Ojos Asi [[private -- nyrax]]

Akiko bit her lip. "I honestly don't know. I can't use my jutsu on something that doesn't have the mind of a human. I might be able to use it on a summon that could speak, but I've never tried and I've been told it's dangerous to try. It can't speak the way we do, but I know that they can communicate somehow. We let him live, so I assume his summon is more occupied with his life than anything else. I'm actually more worried about the larger summon we fought against. The last thing we need is for her to show up."

Turning to look at Kiba, she giggled softly. "I know you worry too much. I'm not a little girl. But..." She added. "For the record, I would prefer if you told me things like this in the future. I'm not incapable of controlling myself. Will you tell me why Youki's in Konoha and why no one will notice?"

Kiba gave a soft sigh, knowing that Akiko was right. He should trust her more, rather than trying to hide all of this information. "Xerion called Shino in to take a few days ago. He informed us that Youki would be coming to see him, and that in the upcoming battles we could only view him as an enemy, not an ally or friend", Kiba responded honestly. "We wanted to get you out there and away from Youki before he knew where you were", Kiba said in his defense, knowing that it probably wasn't worth much at this point anymore.

Akiko looked up at Kiba and then at Shino. "Xerion really said that?" She asked, not able to understand why her brother would say something so heartless. He was usually the one that voided conflict because he hated fighting. As strange as it was for a shinobi, Xerion was a pacifist, but would kill if he was ordered to. However, his lack of overall battling skills made him a believable pacifist. It was ironic, in it's own way.

Sighing, Akiko continued to move back to the village with them. "Youki always knows vaguely where I am. That's why we all have the same tattoo. It's a ways of communication between all of us. It can even alert us to when one of us are hurt or dying. Youki said it was like... a blood bond when he had me get one when I was eight."

Shino listened to Akiko's comments curiously. "I admit that Xerion seemed quite different when I spoke to him, but I'm certain that he was in no joking mood with all the steps he took to make sure no one overheard us", he said before turning towards Akiko again. "It worried more than you know, and it was one of the reasons why I wanted you away from Youki today of all days. Xerion is getting very serious and dreary about this..........that's enough to make me begin to worry greatly"

Akiko turned her neck to face Shino, but couldn't see his face so she wasn't sure what to make of what he was saying. "Well, Xerion doesn't like hospitals and he just had major surgery. I'm sure he's acting like that because he's in pain. Being in pain makes him grumpy." She added that, even though it was something they knew. "But I've never seen Xerion worry. Youki must be planning something, but placed a seal." She bit her lip.

That worried her. If Youki was starting to place seals than no one would be able to cross him, and anyone who refused would be automatically mistrusted by him.

Kiba bit down on his lip at exactly the same time that Akiko bit down on hers. "That worries me", he said honestly as he turned to look towards Akiko. "What would you recommend we do? Is there anything that we even can do in a situation like this?", he asked curiously. He turned towards the path in front of them as they continued to move. Things were getting even more messy.

Akiko thought about it. "There are ways to release a seal, but there's almost always a physical seal present. If he did actually seal their ability to say what happened, it will be painful for them to talk about it. Youki uses pain to deter people because it works." She paused for a moment as they moved towards Konoha, which was now in view.

"So, technically speaking, there would be a way that we could get them to show us. If we ask them if they have a seal and tell them to do an action that is... something out of the ordinary, then they should be able to do it. At least in theory. It counts as violating the seal if they attempt to nod or say yes, but an unrelated action is usually the only way to counter a jutsu like that. Sort of like how you set a trap."

Shino heard Akiko's explanation, hearing it out fully. "Well, that's quite logical of you Akiko. I don't think I would have thought of such a simple solution", he admitted as he glanced down at her. "You continue to amaze the more time that I spend around you", he admitted with a smile.

Kiba scratched his chin, still thinking about what Akiko had exactly said. "So are there others besides Youki's siblings that might have this seal?", he asked curiously. Where was the line of those they could trust and those that they couldn't? Kiba didn't know, and that was enough reason to make him worried.

A smile crossed her face when Shino praised her. It was rare that he was openly complimentary to her and she appreciated it. A lot. "Thank you, Shino-kun."

"Kiba-kun, ANBU uses seals like that all the time. I've had one placed on me when I served on missions before. It's one way it stops you from being interrogated. I don't know how to do it, but I'm sure if I asked my commanding he'd show me out." She said, as they moved towards the village. "But I'm sure if Youki has started sealing, he's sealed everyone he told matters to and that can find out, which includes all my siblings teams." She paused. "And... Aaliyah."

Kiba gave several nods at Akiko's explanation. "Do you think that he'd know of any way to counter such a seal?", he asked curiously. He wasn't the thinker, but he had to at least try to contribute something to this. If they could figure something out, perhaps things would turn into their favor. He couldn't see how, but you never knew!

At the mention of Aaliyah Shino hung his head just a tiny bit. "Yeah......I know", he said. Aaliyah was the only close one outside of the siblings. Shino and Kiba themselves were the only ones that got into the inner circle by pretending to be others. She'd be in line right after the direct siblings.

The young teen gave this a lot of thought. "I... don't know of a way to break someone else's seal. They have to release the seal, or they have to die. Consider I doubt that Youki will die any time soon, I'll have to ask someone. We should go see Tsunade-sama, or we can ask Sasuke-kun." She said simply, knowing the two of them might not be too found of that idea.

"I'd assume that his bind on Aaliyah wouldn't be as severe considering the fact he cares for her. To be honest, he might just completely exclude her to avoid putting a bind on her, and I might not even be right. However, Sani didn't tell us much. It just seemed like he had sealed Xerion, despite what he was able to tell you."

"Well whatever it takes, we have to at least try to figure out what to do", Shino said as he tried to clear his mind. He knew that he loved Aaliyah, but they had talked enough and lived long enough to know all the pain that Youki brought them. Shino loved Aaliyah, so he had to let her do this for as long as it took. He could only hope it'd end sooner rather than later, until then he'd apply all his mental strength to figure out how to save her.

Kiba felt his hand tighten into a fist by sheer reaction as Akiko spoke. Since when had she called HIM that? He glanced over towards her with only one eye. "And what makes you think that Tsunade of Sasuke-kun would know anything?"

"Tsunade-sama is a medic." She answered. "If there's a way to break this jutsu, which is like a curse, I'm sure that she'll know about it." She paused for a moment. This time, she hadn't noticed Kiba's irritation with her. "And I think Sasuke-kun would know because he was trained by Orochimaru, and the fact he's not exactly a shinobi that plays by the rules. I have the feeling he can use them. If you can't, then I'm sure Karin has. She was a prison warden."

As they grew closer to the village, Akiko looked over her shoulder. "But Sasuke-kun has less of a reason to lie to us than Karin does. She is after all, behind held prisoner by Konoha."

Shino nodded once again. "I suppose that she's as good a start as any. If not her than we'll head to Sasuke and see what he knows. I'm sure he must have something that we could use, even if it's just weak advice", Shino remarked as his pace seemed to get faster. Obviously if anyone wanted to know how to break that, it'd be Shino. As much as Akiko loved her siblings, Shino believed that the way he felt was stronger.

Kiba took a few breaths, trying not to let his temper get the best of him. Why did she keep calling him that!? They weren't close! She never called anyone that besides Kiba himself! What was going on!? Kiba just tried to control his temper, knowing that perhaps he was just a bit on edge from everything.

Akiko nodded. "It's worth asking both of them, but I sorta get the feeling that Sasuke-kun would be less likely to censor information. Tsunade-sama is Hokage, and I don't think she'd believe it wise to go around telling people how to break jutsu that the village uses as a means of keeping its secrets and protecting its own shinobi. I'd rather ask Sasuke-kun first, just so Tsunade-sama doesn't know we're looking. If he can tell us first, it might be better than having her tell us no."

As they approached the gates and went inside, it seemed someone was waiting for them. "And where did you three disappear off to?" Sasuke asked, leaning against one of the small signs that wasn't too far from the gates.

The brunette turned and went over to Sasuke, hugging him. "We need to ask you a favor, Sasuke-kun!"

"What's that?" he didn't hug her back, but his hand rested on the top of her head.

Kiba felt his muscles tense. Why did she want to go to Sasuke first?! She just admitted like ten seconds ago that Tsunade would know more! Surely she wouldn't hold back the information if it meant taking Youki out of power!? Kiba just felt himself getting more irritated by the moment, barely holding back shouting at Sasuke to take his hand off of Akiko once she hugged him. He just stood there in silence, barely able to contain himself.

"We wanna know how to break a seal that is placed on someone", Shino said bluntly. No one else was around, so they couldn't afford to play games and waste their time. They needed to learn if Sasuke knew anything and they needed to know now. "Orochimaru used them all the time, did ya ever learn how to remove them without needing to kill the maker of it?"

Sasuke was surprised by such a question and a flicker of said emotion passed over his face. "Honestly, Tsunade has banned me from talking about anything Orochimaru related or any of his experiments. She sealed my tongue." He opened his mouth. However, a second later, his finger ran over the seal and it evaporated.

"It's not that hard." He answered. "Orochimaru sealed the tongue of everyone he didn't trust, which unfortunately was almost everyone except Kabuto. I assume he sealed Karin's tongue on a few things. I broke the seal on her and Suigetsu when we first formed team snake." From the way he spoke and the lack of a mark on his tongue, it was clear he was able to break them himself, no matter how strong or talented the shinobi. After all, he'd already killed a Sannin.

He looked at Kiba, who looked like he was about to punch him. Akiko was still standing at his side and he looked down at her, a smirk appearing on his face. It was condescending of him, but he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "As for teaching you, I don't know how to show you how to do it. I'm not the best teacher."

Shino watched the entire conversation curiously, noting that Sasuke could do it like it was nothing. So they did have someone who could break the seal, that was a fantastic start. "Well good teacher or not we have to try, it's critical to the future of the village that we be able to remove these seals on a moment's notice", he said as he looked towards Sasuke. "We have to at least give it a shot", he added.

Kiba felt his eye nearly twitch as Sasuke had the balls to put an arm around Akiko. If she wasn't right there he swore that he'd tear off his shoulder like Akamaru had done earlier, with his bare teeth. They needed Sasuke apparently, but he did more crap like that and Kiba was not going to just stand there for it.

The Uchiha sighed. "I don't think it's ethical for you to be learning anything from me. If Tsunade finds out I know how to do this and that I'm teaching someone else how to do it, I'm sure that will be the grounds she needs to exile me from the village." He said seriously. "If you need me to remove someone's seal, I will do it for you. However, I believe it best if I keep this information to myself. If it's critical to Konoha's continuance then it secures me a place in this village to raise my son. I'll take that guarantee."

Kiba's reactions where priceless. They were like a jealous lover ready to kill someone. "You do know that I'm married, right?" He asked, a tone of amusement in his usually monotonous voice. "I just do it because it makes you angry." He pushed Akiko towards Kiba gently. "Don't be so protective over her. She's like that with everyone, it's not just me."

Akiko blinked. "Why does it matter that you're married?" When she moved towards Kiba, she looked up at him, seeing the look in his eyes. "K-Kiba-kun why are you upset?" She looked over at Sasuke and then back to Kiba. "You don't think I like Sasuke-kun do you?"

Shino listened to Sasuke's argument for not teaching it to them. It was quite.......logical actually. Shino didn't make any emotion present, but he was looking at Sasuke in a new way. He had definitely changed from the man that he once was, full of vengeance and hatred. Now his first thoughts were to secure a place for himself and his son in the village. That kind of love Shino could understand. His love for Aaliyah wasn't an exact match as a father's love for his own, but Shino could imagine it being pretty close. "I understand, whatever you think is best we can work with"

Kiba narrowed his eyes at Sasuke. That arrogant bastard, what Kiba wouldn't give to have someone take his head for whatever kind of bounty was on it! All Sasuke ever did was watch out for Sasuke, nevermind that others could benefit from his knowledge. Nope, he had to keep it all to himself. Kiba glanced down at Akiko, cursing mentally as she could tell that something was wrong. Great, just great. This was exactly what he didn't need right now. She was already irritated with him after all, this would just make it worse. "It's nothing", he said simply.

Sasuke knew his place and standing in this village He wasn't an active shinobi and was under monitoring. If he left the village or made any step, in what Tsunade called the "bad direction", they'd have him executed. Not that he was a clan leader or anything. But Sasuke suspected his life was mostly tied to Sakura's influence. The hokage wouldn't possibly kill her Head Apprentice's husband and leave her with a small child to raise on her own. Comparatively, Sasuke spent more time with Shai than Sakura did, she was almost always working.

Glancing at Shino, he nodded. "Do you want to tell me what's going on, or is this just something I shouldn't ask questions about." He paused. "But we both know that this is about Youki." He crossed his arms. "Who kidnapped my son, if you recall." He added, seriously.

"You take things to personally." He told Kiba in a bored tone. "She's too young for me. Not to mention the whole marriage thing. And the 'I already have a son' thing."

Akiko watched Kiba. She blinked. "You're lying... Kiba-kun! You just promised that you wouldn't lie to me!" She declared, grabbing his hand. "Why are you breaking your promise to me? It hasn't even been an hour!"

Shino turned to look at Sasuke, not really wanting to get involved in Kiba's problems. Hiding his emotions was really something that he needed to do better. Of course, that was the one thing that Shino believed Kiba would never learn how to do. "Yes, if you're able to help us with this let's just say that we can deal a pretty hard blow to Youki's side of the battle", Shino said honestly. "Even Tsunade wouldn't be able to deny how important you were if you remove what seals we present to you"

Kiba felt Akiko's hands locking with his, already feeling the pained shame of guilt biting at his stomach. It was like all he did was make her upset nowadays. He glanced towards her for just a second. "Really......it's nothing. I just got carried away is all", Kiba said.

"I don't really care what Tsunade thinks of me. I just care that she allows me to live in the village I was born in." Granted, that pleased Sasuke. Much like Kiba and Shino, he had a personal vendetta against Youki. Whereas his attack wasn't exactly one that inflicted injury; the bastard took Shai and Deino: children that had nothing to do with him. Sasuke took issue with that, as he was sure everyone else did. "I'll remove seals on whoever you want. I suppose it would help to save you're girlfriend's life that I can also reinstate them." He touched his own tongue and Tsunade's former seal reappeared.

Sighing, Akiko looked up at Kiba, who she knew felt bad. This didn't seem to be as important, and she was slowly starting to realize not everything was worth fighting over. Whatever he was feeling seemed to have something to do with Sasuke. She didn't understand why so many people seemed to hate Sasuke, but they did. He was nice to her, and that's all she cared about. "If you insist, Kiba-kun." She said, smiling at him.

"Well I'd be lying to you if I said that I didn't have any personal interest in the matter", Shino said as Sasuke seemed to observe that Aaliyah was the main motivation for Shino at this time. "I can't say it in any other way other than you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours", Shino said simply. "Not gonna lie to you Sasuke, when you left Konoha I had no real idea that you'd ever come back except for a potential execution. But if you help us to take Youki down, I'll vouch on your behalf for anything"

Kiba gained a weak smile, seeing that Akiko was going to forgive him this time. "Everything just has me on edge Akiko, and I'm sorry that you're getting the worst blow of it. My instincts to protect you keep coming in, something that I usually rely on being an Inuzuka", he admitted. "I'll try to be better. I promise"

Sasuke grinned, satisfied that Shino knew exactly how this obligation was going to work out. The two had a mutual understanding; they had a mutual gain out of this situation: Sasuke to stay in Konoha and raise his child, and to continue his clan line; Shino to protect the woman he loved. In a way, they both wanted the same thing, to ensure a life with the ones they loved. It was far from an unreasonable desire, for both of them. And the Uchiha was pleased with the way things were going. This gave him some form of leverage over Tsunade, after all removing a seal was a valued and rare skill.

"Youki is not as strong as he claims to be. The way he sets up his ploys, leaves much room for error. Had he not affixed his life to Akiko's, I'd have killed him, despite the siblings he'd have killed." There was a pause during which time he glanced towards Akiko. "Truthfully, had I not met Akiko, I'd have had no issue in taking her life with his." So, even Sasuke admitted, albeit indirectly, that he wouldn't kill Akiko, despite his desire to be be rid of Youki.

Akiko giggled and covered her mouth as she did so. Looking at him, she tilted her head to the side, her long hair trailing over her shoulder. An innocent smile crossed her face. "Kiba-kun!" She was still quietly giggling. "I know you have the instinct to protect me. I have the same instinct to protect you. That's what love is, right?" She asked, wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him. "I will be here for you always, I like that you protect me, but not that you feel the need to lie to protect me."