Chapter 3 - The Drunken Fist vs The Shikotsu Myaku

With Shikamaru in the lead, Naruto pestering him, Lee and Sai in the middle, and Sasuke and Sakura bringing up the rear, they traveled to Sunagakure. There, they met some resistance from the Kazekage and his siblings. After having Ryouko’s help, and hearing his story, Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara refused to help anyone collect the Ryo on Ryouko’s head. Temari looked like she might have told Shikamaru. As it was, she was the one who gave the solitary clue they had to track Ryouko with.

“Man, I can’t believe that they wouldn’t help us! I mean, what’s the deal with that? What’d Ryouko do, brainwash them?!” Naruto was thinking out loud, and had been for the last three hours. And his ‘thinking’ was taking place right in Shikamaru’s ear.

“Will you can it?” Shikamaru growled, having heard enough. “They told us this direction. Legend or not, he’ll be leaving SOME kind of sign, and, knowing his training, you’ll be able to sense the thick chakra in the air. Well, maybe an animal could, but since we don’t have any, we’ll have to make do. Lee, you and Sai look from up in the trees. Naruto, you and I will search along the path and the immediate area to the right. Sasuke and Sakura, you two look along the left. We’ll all meet up after twenty Kilometers.”

--

At the nineteen Kilometer mark, Lee spotted something.

“Sai, look at that tree! That looks like Ryouko’s Immortal Dragon’s Circle Jutsu! Look at the pattern!” Lee pointed to the tree he meant, which had scorch marks all over it, making it distinctive from the other trees.

“You’re right, Lee-san. I’ll alert the others.” Sai and Lee stopped on a branch. Lee kept the tree in site while Sai rapidly drew a lion. Putting his right hand in a half-tiger sign under his eye, Sai said his jutsu aloud:

“Great Beast Painting Animation Jutsu!”

The lion sprung off the page and leapt to the ground. It galloped toward the others and, upon finding them, led them back. Lee and Sai jumped down from the tree to join the others staring at the tree. Shikamaru offered his analysis.

“Damn, he’s clever. He hit the tree on every side, we can’t tell which direction he attacked it from!”

Sasuke looked at the ground while Sakura studied the bark.

“The burn marks on this tree are at least two months old, maybe more…The sap is fused into a glass-like state…the pattern DOES match Ryouko’s attack…” Sakura ran a hand down the tree, trying to gauge another clue by feel.

Sasuke spotted his clue fairly quickly. “He’s not so clever. He left a nice trail for us to follow. Those are his tabi boot marks; he’s the only one to own a pair in our village. Most Shinobi wear sandals, which leave a separate, less complete foot print.” Everyone agreed, but Shikamaru took a closer look.

“No…they’re his, alright, but he walked backwards in every direction. He laid sixteen false trails…and the trees might be the same way…damn, he really thought this out! Lee, check the trees. There’s only one other way he could have escaped, and that’s up there. Everyone else, search this area within viewing distance in every direction.”

Sai picked up the only clue of the bunch. “Shikamaru-san, this is a discarded inkstone of the brand Ryouko-kun uses for his notes.”

Shikamaru looked at the stone, already forming his plan.

“That means we’ve got fingerprints. That doesn’t do us much good, except that fingerprints are harder to mimic…Ugh, we’ll never do this without a dog or something. Lee, you’re the fastest. Go back to the Leaf Village and get a dog,” Shikamaru said, already starting to make camp for the night in his mind.

“Right!” Lee shouted. “If I am not there and back in two days, I will do two thousand pushups!” Lee took off at top speed, and was quickly out of view.

“Man, what does he eat? He’s got more energy than I do, believe it!” Naruto commented.

“This is so troublesome…whatever the case, let’s make camp here, we’ll get moving again when Lee comes back,” Shikamaru added.

Sakura had grown quiet; well, everyone had, but Sakura had been through the same hell as Ryouko, and she was genuinely worried about him.

I practically told him I had feelings for him, then I asked him to return Sasuke, like that night in the temple never happened. Did I cause this? No, at least not by myself. There were other things bothering Ryouko…namely Lady Tsunade.

--

Ryouko was falling fast. There was no time for a summoning jutsu. So Ryouko desperately pulled a bone from his arm and jammed it into the wall. The bone dug in and slowed Ryouko’s descent enough for him to land between two of the large bones.

That bony dog, pushing me into this…wait…was this a trap? Or did she push me in the right direction…That smell…of straw…it can’t be coming from this hole, there’s only bones here…but it’s gotten stronger since I fell…

Ryouko began to feel around the walls for a door, or a hidden compartment. Upon inspecting the wall, Ryouko found- nothing. But those bones…Ryouko scrambled to the dirt, digging with his hands, tossing dirt aside, finally feeling wood underneath his hand. Next, he found an old iron door handle. But when he pulled on it, the handle broke off. Nonplussed, Ryouko retrieved the bone he had pulled from his arm, freeing it from the stone wall with a sharp tug. Aiming the bone down, Ryouko used the only jutsu to make sense for this occasion.

“Tsubaki no mai!” (Dance of the Camellia). Ryouko’s hand soon turned into a blur as the bone in his hand pummeled the door at a high speed. The door began to splinter, crack, and then finally cave in. Ryouko ended the jutsu and gave a hard stomp; the door fell down another ten feet. Ryouko smelled the straw even stronger now that the second door was gone. Sensing no danger, he stepped over the doorway and let himself fall to the ground below. Using his feet, Ryouko felt the pattern on the floor with his tabi boot. Straw tatami mats.

The room Ryouko had landed in was a huge, circular chamber, made of stone, but the floor was almost all tatami mats, save for a corner where there was a cage. The smell of straw was less strong, now that it had an opening to escape from. There were no windows or doors, save for the one Ryouko had just destroyed.

Ryouko looked around, finally seeing what he wanted: Scrolls, books, and even- clothes? Ryouko, admittedly curious, picked up one of the strange garments. It was a long shirt, with long sleeves, and was a light gray. On the back was the crest of the Kaguya, a camellia flower. The curiosity was that the shirt had holes at the shoulders, and a wide opening at the base of the neck. To anyone without the Shikotsumyaku bloodline, this would have been strange, and useless. But Ryouko understood that the openings were for access to the bones that the select few Kaguya who inherited this trait could pull out. That was fascinating enough, but those scrolls…Ryouko only knew Tsubaki no mai (Dance of the Camellia) and Tessenka no mai: (Dance of the Clemantis: ) Tsuru (Vine). Ryouko knew there were others, but he had only seen Kimimaro use them; he had never learned them himself.

Ryouko had all the time in the world to learn these jutsus now. An ample supply of food and water in his summoning scroll, Ryouko set to work.

--

“Hey, Lee’s coming back!” Sakura called down from the lookout post, the highest place in the area, on top of a strong maple tree.

“I am back! And I have brought the dog!” Lee shouted, holding a flustered-looking Pakkun high above his head. Lee held him up a little too long, because Pakkun bit down on Lee’s bandaged hand.

“I don’t like to be held. Don’t you have ears, kid? I can run just fine, I didn’t need you to carry me. Just like your sensei…” Pakkun grumbled, while Lee took the comparison to Gai as a compliment.

Pakkun rolled his eyes, but sat next to Shikamaru. “You called me here for something, what do you need?”

Shikamaru took out the inkstone that Sai had found and held it to Pakkun’s nose.

“We’re tracking Ryouko. We’ve got this clue, but that’s it. Other than that, the trail is cold. Will this be enough for you to follow?” Shikamaru asked earnestly, already tired of this mission. Just leave the guy alone already! He wants to get away, that’s his business. It’s not like he’s hurting the village or something. What a drag.

Pakkun sniffed at the ink stone. “Nope, that won’t do it. But that’s not the only clue the kid left. And I’d like to see him fake THIS one.” Pakkun pointed to a small cropping of rocks, stained with something.

“What is it?” Naruto asked, trying to sniff the air like Pakkun did. Pakkun almost didn’t stop him, but Naruto was too easy a pawn for such a trick.

“I wouldn’t do that, that’s not water, kid. Looks like nature called…” Pakkun informed Naruto, who reacted by leaping away from the spot, trying to force the smell out of his nostrils. He was thankful that it wasn’t one of those smells you could ‘taste’.

“This is a…disgusting…but natural trail I can follow. I’d like to see him do THAT while walking backwards.” Pakkun nodded for everyone to follow him. Taking off into the treetops, Pakkun led the way, followed by Shikamaru and Naruto. Lee and Sai were in the middle, while Sakura and Sasuke brought up the rear.

--

Ryouko had just started to get comfortable in the Land of Rain. How long he would stay, he wasn’t sure. It was a nice place. The people of the village nearby were pleasant enough, if wary of Ryouko. After reading the history of the Kaguya, Ryouko had learned of their nature, and their demise. Bloodthirsty warmongers, the Kaguya had attacked the Mist Village for no seemly reason, other than an enjoyment of death. They were talented warriors to be sure, but against the discipline and numbers of the Mist Village, it was suicide. The scroll had ended there, which Ryouko knew was a mistake. Kimimaro had somehow escaped the battle, and had been found by Orochimaru. Ryouko corrected the scroll, adding himself and writing down Kimimaro’s true time of death.

Ryouko’s tale had reached the Land of Rain, and therefore the Village Hidden in the Clouds. One day, a jonin got the courage up to meet Ryouko. Ryouko wasn’t used to this, but invited the man in, where they drank and exchanged tales.

“You did a great thing, ridding the world of Orochimaru,” the jonin told Ryouko. “Pardon our village for being wary of you. Your clan…made things difficult in the past. The last one is named legendary…fitting, in a way. Our Village is sturdy enough, but without notoriety. Even a visit from a legend is a welcome boost. And, sorry about my grandmother coming to you like that, and pushing you down that hole. Hehe, gram’s a feisty old thing!”

The jonin had black hair, pulled back into a ponytail. That was really the only defining feature about him, otherwise he looked like every other jonin Ryouko had seen. Looks didn’t matter so much to Ryouko anymore, although he felt certain that would change, should he meet the right kunoichi.

Ryouko tried to smile. “Thank you. It wasn’t the most enviable task, and I hope I’ll be remembered for something better than defeating a man. And the Village has been very hospitable. Aside from some wary glances, it’s been peaceful…a welcome change…”

The jonin stood up from sitting on the ground. “Have you thought of staying, permanently. All this land is yours as the last of your clan…and word has gotten out about the bounty on your head. Few here who know of your clan’s heritage would dare even attempt to turn you over to the Leaf.”

Ryouko had heard this many times, in various villages he had visited. The Sand village offer had been tempting, but Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari were too close to the people in the Hidden Leaf. In the Cloud Village, there was no such problem. Everyone knew Ryouko by clan and by legend, which was nice, if a little tiresome. But at the same time, there was no pressure, and no connection to the Leaf. Ryouko suddenly remembered he still hadn’t answered the jonin yet.

“I have…I haven’t decided either way yet. Although I do plan to lay my claim to this land. But a permanent stay, I’m not sure of yet. I also need to change my look. I’m too easily recognized, everyone wanting to make a name for himself will be after me…” Ryouko had already donned one of the Kaguya shirts he had found, and wore his mask around his neck. Usually he had a chakra cigarette in his mouth. But if he didn’t, his mask was in place. Typically, his mask was in place in public and in combat. Ryouko had put his robe away, at least for a while. A picture of him in it had been circulated, along with the 25 million Ryo bounty, so changing his look had become necessary.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

“What the hell?” Ryouko looked to the jonin, who followed him upstairs. Ryouko looked down from the top of his new land, seeing…

“Oh damn. They found me!” Ryouko ducked back down. The jonin followed him as Ryouko hustled to the door.

“You weren’t kidding about challengers! It’s no one from our village, that’s for sure!” the jonin exclaimed, before looking at Ryouko. “Do you want help? I’ll battle alongside you…”

Ryouko shook his head. “Thank you, but this is something I have to handle myself. Those are my friends, from the Leaf Village. They were, anyway…I don’t know how they feel about me since I left. It’s been a long time…” Ryouko climbed back up the stairs to look down.

“Shikamaru, Naruto, Sai, Lee, Sasuke, Sakura, and…Pakkun. Of course, THAT is how they found me. A tracking dog. I should see them, I suppose. They’ve gone to all this trouble to find me…” Ryouko was just starting to get comfortable with his new life, when his past came knocking. But there was no putting it off. Ryouko had to face them. He owed them the truth. THEY weren’t the ones who had driven him away…well, some of them weren’t. There was still Sasuke and Sakura.

The Cloud Jonin watched as Ryouko jumped off the roof and landed in front of his old friends.

“Whatever you do…don’t awaken his Kaguya blood…” the Cloud Jonin whispered to himself. He had taken a liking to Ryouko, but he knew all too well what that Kaguya blood could do if unleashed…

--

Thwomp.

Ryouko landed in the grass, head bowed, before standing up to look at his shocked ‘friends’.

“So you found me after all…Do I have you to thank for that, Pakkun?” Ryouko patted Pakkun gently on the head, surprising the pug-mix.

“If you’ve come here, you’ve probably heard about the Ryo on your head…” Shikamaru began carefully. This isn’t the same guy. He’s twenty-one now, and hasn’t been a member of a village for over a year…

Ryouko looked from member to member of the Konohagakure squad. It was a sight for sore eyes…nostalgia bit Ryouko momentarily, but he quickly stiffened his thoughts and his demeanor.

“Shikamaru…Naruto, Sai, Lee, Sasuke, and Sakura…It’s been a long time…”

The wind whooshed through the grass, breaking the akward silence. Ryouko’s eyes were half-lidded and non-threatening, but his mask was in place. It was hard to read Ryouko without his mask, let alone with the black material covering his face. Without a headband, his dark brown hair had grown bushy, but not long. Ryouko didn’t LOOK like a legend, OR an enemy.

“Yeah…it’s been a while since you released me from my prison…” Sasuke suddenly growled, stepping closer to Ryouko. In his hand, he had a kunai hidden, the flat of the blade against his wrist.
If I can kill a legend…I can kill my brother. Ryouko has NEVER been stronger than me…

Suddenly, Sasuke was thrown backward, a slash mark across his stomach. His kunai went clattering away. Naruto had been ready to attack Ryouko, but upon seeing that Sasuke had been the instigator, stopped. No one moved. They were too busy staring at Ryouko, and the bones that had jutted from his stomach so suddenly.

“Are all of you trying to kill me, or was that just Sasuke’s idea?” Ryouko’s bones sucked back into his skin, not even leaving a mark.

Shikamaru nodded to the others. “We’re not here to fight you. None of us knew Sasuke would do that. We were dispatched to bring you home in one piece, not to cut you to ribbons. Not that we could, apparently.”

Ryouko gazed at the others. “I see…well, this IS my home.” Ryouko indicated the gray building behind him. “When the Village turned it’s back on me, I had to leave. I couldn’t take it anymore. And now, I’ve been evading any trackers for over a year…”

“Once we give our report to Lady Tsunade, this place won’t be your home anymore, everyone will know about it! So why don’t you just come to your real home?” Sakura asked gently. She had never received such a cold glare from Ryouko.

“Home? To be kicked around, and treated like dirt? To have my house burned down, my school destroyed, my students jailed, and my pride squashed? I don’t think so.” Sasuke had since gotten up, and wondered what the hell had happened.

Naruto decided to play his ace. “But what about the old man, the Third Hokage! Would HE want you running off from the village like that?”

That would have been a direct hit to the heart strings. But Ryouko had already thought about that, and was quick with his response. There was regret etched all over Ryouko’s face as he spoke, and his words didn’t have their normal crisp edge.

“Lord Third would be mortified if he knew what the village had become. Turning on it’s own like this…I know I can’t be the only one to think this way. Under the Third Hokage, our village grew and prospered, until he was taken from us. Under Tsunade (gasps as Ryouko didn’t add an honorific or title. Ryouko decided that she isn’t his leader, and they’re both legends), the Village has become a shadow of it’s former self. It’s painful to watch something you love so much…just curl up and start to die…I would have died for that Village, and anyone in it! How can loyalty like that be wasted?!” Ryouko was rolling now, finally shouting. “I WOULD HAVE DONE ANYTHING TO BE ACCEPTED! INSTEAD, I GOT KICKED TO THE CURB! WHY? BECAUSE I’M NOT THE SAME AS YOU? DON’T INSULT MY INTELLIGENCE BY TELLING ME EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE, AND I’LL BE ACCEPTED BACK! YOUR HOKAGE, TSUNADE, IS A dog! SHE KNOWS NOTHING OF LOYALTY AND LOVE FOR THE LEAF!”

There was silence once more. But Lee strode forward, and took up his guard.

“Ryouko…let us spar, for old time’s sake! We will talk, as we always did!”

“How do I know I can trust you? I want to, Lee…but living alone, on the streets, for so long, has told me not to listen to everything anyone says, even friends…” Ryouko countered.

“If I cannot face you as a friend, I will be your opponent, and I will bring you back to the Leaf Village! You decide!”

Lee deepened his stance, and readied himself to attack. Ryouko reached back and pulled a bone out of his shoulder. Lee’s eyes widened; he remembered how tough Kimimaro was all too well. And Ryouko wasn’t dying from some mysterious disease.

“The bone is blunted. I don’t aim to kill, Lee. Only to give you the fight you deserve. I’m not going back to the Leaf…” At least not yet…


“Konoha Hurricane!” Lee aimed a face-level kick at Ryouko, who chose to dodge it by stepping backwards and taking a swipe with the bone. Lee spun around, and tried a heel kick. Ryouko moved away, but Lee tagged the tool pouch around Ryouko’s waist. Not a big deal, until Ryouko saw what had happened.

Lee had landed on his feet behind Ryouko, and was ready for another attack. But from Ryouko’s waist pouch came his hip flash, filled with sake. The rice brew’s loss wouldn’t have been devastating in combat, except for where it landed- in Lee’s mouth.

This isn’t good…I’ve never fought against the drunken fist. I only know that even Kimimaro had a hard against it, and he was a better fighter with the Shikotsu Myaku…if even Kimimaro, someone as strong as Orochimaru, had difficulty with the Druken Fist taijutsu, I have my hands full. I’ve never defeated Lee, even when he was sober, in a taijutsu contest…

Lee began to hiccup and sway as more and more of the rice alcohol trickled down his throat. He stumbled and fell down, sitting down, looking defiantly at Ryouko.

“WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?! DAMN IT, DON’T STARE AT ME!” Lee took off like a shot, aiming a kick at Ryouko, who barely dodged it. Lee’s punches grew faster and faster, until Ryouko couldn’t block anymore, and he could only dodge. Eventually, dodging didn’t work anymore, and Lee hit Ryouko full in the stomach with a hard sidekick.

Lee immediately landed a punch into Ryouko’s midsection, knocking Ryouko for a loop, and sending blood spilling out of his mouth. Ryouko knew this fight was already written off, unless he could sober Lee up somehow, or outlast the alcohol.

Thank God I don’t drink much…there was enough in there to buzz him, but how long can it last? How long can I last?

“HEY, WHASSA MATTER? CAN’T DODGE ME! HAHAHA! WHOA, CLONES? I’LL JUSS DESTROY THEM! HYAHH!”

Lee plowed through three imaginary clones, while Ryouko stood still watching in amazement. I wouldn’t use clones against Lee…even now, I will only spar him in a taijutsu vs taijutsu match…I can only use ninjutsu or genjutsu if he starts to hurt himself, or someone else…damn, honor is a burden sometimes…

Lee had finally targeted the real Ryouko, who had dropped the bone he had been using. Empty hands were all he had now, and that worried him. His worry was validated as Lee blazed right into him. Ryouko blocked and countered, but couldn’t land a solid strike, only a glancing blow off Lee’s forehead. Lee had become a human dynamo. Ryouko kept blocking and dodging, hoping Lee would wear himself out, all the while wondering why he was fighting so badly. It hit him, ironically, as Lee’s right leg cracked him in the shoulder.

It’s because I have no desire to fight him…he’s no enemy, so I don’t want to hurt him, which limits my movements to mostly defense. Once the sake wears off, I may be able to handle him. We haven’t fought for a long time, he may have forgotten my style. And it’s since changed anyway…

“Enough, Lee!” Sasuke was back on his feet, and rushed Ryouko again, Sharingan activated.

“No, Sasuke!” Sakura shouted, but Sasuke was right near Ryouko by now. Ryouko didn’t offer ‘taijutsu only’ matches to Sasuke, so he had no trepidation when he used a new jutsu.

“Larch Dance!” Ryouko’s body sprouted bones. One hit Sasuke, knocking him into the air. From there, Ryouko began to spin, keeping Sasuke in the air, bones hitting him each time, before Ryouko let him fall to the ground. As Sasuke gasped for air, he blurted out:

“What are you? My Sharingan can’t copy this! Damn it!”

Ryouko looked down at Sasuke, his eyes offering no mercy. “This is twice you’ve attacked me needlessly. If you want to know, I’ve discovered my Kaguya heritage. I’ve been lucky enough to inherit the Shikotsu Myaku, the ability to control bone density and growth within my body. I’ve been here, on my land, for only a short while, studying my heritage, it’s blood line limit, and the jutsus that come with it. They’re imperfect as of now, but I’ll make them stronger.”

“YOUR land? You don’t get it, do you? You’re still a genin from the Leaf Village, THAT is your land!” Sasuke shot back. He tried his Lions Barrage combo, but Ryouko’s bones stopped him cold.

“Ryouko, please, stop!”

Ryouko did just that, looking to see who had begged him to hold off his counterattack. When he saw that it was the Cloud jonin that had befriended him, he stepped away from Sasuke.

“Please, don’t attack him anymore! He’s holding back because you’re his friends, but even he has his limits!” the jonin nodded to the Leaf ninja. “He has a valid claim to this land, as the last Kaguya descendent! His blood IS diluted, but his family name gives him the leverage to own this land…please, stop attacking and give him a chance to explain…we may be from different villages, but I have no desire to see you hurt!”

Sasuke had reached his level of tolerance. “And what makes you so cocky? You think he can hurt me?!”

The jonin looked over the battered Sasuke. “He can. But he’s holding back, even against you…of the Uchiha clan…WHY he owed you a debt like that, I don’t know…but his clan is truly fearsome, and his bloodline just as much!”

“I’ve had enough of you!” Sasuke zipped toward the jonin, but Ryouko skidded in the way, retrieving his bone on the way over, then backhanded Sasuke with the flat of the bone.

“Your senseless attacks against me may be valid in your mind, but you can’t have a grudge against this jonin, you just met him. He’s proven himself a friend to me…and I’ll die…or kill…to protect my friends…”

Ryouko stabbed his bone into the dirt, so he had both hands free to make hand signs.

“Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique!” Ryouko stunned Lee with the genjutsu out of nowhere. Ryouko hadn’t even been looking at Lee when he used the genjutsu. But at the same time, the genjutsu wasn’t harmful.

“Sakura, your Poison Removal could speed up Lee’s recovery from my sake. Naruto’s Shadow Clones could hold Lee down while you work. In the mean time, let me make my home presentable…I owe you the truth, if you’ve come so far to get me.”

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