Dancing Flames

A cloaked man walked along a dusty dirt path through the forest. The trees were alight with the shining light of the setting sun as birds chirped in the distance. I never thought I'd find peace here but then again maybe this world isn't so sick. The man thought to himself as he walked along pleasantly.

Maybe he did, maybe he didn't know, but a mile away, Danny Uzumaki was about to strike. He carefully put his eye on the scope of his sniper as he examined his target, Hououza. He carefully pressed the trigger, releasing a bullet from the silencer sniper, and waiting to see if his target would drop dead.

The bullet pierced through the mans skull shattering his head into ashes that quickly reformed into his body. As looked in the direction of the bullet he began to laugh. "Seems I was wrong again. Well looks like we have another idiot to kill." He spoke dryly as he emitted a wave of heat that rapidly increased the areas temperature. About a mile away it was only ninety degrees but the closer to him you got the hotter it was. The small area around him had reached around two hundred degrees. He then began to move towards the bullets origin.

Through the scope, Danny could see the effects of the temperature rising in the area around Hououza. Knowing that he would not survive a direct confrontation, Danny quickly turned around and began to run away, hoping he can escape this impending doom.

"You can't run from me boy. I can see all that heat your emitting." The man cackled before to wings shot from his back as he took to the air. As he flew forward he sensed he passed the child and dropped straight through the trees into his path. The temperature seemed to return to normal as he walked towards the child. "What is your purpose?" He asked.

"I had a mission to assassinate anyone who walks through this forest, whether it be woman or child, they must be eliminated. I failed my mission, so I must find a new boss for me to kill someone for." Danny answered back with no emotions whatsoever.

The man stared back at him. "You are part of the problem with this world. You chose to kill others because someone asks you too. You don't even question why." He replied while shaking his head.

"Well, it's not like I have any choice. I'm alone in this world, so I need the money I get from these jobs to survive! Everyone has their own methods of survival, including me, so I don't need you to tell me how to live!" Danny replied back, now angry.

"So you live off the death of others. Is that really a way to live?" He asked the child. "You could have a life ahead of you so I'll spare you for now. But on the condition that you come with me and see what being a real human is about." He looks to the child giving him an ultimatum.

"Learning... what being a human is all about?" Danny asked himself. An offer like this never once presented itself, until now. After some thought, Danny accepted the offer. "Name's Danny" Danny said.

"My name is Hououza." The man replied as he looked sternly at the boy. "I'm known as the Phoenix Sage." He spoke before turning and beginning to walk. "Follow me."

Danny had no clue of where he was going, but he didn't decide to ask. He silently followed his new companion to see where he leads him.

The man walked until he reached a clearing near a cliffside and then turned to the boy. "Look over this cliff." He told him. As they did they would see a small village being torn apart by rouge ninja. They were slaughtering the civilians and burning the houses. "When you tired to kill me you were no better than them. He told the child."

"Wait, but I'll never assassinate whole villages like that! How was I the same as them!?" Danny asked with an angry tone.

"You took the lives of the innocent with no regard for them."He replied.

"But..." Danny stopped talking, and remained silent, watching the village. He got out a sniper, looked through the scope, and began shooting the rogue ninja.

The man jumped over the cliff before landing in the town. He quickly began rushing up to the rouge ninja and incinerating them.

After a little while, the rogue ninja were defeated. Danny found a way down the cliff and met up with Hououza. "Any survivors?". he asked.

"None." The man replied. "The reality is this is happening all over. This world is corrupted." He spoke in a solemn tone.

"I get it, this is how a human should live. Live so they could be hunted and brutally murdered." Danny replied.

"Sadly some do live in fear. So my goal is to eliminate those who kill those innocents." He replied to the child.

"Then, don't hold back. I've killed the innocent, so it's time for you to kill me then." Danny said, accepting his fate.

The man raised his hand as if he were to strike before placing it on the boys head. "I shall not kill you today. You have proven you can change so I will give you a choice. Join me on my quest or leavened never cross my path again." He spoke to the boy.

This was the first time he was offered such a thing, no one never really wanted anything to do with Danny, only for assassination purposes. For the first time, Danny smiled and agreed to go on this journey.

"Very well then." The man replied. "I'm going to test you." He spoke before tossing a kunai at his head and moving into an unknown stance.

He quickly deflected the Kunai with his own. "Hey, what are you doing!?" He asked.

"Testing you." He replied as as he charged at him swiftly swinging to kick his ribs. Unknown to Danny however was that the if he deleted the kick he would be thrown.