Chapter 3 - A Willing Opponent

“Just what the hell was that thing?!” Sakura couldn’t help exclaiming.
“It makes sense…” Ekyt said suddenly. He was looking up at the towers of the castle, brows furrowed in thought. The stone seemed to stretch forever into the heavens, giving the castle an air of impenetrability. It was most likely meant to give that image. Battle wasn’t just physical, it was psychological.
“What makes sense Ekyt-san?” Lee wanted to know.
“Orochimaru…he didn’t INVENT kinjutsus, he just learned them. They had to come from somewhere…someone…”
A wind suddenly kicked up. Sakura’s nose wrinkled.
“Do you smell that? Blood, on the wind. Something’s happened in there…something evil…” She shivered suddenly. “Something evil…it’s going to get us…we’ve got to get that girl, quick! Or we’re all done for!”
The years hadn’t lessened Sakura’s fear of battle. Anything so high-profile still made her freeze up at first. She had a sudden picture in her mind of Kakashi-sensei assuring her that:
“I will never let my comrades die.” Three voices said it, all at once.
Sakura looked up. Ekyt was staring with a grim hatred at the castle.
“W-what?” she stammered, surprised that Ekyt had said it, too. Her gaze shifted to Lee.
“I do not let my teammates die,” Lee said, shrugging.



Koori took his hands off the Kora’s temples. Her blue eyes turned back out to face the world. The girl screamed, but apparently only inside herself.
“So young…such excellent eyesight…such a pity, yes…well, the hour has come at last. I can’t very well, however, perform the ritual with those three knocking on my door. Kora, I must ask you for a small donation of blood…”
Kora watched helplessly as the sick old man drew his dagger one more time. He cut his own finger first, licking the excess blood off almost lustily. Then, slowly, the dagger came down across Kora’s forehead. The obscenities became blurred from the new blood. A single drop rolled down her face, then trickled off her nose and into a vial.
“Thank you, sweetheart.” The old man spoke the words of endearment in such a way they were intimidating rather than calming. That was, most likely, his intent.



“We…we need a plan.” Sakura’s declaration was met with nods of approval. She was the ranking member. But now that fact seemed to haunt her.
“Ekyt, you’ve had the most missions like this…what should we do?” Sakura asked.
Ekyt looked surprised. “I think we need to stay together, at all costs. All of us possess skills that the other don’t have so sharply…we just comb this castle, inch by inch…then ruin the monster behind all this…”
“I agree. We must not break ranks!” came Lee’s enthusiastic agreement.
“Right. Everyone ready?” Sakura asked.
After a quick salute with their kunai, they opened the door a crack.

“Damn it…I hope we’re not too late…” he muttered. Ekyt looked up again.
“Not again…” he muttered. “Lee, Sakura…we’ve got trouble.”


“The master does not appreciate your presence! Leave this place at once! Once you have crossed the threshold of the castle, your souls will be eaten by the undead, by the spawn of Satan himself!”
“Give Satan my regards!” Sakura snarled, kicking the “Messenger” under his bony chin.
The skeletal form turned to powder.
“Do you think it was telling the truth? About our souls?” Sakura asked.
“Satan is a liar and a conniver. He spreads discord among men…In other words, it’s crap. Someone’s trying to scare us off,” Ekyt replied.



They crossed the threshold into the castle. Their tabi boots (No sandals, it’s cold in the Land of Herbs) clicked across the marble floor. Otherwise, it was silent.
“It’s dark in here…Ekyt, can you do something about that?” Sakura asked.
Ekyt looked around, seeing what he was looking for. An old torch bracket, with a torch still firmly in place. Ekyt yanked it off the wall.
“Dragon’s Ember Jutsu,” he whispered. He made a flicking motion with his fist. A small flame sprang up, lighting the torch. The flickering light grew and began to crackle merrily. It illuminated the dark room enough to get a good look around.
They were standing on a faded red carpet, it’s edged threadbare and torn. Overhead hung chandeliers, dusty from lack of use over the years. Banners hung on the walls, also tattered with age.
“I wonder who’s face that is?” Sakura wondered, pointing at the banners.
“Their Kage,” Ekyt replied, pointing at a large wooden table. “My God…” Ekyt said aloud, his voice hushed.
“What? What is it?” Sakura questioned.
“That’s not a table. It’s a casket.” Ekyt walked closer to inspect it.
Lee walked toward it. “He is right. And the portrait on top matches that of the banners!”
“I don’t like this…if there’s undead running around…” Sakura looked over at Ekyt.
He had narrowed his eye, but said nothing about the casket.
“Any more of these around?” Ekyt asked, indicating the torch.
“I would rather have my hands free,” Lee said.
“He’s right. We’ll take turns carrying the torch. Having a bonfire with us might attract too much attention,” Sakura pointed out.
“Good point. I’ll take lead. Lee, I think you should take point, since you’re the quickest. That leaves Sakura in the middle. That’s the best place, she’s the mission priority.”
Lee and Sakura nodded their agreement.



Koori smiled.
“So, they braved my messenger? They are brave indeed…perhaps my own blood…yes…yes…it must be done.” The old man was muttering as he walked. From a rotting wooden shelf, he pulled a scroll.
He bit into his own thumb, then ran the digit down the scroll’s title.
“Thy time is at hand! Thy noble quest shall be fulfilled! Pawns, come forth, be ye good or evil, today thy shall drink deeply from the cup of hatred!”


Sakura, Lee, and Ekyt all stopped in unison. They were halfway up a marble staircase when they all felt something. Something evil. BEYOND evil.
“What do we do?” Lee asked.
“We keep going,” Sakura replied firmly.
“Lee, hold the torch for a second…” Ekyt held it out. Lee looked questioningly, but took it with his usual enthusiasm.
Ekyt pierced his thumbs with kunai. He slammed both hands onto the stairs.
“Twin Summoning Jutsu!” he said in a harsh whisper.
POP! BLAM!
Ekyt’s dog, a keeshonden named Holly, and his Bearded Dragon, named Umisu, appeared in a flashes of smoke. The bearded dragon was on Ekyt’s shoulder, while Holly was sitting at his feet, scratching at her ear.
“Kid, you’re a real pain in the @$$. And…where the hell?” Holly muttered, trotting around. She wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Blood and dust? Is this some cheap-@$$ motel?”
Ekyt gave her a little tap on the head, not happy with her spouting the double entendre. “Holly, can you sense something? Preferable something very old, and very pissed off?”
Holly sniffed the air. “Yeah, I can. Follow me, kids!”
“Hold on,” Ekyt told her. He turned to Umisu. The dragon looked at him inquisitively.
“Lady Tsunade needs a report…Umisu, take this (Small scroll). Tell her this isn’t Orochimaru, but it’s kinjutsu…Tell her to send ANBU if we haven’t reported in on time.”
The Dragon closed one eye in a wink, then spun itself in a circle, disappearing with a small pop.
“Lead the way Holly.”


Holly’s nose led her to the casket.
“Evil boss. And alive.”
The three exchanged glances.
“Alive? You’re sure?” Ekyt asked, eyes narrowed.
“Positive. This nose doesn’t lie,” Holly replied, sounding slightly insulted.
“Alright. Thank you Holly. I’m going to send you away…This is about to get dangerous, I’m sure of it.”
“Roger, kid. Good luck. And to you two as well!” Holly told the group before Ekyt ended the jutsu.


The earth suddenly shook. Glasses smashed against the floor. Old brass candle-holders clattered to the ground, scrolls following in their wake. The dust was shook up again, sending Sakura and Lee into coughing fits. Ekyt’s mask had protected him. His eyes widened in shock.
“That casket…damn it! Kinjutsu! We have no choice…we’ve got to fight. Lee, Sakura, you two recover. Don’t rush into this until you can see again!”



The casket’s top began to crack. Out of nowhere, it blew off the casket. An iron helmet became visible in the velvet-lined box. The occupant sat up. It was wearing earth-toned robes, mostly green with a brown trim. When it stepped out of the casket, Ekyt saw that it still sandals.
“I am sorry…I am not doing this of my own free will,” said the skeleton in a sad voice.
Ekyt bowed slightly. “Lord Koubakage…I understand. Since you’ve told me this, I need to make sure my friends can go free…so I challenge you, one on one.”
The Koubakage bowed his head. “I accept…and I am very sorry…I hope you will defeat me…the kinjutsu is poorly done, as he has not completely overridden my mind. My free-will, yes, but defeating me will end the jutsu. I can sense your innocence, young man, and the purity of you and your comrades…may your mission be successful. The girl is being kept in the dungeons…I can say no more…Now, we must fight…”

“Ekyt-kun! That’s a kage! The best of the best!” Sakura shouted.
“I know. There’s no choice. You and Lee have to save the girl.”
“But…but…you could die!” Sakura couldn’t help but say it.
“I know. But it has to be done, whatever the outcome. Go and find the girl quick.” Ekyt looked at them, for the first time, his eye full of life. “I’ll catch up.”


Sakura didn’t notice the ninja forming from the dust behind her. Lee was suddenly jumped by his own, just as he rushed to her defense. It stabbed down.
Sakura put up a hand, but found the kunai had stopped short of her. She looked up, her green eyes alive with fright.
Drip. Drip.


Ekyt’s hand had halted the knife. It had pierced nearly all the way through his hand. It was his blood that had been making the sound.
Ekyt grunted in pain.
“Ekyt-kun!” Sakura called.
Ekyt grabbed the kunai with his free hand and eased it out, then swung the torch at the demon holding it. The dust became ablaze, destroying it’s form. It was nothing more than ash on the carpet.
“Take the torch and go, hurry!” Ekyt told them firmly, turning back to his own task.
“He is right Sakura-san, we must go! Ekyt-san…you catch up quickly!”
“I will Lee! Go!”


Ekyt squared himself up against the Koubakage. His skeletal form was clothed in earth-toned robes, with a green sash that Ekyt noticed just now. In the green sash there were the two sharp gardening tools. Sai.
“I sense samurai in you…my kind and your kind did not get along well. My weapons…they killed many of you…”
Ekyt bowed his head. “I have never killed. But I will ALWAYS do what must be done in the name of duty and honor…protecting those who need, fighting for what’s right…following both Bushido (Way of the Samurai) and my Shinobi way. But I’ll spare you the lecture, I’m sure you’re already aware…”
Koubakage looked at Ekyt curiously. “No hatred in your eyes…That is a first for me. I died over fifty years ago, as the first and last Koubakage. I fought many battles…but I can tell you are unique…Good luck to you.”
“And you,” Ekyt replied.
They both lunged forward, their weapons clashing. Ekyt’s kunai deflected the sai attack. He tried to pin down the Koubakage’s robe with his foot, but was thwarted as a the side of a sai struck his face. Thankfully, it was blunt. But it still dropped his guard for a split second. The butt end of the other sai cracked him smartly in the forehead. As he leaned back, the other sai hit him hard in the stomach, knocking him backward across the floor.
He wiped his bleeding mouth with the back of his hand.
I’m overmatched…I can’t win…I’ve just got to hold on…


Lee and Sakura raced through the endless corridors and hallways. It quickly became apparent that they were lost in the dungeons.
“We should mark where we’ve been, so we don’t go around in circles. And so Ekyt can find us…wait…that’s it!”
“What is it?” Lee asked, confused.
“Genjutsu…” Sakura said, pointing at the wall. At one point, the torch had fallen, charring the wall and floor. They saw the same burn mark now.
“It’s the Sly Mind Affect Technique. The same one was used on Naruto and I during the chunin exams four years ago…Release!” Sakura called, her hands forming the appropriate sign.
Immediately, an enormous red door appeared at the end of the corridor. They hadn’t seen it because of the genjutsu.
“That’s it,” they said together.



Ekyt got to his feet, ignoring his pounding head. The Koubakage rushed him again. This time, Ekyt made hand signs.
“Shadow Clone Jutsu! Body Replacement jutsu!” he called, one after the other.
The Koubakage’s sai pierced his abdomen.
“It is over…” Koubakage said sadly. He rotated his sai, at least trying to spare the boy’s suffering.
POOF!
The clone disappeared. That was what had gotten speared.
Where did the boy go… Koubakage wondered. From above, he got his answer.


Ekyt cut the final cord that held the chandelier in place. He used a silent jutsu as it crashed to the ground.
Koubakage will have moved…and he’ll be expecting a counter…so let’s go one step further…



Koori lost his cool.
“Damn it! Why have you deserted me?!” he shouted at no one. “If I am condemned to eternal damnation, I will not be alone! Spirits, occupy a host! Bodies abound, partaking of the wine of power! Come forth!”
Two former jonin of the Land of Herbs sprang to life at Koori’s feet.
“Protect his place, at all costs! I must finish with the girl! GO!”


Lee kicked open the barred steel doors.
“End of the line- huh?” Lee stopped in mind shout. He was yelling at a defenseless old man.
“I am sorry, I did not mean to”
“Lee, watch out!” Sakura shouted, pushing him aside. She had spotted Koori coming up behind Lee. Just in time, she pushed him aside. Koori’s dagger stabbed down, narrowly missing the base of Lee’s neck.
“Children, you have made it far! But your quest ends here! You shall perish here!”
“Go to hell,” Sakura said flatly.
“Koori smiled. “Why do that? Hell is here!”
The two skeletal jonin were wielding axes. Those slashed down. Lee and Sakura leapt aside.
“Lee, it’s time! You know what we discussed! We have to do it!”
“Right!” Lee said with a salute. He began to focus, hard.
Sakura’s hands formed a series of hand signs.
“Painful Sky Leg!” she yelled, slamming her heel into the ground. A crater stretched across the floor, extending from Sakura’s heel all the way to the feet of Koori.
Lee and Sakura saw that the old man was far from defenseless. He leapt up high, landing safely on a narrow beam on the ceiling.
“Finish them!” He called to his minions. He grabbed the unconscious Kora and ran from the room.
“Lee, you follow him! I’ll handle this!” Sakura called, feeling a sudden rush of bravery.
“But Sakura-san, I”
“Lee,” she said firmly, smiling at him, “I can handle it.”


Koubakage jumped to the side of the falling chandelier. He ducker and twisted around Ekyt’s strike, then jammed his sai into the boy’s eye. POOF!
“Another clone? Then where did…”
“Dragon’s Ember Jutsu: Clone Instigation!” Ekyt’s shout reached the Koubakage ears. Flames shot at Koubakage from three directions. Koubakage back-flipped away. Only then did he realize that he had fallen right into the boy’s trap.
BLAM!
An exploding tag rocketed the Koubakage upward, burning off one arm. The arm fell to the ground while the Koubakage kept moving. As he was thrown upward, he righted himself and landed on the second story landing.


Moonlight streamed through the stained glass window. Ekyt and the Koubakage both stopped, smiling upon noticing the picture on the glass. Most of the glass green, but reds, yellows, blues, and purples spelled out a scene.
A master fighting his pupil. The moonlight illuminated it strangely, making the picture seem alive.
The master and the pupil wore smiles of respect, even as their weapons clashed. The master was holding sai, while the pupil held a bo.
“The picture seems to speak volumes,” Koubakage told Ekyt. Neither had dropped their guard.
“A picture is worth a thousand words…” Ekyt replied.
“It is an awful shame that our paths did not cross as master and pupil. Though we are not enemies, neither are we friends…”
“Allies.” Ekyt spoke the single word sharply.
“Perhaps, at another time, we would have been friends…you have shown me more respect than even my most trusted pupil…”
“Lord Koubakage…you mean the one behind all this, don’t you?” Ekyt asked calmly.
Koubakage nodded. “Koori. A dissatisfied student. He was the one to put the dagger in my back. He wanted the power of the Koubakage position. But the town grieved so upon my death…they put an end to the title, out of respect to me…”
Ekyt looked around quickly. Not dropping his guard, he side-stepped over to a suit of armor holding an axe. The end, as if on cue, broke off, leaving only a bo.
“We need to finish this…” Ekyt said, holding the bo in a guard.
“I agree,” Koubakage added, his tone reflecting the wonder he felt.


The moonlight gave the two combatants an eerie profile, as though they were both lighting in a sepia-toned world of their own. The Koubakage’s sai aimed at Ekyt’s head. Ekyt blocked with the bo, kicking at the Koubakage’s stomach. Koubakage broke the weapon stalemate by quickly flipping the sai inward. His other sai cut the bo in half, then stripped the pieces away.
I only hope I’ve bought them enough time…” Ekyt said. He couldn’t believe how strong his voice was.
The Koubakage’s leg kicked him in the stomach. Ekyt leaned backward as the second sai came down. It hooked his mask, pulling it half off. Before he could right himself, Koubakage kicked him again.



The quiet night was shattered. The sound of breaking glass echoed across the Land of Herbs…
One mother held her young son close. The boy was silent, despite tears streaming down his face. “Our hope…it will die with that boy…”
Despite never meeting him, the young mother felt terribly sad. So much was riding on the Leaf Village’s ninja…She prayed that the other two would be enough to halt the evil plaguing them.

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