**FOR NEW READERS**
The prequel to this story, The Wolf Inside, is currently being completely rewritten. There are parts of Setting The Wolf Free that will currently not make sense, due to my rewriting of TWI.
Please note that I will be amended Setting The Wolf Free in the future to reflect all changes in the prequel, but at this time, that is not the case.
So if certain things do not make sense, that's why and I do apologise for that.
"I'm scared Mother" the young blonde girl whispers, holding her Mother's hand tightly.
Aeri Minami squeezes her daughter's hand comfortingly, sending her an encouraging smile.
"I know honey" she replies, gently pulling her daughter further down the cold, stone hallway. "But you have nothing to be frightened of. Grandmother's just a bit sick is all. Nothing bad is going to happen. She really wants to see you too. I think she's been feeling a bit lonely, and she misses her granddaughters."
The little girl nods, biting her lip and using her free hand to push her long fringe back from her fuchsia eyes.
"I'm still scared though....." she admits, her shoulders drooping tiredly.
She'd been worrying about visiting her quarantined Grandmother for the past few days, fearful that the beast she'd heard so much about would break free.
Aeri stoops down to her daughter's level and gives her an assuring smile, her fuchsia eyes full of amusement.
"I know you're scared honey" she begins. "But she's still your Grandmother. She'd never hurt y-"
Aeri is interrupted by a loud crashing sound, followed by a soft thud.
"Oh no!" someone shouts from the far end of the hallway. "Lady Maiyen! Not yet!"
The little girl stiffens, as her Mother's head snaps in the direction of the commotion, her eyes wide with concern.
"Maiyen!" a familiar voice commands. "Maiyen! Oh no, she's collapsed! Quick, help my wife onto the table!"
"This can't happen now!" another voice cries frantically. "We're not ready yet!"
Aeri slowly rises to her feet, hugging her daughter to her legs as she whimpers softly.
"The next host is away on a mission right now!" a fourth voice shouts. "He won't be back for at least three more days!"
"Oh no......" Aeri whispers, dread and anxiousness filling her heart. "Mother......"
"We don't have three days!" the first voice growls. "It's happening now!"
"Chief! I know you're stressing about your wife, but we really need an idea right now!"
"Y-Yes" the familiar voice agrees, as the strange sound of swirling air begins to emanate from the far end of the hallway. "I shall go and s-seek help!"
Hurried footsteps soon echo down through the hallway, as Aeri begins slowly walking forwards with her young daughter.
"M-Mother...." the girls whimpers, on the verge of tears.
She was so frightened by the strange noises and yelling. She didn't know what was going on, but she didn't think it sounded like anything fun.
"Father!" Aeri suddenly cries, as a tall elderly man runs into her view.
The man looks up, surprised by his daughter and granddaughter's appearances.
He comes to a stop in front of them, breathing heavily as sweat drips down his face.
"Grandfather?" the little girl asks in a hushed voice, earning a tight smile from the man.
"Hello my little darling" he greets raggedly, placing a hand on her small blonde head. "Aeri, what are you both doing here?"
Aeri gives her Father, Chief of their homeland, a suspicious look.
"We made plans to visit Mother a few days ago" she says wryly. "Did you forget?"
Kisei wipes his arm across his forehead, letting out a breath.
"I'm sorry Aeri" he murmurs, fuchsia eyes cast down to the ground. "With the events that have just transpired, many things have slipped my mind."
The young blonde girls gives a cry of fright and buries her face in her Mother's leg, as a low, blood curdling growl echoes down the hallway.
The growl slowly turns into a dark chuckle, sending a shiver up Aeri's spine.
"Father" she says quietly. "What's going on back there? And don't try to sugar coat anything either."
Kisei Minami stares at his daughter thoughtfully, before taking a deep breath.
"You know that your Mother was sick" he begins, making Aeri freeze.
"Was?" she asks pointedly, making her Father nod sadly.
"Yes, she passed away only minutes ago" he whispers, tears forming in his eyes. "Her seal on the......creature has been weakening as her body has. She fought against it for the longest time, I mean, you know what a stubborn trooper your Mother was......But just before, she finally collapsed and fell to the floor."
Tears begin dripping down Aeri's cheeks, as the young blonde attached to her leg scrunches up her face, trying to understand just what the adults were talking about.
"Mother....." Aeri whispers sadly, hastily wiping away her tears. "But Father, what's going on down there? That's quite a racket going on."
As his young granddaughter sighs quietly, Kisei's eyes suddenly light up, a thoughtful look crossing his face.
He whirls around, grabbing his daughter's shoulders tightly.
"Aeri" he begins seriously, gazing into her fuchsia orbs with his own. "Back there, in that very room, the Ten Tailed Wolf is breaking free from its prison in your Mother's body."
Aeri gasps, making the little girl's face snap up to look at her.
"Oh no..." she says tightly, mind whirling.
While it was true that in the Land of Ambience, hosts of the Ten Tailed Wolf were hailed as selfless heroes and saviours, it was a most feared creature.
As soon as its feet touched the earth, it would seek to destroy everything in sight.
Its hate and bloodlust were on an unearthly level, and nobody ever wanted it to be unleashed into the world again.
"Aeri, our chosen vessel for the beast is away on a mission" the Chief continues hurriedly, hearing the cries of his fellow Clan members as they strain to keep the escaping beast under control.
"He won't be back for days" Kisei informs his daughter, a pleading tone beginning to seep into his voice. "We need a new vessel now. Or the whole Village is doomed."
Aeri's widen in horror, as realisation slowly dawns on her.
She shakes her head vigorously, feeling as if someone had just pouring a bucket of ice cold water all over her.
She hugs her daughter tightly, making the girl squeak.
"You're not putting that thing inside of my daughter" Aeri says fiercely, narrowing her eyes at her Father. "No way!"
Chief sighs raggedly, running a hand through his white hair.
He gazes down at his beautiful granddaughter miserably.
He loved his granddaughters with all of his heart, and having a Tailed Beast placed inside one of them was something he definitely didn't want to do.
But he also loved his Village, and he needed to do anything he could to look after it and guarantee his peoples' safety.
"Aeri please!" Kisei begs, clasping his hands together. "She's the only hope we have!"
Aeri snarls at her Father, hugging her daughter even more tightly.
"I'd sooner have that thing put inside of me!" she snaps. "You're not touching my daughter!"
"Chief!" one of the men in the back room screams, his voice hard to hear over the sound of rapidly swirling wind. "Chief! We need help!"
"It's getting stronger!" another voice shouts frantically. "Even with our Wolves, it's getting hard to keep hold of it! Hurry!"
Kisei turns to his daughter, silently begging her with his eyes.
Aeri gulps, seeing the desperate look on her Father's face.
She knew just how much he loved his granddaughters, and it must be killing him, his only option being to seal a Tailed Beast inside one of them.
"I wish Shigeshi was here" she says softly, kissing the top of her daughter's head. "Despite my feelings towards his Sharingan, he'd be able to beat that creature......"
"Daddy?" the little girl sniffs, taking her Mother's hand as she rises to her feet.
"Yes honey" she smiles, sending her Father a subtle nod. "Daddy..."
Kisei sighs again, not relieved at all.
He turns on his heel and begins walking as fast as he can down the hallway, pain pricking at his heart.
He couldn't believe what he was about to do.
"Come on honey" Aeri says quietly, biting her lip as she tugs her daughter forwards.
"We can't go down there Mother!" the girl cries, digging her heels into the stony floor and straining against her Mother's grip. "It's scary! No!"
Aeri glances down, sighing softly.
"Honey, between you and Kiyumi, who's the braver one?"
"Me!" the girl cries proudly, making her Mother nod.
"Right, and who's the stronger one?" she asks.
"Me again!" the girl replies, grinning despite her fear.
"Right again" Aeri chuckles, trailing right behind her Father. "So now it's time to prove to everyone just how brave and strong you really are."
The little girl tilts her head, unsure of her Mother's meaning.
"Okay!" she says determinedly, wanting to please her beloved Mother.
Aeri winces, feeling the sting of a powerful, yet ugly, chakra in the air.
Kisei suddenly breaks into a run, disappearing into the back room, as Aeri's hair begins to blow around her face, the air swiftly picking up in both speed and power.
"Mother I-"
The little girl is suddenly cut off, as a deep, threatening laugh booms through the air, making her throw her hands over her ears.
Aeri's eyes widen as she steps into the back room.
Black chakra swirls through the whole room, looking like black fire, as three men and three Wolves brace themselves against the powerful wind.
Kisei is on the other side of the room, clutching his deceased wife tightly, and gazing up at the huge beast causing all the commotion.
One of the large Minami Wolves growls, summoning another chakra infused chain from the ground, sending the opposite end around one of the creature's massive legs.
"Master!" another Wolf howls over the shrieking wind. "We can't-urgh! H-Hold it for much longer!"
"It's still gaining power!" the Wolf's partner shouts back.
Due to being unable to use Jutsu, the Minami are quite helpless against the powerful beast, having to rely on their Wolves instead.
The huge Ten Tailed Wolf laughs evilly, his glowing red eyes darting around the room.
His ten tails whip around violently, before the Wolves summon more chakra chains and bind them to the floor.
The Ten Tailed Wolf's eyes land on its former host, a look of sick glee filling them.
"Puny human!" he roars, making all of the Minami's flinch. "I escaped from her pathetic, frail body with ease! What makes you think these tiny chains will hold me?!"
The young blonde girl stares at the Ten Tailed Wolf with wide, terrified eyes, her whole body beginning to shake violently.
It was worse than she'd heard.
The beast was truly terrifying.
Not only was she intimidated by his size, his teeth, his red eyes, his voice, but even she, a young child, could feel the hate and intent to kill radiating from the beast.
"Chief!" one man calls, stumbling towards him. "We need the new vessel now!"
Aeri's eyes dart over to her Father, who sends her a nod.
She grits her teeth, before scooping up her trembling daughter and slowly making her way over to her Father.
"We shall use my granddaughter!" Kisei reluctantly informs the man, making him gasp.
At this news, the Ten Tailed Wolf emits another thunderous laugh, finding the idea of being locked in such a tiny, weak child amusing.
Even if these pathetic humans succeeded in sealing him away again, he'd be able break free in no time at all.
As Aeri gives the man a stiff nod, he quickly ushers her over to a place on the floor, a large circle of kanji characters painted on it.
Sealing scrolls with more kanji written on them point towards the middle of the circle, making it look like a very ominous wagon wheel.
Placing a small cushion in the middle of the circle, Aeri gently sets her daughter down, tears forming in her eyes.
"M-Mother?!" the girl calls over the sound of the beast's laughing, her first instinct to get up and run away.
"Please honey!" Aeri calls back, as Kisei and the other men make their way over to the kanji circle. "You have to stay there! It's time to be braver than ever before!"
The little girls nods, tears slowly rolling down her face, as she stares up at the terrifying monster before her.
"I'm hungry....." he growls lowly, making the little girl shiver as she hears the dark intent in its voice.
"We must begin immediately" Kisei says quietly, placing his hands together in the only hand sign he ever learned.
The other men do the same, taking deep breaths.
Although they never learned to perform Jutsu, as most Ninja do, the Leaf Ninja of old had taught them the one Jutsu they'd forever need.
Back when the Ten Tails had first arrived back on Earth, there had been Ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village in the Land of Ambience.
Generations before, a select few Ambience Ninja were taught a Sealing Jutsu powerful enough to seal the beast inside of a chosen host.
Not many could perform the Jutsu, and the four men currently in the stone room were the only men in the whole Land of Ambience who could.
Kisei and the other men each gather chakra in one of their palms, before Kisei hurriedly pricks the little blonde girl's arm with a knife and gathers a small amount of blood on his other palm.
With a determined look, the old man whirls around and rushes towards the Ten Tailed Wolf, placing his two palms together and infusing the blood with his chakra.
The three Wolves restraining the great beast shake with the terrible effort of keeping it under control.
The Ten Tails growls angrily, attempting to raise its paw and crush Kisei as he approaches.
Quickly tugging on the chains, the Wolves manage to pull the beast's paw back down, but accidentally release a few of its tails.
Kisei manages to dodge the tails as they are whipped around him.
"Be gone foul beast" Kisei screams furiously, leaping up and using the small girl's blood to write her name on the Ten Tails' chest.
The creature pauses, before growling nastily, casting its furious red eyes on Kisei.
The three men surrounding the kanji circle each slam their hands down onto the floor, their chakra flooding across the circle.
The kanji letters quickly come to life and begin to swirl around the terrified girl, before zooming towards her and pouring themselves into a spot on her stomach.
She begins screaming in pain, her Mother's heart feeling as if it is ripping in two at the sound.
Rings of kanji letters form around the Ten Tails' ankles, quickly shrinking in size and acting as ankle shackles.
Another ring forms around the beast's neck and tails, quickly binding its ten tails together, and forming a shackle around its neck.
"Miserable humans!" the Ten Tails roars, pain shooting through his large body. "I'll have my revenge for this constant sealing away! Mark my words You shall all pay! I'll tear this girl apart! From the inside out!"
With that, the Ten Tails rapidly begins fading, his body having been sealed inside the young girl's psyche.
Her agonising screams slowly fade to painful whimpers, her small body trembling with shock.
Aeri falls to her knees and scoops her daughter up into her arms, now crying freely as she buries her face in her daughter's hair.
"I'm sorry!" she cries, her heart filled with guilt, sorrow, fear and regret. "I'm so, so sorry......"
"She was brave" Kisei pants, wiping his forehead. "But I fear we will see more of that troublesome beast in the future. She's going to have to grow up quickly, and grow strong at that."
Aeri nods, closing her eyes as she rocks back and forth, rubbing her daughter's back soothingly.
"It's okay" she whispers. "I'll always be here for you....Ashley....."
Third Person's POV
A small flock of birds shoots out of the trees, fleeing high into the sky, as two figures race through the forest.
They leap easily through the dark undergrowth, one of the figures carrying a large sack on its back.
"Are they still coming?" one of them asks in a low, rough voice.
"How the f**k should I know?!" the other exclaims indignantly, peering back over his shoulder. "You're the paranoid f**ker that thinks we're being followed! Not me!"
"Shut up" the first man sighs, closing his poison green eyes momentarily as he skids to a halt. "Your voice is so irritating......"
"My voice?" the second man replies, also coming to a stop and glaring at his partner through purple eyes. "My f**king voice?! I'm not the one who sounds like he eats sand you bastard!"
The green eyed man eyes his partner strangely, readjusting the heavy sack over his shoulder.
"Sand?" he questions, his rough voice irritating his silver haired partner even further.
"Yes!" he cries, throwing his hands in the air. "You sound like you eat f**king sand!"
As the two continue speaking, another figure silently slides in behind a rock, watching the two men intently.
Crouching low to the ground, the figure slowly peeks over the top of the rock, hidden in the shadows cast by the huge trees above.
A cool breeze blows through the dark forest, tugging at the mysterious figure's medium length blonde hair.
She brushes her long fringe back from her masked face, eyes narrowing as the two men suddenly pause.
The man with green eyes, his head covered by a white hood and the lower half of his face hidden underneath a black mask, turns his head slightly to the right.
"I'm not imagining things Hidan" he growls, hand tightening around the large sack over his shoulder. "I heard something."
The silver haired man, Hidan, rolls his eyes and throws his hands on his hips.
"You're a crazy f**cker Kakuzu" he scoffs. "We're in a f**cking forest. It's probably a f**cking squirrel or something. Can we go now?"
Kakuzu shakes his head, slowly placing the sack down on the ground.
"Watch this" he orders, before sending Hidan a dark look. "Defend it with your life."
Hidan rolls his eyes again.
"Honestly Kakuzu" he sniffs, inspecting the nails on one of his hands. "It's just f**cking money. Who cares?"
Kakuzu pauses.
"Moron..." he mutters, suddenly disappearing from view.
The woman hidden behind the rock grits her teeth, narrowing her eyes as Kakuzu disappears, moving faster than the untrained eye can see.
Swiftly pulling out a kunai and whirling around, the woman manages to block a powerful kick from Kakuzu.
"I knew it" he growls, flipping through the air as the woman pushes him away powerfully.
He lands on the ground and glares up at the masked woman evenly, watching as she does a back hand spring over the rock.
"F**k!" Hidan shouts, jumping with fright as the woman swiftly appears beside him. "Where'd you come from?!"
The woman smirks behind her mask, leaping high into the air as Hidan swings a fast round house punch at her face.
"Who are you?" Kakuzu asks, slowly walking up to Hidan and eyeing the woman as she lands on a branch and squats down on all fours.
She tilts her head, her fringe covering half of her detailed and beautifully crafted Wolf mask.
"Why the f**k are you following us?!" Hidan demands to know, jabbing his hand towards the masked woman. "Stalker!"
The woman chuckles, making an anime vein appear on Hidan's forehead.
"What could two Akatsuki members be doing out here I wonder?" the woman says teasingly, her smirk invisible to the two men below her. "Traipsing through a small Village and disappearing into the forest like that.......It's rather suspicious isn't it?"
"How the f**k did you know that we're Akatsuki members?!" Hidan shouts, annoyed by the woman's calm demeanour.
The woman holds up to fingers.
"Two reasons" she begins softly. "One, I recognise your black cloaks. The red clouds are quite distinctive."
Kakuzu blanches, as Hidan sweat drops.
"And two" the woman smirks behind her mask again. "You just admitted it to me."
Hidan pauses, as Kakuzu seems unable to resist face palming at his partner's stupidity.
"F**cking hell!" Hidan shouts angrily, stomping his foot like a child.
He suddenly pulls a large, three bladed scythe from his back, a chain attached to the end of it and disappearing up into his sleeve.
"Fine!" he growls, a maniacal twinkle in his purple eyes. "Now that you know who we are, we're going to have to kill you!"
"Hidan...." Kakuzu sighs irritably, the familiar urge to kill his infuriating partner bubbling up inside him once again.
"Shut the f**k up for once Kakuzu!" Hidan orders, glaring over at the tall man. "I haven't f**king sacrificed anyone to Lord Jashin for awhile now, and he needs some f**cking blood!"
Hidan then grins sadistically at the masked woman.
"Get ready to die mother f**ker" he warns lowly.
"Hidan" Kakuzu growls, as the woman shrugs, still crouched on the branch.
"WHAT?!" Hidan screams, turning to Kakuzu with wide, annoyed eyes.
"She's not going to be easy to kill" Kakuzu growls, throwing a lazy hand at the woman.
"What the f**k makes you think that you dumb bastard?" Hidan sighs, running a hand down his face.
Kakuzu feels his eye twitch with irritation.
"If you remember" he begins slowly, trying to control his temper. "She followed us without you being able to sense her. She evaded me when I attacked her. And she also avoided you as well. She's fast."
"You flatter me............S Ranked Criminal" the woman mutters, rolling her eyes behind her mask.
Hidan's grip tightens on his scythe, his teeth scraping together, back and forth.
"I don't f**cking care!" he shouts, swinging his weapon around and pointing it up at the woman. "I'm still going to f**king kill you bitch!"
"Damn immortal......" Kakuzu grunts, making the masked woman suck in a breath.
'Did he just say immortal?' she wonders, looking at Hidan's grinning face suspiciously.
"Ready yourself Lord Jashin" he murmurs, eyes sparkling with blood lust. "For a f**king feast!"
The woman suddenly sighs, holding up her hands.
"I have no problem with you guys" she says, making Hidan anime fall.
"What?!" he shouts, angry and confused by the woman's words.
"I'm not interested in a fight with the two of you" she explains airily. "I don't have a death wish. Fighting two Akatsuki members by myself probably isn't a smart idea."
"Why were you following us then?" Kakuzu inquires, making his way over to his large sack of money.
"You're Akatsuki members" she says pointedly. "I was merely interested in what you could possibly be doing stalking around a place like this."
"I don't f**king believe you" Hidan huffs, slinging his scythe onto his back and crossing his arms.
"I don't care" the woman says, sliding down from the tree and landing on the ground gracefully. "I have no grudge with the both of you. Good day."
With that, the woman suddenly takes off, disappearing back into the dark undergrowth.
The two Akatsuki members blink, before turning to each other.
"Was she a f**king ANBU Kakuzu?" Hidan asks, tilting his head in confusion.
"Don't know" Kakuzu grunts, heaving the heavy sack back over his shoulder. "Don't really care. She's gone now."
"But ANBU Black Ops those f**king masks don't they?" Hidan asks, sighing as Kakuzu stalks past him.
"Didn't look like an ANBU mask to me" he says shortly, wishing the Jashinist would either shut up or die.
The latter seemed highly unlikely though, due to Hidan being an immortal and all.
"I guess you're right" Hidan says simply, no longer interested in the subject. "Let's just hope the bitch doesn't alert anyone to our whereabouts....."
Kakuzu rolls his eyes.
"She didn't seem that concerned" he growls. "We're fine."
Hidan merely nods, raising an eyebrow as a small butterfly suddenly appears out of nowhere.
It flutters around in swift figure eights, before diving in front of Hidan's face.
It whizzes around his head a few times, causing Hidan to grow an anime vein.
"Insignificant little f**ker!" he shouts, swatting at the yellow insect. "Get away from me! Bastard!"
The butterfly tackles his forehead, before zooming away and landing on Kakuzu's.
"Ughhh......" the tall man groans, wanting nothing more than to be alone with his money, no morons, no insect, no nothing.
"Kakuzu, what the f-" Hidan cuts himself off, as he suddenly freezes in place, eyes glazed over as he stares straight ahead.
As Kakuzu turns around to see what his problem is, he suddenly freezes as well.
A soft breeze blows through the forest, silence reigning in the air, as the small butterfly appears on a high tree branch.
"Excellent work" a voice suddenly says, making the butterfly jump up and down happily.
The masked woman from earlier drops down from the tree, landing beside Kakuzu.
"Thanks for the money guys" she smirks, quickly tugging the heavy sack away from Kakuzu. "It's much appreciated."
The woman turns to look at the butterfly.
"Alright, let's go" she says, leaping back up into the trees, and making her way back to the nearby Village she is staying in.
*Half An Hour Later*
"THAT BITCH STOLE MY MONEY!"
............................................................
"Kakuzu, don't swear!"
I just feel the need to say this.
I'm sorry if you don't like cursing. I do use a few words that some people may not approve of, but I won't type Hidan's favorite word ^-^
I personally don't like it, and I have a feeling people won't like it if I have his favorite word in a book that's rated PG lol.
Btw, I don't actually know if that's Hidan's favorite words. I've never asked.
Hope you enjoyed the first chappy! :D