Chapter 11 - Kokoro Hodoki (Untie the Heart)

Ekyt waited, concealed, for twenty minutes. He studied the terrain, as the Hour of the Tiger grew closer. He saw every nook and cranny his opponent could appear from. In a friendly comparison of techniques such as this, it wouldn’t be necessary to know every little detail so well, but with all that had been going on in the land of herbs, Ekyt didn’t dare drop his guard for an instant.
At ten minutes before the hour of the tiger, Ekyt drew his normal sword and pricked his thumb. He reached under his keko gi and pulled out his summoning scroll.
“Summoning jutsu!”
With a small poof, Umisu perched himself on Ekyt’s shoulder. Ekyt finished the small scroll, signed it, and gave it to the bearded dragon. The dragon swallowed it, nudged his master fondly with his head, then disappeared.



Lady Tsunade yawned. Her aide, Shizune, had stepped out.
“I thought she’d never go,” Tsunade said around a yawn. Her head drooped forward. She was asleep before she hit the desk.
BLAM!
“What the hell?!” she yelled as she raiser her head. She found herself staring into one big black eye.
It winked.
“YAHHH!” Tsunade screamed. She wasn’t awake yet.
“Lady Tsunade, I head a…” Shizune began. Then she covered her face and turned away. She broke into a loud giggle.
Tsunade looked at her, death in her eyes. “The damn thing scared me. Will you cut that damn giggling out already?!”
Tsunade unrolled the scroll, releasing another yawn.
“Shizune, remind me to kill that kid…”
“Who, Lady Tsunade?” Shizune asked.
“Ekyt. Damn it, I told him to report in every six hours. I didn’t think he’d take it literally!”
Shizune cast a look of curiosity at Tsunade. “HOW long have you known him?” she questioned, still giggling. She controlled herself, then looked at the scroll. She smiled widely.
“Only in the Leaf Village…this is the only place in the world with Shinobi moonlighting as Samurai…”
Lady Tsunade agreed. “When you write my reply, please underline the part about using common sense when answering. Like waiting until after 6:00 am! Tell him that if that damn dragon wakes me up again, I’ll have a new belt around my waist when he gets back.”
Umisu, who was smarter than most summons, knew full well what he was doing next. He gave Lady Tsunade an affectionate lick with his long tongue, then disappeared as she took a swipe at him, a disgusted look on her red face.
“I’ll kill them both…that’s it,” Tsunade muttered.
“You usually reserve that for me Tsunade!”
Tsunade groaned. “The one thing missing from my day…the pervert.”
Jiraiya gave her a mock angry look. “I’m not a pervert…I’m a mega-pervert who is also a best-selling author! You read my book yet?”
Tsunade shot Jiraiya a glare of doom.
“I’m not going to read you stupid perverted novel. Now, did Kakashi explain why you’re here?”
“He thought that was best left up to you. So, go for it!” Jiraiya sat back, his feet on Tsunade’s desk.
Tsunade’s temper was as legendary as her losing streak, and Jiraiya’s attempts at messing with her going to help further that legend.



Naruto and Lee, after a half hour battle, had used every strike in their arsenals. At the 59 minute mark, both were barely standing. One strike would decide the fight.
Lee ran in, aiming for a Leaf Hurricane. Naruto leapt up, aiming for a final punch that would win him the match.
Lee’s kick hit Naruto under the jaw just as Naruto’s fist cracked him in the nose. The combined power of the strikes sent them spinning away from each other just as the match clock struck 1 hour.

“Due to the time limit expiring, I conclude there is (koff) no definitive winner. This match is a draw,” Hayate’s hoarse whisper informed the crowd.


An hour later, the council convened to discuss chunin promotions.
“Rock Lee for sure. He did everything right. Lasting an hour against a ball of energy like Naruto is a near superhuman feat,” Kakashi offered.
His proposal was met with sounds of agreement.
“Kabuto Yakushi…Not gonna happen…Sasuke Uchiha…” Lady Tsunade glanced over the scroll at the name.
Kakashi sighed. “He’s talented, but a chunin wouldn’t kidnap an innocent girl.”
“No argument. Let’s see, the last name…Naruto Uzumaki…”
Tsunade took note of the votes. Everyone said yes…everyone but one. Once Tsunade saw the face attached to the body with the offending arm in the “No” position, she sighed.
“Of course…Ebisu…Well, it looks like Naruto is out again. I’d ask you to defend your reasons, but we’ve all heard them six times before.”
“That is because they are still valid,” Ebisu said indignantly.
“Valid? Have you noticed you’re the only one here who holds the kid’s inner demon against him?” Iruka shouted. He had finally had enough. “Look Ebisu, I can’t make you like Naruto. But holding him back for personal reasons is wrong and you know it!”
“Don’t you talk like that to me Iruka! I realize you hold a soft spot for the little demon, but you are still a chunin. You are only here because of all the jonin we’ve lost the last few years!” Ebisu snarled.
Iruka stood up, daring Ebisu to do the same. “I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t the one in the best position for the job. And you know, I’m glad someone finally over rode you about Ekyt. He’s another good kid who deserves better than your abuse!”
“There is no one above receiving criticism!” Ebisu retorted, standing up as well.
“That’s true, but you shouldn’t be the one giving it, not at this point! If Lady Tsunade sees no reason to hold them back, who are you to criticize her?” Iruka pointed out vehemently.
Lady Tsunade cleared her throat loudly, prompting the two to stop their quarrel. “Oh, that’s right. Thanks for reminding me, Iruka. Let the records show Iruka Umino’s appointment to jonin will be considered in one day’s time. I will be the one to make the decision. The rest of you have your missions.”
Ebisu look deflated, while Iruka looked shocked.
“Lady Tsunade…I had no idea…” he whispered.
Tsunade smiled, a sarcastic look on her face.
“I can’t have that @$$ failing my genin. You know them better than anyone Iruka. This won’t change your position, unless that’s what you want. If anyone deserves to be a jonin, it’s you.”
Iruka left, not sure what to think about the compliment. She must have meant it, Lady Tsunade doesn’t throw around compliments…



Ekyt and the nameless samurai stared each other down, wooden swords in their hand. With a battle cry, the samurai leapt at Ekyt, aiming for his head.
“Sa!” Ekyt breathed out hard, stepping to the side, drawing the wooden sword up, giving the samurai a hard crack on the triceps.
Samurai fights never lasted long, usually less than thirty seconds. When you played with swords, things got dangerous in a hurry.
The samurai made a return strike, Ekyt cut downward. The samurai stepped aside. Ekyt, however, had been a student of swallow form. He drew his sword back along the same angle, the wooden blade making contact on the samurai’s chin. The samurai bowed his head in surrender.
“Very well fought, young man. You do follow bushido.”
“I do. I am certain you do as well. Now, please tell me what has been happening here…”
Suddenly, the samurai all shook. Ekyt looked up, took one look at their eyes, and drew his real sword.
“Our master…he and his girl…they do not like you…DIE!!!”
Ekyt narrowly leapt aside, slashing the samurai in the stomach. The samurai’s bones were visible.
“Not the undead thing again! I don’t have time for this supernatural BS!” Ekyt snarled, cursing the situation, his good eye darting around, looking for the closest threat. Were they always undead…or was it just activated…more importantly, by who? And…the master and his girl…does this mean Sakura left under her own will? NO! I won’t believe it!
Ekyt had two more undead samurai to deal with.
“Bushido doesn’t cover the undead. Dragon’s Ember Jutsu!” Ekyt punched forward, with a red-orange flam shooting from his first, scorching the first enemy. Ekyt ran through the fire, unharmed, and slashed away with his sword. One Jodan cut later and the samurai crumpled to the ground. From behind, the other came, sword held high. Ekyt didn’t have time to turn around, so he jammed his case backward into the samurai’s stomach. The zombie was too close. Ekyt jammed it in the forehead with the butt end of his sword, then drew forward, cutting it in half at it’s chest. He heard a sound, so Ekyt glanced over his shoulder. He stabbed backward, his blade digging it. While his arms were busy, one of the samurai tried to attack Ekyt from the front. Ekyt focused his chakra into his right leg and kicked. The undead samurai crumpled into a pile of bones, a hole the size of Ekyt’s foot in it’s chest.
Ekyt shook the blood and dust off his sword and put it away. The first order of business was to get out of the hakama and back into his ANBU gear. He would need all the weapons. A sword could become cumbersome in battle. Against hordes of enemies, all of whom moved fast, the sword might become a hindrance more than a help, especially in close quarters combat.

Before he could do any of that, Ekyt was hit with something in the side. It had long brown hair, and was roughly up to his waist.
Kora?
Kora didn’t seem like a little girl anymore. She tagged Ekyt’s chin with a crescent kick. Ekyt didn’t want to fight her. Then it hit him- the little girl couldn’t be doing this of her own free will. Ekyt blocked a punch with his forearm, knocked it aside hard enough to spin the girl around, then clasped his hands around her neck in a headlock meant to ease her into unconsciousness.
The little girl was possessed, and had some much power she flipped the ANBU agent onto his back. Ekyt recovered from the throw quickly and rolled aside just as a high-heel buried itself in the grass where his throat had been just seconds earlier.
“Live by the sword…DIE BY THE SWORD!” Kora shouted, wildly swinging a sword from one of the fallen samurai.
As Ekyt dodged backward, he weighed his options. She’s under someone’s control…I can’t attack her body, anything short of killing her won’t stop her, and I’m not going to kill a little girl…If I assault her mind, I’ll have to do it carefully…if I do it wrong, she’ll have brain damage. If I could just get her to Lady Tsunade…I’ve only got basic medic training…
Ekyt leapt over one more sword strike, finally drawing his own and knocking the opposing blade aside. It was strange seeing a little girl wielding a sword as large as she was.
I’ve got no choice…I’ve got to use it…
“Demonic Illusion: Mind Barring Technique!” Ekyt called out.
The little girl screamed an unearthly wail, then charged. The genjutsu would take five minutes to work. Ekyt needed to contain her until the jutsu was in full effect. (The Mind Barring Technique interferes with the instructions the brain sends to the body, causing temporary paralysis)
“Hidden Shadow Snake Hand!” Ekyt called. From his right wrist, four snakes burst forth, hissing angrily. They wrapped around the little demon girl, holding her in place.
Ekyt used his free hand to give himself a small cut high up on his shoulder. He wiped the blood down a scroll, rolled it up, and struck the ground.
“Summoning jutsu!”
With a BLAM sound, Holly, Ekyt’s keeshonden summon, appeared at his feet.
“Kid? You’re reduced to beating up little girls?” Holly muttered, giving her master a look.
“Holly, I need you to take this girl directly to Lady Tsunade. Something is very wrong with her. I’ll send Umisu ahead to warn her you’re coming, so the guards won’t question you.”
“OK by me boss, whenever you’re ready!”



Sakura woke up, shaking her head. What happened…Sasuke!
Sasuke was standing near the window in the dungeon-esque room. He turned around as he heard one of the ropes binding Sakura to the table rub against the coarse wooden grain.
“So you’re awake…for the first time, you’ve done something to help me. Thanks to you, I escaped the Leaf Village,” Sasuke explained.
Sakura found she couldn’t move. Despite this, her anger got the best of her.
“Screw you Sasuke! I’ve never been anything but nice to you, and THIS is how you treat me! I was a fool to ever love you! And I can promise you, no matter what you do to me, Ekyt will be here, and he will rip you into little pieces for this!”
Sasuke put a hand under her chin, a look of mock concern in his eyes.
“That’s why I sent that little girl after her. She made a fine host for one of my demon souls. He won’t kill her, but she, on the other hand, will kill him…I wonder, how long will it take you to realize that good and evil aren’t real? It’s power, and those who are willing to work for it are the ones who suceeed.
“You’re wrong Sasuke…there’s love. YOU might have never felt it, but it does exist…I know it does…”
Sasuke ruffled Sakura’s hair. “You have the mind of a child. Well, when your loser boyfriend gets here, we’ll solve that.” Sasuke hit Sakura in the temple, knocking her unconscious.


Sasuke felt a hand on his shoulder.
“Big mistake, touching her…” Ekyt’s cold voice told Sasuke.
Meanwhile, a clone of Ekyt’s was untying Sakura.
Sasuke drew his sword and cut in the same motion. Ekyt fell to the ground like a wounded dear, his head hanging on by a thread. More accurately, the piece of wood Sasuke had diced up fell to the ground, and a small side limb clattered to the ground.
“I’ve already proven I can best you in combat…don’t test me,” Ekyt shot at Sasuke.
Sasuke aimed a Phoenix Fire Jutsu at Ekyt. Ekyt used a series of three water clones to douse the flame.
“Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique!” he called.
“Your lame genjutsu doesn’t scare me.” Sasuke’s dry reply was cut off. He fell to the ground, clutching his head, his mouth moving in silent screams of torment.
“Looks like my lame Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique was something you didn’t count on.”
Sasuke was opening his mouth, then closing it, screaming silently. Ekyt had a suspicion he knew what was going in Sasuke’s head. But at this point, he was back to being an ANBU agent, not to mention a concerned boyfriend.

Ekyt suddenly felt a second presence.

Itachi’s side kick caught Ekyt in the temple. The strike had been laced with chakra, making it that much more painful. The chakra hit Ekyt’s brain, scrambling the signals temporarily.
“You defeated my brother at the peak of his power…I thought you would be more of a challenge…” Itachi whispered darkly. He raised his hand in an open-hand strike, cracking the helpless chunin in the forehead. Before Ekyt had landed, Itachi wound up again, moving at an incredible speed.
“You prick!” the recovered Sakura brought her leg down in a Painful Sky Leg attack. Itachi leapt over the growing crater. Sakura had anticipated this and cocked her fist back. She caught the older Uchiha with a punch that sent him reeling into a wall twenty feet away.
“You’ll be okay,” Sakura assured Ekyt. Ekyt nodded, unable to speak just yet. His good eye suddenly opened wide in a warning glare. Sakura spun around, walking right into Itachi’s strike.
Itachi grabbed Sakura, quick as a flash. Ekyt knew what was happening, but he could do nothing to stop it.
Sakura saw Itachi coming.
“Tsukeyomi, the nightmare realm.” Itachi chanted dully, staring Sakura in the eyes, three tomoe of Sharingan visible. They changed as Itachi activated his Mangekyo Sharingan.
Itachi was in Sakura’s subconscious, trying to assault her mind. Inner-Sakura, however, had something to say about that. She barreled into Itachi, rocking the stunned Akatsuki member with a hard right fist.
“CHA! DON’T SCREW WITH ME! NOW GET OUT OF MY HEAD, BASTARD!”
Itachi ended the jutsu.
Immediately, a kunai knife was thrust into his hand, pinning him to the wall.
A sweat-soaked Ekyt held it there, panting with exhaustion.
“You don’t…(koff) hit a lady…” Ekyt managed to cough out. His brain waves were still scrambled, but they were coming back.
Ekyt felt a tap on his shoulder.
“Ekyt-kun, may I?” Sakura asked pleasantly.
“Huh? Um, sure…” Ekyt didn’t know what she had in mind, but he stepped aside, holding the kunai in place.
“Thanks so much!” Sakura exclaimed while drawing her fist back.
BAM!
The chakra-laced punch rattled Itachi’s teeth.
“That’s for touching me and hitting my boyfriend, you Uchiha asshole!” Sakura declared, shaking her aching fist out.
Itachi freed himself by prying the kunai out of his hand.
“Foolish little girl…I won’t enjoy killing you, but I will if I have to,” Itachi’s dull, menacing voice supplied.
Sakura flipped her kunai to a reverse grip. Ekyt still couldn’t make his body work, and he was cursing himself for it. Sakura, however, didn’t seem worried.
“I don’t die easy Itachi. Everyone thinks I’m a helpless little girl…but I’ve grown…and so have my skills. Even if I’m not as strong as you, I’ve got a purpose, and I’m not going to die yet! Chakra Scalpel!”

Itachi looked slightly surprised at Sakura’s bravado.
“You have changed…but you’re hardly worth killing…hardly…”
“You need a diaper over your mouth Itachi, that’s where the crap is coming out,” Sakura answered with a big smile.
As soon as the words left her mouth, she used the Body Flicker Jutsu to spring forward, landing near Itachi. She danced out of the reach of his kunai, then used her Chakra Scalpel to cut tendons in his forearm. She used the Body Flicker again, this time landing behind Itachi. She took a swipe at his neck. She missed, but leapt away before Itachi could retaliate. Sakura used a quick Clone Jutsu. Her clones were only diversions, not the more useful Shadow Clones. Itachi wouldn’t have had a hard time with this, but the failed Tsukeyomi Jutsu had left him very low, to the point where he had to deactivate his Sharingan. He hit the clones one by one. His left leg finally hit the real Sakura. She hit the wall with a hard thud. Itachi moved in for the kill. Sakura booted him in the groin, then landed an uppercut to his jaw. Itachi sailed backward.
Sakura took the break in the action to use the Chakra Scalpel on Ekyt. She fixed his brain waves, allowing him to move again. It had exhausted her chakra, however.
“Thanks Sakura…but…you have to leave me!” Ekyt’s voice took on a sudden urgency.
“What? Why?” She wanted to know, surprised.
Ekyt pointed. “Him…”
Sasuke stood in the doorway menacingly. He had recovered, but he walked past Ekyt and Sakura.
“So I’ve finally caught up to you Itachi…this time, you won’t be able to ignore my power!”


Ekyt and Sakura exchanged glances.
“We have to go, neither of us are in any shape to deal with them,” Ekyt told her.
Sakura, who had turned pale, nodded. Ekyt weighed his options, the blushed. I WOULD have to be wearing this sleeveless ANBU stuff…But it has to happen…
“Sakura, we’ve got to get out of here quick…Here, if you…don’t mind, grab on around my neck.” (Ekyt is holding his arms out like he’s carrying a box.
Sakura looked at him questioningly, but climbed up into his arms.
“Kakashi-sensei helped me with a faster version of the Body Flicker. Hold on tight…If I trip or misjudge, this is gonna hurt…”


Tsunade was napping placidly on her desk. She was curled up into a ball. She suddenly felt something near her face.
“Damn it Jiraiya, don’t pull that on me!” Tsunade yelled sleepily. She felt a tongue give her ear a lick.
“YOU ARE GONNA DIE, YOU DAMN PERVERT!” Tsunade sat up wildly, aiming to clock Jiraiya. However, she only saw Ekyt’s dragon.
“NOW what?” she barked at the dragon.
The dragon’s long tongue unfurled, leaving a scroll in front of Tsunade. It gave her a wink, then jumped off, probably to nap in the sun.
Tsunade opened the scroll, thinking it was just a check in. But the next check in wasn’t due for another four hours. What’s happened?
Tsunade’s mouth dropped open in shock. “My God…”
Holly burst into the room, carrying the unconscious Kora.
“Here you are, Lady Tsunade, compliments of Ekyt Kaguya!” Holly barked with false enthusiasm.
“I’m going to kill your master for waking me up twice…” Tsunade said off-the-cuff.
“Go for it. Bastard does it to me all the time…Well, I’m gonna nap before the kid needs me to save him…again…” Holly said, her snout in the air as she trotted off, pausing near the door to scratch at her ears.
Tsunade examined the girl. She suddenly saw a flash of smoke.
WHAP!
“Ow! You okay?”

Tsunade looked down and broke into a big grin.
Ekyt had been carrying Sakura. They were moving so fast Ekyt misjudged when to stop. He had tripped over Tsunade’s desk, then slipped backward on scroll. Sakura landed on top of him in a semi-suggestive way.
“Okay you two, I’m glad you’re in love, but get a room! And I don’t mean my office!”
Sakura giggled at the joke, while Ekyt seemed to be burning with embarrassment.
“I’m sorry Lady Tsunade. I’ll have a report written for you ASAP,” he said crisply.
“Don’t mean to ruin your fun kid. Just can’t have you two doing that here. I’m an impressionable young lady!” Tsunade declared.
“Young?” Jiraiya said from the doorway. “Last I checked, you were almost fi”
“If you finish that sentence, I’ll break every bone in your body, pervy sage!”

MORE TO COME!

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