Walking briskly through the castle, Shoko made her way back to the ramparts. She had instructed Yakoul and Ryuza to follow her, and await her command. From where she stood, she saw that the tailed beast was being engaged by her soldiers. The beast's arms had been cleaved off, it's lower body had been dragged into the Earth, and a combination of giant roots and tentacles had bound it. Shukaku roared in frustration as it's movements were sealed, the forest trees seemingly quaking in fear. It's mouth opened wide, and between it's sandy maw a red ball of chakra began to form, a bijudama. Such a technique had enough power to turn most of the castle she was standing upon to rubble. Yet Shoko was in no immediate danger, as the beast had aimed the attack downwards, intending to wipe out anyone and anything around it. Before the attack could be used however, Remi and the hornet queen's combined attack hit the beast head on, damaging him and causing the bijudama to erupt in the beast's face. Shukaku's body was a mess of falling sand at this point, yet as a tailed beast it would not die so easily. "Yakoul, stay here, Ryuza, come." The Empress spoke, before leaping from the ramparts. Her distant white form vanished into the trees, as she used the Body Flicker Technique to rapidly move towards the tailed beast. She quickly arrived, with Ryuza close behind her. Dark aura sprouted from Shoko, and formed into a lance that was driven into Shukaku. The lance did not harm the beast in any way, instead the one tails was shocked, it's massive body recoiling. The lance had pierced not it's body, but it's will. The oppressive chakra forced it into submission, turning it docile.

"How?...." Ryuza stood stunned, her wide eyes staring in disbelief. Shoko turned to her.

"You need not worry about that. Tell me Ryuza, what is it you wish to do?" The girl looked up at the Empress with a muddled face, the woman seemed to have a disdain for beating around the bush, as well as reading the mood of a situation. 

"I am at your service, Empress." She said, mostly to herself. It had not been even an hour before she was trying to kill Shoko, yet now she felt the need to do whatever she could to serve her. The visions she had been shown were like a great wind blowing away the fog in her mind. The world was better off under the Empire's control, she knew that for certain. 

"Very good, because I am going to seal this beast into you now." Shoko said, her hands already performing the handsigns for the sealing jutsu. Ryuza was prepped to voice her shock, but before she could Shoko had already formed the link between her and the tailed beast, and etched an Eight Trigram seal onto her stomach. Shukaku's entire form vanished as it was drawn into Ryuza's seal, causing her to pass out. Shoko caught the girl before she hit the ground, picking her up. She looked to everyone else that was here, everyone that had helped defeat the mercenary army and restrain Shukaku. "I am glad to see none of you were killed horribly, return to the castle, and await further orders."

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"...Of course I get the fucking message." Nikuya let out an annoyed groan. According to the fatass beside her, there should have been a massive army at the front gates of the village, but there wasn't, which clearly meant this was a trap. She had been wary while coming towards the gate, if there was an entire army here she'd expect a bit more commotion in the village. "Alright, so just who are yo-... oh fuck me." She stammered as she saw the clone reveal it's self to be none other than the Hokage, Kenji Uchiha. Nikuya's hair flared upwards, and she prepared to defend herself, but then she felt someone grab her from behind. "What, when?" Her mind put the pieces together just before she was kicked towards the clone, she was never letting anyone she didn't trust lay their filthy hands on her again. Moving her hands, she activated a jutsu right before she was grabbed. The explosion hit her like a ton of bricks, causing her to bounce across the ground and out of the gate. There was a trail of water from where she was blown, and she lay on the ground soaking wet. She had activated a jutsu to soak herself in water, and then wrapped herself in her hair to buffer the explosion as much as she could. Even still, a streak of blood was staining her right arm, another scar to add to the collection. Slowly, not out of pain but disdain for this situation, Nikuya stood to her feet, avoiding eye contact with Kenji. "I've heard Uchiha take their grudges seriously, but I figured you above all that, Kenji." She chuckled to herself. "All right, all right, come and kill me then, just don't expect it to be easy, eh lava eyes?"

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Natsumi's eyes were shut, and her ears focused. While she awaited the signal, she attempted to chill her nerves. She put on a confident face in front of her father and Kaede, but the truth was she was frightened. Not of battle, not of dying, but of having to kill. She had never killed anyone before, not even on any of the missions she had taken part in. She was a ninja, she was meant to be past such feelings, but she had never shaken them from her conscious. 

"Pathetic child, groveling over such trite matters." A deep, soul gripping voice echoed in her mind. Natsumi's brow wrinkled.

"Kurama... It isn't such a light matter for me, I'm not a natural born killer like you are." Natsumi said. She was met with a disturbing mocking laugh.

"Not born to kill? Oh how wrong you are. You have the potential to kill, you've always had it, you simply refuse to use it." Kurama's voice faded from Natsumi's mind, leaving her as annoyed with him as she always was when he spoke. 

A loud explosion went off, the signal. Natsumi opened her eyes, her Sharingan now active for the first time in six months. Her eyes took in every detail around her, a flock of birds scattered by the commotion flew above, and though they were but dots in the sky she could count each and every one of them, follow the flapping of each of their wings. "Kaede." She spoke, her usual saccharine voice now forcibly focused. "Let's go."

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Not even a minute later Natsumi came across a squad of five empire ninja. On sight, one of them summoned a barrage of shuriken from a scroll, launching them towards her. Gripping her fans, the projectiles were deflected easily with a flourish, and she sent a blade of wind towards her attacker, catching him in the neck and sending him to the ground bleeding profusely. Her right eye twitched as her attack connected, she had just killed, and it was so easy. Perhaps Kurama was right. She charged forward and leaped above the squad. In the air, her body lit aflame as she used Righteous Immolation. She dive bombed into them, sharp tongues of flame slicing into the remaining men as she swung her fans. Her targets dropped to the ground, their bodies burning away. "This really is too easy... Has it always been this easy?" Natsumi mused, as another group of Empire ninja approached. More moths to the flame.