Retaliation: Earthly Justice

== Preparation ==
Ahatake had woken up early in the morning to lay a bouquet of roses on his wife's grave. He sighed as he walked back into the house. He had to get them back for this. He was surprised to see Akane and Yuri asleep on the couch. He must have missed them as he walked out of the house earlier in complete darkness. Their hands were clasped together. Ahatake smiled. They must have fallen asleep just like that. 
He walked back up to his room and started to pack. He had planned this and discussed it with his two daughters. He was severely lacking in strength and he needed to get stronger. And the only way to do that was solitary training. It took him about 6 minutes to get everything into his bag. He was ready. He walked downstairs and walked out the door. He decided to wait for awhile until the kids woke up so he sat in front of his wife's grave again.
Surely enough...
"...you leaving?"
Michiyo's voice sounded from off to the side. Her figure was standing straight, eyes looking down on the grave with a solemn expression. She, too, had come to visit her mother... and her father to give him one last good-bye before he went off. In the slight winds, her undyed hair blew forward, giving the day a rather elegant appearance.
"Yes." Ahatake replied. "I'll be gone for awhile. Think you can manage to watch over those two in the living room?"
"You can bet on it." The albino replied, putting on a weak smile.
Ahatake smiled. "Good. Remember now, we don't want to get sued by Yuri's parents." Ahatake grinned and he walked over to Michiyo and put his arms around her, hugging her for the first time since she was eight. "I'll make it back in one piece. And then we'll make them pay."
Michiyo had to blink back tears at the warm sensation of being embraced by her father once more. She closed her eyes, smiling growing more confident. "Is that a promise?" She asked, in an attempt for some humor.
Ahatake let her go and began to walk away. He turned around and grinned. "It's a promise." He said, the rising sun shining in back of him, giving off an angelic effect. "I'll be back and stronger than ever before."
"We know you will...." Michiyo replied, nodding.
"Tell Akane by for me." He summoned a large Phoenix and jumped on its back. After that he took flight, growing smaller and smaller until he vanished into the horizon.
She didn't waste any time.
Without hesitation, she took to her legs and ran back inside of the house, stopping at the door where her sister slept. With a raised fist, she knocked with enough sound for Akane to hear.
Akane abruptly woke up and she sighed. "Someone's at the door." She groaned and withdrew her hand from Yuri's. She opened it. "Onee-chan?" She said sleepily. "How'd you get outside?"
"You aren't always the one to get up first..." Michiyo teased, putting on a warm smile.
Akane rubbed her eyes. "Where's Tou-san?"
Michiyo nodded, eyes looking over the sleeping form of Yuri. "He left for training." She said calmly and firmly, smile fading into a more serious look.
Akane yawned and walked back over to Yuri. "Yue-chan...wake up.." She prodded the girl's face.
Yue's eyes fluttered. "What'd I miss?"
Michiyo sighed, closing her eyes. "Our father left for some special training today..." She repeated, a little irritated at having to repeat herself.
Yuri pressed her hair back, and yawned, placing her hand over her mouth. "I see. Akane, we have to meet up with Sensei and our other teammate later. She wants to discuss the Chunin Exam with us."
"Awww.." Akane sighed. "That's sounds like a bore."
"Sensei?" Michiyo questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm part of a standard 3-man cell led by a Jonin too." Akane said huffily. Yuri smiled.
"If you don't mind me asking, who's your sensei?"
"Hm? Her name's Karin." Akane replied. "Why do you ask?"
"Just wondering..." Michiyo replied smoothly, turning her back. "Well, I'll be downstairs if you need anything. Go ahead and get dressed." She walked off, politely shutting the door behind her to leave them in peace.
Akane sighed. "C'mon Yue-chan, our outfits are in my room." She pulled Yuri into her room and locked the door. The two came downstairs rather quickly and arrived to see Michiyo reading a note. 
"Onee-chan what's that?"
Though she remained initally silent, Michiyo moved the paper over as she read it, allowing for her younger sister (and possibly Yuri) to see. "It's a note from Hokage-sama." She explained, handing it over. "A request for a meeting, it seems."
"The Hokage?" Akane look disappointed. "Why do you get to meet her and not us?" She sulked.
Michiyo simply shrugged. "Not sure, but it has to be something important. Just hope it won't include just me..." Standing up and dusting herself off, Michiyo walked towards the door and opened it just enough to allow herself soon. "I'll be back soon. Hopefully, we'll meet up later. Don't get into any trouble..."
With that, she shut the door behind her, disappearing in an instant for the direction of the Hokage's office.
Akane sighed and placed her arm around Yuri. "C'mon Yue-chan we have our own meeting to attend." She said and they exited the building as well, heading to meet their sensei and other teammate. 
== Goals ==
Meanwhile, Ahatake trudged through a dense marshland, his feet soaked to the bone. "I swear he better be here.." Ahatake groaned. "You never know with him."
----
In Konoha Council Center, a white haired man sat higher up on a chair, waiting for the arrivals. He had called a meeting for many high ranked Shinobi throughout the village, thought not many had arrived.
There would be another to join their ranks.
Immediately, the doors leading inside swung open, revealing a serious-faced Michiyo. She lowered her head in a brief bow. "Hokage-sama. I understand you requested my presence?" She asked, walking in and shutting the door behind her. Mentally, she prayed that she didn't make too much of a scene in front of the other Jonin.
The Jonin and Chunin turned and saw the arrival and turned back to talk amongst themselves.
Isei smiled. "Michiyo Tenno. Welcome." He gestured to a seat at his immediate right. On his left sat a Hyuga Jonin. "I am sorry for your loss. You have my condolences."
"Thank you, sir." Michiyo acknowledged, walking over and taking the seat beside the Hyuga. She did turn her head to him briefly to give him a respective nod - she did honor the other clans of Konoha, after all.
He nodded back.
"I originally intended to request your father." Isei continued. "But apparently he has vacated the village. A Training mission I presume?"
Turning her gaze to the Hokage, a small smile appeared on Michiyo's face. "Quite perceptive." She commented. "Yes, Tou-san indeed left for specialized training after an encounter with..." She paused for a minute, trying to think of the right word. "A rogue shinobi group."
"Let's hope he doesn't desert us." Isei replied gravely as the Konoha Elder's walked up and sat down next to Michiyo and the Hyuuga.
Isei spoke up loudly. "This council meeting is now called to order. I assume you all know why we have called you here."
It was then that one of the Jonin spoke, voice rather gruff. "Is it about that damned rebellion in Iwagakure?" He questioned, catching Michiyo's surprised glance. "I swear, it's becoming more ridiculous by the second.
Immediately, the Tenno's heart skipped a beat, and her widened eyes flickered with shock. "R...rebellion?!"
Isei laughed. "No but thank you for bringing that up, we'll get to that later." He cleared his throat. "By a show of hands, how many of you have heard of the group calling themselves the Spetsnaz S.E.?"
Out of the group there, no one raised their hands. No one had heard of such a strange and unusual name for a team of ninja. Were they foreigners? Bandits looking to wreak havoc on this country?
Isei sighed. "Alright. Listen all of you." He had suddenly become stern. "The Spetsnaz S.E. is a group, so far consisting of four identified members, thanks to the intelligence delivered from the Tenno Clan." He inclined his head towards Michiyo before continuing. "We do not know their true goal at all. However they have so far caused trouble only with one of our Village's leading clans" -again he inclined his head towards Michiyo- "so we must assume the worst. We will mobilize and get ready to fight, unless we have destruction that plagues us when Pein invaded our village."
"Hokage-sama."
This time, the one who had spoken was the Hyuga, who had raised a fist to clear his throat. "If such is the case, then why go through the trouble to raise an army over such a small threat?" He questioned. "Because only the Tenno Clan has been plagued, it sounds more like a feuding situation rather than the signs of war."
"It's a necessary precaution." The Kage replied simply. "Should the S.E. merely continue to fued with the Tenno, we shall allow them to handle it. Should the Tenno be massacred, or the S.E. show any signs of threatening Konoha, we will fight."
Michiyo frowned. "This isn't a simple feud." She countered the Jonin. "Or, have you forgotten about the massive damage that was caused a few days ago? That was a result of a battle between my mother and one of those...Spetsnaz. There were four of them in total. Now, if one could cause that much damage, just think of what a group of them could do. Who knows how many else are there!"
Immediately, the room was filled with chatter once more, in heated debate of the Tenno's revelation.
Isei cleared his throat again as the Hyuga Jonin did not respond. "I believe that settles that.. now onto the Iwakagure rebellion.."
----
It didn't take Ahatake long to reach his destination and panted as he stopped for breath.
"Tired already?" A deep voice said calmly and Ahatake looked up. Standing there was a tall, young looking red haired man with a sword at his waist. 
"Tou..Tou-san!"
----
Akane and Yuri were calmly waiting for both their Jonin Leader and their other teammate.
"Where are they!?!??" Akane whined, leaning up against the bridge's railing. As if on cue, a young woman with long, flowing black hair and dark red eyes appeared in their midst.
"SENSEI!" Akane cried in an outburst. "YOU'RE LATE!"
Karin laughed. "I'm sorry, I got caught up in something else."
"Doesn't matter." Yuri interrupted. "We're waiting for her too."
"Sensei!"
It wasn't soon after that Yuri spoke that another came into the group. With speed that only a shinobi could display, its figure re-appeared in front of their eyes in a crouched form. Calmly, it stood up, raising its hand in a rather sheepish manner. "Sorry, guys... I got caught up." She admitted.
Akane sighed and Yuri was stern. "Kaiya-chan, you can't be late every time. It makes you look bad, and what if we were dead? How'd you feel then?"
Kaiya, the girl who had arrived, bowed her head in honorable apology. "Gomen nasai, Yuri-san." She repeated softly. "It's just that I didn't want to miss anything for today. It would be a pity if I happened to leave a tool vital to my survival at home, wouldn't it?"
Yuri smiled. "Seems you got me there."
Karin cleared her throat. "Alright guys, down to business."
Akane and Yuri's faces swiveled to face Karin. Kaiya was not too far behind, expression one of listening intent.
Karin sat up on the bridges railing. "Alright, as you three know, the Chunin exams are coming up." She smiled broadly. "Tell me, do you all intend to participate?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Putting on a smile of her own, Kaiya nodded in acknowledgement. "We don't intend to stay Genin forever, after all."
Yuri nodded and Akiko put on a big grin. "Yeah! I gotta catch up to Onee-chan sooner or later!"
Karin smiled. "That's good, because a three-man, or woman in our case, team is needed to participate in the Chunin Exams. Unfortunately, due to an incident, Hokage-sama has pushed the date of the Chunin exams back a bit, giving you all time to train some more."
Kaiya chuckled. "That's good to hear. Though..." Her expression did change to one of uncertainty, her eyes darting off to glance at her teammates for a brief moment. "Though, the fact that the incident happened won't be too good for the village..."
"The incident," Akane said before Karin could speak. "Is being taken care of. It's just some rats who need to be exterminated."
The arrogant declaration made Kaiya frown slightly, but she said nothing otherwise, turning her gaze back to Karin. "So, you called us here to start the training, I assume?" She questioned.
"Of course not." Karin smiled. "You guys will train on your own. Don't worry it won't be that difficult."
"If only you knew Akane's idea of free-time training." Yuri said under her breath. Akane grinned.
"Ah! In that case..." Turning her head to the side, Kaiya looked over her two teammates in earnest. "I'm ready when you guys are."
Akane sighed and Yuri stretched. "Do we have to train today?" Akane whined.
Kaiya sweatdropped. "Akane-san... didn't you say you had to catch up to your sister sooner or later?"
"Yea, but I never said whether I wanted it more sooner or more later."
Karin sighed. "I'll leave you three at it." She said and jumped backwards off the bridge. "See you in awhile."
"C'mon, Akane-san!" Kaiya gently scolded, focus still directed on her teammate. "It's just going to come back and bite you again if you put it off!"
Akane sighed. "Fine dammit. I had a date planned with Yuri and everything. Ruin my plans why don't you?"
"You could've told me that..." Another sweatdrop.
----
"I'm actually surprised you made it up here, kid." Tokiya Tenno was standing in front of Ahatake, his hand at his sword. 
"T-Tou-san!" Ahatake's eyes widened. "Y..you're training me? I thought-!"
"You've never been one for thinking kid." Tokiya interrupted Ahatake in midsentence. 
"All the subtly of a rhino." The younger Tenno thought, clearly annoyed with his father.
"Do you want to be trained or not?" Tokiya asked.
"Yeah." Ahatake replied, taking off the bag he was wearing. "So what will you be training me in?"
"Nothing at first." Tokiya replied seriously. "Out first step is to get rid of your cursed seal."
"G..get rid of it?" Ahatake asked. "W..why?"
"When this training is over, you will not need it." The older Tenno replied. "Now get over here."
----
Later back at the Tenno Household, Michiyo had come back, though her sister was still training. It seemed she had the house to herself.
And as such, she seemed to relax a bit, walking over to the couch and settling herself down on it. She put her arms behind her head, eyes furrowed in seriousness, and a slight frown on her face. Her mind was at work, reeling with the thoughts of what had been explained at the meeting.
In the case of the Iwagakure rebellion, a group of radicals had been fed up with the government, rallied up a group that was loyal to their cause, and stormed the Kage building, killing the officials and forcing the Kage to give up his position. Now, they were currently in power.
As if the Spetsnaz weren't enough.
"Hey wassup?" Shiromura Gohan had appeared in the woman's face, completely unaware of the fact that she was pissed off at them all.
Red hair. Red eyes. A rather careless grin on his face.
From what she had been told by her father and aunt, it was the appearance of one of the S.E. members who had been spotted in their confrontation. And from the chakra she was sensing, along with the reminder of the destruction in her mother's fight, she could safely assume that he had been the one who had did the damage.
He was reponsible for hurting her.
And with that conclusion, she wasted no time in yanking out a kunai and placing the sharp, killing edge across his throat, ready to slash if needed. "You have a hella lot of nerve coming in here like this, you little bastard..." She muttered in a choleric tone.
"Hey hey hey!" Gohan put up his hands. "I didn't come here to fight. I just came to lay some flowers on the grave and all."
Michiyo turned her head to give a peering stare. "Show me the flowers." She ordered simply, not softening her tone nor pulling her knife away.
He pointed at the grave and sure enough a wreath of lilies were wrapped around the headstone. "I'm not responsible for her death. I opposed Okita taking her hostage in the first place." He sighed. "I respect my worthy enemies." He said as if that settled the matter.
For a moment, Michiyo didn't move. Although her eyes lightened up, she still seemed to hold that malice in the kunai she gripped so tightly, as if she was still ready to deliver the death blow. After all, what was standing before her was an enemy of the village. She had the chance to kill him where he stood, making it easier for the rest of the shinobi.
But she didn't.
She pulled the weapon again and sheathed it, once again putting her arms behind her head. "All right. Now if that's all you came for, then leave." She said bluntly, closing her eyes again. "Since you did that, I won't report you."
Gohan smiled. "Thanks for not killing me." He bowed as he walked off. "Trust me..we'll see each other again." He vanished.
== New powers, new battle plans ==
Ahatake was gasping. Whatever jutsu his father had used to remove his Curse Seal seemed to have also made him exhausted. But his father was forcing him to fight and Ahatake didn't feel like her had the energy.
THWACK!
A fist came out of nowhere to snap Ahatake out his daze and send him flying into a tree.
"Don't lose your focus kid!" Tokiya growled. "Do you want to die?"
Ahatake forced himself to stand as he lifted up his blade. "No...I don't fancy..dying just..yet.." He said, trying to recover his breath.
"Then stay focused boy!" Tokiya threw a flash kunai at Ahatake where it exploded creating a flash of blinding light. Ahatake felt his flesh rip and tear and felt warm blood coming out of him. "What the..?"
----
Akane sighed as she staggered back home with Yuri. Did that pink haired girl even have a house of her own? Akane banged on the door. "Onee-chan open up!"
"It's open, you little git!" Was a rather annoyed voice that came from the other end, none other than her elder sister's. It sounded rather distant - she was obviously a far distance from the door. There were no footsteps to signal that she was coming to open it, either.
Akane reached for the door and turned the knob. She collapsed as she opened the door. "D-damn Kaiya.." She groaned as Yuri helped her up. "Insisted on training 'till 12:00 AM!"
"...is it 12:00 AM?" In curiosity and in question, Michiyo pulled herself up from the couch and walked over to them. "I haven't bothered to check outside yet."
"Yeah and I'm exhausted." Akane sighed as Yuri helped her onto the couch.
Yuri sighed. "Kaiya wore us both out with her incessant training regimen. She's bent on becoming a Chunin even if it means breaking us."
Michiyo chuckled in amusement, walking over to the back of the couch and resting her arms on the top of the back cushion. "Sounds like quite a worker!" She complimented. "What's she like? Strong? Overly muscular?" The thought made her laugh a bit.
"Strong." Akane replied. "Overly determined, yet she manages to remain so calm." Yuri finished. "No idea how she does it."
"I would've thought that'd be you, imouto..." Michiyo chided gently. "After all the talk about surpassing me, I was so thoroughly convinced..."
"Hey!" Akane said angrily. "I intend to surpass you! I'll make Kaa-san proud of me! Just you watch, Onee-chan, I'll shoot right past you!"
This didn't deter the white-haired woman from smiling and reaching over to gently ruffle up Akane's hair. "Don't make promises you can't keep..." She teased. "'Cause I'll be expecting you to uphold it."
Akane grinned. "Just you watch! I'll learn tons of powerful new jutsu from Tou-san and I'll get stronger. Maybe even strong enough to bring back Kaa-san!"
Yuri looked shocked. "Reviving the...the dead? Is that even possible, forget about whether it's right or not?!?"
It was then that Michiyo caught her shocked expression. She turned her head slightly towards her, nodding slightly. "Yeah. It's possible to bring back someone from death. The most famous person, at least I consider, for doing so is the Sennin Orochimaru and his assistant Kabuto." She explained, raising a finger up to emphasize her statements.
"I don't intend to bring her back using that jutsu." Akane replied.
"..." A vein popping out of slight annoyance, Michiyo decided to ignore Akane for the moment and continue to explain to Yuri. "There were a few select medic-nin who could perform such a high-level jutsu, such as Sunagakure elder Chiyo. So, yeah. You can bring someone back from the dead."
"I don't intend to kill myself to bring her back either." Akane said, and Yuri sighed. "Then Akane how do you intend to do this?"
"Thought you'd all never ask." Akane said smugly. "I intend to utilize Phoenix Power."
Michiyo shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat." She stated, pulling her hands off of the couch and standing straighter. "If you intend to try to bring Kaa-san back from the dead, I'm not stopping you."
----
A fire was roaring and two men sat around it, roasting salmon.
"Hey Tou-san.." Ahatake asked, watching his fish cook. "Is it possible to revive the dead?"
Tokiya looked slightly taken aback by this question. He spoke slowly. "Well...there are certain...techniques one can use to revive a dead soul, though they are labeled as Kinjutsu and their use is not advisable."
"Are Phoenixes able to revive the dead?" Ahatake asked.
"Well..." Tokiya looked like he was regretting this conversation. "Yes, Phoenixes have the power to revive the dead."
"Well if that's the case..then why didn't you use them to bring back Kaa-san!" Ahatake said and he sounded slightly angry.
Tokiya cleared his throat as he reached for his fish, and Ahatake reached for his own. "Kid, do you really think your mother would want to be revived from the dead? When dead, one is at peace. And did you forget how she died?"
Ahatake gulped.
"She died to protect you and Akiko!" Tokiya finished forcefully. "Reviving the dead is an insult to their memory and it's not something I believe your mother would have wanted."
Ahatake looked down. 
"You didn't intend to revive her did you?"
"No.." Ahatake replied. "I intended to revive my wife."
"You got married?"
"You really never do keep in touch with us." Ahatake sighed. "Anyway, she didn't die protecting someone, she was killed when she didn't expect it. So I don't think reviving her would be so bad."
Tokiya sighed. "You're an adult now, so I won't tell you want to do." He threw his fish bone away. "You're on your own on that one kid."
Ahatake sighed. He was determined. Chiaki would be alive again. And maybe his mother as well. 
"Kaa-san..." Ahatake thought. "What would you say to me now, if you could?"
The End