkou. In all of Kuro's years in the akatsuki he always avoided leading the group, he knew that it put a massive target on your back not only against the shinobi world, but in your own group. The majority of the akatsuki were greedy young snobs who wanted nothing more than power. They were willing to kill their own comrades and even leader to possess it too. Kuro heard the news that Senkou and Vice met on their journey to Konohagakure before the others arrived, meaning Senkou must have made quick work of Vice.

Pretty funny this, Kuro knew he possessed more strength than Vice, if Kuro wanted he could have striked Vice down with ease but it wasn't in Kuro's interest, Kuro liked how Vice ran the akatsuki up until this Konohagakure Invasion speak came up. Senkou however, seemed to have some kind of different plan, but Kuro wasn't positive. Surely Senkou didn't plan on following through with Vice's actions and attacking the Leaf Village did he? That would be a silly move on his part.

Kuro found a portion of the group eventually watching Senkou sit upon Vice's dead body like a seat. How disrespectful. An'barak had just finished his input in the conversation but that didn't phase Kuro at all, it was still the fact that Senkou sat upon Vice's dead body. Kuro remembered meeting Senkou in the meeting room not too long ago, he was one of the politer akatsuki members in Kuro's point of view, but still this was disrespectful. "Senkou, do you not find it disrespectful to be sitting on the fallen shinobi's body like that. Vice contributed to the akatsuki more than many of you newcomers realize, though his plan wasn't the best, possibly the worst even, he does not deserve to be sat on like a piece of furniture." Kuro said with a firm voice, stating his distaste with Senkou's actions. He waited for an immediate response.

“Do do do, do do do do do.” The mysterious Joker hummed as he appeared from the shadows of the room where he had been the entire time just disguised as a shadow on a nearby tree using one of his concealing jutsu. He looked down at the dead body of Vice and threw his left arm around the new leader happily as he reached down under the man and to the back of his neck where a pulled a Joker card out which had apparently been sticking to the back of Vice’s neck. He gave a wave of his hand and made the card disappear into thin air a talent of his to conduct magic.

“Ahh the new boss is in town! You’re so lucky you killed him when you did and so quickly too! I was going to blow his head off if you were to unfortunately mess up….it’s a good thing you won!” The Joker said jumping up to his feet and leaping to where his pupil just appeared. He wrapped his arm around the beautiful woman glad she was coming along as nice as he had been hoping. He pulled her close and waited for anyone to talk but seconds went by and nothing.

“These guys are so damn boring.” He whispered to her as he stretched his arms up and back with a yawn. The instant he had exhaled his yawn blood flew from his mouth and out from his chest as a sword blade appeared from the Joker’s heart. The Joker looked down at it and behind him slowly with his last bit of strength.

“S-saint Dae…” Karite said as he died still perched up from the sword. As the sword slid out the Joker fell to the ground in a puddle of his own blood. A figure of a shadow stood behind him holding the sword as the figure wiped the blade of the blood and sheathed the sword expertly.

The man behind the corpse was a bit taller than the Joker at six feet two inches tall and more muscular though tone. The man’s eyes were covered with a pair of dark glasses that went well with his black cloak that nearly touched the ground as well as his black pants and t-shirt. Hanging around his neck was a beaded celtic cross the likes of which the rest of them probably haven’t seen before. The man was unique in a few ways, his religion which was Christianity the likes of most from this nation haven’t even heard of and he also had a strong Irish accent that they probably haven’t even heard before. The man opened his mouth slowly and began to speak over the corpse of the dead man.

“"May God have mercy on your soul, because I won’t. E Nomini Patric, E Fili, E Spiritu Sancti” The man said as he scanned the rest of the people around them noting them to be the extremely shady type and from the appearance the fabled Akatsuki he had heard rumors about. Just like he had been a vigilante and killed evil men this group was organized and did as they or the leader pleased and it interested him for some reason, though he wasn’t sure why, perhaps the revenge he had gotten back for the slaying of his brother had already begun to taint his heart. He didn’t want to be the first to speak knowing full well he had just killed a member of the Akatsuki and he was expecting to be met with hostility though in the same sense nobody had done anything yet. Only time would tell what he was in for.

Senkou watched them carefuly as they arrived one by one, taking there damn well time getting here, most of them past fifteen minutes late. If they were to stick to the agenda he had in mind, this simply would not do. He needed them to be organized and sharp on the go, ready to move at a seconds notice. They had to be perfect soldiers, or they were simply below par. Granted, he could give their lack in caring for the time in respects to the lack of respect the showed towards Vice. It seemed the man was overly disliked by the group as a whole, in which this group now all shared something in common. They were all very much pleased with a reversal in management.

This was proven by the words all of them spoke. All of them saying about the same message of oh we have a new leader, hope you can show something better than what he had done. He answered none of them with words, only with the twinkle in his eye, making contact for a moment through visual paths, then returning once again to surveying the arrivals of all who were meant to arrive and eventually did. The only one he did show any response to was Kuro, as he had out right demanded an answer, and unlike Vice, this leader was more than happy to explain to the people who followed his lead and answered to his call.

Quite simply my fellow man, it is an eye for an eye. In return for the disrrespectful ways towards his own men that he showed all of us, and the dear insult to my own intelligence that were made several times over, I in turn show him this disrespect in depth. You see, I take great worth in the assistance you will be providing me, and in return, yourselves. For my goals can not be achieved with out the rest of you, and in turn, all of your goals can be more easily reached through me, once mine have become a reality. This is the one fundamental as a leader that Vice lacked, and thus was his undoing, and so he may better understand it should he be able to view us still in spirit, I have taken upon this act. I am sorry if this upsets you, and well the time for sitting has ended.

The last words left his mouth as the clown who had grabbed his disdain before appeared and acted as though his fellow nara was some sort of trophy he had scooped up. He let it go though, they were all here. He spoke once more.

The other lady who was among us at our last meeting has also taken to the ways of death, so it seems, that we all would be here.

Then his voice ceased again as a quick assassination occurred, the destruction of the one who Senkou was quickly making it his own purpose to get rid of soon enough anyway. The Joker crumbled, and behind him was seen a man whom Senkou could tell already from the aura he gave off, would be most useful, and would see this group for what it was and the potential it could serve to him as well. He redirected his attention and spoke to the newcomer.

Well my friend, it seems you have created a choice for yourself. Turn tail and run, you have done me a favor, so I will do the service of letting you leave unharmed. Join us, I can tell your worth with ease, as you should be able to see mine and the rest of ours with a quick glance and a judge of character. If it is in your ways and upon your path, challenge the rest of our lives and find yourself dead with in the hour. I leave it up to you, such a choice one hardly ever finds himself faced with, so choose wisely.

Senkou really had no intention of letting the man leave, but he seemed it fitting to give him that right to at least think he could remove himself from them entirely. He waited for the mans answer, though he already expected what was about to come.

OOC: Dameon will post next then I will post in reply then the post count will return to normal unless specified otherwise.

“You must think me a foolish man Senkou. Obviously I have done my research if I know your name. The fact of the matter is you wouldn’t expect me to leave and at the same time are lying about the option for me to leave. Correct?” He asked stepping forth with a grin on his face as he drew a cigarette out form his jacket and lit it and began to suck on the ash that would fill his lungs. He then looked around himself his hand having been on his sword since he had sheathed it. Another grin crossed his lips as he looked back into the eyes of Senkou and took his hand off of his sword and cracked his knuckles in front of him.

“Also whether or not I could take out everyone here is far debatable and overall extremely against my odds. I’m also not one to gamble with my life…so, it would seem as if I will have to join this once pitiful organization with hopes that you can lead it out of the wreckage it was in not a few days ago. I’m a man of faith that looks to kill and rid the world of evil. What exactly is evil depends on the person perceiving such a harsh phrase. I’ve gotten my vengeance and for letting me walk out of here unharmed I will join you no questions asked.” He said simply as he moved back to the corpse of the Joker and pushed him off the hill.

“However I suggest you get to understand my powers before just in case you want to wait before you pair me with either of the Uchiha’s or you two Nara’s.” He said ending the bit of a monologue he had just given. His face didn’t budge or change expressions as he waited for the leader to speak back to him. He had been tracking the Akatsuki for a while now simply so he could find where Karite was and kill him swiftly. It was during his research of the Akatsuki and the tracking of Karite that he had discovered information about everyone here. Enough to know about their abilities, names, and such but nothing personal. What was off to him was that the clown was going to not only say his name but the nickname he had been given. Were the rumors of his existence becoming more and more known? Time would tell.

Senkous eyes quickly flashed off Dameon, returning to the others. It wasnt that he had spoken to much. Senkou had no problem with long talks, for he was about to deliver a decent speech, but only when the time was needed. The man had certainly talked more then was needed, but what was he to do. The Akatsuki were short on men, and being that he had taken out one of their own, and following the keep what you kill practices, Dameon had earned his right into their ranks. At least he had in his eyes, and since he was the leader, it was his eyes that counted the most. He had already factored this new man into his plans and he fit perfectly. There may have been much that was yet unknown about the newcomer, but Senkous intuition was second to none, and he went with his gut. They were on a schedule here, and he knew everyone was anxious, best to not keep them waiting when it probably wasnt needed anyway.

Well minus that slight interuption, everything has gone smoothly and as planned. You are all here, and we are about to begin. You will find that my ways are very much different then Vices. I share my goals and plans with my men, to an extent. It would be foolish to leave you all in the dark, for you are the key to this success. How could you accomplish that with out knowing what needs to be done? YOu would not. However, you must accept that if and when I do with hold information, it is with good reason, and I ask that you trust in me this.

This is the best time to be in the Akatsuki for all of you. For by helping me achieve my goals, I will make it a point to help each and everyone of you achieve your own goals, should you have any. We will become kings with in our own right, and we will make everything in this world accessible to our fingertips at a moments notice. To do so, however, is a large feat in deed, and can not be done with out careful planing and a strategic course of action. This I can provide, I just need you to carry it out, and I shall carry it out with you. I am not one to sit by and watch. I will be in the midst of it all, putting my life on the line as well for our cause. I do not leave those who are loyal out to dry, and I do not care at this moment if you are good or evil. It matters not. All that matters is the plan and what it aims to achieve.

However, should you find it in your heart to abandon and dessert your fellow comrades who stand before you today, you will find that it is not a worth while road. Betrayal I will not tolerate, and I pray you find it with in yourselves to not find what waits for those who take this path. The time for turning back has long since past, and had you wanted to, you should have left when Vice gave you the chance. To me, your chance was before you joined.

And so we begin and get on to business, now that you know where I stand and about how this is going to go. The first order of business is teaming you all up. Yes our tasks are to large for any one of us to carry out, not with out a gamble involved anyway. So therefore you will need partnership, of which I already have laid out. You will be paired as follows.

Zutto Uchiha, I place you with An'barak

Saint Dame, you are with Travis

Kurro and Tsuki, you two are with me.

I have not placed myself in a three man squadron for my own protection or selfishness. This group of three will be doing twice the work of twice the importance then the other two, and thus is the reasoning. Now before I divulge further, group together in your teams and take a moment to introduce yourselves, or at least become familiar with one another. I know this is not a social club, but team work is going to be pivotal to our success and it must be ensured.


He understood that some of them may not like exactly these pairings or how he was handling this, but he was sure they would be mature enough to swallow their prides and be professional about this ordeal. He was not out to impress them, he had proven his worth by killing Vice and having this already planned out. He was not over bearing them, and was more or less making it known that they were all equals in this, but he called the shots. He waited calmly for Tsuki and Kurro to come to him so they could begin the madness.


OOC: The posting order resumes as originally was, starting with Zutto

Zutto looked at the newcomer and sighed. Zutto thought he was really a cocky one, and he did not like cocky people. He was a very loud man too, and this did not seem to please anyone. Zutto sighed and stood up in the chaos and walked off to get some air. He took out his pipe and began to smoke it and this calmed his nerves. He arrived. He heard something about him in the mix. He did not seem to like it, one bit. The man seemed to know quite a bit about the group and the people in it. This did not please Zutto. However, he did not care much for it and sighed and waited for Senkou to reply.

He sat down and listened to Senkou speak. He in fact enjoy the speech, but at some points it made him feel a little angry. However, he overlooked most of those points and focused on the main goals. He was glad that he was at least getting someone to team up with, instead of attacking a village right off the bat. He stood up as soon as his name was called and looked at his partner. "Zutto Uchiha, I place you with An'barak" He rolled his eyes in displeasure. He did not really know this man, but he did not know anyone else, either. "Well, this will be fun." He said in a sarcastic tone.

He walked over to An'barak, and thought what an odd name he had. He would have trouble even saying it. He shook his head and looked at his partner. He sure would not do good in a taijutsu fight. However, he was probably rather smart and might be a good match up with Zutto. He did not want to seem rude, and mess up his first impression, but he did not know what to think. He looked over to Senkou and shook his head.

"Senkou, I do have a suggestion." He paused and took a smoke from his pipe and sighed. "It's not about my team member, but seeing as we are all part of a group, we should get to know one another. And by that, I mean we should set up some kind of tournament, so we can all watch each other fight. Words do not tell everything, and nor do appearances." He sighed and looked around.

He noticed that Senkou gave himself to partners. He was not made because it was a three-man team, but a little disappointed he did not get to know the woman better. However, knowing Senkou, he was probably not in it for the woman, but she had a power Senkou needed. He sighed and looked back at An'barak. He held out his hand.

"As you may know, I am Zutto Uchiha. I hail from the leaf village, as you may see on my headband." He paused and smoked again, blowing the smoke away from An'barak. "Anything you wanna tell me?" Zutto was trying his hardest to be as nice as possible. He had not introduced himself formally for some time now.

Leaning against the tree, his head was tilted down slightly as you could barely make out his face. His eyelids were drooped down low as he stifled a yawn. Travis wasn't the most enthusastic person around, but he could be, if need be. Listening loosely, he ignored Senkou's little speech and ignored the Joker. The first thing that caught his attention was the fact that a sword was lunged through the Joker's chest. Raising an eyebrow he looked at the killer, Dae, Dame, something like that. Travis smiled slightly as he pushed his back off the tree and stood straight up. Walking over towards the group he looked over the killer. The man behind the now deceased Joker was a bit taller than the Joker and was a bit more muscular looking. The stranger's eyes were covered with a pair of dark glasses and had a long flowing black cloak. So to sum it up, this guy was a emo mobster. Grinning, leaned back against the tree and yawned again.

Senkou was rambling on about something, giving a soloiquy. It was way too long for Travis to listen to, it kinda bored him, but he suffered through it as he looked up into the grey clouds, he whistled quietly under his breath as Senkou was rattling off the teams. Saint Dame, you are with Travis. Raising an eyebrow he smiled, he was paired with the new guy, the mobster. Walking over to Dame, he looked up and down the new character taking in details about him.

"Hm, so your a Saint? According to the Joker. I'm Travis, from Konoha." Travis spoke for the first time to Dame, he unslung one of his swords and stabbed it in the ground and used it as a leaning object. The guy didn't look talkative, so he thought this could be quite interesting Travis thought.

Tsuki was perfectly sound to stand unbothered as she waited for the group to gather fully. Studying them lightly as she learned all she could from appearance alone. She couldn't help but wonder how just because this man had killed Vice he was automatically so much better then him. She would believe it when she saw it first hand. Not just the result of it. Her gaze flickered to humming coming from the trees. The Joker had arrived it seemed.

Immediately, she felt annoyance building up. He was to loud, obnoxious, and acted like a fool. The very opposite of her personality wise. She didn't very much care where he had been hiding the past 3 days anymore; she more wondered if she could kill him nice and clean without delaying the meeting any farther then it already was. Biting back her annoyance she watched him carefully. It had been simply holding it back until he walked over to her and, as if he did it every time he saw her, wrapped his arm around her. Pulling her close to him.

That was it. She had enough of him. This was degrading to a woman, and came personally to her for other reasons. He had no right to touch her and hold her like a prize he had won in one of his idiotic games. Eyes narrowed dangerously, her right hand slipped silently down to her blade, sliding it from it's sheath an inch without making a sound. When he stretched his arms back to yawn, she had her blade unsheathed fully and before her. Dirt flicking up where her feet took up stance facing him just as the blade plunged through his chest from behind him. Blood flicked onto her face, but she didn't blink as she watched him fall to the ground. Then she raised her eyes to his killer as she held her fighting stance.

It wasn't until Senkou began to speak to him did she look away over her shoulder as she resheathed her sword calmly. With her right hand she wiped the Joker's blood from her face and stood back to study the newcomer; listening to them talk as if the scene moment's ago hadn't even occurred. It was over and done with, and one less thing to worry about later on. He looked like the emo trying to be cool with his sunglasses and cloak. Listening to Senkou as he she studied the man, she listened to him go on about the partners. She was paired with him and the polite one named Kuro; at least she wasn't with one of the Uchiha.

Taking one last look down the hill in which the direction Joker rolled, she turned and moved to where Senkou stood. Standing only a few feet from him as her golden eyes met his. No, she didn't believe he made his a three-man team because of selfish reasons. Rather, it was quite obvious Akatsuki was running short handed. Like she tried to explain at the last meeting; there's not alot of 'gifted' people willing to join Akatsuki out there. The recent deaths had contributed to the reason of a 3-man cell, and it was understandable. She waited until Kuro was with them before she spoke first breaking the silence. Her voice was low and even, but easily heard by anyone wanting to hear her.

"As you already know my name, and that i come from Sunagakure, from the last meeting; there isn't much more to learn about me. Anything either of you would like to know, go ahead and ask. If not; let's hear from who ever is next so we can move on."

An'barak listened with feigned interest to senkou's speech. He preached and almost to an extent was remisicent of Vice's promises of power. Same unfounded-until-later-bait to keep people loyal. Well whatever the case, nothing said in words by anyone could be trusted until it became a reality. But in anycase, the akatsuki had intrigued him, and so he had decided to remain a member. For now. However, he immeadiatley focused in when Senkou began declaring the teams. "An'barak, I partner you with Zutto Uchiha." He then observed one of the sharingan users, the one who had so unwisely flaunted it a few days ago, stride over to him, his eyes resigned to the idea. He could tell that the man didn't seem terribly eager to be his partner. And the feeling was mutual... To and extent. An'barak felt that pherhaps he could use this mans arrogance to his benefit. The lack of caution he had demonstrated by immeadiatley revealing his lineage in their previous encounter was an important note An'barak had made, as he had to appeal to someone's personality in order to manipulate them to his benefit. As the man walked over, and proffered a hand, An'barak tentatively reached out and shook the man's hand as he introduced himself as Zutto Uchiha, and carefully blew his smoke away from An'baraks face. An'barak analyzed this gesture as well, noting that it meant that while Zutto may not fully respect him, he didn't hold another akatsuki member in contempt. At least this demonstrated some wisdom. If he were to have blown his smoke into An'baraks face, it was unlikely he would have lived very long amongst so many other lethal S-rank ninja. "I am An'barak, An'barak Unthor. Zutto, it's a pleasure." He kept his voice genuine, and made sure to look Zutto in the eyes. He was slightly taller than this man, though far less muscled, even though Zutto himself wasn't anywhere near as physically powerful as Travis obviously was.

He gave Zutto a wry smile, and said "I see you've probably noticed that I'm not exactly the strongest one here, at least, in the physical sense of the word. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll find I more than make up for it." He released Zutto's hand, and then followed up on Zutto's odd suggestion of an Akatsuki tournament. "While I think the idea of a tournament is... Intriguing to say the least, there are some amongst us who are not suited to simply injuring their enemy... If you get my meaning." He said, offering his new partner a wink. "So Senkou, now that were divided up into our partnerships, what exactly are we going to be going about doing... I'm assuming, of course, that were not going to attempt to follow up on Vice's insane plans.. Which means you must have an idea of what you need each squad to do. Care to enlighten us all?"

Kuro looked over at Senkou with an unhappy face, he still wasn't impressed with his actions and disrespect to the fallen Vice Nara. Senkou stated he was merely returning the disrespect that Vice had shown towards all of them, Kuro knew Vice never showed any disrespect towards him, they were very neutral towards each other. Kuro even looked up to Vice so to speak. Even so, to see him dead didn't create much sorrow in Kuro's heart, merely the fact that his corpse was treated in such a way. Kuro's thought's were suddenly interrupted by the voice of the Joker, a voice Kuro knew all too well, very much to his distaste to the man however. Kuro had always seen him as a bit of an annoying chump. Kuro however was rather pleased, but at the same time rather shocked, gobsmacked even, when he saw the joker be so easily dispatched by the one he called Saint Dame. An odd name, why would a good Samaritan such as a saint to approach the Akatsuki and attack one of their own. Surely he knew that if Senkou waved his hand forward for the Akatsuki to attack this man, he would be dead immediately. Senkou seemed to have a different approach however, giving the man somewhat of an opportunity to join the group, replacing the Joker, who this Saint had just killed. After a short and brief discussion it seemed that Dame was agreeing to these terms, therefore Kuro lowered his guard, because he was prepared to take the man's head off, but now there was now no need for such an action.

Senkou was now a bit more pleased with the formation of the group, as was Kuro as he did truly have a large distaste towards the Joker, but that was now settled thanks to Saint Dame. Senkou decided he would take the liberty of setting up some teams so to speak, something Vice never chose to do. Kuro was familiar of the team structure, but when he heard the names of others be called one by one, Zutto and An'barak were paired together, as were Dame and Travis, seemingly leaving the Nara girl Tsukikoro, which almost matched them together. Kuro was partially correct, however Senkou stated that Kuro, Tsukikoro and himself would be working in a three man squadron, a trio. It seemed Senkou might not have been so great and mighty after all, he wanted some muscle and some guarding. Kuro understood why he was probably picked for the position. He was probably the strongest and most pain enduring member in the group. Tsukikoro would come in handy too as a Nara, but Senkou himself was apart of the same clan, possessing the same shadow manipulation. So Kuro was mildly confused about this little detail.

Introductions were in order, which grabbed Kuro's attention hoping he could observe the other members and hopefully get some valuable information. But just like Kuro suspected, everybody remained very secluded and secretive about themselves, so Kuro would do the same. "I'm Kuro Karite, formally from the great nation of Kumogakure no Sato. I've been in the akatsuki longer than any of you have, making me probably the most experienced member here. I have some information that will need to be shared, such as the old base which is yet to be destroyed. We must ensure that is completely annihilated, so that all the evidence left behind is destroyed." Kuro explained in his introduction. Kuro then listened to the idea of a tournament, which came from the red eyed Uchiha, Zutto. Kuro didn't like this idea, revealing his advanced endurance ability and chakra absorption. He would not partake in such festivities, he was ready to destroy the old base and get to important issues, not spar around with the others.

Dameon looked around as everyone introduced themselves and he simply paid attention for the hell of it. The truth was that he already knew their names simply from when he had been tracking the Joker. He had been in the rain village long before everyone had arrived and watched them all enter the meeting though that wasn’t obviously where he had acquired information on them. Most of his information came from visiting their village origin and talking personally with their kage’s and obtaining files on them. The issue was that most of them were outdated so it didn’t count for anything. That was what he did though, he investigated people and learned about who he would be surrounded with before he dove nose deep in shit.

He let out another plume of smoke from his lips and flicked the cigarette back behind him into the moist earth. He then turned his head enough to see Travis approach him. By looks alone he could tell he was more of a sword fighter. The swords on his back being a huge hint; the sword themselves he recognized as part of one of the elemental kusanagi’s. Judging by appearance and the fact he was an Uchiha he would assume it was the fire kusanagi. Which still meant the Suiton, Fuuton, and Doton were still out there somewhere. The fire kusanagi from what he could remember was much more damage based than his own Raiton kusanagi, not to mention it was much thicker than his own.

“I am Dameon from Suna.” Dameon said simply as he looked at the woman with the new leader and thought he had recognized her for a moment but pushed the feeling aside. Chances are he had left way before he even knew her.

“Your sword is the fire kusanagi, yes? Well let me introduce you to its brother.” He said and reached for his own sword and quicker than any eye could imagine was already unsheathed and being held out so that it could be seen clearly, except Dameon was now behind Travis. A trail of lightning crackles moved in thin air as a sort of lag for how fast the sword had actually moved. The trick to his sword wasn’t power by any means. The speed of the sword however was the fastest of all the kusanagi’s and even an Uchiha would have a hard time keeping track with its movements, especially when in the hands of a lightning master. Anyone else but Dameon would simply see a normal image of him reaching for the sword and unsheathing it in real time when in fact he would be way ahead of it and waiting.

Out of respect and trust he held the sword out to Travis so that he may also see how balanced and just how quick it was. "Dont worry Iv disabled the security function so your heart wont stop." In return he had already had the second fire kusanagi in his hand. He held it out in front of him and stared down the dull end looking at the straightness of the blade and swung it a few times lightly and could honestly see what he liked about it. The sword was very much balanced even for it being a longer blade but it was a little slower but it made up for it in power. He smiled and placed the kusanagi back on the man’s back where he kept them.

“It is a really nice blade. I just hope you can take care of it long enough for you to use its true power. I myself have not even unlocked the true power of my Raiton kusanagi but that will all change soon enough.” He stated with a grin and turned back to the crowd that was no doubt watching them by now.

“I think it would be more important to move ahead with whatever plan it is we will be running rather than wasting our time fighting. It seems that it will be the responsibility of the two or three man team themselves to learn how each of them fight.” He said voicing his opinion on the matter for what it was worth.

OOC: Read ALL of the spoilers in this post. There are 3 in total.

Everyone had gathered in their groups, and he could see disdain in some of their eyes. However, he breathed a sigh of relief as everything went well and over all, the air was still rather light and not near as tense as it had been when flash was around. He did notice however that he could sense a bit of ill will from Kuro still. He understood the mans need for respect to be shown by all, and yes his action had probably been uncalled for however, it was his choosing. He had done it more or less to make a statement to the others, that he was their new commander, and was not tolerative in the slightest. He had a feeling that some of them saw him as a pushover not deserving of their respect or service during their meeting. Just because he was a peaceful individual, did not mean that he could not be crude if he wanted or needed to be.

It seemed that all attention was now back on him again. They had not seemed to want to exchange many words, though in order for this to succeed, they would soon most certainly have to. And if they didnt, well some of them were sure to die. Either that or they would blow this whole entire thing. He knew they hated hearing him ramble on, but their were certain things he had to stress amongst them. It was duty as the leader that he made every thing as clear as he possibly could. If they ignored even the slightest detail, the plan could come crumbling down, and all would be lost to them. Senkou had a very distinct goal, but to get their in a guaranteed success, they would have to take small steps and ensure that everything was in place. He was very much one for preparations, and in truth, it could take a year or more to come to the finale of the orchestra. He was willing to wait if thats how long it was required for everything to fall into place, but for now, the time of dallying was over. It was now time to act. They had been assembled. They had been organized. They were ready and waiting, and they had well earned the right to be given their tasks and go on their way to complete them.

Senkou took one last look at them all, making eye contact with everyone of them, keeping his face in a kind expression. He was sure that to some his whole demeanor and mannerisms seemed contradictory, and if they did, then a goal had been achieved. As he made eye contact and held it for a moment longer than the others with Kuro, he made a slight nod in respect to the words of his being a veteran, That was certainly something to take into consideration, and he had already played into the already carefully laid out plan as an important part to the whole.

You have all waited long and now it is time for you to finally know what we are set out to do starting this day. It is plain and simple, and it will be fairly easy, but it will take time work and effort. The first step in the master plan, is to take over several of the more powerful of the lesser villages.

He paused for a moment to let what he had said registered then continued.

Each team will have to work together to take over a predetermined village to start off with. However, I want this done with great care and efficiancy. I want you to make it seem like our pressence is not there, even after we rule. You will have to do some research before hand and then you will have to create strategies of your own and deploy them as you see fit. exactly how you complete your mission is for each of you to decide. So long as it is done. I only have one stipulation. Do it with as little ruckuss as possible. A full scale attack is not an option. I want the village life to go on as it always does. We dont need talk getting around about our ventures.

Senkou then pulled a small leather pouch from within his cloak and and after pulling the drawstring open, began to pull out stones, one at a time, each a different color. Launching them in quick succession, one each fell in front of all the members present excluding himself.

Spoiler:

After you have taken over your first country or if at any time you need me, hold this stone in your hand and gather chakra to it and it will make my own, which is clear, glow with the same color as yours. I will be able to contact you immediately.

Finally he threw two more pebbles after everyone had picked theirs up.

Spoiler:

If by any chance you come across a ninja who you think would fit well in our ranks, that third stone would be for them. Use the third stone if you have found such a man or woman and I will interrogate them instantly and determine whether or not they would be. Be wary though, for you will be given orders to kill those who I do not deem worthy.

Now I suppose you want to know your first assignments and to be released on your missions. Zutto and An'Brak, you are to take over the Bear country. Travis and Dame, I want you to handle Snow. As for Kuro, Tsuki and myself, we will be handling the Rain first. There is no more to be said, now go, you know what to do. I daresay, enjoy yourselves, but damn it, stay low key. I cant stress that enough, though as professionals, im sure you already grasp that concept, at least I hope you do. Oh and it would probably be a good idea to not be parading about in your Akatsuki robes.

With that said, Senkou walked over to the body of Vice, their fallen ex-leader, and after picking up the mans head by his long head of hair, draped his robe over him after removing it from his own body. He then grabbed a canister of oil and opened it, allowing a quarter of it to fall upon the material. He then made the tiger sign and a spark flew from his finger, instantly igniting the body. Vice was to be cremated and returned to the earth from which he came. It was the fate of dead kings, and Senkou at least, would show him that much in turn. He had, after all, put up a fair fight, though it had not been nearly enough.

Turning on his foot, he walked back in between Tsuki and Kurro, heading back for the Rain village which was still visible in the distance. He did not say much but it was obvious his group was meant to follow. The head swayed at Senkous side. This time, his actions were not out of disrespect, but necessity. This would prove to make the dealings in Rain much easier.




STIPULATIONS

Spoiler:

Kuro was happy everything started to calm down a bit, though there was still some tension between the groups. Kuro looked over at Tsuki momentarily, before looking over to the rest of the group. He merely did this to get a little more familiar with her face, he began to wonder what she was feeling about watching the Joker be killed, after all she seemed to be his accomplice, somewhat of an apprentice even. Did Saint Dame know this? It wasn't much of an issue, Kuro had no reason to tell Dame as the girl didn't annoy Kuro like the Joker did. Kuro folded his arm's as they disappeared into his cloak, probably a silly decision, because next minute he knew Senkou was discussing matters of importance and throwing rocks at each members feet. Kuro glanced over to each member's stone momentarily, trying to study who had what stone. Red, Green, Black, Yellow, Purple... leaving Orange for Kuro himself. He pulled his arms out from his sleeves again, how useful was that, what a bother. He bent down, being the first one to do some, he picked up his stone and brought it out to his face as he assumed a standing position again. He observed the orange rock, feeling it's smooth yet extremely firm surface in his hands. He played with it throwing it up and down as Senkou continued explaining the rocks purposes.

He really had everything planned out, he was a smart boy this one. But one thing grabbed Kuro's attention, which probably applied for every other member here. They were going to take over more villages. Senkou was going out on a limb here, it took Vice almost an entire month to manipulate the leaders at Silph Co. into a contract deal, now with Vice dead, Kuro was the only one to ensure they would keep it in tact, he was presumed to be the only one to know about it. Even Travis wasn't informed.

Kuro placed the orange rock in a secret pocket located inside his akatsuki cloak, for safe keeping of course. Kuro continued to listen to Senkou, as did all the others of the group. But as Senkou finished, something disturbed Kuro to such an extent he was forced to explain to Senkou the mistakes in his thorough plan. "Senkou, your making a mistake..." Kuro said pausing, knowing this would create somewhat of a dramatic effect. It would sound like Kuro was questioning that of his 'leader' but he was doing nothing of the kind. "Bear Country and Snow Country? You haven't read much on your own village's history have you?" he asked somewhat amused, trying to remain as respectful as possible at the same time. "Firstly Bear Country, allied with the Fire Country and securely looked after by the Leaf Village, anything that happens there will alert the authorities of Konohagakure, you cannot manipulate them into a leadership contract not even blackmail them, it's too risky." Kuro explained, giving the youngster some insight of the worlds history. "Snow Country, somewhat of a neutral land, though not in a complete alliance with Konohagakure or Sungakure, they still are very close nations, trading currency and weaponry amongst each other for generations. Even if the Sand and Leaf villages didn't come to aid them, I'm sure their advanced weaponry would be enough to take out our Saint Dame and Travis over here, not doubting their abilities, merely comparing what I've seen to those of the Snow country, it's probably the strongest country besides the main five, very in the loop with the other nations." Kuro continued explaining, this time giving information on the Snow Country. "If I may suggest, the Moon and Grass countries may be better to seize earlier in our plan. The Grass and Rain villages have been allied for a long time, even combining forces to kill a former Kazekage, I'm sure the Grass leaders will follow the Rain's decisions of joining us in our goals. The Moon Country however, is not fixated in any of these alliances, but we already have a base sitting deep within the mountains. With Vice dead, I'm probably the only one who can access it now, since you are all of the new generation of akatsuki. So maybe even extending it out to Rice Field Country too Senkou, so you, Tsuki and I can handle Moon and Rain, and you could give the other teams Grass and Moon accordingly." Kuro finished explaining.

He felt bad for ranting about the history that these youngsters probably didn't care about much, but Senkou needed to know that he was practically walking into a trap, Bear and Snow weren't the right countries to seize as of yet, it seemed he just needed Kuro to assist him in going the right direction.

OOC: I apologize before hand for the Shoddiness of this post, but I didnt really feel the need to elaborate to terribly much here.

IC:

Senkou turned on heel in a flash, seeming to just morph his back and front into reverse places the movement was so quick. As soon as Kuro had started to speak, he finally understood this man. His eyes were a mix of frustration and dissapointment. He thought he had made it clear, apparently he had not. Maybe that was his fault, or maybe Kurro just was not listening properly. Either way it did not matter, because he would have to repeat himself once more to make his intentions clear. As well as his instructions. He walked slowly over to Kurro, allowing him to finish but he kept his gaze locked with his eyes, never blinking. He stopped a few inches away, but they were still rather close to one another.

I thought I made it very clear from what I said that these take overs were supposed to be as subtle as possible. From the words you just said, it sounds like you think I mean that we should launch into a full scale war with these countries to take control. This is hardly the case. I said that village life should go on just as it always had. In fact, it is possible to do what I am asking with out even killing anybody, with out fighting. I would in fact prefer this because it is the best way to keep the cover up.

To be frank I did not know about the Bear country, but it wont matter, in fact, it makes me want that country early on even more. It is a pivotal part of the plan later on I assure you and we MUST have it. It is up to those I assigned to ensure it and figure out the best way to do it. They will probably have to do their homework and snooping around first. And like I said, dont be parading the fact you are in akatsuki, hence why I burned my robe.

I understand you are anxious to go to the moon Kuro, and I understand why. Dont worry, you will be on your way there soon enough, but first there are other things that take priority.

Senkou held up Vices head by the hair and shook it lightly.

I realize you may not understand my reasoning for why I choose the direct paths I choose or the methods to which I choose them. I do not ask you to. All I ask is that you trust in me Kuro. That is all. Now what say you to going and sealing our control over the Rain with in the hour.

OOC: This topic is hereby closed, go on and do your missions all of you, Kurro, if you have any more 'concerns' please PM them to me.