Chapter 9

"Hmm," guy looked around the dead bodies,

"We need to hurry up," Guy said, getting up

"If this Phoenix really is real, we can't let poachers take it."

"Cujo, good job defending yourself, you too, Neji."

Cujo nodded and applied the crushed herbs from his mouth into his shoulder, Guy ripped off the shirt of a poacher and helped Cujo wrap it onto his chest

Cujo put on his shirt

"Let's get going," Cujo said, Guy, smiled and headed off with the rest of them behind him

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Cujo looked at the moon [must be a few hours after midnight ]. He yawned, His eyes were closing in

[ tired. . . maybe just a little bit of] he shook his head and looked in front of him

it was blurry, and he could barely see the rest of his team in front

For one second he closed his eyes savoring the moment but at that moment his His foot twisted,he lost his balance and violently hit his head against the body of the tree, he stumbled along the branch before finally falling off, Mid way towards the ground, he lost consciousness.

In the deep corner of his mind, unconscious, cujo he felt the heat of the light touching his face, His eyes opened and he shot up, his Kunai drawn and analyzing the surrounding area, beneath him were thick plants that had covered his body while he was unconscious,

[How long was I unconscious for?]

he looked around, He was about to yell if anyone was there but he knew something was wrong, [ If I was out for that long, They would've found me already, But something must've happened, Something that concerned them more than me. . . Was it the phoenix or. . .]

Using what he learned at the academy, Cujo slowly redirected his chakra towards his temple, He slowly rubbed his chest, feeling not as much pain as it had used to, he jumped onto the same tree in which he had fallen off of.

[ I fell off here]

Cujo looked towards the tree, which marked his blood, He looked forward and jumped onto a branch,

[This is where neji was] 

He looked around, the tree in which neji had been on was shredded with cuts and heavy hits. He looked at the surrounding tree, some branches had been broken, and some trees heavily damaged

[ they were attacked!!!,]

Cujo got into position,  

[Transform!!]

Suddenly he shrinked, he looked around him as the world looked bigger,

[I did it!!]

Cujo had successfully transformed into falcon, 

[now I just need to know how to fly]

He waved his wings, Gaining lift he jumped off the branch and started waving faster and faster until he was hundreds of feet above the trees, he looked around his new transformed eyes, which had perfect vision.

[now where are they]

He looked around until he saw an a flat area surrounded by the tree line, He saw neji,  and lee unconscious and tied to the trees with what he thought was normal chakra chains, While guy sensei was wrapped fully with  blue chains which were probably stronger.

They were surrounded by four people standing by them, As he looked closer, he saw their headbands

[Hidden sound ninjas…]

Cujo started gaining more height, He started to gain it faster and faster until the air started becoming thin, Then he looked down,  [Death from above]

He overcame the nervousness in him and swooped down. He was going so fast that he started to break the sound barrier, one of the sound ninjas looked up, wanting to find out where the noise was coming from.

Cujo went faster  than he thought, his falcon form cutting through the air. The sound ninjas noticed him and tried to get out of the way but it was no use, Cujo swooped down onto his head  and before he could touch him, he transformed back into his original form, And dug his Kunai deep into his eye, He quickly jumped off his chest and killed the other sound ninja near him, 

The other two ninjas drew their swords, Cujo quickly grabbed his other kunai, Rushing towards the  sound ninjas, The sound ninja slashed at Cujo with his sword, But Cujo ducked, He spun to his lower side, and cut his knee and quickly parried the attack from the other ninja leaving him dazed, He quickly slashed at his throat, blood splattered onto Cujo face, He turned to the other ninja who's knee he had cut, 

He did a few hand seals and hit the ground with his palm,

[Oh no]

Blue chains shot from the ground trying to grab Cujo, But it was no use, Cujo used his footwork skills and easily avoided the chains, He threw a kunai at the ninja, which gave Cujo an opening, Distracted he quickly lunged at the sound ninja, Avoiding the chains, the sound ninja saw him and started to run the other away.

Cujo quickly grabbed him and put his kunai up against his throat. He looked into his eyes and realized he was just a kid, almost a year older than him, but he was scared.

"Get rid of the chains, NOW" Cujo said, pressing the kunai harder, 

The kid did a few hand seals, and the chains disappeared, 

"Remove the ones on the other ninjas, Now"

After the chains disappeared and Cujo comrades fell to the ground, He quickly killed the sound ninja and rushed towards them,  Cujo looked at the guy and tried waking him up, "SENSEI!", Cujo tried slapping him, but it was no use

[Dammit, their drugged]

Cujo heard something, he quickly looked behind him and saw a  person who was a few years older coming out of the forest line, He wore a light purple kimono tightened by a purple beaded belt with a uncolored yin Yang symbol on his clothes, he was pale with long white hair. He looked at the dead ninjas, one by one, until he looked up at Cujo, who quickly grabbed the two swords from the ninjas he had previously killed.

"friend or foe?" Cujo said, gripping the swords tighter, 

The white haired man threw something at him, Cujo quickly moved out of the way, In the corner of his eye he glimpsed a white sharp jagged object, "foe it is" Cujo leaped towards him, running as fast as he could, but the young man didn't budge, still standing in the same stop where he threw the object he reached a hand up toward the back of his neck, Cujo heard flesh and blood being squished together, suddenly he yanked out a long sharp jagged object, [I-is that his spine?]

Cujo jumped towards him, slashing right and left, Cujo saw an opening and when he was about to go for it, A bone flew out of the man's arm coming straight for his eye, Cujo quickly yanked his head back, But by doing so he left his side open, The man tried to stab him but he quickly jumped to his right, Cujo thought he was out of reach from the man's sword, but he was wrong, he Felt a sharp pain in his ribs, Right by his heart, Cujo looked down and saw the spine-sword, It had extended by a few feet,

"Heh, you bastar-" he slammed his fist into cujos face, Breaking his nose, Cujo dropped his swords and  went stumbling backwards dozens feet, He got onto his knees holding his side, he quickly got up, but before he could get into position the sword came right into his face, Cujo swatted aside the sword and leaped towards the man and punched him, Cujo quickly realized what he had done, and jumped backwards, He looked at his three broken fingers.

[dammit, he must be infusing chakra into his bones]]

Cujo rubbed his fingers, and grabbed two kunais with his hands, Forcing each hand to grip the handle, He rushed towards the enemy, Attacking from from all sides Cujo spat into his eyes which left an opening in his neck, Taking this chance he leaped towards him as fast as he could, ready to dig into the side of his neck but before he could he was stopped, he looked down seeing 12 long white spikes digging straight into his stomach and ribs, one went right through his body, He looked up seeing that the spikes originated from his chest, 

" You are one weird-" the white haired man retrieved all the bones and kicked Cujo with so much force that he sent him flying back and straight into a tree, with his back engraved into the wood, Cujos eyes were blacking out from the blood loss, the white haired man approached him

" Give up and die"  he said, raising his sword high into the air, "die, I will, give up? Never!!"

Cujo moved his body, which was just a lump of meat sack, broken and ripped, he raised his kunai ready to attack, but the white haired shinobi slashed and chopped of his arm, cujo gripped his teeth forcing the tears to stay back, he raised his other arm, that too was cut, this time at the shoulder, 

"Pathetic, it is time I finished this" the white haired shinobi said, he raised his sword and slashed diagonally, it cut into his shoulder and out through his hip, cutting him into two, he fell limp onto the ground, blood was here, there and everywhere. He looked up into the sky, even though it was blurry, he could see the moving sun, coming closer and closer, until he realized it was not a son, but a bird, a Phoenix,

Cujos eyes widened as the phoenix landed right behind him, he felt the heat, instead of it behind painful it was soothing, the phoenix brought his head above his, and cujo could see the bright blue eyes which contrasted his red, a tear formed, and a single drop fell, cujo was engulfed in flames, inside he felt alive, feeling his limbs regrowing, his bruises healing, and his muscles strengthened.He opened his eyes and saw that he was standing, standing over the ashes of the phoenix which raised him.