"Twelve oh one," Naruto said dejectedly, "It's now officially Yuletide Eve."
With the oil path Kankuro had followed gone, the three shinobi had been forced to use more traditional methods to try to find their targets. But checking with parts suppliers, and talking to people living and working around Nicholas's shop had proven fruitless. No one had seen anything strange around the toymaker's business, nor had anyone recognized the descriptions of the Sand rogues. After completing their canvassing, the allies regrouped in the shop; where Nyoko was waiting with four guards.
"Now what?" Kankuro asked.
"We could try Nyoko's plan," Naruto suggested.
"Would you know what to look for?" Hinata asked.
"Sort of," he grinned dubiously, "Kankuro described the renegades, and Nyoko can probably tell me what Nicholas looks like."
"That seems like a stretch," Kankuro was unconvinced.
"Besides," Hinata said, "you should save your chakra in case we need to fight."
The blond Chunin was ready to protest, but he shut his mouth.
"Ok," he agreed, "Man, its too bad we can't keep following the oil trail. You must a be good tracker, Kankuro, to follow some oil drips through the forests between the Land of Greens and here."
"I had some help," he admitted with an awkward chuckle. He took a small spray bottle hidden in his belt, and said, "Let me show you."
He took one of the splinters from the floor, and scraped up a drop of the oil. He held it up in front of them, and misted a small amount the blue liquid on to grease. The lubricant began to radiate orange light, and smoke slightly.
"Man, that stinks," Naruto covered his nose, "What is that, some sort of special tracking fluid?"
"It's a cleaner," he wiped off the wooden shard to illustrate, leaving it totally unstained, "I use it for maintenance on my puppets. The glow is just a side effect. Unfortunately, with the trail dried out, it's not any good."
"Maybe," Hinata considered that, "But maybe not. Naruto smelled the oil out front, even though there wasn't any to see. And now your spray amplifies that odor. Lets try it out in the shop. There might be enough particles in the air to react and let us follow them. Even with the patch."
"Worth a try," the Sand Jonin agreed, and they all moved to the front of the store.
"Do you still smell it, Naruto?" Hinata asked worriedly.
"Yeah," he answered after a few sniffs, "It's still there, but it's getting fainter."
"OK, then..." Kankuro squirted blue cleanser near the scratches Hinata had found. Neither he, Nyoko, or the soldiers noticed any change; but Naruto's nose crinkled in disgust.
"Ugh," he grimaced, "I can still smell that. How can you stand it?"
"It doesn't smell that bad to me," the puppet master shrugged.
"And I can see it," Hinata glanced back at them with silvered eyes. Kankuro betrayed a slightly shock, but said nothing.
"Then we can track down Nicholas," Nyoko exclaimed happily.
"Not we," Hinata shook her head, "You have to stay here. Or even better, return to the palace. You have school today."
"No, we have the 19th through the 23rd off for Yuletide," she smirked, "Besides, I'm the client."
"The contract is to find Nicholas, not to indulge your sense of adventure," the mission leader told her.
"But last time!"
"Last time was an exception," Naruto told her gently, "We were alone, so there was no other choice. I've put too many princesses in danger like that. This time we have your guards to keep you safe."
"But..."
"Perhaps we should contact Kentaro-san?" Hinata asked, harshly, "Or the Daimyo?"
"No," Nyoko was practically shaking in anger, but she controlled her voice, "I will remain here."
The three ninja left out the back door. But once they were beyond the portal, Hinata collapsed against the wall. Naruto put a comforting hand on her shoulder, as she exhaled raggedly.
"Heh," Kankuro chuckled once, "I wouldn't have thought you had it in you, girl. To stand up to a princess, especially one that's as strong willed as I've heard Nyoko is."
"I knew you could, Hinata," Naruto said firmly.
"Lady Tsunade put me in charge," she was addressing herself as much as them, "I h...had to do it. It was my responsibility."
"Alright, boss," Kankuro's voice was only slightly mocking, "Shall we see if we can pick up the trail?"
Naruto shot him a mildly nasty look, but Hinata pushed herself back upright, her composure recovered.
"Yes," she answered, again activating the Suigin Byakugan, "Go ahead."
They were fortunate it was so early in the day, and the streets were still empty. Even with Naruto's nose and Hinata's eyes, it was far from an easy task. The traces of oil grew further apart, and they had to move slowly. And there was the practical limit; Kankuro's supply of the cleaner was limited after the tracking he had already done. After almost five hours, the trail went totally dead, but Kankuro and Hinata agreed that they had probably found the hideout. Naruto, however, remained dubious.
"An abandoned factory?" Naruto protested quietly, on the off chance they were right, "Come on, do you think these guys subscribe to Clichéd Villain's Quarterly?"
"It isn't abandoned," Hinata shook her head, "This company makes summer toys, like beach balls and swimming flippers. It is natural they would be mostly shutdown for the winter. But they might still have designers working on next year's models."
Naruto pondered that, and Kankuro tossed in his two ryo.
"Clichés are cliché for a reason," he told the dubious younger man, "This place has to have workshops, and tools, and supplies; but like Hinata said it's closed down for the winter. If someone came heard some noise or saw some lights, they'd probably just write it off."
"Well, then, let's check it out," Naruto agreed, looking more suspiciously at the large brick structure. The temporary trio had lighted to the roof next door for their debate, and to get the lay of the land. After convincing the rebellious junior, the shinobi leapt silently to the other roof. They prowled soundlessly around the edge of the building, until Hinata signaled for a stop. She stared down at the ground, her face softening. Then she hopped down to the packed earth, three stories below. The boys followed suit, and when they landed, the Hyuga heiress pointed to a dark red spot in the dust, spilling out from one of the large shipping doors.
"Blood?" Kankuro mouth wordlessly, and the brilliant-eyed Kunoichi nodded.
"There are two bodies one the other side of this door," she whispered, "based on their clothes and equipment, I think they may have been guards."
"Damn," Naruto cursed.
"Do you see them?" the Sand ninja pressured.
"No," Hinata stared intently at the building, moving her head from side to side as if scanning, instinctually, even if the Byakugan made the action unnecessary. Then she paused, focusing on the second floor, to the left of where they stood.
"There is something odd up there," she said softly, unsure, "It's a two part office, right next to the second story workshop floor. Something about it looks wrong, but there isn't a Genjutsu. It's almost like a mirage in the desert, but I can't..."
"A Holographic Barrier Ninjutsu," Kankuro said slowly, as if admitting a secret, "Unlike a Genjutsu that effects the target's eyes or mind, this jutsu is much more difficult to pierce because it directly manipulates the light passing through the air. It's also much harder to use."
"In that case," Hinata's eyes squinted, and the surrounding veins pulsed angrily.
"Ah," she cried out quietly, and when Naruto looked into her face, he saw a spot of red spreading in her left cornea. She slumped slightly, as her irises returned to normal.
"Hinata, are you OK?" he asked carefully, taking her hand.
"I think I pushed a little too hard," she admitted, "But I was able to see past the weaving. There are four people in there, three men and one woman. Two of the men are sleeping in the outer room, and the woman is standing guard. The last man appears to be working alone in the inner office. I think that must be Nicholas."
"So what are we waiting for?" Naruto asked. Hinata shook her head.
"I think..." she started cautiously, but then she paused, and started again more firmly, "We need to rescue the hostage first. Once he is safe, we can help Kankuro defeat the renegades. Do you agree?"
Despite his earlier half taunt, Hinata knew she had no authority over the higher ranked Sand ninja, so she sought his approval.
"That will works for me," he told her, "Heck, I might not even need your help, but I'm certainly not going to turn it down either."
"Hinata, do you see any traps?" Naruto asked, and his paramour answered in the negative.
"The Hologram is also an alarm," Kankuro warned, "if we disrupt the altered flow of the light, whoever created the jutsu will know."
"What if we go into the room from above?" their leader asked, and the puppeteer considered that.
Hinata dug three kunai into the wooden floor, and secured cords to them. Naruto drew Kitsune, and used its wind chakra blade to slice a hole in the floor around the blades. Hinata silently lifted the cutout free, and set it gently beside her. Impatient as always, Naruto popped his head down the hole.
An elderly man sat at a large table. He was slender, and his white hair was thinning. His face was lined with age, and with stress. He also had a purple, partially scabbed gash over his right temple. He pulled back from his task, and Naruto saw defeat and exhaustion in his gentle brown eyes.
On the table was a partially disassembled puppet, basically human shaped, but with three legs. And its hands and feet were replaced by enlarged spearheads.
"That's new," Kankuro's harsh voice was touched with worry, "Before that mannequin just had spears for hands."
"Then we better get him out of there, quick," Naruto whispered back. But this time he waited for Hinata's signal before leaping in. She nodded, and he hopped down. When the toymaker saw him, he started to shout, but quickly closed his mouth instead.
"Nicholas-san?" Naruto whispered. The elder gentleman nodded.
"We were sent to rescue you," Hinata said, landing beside her partner.
"Come on," Uzumaki said, glancing nervously at the door.
"I can't," the craftsman shook his head.
"Why not?" Naruto hissed. Hinata scanned him, looking for some sort of restraints or jutsu. There were none, but she noticed something else.
"Your right leg is severely broken," she told him.
"They broken it when I tried to escape," he agreed, "But that is not the reason. They have a list, a list of a group of children. They said they would kill the children if I did not help them."
Hinata gasped, and Naruto growled, "The kids you're gonna give presents to tonight?"
"So you know about that, too," he looked at them, but his hands continued to work, "Then you must understand. I cannot allow anything to happen to those children. They have promised if I finish the upgrades on their puppets, they will leave the children alone."
"They might," Kankuro agreed, dropping into the room, "But there's no way they're lettin' you live."
"Another Sand ninja?" the toymaker looked hard at Kankuro, "Do you disagree with your comrades, then?"
"Comrades?" Kankuro sniffed, "Hardly. Those three are traitors. And that damage you're repairing? I caused it, Rasu Niko-dono."
The craftsman's eyes went wide, but after a moment he sighed sadly.
"I was afraid that might be the case. But you are also incorrect, Sand Ninja. My name is not Rasu Niko. It is Nicholas, the second. Rasu Niko was my father."
"That is impossible," Kankuro shook his head, "Rasu Niko had no children before leaving the Sunagakure. And you are too old to have been born after he settled here."
Only now did the artist pause in his enhancement. He set down his awl and hammer, and passed his hands before his face. After his fingers slid away, he appeared much younger, with thick brown hair, and smooth skin. He appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties. But the injury over his temple remained.
"I use a transformation to wear my father's appearance, to keep his legacy alive."
"So he taught you Ninjutsu," Kankuro's eyes had a dangerous shine, not unlike the one that used to possess Gaara.
"Not really," the toymaker resumed his tinkering, not noticing or not caring, "Transformation to look like him, a few stealth techniques to deliver the Yuletide gifts, and, of course, puppet making. Nothing that violated his oaths."
The Sand Shinobi nodded, temporarily mollified.
"We should hurry," Hinata urged.
"I have already told you, I cannot leave," his voice was soft, but determined. He closed up the panels on the puppet.
"No matter happens to me, I will not put those children at risk. Even if it means my own death."
"Oh, you need not worry about that," a deep, gravely voice said behind them. Even as the three teens reacted, the puppet rose from the table and flew back to its owner. The short, bulky Kunoichi looked over her modified marionette with a canny, yet pleased expression on her face. Her narrow eyes were a reddish-orange, and her carefully shaped hair had streaks of green and yellow. Her face was one of sculptured beauty, but there was something unsettling about the way she cocked her head.
"We would never waste a craftsman such as yourself," she told the toymaker and Hinata's team, "After we have dispatched your would be rescuers, we will remove you to a more secure location. There, you can upgrade my brother's undamaged puppets, and then begin to create additional weapons for us. Once that task is complete, we can begin to assemble an army of lesser puppeteers."
"Why do they all want to take over the world?" Kankuro groaned.
"Clichéd Villain's Quarterly," Hinata remembered with a slight grin. Naruto chuckled in agreement.
"Mock if you think it will help you," she shrugged calmly, "Your weakness cannot be hidden by mere words."
"Um, sis?" one of two male rogue's whispered loudly, "You do know who they are, right?"
"Kankuro, we have fought before, and we are stronger now," she glared at her underlings, "His underlings are of no consequence."
She looked back at the Leaf and Sand trio, and addressed them, "Shall we take this out to the main floor? I doubt you want Master Nicholas harmed any more than we do."
"Where they like this before?" Hinata asked as they complied.
"Pretty much," Kankuro answered, "She likes to talk all fancy, and give orders."
"Jonouchi, you will fight the little waif. She relies on ranged attacks, so Dart and Bolt can tie her up in close combat. Honda, you fight the blonde idiot, his brute strength will be worthless against Block's improved defenses. I wish to see how Kankuro's broken down relics compare to the improved Star-chan and Moon-chan."
The two men exchanged worried glances, but never the less moved as instructed. Jonouchi, the one who had tried to warn their leader circled away, focusing his attention on Hinata. He was taller than the Kunoichi, but so painfully thin he appeared to weigh less. He touched the tattoos on forearms, summoning forth his combat puppets. They were a matched set, both shaped likely slightly humanoids cats; four feet long, bipedal, though hunched forwards. Each automaton had three fingered hands at the end of each limb, and a foot long blade at the end of its tail. Hinata allowed him to draw her away, curious how her 'ranged attacks' would work. The former Sand ninja swung his arms forward, and both of the marionettes jerked towards her aggressively.
Honda was only a few inches shorter than Jonouchi, but weighed at least twice as much. Despite his flab, he moved smoothly and quickly as he conjured his puppet out of a spear. Block lived up to its name, with a massive, stone, rectangular body. Its upper arms, legs, and even its head were square. Its lower arms and legs were more rounded, but its hands folded into perfect metal cubes.
Even as Star took up position before her controller, the renegade Kunoichi brought forth her second puppet. Moon was another female humanoid puppet, with a crescent moon sword, and a shield emblazoned with the surface of the moon.
Hinata observed the feline puppets carefully through her Byakugan. She could see their gears and chains, and also the streams of chakra directing their movements. Dart bolted straight for her chest, while Bolt darted around to hamstring her from behind. Hinata easily ducked under the high attack, and just before the low attack struck her, she tapped the clawed hand with her Gentle Fist. The blades retracted as the apparatus holding them in place was dislodged, and the entire hand fell limp as the line of power directing it was severed at the same time. The Hyuga heiress continued her controlled fall, pushing her elbow gently into Dart's chest, dislodging part of its 'spine', and making its back legs spasm. The puppet tumbled over her aimlessly, and its controller struggled to make it stand again. Not willing to let her gain too much initiative, Jonouchi directed Bolt to slash out at her with its razor edged tail. Out of position for a forearm strike, Hinata instead flipped up on to her hands, and spun around with her feet extended.
"Byakugan Art: Eight Trigrams Soles Heavenly Spin," she exclaimed, expelling chakra from her feet, and violently knocking both puppets away from her.
"No one can get past Block," Honda boasted, maneuvering the giant automaton between himself and younger Leaf ninja. But Uzumaki just smirked.
"No 'one', huh?" the blond Chunin put his hands together, "Then how about ten? Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"Aw, crap."
Five Narutos went to Block and Honda's left, and the other five ran to the right. After an instant of indecision, Honda slung Block at the group to the left. Though it clipped four of the clones, only one was destroyed. Even as the statue-like puppet began to move back to the other set of clones, the four remaining duplicates grabbed on to it, slowing the stone and steel golem down. It managed to reach the closest Naruto, and with a swung that would have impressed Tsunade, slammed the clone on its right arm into the other facsimile, causing both to disappear in matched explosions. The next closest Naruto from the right hand set turned back to help his three comrades hanging on for dear, if temporary, life. But the remaining three Narutos closed the distance, and Honda was forced to both use his talisman spear to defend himself, and keep control of Block. The four versions of the blond Chunin each clung to one of the puppet's limbs, trying to slow it down while at the same time preventing it from eliminating them.
Kankuro noted with dismay that Crow's lower left arm was reacting slowly, even as his first puppet discharged a spray of needles at his enemy. Moon jumped in the way of the attack, and the thin spikes bounced off the doll's shield. He had done his best to repair the massive damage dealt to the trio by Sasori, but feared he had failed to fully restore his mechanical allies. Even if he had done a perfect job, they had taken some knocks in the previous battle, and he had not had the time to fix them. Black Ant moved forward, the saw blades in its six arms aimed at Star from all sides. But the newly enhanced puppet dug one of her spear-like feet into the factory's wooden floor, and while balancing on that post, deflected Ant's attacks with her other four limbs. The traitor's hand darted forward, and her two puppets each discharged a sextet of shuriken at Kankuro. The shape of the blades matched each puppet's name; Star used five-pointed shuriken, while Moon fired crescent shaped blades. Salamander appeared at the last instant, blocking the attack with its armored frills.
Dart flopped like a fish out of water as Jonouchi tried to get its spine back into alignment. At the same time, Bolt sparred with Hinata, trying desperately to keep her away from its controller, and from disabling it as she had its twin. But just as she had a clear shot at the marionette's right shoulder, she was knocked away as Honda and Block barreled into her, one the Shadow Clones still trying to dig a kunai into the puppet's left elbow.
"Joe, switched with me," Honda said softly.
"But sis said..."
"I know what Anzu-san said," the heavier ninja barked, still trying not to be heard by their leader, "But she hasn't been right in the head ever since Sasori-sama kidnapped the Kazekage. I mean, all this stuff about calling her 'sis'? You might think it's kinky; but to me, it's just nuts."
"Maybe..." the taller warrior wavered, fear showing in his voice, "But if we don't follow her orders..."
"If we finish these two, she won't care if they switched on us during the fight."
"Right," realization filled Jonouchi's eyes, and he smirked. Then he pulled his puppets back, having Bolt crack Dart's artificial vertebrae back into place in the process. Then both of the speedy automatons jumped forward to intercept the incoming Narutos. The remaining clones were destroyed in the blink of an eye, and Uzumaki was knocked to the side.
"If that's how you want it, FINE," Jonouchi declared loudly, before winking at his teammate.
"What now, missy?" Honda sneered as Hinata dodged Block's heavy overhand punch. The wooden floor splintered from the attack, showing darkened room underneath.
"Block won't give one wit about your fancy Gentle Fist," he continued. As she observed the massive construct, she was forced to agree. Block's inner workings were buried under thick layers of stone and metal armor, too deep for her specialized Taijutsu to reach. Though she was fast enough to avoid the marionette's attacks, it thwarted her attempt to dodge around. She considered using Shadow Clones, but remembered it had taken Naruto nine clones to get three around Block. Even though she was quicker than her beloved, Hinata knew creating the five or six clones it would take her to get past would be dangerous for her chakra reserves, especially considering how much she had used her Byakugan over the last fifteen hours. She watched carefully for an opening as she pondered her options.
"Go ahead, kid," Jonouchi taunted, "Come after me with your clones. My puppets will take them apart as fast as you can make them."
He sent the felines out, seven of eight sets of claws extended. Naruto slid past most of the slashes, but Dart's left rear leg tagged him, slicing through his jacket and grazing his right arm and side.
"How about I just break your toys, instead," the Leaf shinobi shot back, unconcerned. In one clean motion, he drew Kitsune, and in his left hand, he formed a Rasengan. Without waiting for any kind of answer, he followed Dart, swinging his weapon at the same spot Hinata had previously struck on the puppet's chest. Jonouchi brought Dart's tail up to block, but the staff-blade shattered the cheap steel of the feline's bladed tail, and continued unimpeded to the puppet's chest. As Dart again was thrown to the side, Bolt moved in to cover its partner. However, Naruto was prepared, and caught Bolt's extended hand with his Rasengan, grinding away the marionette's thumb and first finger. The Sand renegade withdrew both puppets, looking for another opening.
"You will be made to pay for what you did to Star-chan before," Anzu informed Kankuro. Moon jumped forward, blocking Crow's knives with her shield, and angling her sword for the second joint in the other puppet's lower left arm. The chakra hardened bronze blade dug into the ridge, carving though one of the gears. Kankuro responded by have Crow wrapped both of his left limbs around Moon's sword and wrist, trapping the celestial marionette. Meanwhile, Black Ant and Salamander attempted to coral Star, so one of the two hollow automatons could trap her. But the multi-legged construct was quick, and continued to fire star shaped shuriken at Kankuro. In return he was forced to use either Ant or Salamander to block, which made it easier for Star to continue evading. When he saw an opening, Kankuro drew a pair of kunai, and threw them both at Anzu directly. But the traitorous Jonin was not surprised, and displayed her prowess by catching the blades in the strings that controlled Star and Moon. The move forced her to withdraw the puppets slightly, and the Kazekage's brother took advantage. He gestured forcefully with his fingers, and Black Ant flew through the air, catching Moon while she was out of position. His six hands forced her into his chest cavity, even as Crow's limbs started to detach.
"Secret Black Art: Iron Maiden," Kankuro proclaimed as Crow's hidden blades stabbed into the slots in Ant's torso. Once all of the blades had pierced the casket, Crow started to reassemble, and Kankuro smirked as his opponent as he started to plan Star's destruction. But before he could attack, Ant's body began to jerk and rumble. The trapping puppet could no longer contain it, and the imperfect sphere burst forth, taking one of Ant's panels with it. The miniature moon had a number of new scratches on the cratered surface, where the shield did not cover. But Moon unfolded herself with only superficial damage.
"I think our toymaker may have surpassed his famous father," Anzu purred, "An incredible prize indeed."
Hinata was in a pinch. Nothing she had tried had made any impact on Block. Even her Rasengan had only marred the surface of the reinforced puppet. She grimaced as Block grazed her with a punch; she knew she was lucky nothing was broken from even the glancing blow.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu," Hinata split in two, hoping one of her could get through to Honda. But Block's arms swung independently, and it hit both of the girls. The copy exploded, and Hinata cried out in pain as she tumbled to the floor.
"Hinata!" Naruto tried to break away to help her, but Dart and Bolt circled around, keeping him at bay.
"I'm OK," Hinata grimaced as she stood, "But nothing is working. Not even the Rasengan."
"Maybe it's time to break out your new jutsu."
"But.... But I've never used it in battle before," she stammered, "And there's no earth here."
"There's gotta be a first time," he shouted, clocking Dart upside the head with Kitsune, "And that guy has all the earth you need."
He pointed, and Hinata realized he was talking about the stone and clay that made up Block. She nodded, her face firm.
"All right, I'll give it a try," she began signing, even as she charged Block.
"Ushi-I-Inu-U-Hitsuji," she announced as she signaled Ox, Boar, Dog, Rabbit, and Ram.
"Byakugan Art: Primordial Chakra Jutsu!"
Hinata landed on Block's chest, and pushed her right palm into the rocky panel. The granite began to glow reddish-purple, and a mass of visible, magenta chakra exploded from the puppet. It traveled back down the control strings, and struck Honda. He howled in agony, and then collapsed to the floor, dropping his spear. At the same instant, Block went limp.
"Wha di you do ta me?" the thick puppeteer mumbled, struggling back up to his knees.
"I combined my chakra with the chakra in the stone, creating an interference wave I can send through the ground, or along a existing chakra path," she told him.
"It's kinda like getting hit with an Eight Trigrams Sixty-four Palms all at once," Naruto confided from experience, "It overwhelms your muscles and chakra points."
Honda grabbed Block's control element, but could not muster the chakra to move the golem, and so ended up just leaning on the spear. Hinata exhaled, forcing the exhaustion from her face as she turned to help Naruto. But there was no need.
Dart could no longer straighten its head after the last blow, and it was missing its right arm from the elbow down. Bolt had faired slightly better, the only major damage was the missing fingers from Naruto's first Rasengan attack. Jonouchi had been starting to look desperate as his enemy dismantled the first of his puppets, but now that Hinata was closing in, his near panic became resigned resolve. He pulled the rings connected to the puppets' thread off his fingers, and raised his hands in defeat. As the six bands hit the ground, his puppets too went slack.
"I give up," he told them, "I didn't sign on for this."
Honda nodded his head.
"What do you mean?" Hinata asked.
"Anzu lied to us," he answered stepping slowly away from his weapons to prove his words, "After the Kazekage returned, and we learned Sasori-sama was dead, she started to get strange. One day, she told us we had a mission and we left the village. But like I said, she lied. Before we figured out what was going on, we had already been declared rogues. Sis told us if we went back, we were dead anyway, so we stayed with her."
"That's why you two convinced her to running instead of trying to finish," Kankuro added, remembering how Jonouchi had caught him with the reeds.
"Yeah," the penitent ninja nodded, "We didn't want to kill a comrade, but we didn't think you would listen to us either."
"Traitors!' Anzu shouted. She broke away from Kankuro. She took off at top speed, and for a moment, they thought she was going to run. But once she was past Naruto, she veered back. She stopped in front of Honda, and snatched the spear from his hands. With a fluid motion, she spun the blade around, and jammed it into his disabled underling's heart. Even as Block sprang back to life, she turned to face the Sand and Leaf allies, blood dripping from the point of the weapon. The puppets closed ranks around her, and she grinned viciously at them.
"I apologize for the interruption," she said evenly, "Shall we continue?"