Chapter 98 - Blood Spilled; A Life Taken

Back in Konoha, deep underneath the Uchiha dojo, there was an urgent meeting going on. After Ekyt’s sudden change into an Aizen-ish traitor, there was talk of what would happen next. Those in the know had shown up to ask Itachi himself.

Azami laid out tea, then sat down next to Itachi, her dark eyes glazed over with thought. Itachi had already told her about this, so he didn’t interrupt her own thoughts.

“Simply put, Ekyt can handle most of the Akatsuki. The two that will give him trouble are the two top leaders. They are Tobi and Pain. Everyone else, if he moves at the right speed, will be difficult, but winnable battles. He knows this. By now, Kisame will have turned on him, and likely has been defeated. Ekyt also holds a ring from one other member, Hidan. Hidan is no match for Ekyt.”

Sasuke ‘hmphed’ loud enough to get Itachi’s attention. When their eyes met, the brothers both fell silent.

“I don’t see why he’s your ‘protégé’ all of a sudden, Itachi. I could’ve handled this job just fine. So why Ekyt?”

Itachi met Sasuke’s eyes once, firmly. “I didn’t choose him. He had no other choice once he brought me back here to fight Orochimaru. He made himself into a villain so that the rest of the village would stand together and fight off this threat. It was how it had to be.”

“He’s weak! He won’t kill to save his own life!” Sasuke snarled, pounding the table and upsetting the tea.

“You’re right, Sasuke. He won’t,” Itachi conceded. “But he’ll kill to save other’s lives. The threat the Akatsuki pose needs to be eliminated. By doing that, the rest of us can combat Orochimaru and his newest threat.”

“T-then we need to help!” Sakura said finally, standing up. “We need to send out a support team for him! Someone that operates from the shadows! Someone who can kill who he can’t!”

“…Whoever goes will be at a huge risk.”

“Who cares? It’s better than letting himself be at risk alone!” Naruto declared, pumping a fist. Sakura stood with him. Kakashi and Yamato knew that they had to go where Naruto went. And they wouldn’t object to this mission, that was for sure.
--

Ryouko avoided dealing with Deidara just yet. He didn’t fear the artist- it was his partner, Tobi. Itachi had warned him Tobi wasn’t what he appeared, and was in fact very powerful. That meant that the next logical one to destroy was Kakuzu. But he didn’t like his chances- each time they had fought; Ryouko had paired off with Hidan. The one time he and Kakuzu had clashed, Ryouko had bought Kakuzu off, and had hoped a trap hidden in with the counterfeit money would take care of him.

But at least with him I have a reason to kill him. If he’s allowed to live, he’ll come after me, with the bounty on my head. I can’t have that. Not right now. That would ruin everything.
No, better yet, I’ll provoke him. Make it look like self-defense. Then beat him. That gives me time to prepare anyway.

Ryouko felt a presence behind him. He spun, his tonfa spinning out as his sandals crunched in the leaves.

KLANG!

“Kid, calm down! Listen, you aren’t going to be able to handle this one by yourself. I was nearby, and I figured you could use a little help.”

Ryouko’s eyes went wide. “Y-You…sir! Master Jiraiya!”

Jiraiya flashed a goofy grin. “The one and only! Now then, tell me about the plan that your brain is hatching. We’ll just see how I can fit myself in, sport.”
--

Azami and Sakura took a few minutes to speak girl to girl. Their respective men were both dealing with some complex feelings at the moment. So the girls decided to take care of themselves while the boys hashed out battle plans.

“Hey, Azami, listen. I’m really sorry about how I’ve acted towards you…” Sakura finally said, playing with her fingers. “I just…didn’t like to see someone so beautiful taking Ryouko away. I know, he’s not ‘mine’ or anything, but…”

Azami gave a small chuckle. “Don’t worry about it. I know how it is. You had every right to be suspicious. I don’t exactly look ‘innocent’, after all.”

Sakura giggled herself, but shrugged. “Well, that was part of it. But I guess I didn’t want to see him get close to someone else. He’s been hurt so much, and I couldn’t trust you.”

Azami sighed deeply. “You were right not to. But, at any rate, let’s take a walk. It’s good to stretch our legs once in a while, and there are things you need to hear about this whole situation.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Sakura wanted to know. She and Azami began their walk around the village.

Everywhere you looked, the village was silent and dark. It was normally so calming to the citizens here. But not tonight. Tonight, most had mixed emotions. Some hated Ryouko; some supported him. Others didn’t understand, but followed their own sentiments regardless. There was a lot of confusion and chaos.

Azami ran a hand through her hair. “First of all, I really did love Ryouko. But I fell for Itachi really hard. I don’t know why, and I feel like I destroyed Ryouko, after all he had done for me. He gave me trust that no one else would. He gave me a chance at a real life. But, even though I was blackmailed and had no choice… No, I DID have a choice.” Azami changed her tune mid-sentence. “I did. The whole time, and I didn’t see it. I should have gone to Ryouko to begin with.”

Sakura didn’t say anything right away. Once she organized her thoughts, she told Azami: “A lot of people underestimate him. He’s one of those guys that works hard behind the scenes and doesn’t get the credit he deserves. But to anyone who knows him, you couldn’t have anyone better watching your back.”

“Maybe so,” Azami admitted. “But still…anyway, why I called you out here. Ryouko isn’t likely to come back from this mission alive. Pain and Tobi are beyond Orochimaru. There are jutsus on my memory that prevent me from remembering details, but I just know…They can’t be defeated. Not in the normal ways. If Ryouko takes them on, then even the cost of his life won’t be payment enough to defeat them.”

Sakura gave Azami are hard stare. “Are you still underestimating him? He is a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. He will find a way- he always does. And I’ll patch him up at the end of his mission, just like always. He has a mission, and he won’t die until it’s completed!”

Azami found that she believed Sakura. I am guilty of underestimating him, aren’t I? Like at the tournament, when he fought Hidan, Kakuzu, and I. He was the only one to ever cut my face…

“You’re right, Sakura. You know him better than almost anyone, I’m sure. Now, before we head back, there’s one last thing I need to say…”

Sakura cocked her head to show she was listening. Azami took a deep breath, and began.

“Ryouko won’t come back as the same boy you knew. Killing someone is terrible…awful…what it does to you is indescribable. Whatever reason Ryouko has for killing the Akatsuki, his mind won’t be the same. And with his growing mental illness…how long do you think he’ll have? He may be on borrowed time now…”

Sakura rolled her eyes. “You didn’t hear me? Let me say it again: You don’t know Ryouko. You spent a few months with him. I’ve spent years with him. That piddling little mental instability won’t slow him down. If he’s defeated, mentally or physically, he’ll train, come back stronger, and defend this place and it’s people to the last! He’s beat that stupid illness, and he’ll come back here…home…to all of us.”

Azami shook her head. “I’m older than you. You might know Ryouko, but I know what war does to men. They’re changed, Sakura. No matter what. How can you be sure Ryouko will stay here? He’s a villain here, after all. No matter what happens, the history books will always talk of his deception and treachery. Even if there’s a happy ending and the people learn he’s no traitor.”

Sakura hadn’t thought of that. Did Ryouko know this when he took the job?! He can’t be serious! He has to come home!

“…That’s why we need to give him a reason to come, Sakura. How about it- what makes him come back here? And what would sweeten the deal? A girl? That miko, maybe? Or his assistant?”

Sakura looked skyward, seeing the dark clouds in the darker sky. The stars were beautiful tonight.

“No…he just wants to belong here. He’s told me that before. As long as there’s a place for Ryouko, and someone to protect…he’ll be back.”
--
--
--

“We can’t be sure of the boy’s intentions, after all. Hidan challenged him, and Zetsu personally vouches for the boy acting in self defense. In both cases, the child showed skill.”

Pain had heard Konan, and valued her opinion. But he had another problem with the situation.

“…The way he fought, it’s not a stretch to believe that he planned out how to fight those two. Then again, he’s also faced them in combat more than once. Hidan isn’t the brightest, so that’s understandable. But Kisame…”

“Likely overconfidence,” Konan mused. “If I were fighting a child so small and sickly looking, I might drop my guard a little as well. But either way, it’s clear we shouldn’t just underestimate him.”

“Surveillance, then,” Pain decided. “Zetsu will do to keep an eye on him.”

“And Kisame’s ring? The boy didn’t take it this time.”

Pain took it from Konan’s hand, turning it over in his own hand. Quite a valuable thing, this small ring.
“It belongs to our next recruit. Someone who can keep pace with this new boy, I think. Because if the pattern is consistent, Kakuzu will be eliminated next.”

Konan blinked. “A pattern? Explain, please.”
--

Ryouko explained his plan to Jiraiya in as much depth as possible. A lot of it depended on circumstances and reactions to other parts of the plan. But all in all, it was well thought out. Except for one major part.

“Master Jiraiya…each time I’ve had one of the Akatsuki at my mercy, I’ve failed to kill then. I stored Hidan’s head in a summoning scroll, and I cut Kisame’s tenketsu beyond repair. But I should have killed them, both times. But I couldn’t…”

Jiraiya looked thoughtfully at Ryouko for a minute. Unlike usual, the boy wasn’t burning with shame when it came to talking about his faults. As if he had resigned himself to believing that this was one fault he wouldn’t cure.

A shinobi that won’t kill is like a dog that won’t bite. But maybe this guy is the one in a million goofy kid that can make it work. I wonder just what Sarutobi-sensei intended for him, taking him under his wing like that. Why not assign him to a squad? Why lie to the boy and say there were no spots? What are you protecting him from, Sarutobi-sensei? Or rather, were you preparing him for something?

Ryouko felt Jiraiya pat his head.

“You know, those who resort to killing don’t always make the right move. I think you could kill- you’re skilled enough. But you don’t want to. If the situation is right, then you won’t hesitate. I can tell.”

Ryouko didn’t ask why he knew. He just took it for granted that the Toad Mountain Sage would know better than he would.

“Needle Jizo!” Jiraiya suddenly called out, grabbing Ryouko and enveloping both of them in a cocoon of Jiraiya’s spiky hair. Black threads bounced off them, followed by a huge purple hand. The hand’s force was enough to knock them both backward, skidding on their feet until they hit a thick tree.

In front of them was Kakuzu, ready for battle. This was the one battle Ryouko wasn’t ready for yet. But he could improvise- he hoped.

“Master Jiraiya, we should keep this as discreet as possible, I think,” Ryouko commented. He was digging his hand into his back pouch.

Jiraiya smirked grimly, matching Ryouko’s tone. “I agree. But what happens can’t be helped, right?”

“Naturally!”

Ryouko threw two shuriken, calling out “Multi Shuriken Shadow Clones!” as he dodged to the side, high up in a tree. Jiraiya, meanwhile, took to hiding behind a rock, waiting for opportunity.

Kakuzu held up one hardened arm, deflecting all of the hundred-plus throwing starts that were aiming for him. He sent the same arm after Ryouko, who jumped over it. That turned out to be a bad move as Kakuzu’s other arm came hunting for him. That arm barreled into him, pinning him against a tree.

“Gah!”

Ryouko coughed up blood, and instinctively began to push against the arm holding him. But it wouldn’t budge. And here came the other arm to finish him!

“Rasengan!”

Jiraiya’s version of the Fourth Hokage’s ninjutsu, the swirling chakra sphere, cut right through both of the arms, which were comprised only of black strings at this point. The hands aiming for Ryouko and the one holding him both fell limply, giving Ryouko a chance to hop down and prepare his next jutsu.

Kakuzu strings began to chase Jiraiya now. What bothered Ryouko was that he hadn’t seen Kakuzu transform yet. They had given him every opportunity. Why wasn’t he taking the bait?

Does he have backup or something? Who’s left? Itachi is gone. Kisame is out of action. Sasori is missing, but hasn’t been seen for some time. Orochimaru left a long time ago. Hidan is incapacitated. That leaves Deidara, Konan, Pain, Tobi, and Zetsu unaccounted for.
If these guys usually fight in partners, that leaves Kakuzu alone. It can’t be that he’s not taking us seriously. If it was just me, sure, but against Master Jiraiya, too? No way. Something has to be up.

Stealth was still an issue, so both Ryouko and Jiraiya kept their strongest jutsus in check. They couldn’t keep that up for much longer. And they couldn’t exactly sit back and discuss a plan. There had to be a way to destroy this guy- right?

Damn it, we can’t get close… Jiraiya thought, dodging around the strings and hands again and again. Ryouko’s thinking about it, too. If one of us could get in close…no, if I could get in close. After that talk we had, Ryouko has to be thinking about that. So maybe…

Ryouko suddenly had an idea! It was so simple, how hadn’t he thought of this before?!

“Bringer of Darkness!” he called out, using two other genjutsus as distractions. Very quickly, Kakuzu stopped moving recklessly. He was clearly trying to use his ears instead of his eyes, so he stopped making noise.

Jiraiya grinned- perfect! He rushed in, kunai in each hand, and hacked away. He had stabbed Kakuzu several times before his retaliation. That was easy to dodge, though.

“Bringer of Darkness!” Ryouko repeated, plunging Kakuzu back into a pit of darkness. Jiraiya slashed again and again, then dodged.

Finally, Kakuzu only had one heart left. That made Ryouko freeze- this was killing indirectly, wasn’t it?

“Do it,” Jiraiya ordered firmly. “You have to. If you let him go, he’ll kill again. He won’t stop. Think of all the lives he’s taken.”

Ryouko’s hands began to shake. Could he really do this? This is what it meant to be a shinobi. You took life away. You did so to protect others. You didn’t have to enjoy it- but you had to do it. There was no option.

I’ve been lucky…Most shinobi have killed by now. But me…my first kill at age twenty…I’ve done all I can to avoid it. My conscience should be clear. This one has to die.

Ryouko had heard about what Kakuzu had done. He was greedy. He was vicious. He was sure he was invincible. Didn’t he deserve to die?

No…but he’s gonna anyway. He killed that Miko…Asuna’s sister. The least I can do is bring her the head of the bastard who got her!

Ryouko looked at Jiraiya. His mouth opened- then he dove at the Sannin, pulling him down. Ryouko laid on top of him.

Deidara’s bombs detonated just a few feet away.

Ryouko groaned, but didn’t move. Everything hurt. Not least off all, his conscience hurt.
Damn it…I messed up. If I had just done what I was supposed to, this wouldn’t have happened. Now I’m going to die. I don’t mind that, I guess. But what if I’ve killed Jiraiya, too?

With that, Ryouko laid still.
-

Jiraiya pushed Ryouko off him.

He saved me! I’ll get that bastard for killing him! Stealth goes out the window now!

Ryouko groaned again- he wasn’t dead! But this, as it turns out, wasn’t much help to Jiraiya. Now he had to be careful again. If the others noticed Ryouko was alive, they would finish him off, no questions asked.

I’ve got to buy him some time. If he can just get up one more time and use that Reaper Death Seal…

“Alright. Ryouko, it’s too bad you’re not conscious to see this. But it’s not something you could learn anyway…here we go! Sage Mode!”

The only outward effect of this jutsu was Jiraiya’s nose becoming bigger and growing warts. That, and two arguing old frogs were sitting on his shoulders. It was laughable, really. At least to Kakuzu and Deidara. Neither of them had any idea of what had just happened.

“His nose looks like a sea urchin, un!” Deidara crowed from up on his clay bird. He was bent over laughing. He nearly laughed himself right off his perch.

“…” Kakuzu was less cocky. He knew that if this was a Sannin, there had to be more to this jutsu. No way just changing his appearance was all of it.

“Alright then. Now, who’s first? You’re both about the same level now…” Jiraiya looked from one to the other, sneaking a glance at Ryouko afterward. The boy had moved, but only a little bit. The back of his clothes had been burned away by the explosion. But there was surprisingly little damage.

I wonder…could he be playing possum? Jiraiya wondered. Knowing Ryouko, he had focused his chakra to his back to protect himself just in time. So it wasn’t out of the question. The explosions had been small, and not right on top of him. So he could be setting up a trap.
I’ll risk it. I’ll lure Kakuzu over, then tackle Deidara.

“Jiraiya-boy, that young’n alright?”

“He’s laying face-down, Pa! How well c’n he be?”

The two frogs fell into their own argument. Jiraiya paid them no mind as he got ready to make his move.

That was the plan. But it didn’t work out quite like that. Kakuzu and Deidara both forgot Ryouko entirely and aimed for Jiraiya. Deidara’s bombs were forcing him to stay away from Ryouko. They were clearly guiding him toward a certain spot. This was becoming a problem. If Jiraiya didn’t have to worry about Ryouko, then there wasn’t a problem. He could squash these two. But buying his hurt comrade time was getting dangerous.
-

Ryouko laid face-down, his hands moving into his vest pouches. He was running on auto-pilot, while his mind was elsewhere. He absently took long drags off his cigarette, all the while wrapping some razor wire with exploding tags.

This hurts…but I’m not going to die. I’ve got to get up. I’ve got one more battle, at least. If I die after that, I can accept it. But before then…

He put his cigarette in one of the exploding tags. The lit end stuck out, burning down slowly. At this point, it would take about thirty seconds before it reached the exploding tag.

Looking up, Ryouko noticed where his enemies were. They were herding Jiraiya toward something. Deidara was up on his bird…perfect.

Ryouko took six kunai, tying three to each end of the razor wire. His fingers were shredded, but that didn’t matter right now. What mattered was that he had finished his plan. Now to put it into action.

Spring and throw…

Ryouko did just that. He jumped and threw the weighted wire. He got it over Deidara’s bird. The three kunai on the opposite side of the bird dug into trees. The other end Ryouko pulled on. He had left himself wide open for attack, and Kakuzu was going to take the bait. He was too greedy not to.

Kakuzu did, and Jiraiya was waiting. A full-power, Sage-enhanced Rasengan shattered Kakuzu’s last heart. That, as it turned out, would be the end for Deidara as well. He looked to see about Kakuzu’s fate. When he did, Ryouko’s cigarette burned further, with the small flame finally hitting the exploding tag.

Once again, Ryouko pulled Jiraiya down. Jiraiya had seen this coming and summoned a protector toad. The toad stood in front of both of them…
BOOOM
…just in time. A blast of hot air mixed with sulfur hit Jiraiya and Ryouko, stinging their eyes. A second explosion, an even bigger one this time (Deidara’s bird was rather explosive, it seemed) knocking them both backward. But the fight was over.

Ryouko was shell-shocked from killing Deidara, but Jiraiya forced him to keep moving. There was no time to feel sick now.

“…no choice, right?” Ryouko finally muttered, his face as pale as Jiraiya had ever seen it. He was burned and bloodied, but still standing. “…they had you with that trap. I just saw it in time…”

Ryouko extended a shaking hand. Jiraiya followed his hand. His mouth dropped open.

There was a giant circle, in the shape of a mouth, on the ground. The explosions had knocked the thin layer of dirt camouflaging it aside. It was clearly made by Deidara, so you can bet it would be a bang.

“I saw it when I was lying on the ground. I could have just warned you, but it looked like they had you boxed in. So I…I finally…”

Jiraiya had known the boy would take this badly. What he needed now was some kind of salvation. No one that was sane enjoyed killing. And in this case, there really was no alternative. Killing in defense of another isn’t a sin. But all the same, there are something you never forget:
-Your first love
-Your first time in bed with a girl
-Your first kill

It would figure he’d only get the last one right. But maybe a girl can help him. That Shrine Maiden and his assistant would keep an eye on him. There’s no doubt that Ryouko can’t be alone for the next few days. In fact…

In what was an extreme kindness, Jiraiya knocked Ryouko out in such a way that he would sleep until a medical ninja treated him properly.

“…Very interesting, Jiraiya. Certainly not the outcome I expected.”

Jiraiya turned slowly. This voice…

“It’s me! You know! Tobi, the ‘good boy’!”

That isn’t Tobi’s voice. Or, rather, not his normal voice. This voice is more sinister, and dripping with malice…

“Oh, relax, I’m not going to fight you! Not right now! I just though I’d check on the boy, that’s all. He’s caused a lot of trouble for me, you know! Such an interesting child…”

“The boy’s fine,” Jiraiya snarled, hefting Ryouko up to a more comfortable position. “And you can’t have him.”

“…Well then. Tell him this: He’s delayed my plans by several years by destroying a good deal of my organization. So you can tell him that his mission is accomplished…and that, from one who has a right to say so…”

Tobi paused, removing his mask. Jiraiya stepped back reflexively. That couldn’t be right! It had to be some kind of transformation jutsu! And yet… There was no exhausted chakra from Tobi in the air.

Tobi let Jiraiya observe, then replaced his orange mask and finished his sentence.

“He’s become the legend that Sarutobi believed he could be.”
--

Jiraiya carried Ryouko back to the Leaf Village, slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Ryouko didn’t stir once.

Kisame…Hidan…Deidara. And I’ve eliminated Kakuzu. That leaves Sasori, Pain, Konan, Zetsu, and Tobi. Four out of nine Akatsuki eliminated.

Jiraiya could tell the looks he received were actually for Ryouko. The village hadn’t completely forgiven him. Yet they didn’t completely hate him. That was at least one small comfort to the boy.

Most of these people will never know just what he really did for them. But that’s the life we lead. Live in silence, die in silence.

Tsunade and Shizune were waiting, with Sakura and Naruto. They all looked a little alarmed when they saw Ryouko being carried. But they all breathed a sigh of relief when Jiraiya told them just what had really happened.

“We’ll talk in my office,” Tsunade said quickly, turning to lead the way.
--

“Before we wake him up…” Tsunade announced, tugging Sakura forward. “Sakura, I want you to check his mental condition. He will be monitored, regardless of what you find, but this will decide the course of his treatment.”

Silently, Sakura stepped up, focusing her chakra just so into her fingertips. While Shizune administered a genjutsu sedative, Sakura planted her fingers on Ryouko’s temples. She could tell by the way his chakra flowed that he was either okay, insane, or both.

“…His chakra is normal. A little relaxed, in fact. As the sedative and Master Jiraiya’s strikes wouldn’t affect his chakra flow in that way, it’s likely his mind is at ease for the moment. It’s when we wake him up that’s going to worry me.”

“Be prepared to put him right back out, Shizune,” Tsunade told her assistant firmly. “He’ll give his mission report. Based on that, we’ll either put him back to sleep, or release him into the company of a few certain individuals for mental therapy.”

“…Tsunade, we need to talk.”

Tsunade heard the serious tone in Jiraiya’s voice. She glanced at him, but nodded her head.

“No visitors yet. Keep him under, Shizune,” Tsunade snapped, following Jiraiya upstairs.
--

Jiraiya explained everything to Tsunade in detail.

“Four of the Akatsuki ruined. Their plans are on hold for a few years. That gives us a lot of time. Most importantly, it gives Naruto time to train. With that kind of leeway, he could easily become good enough to fight them on his own.”

“…That’s not all you wanted to tell me. What else?”

Jiraiya actually gave her a small smile. “It’s happened. Finally. Ryouko reached legendary level the other day. ‘Tobi’ made the declaration. He has a right to say so.”

Tsunade’s mouth dropped open. “He has? I’m not surprised he did…but so soon? He doesn’t seem like a legend yet…”

“Well, did we, back in the day? Give him time. And maybe someone to learn from after all this. Or at least a training partner. Maybe those three…after all, he’s supposed to help them reach legendary status.”

“He WOULD find a way to make both parts of that prophecy come true…” Tsunade sighed. She felt burdened, but it was Ryouko that concerned her. How could she deal with this? Now that he had been bestowed with the ‘legend’ title, he could easily tell her that he couldn’t be just sitting around.

“You know… Do you remember how Sarutobi taught us? Maybe it’s time to give Ryouko that kind of role. Give him a squad of genin, fresh out of the academy. Give them missions that keep them around here, and keep Ryouko’s role to a minimum. He’ll remember Kakashi and his team’s experience. Chasing cats for months before they got a ‘real’ mission. And by then, Ryouko will have healed up, and calmed down from having been forced to kill.”

Tsunade had considered that. Jiraiya bringing it up reinforced it enough in her mind. Though she thought she might take it a step further.
“I’m going to put him in an advisory role, too. He’s supposed to help the next set of Sannin. He can do that more when he heals. For now, I’ll give him some kind of desk job.”

“Do you really think he’ll go for that, Tsunade? It’s not like him to just lie down and not fight that kind of thing.”

“He won’t have a choice. I’m going to plant a mild virus in his system that will make him lethargic until he’s given an antidote.”
--

Ryouko’s hospital room was kept undisclosed. While he was unconscious, the village fought over what to do with him.

“Most say ‘execute him’… And we can’t just tell them what he did for them… This is a no-win situation…”

The jonin gathered put their heads together. The best they could think up was to kill Ryouko in an honorable way. Kakashi, Asuma, and Gai would have to do the killing. But all the same, there had to be a way for Ryouko to escape.

“If he’s give the time and the opportunity, maybe we can let him go. He’ll need to prove to the village that he’s on their side. We just need to give him that chance.”

“An official pardon from the Fire Daimyo would do it,” Asuma muttered. “Wait…Lady Tsunade, didn’t you say some Shinmaru guy was an S-ranked criminal here, and then he got a pardon from the Fire Daimyo, and now serves him? That’s perfect for Ryouko’s situation!

“If he escapes this ‘execution’ thing… But even if he DID get the pardon… the village would still be mad. The only way to really settle this is to have him speak to Itachi, in front of everyone. And have both of them clearly establish that they have no problem with each other.”

“Or send Ryouko away for a year, until people cool down. Maybe he could take a solid guardian spot. He’s a million times stronger than before.”
--

Sasuke sat near Ryouko’s bed, staring at him. Sasuke’s face was eerily calm, and only half illuminated by the moonlight.

“What a mess you’ve made…” Sasuke said to Ryouko. “You know, it was easier when I just wanted to kill my brother. But then you come along and forced my own reasoning out of my head. I’m going to kill you for taking my reason to live. And the best part is…you can’t fight back!”

Ryouko had heard that. His body wouldn’t respond the way he wanted it to, and he couldn’t completely dodge Sasuke’s sword. It caught his arm as he rolled off the bed. No time to deal with that, though.

Ryouko kicked the bed onto Sasuke, scrambling toward the window. There was Sasuke in front of him. There was no point in trying to stop, so Ryouko lowered his shoulder and rammed into Sasuke, sending them both spilling out the window and onto the street.

Sasuke focused his chakra and stuck to the side of the building. Ryouko couldn’t do that thanks to the virus in his system. All he could do was grab onto one of the rooftops with pure strength. That made him a sitting duck.

Sasuke’s sword extended toward Ryouko. Ryouko turned to avoid it, but it still cut his side. Blood spilled to the ground below. The ground wasn’t too far, so Ryouko let himself fall the rest of the distance. He landed crouched, and took off as fast as he could. He had to find someone- anyone!

The virus only made him slow- physically. In reality, it also messed with his chakra. He only had a minimal amount, and it took all his concentration to focus it.

Damn it!

Sasuke was hot on his trail, occasionally throwing a kunai or shuriken. When one hit Ryouko, he felt the shock of a Chidori hit him. Sasuke was putting chakra into the damn things!

But I’m well enough to keep him from getting a clean kill…I’ve got to keep stalling him somehow!

Ryouko had been dressed in the all-black jonin uniform, minus the vest. If he had his vest, he could have gotten at his ninja tools. Even his headband would have been a big help! That in mind, Ryouko kicked in the door to Ichiraku. As this fight was taking place at 2:00 am, it was empty. But there were still a few knives lying around. Ryouko scooped them up, then exited out the front. Sasuke was waiting for him.

“No where to run now. I’m going to kill you for what you did.”

Ryouko didn’t mince words- he kept running, trying to think of something. But he couldn’t. He needed an antidote for this virus, and he could only get that from three people: Sakura, Shizune, or Tsunade. But neither Sakura nor Shizune would be a match for Sasuke now. He had to find Tsunade.

Two more shuriken hit Ryouko’s back as he turned a corner. They only scraped him, but the shock from Sasuke’s chakra forced Ryouko to one knee. Out of instinct, Ryouko braced himself against the wall he had just tried to get around. Panting heavily, he drew one knife tight to his chest. The other knife he was holding was aimed upward.

Sasuke came from above, and tried to leap over Ryouko. Ryouko let the first knife fly, missing Sasuke. The second knife he was holding aimed toward Sasuke’s ankle. But Sasuke blocked it with his sword. Ryouko used his free hand to grab one more knife and stabbed at Sasuke’s stomach. Sasuke blocked it with his arm. Ryouko disengaged quickly, and just in time, because Sasuke’s body lit up- a full-body Chidori.

“Damn it!” Ryouko cursed, taking off again. It occurred to him to head toward the gates. There was always someone on guard duty there.

Sasuke seemed to know that, too, so he stood in Ryouko’s way. The bridge was the only path to the gate for Ryouko when he was this weak. But he had one more trick. Back in Ichiraku, he had grabbed cooking oil. With his chakra, he could manage a small fire jutsu. This would mean a burn, but there was no other way.

As Sasuke moved in menacingly, Ryouko spat the cooking oil out, then snapped his fingers to emit a spark. The oil caught fire and blasted right into Sasuke’s face. There wasn’t enough to do serious damage, but it gave Ryouko time to scamper across the bridge while Sasuke put himself out.

“I NEED TSUNADE!” Ryouko shouted at Izumo and Kotetsu. “IT’S AN EMERGENCY!”

But the two hesitated. They had been torn between supporting Ryouko and following the village’s general opinion.

Schunk.

Sasuke’s sword, cut Ryouko’s side again. Ryouko dropped to his knees, the pain getting unbearable.

“Now die!” Sasuke declared.

Pwoof pwoof pwoof pwoof pwoof

Kakashi, Gai, Asuma, Yamato, and Hayate all appeared in clouds of smoke just in time. Kakashi grabbed Sasuke’s sword arm. Yamato used a wood jutsu to keep Sasuke still. Gai grabbed Sasuke’s other hand. Hayate held a kunai to Sasuke’s throat. Asuma stood in front of Ryouko, shielding him with his twin trench knives glowing dangerously.

“Good thing we left when we did,” the newly-arrived Tsunade said. She strode right over to Ryouko.
“I’m sorry about this. I had no idea this would happen…but no matter. Your mind has had time to heal by now. So now it’s time for your body to get back to 100%.”

It dawned on Tsunade that she was helping the newest legend to his feet. Pride caught in her chest, even though she had little to do with it. If anything, she had been his biggest obstacle.
But I’ve never been happier to be beaten…

As he stood up, Ryouko noticed even the jonin had stopped to look at him. He had no idea why.

“There you are!”

Jiraiya had just arrived, and he was sporting a huge grin. With him was Naruto.

“It’s a pretty historic day, isn’t it, Tsunade? It’s not everyday we get this kind of thing happening to us here in the Leaf!”

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