Chapter 4 - The Next Level of Courage

The beach’s white sand was now stained with blood. The sun beamed down, as though unaware of what was happening on the beach below. The surf kicked up onto the shore, depositing some shells on the sandy white trail, and leaving long strands of green seaweed on the beach. Somehow, this seemed to make the beach look MORE natural, rather than take away from it’s pristine beauty.

“Damn it!” Ekyt cursed as a kunai slashed the strap holding his vest closed. That had been too close for comfort. He felt the familiar sensation of his own blood trickling down his stomach. Keeping his temper in check, Ekyt kicked the offender away, spun, ducked low under a wild strike, then followed through with an uppercut. To his right, he felt someone coming. Tossing a blind elbow over his shoulder (and hearing a satisfying CRACK,) Ekyt kicked quickly, aiming low. As the goon leaned forward to stop his shins from getting destroyed, Ekyt brought his foot up, stuffing the man in the stomach. From behind, a goon jumped on his back and held on around his neck.
“I’ve got him, I’ve got him!” the Sound grunt shouted.
“Get offa me, prick!” Ekyt leaned forward, then kicked his own legs out from under him, crushing the grunt under his weight. Ekyt kicked again, making contact with an approaching jaw, but the goons piled on, finally restraining him. Of the fifty that had attacked, only twenty were left conscious.
Bleeding and sweating, Ekyt conserved his energy, letting the goons hold him. Two had his arms out at his sides, while two had his legs, holding them apart to keep Ekyt off balance. A few of them took shots at the helpless Leaf Genin, bloodying his lips and bruising most of his body.


“I don’t suppose any of you have ever seen a public execution,” Kabuto told the crowd that have gathered. Murmurs of anger greeted his statement. Kabuto, however, ignored them.
“Oh well. It would have been fun to finally have a few rounds with you, but orders are orders.” Kabuto drew a particularly sharp kunai, spinning it around his finger casually. He flipped it into a reverse grip, then charged at Ekyt.
“No you don’t!” Sakura shouted. She struck the ground with her heel, creating a crater between Ekyt and Kabuto. She rammed into Kabuto from behind, knocking him into a tree.
“This is between medics now!” Sakura shouted to him. Her right hand was glowing with chakra. The “Chakra Scalpel” was used for medical purposes usually, but in close combat it could be a handy weapon, severing tendons and ligaments without showing any damage on the outside of the skin.
Kabuto focused his chakra to match Sakura’s. “Have it your way. I’ll give you credit for saving his life…for now…”


“Whoa, that girl is totally hot!” one grunt holding Ekyt exclaimed.
“Yeah! And that bikini ain’t hurtin’ her case!” the other replied, nearly drooling.
The two at Ekyt’s legs added their agreement. Ekyt piped up after a few moments of listening to them drooling over Sakura and making disgusting comments.
“Don’t you pigs have any respect for her? She’s a LOT more than looks, you retards! She could whoop your asses without using her hands. And, frankly, I’m getting tired of standing here, listening to you idiots drool over that girl. She deserves more respect than that…”
“Oh, well, ain’t that just tough?” one goon taunted, using his free hand to give Ekyt a mocking shot in the face. “Listen to the tough guy here. Defending his lil’ girlfriend!”



A green blur blazed onto the scene.
“Dynamic Entry! Leaf Hurricane! Konoha Whirlwind!” Three rapid-fire techniques cleared Ekyt of all but one attacker. That one Ekyt took care of with a well-placed legsweep/throw combo.
“Thanks Lee! Looks like we’ve got some guys to mop up! Hey, wait, what’s that…Lee, there’s too many, unless we do this…ANYONE HAVE SOME SAKE?!” Ekyt shouted to the crowd. The crowd, all too willing to help, threw small bottles of sake at Ekyt.
“Lee, are you up to the Drunken Fist?” Ekyt asked, tossing Lee a bottle.
“Gai-sensei will not like it…he says this technique is forbidden unless I am defending the my life, my Shinobi way, or someone precious to me.”
Ekyt looked at the oncoming wave of goons, all of whom seemed to be armed. Bos, sai, tonfa, kunai, daggers…
“I’d say this is life or death, Lee. Bottoms up!” He thrust the bottle into Lee’s hands and urged him to drink. Lee gulped down the rice brew, all while silently begging Gai-sensei to forgive him.



Sasuke and Naruto clashed kunai once more, both bleeding and panting with exhaustion.
“You’ve gotten stronger…loser…”
Naruto looked sadly at Sasuke. “You didn’t have to leave Sasuke…your power, it’s gone, and you know it. You could just come back…a lot of people miss you…”
Sasuke looked away, almost angry, but his face radiated embarrassment. “You can’t go back in time, Naruto. This is what I’ve become…”
“What you’ve become isn’t set in stone! Don’t you understand that?! Do you think, do you honestly believe, a day has gone by where someone in the village hasn’t kept watch for you to come back? None of us ever gave up on you, Sasuke. So, what? Are you telling me that you’re a quitter? Sasuke Uchiha, a quitter?!”
Sasuke glared at Naruto. “Shut up!” he shouted, but made no move. Then, slowly, he sheathed his sword.
“You’re right Naruto. If he can’t offer me power, Orochimaru can’t offer me anything…”



Lee downed the sake, making a face as it wasn’t off the best quality. The rice wine’s effect was almost immediately visible. Pink appeared on Lee’s cheeks, a sure sign that the Drunken Fist style was on tap (pardon the pun).
“Hey! Wassa hell YOU lookin’ atttt?” Lee slurred, pointing an accusatory finger in the general direction of the enemy.

“What the hell did he drink?” The enemies muttered.
Ekyt grinned. “You’ve never heard of the ‘Master of the Drunken Fist?’ Well, he puts on demos once in a while, and here’s one now!”
Lee got a running start. “I-I’m in the springtime (hic) of youth!” he yelled, red on the cheeks from the sauce. He took a leap, stretched out, and…crashed and burned into the sand.
Ekyt (Sweatdrop) shook his head. So much for THAT.
Lee suddenly leapt up. “That hurt! It’s all YOUR FAULT! (HiC!)” Lee’s legs started to clear out enemies.
“Gai-sensei! I am doing it! THE POWER OF YOUTHHHHHH!!!”


Sakura swiped at Kabuto, but paid the price with a cut tricep muscle. She grunted in pain, but managed to cut up Kabuto’s quadriceps.
“You’ve gotten much stronger. (small laugh) Of course, that’s to be expected from someone training under Tsunade, I suppose,” Kabuto said, a hand on his quadriceps.
“I’ve got to be strong. I made a few promises, not least of all some to myself. And I’m going to follow through with them!”


“That’s enough.”


Everyone froze. The words had been spoken by Sasuke, in his usual dry tone. Despite the ordinary voice, the words had the effect of a bullhorn.
“This fight is over. Kabuto, take your troops and go,” Sasuke ordered.

For whatever reason, Kabuto listened. He and the fifty Shinobi with him stepped back, then disappeared in puffs of smoke.


“Thank you Naruto. You’ve made me see what’s really important. Orochimaru can’t give me anything anymore. There are people in the Leaf Village who can.”
Sasuke walked toward Sakura, a small smirk, showing shades of the old Sasuke, crossing his face.

“Sasuke…” Sakura said breathlessly.
“Sakura…I’ve missed you…” Sasuke murmured, a faint twinge of pink on his cheeks.
“Oh, Sasuke!” Sakura stepped into the hakama-clad Uchiha. Tears of ecstasy streamed down Sakura’s face. They became heavier when Sasuke gave her a fond squeeze.


Ekyt held Lee down and forced water and bread down his throat, trying to shake him out of the “Drunken Fist” phase. It was from there he saw Sasuke and Sakura hugging.
“Guess this beach really can perform miracles…Good for her.” Ekyt said all this, but it wasn’t entirely what he felt. He felt depressed, but hell, that was nothing new. But he felt something else…he just couldn’t put his finger on it. Something felt wrong, but Ekyt guess it was him. Probably just fuzzy from the blood loss or fatigue.

Naruto and Ekyt, both cut and bleeding, leapt into the water. Ekyt had shrugged off his more or less ruined vest, thankful he had another one. Between the sweat and blood glistening off his body, he was thankful that there was a source of water to get cleaned up in. He rubbed his chest clean, except for one stubborn little cut that wouldn’t stop bleeding. Funny how some deep gashes don’t bleed at all, but some of these little cuts won’t stop bleeding. As always, Ekyt checked his body for any signs of poison or disease, finding none, although he did find a small amount of muscle gain in his chest and arms since the last time he had checked. Most of the time, he was unconcerned with his outward appearance, as he didn’t have much use for people. MOST of the time, anyway. He was ALWAYS concerned with how his body functioned. The small muscle gain was perfect; it added power without a loss in mobility.
After declining ‘invitations’ from two admittedly nice looking kunoichi, Ekyt left the beach to get into his dry, untorn clothes.


Naruto, Sakura, Lee, Ekyt, and now Sasuke made their way triumphantly back to the Leaf Village. Naruto was bubbling over with excitement, and rightfully so. The “promise of a lifetime” he had made to Sakura had been fulfilled. Lee, ever emotional, was caught up in the moment himself, explaining the fight in detail to Gai-sensei. Sasuke didn’t seem to mind having Sakura on his arm; he didn’t care either way. Ekyt’s stoic nature made him impossible to read, so no one guessed anything was out of the ordinary, not even Lee.
Ekyt quickly wrote a report for Kakashi, then summoned his dog, Holly, to deliver it. Holly was exponentially smarter than most summons, and easily more intelligent that most humans. And she knew Ekyt. She would never call him “master”, but she still thought of him that way.
“Something wrong kiddo?”
“It’s nothing Holly,” Ekyt replied evasively. He was reaching in his closet, unearthing his samurai garb.
“You never put the skirt on unless something’s bothering you…” Holly pointed out flatly, laying down on Ekyt’s bed.
“It’s a hakama, and it’s a pair of pants! I’ve still got samurai blood in me, can’t I “wear the colors” without it sending up a warning signal about inner turmoil?”
“No. I know you too well kid, don’t try to fool me. It’s about that girl, it always is…” Holly questioned, her large brown eyes showing concern.
Ekyt rolled his eyes, but knew he had to say something. Holly was too smart. I should have summoned my dragon, Umisu, instead, Ekyt thought to himself, although he was really glad to have someone to talk to this about.
“I’m worried about her. I mean, Sasuke treated her like crap, then he left. I don’t trust him. And, well, if he hurts her…I’ll destroy him. Maybe even kill him,” Ekyt told his summon.
“Because you’re totally not over her, right? You’ve had a crush on her for years, and you never got the guts up to say anything,” Holly helpfully added.
“Oh, shut up. When are YOU going to tell Pakkun that you lo-” Ekyt began, knowing what would happen.
“Kid, you had a scroll for me, right? Where’s the scroll? Hey, wanna throw it and I’ll fetch it?” Holly was suddenly eager to get out of her owner’s company.


Ekyt pulled on his old tabi shoes, kekko gi, and hakama. He put his longsword, a custom-made 26 ½ inch weapon, a thing of beauty. It’s copper hilt shined as much as the blade, both well maintained, despite nearly ten years of service to their owner.
In front of Ekyt lay his wakasashi, won in a brief duel four years ago. The hilt was a fine copper, with a Musashi guard. The sheath and cord were inlaid with gold, and the sharkskin on the handle was among the finest Ekyt had ever seen. He admired the weapon, thinking of the potential he once had. Everyone told him he was talented, both as a Shinobi and as a Samurai, but he could go no further in either one. Samurai became lords, but they had outlived their use in this world, except as thugs. And Ekyt was trapped as a genin, though his skills were nearly jonin level, if they hadn’t already hit that plateau. No further jutsus could be taught to him without a squad, and that Ebisu wasn’t going to let him take the chunin exams, so he was boxed in. He could only polish his skills, and even that would get tiresome quickly, as most of his skills were already polished.
Ekyt heard a sound behind him. He stood up quickly, putting the wakasashi in his belt, his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw. The room, lit only with a candle and surrounded by rice-paper walls, made seeing hell. Ekyt crouch low, his sword held vertical alongside his head, in a position to either attack or defend. He moved in a shuffling pattern, until his back was up against the one solid wall in the room.
“Dragon’s Ember Jutsu: Weapon Revival,” Ekyt muttered, holding his wakasashi in front of him. The tip burst into flame. Ekyt could see clearly now.

“Can I help you, Sasuke?” Ekyt asked, holding his sword in a guard despite the friendly tone.
Sasuke had drawn his own, but sheathed it, showing goodwill.
“I know you don’t trust me…” Sasuke began.

Ekyt nodded. “Trust is something earned…or re-earned.” He hadn’t put his sword away.
Sasuke nodded grimly. “That’s fine. I really don’t care if you ever trust me. I’m just here because Sakura wanted me to stop by and say something. I said what I needed…loser.”
“Works for me…traitor. You think you’re a mystery Sasuke…but I’ve already figured out that you’re going to try to double-cross the Village again. If you hadn’t hugged Sakura, your act would have been believable.”

Sasuke whipped around at Ekyt’s words. Immediately, their swords clashed, the force great enough to knock them out of each other’s grip. Their brawl spilled through the rice paper and out into the street. Sasuke threw a series of rights and lefts, but Ekyt parried all of them. He aimed for an uppercut, but Sasuke stepped aside and went for a leg sweep. Ekyt leapt over that and managed to land a weak roundhouse kick to Sasuke’s face. Sasuke’s foot flashed up and kicked Ekyt under the chin. That set Ekyt up for a Lion’s Barrage Combo, which he avoided by twisting in mid-air and dropping an elbow on Sasuke’s back. Sasuke fell to the ground, but righted himself, uncoiled from his crouched position, and threw a side kick. Ekyt landed in time to block it. He turned his body sharply, so the kick’s momentum shifted, spinning Sasuke around. That gave Ekyt an opportunity to hit Sasuke with a solid left reverse punch. Sasuke continued to spin, landing a heel kick to Ekyt’s ribs. Sasuke aimed for a front kick, but Ekyt parried it with a crescent kick. In mid-kick, he shifted his weight and used a side kick to knock Sasuke backward. Sasuke leapt high in the air, and brought his leg down with sickening force. Ekyt had dodged away by leaping up. Sasuke followed him in the air, where they traded elbows, knees, and blocks, before landing winded, but unharmed. They ran at each other once more. This time, Sasuke used the speed he copied from Lee to crack Ekyt across the face, sending him tumbling down the road. Before Ekyt had stopped rolling, Sasuke punted him in the other direction. When Sasuke tried for a third kick, Ekyt grabbed his leg and rolled forward, putting a horrible strain on Sasuke’s muscles, forcing him to let go. From his crouching position, Ekyt aimed for a sweep kick, which was thwarted by Sasuke jumping up, then aiming an attack downward. Ekyt put his legs up, and Sasuke caught them both full in the face. While Sasuke was dazed, Ekyt tackled Sasuke around the waist and pushed him through a trash can. In desperation, Sasuke grabbed the lid and gave Ekyt a smart crack on the head. Ekyt didn’t let go; instead, he flung Sasuke over his shoulders. Sasuke tucked and rolled with the blow, avoiding the serious injury the throw could have caused. As Ekyt turned around, Sasuke was there to meet him with a kick to the head. Ekyt turned sideways, so the kick did minimal damage. He continued to spin and used his left hand to attempt a backfist. That hit Sasuke, but it was a glancing blow that did little harm. After that, both Ekyt and Sasuke brought their knees up, aiming for each other’s stomach’s. Ekyt threw a punch, which Sasuke dodged handily by leaning backward. But as he was leaning forward again, the side of Ekyt’s hand struck him in the temple hard enough to knock him goofy for a few seconds.

By now, Sakura and Naruto had come to watch. Sakura started to interfere, but the newly arrived Lee and Naruto stopped her.
“Trust us Sakura,” was all Naruto said. For whatever reason, Sakura did. She and the others watched, safely concealed.


Ekyt tried to follow up, but Sasuke’s knee to the midsection stopped his efforts. As he doubled over, Sasuke’s knee cracked Ekyt in the chin. Ekyt flew backward. He was heading for a showdown with a building he wasn’t going to win. He crouched and hit the wall legs-first. He used that for momentum and shot himself toward Sasuke. Sasuke raised his arms in defense, but Ekyt picked an opening. Sasuke’s left side was open. Ekyt spun around and slashed his heel hard into Sasuke’s ribs. He heard Sasuke gasp with pain. Ekyt dropped an elbow on Sasuke’s head, while Sasuke countered by hook kicking Ekyt in the back of the head. Quickly, he snared Ekyt and tried for a Peregrine Falcon Drop, but Ekyt used his legs to scissor Sasuke’s head. He rotated to the side and drove Sasuke’s head into the ground. Sasuke, at the last second, had grabbed Ekyt’s head, so they both took face plants into the ground.

Sasuke saw his sword lying on the ground, inches away. Smiling to himself, he grabbed it, drew it, and prepared to kill. Ekyt got up, saw that Sasuke was armed, and tried to hide his worry. He put his hands up in a guard.

Sakura couldn’t take it anymore. She ran out and stepped between the combatants.
“Sasuke, stop this! Please!” Sakura begged. Sasuke responded by drawing his newly re-aquired sword. He aimed the tip toward and jammed it toward her as hard as he could.

Drip.
Drip.
Drip.

Blood was dripping off the tip of the sword. It hit the cobblestone road with an audible sound.

Sasuke was mildly surprised to find Ekyt in between his blade and Sakura. The sword had gone straight through him and out the other side. But Ekyt was alive. Blood was spilling from the corners of his mouth, a sign of internal injury.

“I told you…I wouldn’t (koff) let you hurt her (koff) again. FIVE PRONGED SEAL!”
Ekyt jammed his hand onto the sword. He sealed it inside himself, so Sasuke (who was in contact with the blade) couldn’t move. But Ekyt wasn’t done.
“Blue Flame Chakra: Swallow’s Strike Jutsu!” Ekyt’s right hand was alive with a blue flame. He grabbed Sasuke’s face and held on. As long as he maintained contact, Sasuke’s chakra level would decrease, and the pain would increase.
But Ekyt felt his world going fuzzy. No…can’t…not yet…if I pass out, I die…Everyone dies…it can’t end like this…I’ve got to hold on…just a little longer…
The flame in Ekyt’s hand grew higher. He withdrew his hand from Sasuke’s face and started to throw punches. They were enhanced by his chakra, and Sasuke was reeling from the blows. Now Ekyt was ready to end the fight.
“Blue Flame Chakra: Swallow Strike Dragon’s Circle!” It was a mix of both of Ekyt’s best techniques. The Blue Flame in his hand grew, then began to swirl. It circled so fast a small tornado formed in his hand. With a yell of pain and rage, Ekyt threw his fist forward into Sasuke’s face one last time. This time, Sasuke passed out.

(NOTE: EKYT’S BLUE FLAME CHAKRA IS DERIVED FROM HIS EMOTIONS. IT’S A VERY PAINFUL TECHNIQUE FOR EKYT TO USE, AND IT RIPS HIM APART PHYSICALLY. IT’S NOT FATAL, BUT IT CAUSES HIM A LOT OF PAIN TO USE. HIS CHAKRA, WHICH FLOWS CLOCKWISE, CHANGES DIRECTION, AND IS THEN CHANNELED INTO HIS EMOTIONS. JUST SO YOU ALL KNOW WHY HE’S IN SO MUCH PAIN)


Ekyt had won, but he still had a sword through his body. He had sealed it there, but didn’t have enough chakra to get it out. Sakura, however, did.
“Five Pronged Seal Release!” she called, jamming her hand onto the curse mark Ekyt made. Carefully, she pulled the sword out of his body. Ekyt put a hand over the wound.
“Lie down, Ekyt. Please, I need to fix this. Lie down.”
Ekyt did as he was told. Sakura activated her chakra scalpel. She cleaned out Ekyt’s wound, and found that Sasuke had missed his vitals. He would be in pain until he got REAL treatment. Until then, though, he would be alive.


As Ekyt lay there, watching Sakura fix his wound, it occurred to him that life was short. He had just taken the biggest risk of his life, and he was alive. But what if he wasn’t so lucky next time? He would die with many regrets, as most people did, that was unavoidable. But there was one regret he didn’t want hampering him, should his time come before he did something about it.


As Sakura worked on Ekyt, she realized what the feeling was that she had in the forest, when she had woke up and Ekyt was next to her. She felt so…safe, and protected. Like nothing could hurt her. And now, thanks to Ekyt, nothing had. He had exposed Sasuke, and nearly gotten killed in the process. But the fact that what he had done had taken the meaning of courage to a new level made her realize something.

“Ekyt-kun…”
“Sakura-chan…” (They’re both talking at the same time.”
In unison, they both said: “I’m in love with you.”

MORE TO COME!

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