Marise easily snatched up the male genin and Imouto, causing the masked figure to immediately drop its victim and slowly turn around. The girl wheezed and cried, as much as she could with her damaged throat. Again, all that could be made out was a vague semblance of the words, "Big Brother."<br/><br/>"What the hell!?" The male genin said, "You'll bring that thing straight to us!"<br/><br/>Indeed, before she could leap out of the area, the masked figure began to walk towards her... the plants around it died as it moved, its aura a constant drain on everyone and everything around it. The man it held earlier laid still on the ground.<br/><br/>The Amegakure kunoichi didn't see Tashi coming, as he landed on the opposite side of them- his back to her own. Blood spewed everywhere as they flew upwards... though only half of Kaito's body rose in the air. The woman came back down, but Tashi left before he could see the result. The sound of an explosion punctuated his exit.<br/><br/>He soon caught up with Marise, holding the two genin. "I can move fine by myself!" The boy said, all the while Imouto squirmed and tried to escape. Whatever that thing was, she<em>wanted</em>to be by its side. As far as her Byakugan could tell, she was just a regular girl, though... It should have sucked out her chakra like the plants and ninja around it, but that didn't seem to be the case. Unless it could control that ability...<br/><br/><hr/><br/>"Oh, don't play dumb, Aiko-chan..." Kitano said with a sigh, "Who do you<em> think</em>I'm talking about?"<br/><br/>After a few moments of silence, he finally continued, "I wouldn't call him mentally ill... In fact, pretty reasonable after everything he's been through. If it was some form of modification or learned changes to his behavioral patterns, it would have had to have happened in the last few days. Delusions are possible, but his brain is one of the other organs in his body completely intact from the accident... Now, Genjutsu..."<br/><br/>"I considered that... but I have no means of testing it. Even so, what sort of technique could last this long? And who could have done it... We've barely parted ways since his mission to Konoha."<br/><br/>Ryoichi went forward a head of them, oddly determined to find these two ninja for reasons he had yet to explain, even to Kitano...<br/><br/>Soon enough, they came upon a deserted square-shaped building complex... There were dozens of rooms with doors leading to a walkway in the center. Ryoichi stopped up ahead, kneeling at the edge of the roof. Aiko and Kitano landed next to him soon enough.<br/><br/>"There." Ryoichi said without moving... Down below, headed down one of the walkways, two Konoha ninja in their typical attire- vests and headbands giving them away. They came up to a room and knocked on the door. "Kitano..." Ryoichi murmured, "How long do we have?"<br/><br/>"What do you mean, Ryoichi-sama?"<br/><br/>"Shinji Henkou no Jutsu..." The inhuman ninja clarified, "How long can one of your fake memories last?'<br/><br/>"About... sixteen minutes." Kitano replied, unsure of what he was getting at.<br/><br/>"We can't have someone with such powerful eyes avenging themselves upon<em>us.</em>" Ryoichi quietly added, narrowing his one good eye. Kitano obviously had some question or complaint, but he remained silent on the matter.