Chapter 46 - Live Through Another

The meeting place for Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Yamato changed with each month to lessen the chance of being overheard. With Ekyt watching carefully, the three got down to business.

-

“They’re moving forward. They’ve gotten two of the bijuu now. They can safely target the nine-tailed fox- or so they believe. My research has shown me otherwise…” Jiraiya, unusually serious, produced a small scroll. He passed it to Kakashi, who squinted to read it. It was more a series of crude diagrams. Jiraiya began to narrate.

“If the Akatsuki were to capture Naruto, the demon would exit his body. But the demon fox has the ability to heal Naruto, an ability the other bijuu haven’t possessed- at least none of the ones who have been caught and extracted.” Jiraiya pointed to two version of what seemed to be Naruto. One had feral markings, the other did not.

“If the fox were extracted, there’s a good chance Naruto would live, depending on the demon’s own ideas. Naruto explained to me that he’s asked it for chakra before, and it obliged when it saw his courage. So it might very well heal Naruto as it’s extracted. BUT-” Jiraiya held up one finger. “There’s a catch.”

“Catch? What do you mean?” Yamato was following the scroll as well.

“The catch is, this can end one of two ways: The demon may be powerful enough to throw off the Akatsuki, and it could rampage freely again. The other option…if Naruto is without the demon’s chakra, it may impossible for him to do any of the jutsus he knows now. He may have developed, but moves like Shadow Clones and Rasengan would be detrimental to him now. Shadow Clones, as you both know, are flesh and blood creations. Without the healing powers of the demon fox, if Naruto tried to use the Shadow Clones, his body wouldn’t be able to cope. For someone as impulsive as Naruto, he wouldn’t last long. Learning a whole new way of life…I can’t see Naruto doing that gracefully.”

Kakashi closed his eyes for a moment. “There’s one other catch- Naruto considers that fox part of himself…if it’s taken away, he has no chance of doing what he wants. Hokage will be out of his reach.”

Yamato nodded. “Also, Kakashi-sempai, it’s best to consider that Naruto may in, in fact, be killed- Master Jiraiya’s research is unproven, and we don’t have any way to test it.”

Jiraiya nodded his agreement. “Right. But Naruto’s body, if he keeps using that chakra, will deteriorate. He can always get healed by the fox, but even that healing ability has it’s limits.” Jiraiya pointed to his next diagram. It looked like pictures of seals.

“We could always re-seal the fox…but the fact that Naruto can use it’s chakra has saved his life more times than we can count. If we clamp down entirely, the full power of the fox will be trapped within Naruto, and it could destroy him from the inside.”

“So you’re saying we should only strengthen the seal when absolutely necessary?” Kakashi sighed. “This is a delicate situation. But it all boils down to one thing, really. We can’t let the Akatsuki have Naruto. No matter what. We’ve all sworn on our lives to protect him.”

“He’s in good hands. Between Kakashi-sempai, myself sealing the fox, and his teammates, the Akatsuki will have a hard time getting to him.”

Jiraiya looked even more grim. “That’s a problem…aside from us, there’s one other who has taken the oath to protect Naruto. That Ekyt.”

Silence.

“He’s strong. If his kekkai-genkais were developed more strongly, he’d stand an even better chance. He’s had startling luck against the Akatsuki. Specifically Itachi Uchiha. In fact, I’ve brought this up for one other reason…”

WHOOSH!

Ekyt landed next to Jiraiya.

“They’ve arrived. One of them, but there are two following behind him. I can’t see who, but it’s Akatsuki for sure. They were approaching from behind me.”

The four exchanged glances.

“Well then, we’re in for a fight…” Jiraiya muttered darkly.

“Wait, please, Master Jiraiya. They aren’t aware of you watching- or, rather, we shouldn’t presume they are. I promised to protect Naruto, and right now, that means making sure all of you get back to him and the village safely. We’re far enough away to the point where, if there’s a conflict, we won’t be getting any help. If nothing else, we should either push them back and meet them farther, or meet them closer and hope for backup. But more than that…” Ekyt’s eyes looked even mor dark than usual.
“…More than that, your information needs to reach the Leaf. And I have my orders…please go back to the village. Orders of Lady Tsunade.”

Ekyt handed Jiraiya a scroll signed by Tsunade, ordering them to do just what Ekyt said- “At the first sight of Akatsuki presence, return to the Hidden Leaf to watch Naruto. Ekyt will act as a barrier.”

No one liked those orders. But Ekyt wasn’t going to hear otherwise.
“I knew the risks when I took the mission to help Naruto. Of all of us, I’m the most expendable, and that’s why I’m here. Naruto is the priority. And you as well, Master Jiraiya- You’re the only one with a hope of handling recon. Yamato-sensei, you’re the only one who can seal the demon. And Kakashi-sensei- you can match the Sharingan. Naruto needs all that.”

There was silence- everyone knew what Ekyt meant, but none were willing to acknowledge it. But orders were orders…

“We’ll send you back up…” Jiraiya said finally. “You’ve probably got more balls than brains for this, but at the same time…you and Naruto have the purest hearts of anyone I’ve known.”

“They won’t launch a full-scale assault. And even if they capture me, I can’t be tortured into saying what I don’t know…” Ekyt stared at the direction the enemies were coming from, an intense look on his face. Kakashi found himself looking at a young man who’d been forced to grow up early and fast, and was that much stronger for it.

The logic of what he’s saying is flawless…he’s thought this out privately. If he had told one of us sooner, we would have shot him down…but there’s one question…

“Why did you swear to protect Naruto?” Kakashi asked, while Yamato hid the scroll in a wood clone of himself that would be traveling with them. But even the distracted Yamato turned an ear toward Ekyt to hear this.

“Because I want to see him achieve his goals. To be honest, I really don’t believe I’ll achieve my own. So maybe…maybe I’m living through Naruto. As the years have gone by, I’ve wanted to become Hokage myself. And you all know how I feel about Sakura. If I can’t have my dreams, I want someone I trust to have them. And that’s Naruto. Besides that, he’s shown me a kinship that almost no one else has extended me. That’s why I took that oath.”

Somehow, that both surprised and didn’t surprise those present.

“I see…” Yamato said quietly, wondering who someone so young choose freely to give up like that.

“I’ll make new dreams. Right now, though, I want to see my old ones closer to being fulfilled…” Ekyt strained his ears, hearing a distant rustling of leaves. “Hurry. They’re almost here. It’s show time. And whatever you do…don’t tell Naruto what I said. His damn conscience is as bad as my own. Don’t even tell Lady Tsunade…I can’t allow myself to be talked out of this. Now, hurry, please. I’ll give you a little cover.”

Ekyt made handsigns, then raised his leg high in the air.

“Flama Succendo!”

FWOOM! The leaves and small trees lit on fire, creating a wreath of fire in the direction of the Akatsuki. After patting Ekyt on the shoulder, the others left. Ekyt stood still pulling a bone from his shoulder.

Forgive me for forging that scroll…but I can’t let this be jeperadized.

--

Jiraiya, Yamato, and Kakashi reached Tsunade office.

“What’s with these orders, Tsunade? It’s not like you to ask a kid to commit suicide like that…” Jiraiya laid the scroll out. Immediately, Tsunade’s eyes lit up. She pounded her desk, cracking it in two.

“DAMN HIM! I DIDN’T ORDER THAT! HE FORGED IT!” Tsunade snarled. “I’M GOING TO STOP HIM MYSELF!”

Jiraiya held up a hand. “Wait…what he said was absolutely right, like it or not. He IS expendable compared to us. There’s no choice- we can send back-up, but we need to let him handle this.”

Kakashi and Yamato, with Ekyt’s words fresh in their heads, agreed. Both because Ekyt was right, and because they couldn’t bear to stooge him off. Tsunade could see the reasoning, but that didn’t mean she would like it. She paced around her office angrily. She couldn’t afford to leave Naruto defenseless with the Akatsuki so close- their first attack could just be a diversion, while someone else made a beeline for Naruto. With her resources spread so thin…

“I’ll send him backup. You three, go guard Naruto and his team. Tell them it’s a training exercise, but DO NOT tell them what’s happening. Naruto and Sakura would run off to help Ekyt, and that’s just putting him in the jaws of the lion.” Tsunade didn’t say anymore, she just went to work and sent for backup.

--

Ekyt waited. Only one ninja came through the fire barrier he set up. He was face to face with Kisame again.

“You? What’re you doing here? Aw well, I know you well enough to know you’re not going to get out of my way…”

“That’s right fish-face. I know you’re not alone. But it doesn’t matter to me, I’ve got my orders.” Ekyt pulled a bone from his shoulder, aiming the point at Kisame. Kisame just laughed.

“Fine! Let’s see your skinny little frame deal with Samehada!” Kisame aimed to end the fight in one blow. Ekyt blocked the strike with the bone. Kisame voiced his surprise that the bone didn’t break.

“I don’t have full control over my kekkai-genkai, but I DO know how to control the density of this particular bone. It matches your Samehada. Now, if you’re here for a match, let’s get down to it. If you’re just here to waste my time and pretend I’m gonna be easy to deal with, you’re sorely mistaken. Camelia Dance!”

Ekyt took the offensive, stabbing at a high speed. The sheer size of Kisame’s sword made it impossible to move rapidy, but that same size blocked most of Kisame’s body. Ekyt wasn’t making the mistake of messing around- he was aiming for the kill now.

“Not bad, kid! You’ve gotten better since the last time we tangled! But it doesn’t matter. I’m S-ranked, and you’re a scruffy chunin! Good luck keeping up with me.”

Ekyt kept attacking with the bone, driving Kisame back. Then, surprisingly, he put that jutsu on hold to use his Flama Succendo again, forcing Kisame to jump.

“What the hell? What kind of attack?!” Kisame made the mistake of looking down at the jutsu, instead of watching Ekyt. Ekyt had since joined him in the air. He stabbed down, but Kisame blocked just in time with the side of his sword. Ekyt’s bone passed through the sword, allowing Ekyt to yank it out of Kisame’s hands. He knew it could return to Kisame at any time, but those few seconds might be all he needed. With the flames still going on below, Ekyt moved in for close combat with Kisame. Putting an arm around his neck, then stepping forward so that his leg was behind Kisame’s, he threw the giant blue Shinobi. Using the step for momentum, Ekyt planted a two-footed kick to Kisame’s chest. Kisame’s chest was thick, so Ekyt didn’t stomp on Kisame’s heart like he had hoped, He DID drive him into the ground hard, and right into the flames. Ekyt landed gracefully and jumped away.

Kisame sat up. “Y’know, that stung a little, brat.” Kisame held out his hand, Samehada returning to him instantly. “But you don’t fight fire with fire, you fight fire with water.”

Ekyt didn’t hear the name of the jutsu, but there was suddenly a good-sized body of water below him. He focused chakra to his feet to stay on top of it, looking for Kisame, who was standing opposite him.

“We’ll just see how the “Dragon Boy” handles water! Water Style: Water Clone Jutsu!” Four Kisame’s popped up. Ekyt was outnumbered, but good. He had heard what jutsu would come next from Gai’s report: Either he would be trapped in a sphere of water, or sharks would be underneath him, aiming to eat him at Kisame’s command.

Water eliminates most of my fire attacks…genjutsu…his mind is very strong, and he has lots of chakra. Plus, he’s not alone. But one jutsu can save me here…the question is, will I have enough chakra to keep fighting? Especially if he throws it off. Plus, I’ll need a distraction first. Best to show him a trick I didn’t have before, force him to keep guessing. No summoning, not for Kisame. But maybe I can…My Dragon Trio combo would work, but it’ll drain me. It’s not an options right now. Besides, the first of the trio would just give him more water to work with. So that leaves…

“Water Style: Water Clone Jutsu!”

Ekyt could only manage two clones- he had to conserve his chakra. He was a delay tactic, and that meant stretching the fight out as long as possible. Now, using those water clones to his advantage…perfect.

“Sickle Moon Dance!” Ekyt barked. His bone-toting clones began to move around Kisame quickly. Kisame had seen this trick before. He had to dodge quickly, until Ekyt came in from above to cut him up. So Kisame dodged and dodged, finally seeing Ekyt come from above.

“GOTCHA!” Kisame declared, swinging his sword around him, destroying the water clones, then spearing upward, catching Ekyt on top of his sword. POOF!

“What? Shadow Clone?! And my chakra is with those water clones…but still, he’s outnumbered…”

Ekyt made his move. “One genjutsu I’ll bet Itachi never performed for you! Bringer of Darkness!”

Kisame’s eyes couldn’t see anymore. He was trapped in a world with no light. He could hear, but that didn’t mean anything- his water clones were attacking, so of course there would be noise.

But that’s what Ekyt was counting on. Ekyt blazed in with his bone in his hand. He reared back and cut at Kisame’s neck.

CLUNK!

Ekyt’s strike had been blocked.

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