The Wind Temple

Anei stood upon the fifth tatami mat beneath the statue of the eagle, deciding to wait for Washi to arrive before opening it up, a possible trap. Washi was one of the few Anei had no delusions of fooling...He was far to clever to be truly manipulated, he was one of the ones who could merely be worked with. He twirled the ring around his fingers as he waited, wondering what Washi could possibly want, trying hard to process this and everything else that happened into his calculations. He hadn't expected his plans to be known to so many ninja already. It would make things more interesting, if nothing else, though he didn't like it.

The Wind Temple, a grand building from an era where shinobi were not in cohesive villages but in seperate clans instead. Here it was, a place of peace and solitude where there was war everywhere else and a place to meditate. Gradually, over many years it has decayed and deterioated, weathered by sand storms on the outside but on the inside it is perfectly preserved.

Washi pushed open one of the grand steel doors, at the centre of the temple was a large statue of Fujin - the wind god himself and surrounding him were four smaller statues. The one tailed Shukaku stood behind Fujin, its hands outstretched in a menacing manner and the decorative art gleaming in the light of dawn. Another statue was on the right, it resembled a large warrior holding a fine katana and seemingly weeping. To the left, a statue of the old Daimyo of the Wind Country holding a scroll in its hand: A map showing his territory, small compared to the modern Wind Country. Finally, in front of the mighty Fujin was the statue of a majestic eagle made of marble and covered with ivory.

It towered over Anei as Washi approached it slowly, the light from the windows gleaming onto his hair and eyes. Daybreak seemingly being absorbed into the heart of the temple even as fierce sandstorms ravaged the outside. It was here that the nature of wind was tamed. As Washi stepped closer to the statue, he gently rubbed the beak of the eagle and then crouched down.

"Long have the members of the Oda Clan visited this place. Indeed the other name for this temple is the Oda Temple. Long have the old monks left this magnificent place and long has it been left here like a ruin. The founder of our clan..." explained Washi as he swerved his finger to the statue of the warrior, "Was an important soldier for the leader of the country - he was also adept as an shinobi. When the monks left this place, my clan took it over but it seems that after fifty or so years, only my father and I still visit this place. Indeed the Oda are now very much scattered and our numbers have been decreasing."

Now Washi pointed towards inscriptions running along the grand walls, leading to a central dome to which light poured in. "These inscriptions, if you read them carefully - then their meaning will unravel. They are old rhymes and verses recorded from myths, legends and parables passed on orally by father to son. One of which concerns the village itself."

Now Washi bent his head down again and pulled the Tatami mat away, revealing a storage hole. Inside were manuscripts and other items of unknown origin. He grabbed an elegant white robe from within and gave it to Anei.

"It is said, that if daylight from the dawn ever breaks open the windows of the large dome, then the village itself will crumble. A mere myth of course and it is impossible for light to break these windows. If you look closely at the ring that I gave you then there is an indentation. The ring was made by special smiths and is infused with small amount of chakra - the animal you symbolise will gradually start to appear on the ring."

Washi placed the mat back in place, under the statue. The hole disappeared from view once more. "This place will be the headquarters of a new organisation: Hitofuki. The objective of our organisation will be to hunt down dangerous members of the organisation known as Akatsuki. We will work in teams of 2 or 3 to achieve this objective," illustrated Washi calmly, "There are several traps on the inside and outside of the temple. They are deactivated of course but only a fool would assault a building they know nothing about: there are secrets inside here that not even, I, or the Kazekage know anything about. Secrets that have left this building intact and left alone."

Anei eyed the white garb with obvious distaste, holding it between thumb and forefinger as though it were dripping with acid. He draped it over a talon of the eagle statue and eyed the ring more closely before slipping it in his pocket.
"I know you are no fool Washi, and I should hope you know I am one no more so than you. You don't trust me, any more than you should. And yet you offer me a place within your organization? What reasoning do you have behind this? We both know the other to be of higher than average intelligence so out of respect I'm sure there will be neither of us attempting to fool or flatter the other. A snake in the grass, even if able to loose its venom, will surely die in the grip of an eagle's talons..."

Washi chuckled softly and looked closely into Anei's eyes before grabbing Kira out from his robes and admiring the blade.

"You say you want to bring down the current Akatsuki correct? Then our goals are currently quite entwined, it's true I don't trust you but as I have said before, it would not be logical to attack someone who could help me out. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. So until my enemies are dead or incapictated, I have no quarrel with you. Hitofuki will be a gathering of some of the craftiest and most powerful shinobi in Konoha and Suna - currently even the Kages will be unable to deal with the combined might of Akatsuki but Hitofuki will seek to change that."

Washi placed Kira back into its scabbard inside his robe and proceeded to the large statue of Fujin. He hopped on to its back using his chakra enhanced reflexes and he grabbed something off its ears quickly before elegantly landing back onto the temple floor.

Anei nodded a little, leaning back against the wall, fingers drumming on the wall swiftly and excitedly as Washi examined Kira.
"Of course, for now we have the same objective. But what happens when my plans come to fruition, if they do so in their entirety? I'll be the head of the Akatsuki and what then? Do I get a grace period to escape in payment for my assistance or will I be stricken down while still in your midst...I guess we will see when the time comes. There are of course a few pawns I have in place that I would prefer to be kept alive...One of whom has already suffered a death at the hands of the Kazekage, who is to play a crucial role in the attacks. He seeks a chance at forgiveness, a chance for acceptance in the villages, and so is willing to help me. Another, of the Kaguya bloodline, who will prove a very valuable ally, wise, if not cunning, and no doubt powerful as well."

Washi stood upright after the gentle landing, swivelling on the spot and thinking quietly for a few seconds. Everything was in place for the destruction of Akatsuki...it was simply a matter of settingt he wheels in motion.
"What I will do...depends on what Akatsuki will become once you are leader. I am a honourable man however and I will give you time for some peace. Back to the topic at hand, what exactly will your pawns do? Will they aid an attack on the other members - if so, it would be best to not make them fight openly. Let them betray the leader when he needs them as his allies. Stab him in the back while he is fighting. That would be the best way to deal with such a troublesome...ninja."

Washi glanced at his own ring on his forefinger, an eagle elegantly crafted into the metal - spreading its wings in flight. He looked up to the dome of the temple temporarily before setting his eyes back and level with Anei.

"Hitofuki will need three more members before we engage against Akatsuki. Numbers is not an issue - we won't fight them directly unless our chances of winning are high. Look for some possible recruits."

Anei smiled softly, pulling the ring from his pocket and sliding it smoothly onto his gloved finger, wondering which animal might appear in time, folding his arms across his chest meeting Washi's stare with a friendly smile.
"A little more of Uko's plan has become clear. As you may have guessed, Shinichi was supposed to take care of you, likely one of the more troublesome pieces standing in his way. Shinichi having failed that, he has lost a piece to the other side and has that objective yet to be taken care of. With any luck I can convince him to assign either myself or the Kaguya to take care of you. Which of course, we won't. expecting both myself and you to be busy fighting he will be open to attack from both of us. I do suppose he and his girl as well will likely target the Kages during the attacks, a battle likely to drain him. I'm sure between you and myself, a trap could be easily set up that we can ensnare him in once the battle has dragged on for a while. Another member, Ijin, whom seeks only acceptance, was charged with creating some of the greatest bombs this world has seen, rivaling those of Deidara, the famous clay craftsman of the original Akatsuki. With the promise of acceptance I can easily convince him to construct the bombs as duds, meaning that the largest part of the destruction Uko plans, as well as the chaos he hopes to instill, will also not be manifest. He'll expect a large explosion and to catch the shinobi he faces offguard in their shock...We shall turn the tables and strike when he is stunned at the lack of destructive explosions. Shinichi as well should be recovered soon, I should hope, and able to assist in the battle however he may."
Anei tilted his head a little, explaining some of his thought process, though this was of course only the top layer of what he hoped to achieve.

Washi nodded slowly. He was already formulating an elaborate plan to isolate the leader or to attempt a pre-emptive strike - possibly in a pincer movement.
He clicked and regathered his thoughts, opening the palm of his hand to himself - not showing the particular objects he had grabbed off the statue of Fujin and pocketed it inside one of the many pockets inside his robes.

"Good...good - the cogs are fitting nicely into the machine that is called destruction. Perhaps we will take out the other members of Akatsuki first, so as to isolate the leader or bait him into an attack on Konoha when we are more than ready. First, however, I will look for new recruits and discuss other business."

Once more, Washi sent chakra down his legs and increased his reflexes to an exponential level. He shunshined quickly towards the door and opened it, already buffeted slightly by the sandstorm outside. He chuckled at the sight slightly before disappearing into the sand and wind.

Anei...I am watching you...

Anei smiled watching Washi leave, stretching and relaxing in the temple a few moments longer, thinking to himself. Of course to watch a spider was folly, they never did much of importance in the open...The strength is in the trap. A spider on the ground could never hope to catch a fly, they are far too fast and unpredictable. Thats what the web is for, and woven intricately enough, even the smaller, faster flies cannot pass through safely. Once they are all collected and in place, the flies can do nothing but wait for their doom at the hands of the spider...Anei sighed softly, glancing again to the now empty doorway, fingers twitching almost nervously. There was only one potential problem. An eagle far too large to be stopped by a finely woven web. He had to be careful of that one...