Chapter 48 - Akatsuki Aftermath

The Samehada arched down. Ekyt knew it was futile, but he put his arms up anyway. His death was going to be torturous anyway. If Ekyt could grab it, he was going to clutch that Samehada into his body until Rigor Mortis set in. Maybe someone would kill Kisame in those few moment where he would be mostly defenseless. CRACK!

At the last second, Ekyt threw the bone he had taken from his spine up in a block. He couldn’t hold of Kisame’s strike, but he made the blow a glancing one. The slight deflection coupled with the weight of Kisame’s sword knocked Kisame off-balance, giving Ekyt enough time to scramble to his feet and aim a chakra-filled punch at Kisame’s jaw. At the same time, Kisame’s massive blue fist was aiming for Ekyt stomach. Both strikes hit home, causing devastating results.

Kisame flew backward after being hit square in the chin. He felt his jaw break, then his back ache as he landed on the ground ten feet away. The little bastard baited me! He let me in close. His chakra must be too low for anything but taijutsu then…

Ekyt got knocked up high and backward, but landed on his feet, a small cough revealing blood on the ground. He wasn’t any less hurt that he looked, but a last-minute will to live instinct had kicked in. I can barely stand up. Still, that was some kind of damage. He didn’t get right up. Kisame has a temper, so he’ll come rushing back in right away. I’m too off balance to move…so how do I take away his mobility advantage? Especially in close. His skin is just like the skin on his sword- a kunai won’t do it. But that trick I used against the Mist-nin might. It’ll cost all my chakra, but there’s no choice now.

Ekyt sank to one knee, forming a shadow clone. He focused his chakra to it, then used a weak chakra scalpel himself, so his clone could follow suit. The clone did. Ekyt had a concussion, but as long as he could maintain a Chakra Scalpel, his clone could, too. Ekyt had also put extra chakra toward the clone, allowing it to use basic speed moves. Even so, this move was a gamble. The clone had most of Ekyt’s chakra, leaving Ekyt himself without much of a defense- Something Deidara was quick to take advantage of. He let his birds loose, zipping toward Ekyt’s defenseless sides. Ekyt simply cut the birds down with his Chakra Scalpel, but his equilibrium was long gone, so every move he made threatened to topple him over.

Meanwhile, his clone was buzzing around, cutting at Kisame at a close range, away from his sword’s most dangerous points, in close near the hilt. Kisame was big, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t quick at the same time. The clone was running low on chakra, since his real counterpart was using chakra from the same pool. Finally, the clone tried for one last strike. He managed to hit one knuckle on Kisame’s ring hand. Something flew towards Ekyt at that same moment. He caught it and hid hit, before his clone was destroyed and he was alone. And soon, he was approached by an angry Kisame. Even sooner, Ekyt felt himself getting hit from all directions. He couldn’t dodge anymore, and jutsus were out. All he could do was aim for tendons with a weak chakra scalpel. Finally, his chakra was gone, and only a measure of stamina remained.

“NOW I’m going to kill you. Put an arm up again and I’ll make it slow and painful!” Kisame raised his sword once more, using his non-injured hand to hold it.

“I DON’T THINK SO!” shouted a familiar voice.

“I am with you, Gai-sensei!” came another.

“Dual Dynamic Entry!” the voices said together. Two sets of leg-warmer covered legs, attached to spandex covered bodies sailed over Ekyt and into Kisame. Ekyt couldn’t believe that, but what happened next was even more unbelievable. It was so fantastic that Ekyt was SURE he had to be hallucinating. But it was no hallucination, it was as real as it gets. Ekyt knew that much as he felt sand cradle his body, gently dragging it backward, away from the battle.

“…you’re hurt. It was foolish to take those three on by yourself. This battle is over for you.”

Those ‘comforting’ words came from Gaara. Ekyt couldn’t figure out why Gaara would be here. The last he knew, they barely tolerated each other. Ekyt’s eye had been destroyed by Gaara, and it would take two years to repair it. Ekyt had fought him again and tortured his mind. After that, they had buried the hatchet. But it was a bit much for the Sand’s Kazekage to come and save him, Ekyt thought.

“Lee…take him and go. These fools don’t have enough chakra to do anything else. We can handle it.”

Ekyt tried to get up off the sand, but he fell back down. Part of that was Gaara making him stay put, the other was his concussion telling him he was down for the count. But Itachi was such a threat to any of them- all of them. The other two Gai and Gaara could handle, but that third member was a problem. It would take someone as skilled as Orochimaru to even stand up to him long enough to wear him down. Ekyt voiced that opinion aloud. But the voice that answered wasn’t any of the people that he had noted were here. Instead, he heard the voice of his cousin, Kimimaro.

“I’ll be his opponent. That much, at least, will repay my debt to you from rescuing me from myself.”

Ekyt wanted to protest, but he knew he was just a liability at this point. Instead, he sighed and said “Avoid his eyes. If he calls out ‘Amaterasu’, get out of there.”

Lee hefted Ekyt onto his back. He turned his head slightly as he took off for the treetops.
“Do not worry. They can handle it. …I must admit, I am jealous of you.”

Ekyt managed to slur “Jealous? Fowha?” (Jeaouls? For what?)

Lee smiled a little forlornly. “I could not have lasted so long against anyone as strong. I am sure that you are stronger than you give yourself credit for.”

Ekyt perked up enough to reply one more time. “Likewise, Lee. And if I’m strong, and you’ve beaten me in every sparring match we’ve had for four years, doesn’t that make YOU the strongest?”

Lee smiled even wider, running faster as thought to prove what Ekyt just said. But in his mind there was one more feeling.
Please return to strength, and quickly. I wish to spar you once more. I do not wish for you to end up as I did when I faced Gaara.

The wounds on Ekyt’s head worried Lee the most. He had been ordered to bring Ekyt straight to Lady Tsunade. Today was the day that Team Kakashi was away, so Sakura and Naruto wouldn’t go looking for vengeance on whoever did this to their friend, which is exactly why things were planned this way. But no one had accounted for Ekyt living up to a seemingly casual oath so strongly.

I suppose we should not be surprised. It would be unlike Ekyt to do something half way.
--

Kimimaro squared off against Itachi. Kimimaro had HEARD Ekyt’s warnings about Itachi’s eyes, but he wanted to feel for himself what Itachi could do. Or so it seemed. In reality, Kimimaro had an advantage that most didn’t have when they faced Itachi: A warning, and backup. That, and a plan. Orochimaru had told him a lot about Itachi.

“You were one who could best Orochimaru. I’ve never enjoyed fighting, but I feel as though I can look forward to fighting you.” Kimimaro pulled a bone from his shoulder, aiming it aggressively at Itachi. That’s when he put his plan into action. Nodding slightly, he stared Itachi in the eyes…

-

Kisame groaned. “This idiot again?!”

Gai stood across from him, a hand on his chin. “I feel as though I’ve met you before…” (Note: Gai HAS met Kisame before, two times, and has forgotten his name both times)

“I remember you just fine,” Kisame said, barring his shark-like teeth. “Maito Gai. To me, you’re just mighty stupid looking guy.”

Gai rubbed the back of his head. “You know, that insult sounds familiar as well. But I can’t quite place you…”

Kisame rushed Gai, his sword next to him, gaining momentum. Gai reached into his leg warmers and extracted a pair of nunchaku, blocking Kisame’s sideways strike. The two men strained with the effort. Kisame was getting closer to Gai’s body, even as Gai was putting his full effort behind blocking. Dodging was out- it left him wide open. That sword was long enough to catch him if he leapt. But Gai was far from out of options.

“I don’t remember your name, but I DO remember that giant sword of yours. And I remember exactly how to counter it!”

-

Gaara and Deidara stared each other down.

“You’re still alive, un? Too bad. You came all this way just to die!”

Gaara stared back, his expression unchanging, his body unflinching. “The last time I took your arm. This time I’ll take your head.”

Deidara reached into his clay pouch, finding himself to have only a little left. Deja vu, un? This happened last time. Was this the plan? To weaken the three of us, then wait for the calvary to arrive? Itachi and Kisame will be fine with their pools of chakra. I’m almost out of clay, and I lost my puppet arm. This is gonna be difficult.

Gaara had brought along his old gourd of Sand just for this trip. Without the Shukaku, the sand didn’t automatically defend Gaara anymore. But without the Shukaku, Gaara could also think more clearly and more efficiently. That, and even without the Shukaku, Gaara could control sand just fine.

--

Lee propped Ekyt up against the wall as he went in to make sure Lady Tsunade was alone. Ekyt did his best to stay upright. At least he THOUGHT he was upright- things were spinning pretty good now. Ekyt forced his hand to find his tool pouch. He lit a chakra cigarette and put it in his mouth. It took him a couple tries, and he nearly took out his own eye.

He was a mess. There was little blood despite the beating, but his body was resembling one giant bruise. Plus the concussion. The Akatsuki were clearly going for a clean kill. If they weren’t, they could have just diced me up. Probably counting on Itachi’s Tsukuyomi to do me in. That would be bloodless. No evidence, no retaliation.

Lee came back out, picking Ekyt up once more. He placed him on a blue padded hospital bed. This was familiar to Ekyt now, so he didn’t panic. At least not until they tried to take his cigarette. One thing Ekyt had learned over the years was to make sure you had chakra, or at least have a way to GET chakra. At first, he gently said ‘no’, then forcefully kicked the well-meaning medic’s hand away.

“Leave it, please,” he said as calmly as possible, despite having every intention of biting fingers off if that person tried to take his chakra cigarette again.

“Leave it alone, it won’t hurt him,” came the forceful (yet concerned) voice of Lady Tsunade. She immediately went to work, lifting Ekyt’s eyelids, taking blood, healing cuts, and asking questions.

“Concussion…minor, thankfully. It’s worse than it seems with the accompanying bruises…no broken bones, just like I thought. No major internal injuries, save for four broken ribs…bruised kidney…” Tsunade gently probed Ekyt’s body. He flinched, which was apparently a good thing.

“Alright, he’s stable. Everyone out, he needs his rest. I’ll be keeping an eye on him personally.”

Everyone filed out quietly. Lee wished Ekyt well as he left the room, shutting the door behind him. Tsunade and Ekyt were alone.

“…I never would have sent you on that mission if I had known you’d do this…” Tsunade murmured. “Why? Just tell me ‘why’. I want to hear it from you.” Tsunade had already heard from Kakashi, Yamato, and Jiraiya. They would be coming shortly.

“Before I launch into that,” Ekyt began, sitting up as he was feeling much better, thanks to whatever medicine had been pumped into him. “You need to hear this. Before I tell you, please M’lady, promise me this won’t change anything.” Ekyt looked Tsunade in the eyes.

“I can’t promise you that. I CAN promise that I’ll trust your jurisdiction as much as possible,” Tsunade answered, taking the diplomatic route. That was apparently good enough for Ekyt.

“They were aiming for me this time.”

Tsunade shook her head, disbelieving. “For you? Why? It doesn’t make any sense…”

Ekyt nodded, then wished he hadn’t as everything hurt. “I didn’t think so either. But consider this: Every time I fight the Akatsuki, I survive. No matter what it is- Itachi’s Tsukuyomi, Deidara’s bombs, Kisame’s sword…somehow, I survive. Itachi has been in charge nearly every time. Given that I’m nothing special, and yet I survive, there are two possibilities:

One: I AM special, and I’m unaware of it. Unlikely, that would have shown through by now.

Two: I’ve been being kept alive. Hard to believe, but I’ve escaped every time. Even today, my injuries were minor, especially compared to what the Akatsuki usually do.”

Tsunade really had to think that over. Truthfully, neither option seemed to be realistic.

“Maybe there’s a third option. No offense, but Shinobi stronger than you have been killed by ONE member, let alone three…”

Ekyt closed his eyes. “It’s possible that they know you and I were at odds, and that they’re testing my strength. They know I’m close to Naruto, so if they get me in their fold, they have a clearer path. I’d know who was probing them, where Naruto was, who he was with…that makes sense.”

Tsunade cringed inside. Ekyt knew that was coming and put her mind to rest.

“I’m not going to join them. Not if they ask, not if they force me. I gave you, Master Jiraiya, and the others a blood oath. If I was going to go back on it, I would have before they beat the hell out of me today. I’m not. And I also ask you to please let me keep helping. I’m now as much at risk as the others involved in protecting Naruto. You don’t have to include me in the meetings, I know you can’t trust me that much with the Akatsuki buzzing around. But please don’t take me off this case. Naruto’s the closest to living my dreams out, and that’s what I really want.”

Tsunade put a hand on Ekyt’s head. “You’re a good kid. Just do me a favor and start forming some new dreams- if you’re okay with giving up on your old ones. If your dreams stopped with getting a chunin vest…well, you need a new focus. Think about it.”

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