Chapter 20 - Strengthened Resolve

Katsuyori and Sai were being marched across the Mist Village, hands tied behind their backs. Sai’s face was impassive, and Katsuyori’s was full of hate. The warrior in him was furious, but Katsuyori was still a kid. He feared death, and his heart hadn’t yet turned to stone.

“Are we going to die, Sai-san?” Katsuyori asked quietly. The streets had been lined with people, some of whom threw rocks or fruit at the two. The Mist Shinobi gave both Leaf villagers looks of contempt.

“It’s possible that we will…” Sai replied. Subtlety was not his strong suit. But he was so calm about it that Katsuyori calmed down.

“My father was a samurai…” Katsuyori began, trying his best to stay as stoic as Sai was, but he could hear his voice cracking with emotion. Sai turned his head to show he was listening.

“Every night, after we had trained together, he always told me something. He said ‘Katsuyori-kun, if you do nothing else with your life, make yourself into a fine man. There are many paths to that goal, and each may be as good as the next. But only you can find that path…Accept guidance from those you trust, but never follow someone else’s life. Become your own person. Strong and firm…loyalty, my son, will endear you to others…’…”

Katsuyori looked to the side as a tomato bounced off his head. When he looked back at Sai, he was in tears. This surprised Sai; A tomato couldn’t have hurt very much. After a moment’s thought back to his reading, Sai realized that the wound was emotional, not physical. That led him to understanding why Katsuyori was crying. The situation had occurred in some of Sai’s books.

“My father was killed by a Shinobi in a senseless battle! And my mother couldn’t live without him, so she committed seppuku. I was alone, until I was adopted. I tried to fix my life, Sai. But all I did was become a liability, and cause you and Ekyt-san trouble…”

Sai looked away, but answered. “You understand bonds, Katsuyori. I envy you. I’ve never had those bonds.”

--

“The talk will have to wait, Sakura…” Kakashi lifted his headband. “We have to make this look good…Sorry, Ekyt, but there was one thing you didn’t factor in.”

Ekyt jammed his chakra cigarette into his mouth and took up a guard position.

“What’s that, Kakashi-sensei?” he growled, readying himself for a fight.

“That I won’t let my comrades die. If we go to the Mist Village, we’re outnumbered, and we may start a war…neither is good for the village…” SPLASH! Water clone?!

From behind, Ekyt felt Kakashi’s kunai at his neck. He shifted his eyes to look at Kakashi, but could do nothing else.

“Don’t you agree? I hate to do this, but I order you to return to the village…” Kakashi looked like he really didn’t want to do this. He was torn, but he couldn’t let anyone follow this foolish plan, it put everyone at risk.

Ekyt narrowed his eyes. Suddenly, HE had a kunai to Kakashi’s back! A replacement jutsu!

“I can’t let you stop me. You preach that you won’t let your comrades die…Well, I’ve lived that so far, and I intend to do so. I’d walk through fire and back to save Katsuyori and Sai. They never turned their back on me, as so many others did. So if you aim to stop me…I guess we’re going to fight…But before we do…Thank you for everything, Kakashi-sensei. I’ve always respected you. And this is a fight I’m sure I won’t win…but dying at the hands of your Sharingan…it’s respectable, at least.”

Yamato, Sakura, and Naruto looked on silently. Ekyt lowered his kunai and then- took off! He kicked off the ground, making hand signs. Kakashi copied them.

“Fire Style: Dragon’s Ember Jutsu!” they called in unison. Both had to dodge the tongues of fire. Ekyt slid backward, and Kakashi zipped forward, making handsigns of his own. Ekyt threw two Shuriken, and used the last Jutsu that Master Sarutobi had taught him.

“Multi Shuriken Shadow Clones!” Ekyt’s two shuriken became two thousand. Kakashi didn’t have time to copy while he was making his own hand signs, so he finished his jutsu.

“Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!” Kakashi hid underground. Ekyt didn’t know where he would pop, so he retreated to the safety of the tree tops, making hand signs as he went. When he landed on the tree, he found Kakashi waiting for him. A clone, or the real Kakashi, Ekyt didn’t know. All he knew was that it was jump back down, or fight up here. Ekyt picked jump. As soon as he landed, a pair of hands snared his ankles. Ekyt struggled against them, trying to force himself away. Just as he broke free, the next jutsu he heard marked the end of the match.

“Earth Style: Fanged Pursuit Jutsu!”

Kakashi’s Ninja Hounds came from every direction, all biting down on Ekyt. He winced with pain, but didn’t try to get away. He had lost the fight fair and square. ‘Kakashi of the Sharingan eye’ could cross off another name in his BINGO book.

“Lightning Blade!” Kakashi called out. Chakra began to gather in his palm, until it was visible, and crackled like lightning. “You could still save your life and turn yourself in…I really don’t want to do this, Ekyt. You’re a great Shinobi, and a good friend.”

“Do what you think is right, Kakashi-sensei. I’m going to do what I think is right, until the very end! Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique!” Ekyt didn’t need handsigns for that genjutsu anymore. But Kakashi batted it aside.

“You gave me quite a match for someone so young and inexperienced. Now, just give it up, please. I don’t want to have to kill you, but you’re not giving me a choice…”

Yamato spoke up next. “Kakashi-sempai is right. You can still avoid death. While you aren’t wrong in your thinking, you aren’t thinking big enough. There’s an entire village to consider.”

With dogs of all shapes and sizes hanging off him, Ekyt winced with pain, but managed to get out what was to be his last sentence.

“I…tried. To just let them go…it’s wrong. And if the Mist want to go to war with us over ONE-OF-OUR-OWN, shouldn’t we fight for our beliefs?! But I guess…you’d have to kill me anyway, since I’m apparently rogue. So just do it. I won’t hate you for doing your job.” Ekyt turned his head to the side. The chakra in Kakashi’s hand crackled and grew, until it was the size of a softball. Kakashi, already looking regretful, began his charge. Ekyt gave one last tug, but the dogs were holding him down. He couldn’t escape against their fangs, and his genjutsu wasn’t working.


“NO WAY!” Naruto skidded in the way, standing in front of Ekyt, defensively. Yamato made a move, but found Sakura in the way. Kakashi and Yamato both ended their jutsus, though Kakashi’s dogs still held Ekyt in place.

“I’M NOT GONNA LET YOU DO THIS, KAKASHI-SENSEI! I USED TO HATE SAI, BUT I STILL WOULD HAVE DONE ANYTHING TO HELP HIM! I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU’D KILL EKYT OVER THIS! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!” Naruto shouted, glaring at Kakashi. Naruto’s body began to glow red; the demon fox had been awakened by Naruto’s strong feelings.

“You should both be ashamed! Orders or not, killing Ekyt is wrong! He hasn’t done anything wrong! You always tell us not to let our comrades die, and abandoning them makes you scum…” Sakura began, quieter than Naruto, but just as fiercely. “Ekyt, Sai, and Katsuyori are all comrades. Doesn’t your rule apply to them?” Sakura challenged.

“Either way, you let him go! You’re not getting any closer to him until you’ve gotten rid of me. BELIEVE IT!”

Ekyt was hit with a sudden rush of affection for his friends. At this point, even if he died, knowing that he had two people so willing to defend him that they’d risk death…it really meant a lot to him. He couldn’t do anything with these dogs on him, and he couldn’t let those four fight. They were team mates. If Ekyt fought Kakashi, they were only acquaintances. It was time to make one last, desperate maneuver to escape. With his body already bloodied, Ekyt only had to muster the strength to tap his thigh with his hand.

“Summoning Jutsu!”

With a small ‘POP!’, Ekyt’s diminuitive water dragon, Umisu, appeared.

“Water Wall!” Ekyt told the dragon. It winked it’s understanding. Seconds later- SPLOOSH!

The dogs, now soaking wet, fled from the sudden rush of water. Pakkun, being smaller, was swept away by the tidal wave. Ekyt rushed back in front of Naruto and Sakura.

“Do it, sensei. Kill me, but leave them alone! You four are comrades, I’m an outsider looking in, WISHING I was part of your group! But I’m the outcast here, and I knew damn well what I was doing when I chose to help Katsuyori and Sai. Don’t attack Naruto and Sakura, they’re only doing what they think is right. Whether I agree or not is irrelevant…”

Kakashi slowly let the chakra die down in his hand. He sighed, and as he did, storm clouds drew overhead.

“You know what this means, don’t you?!” Kakashi thundered. Naruto and Sakura shrank down in fear. Ekyt stood up taller, so if Kakashi attacked, only he would be hit. But he needen’t have worried.

“It means…you’re free to go!” Kakashi gave a thumbs up. Ekyt hadn’t expected that.

“What?” he said stupidly, looking to Sakura and Naruto for some kind of understanding. They looked equally dumbfounded.

“If you’re going into enemy territory, you’ve got to be unshaken in the face of danger. I had my killing jutsu right near your face, and you protected your team instead…you remind me of a teammate I had, long ago…but, that’s a story for another day! Right now, you’ve got two people to save. Naruto, Sakura, follow his lead, and come back safely!” Kakashi gave a wave, and disappeared. Yamato stayed momentarily, but smiled and left himself.

“Can anyone tell me what the hell just happened?” Ekyt muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. THAT was a test? He had that Raikiri so close I could have touched it with my nose!

“I have no idea…but, c’mon, let’s go already! We’ve got to save them! Even if it IS Sai!” Naruto was ready to go!

“Hold on! Didn’t Kakashi-sensei JUST say Ekyt was in charge? And besides, I’ve got to talk to him before we go running off!” Sakura collared Naruto just as he jumped, yanking him back down to the ground with a ‘GAH!’ sound.

“Okay, okay, violent Kunoichi!” Naruto grumbled, massaging his neck and straightening his jacket.

--

“Ekyt…I…well…I want to apologize. You were right all along. And I’m sorry I deceived you like that…” Sakura shifted uncomfortably, not quite meeting Ekyt’s gaze.

“I see…well, I should apologize to you. I knew what you were going to do…” Ekyt paused and let the shock sink in with Sakura. “…Why would you hug me, I reasoned. I knew you and Yamato were on a mission to bring me back. I didn’t want either of you to look bad.”

Sakura gaped at Ekyt, who was looking up at the sky, trying to judge how much time until darkness fell.

“That’s really sweet of you!” Sakura opened her arms for a hug, giggling at Ekyt’s wary look.

“This one isn’t a trap. Just an apology.” Sakura stayed still. Ekyt stepped carefully into the embrace, as though afraid that he might break her. It was ironic that he was afraid of breaking a kunoichi that could, no doubt, crush him like the boulders she had ruined during her training.

Sakura let go, looking on questioningly as Ekyt tried to stifle his blushing.

“We should move, while we have time. It’s only a half-day journey to our destination, but I don’t want to get caught in the woods…or at least not the center. We need the time to find a good clearing, wood for a fire, fresh water…and the extra time will come in handy for any resistance we meet.”

“Right!” Naruto and Sakura said together. Ekyt leapt up into the branches, his two friends following. But as he leapt along the treetop pathway, Ekyt was hit by a sudden surge of emotions.

Little bastards…all my emotions are back…now I feel it…Lord Third’s death…it’s finally hit me…

Ekyt had to force himself to focus on the trees, otherwise he was going to be falling a long way down. Tears soon stained his eyes at the loss of a mentor. Ekyt still hadn’t finished going through all the stuff that Lord Third had left him. So many scrolls and jutsus. Ekyt treasured them all, but one thing in particular Ekyt cherished among the others. Lord Hokage’s combat gear, and his Hokage robes. The Third had been fond of saying Ekyt would make a great Hokage. Ekyt had never given it much thought. And he decided now he wouldn’t, unless Naruto either could not or would not take the title of Hokage.

I’ll spend some time alone tonight…think things out. I can’t afford to let my emotions screw up this mission.

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