Chapter 66 - The Akatsuki's Plan: Shukaku Unleashed!

THREE YEARS AGO:

After a fierce battle, Itachi had found his genjutsu thrown off by the fresh genin in front of him. With Tsunade around, and others closing in, and his chakra so low, Itachi left, to report to the Akatsuki the new threat that was blooming:

Itachi outlined his battle with Ekyt to Pein.

“He’ll be strong someday. His second chakra is well developed, although he’s not aware of how to access it freely. It has to be forced out of him,” Itachi explained tonelessly.

“I see. Is he worth our time?” came the reply.

“He will be someday. He threw of my genjutsu. His chakra coils will have healed by now as well.”

“Well then…we’ll monitor the boy. When the time comes, we’ll make our move.”



BACK TO THE PRESENT!



“To start, we should evacuate Sunagakure of everyone. We can’t afford to be protecting others while fighting this battle ourselves.”

Ekyt was sitting at the chair opposite the Kazekage at the conference table in Sunagakure. The only other people in attendance were Baki, and Enma, the Monkey King. Enma was battle experienced, so he was valuable, and could back up what Ekyt said. A wind howled through the room, courtesy of the holes that served as windows.

Gaara looked to Baki, who looked ready to protest.

“I agree. We could send them all to the Leaf, where they can help defend your village, while the Akatsuki get their show down here. It’s the only plan that makes sense…” Gaara had thought about this, too. I swore to protect these people…my people…if that means they’re safer in the arms of another, then I will give them the means to get to that other person, or village.

“Baki, you and the others- Jonin, Chunin, Genin, guests- all of you, go to the Leaf Village. You will coordinate that, Baki. And you, Ekyt, you know your village best- call those who have fought the Akatsuki before, and will have to reservations about killing…”

“We can assume that most of the Akatsuki will come. Typically, Itachi Uchiha, Sasori, Deidara, and Kisame, those are the ones to show up. But in a case like this, I’d expect at least two others…that means we need at least three more, including, you, me, and Kakashi-sensei. Plus, a couple people to protect the medics…I’ve got a few people in mind. Let me confer with Enma-sama, and then, if you’ll allow me to use the messenger hawks, I’ll summon the help we need.”

At Gaara’s nod, Ekyt bowed out of the room and hurried, mentally ticking off in his mind who would make a good fighter against the Akatsuki. There was himself, Naruto, Kakashi, and Gaara. That made four, but they needed more. Sasuke? No, too temperamental when it came to Itachi. Neji- Ekyt hated to admit it, but yes. That made five. The rest needed to protect the Leaf Village.

That’s what Ekyt thought, until the Akatsuki threw in a variable.

“Ekyt-san! We cannot escape! The Akatsuki are here- and they’ve harnessed a demon!”

“WHAT?!” Ekyt said loudly, letting go of the messenger bird. It flew off, carrying his notes.

“The One-Tailed Shukaku…it’s been sealed inside one of the Akatsuki…it blocked our escape…we just got away in time…the others are too far away, they can’t get in without a distraction. Lord Kazekage needs to know your plans…”

Ekyt looked distant for a moment as he thought. Finally, he told Baki:

“Tell Lord Kazekage that I will face this demon. I’m the only one among us it hasn’t fought. Besides, those are my students. I’ve got a plan. Please tell Gaara-sama to protect the others, and leave the Shukaku to me. It won’t be long before the other Akatsuki start fighting, and we need the other fighters in place.”




“HA HA HA! FREE AGAIN! THIS BODY IS GREEEEAATTTT!” The Shukaku stepped on a building, laughing as it crumbled.

“That’s enough!”

The Shukaku looked down to the single human shouting at it. It burst out laughing.

“Yeah? YA LITTLE PUNK?! YOU WANNA TRY ME ON FOR SIZE?! DO YA? BRING IT ON!!!”

“Have it your way, you one-tailed menace. Summoning Jutsu!”


Ekyt stood on Shuurai, facing off against the massive Shukaku.

“NOW THAT’S MORE LIKE IT!” The Shukaku rumbled.

Sarutobi and the other Leaf Villagers arrived. When Sarutobi looked up, he had to blink.
He looks…like the Fourth Hokage…Defending the innocent like that, even putting his own life at risk…With a demon such as the Shukakau, he may give his life, just as the Fourth did. He knows the Reaper Death Seal…That must be his plan! He’s going to seal the Shukaku in his own corpse!

“Acid tongue Jutsu!” Ekyt called. He bit thumb and ran it down his tongue. Shuurai responded by leaping forward and biting the Shukaku hard, with venom-filled fangs. The Shukaku laughed.

“Hahaha! You loser! Is THAT all you can do, Ryouko Kaguya? IS THAT THE BEST YOU’VE GOT!”

“Far from it! Summoning Jutsu!” This time, it was Shuurai that appeared. He created a water encampment wall- but just above the Shukaku! SPLASH!

The Shukaku was wet now, making him like a sandcastle, ruined by the wave that would hit the beach, inevitably destroying it.

Too easy…no way that thing is done…I can’t even get close enough to use the Fourth’s Jutsu…Wait, what’s that?

For a brief moment, Ekyt saw what he needed: the surrogate Jinchuuriki: Hidan. He was asleep. All Ekyt had to do was wake him up, and the Shukaku would be sealed inside Hidan again. The Reaper Death Seal wouldn’t be necessary if Ekyt could do that.

But what’s to stop him from attacking again? I can’t believe it’s come to this…

Suddenly, the left arm of the Shukaku reared back, then flung itself at Ekyt’s class. There was no time to leap in the way himself, so Ekyt did the only thing left:

“First Gate: Open!”

Several things were happening at once:


Sasori, in desperation, threw his long, bony, spiked tail out to stop Ekyt. Sakura then belted him across the face, splintering the wooden shell he was in. Ekyt leapt over the tail, hitting the ground running.

“Second Gate: Open!” Ekyt shouted, moving faster.

Deidara sent birds toward Ekyt, and was then mowed down by Sai’s hand-draw beasts. Ekyt simply outran the birds, as Deidara didn’t have time to make quality ones, or faster ones.

Itachi Uchiha tried to get in the way himself, but was snared by Kakashi’s “Headhunter Jutsu”.

“Third Gate: Open!” Ekyt shouted. He was only a couple meters away from Hidan now…

Orochimaru tried to stab Ekyt with the Kusanagi, but Master Sarutobi’s Adamantine Yoi thwarted his attempt. Ekyt kept running, the fire in his hand reaching it’s zenith, and his speed reaching it’s max.


The students recoiled in fear, while Baki, Kimimaro, and Hayate stepped in front of the arm, hoping to save the students.

“DRAGON’S IMMORTAL CIRCLE!”


The sand fell in front of the kids, harmlessly landing in their sandals.

The Akatsuki froze, as did their opposition. The unthinkable had become reality.

Ekyt Kaguya, a boy of 19, had saved the lives of thirty children. But in the process, he had taken a life. He swore he would never take a life, unless a certain circumstance was met:

Protecting someone else.

If one who is wicked is killed, then one hundred who are innocent are saved…at least, that’s what I’ve heard…

Ekyt’s hand was clear through Hidan, Ekyt’s elbow jammed at Hidan’s chest. On the other side, Ekyt’s hand was cut, but otherwise fine. From Hidan’s mouth came a steady trickle of blood, as the life left his eyes.

The Shukaku and it’s sand disappeared, forming a mark on Hidan’s forehead. It had been sealed away in a corpse.

Hidan was dead.

Ekyt withdrew his hand, looking at the blood dripping off it. A little was his own, but most of it belonged to the man he had just killed.

The first man I’ve ever truly killed…



There was silence. The Akatsuki’s biggest advantage was gone now. They had learned to harness the various demons they had taken. The first one had failed, and had cost them a life. But at Ekyt’s hands…it was unthinkable…


“You…how could you…when Itachi said you had promise, all those years ago…I never thought…you could kill…” Sasori managed, shocked at the site of Hidan’s corpse.

Ekyt, still facing away, his hand in place for the jutsu, spoke quietly.

“I never thought I could…until I had to. One dies, or thirty dies. Death is second nature to you. To me, life is precious. Don’t think I don’t regret killing this man, not even for a minute. I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. But I can live with regret…the guilt of thirty deaths…that I couldn’t have lived with. I swore to protect those kids, and all who are special to me, no matter what the cost. Had it meant killing myself to stop you, I would have done so. But that doesn’t matter. What DOES matter is that you have been defeated. Leave Sunagakure, and threaten no one as you go…”

Ekyt didn’t close the Gates yet. In fact, he built up MORE fire. The Akatsuki made a hasty retreat, disbelieving they had been bested once again. As Deidara tried to pick up Hidan’s corpse, Ekyt jammed a kunai through his hand.

“Leave. His corpse is not yours. Now, go. Keep the kunai, deliver it to your master, whoever he is. Tell him that none of his bodies are welcome in the Leaf Village, or it’s allies. Now, leave.”

Deidara left in a flash of smoke, still shocked, even too shocked to register the pain in his hand.

Ekyt let his hand fall, followed by his head.

“Is everyone alright?” Ekyt asked, choking back emotion.

“Yes, sensei...” they said as one, still surprised. They’d never seen someone die like that, least of all at the hands of their teacher.

“Good. Now, sit down. I want to teach you all a lesson. Something I’ve never been sure how to express before…until now…(Kids sit)…I want you to understand…killing someone isn’t a decision to be taken lightly. I know all of you may be thinking of me as a murderer now. But please, try to understand, that if I hadn’t killed that ONE man, all THIRTY of you would have died. All of you…mean something to me. That’s why I want you to know: I killed because there was no choice left, no other option. I killed one person to save the lives of thirty others. I didn’t kill in cold blood. No one should. I hope you can all find it in your hearts to forgive me…”

“Ekyt-sensei…you said you killed to protect us, didn’t you?” Naoto asked quietly, approaching Ekyt.

“I did.”

“Then why would we be mad. We’re kids, but we’re not stupid. Maybe we give you a hard time about homework, or we play pranks on you, but that doesn’t mean we don’t hear what you tell us. And you always tell us to ‘do what’s right and protect what’s important’. That’s what you did. We couldn’t be mad at you for that, Ekyt-sensei. You told us to keep our words, you kept yours. What you did vindicated all you’ve taught us, and made us understand just what our Shinobi ways will be like. If you were willing to do ANYTHING to protect us, then someday we’ll be doing the same. Ekyt-sensei…thank you.”

Naoto hugged Ekyt. Ekyt patted him on the head.

“All of you were very brave today. You should be proud of yourselves. I’m proud of all of you. Why don’t you all get some rest, and we’ll head home in the morning.”




That night, Ekyt climbed into the mixed bath, wearing a long towel. For once, he didn’t care who saw his upper body. He was numb with shock, and needed to think. Well, ‘Shock’ and ‘think’ don’t go together very well. So Ekyt sank down into the bath, shedding his towel, but leaving on his black ANBU tactical shorts. Near the water were his clothes, and his newly-purchased chain mail gauntlets. After using the Dragon’s Circle, Ekyt knew he needed more power protecting his arm that just Lee-ish tape. So, he had opted for a set of armor Lord 3rd had recommended.

Ekyt heard someone else climb in the bat. He didn’t turn around, not sensing a threat. But the person who came in waded over to him.

“You okay, Ekyt?

Ekyt damn near leapt twenty feet in the air.

“Sakura! Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, sorry!” Ekyt bowed, dipping his head into the water. Sakura shook her head.

“Well, you’re normal…for you, anyway,” Sakura intoned. Whoa…he’s not wearing…hardly anything! Damn, those shorts STILL leave a lot to the imagination…but still, he’s not a scrawny kid anymore…he’s really become a handsome boy…(giggle)I’m thinking about him, while in a mixed bath with him? Wow, that’s something Ino would do. We used to dream about Sasuke joining us…well, one of us, anyway! But this isn’t about Sasuke, not anymore…Ekyt…he’s gotten stronger, and matured…but I’ve never seen him look so lost…

“I’m sorry, Sakura. I just…didn’t expect you to be here,” Ekyt responded finally, leaning over the edge of the hot spring, chin propped up on his folded arms. He was blushing. He had to remove his mask. For now, he didn’t mind; Sakura had seen his face before. It’s not that Ekyt was ugly, it was that his emotions were sometimes so strong that they could give him away. That, and he always had an air of mystery. Now, he felt naked without his mask most of the time. But, it was that, or pass out from the heat in the hot spring and drown…

“Well, you needed cheering up, and, well, who better than the one who pieces you back together after battles like that?” Sakura was trying to lighten the mood. It wasn’t working.

While Ekyt was dressed in his ANBU shorts, a pair of reflective black opaque shorts, Sakura was wearing a long towel, tucked firmly in place, covering everything completely. Sakura wasn’t like other girls in that she revealed herself.

Finally, Sakura went over and sat next to Ekyt. He was staring up aimlessly at the moon. It was a sickle-shaped moon.

“Did I do the right thing?” Ekyt said quietly, so low that Sakura didn’t even hear. Instead, she dropped a washcloth in front of him, and put one on her own head.

“The moon is beautiful tonight…Sunagakure is a nice place, isn’t it?” Sakura questioned, smiling up at the moon while adjusting the washcloth.

“It is… …” Ekyt let his head drop a little lower, his head tucked almost into his chest. Sakura looked over, more than a little concerned. Finally, gathering up her courage (For once, she was as apprehensive as Ekyt), put her hand on Ekyt’s bare back.

“You know you did what you had to…and what you told the kids…that was beautiful. It’s sad they have to learn that. But you know, they’re right: You lead by example. I…well, sometimes I wish I was more like you…you always fight, without thinking of yourself…you’re always training, and doing the right thing for the village…I could never completely forget myself like that…”

Ekyt was still looking away. But Sakura heard his voice this time.

“It’s easy when you ARE no-one and HAVE no-one…” This time, there was a mix of frustration and sadness in Ekyt’s voice. “I’ve always been a loner. The Leaf Village is the first place I’ve felt as if I’ve belonged…”

Sakura realized that Ekyt’s two statements were kind of oxymorons to each other. “Ekyt…have you ever thought about…I don’t know…having a family of your own?” Sakura asked timidly. I’ve got to get him out of this deep blue funk. I’ve seen Ekyt in bad shape before, but this is worse. This is almost like he’d…he’d kill himself…I’ve got to make his see there’s hope!

“Always. But then I realize I could never drag the girl I want into the swirling torrent of a personal hell my life has become…I couldn’t wish that was anyone…and my children…they would inherit my Emotional Chakra, and suffer all the pain I did…hopefully, they’d take after their mother…”

That wasn’t what Sakura wanted to hear from him. In fact, it was the opposite. So, in a bold move, Sakura actually grabbed Ekyt, turned him around, and hugged him. Ekyt was too shocked to do anything.

I’m in my ANBU shorts…and she’s…Oh shoot, please, no nosebleed!

Sakura didn’t say anything. She just let her chin rest on Ekyt’s bare shoulder, while she rubbed his back with one hand, and stroked his hair with the other.

“You can hug back, you know…” Sakura prompted. Ekyt immediately forced his arms to work, very gently hugging Sakura.

Sakura felt his muscles relax. He’s finally trusting me…no…he’s too numb to remember I’m a female right now, he’s just running on some basic male instinct…it’s okay, you know, you can always talk with me Ekyt.

He reminds me of Sasuke, kind of. And Sasuke reminds me that I’m not ready for a boyfriend. I still believed in fairy tale endings when I was Sasuke’s girlfriend…not anymore…Maybe I need this hug as much as Ekyt does…

He reminds me of Kakashi-sensei, even more so now…I know that he’ll think of it again, but if I made him forget about killing that man, even for a few minutes, it was worth it.

Sakura and Ekyt both let go, blushing red.

“Thank you, Sakura. That really helped. I still can’t believe I killed…”

“You had no choice. Now, maybe we’d both better finish our baths and get out of here, before Naruto tries to create a story of his own about what happened between us.”

That earned a laugh from Ekyt. “He’s not far from Jiraiya, that’s for sure!”

Uhoh…PLEASE don’t let her know about the book! If she finds out she and I… ‘do it’ in that book, she’ll kill me, then make sure that I can never ‘do it’ in real life!

(If that was found offensive, please let me know, I’ll remove it –NG)




“Kakashi, did you notice that Ekyt looked, how should I put it…” Sarutobi wondered.

“Hmm? Like what?” Kakashi asked.

“Like the Fourth Hokage. On a giant summon, fighting a demon…” Sarutobi recalled.

“Now that you mention it…I see it. Wait…are you saying he was going to use the Fourth’s jutsu?”

“I believe so. He didn’t, but still, he’s killed a man. No matter what, it’s made him more stronger…we need to cultivate that strength…”

Kakashi agreed. But they would discuss it more tomorrow. Since it was Ekyt’s kill, he would be the one to carry the corpse back to the Leaf Village for inspection.

I don’t envy him…I’ve had to carry too many of the damn things… Kakashi dully noted to himself.

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