The awakened birds flitted between the trees and down the mountain. They circled slowly over the lake, diving gracefully into brief contact with the water to drink and bathe. Their joyous chirping stirred the inhabitants of the village, giving a peaceful accompaniment to the casual murder taking place. The figure stepped across the water, corpse slung over its shrouded shoulder. With each step the sapphire lake was dyed an enchanting ruby, as the precious liquid of life drained from the deceased. As if in finality, the figure dropped the body into the center of the lake, standing over it as it sunk in a crimson shroud of its own.
As the old man's corpse sank, the figure's arms rose. They slowly reached their apex above his head, spear poised to lance the heavens themselves. The tranquil lake rippled as air escaped now lifeless lungs in blossoming rose-coloured bubbles.
"It is time that this place be reborn as it was. As it should be." Came the ominous words of the strange being.
With a piercing shriek, the peace and tranquility of the dawn was quickly shattered. Darkness fled from beneath the figure's cloak and cowl, penetrating through walls, windows and mountains. As if granted their own personal night, the twin mountains which housed Kumogakure were encompassed in an all-consuming dark. Voices wailed and screamed into the air, but none of them were strictly human. Fear and despair was everywhere. The orange of the dawn had been completely erased, the chirping birds were quickly killed by panic and the calm comfort of sleep was now impossible. Despite how they ran, the small monkeys, squirrels and other animals could not escape the sphere of nightmarish darkness. Kumogakure had been separated from the world.
Suddenly, there was light. From atop the Raikage's office on one of the peaks of the mountains radiated a harsh electric light as the shadow of lightning sparked his aura with electricity. The four black ops guards assigned to him surrounded him, awaiting attack from any direction. With a new source of light, hope and confidence was kindled in the people of Kumogakure. Stepping from the shadow of one of the many boulders above the Raikage, the figure quickly descended upon the five. His feet lightly touched down on the white tiles of the building's ceiling. Immediately one of the five guards launched himself toward the figure. A kunai rose to pierce through its cowl, but both knife and arm were bisected cleanly by the defending spear. After a shout of pain, the figure clicked its tongue in annoyance.
"Be silent, dirt." it commanded as it shot a bolt of lightning through the guard's throat. It was dead in moments, its soul feeding the strange invader.
"It seems you are the strongest here, man of lightning. How pitiful." He stated as he continued forward. Suddenly, Akino, the Raikage, gifted his aura of lightning to his three remaining guardsmen. They all dashed forwards, significantly faster than the one before.
A kick towards the figure's head was dodged by millimeters, and a sword thrust from another directed was deflected by the spinning of his spear. The being shifted its weight onto one leg and struck out with the but of the spear, winding the third incoming attacker. The crack of the guard's ribs could be heard even over the disconcerting shrieks of the darkness as they shattered. The weightless leg of the figure lifted and kicked away the incoming sword slash by redirecting the arm. The foot was planted confidently between the guard's, and with another shift of his weight the figure thrust his hand out, piercing through the armored chest of the shinobi. The lightning aura that surrounded them was not enough to protect them, although it began to run up the figure's arm, paralyzing it and leaving electrical burns. With a soft growl he threw the limp body into the final guard remaining. At the point of contact, it exploded.
The figure turned slowly to regard the Raikage.
"You've wasted enough of my time." It said angrily as it strode toward the glowing figure. Two swords pierced through the figure's thighs, pinning him to the ground as two of the guards stood either side of him. The sword wielder from earlier and the man whose ribs should have been shattered leaned on their blades to keep the invader still. After a moment of incomprehension, the being soon realized that the aura surrounding them had changed. It was no longer a shining gold, crackling with electricity, but a soothing green. The Raikage had been healing them.
"Perhaps he's not as weak as I thought" the being thought, before exuding a pulse of its own electricity. A dark lightning which radiated outwards suddenly, hurling both guards off the building, leaving them to tumble down the mountainside. In that moment, the Raikage's palm was facing the figure. The being quickly pulled the swords from his legs, but it was too late.
"Roar of a Thousand Tigers!" Akino shouted into the artificial night. His lightning aura coalesced in his palm and shot forwards in a concentrated beam. The sheer force and heat of it radiated throughout the village, evaporating any remaining ice and snow. The figure shouted in pain as the blast encompassed it, and burst through the mountain behind him in a brilliant line of golden light. All of the Raikage's chakra was put into that one strike, which carved a five meter diameter cave through the mountain. Lightly panting, Akino raised his arms. Four threads of his aura pulled the slowly regenerating bodies of the four guards back up onto roof of the Kage building.
"I'm sorry Raikage-sama. We failed you." A female guard said sadly.
"Don't fret my girl, it's over now. That opponent was beyond you, and nobody expects you to be infallible. No matter how strong you are there is always someone stronger." he said sagely, placing a warming hand upon the woman's shoulder. Her tears fell through the remains of her mask, as the top right hand corner had shattered away as she fell down the mountain. All four were still alive however, a testament to the sheer strength of the Raikage that protected the village. An inspiration to all Kumogakure shinobi.
The woman looked up as the Raikage's hand fell away from her shoulder. It slapped the ground beside her as her eyes widened and a very human scream escaped her throat, mingling with the wailing voices of the dark. That sound was so piercing and so pure with grief that it resonated throughout the entire village. The lifeless slab of meat which was the Raikage's arm rolled slightly away from the woman's blood soaked face in the moment before the building exploded, killing the four guards instantly.
Hurtling towards Hayate was the Golden Star of Kumogakure, the Raikage Akino. He slammed into the roof tiles before the Jounin's very eyes, glowing with his still charged aura. There was a very big obstruction in the light provided by the Kage, however, revealing a man shrouded in black, standing upon the Raikage's chest. He looked up, staring into Hayate's eyes as he thrust the blade of his spear through Akino's exhausted chest, ending the man's life.
"Hello again, peasant. It has been quite some time since we fought." He said, before the golden light was extinguished. In that moment, the eyes of every citizen of Kumogakure filled with tears. Their shouts and cries of anguish overcame the terrifying sound of the night, drowning it completely with their sorrow. Akino's blood flowed down the roof and dripped through the ravine to land as well in the lake below. The Golden Star of Kumogakure had been extinguished, and all was dark for the village's future.
