Merry Christmas everyone! No, there's no double post, that's just my stupid butt forgetting to put in this little note for ya'll's. But yeah, sorry it's been a while, hope the usual 10k word length makes up for it to you guys!

-Original post time + 2 hours: document translation punctuation fixed, []= summons/ninken-speak.

Warnings: Blood. Lots of blood. And death. Lots of death.

Dawn saw them to the edge of the mountainous region, and noon through a transitory territory that ranged from younger forests to deep-cut valley ravines to long stretches of grasslands. "Borderlands," Hai had confirmed in a moment of lucidity, breathing harshly, skin flushed and radiating heat and skiness. "The southern end of the Land of Iron, between the Land of Rice and the Land of Waterfalls."

The friends were sick, and getting weaker. Fukuro, Dobutsu, and Hai floated in and out of consciousness, sometimes lucid, sometimes not, as the effects of the dregs of the poison wrought their damage. By mid-morning, the worst of the poison's effects seemed to have passed, and they twitched less in their fitful rest. Her Master- Zouge, Hatake, Sakumo, she reminded herself, and tried to decide if his introduction of the names meant that he wished her refer to him with one over 'Master'- had not woken again since falling into a restless unconsciousness around midnight.

She stopped only once. All the friends had been out cold. She'd paused in a small glade sheltered by sturdy, aged trees and attempted to consume some of their infections, only to find that each of the friends had positioned themselves in such as way that if she tried to reach them she would only end up dropping them. Propped up against the base of her neck, this was especially true for her Master.

Clever. As expected of her Master.

She gave up and moved on, determined to make up for lost time.

Early afternoon saw them into a region of more regular forests, if only in the fauna. The towering trunks were solid and could easily support great weights, though also felt different, if not exactly strange, to her chakra senses; more vivacious, for one, she supposed. From what she could scent, the territories claimed by the local predator and prey populations were more complex, as well, overlapping surprisingly frequently among even the apex predators- of which there were more than just a few species. It was confounding. She was surprised they didn't run across even one territorial dispute.

With the boost to her speed, Asuga was making better time than they'd anticipated. The next time Dobutsu had awoken, just after the beginnings in the shift of dominance in tree species, he'd taken one look at their surroundings and a whole layer of unseen tension had visibly evaporated from his signature. "The Land of Fire," he'd explained. Their homeland. Familiar territory. That explained it- the line of stronger moving chakra signals she felt coming up must be the outermost border patrols.

Dobutsu had glanced at the others and hesitated. The curdled scent of pus and rot and infection had risen around each of them once more, including herself. All the friends were burning up in fevers. Third-degree burns, especially in the quantities they'd received, were dangerous regardless of size.

And judging by the pattern of their chakra flow, the red-ones were beginning to rise towards consciousness.

"Don't stop," he'd decided, voice decisive even in its pained, breathless weakness. "Won't be able to, stay conscious 'til we reach… Incriminating- Can't speak, won't let you through… Out of time… Find other…" He succumbed to feversleep once more.

She reached the invisible line of patrols and kept going.

Instantly, she felt the nearest cluster of the signatures break off from its original path and move to surround and intercept. She'd been monitoring their movements while approaching, identifying the movement patterns. There was one hard line that several clusters followed openly, most likely the actual border. Behind it, a mess of clusters moved back and forth in an almost jumbled fashion, but on second take it was possible to see that the way they circled around and doubled back served to both cover all ground as well as to deceive stalking enemies and place the patrols in position to identify and get the jump on them. The circling clusters also served to provide immediately accessible scrambled backup for the hard-border's patrols.

The initial cluster took up positions surrounding her, moving with her and observing as she simply kept to her original straight-line path. With her passengers so out of it, she couldn't get any more directions, so they'd pointed her straight and told her what she'd had to cross on the way. Her stride was significant, and she could leap very far even without chakra reinforcement, so any canyons or rivers were simply traversed that way. The group seemed to realize this, recognizing the direction; the signatures sharply spiked with agitation.

For an instant, she thought they were going to attack, but then they dropped back, still following. A signal seemed to have been given. In the next moment, another three clusters from the soft-border homed in on her location and changed direction.

Huffing to herself, Asuga picked up the pace. She'd been holding steady at a speed she knew she could keep up for an almost indefinite time when not limited by injury, since she hadn't known exactly how far she still had to travel, but now they were in at least the latter half of the journey and she could afford the greater exertion. She easily outstripped the patrols now, slipping between them with an ease that seemed to alarm them.

Another two clusters moved forward from the reserve, these ones significantly faster than the previous.

Judging by the much more subtle presences their signatures registered as, Asuga decided they were probably close to on par with the friends, though not to her Master's level. They closed in from her front left and right, seeking to pincer her between them as the other four patrols moved up behind her in a solid wall. She was surrounded.

Dobutsu had said to not stop. She had no intentions of wasting time fighting them.

Putting on a burst of speed, she swiftly increased the distance between her and the rear assault, focusing instead on the greater threats.

The opening barrage of steel projectiles was deftly slipped through, though the speed and force with which they whistled by surprised her. It was the first time she had seen such levels of power and skill in the techniques. It would not do to underestimate these ones- but then Dobutsu had told her to go straight through, and he had to have known this would happen. Evidently these were their comrades- she could not hurt them. That meant that Dobutsu thought her capable of bypassing them without hurting them. Dobutsu and the friends were very competent and skilled. They would not miscalculate such a thing while knowing their comrades' skill level and having only witnessed a portion of her own. She would get through, and without hurting any of their comrades.

And then they were upon her.

Four figures burst into sight, two on each side, while the other four held back in the foliage, no doubt watching for an opening. Bone-white masks, form-fitting black underclothes, practical grey-white armor, straight-blades bared in assorted states of draw- yes, these were the friends' comrades. Friend-friends. Definitely didn't want to get into a fight with them.

Two swung their blades at her, short swords with longer reach than kunai. Behind them, the other two folded their hands together into familiar strange-signs.

She changed her trajectory on her next stride, propelling herself higher in a leap that was more pounce than jump so that she was skimming through the space above their heads as their blades were still flashing out in the beginnings of their arcs. Startled at another rapid increase in speed, they recovered quickly and dug in their heels, instantly killing their momentum and darting back after her. The remaining two in front of her finished making their strange-signs and attacked, one throwing out a large sheet of water that the other charged with a hurled bolt of lightning.

Normally, such an obviously non-lethal attack, high-powered and skillfully executed though it was, would be utterly useless against her in her semi-awakened state. However, they'd used lightning nature, and she was carrying injured passengers- she couldn't just shrug it off.

Raising her wings, careful not to jostle her burden, she snapped them forward in a sweeping gesture, tossing a concentrated maelstrom of wind blades to counter. They tore through the sheet easily and forced the oncoming two to dodge to the sides, sending spray outwards in all directions as she simply hopped through the gap left in the center of the point of impact.

She felt the moment they laid eyes on her friends. Surprise flashed through the two to attack her first, positioned behind her as they now were and with a better view of her back, and then the two in front, when she'd lifted her wings to attack. She'd been using them to ensure she didn't drop anyone, and had ended up shielding them from view as a side-effect.

The four friend-friends flitted back, out of range of the splash zone, chakra swirling in indecision.

She didn't bother stopping to wait for them.

When she analyzed their behavior, she could only come up with one reasonable explanation for the quick assault and just as rapid retreat. They'd most likely noticed the blood- (and possibly sick-) scent clinging to her easily enough, and recognized their comrades' scents as well. Assuming she'd attacked and injured them, they'd identified her as hostile and moved to either kill or capture. When they'd realized that she was carrying the friends, and possibly recognized the red-ones as well, they'd dropped the assault and moved back to regroup and reassess the situation.

Behind her, she could sense the friend-friends had come to a complete halt, most likely having a quick conversation. It was only a short pause before they were chasing after her again. This time, however, they maintained their distance, intentionally flaring their chakra in a pattern she guessed was supposed to mean something. Swiveling her head, she pinpointed the closest friend-friend and did her best to lock gazes with them through their mask, tilting her head and blinking slowly in what she hoped would convey her cluelessness. While she despised being seen as incompetent, it would also be okay if they thought she had missed the signal, or could not sense more than a vague impression of it. Much further behind them, the four initial patrols had broken off and returned to their original paths.

At least the friend-friends seemed to understand her meaning, and appeared satisfied that she both had no intentions to retaliate and recognized they were not an immediate threat. This time she was close enough to catch the flurry of hand signs rapidly exchanged between them. One of the friend-friends darted ahead, most likely to inform other comrades of the situation, and after a beat of hesitation, she slowed just enough to allow them to pull ahead. They were all heading towards the friends' home-base anyways- better to arrive announced than not, if the border confrontation was any indicator.

Apparently recognizing the gesture, the remaining members of the two patrols backed off fully and spread out in a loose formation around her, carefully maintaining a distance that read more as escort than assault. She appreciated the gesture, and allowed the one who had taken a position to the front of her to lead them onto a well-trafficked path, judging by scents if not by sight.

A few minutes more, and they broke from the trees onto an actual road- dirt and hard-packed and reeking of a dozen dozen scents she'd never come across before. She didn't let it distract her, though, instead adjusting direction to follow the leading comrade.

They'd dropped into the middle of the road, clearly indicating that they would not be expecting to encounter others using it. She dropped after them from the trees, pausing as she straightened up and glanced at the other friend-friends as they did the same. They'd come to a complete stop, and the leading friend-friend had turned to face her.

Reluctantly, she also stood her ground, and faced them, shuffling her paws agitatedly as she huffed and tried to convey her urgency. They'd demonstrated their lack of hostility, though, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to get into a fight that would jostle her passengers. She could feel the heat of their fevers against her own searing burns.

"You are trespassing on land under the sovereignty of the Land of Fire. Identify yourself and your affiliations."

She growled and chuffed, ears rapidly swiveling back and forth. How was she supposed to answer that? She chuffed some more, hoping that the lack of words would get her meaning across.

The surrounding friend-friends exchanged a round of looks at each other, one or two flicking a few hand signs between them. They stopped when the leader tried again.

"Are you a member of an advance force hostile to the Land of Fire?"

She growled and swung her head in a wide horizontal arc in the negative.

"Why are you in the company of shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Leaves?"

She snorted and chuffed. Couldn't really answer that.

"Where are you taking them?"

She tossed her head in the direction Dobutsu had directed her, muzzle lifted high, pricking her ears and pointing them forwards for emphasis.

"You are returning them to Konoha?"

She dipped her head in the affirmative.

"Why they injured and unconscious?"

They could not possibly be so ignorant as to be unable to read the signs- evidently, the friends had been in a fight. They were doing this on purpose. Was it to see if she was pretending to be unable to speak, to see if she would slip up? She couldn't imagine why, nor why else they would be doing this. Perhaps stalling to see if the friends would wake up?

She huffed and eyed them warily, but lowered herself on bent forepaws, wings down and to the sides in an inviting gesture. Best to just let them see the situation for themselves.

The friend-friends stared blankly at her for a long moment before the leader made a series of gestures. Two friend-friends stepped forward cautiously while the others remained where they were, though each casually palmed the hilts of their swords.

Asuga didn't bother huffing at them for the display, merely looking dully at the approaching two as they reached her and carefully hopped onto her back. Twin pulses of chakra lit up in her senses. Medics, then. Like Fukuro. She couldn't resist the brush of relief at the recognition.

"Well?" the leader prompted.

"It's them," one confirmed. "Team Aki." Their chakra flickered worriedly as they quickly ran a glowing green palm over each of the friends. "All in critical condition. Third degree burns, shattered bones, a gut wound, fever, infection, signs of poisoning, first signs of sepsis. They need medical attention ASAP."

"And the others?"

"Non-lethal injuries. Look to be Uzumaki."

The leader nodded brusquely and turned back to Asuga. "Teams Tomin and Iko will escort you to the village. Will you allow our medics to remain on your back to provide emergency treatment?"

She blinked slowly, rumbling a short purr and dipping her head, hoping he'd understand at least one of the gestures. Thankfully, he nodded back.

"Taicho," one of the medics called, "The, err, tiger, is hurt too." She felt them peel away several strips of the makeshift bandages, now soaked through with blood and sweat and pus, tensing at the sight of her wounds beneath.

The leader's chakra signature sharpened once more to focused attention, though there was no sign of negative intent in it. "Severity?"

"Just as bad as Team Aki, most likely the same cause. Third degrees covering maybe seventy percent of its back, severe infection. Looks like sepsis is ready to set in. Some deep cuts to the muscle tissue, broken skin along the spine, damage to the tendons connecting to the wings. Bone is exposed in some places." The warm-cool painful-soothing touch of a glow technique washed over a small section of her back, and she purred in pleasant surprise at the sensation, craning her neck around to try and get a look at what they were doing. She hadn't realized how much her injuries had deteriorated. "We didn't notice sooner because she's carrying the others on top of her injuries."

The leader's tone remained toneless and calm, though a note of something grim had crept into it. "Are you a summons?"

She tilted her head at them in confusion and blinked. They took that as a no.

"A ninken?"

Head still canted, she merely blinked again. Another no.

Out of options, then. "At the pace you were moving earlier, our village would be a day and a half's travel from here. Can you make it?"

Asuga blinked as if nonplussed, and straightened up slightly, head un-tilting itself. She blinked again and made that strange rumbling purr.

They nodded decisively. "We will escort you. The medics will see to both Team Aki and you as we move. If necessary, we can take your other passengers, but our speed will decrease in that case, so please bear with them as long as you can." Asuga rumbled acknowledgement and followed as they turned sharply on their heel and leapt forward into a sprint down the road.

The extra two passengers weren't too much of a strain in terms of weight, but with eleven people on her back it was starting to get a little crowded. She had to shuffle her wings almost constantly to adjust unconscious bodies from shifting a wrong direction and falling off. The medics quickly noticed, though, and started doing something that made them all stick to her back. When she realized what was going on, she flicked her ears back at them and rumbled a purr of gratitude to them, finally able to relax the damaged, twitching muscles in her wings. A fluttering feeling on one of her remaining patches of fur indicated a responding pat from one of the medics. Asuga decided she liked them.

As it turned out, following the road was much less taxing than leaping between branches and dodging through trunks. The road twisted and curved, increasing total traveled distance, but they made up for it with better speed. Having actual guides was very useful- they kept to the road for the most part, but cut across slopes and ravines when it was more efficient. She could understand now why the estimated time frame for her travel through this part of the journey was so ranged. They'd had an initially lower estimate of her speed, yes, but trying to cut a straight path through the Land of Fire's forests was taxing in its own way.

Night fell, and she was glad to push on when the friend-friends showed no signs of flagging, though they did ask her if she needed to rest. They raised no disagreements when she turned the offer down in favor of continuing through the night. In fact, their chakra signatures tinged with something warm and approving, and lost a bit of the standoffish caution.

They did not stop, but they did slow enough to feed and hydrate themselves as they ran. One friend-friend went around to each of the others, gathering spare tasteless sticks, and boldly came right up next to her shoulder to offer them to her, mask skewed to the side as they gnawed on one of their own. She accepted graciously, snapping them out of the air as they unwrapped each stick and tossed it in front of her muzzle, though only ate five before refusing any more. In her current state, such tiny things didn't do very much for her. It would not do to waste food.

When the bold friend-friend tried to figure out how to offer her water from their canteen, she couldn't help her amusement as they matched her stride for stride, pouring out the contents into her mouth and embarrassedly realizing that it had barely served to wet her tongue. Deciding to put them out of their misery, she made sure to notify the others before stirring her chakra. Reaching into the air with a deft pull, she tugged the moisture out of the air, compressing it to condensate into a swirling stream around her. She opened her mouth and manipulated the water in until she'd had her fill, then met the bold friend-friend's nonplussed stare. Directing the tip of the tendril to the mouth of their canteen, she refilled it to the top before splitting the stream up six ways and sending them to the other friend-friends. Professionals as they were, none outright laughed, though she could feel amusement from all of them layered over emotions of slight surprise at her level of control despite her condition. They accepted her offers of refills just as graciously as she'd accepted their food, paranoia mostly pacified with having seen her drink from the water herself.

They picked up the pace again after that, all eager to make better time. The tension in the air between them had dropped significantly, though remained in buzzing undertones in their shared urgency to get the friends to help.

The night passed. Dawn broke on a clear day and a silver, meandering river. They followed it for a stretch, taking one of those off-road shortcuts, and one of the medic friend-friends on her back called forward and told her that the river had a name, and that its name was Naka. Asuga looked at the river, and looked at the sun as it stained it in not-blood red and just-warm fire, and wondered if the older creatures in the facility had had names before they'd become creatures, names unknown because they'd never been shared. She'd never asked, and so would never know.

They left the Naka when it crossed with the road again, though the medic friend-friend told her they would see it again because it cut through Konoha, the village, the place they were returning/coming to.

The sun rode higher in the sky. Asuga lifted her wings so that they cast shadows onto her back, though didn't close them over it so as to not make it unbearably hot. There were two fluttering pats this time, and she purred back reponse. The running friend-friends were directed to take to the shadows by the forest fringes, though the leader steadfastly remained at point, exposed under the beating sun with Asuga, the first line of defense between her and their friends and any who might oppose them. Another friend-friend, the one who had dropped back to take the rear guard from the beginning, also held their position, the one entrusted with the backs of every other one of them. Asuga remembered the leader had spoke of a Team Tomin and a Team Iko. They must have been the leaders of the two teams, like Zouge was leader of his. She found it easy to respect them.

The sun rose and crested and peaked and began its long journey back down. The friend-friends cycled through positions, switching out with the leaders so that they could recover from the harsh Hi no Kuni sun, though they always returned, and always took the longest turns at point and rear guard.

Occasionally, they would come across a caravan or lone traveller, and they would slip just into the forest fringes to pass them by. Other times, it would be other traveling shinobi, these all dressed in blues and blacks and forest green flak. The shinobi would always be oncoming; their group was moving too fast to be caught up by anyone coming up behind them unless in assault. No matter who they came across, though, they always took the unseen path, which usually meant brief detours into the trees. Asuga remembered what her Master had said about being one of the elites, and supposed the discretion probably had to do with it.

The sun set. Night fell. More tasteless sticks were passed around. The bold friend-friend managed to trick her into eating six by tossing her two at a time before she realized what they were doing. She drank condensated water and distributed the remnants, which were accepted without hesitation this time.

"Almost there," the leader-that-spoke, the speaking-leader, announced, monotone voice somehow so very relieved. "ETA of two hours." The medics had managed to keep the friends alive, but they were not stable and the medics had long since run out of chakra. Each body was a blistering weight on Asuga's back, burning with fever and sickness and reeking of encroaching death. None had woken since Dobutsu at the border.

She urged them forward.

They picked up the pace a little more.

Half an hour out from their destination, they began to drop their pace. A whole network of chakra signatures swirled through the area, orbiting and counter-orbiting some distant, unseen center. The friend-friends had drawn in their formation so that it no longer took up the full width of the road, and the speaking-leader and the silent-leader had taken up their point and rear guard positions once more. Rapid signs and gestures flashed across their hands towards the trees, and the group approached unimpeded.

Ten minutes out from the village, they came to a stop in the middle of the road.

It was close to a full moon, likely just a day or two away, and the sky was clear. It was easy to make out the welcoming committee laid out for them.

If there was one thing to be grateful for, she supposed it might have been for the fact that all the shinobi present wore the bone-masks and black and white-grey of her Master's friend-friends. At the same time, they were supposed to be the elites, so if all twenty of the ones spread out in the direct vicinity decided to attack, she would be in deep trouble. Then again, they'd proven themselves decently intelligent so far. Hopefully that was a requirement for their rank.

In the middle of the road, three people stood waiting for them. The one on her left was equipped in the same type of mask and gear as the other elites, a thick mane of ear-length navy hair ruffling in a light breeze. The one on her right was a middle-aged man with long, wild, violet-stained locks that must have burned a scarlet fire under daylight, and an expression that was somehow both concerned and grim. The man in the middle was garbed in a strange combination of a formal white robe over lightweight armor, and while all three held themselves with the air of those who gave orders and expected them to be obeyed, something in the very presence he had seemed to bolster those elites in his presence with an invisible strength. There was no doubt he was the one in charge here.

In a single motion, the seven friend-friends that had escorted Asuga knelt in obeisance, uttering a respectful call of acknowledgement in one voice.

"Hokage-sama."

The man in the middle nodded and stepped forward a pace. "Team Tomin, Team Iko." Dark-colored eyes swept the group and saw. "Report, Meiro."

She realized then that the messenger that had been sent had left just before the pseudo-conversation. That meant that she was still more of an unknown to them than not, a possible threat, and that they were not yet fully aware of the state the friends were in.

She resisted the urge to fidget.

If these friend-friends obeyed this man, then her Master likely did too. Dealing with him would probably be the best way to help her Master. She must have patience.

"With all due respect, sir, if I could request medical attention for our comrades first? It's Team Aki, plus a few."

"Granted," the 'Hokage' instantly agreed, waving his hand. Immediately, several of the elites stepped forward from the encirclement and approached at speed. Asuga gripped the urge to jump back and add space between herself and others in a stranglehold and held her ground as they darted in close. One of the medics on her back patted her reassuringly and murmured something about it being okay. She appreciated the sentiment.

A total of five elites had stepped forward. Counting those already on her back, sixteen was not a reasonable number to attempt to cram on top of her. Instead, Asuga helped to carefully maneuver the friends and her Master down to lay on the ground. The two medics she'd been carrying began briefing the new arrivals as they split up to tend to the friends, one or two to each, depending on severity.

A massive knot of tension loosened in her chest. She hadn't even realized it was there until that moment. It felt like all the kinds of warm feelings her Master and his friends and his friend-friends had introduced to her so far. She hadn't realized there had been so many.

Asuga shook her head restlessly when they tried to see to her as well, lifting her wings to cover her back again to obstruct their view, and chuffed lightly at them. She would be fine until the others had been dealt with. The two she'd carried hovered and emitted particularly disapproving feelings, but eventually relented simply because it would be a waste of time to argue. They did, however, brief the others on her condition as well. Soon, there was an entire bubble of disapprovement swirling around her. She ignored it and merely watched intently as they worked, ears pricked to listen to the speaking-leader.

"Approximately twenty-seven hours ago, a powerful non-allied chakra signature was noted to have crossed our borders with the Land of Iron at high speeds. As the outermost border patrols were unable to catch up to challenge the intruder, the reserve squads were notified. Team Tomin and Team Iko moved up to intercept as the closest in proximity. We engaged with the intruder, a large non-human combatant class, but broke off when we noticed that it appeared to be carrying Konoha shinobi- specifically, Team Aki. A messenger was dispatched to notify you, as per your previous orders regarding any information on their status. When we approached a second time, it appeared content to ignore us without retaliation so long as we did not impede it. We intercepted again to question it, but as far as we can tell it cannot speak, though it can clearly understand human speech. It responded to several of our questions, confirming that it was bringing Team Aki back to Konoha and denying status as a hostile, summons, or ninken. It allowed us to approach and examine its passengers, which additionally appeared to include five Uzumaki. They are currently still secured on its back, bound by ANBU standards, presumably Team Aki's work. All members of Team Aki were determined to be in critical condition. On closer inspection, the trespasser was deemed to be in a similarly dire condition. We are entirely unaware as to how it is still conscious.

"We informed it we would escort it here, and it acquiesced to carrying our two medics as we traveled so that it and Team Aki could receive emergency treatment. There were no further incidents. It has displayed high stamina and pain tolerance, and exhibited behavior that was amicable and accommodating and points towards high levels of intelligence, as well as a vested concern in Team Aki's well-being, though not as much the Uzumaki's. We recommend it also receive immediate emergency medical treatment."

Asuga held in the snort at the unsubtle hint.

"Communication troubles, eh?" The Hokage rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps I have a solution for that."

Lifting his hands, he bit a finger to draw blood, wove them through a chain of the strange-signs, and crouched to slap the palm to the dirt road. A flare of dense chakra, a burst of chakra smoke, and then there was another man standing beside the first three. But no- it wasn't a man, but a monkey. A monkey in clothes.

A monkey that took one look at her, raised an eyebrow, opened its mouth, and spoke.

"Well, well. What kind of mess have you gotten yourself into this time, Hiruzen?"

"Not me," the Hokage responded, unruffled. "Team Aki."

"Ah." The monkey scratched a cheek. "So what's that gotta do with this child here?"

"I'll explain in detail later, but, child?"

The monkey grunted and gestured at various parts of her body. "Yeah, a little'un. A girl. She might be half-starved and species-confused, but it you look closely at the proportions of her head and paws you'll see they're a bit big for the rest of her body."

Asuga blinked.

"Hey girlie, can you understand us? How you feeling? Where you from? Where're your parents?" The monkey was talking to her now. Perhaps he'd be able to understand her? She'd never come across another not-human that could clearly communicate before. The other creatures were hardly in any state of mind to try, and normal animals were a bit on the dumb side for higher-level conversations.

Couldn't hurt to try.

That said- how did one speak without human words?

She chuffed, trying to convey her dilemma. The monkey furrowed his brow and squinted at her.

"No one ever taught you how to speak?"

She blinked and bobbed her head the human way.

"Okay, stop right there. You're sending both animal and human signals, and they mean different things. Hell, every species interprets a gesture differently. I'm not all that familiar with tigers, or whatever bird you seem to be sprouting feathers for, so I can't really help you there, but there's a sort of universal tongue that summons and ninken use to communicate. It mostly relies on deliberate fluctuations and manipulations of chakra signatures, since that can't be as easily confused across species cultures, though there are a few universal gestures too, like nodding and shaking your head no. I'm gonna switch to that now and we can do a quick crash course on it, okay?" She blinked at the onslaught of information and managed to remember to nod in confirmation.

[Alright, so here's the deal,] the monkey started. She immediately straightened up and stared at him, thrown by how easily and naturally she could understand him. [Oh, you're quick to catch on, aren'tcha? Great, makes this easier. So. I'm Monkey King Enma, current acting head of the Monkey Summons. Just call me Enma-sama for convenience's sake. And you are?]

She tilted her head and tried to mimic what Enma-sama was doing.

[Eh… say again?] The monkey looked terribly amused.

In the end, it ended up coming out somewhat similarly to how she spoke in human tongue. [Master gave name to me. 'Bird can- bird that flies.' Asu- ka- ta-] She furrowed her brows and tried again. [Asuga.]

"Asuga, eh?" He eyed her form. "Not the first thing that came to my mind, but I suppose it could be the second." The three men and the elites were all watching the exchange with a well-hidden fascination. [You said your Master gave you that name?] He shifted abruptly back to the other language. [Who is your Master?]

[Z-Saku-ou-mo-ge,] she stuttered through, surprised by how easy it was to trip up when thinking two different answers. [Zouge,] she declared again without hesitation, unable to help but dart a worried gaze in his direction, and then one towards Enma-sama for the slip-up.

The monkey snorted. [Relax, kid, I know Zouge's real name. Talented kid.]

"Enma?" the Hokage prodded.

"Says Zouge's her Master. Apparently he was the one who gave her that name, too."

[How'd you meet him? Why'd you help?]

She told him.

Enma hummed, tapping a finger on the elbow of his crossed arms. "From what she's saying, it sounds like whatever mission you sent Zouge's team on went to utter hell. She met him when he got tossed into her cage because it had the strongest containment measures. A bunch of time passed, the usual torture and interrogation, Zouge's team broke in and killed a bunch of things, and then the whole place blew up and collapsed on them all. She managed to drag them out, kill a bunch more things, found the Uzumaki, and then hauled ass back here because everyone was in fucking shitty condition.

"As for that thing about her being in a cage…" he hesitated, darted a sharp gaze over her form again. "If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say she was an experiment of some kind." He raised a questioning brow at the Hokage.

"That sounds to be the most likely scenario, yes," the man agreed mildly.

Rolling his eyes, the monkey sighed loudly and unrepentantly.

"In that case, it seems Uzu has quite a bit to thank her for," the scarlet-haired leader spoke up for the first time. "After all these years, we had long since resigned ourselves to finding remains at best."

"Yeah, well, thank her later," Enma grumbled. He jabbed a finger at Asuga. "Don't think I can't smell that nasty mess on your back. You've got sepsis. Hurry up and let the medics fix you."

Huffing, Asuga relented under the sudden weight of the level gazes of all seven medics present, moving to unfold her wings-

"Seal!"

-a burst of blindingly bright white light-

Asuga howled.

Instantly, every hand had a weapon at the ready and pointed at-

"Hold!" the Hokage and Enma shouted in tandem, each throwing an arm out to make the corresponding sign.

Everyone froze.

Almost everyone.

Five figures leapt away from where Asuga stood, a slightly lopsided web of glowing white characters sprawled across her temporarily immobilized form. They landed in a five-point formation around her and slapped their hands to the earth before anyone could grasp enough of the situation to do anything.

"Sealing: Five Bladed Chains Seal!"

Five circles of bright light erupted around their feet, illuminating the haggard and disheveled appearances of the five red-ones, a myriad of panic, desperation, and grim determination in their expressions. Glowing grey chains exploded from their seals, shooting straight for Asuga. Some whipped around limbs or the width of her body, latching on firmly with the wicked hooks each chain was tipped with. Others simply plunged straight into her flesh, sinking deep into her flanks with solid thwaks punctuated by arcs of pseudo blood spray. At the impact of the puncturing chains, the immobilization seal promptly shattered under the strain of her contracting muscles. But it was too late- the chains jerked taut, pulling her limbs outwards from under her and cinching tight, choking coils around her neck. She heaved against the chains in resistance, managing to keep her hind legs upright, splayed in an outward brace against the ground, though lost her purchase in her forelegs. She shrieked indignation as she was dragged forward, face ground into the dirt as she was pulled to the earth jaw-first, arms pinned between her chest and the ground beneath her.

She'd forgotten the first thing to know about the red-ones- never assume. They stuck together, and acted in the best interest of the whole. Sometimes that meant sticking up for each other, sometimes that meant bargaining one of their own against another of theirs. There was no single line of logic that governed their actions. Simply because they had arrived at the village, a place they, too, had been seeking to reach, did not mean that they could be relied on to no longer behave antagonistically towards herself. Nothing had changed between them, only between each of them and the friends and friend-friends and the village people. She should not have let them return to consciousness on their own terms, even bound as they had been. If she squinted, she could even see the remnants of small red symbols drawn in blood on the scraps of rope bindings the red-ones had scattered when initially putting distance between themselves and her.

"Sandaza! Morifu! Hurode! Kabeko! Hekimaru! What is the meaning of this?!" the scarlet-haired leader shouted, addressing the red-ones.

"Uzukage-sama!" the oldest red-one shouted back, "Hurry! While it's immobilized- kill it!"

'Uzukage-sama' scowled in consternation. "Why would you want to kill her? Has she not brought you to Konohagakure safely?"

"That is of no consequence!" The oldest red-one yanked on his chains. The others followed his lead and did the same with theirs. Asuga roared, doing her best to keep the muscles in her neck taut and her airways open against the bladed chains. All over her body, lines of weeping red had opened beneath the slicing chains as they bit deeper into her flesh with every inch they were shortened. "That thing is an abomination. It must be destroyed!"

She snarled at the red-ones, claws itching to curl around their disgusting, snivelling throats and pull out the length of their esophaguses from their places in their stringy necks- but the friends had wanted to bring them back with them- the red-ones had attacked the friends over her- her Master had never said anything either for or against them-

She snarled at the red ones, but held still, eyes darting between the others present. One of the three evident leaders had called each red-one by name. She could not hastily raise hostile intent towards any of them. Her Master and the friends were all out. The friend-friends had only interacted minimally with her. Out of all of them, her Master was the only one she could truly rely on, anyways. No, she could do nothing but accept whatever these people dealt her and hope that her Master would not suffer blame over her.

"Obviously, she's not exactly normal, but that's hardly anything special by shinobi standards. On what do you base these claims of yours?" Enma questioned, slightly aggressive in his tone, giving her a burning look before looking back towards the red-ones.

The oldest red-one snorted. Enma narrowed his eyes at the disrespect but said nothing. "The physical distortion is merely a side effect. That thing was made to kill and destroy. It is capable of nothing else, be it in thought or action. Furthermore, while it's not self-aware, it's still very clever. When it gets whatever it is that it thinks it wants from you, it will turn on you."

This time it was Enma's turn to scoff. Apparently he had appointed himself the role of primary defense on her behalf. She wasn't complaining. "Team Tomin and Team Iko have vouched that she has only behaved amenably. And in case you hadn't noticed, we just had a conversation. She is very much self-aware."

"I don't know who you are, respectable Summons-san," the oldest red-one bristled, "But you have not seen what we have. They called this thing the divine beast for a reason, and not because it helped crops grow. Over a period of four years, it's killed over seven thousand people."

The air in the surroundings seemed to drop a dozen degrees or so. While the friend-friends glanced amongst themselves uncertainly, the ones who had been waiting with the three leaders tightened their grips on their weapons just that much more. Their signatures were not hostile, but Asuga knew that they would not stay their blades if their Hokage-sama gave the command to end her.

Enma was speaking again, but she was no longer listening.

She did not know what it meant to delude herself. It simply was not something that could have remained unweeded from her.

It was almost guaranteed that she would die here today.

She'd never before truly feared death. She was far too familiar with it to be. But now, staring it in the face, having just met and chosen her true Master such a short time before-

She did not fear death, but she did not want to go.

She did not want to leave her Master, her Master who she had still yet to ensure would be okay, her Master who had still not woken up, her Master who had still not showed her the world he lived in like he'd promised he would.

There was nothing she could do.

Drawing a deep breath, she accepted this fact of the world. It was the way of things. She acknowledged it, and turned inwards, searching, reaching-

The bond she'd forged with her Master was a powerful one, one that even shared the echoes of their thoughts and emotions between them. She didn't know what such a powerful tie would do upon her death. Before she died, she had to break it.

It took a bit of fumbling, but, finding it, she managed to clasp it with her- something. She didn't know what. It didn't matter. Cradling the warm thing gently, she held it close and basked in it. It was so warm, so calming and reassuring, so strong and yet kind, unyielding and yet welcoming and generous. It was all the things that was her Master. No, she did not fear death, but she would miss her Master very much.

The bond pulsed lightly in recognition, much weaker than the first time she'd felt it, and with an additional quality of fragility, probably due to her Master's sickness.

Breaking meant damage. She didn't want to hurt her Master, especially when considering his state.

No, she would not break the bond- she would let go of it.

She would give it up.

Stepping back from the warmth, she released it and followed it deep down within herself, seeking the place of origin, feeding the length outwards, pushing it towards her Master. The bond pulsed again, stronger, more aware of itself. Her Master felt what she was doing.

He felt it and Did Not Approve.

The sensation of curiosity and concern and disappointment and slight anxiety washed over her through fading warmth. She felt the insistent tug of his focus, the demand for her response, and gave it, could not refuse him this one last thing.

He latched on tight and refused to let go.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

The words were directed towards her, but the vicious snarl was aimed at something- someone else. Startled, she rose back to awareness in her body, glazed starburst purple and gold homing straight in on silver-grey, bright despite the bloodshot sclera and slightly drooping lids and absolutely blazing.

Her Master was awake.

Her Master was awake.

And he was utterly furious.

Everyone in the vicinity had startled at the sudden snarl. All attention was on her Master now as he struggled up into a sitting position, brushing off the agitated medics' attempts to keep him down. It must have been agony on his abdomen. He wasn't paying his own condition any mind, though, focused solely on Asuga's.

"Release her," he snarled, quiet, weakened, predatory. "Now."

"Zouge," the Hokage interjected carefully, "While these measures are certainly overkill, perhaps it would be best to-"

"She wouldn't have harmed any of ours," he ground out, panting. The medics had given up trying to get him to lay back down again out of fear his resistance might open the ghastly wound in his gut. Instead, one of the other elites had come to kneel next to her Master, urging him to lean on them in support while the medics re-busied themselves with their healing. "I know she wouldn't have. Restraints of any kind are unnecessary. Not to mention most of them won't work anyways. Let her go. I take full responsibility for her and her actions."

The oldest red-one merely looked at her Master coldly, remnants of affronted disdain from the previous conversation lining his expression. "This man is seriously injured and clearly has his judgement impaired. Regardless of its intentions, this thing is too dangerous to simply be let to run freely. We must take advantage of its weakness now, when it can't resist-"

"Is that what you think?" Her Master scoffed, disdainful in his fury. "You're deluding yourselves if you think you've got her subdued."

"As I said," the oldest red-one continued, aloof and composed in the belief of his own rightness, "this man clearly has his judgement impaired. Granted, in normal conditions the beast would likely be able to break this sealing technique, but it has been weakened by combat, travel, and injury. As of this moment, it is helpless. Releasing it would be the highest degree of foolishness."

"Is that so?" her Master drawled the question, obviously not seeking an actual response. "In that case…" Turning his head in clear dismissal, he found the gaze of the Hokage and held it levelly through the slits in his mask.

The man looked at him for a long moment with a piercing gaze. He nodded slowly, exhaling a deep breath.

Her Master bowed his head in thanks even as the oldest red-one bristled and opened his mouth again. "Hokage-dono, you can't seriously be considering-"

"That is enough, Sandaza!" the Uzukage interrupted angrily. "How dare you behave so disrespectfully to the leader of Uzushio's greatest friends? It seems you have forgotten what basic gratitude is in your time away!"

"But that thing-!"

"While I really appreciate you doing your very best to play nice and not kill those five," her Master called in a clearly audible, rasping voice, eyes once more only for her, steamrolling right over the spluttering red-one, "and I would really appreciate you continuing to not do so, so as not to cause an international incident, you don't have to just stand there. Don't you remember what I told you? I meant what I said. You're not a piece of property."

Everyone was listening in rapt attention. Even the oldest red-one had fallen into silent trepidation.

"You don't have to take anything lying down."

The words fell sharp and heavy in the silence. Nobody moved. Nobody breathed.

Brilliant, brilliant silver bored into her, and Asuga found herself blinking, once, twice-

She peeled her lips back, holding his gaze, and gritted her teeth, tentatively bared and glinting white in the moonlight. Questioning.

He grinned back, teeth bared in a matching display. "You don't have to worry about causing trouble for me."

Startled, she blinked at him. The bond- her thoughts must have been transmitted through the bond earlier.

"If anyone tries to pick on you, just beat them the hell up. I'll take care of the complicated stuff." His grin was slightly wan and completely unwavering.

Never breaking his gaze, Asuge reached back within herself, though not for the bond. She was tired- despite her great stamina, it was an indisputable fact that she'd held this form and run and fought for three days straight. But this- this she could do. This time, she found that tightly compressed knot that she held curled up within herself, the one she usually hid away to at least partially stem the tide of mindless terror that would otherwise constantly flow in her wake. He returned her gaze unflinchingly, still smiling, ever faithful in her.

She touched the knot of unadulterated violent aggression, and let it unravel.

A tsunami- it rushed out of her, swamping the night, sweeping in a vortex of perfectly tangible intangibility, the manifestation of anguish, of slaughter, of misfortune and misery, of the most grotesque monsters of the deepest black. It was blood, it was hunger, it was lives flashing before one's eyes.

This was her truth. She would not hide it- could not, really, because it was her nature. She had been raised into it- it was a part of her. It was all she had ever known.

So instead, she let it all out.

It settled on their shoulders, made itself at home in the chinks of their armor, and they beheld the horror that was the divine beast's killing intent.

It itself was quiet in its violence, not muted but someway withheld, and all the more terrifying in its restraint, its precise control, its pinpoint focus. At the same time, an illusion of a great rush of noise accompanied it as all the blood in each person's body pounded through their veins and filled their ears with the palpitations of their hearts.

It could be forgiven that every person present, with the exception of her Master, shuddered violently under the smothering pressure, including those unconscious. Instinctively, a few gripped their weapons tighter, hefting them as if poised to strike-

"Stand down," her Master uttered. None dared contradict him this time, reaction times shot to hell. The red-ones gripped their chains tighter, nervously pumping in more reinforcing chakra. They had made their stance. Now they had to prove it.

Allowing her jaw to fall open, Asuga began releasing a rumbling, slow-building growl as she shifted beneath the biting chains, rousing her chakra and drawing in natural energy. It slipped between her faltering, grasping reach, elusive- but there. She snatched at it, and held on. She widened the stance of her hind legs, tensing, then sharply snapped all the muscles in her body taut as she forcibly pulled her bound forelegs underneath her once more. Paws flexing, she unsheathed thick, wickedly curved claws and dug them into the hard-packed dirt, puncturing the surface and gripping it with a force that sent fissures running out from the breaks. All across her body, bright lines of electric blues and purples sparked to life and raced the outlines of her form, tracing grime-darkened stripes. The growl built and built and built, and as it reached a crescendo she flexed the whole of her body in an abrupt full-body jerk against the chains and let out an earth-shaking roar-

-and completely shattered the chains.

Broken links of chakra scattered in a shower of glowing grey bits and flaring streams of chakra and red, red spray.

Somewhere off to the side, she registered a soft curse of something like recognition from the Monkey King.

Asuga lashed her wings outwards and threw her head to the side, shaking off the remnants of the stubbornly clinging bladed links accompanied by a pulse of raw energy.

The red-ones were thrown back by the rebound. Among them, only the oldest red-one managed to remain standing. He cursed something unintelligible as he dug in his heels, clasping his hands together and shouting something else equally so as he threw his hands apart in a slicing gesture and launched a large wind blade in her direction.

She was heavily injured, even more so now from the chains, but her reaction time would have been just enough to step out of the way.

It would not, however, have been enough to grab her master and the friends and the medics behind her, too.

The decision to stand her ground didn't even require conscious thought.

As with all fuuton techniques, the blade was fast, leaving her no time to counter with a jutsu large enough to match it without a chance to build up momentum. Wheeling around, she lowered the thick dome of her skull and threw her battered and torn wings up, topsides bared, letting the wind blade impact, feeling it bite deep through muscle into bone. She hadn't needed to catch the full length of it- the missed ends gouged deeply into the earth on either sides of the tips of her wings, far short of those behind her.

Not allowing pause for the oldest red-one to come out of his surprise, she lunged forwards, snarl on her lips, jaw dropped and teeth bared. Eyes widening almost comically, he scrambled backwards in panicked automatic reaction, tripping over himself and falling on his rump, trying futilely to put distance between them even as he attempted to bring his hands up for another jutsu too late.

Slamming a forepaw to the ground mere inches from his leg, Asuga dove for him, maw open, muzzle curled in a vicious snarl, teeth gleaming.

Instinct seized his limbs, mouth parting in terror-

-loosed a howl of resentment-

-screamed-

Trembling, the oldest stared up into her narrowed gaze with wide, wide eyes, sclera fully surrounding pinprick-shrunken pupils, expression frozen into what could only be called panicked stoic terror. Halted just outside of his reach, eyes leveled narrowly on his shuddering form, she flared her nostrils in irritation as she caught the sour, reeking scent produced by the loss of motor functions in his fright.

Suddenly, with a muted flash, a circular formation of glowing black lines unfurled underneath where the oldest red-one was collapsed. He only managed a jolt of surprise in his shell-shocked state before the lines of black ink had scrawled themselves up his limbs and over the rest of him, settling after a moment and locking. As soon as she had recognized the style, Asuga had tensed, eyes shooting to the side to identify the perpetrator.

"That will be enough from you, Sandaza." The Uzukage stepped forward, one hand raised in a half-sign. "Regardless of your reservations and motivations, we will be discussing your behavior later." He turned away from the oldest red-one to face her then.

Dropping his hand, he leaned forward in a simple bow. She blinked at him, half-lidded and unimpressed, eyes still narrowed suspiciously. "On behalf of my people and myself, you have my most sincere apologies, Asuga. Without speaking of other matters, Sandaza's behavior towards you as his and his comrades' savior has been unacceptable, first and foremost. While it is presumptuous to ask after having stood by the side in the duration of his behavior, I hope you can forgive him their actions."

Asuga eyed the Uzukage. He was an older man, too, though didn't appear to be older than the oldest red-one. His voice was genuine, and his chakra calm.

She allowed another beat to pass before withdrawing from the oldest red-one's personal space and facing the Uzukage head-on, though not before snorting another gust of hot, threatening breath into the oldest red-one's face, ruffling his sweat-soaked scarlet mop. It seemed he'd finally run out of things to say. She growled a moment, and manipulated her chakra the way Enma had shown her.

"She said, 'There is no question of forgiveness, only distrust.'" Enma shrugged. "Can't say she's wrong. Or that I blame her."

"Nor can I," the Uzukage agreed, "Though I still thank you for not holding it against him as a grudge."

Huffing a tired breath through her nose, Asuga gave a bare flick of her ear in acknowledgement as she turned away from the posturing and the formal-speak and back to what was actually important. She padded quietly to her Master, none daring now to hamper her way. Caution colored their signatures, but also recognition of what her Master had wanted to show them. She'd carried the friends and the red-ones here on her own volition. If she'd wanted to kill any of them, she would have done so long ago- could have done so long ago. She was not here looking for a fight.

Silver-bright and warmth welcomed her. Her Master smiled.

Another new warmth, hot and bright and giddy, flowed into her through the bond, whispering something that took her a moment to identify and another to reconcile against the previous image of gleefully triumphant masters from the facility.

Pride. Her Master was proud of her.

Even with the ever-present tinge of regret and aching sadness in all his emotions towards her, it felt wondrous. She reveled in the feeling, practically preening under its touch.

Circling around her Master and the medics tending to him, she carefully lowered herself to lay in a half-circle beside him, just enough space between them to allow the medics room to work. Her Master reached out a hand and she stretched her head forward to lay it down beside him. He settled his palm against the dome of her skull, just above the line of newly wind-split skin.

"Now that we can all interact civilly with each other," her Master began half-sardonically, voice starting to falter, "perhaps we can get some medical attention for Asuga?"

She nuzzled the outstretched arm carefully. He was fading fast. Remaining conscious was taxing him heavily. He should not have been able to awake earlier. This was her fault. He needed to return to unconsciousness quickly, and stop moving around.

"Yes, yes," the Hokage agreed, "Though that goes just as much for yourself, Zouge. Rest. We will discuss your mission later. As for Asuga here, you have my word we will ensure she is treated fairly."

One of the medics lifted a glowing green palm to her Master's forehead at a glance from the Hokage. Her Master blinked blearily and managed a last half-slurred, "That is all I ask, Hokage-sama." Eyes drooping, he slumped into the hold of the elite supporting him and was lowered to lie flat again.

"Take him to the hospital's secure ward. He will be transferred to the ANBU barracks once cleared from immediate danger." The medics nodded in acquiescence as two other elites popped up with a stretcher and shifted her Master onto it carefully. Asuga shifted restlessly at the sight, ignoring the medics who had stepped up to examine herself and rising with them and moving to follow when they made to leave. The two elites carrying her Master paused and looked to their leader questioningly.

The man quirked a lip. "Set all of them them up in one of the cross-service surgeries. There should be enough room for them both to be treated there. And send word to the Inuzuka clan head that we are in need of a veterinarian capable of exceeding discretion."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." The leader who had remained silent until this point, the one dressed in the same manner as her Master and the elites, waved a hand, and a pair of elites from among the surrounding groups nodded in acknowledgement and leapt away, presumably to deliver the messages.

Duties delegated, the Hokage turned back to the Uzukage as he spoke up. "It seems that I'll be extending my stay a bit longer after all. My apologies for imposing."

"Not at all," the Hokage responded with equal civility. "It is our pleasure to host you, though I do wish it were under more pleasant circumstances. I presume you're tired after a long day of politicking with our councils- shall we leave further discussions for the morning?"

"Ah, yes, much obliged. It does hardly seem like this matter will be resolved any time soon." The Uzukage allowed a slight grimace to pull at his mouth as the two leaders turned back towards the village proper, making polite small chat all the while. Monkey King Enma rolled his eyes, caught Asuga's gaze, and gave her a lopsided smile and wink before disappearing in a puff of chakra smoke.

The elite leader flashed their hands through an extremely rapid series of hand signs and gestures, apparently delegating roles. The elites acknowledged and scattered, some darting back in the direction of the village, some blending into the darker pieces of night under the cover of the forest. Teams Tomin and Iko formed up around Asuga and her Master and the friends once more as they too moved to make for the village, sharing nods with her and dropping over the group something that swirled and shifted around them like a cloak or cloud of chakra. She sniffed at it twice- benign enough in nature- and let it be.

A swift lope brought the group to the towering gates of Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. As she passed between the massive twin doors and the tense lesser-shinobi and under the arching wooden posts, Asuga allowed her eyes to drift from her Master for just a moment. She lifted her head to watch the archway pass over them, gazed beyond them to the bright, full disc of white and silver light of night, and then dropped her gaze to fall on the slumbering village as it sprawled out before them, quiet but not quite fully silenced. The night was cool, but not cold. A gentle breeze brushed past.

She breathed-

-and stepped forward into the unknown.

Notes:

Asuga can't sense the chakra signatures of the village from outside because it would be utterly stupid to not shield something like that with a seal or something, right? Because military regimes would want to somehow prevent rival military regimes from getting accurate counts of their forces and individuals' strength levels, right? There must be a reason why Hidden Villages are called Hidden Villages, right? Right? Right!

Sandaza and the red-ones/Uzumaki are a bit of a contradictory point for me. On one hand, there's no way around making them the 'bad guys' in the situation. On the other, they are intelligent people that are trying their best to do their duties as shinobi- endure, survive, keep their comrades alive, sacrifice their personal beliefs in the name of their villages' needs if necessary. They need to be hateable, but also understandable, if only in that sort of disgusting-but-logical way. (Arghh, I feel like I'm doing a bad job with themmm.)