Chapter 5 - Stone Best Left Unturned

Ekyt…no, not Ekyt, this one didn’t have a name. The remains of Ekyt walked, keeping two steps ahead of Itachi and Kisame. He kept moving forward, completely disregarding his two VERY dangerous comrades. From the start, this one had called the shots, ignoring Itachi’s genius and Kisame’s ruthlessness. It was clear that he had made this mission his own, and most likely didn’t give a damn about why Kisame and Itachi had come to him for help.

“You know where you’re going?” Kisame finally questioned, mostly to break the silence. The sound of crunching leaves and crackling branches was all that could be heard for a while, and that was getting on the impatient Kisame’s already-frayed nerves.

“Yes, I’m sure. Although this stealth is pointless if you insist on yelling out stupid questions,” the remains of Ekyt said matter-of-factly. “Either you trust me, or you don’t. Shut up for a second!” the remains of Ekyt threw a kunai into the bushes.

“HEY! What was that for?!” said a voice.

“Stalking around like that in the shadows- you really find it surprising that I took you as a threat? If you’re not, why don’t you come on out here and tell me why you’re following me?”

“…Fine, now that I’ve been found out. What can it hurt?”

‘Ekyt’ vaguely recalled this guy. “You’re from Konoha.”

“You got it! I’ve been dispatched by Lady Tsunade to see what you’re up to. And I’ve got a helluva report for her! Hanging out with Itachi and Kisame! That surprises me, Ekyt. You’re a hardcore Leafer, so what’re you doing with criminals? That’s not like you at all, according to your records.”

Ekyt didn’t seem bothered. “I’m doing what the Hokage sent me out to do. I’m brining back her apprentice. Tell her that the two I’m with have reasons of their own, and that I’ll be taking their help.”

“She’s not gonna like that. And you know what? It’ll be MY head she bites off. So you’d better come up with a better explanation than that.”

“What was your name again? Ryu or something like that? Well, that doesn’t matter right now anyway. It might be better for me to know less. Just give Tsunade this scroll. It absolves you of any wrong-doing. So, take this, and quit following me. I don’t mean to come off with an attitude, but this mission is rather personal to me. I’m sure you understand…”

“No, I don’t,” Ryu (Properly of Doomlord1234) shot back, “But I’ll trust you. You’ve never betrayed our village before. I can’t say I like your company, but I won’t judge. If you’re chasing that demon, then I suppose you’ll need help. Just keep in mind that there’s more than one demon around, and they aren’t all evil.”

It wasn’t hard to tell Ryu wasn’t satisfied with that answer. But he had heard of Ekyt, the last student of the Third Hokage, and decided that if a student of the Third couldn’t be trusted, who could?

Not like he’s Orochimaru. No, I can’t sense any maliciousness, at least not towards me. For now, I’ll just do what he says. But I’ll be watching.

--

Ryofu couldn’t hide his surprise from Sakura. While she leapt for joy, he stared into the grave, growing more and more angry. What he had thought was a body was a wooden dummy. The dummy had certainly been carved in an interesting fashion. It looked like Ekyt, but it was one insult after another.

It’s right hand pulled down an eyelid, while the dummy’s tongue was sticking out. (All carved wood, of course. No actual tongues or eyelids) It’s left hand was clearly giving Ryofu the finger, while the writing on the forehead only served to make him madder.

Try again, sucker! the writing taunted. That, coupled with the dummy’s insulting gestures caused Ryofu to smash it into splinters.

Damn him, making a fool out of me like that! I can’t wait to show him that the Hokou is back! Last time, we fought on his terms. Not this time. No, this time, I’m going to destroy him because I WANT to.

Ryofu had actually acted in self-defense the last time he and Ekyt had tangled. Ekyt had charged and attacked upon hearing the news that Sasuke and Kakashi were dead. Ryofu had to defend himself. Not that it surprised him; he wouldn’t have approached someone like that if the person wasn’t worthy. (See Ekyt vs Ryofu 1- NG)

“Having fun playing in the mud, demon? It suits your intellectual capacity.”

‘Ekyt’ was standing on ‘his’ headstone, having fallen from the tree above. “Kindly stop molesting my corpse.”

Before Ryofu could respond, Sakura saw Ekyt.

“Ekyt?! You’re alive!”

Sakura rushed toward Ekyt, but stopped dead in her tracks. This didn’t feel like Ekyt anymore.

“Ekyt is dead. I’m what remains of him, the fool. And you…you turned your back on Ekyt.” This one cocked his head, giving Sakura an even glance. He then spoke the words Ekyt would never say:

“You don’t interest me at all. You’ll only side with that demon again. If my trust was so precious to you, you shouldn’t have betrayed it.”

The wind blew through the clearing, kicking up leaves and dust. Whatever this man was, it wasn’t Ekyt. That was apparent by the way he strode forward, unconcerned by the damage his honesty had caused.

“I don’t have a name. This one has answered to Ekyt for simplicity’s sake. But after tonight, when my hands are stained with the blood of my first kill, Ekyt will be but a memory on the wind. And you…all of you who willingly participate in evil…I shall be at your mercy. Even if I discard the name ‘Ekyt’, I cannot discard all I made him to be.”

“What the hell kinda talk is that?! You’re not making any sense, you damn nut!” Ryofu didn’t like this at first, but gradually, he decided he was looking forward to this fight. He wasn’t afraid, simply anxious. A battle without anxiety wasn’t a battle.

“Not to you, perhaps. Because you’ve only ever seen one side of Ekyt. You didn’t see him for who I created him to be, only for what he became. Ekyt, simply put, was myself, modeled after warriors I admired. But poison, in the form of desires, was leaked into Ekyt’s existence. For a time, he just enjoyed life. He had hoped…simply for that. He had respect, self-respect, and a girl. Someone to care about, someone to protect and serve.”

“What do you mean?”

“When Ekyt died, his shame lived on in his remains. No matter what, I couldn’t push out the facts: Ryofu, you killed my friends, and you stole my girl. No matter what the context, the girl I loved was in the arms of another man. That was Ekyt’s greatest regret- he couldn’t protect her. That is why Ekyt had to die. That said- I hope you’ve prepared yourself, Ryofu. Death will come on swift wings for you who have misused the innocent love of a female heart!”

Ryofu couldn’t help but laugh now. “Are you serious?! Talking in Shakespeare isn’t gonna help you! And the ‘love of a female heart’?! THAT’S your motivation? First you tell the girl that she ‘doesn’t interest you’, and now you’re all about her heart? You’re really a piece of work, Ekyt!”

“You continue to refer to me by that failure’s name. Would I be correct to assume that you aren’t prepared to face this one in combat? Or is my confidence rattling you?”

Ryofu shook his head, still laughing. “No, nothing that dramatic. It’s just funny. You see, I can see your real nature- no matter how much you call yourself ‘nameless’, Ekyt is still you. You’ll be him until the day you die. That’ll be today, by the way. No more suicide stuff so you can save yourself and stalk me!”

“Save myself? Are you that stupid?” the nameless remains of Ekyt fired back. “Save MYSELF? From what? The two years of self-exile I gave myself for failure? Death would have been easier. No, the only one I aim to save is Sakura. You called my bluff- she DOES interest me. I will bring her back to the Leaf Village, and she will see you for the demon you really are. And since we can’t agree on a name for this one, how about this: Kaitou no Seikatsu- or just ‘Kaitou’. This one gets tired of saying ‘the remains of Ekyt’, so I’ll just name myself.”

Kaitou turned his back to Ryofu, to face Itachi and Kisame. His eyes wandered to Sakura as well.

“Itachi, Kisame, Sakura…it is indeed true that there IS some of Ekyt left. I would only use it for your protection. Please hold still…Protection of the Blue Flame Chakra!” Kaitou declared as he tapped each of the three on the shoulder.

“This will block his Blood Manipulation, as well as the effects of his sword, at least for a time. That said, I will fight him. Itachi and Kisame, you can handle the remains of the Akatsuki. You might have to kill them. Are you prepared for that?” Kaitou asked, calmly glaring at each person in turn.

“HAHA! Kid, don’t pretend you understand the Akatsuki! We actually can’t stand each other! I guarantee we were all waiting for the others to die so we could grab a bigger slice of the pie. Less people, more profit. Aside from Itachi, I couldn’t care less about the rest of these guys!” Kisame began tearing the wrapping around Samehada, the greed dancing in his eyes.

“All the better. Sakura, I’m sure I haven’t convinced you yet, especially after my little tantrum earlier, but it’s time for you to come back to the Leaf Village. I don’t care if you hate me. When all is said and done, you can kill me if you feel it’s necessary. But there are so many who still need you. People who can be saved from illness, people who can be saved from their inner demons, and people who don’t want to see you throw your life away. Think this over, if you will- Naruto, Yamato, Tsunade, and myself- just four of the people who have protected you. Ryofu did indeed protect you from a horrible fate, but haven’t I done the same? Hasn’t Naruto? You showed your thankfulness to Ryofu. But if he was truly worried about your best interests, he wouldn’t demand gratitude.”

“I’ve demanded nothing from her!” Ryofu snarled, angered by the accusation. “She came with me of her own free will, as you well know! Think me a demon, or a murderer, or whatever else, and I’ll be the first to tell you that you’re right! But don’t presume to tell me that I’d demand anything from someone! I don’t need anyone!”

Kaitou turned his head calmly, though his voice was even colder. “If you demand nothing, then you’ll have no problem letting her go.”

“WAIT!”

The single word from Sakura echoed across the clearing.

“You. Ekyt, Kaitou, whatever! Let me talk to you, just you!”

Kaitou seemed to agree. Favoring the group with a glare, he made his way over to Sakura, walking past Ryofu to do so. He stopped next to him, as if they had just passed on the narrow dirt path and happened to stop.

“Gentleman’s agreement to hold the battle off until she’s said what she has to say.”

“Fine,” Ryofu agreed. Everyone seemed to relax for a moment. Sakura shuffled a few paces away to a more private area.

-

“…Do I really not interest you, Ekyt?” This had been playing on Sakura’s mind since Ekyt had said it. She hadn’t meant to ask it, but she couldn’t help herself. Her eyes seemed almost piercing to ‘Ekyt’, though he waver at all.

“…No. Ekyt is fond of you. I see what he saw, and I understand why. But understand, when it appeared Ekyt lost his head, what he really lost was his heart. He truly loved you, and when you chose Ryofu, that was when the fight was really lost.”

“I don’t understand!” Sakura balled her hands into fists, angry at her ignorance of the situation. There was so many twists and turns, and so much to understand!

“Think of this, then: When did Ekyt ever give up, or quit, or let someone else choose the ending of a fight? Can you think of a time?”

Sakura wracked her brain; she could not. She had not one singular memory of Ekyt ever bowing out like that. Well, there WAS once. Ekyt had once taught at the academy. When he once refused to acknowledge Neji Hyuuga as a sensei, Neji had struck a child in class. Ekyt immediately bowed to Neji and surrendered, on the condition that the children not be hurt further. That memory stood out in Sakura’s mind.

Kaitou looked conflicted, but he let his expression soften. “Sakura, I will become Ekyt again, just this one time. And what Ekyt would tell you is this: If you’re happy with Ryofu, you should be with him. If the slightest doubt arises in your mind, Ekyt would protect you with all he had. And last of all, he would tell you that he loved you, and that…well, you are you, Shoujo. Whatever choice you make is fine, but don’t wander down the path of evil. Your debt of gratitude has been paid.”

With that, ‘Ekyt’ evaporated again. ‘Kaitou’ remained, looking as stern as before.

“Maybe he’s right…I will be Ekyt until I die. But it won’t be today…”

-

Kaitou was struck with an idea as he walked back toward his group.

“The more you two kill, the better. If you don’t kill them, Ryofu will later. And they just might come in handy for us. But it’s important that you immediately put your chakra into the bodies of those you kill, otherwise this horror will start all over again.”

Kaitou had one last speech in mind for Ryofu. He shoved his hands into his vest pockets, looking somewhat at peace, now that the moment of reckoning had come. “You know, I hadn’t planned on letting Ekyt out to fight this match. But I think it’s best…after all, he holds the grudge with you, right?”

It has to be said now that Ekyt was still Ekyt. All this ‘Kaitou’ stuff- simply a tactic. To Ekyt/Kaitou, this was a way to win and nothing more. He had no choice but to play all his aces. He didn’t know how Ryofu had changed in two years, but if he had control over even the Akatsuki, it wasn’t looking good. But that wasn’t going to stop Ekyt from trying.

Nck. Ekyt bit his thumb and ran it down a scroll, opening it as he went. PHWHOOF!

The raw emotions hit him hard, as they always did. But there was no damage. Ekyt really HAD sealed his emotions in that scroll- that was really the biggest truth that he had told. Everything else could have been a lie. All the better.

I know genjutsu doesn’t affect him, but that doesn’t mean his mind can’t be messed with…

“Heh…fool. Let me see…Deidara and Sasori, Hidan and Kakuzu…who should go first, I wonder-!”

Itachi had already attacked. His genjutsu took out Hidan and Kakuzu in it’s first strike.

“Their bodies are immortal. Their minds, not at all. But that doesn’t hold true with Sasori. My genjutsu can’t penetrate that scroll, and I can’t afford to use Tsukuyomi again so soon.”

--

NEXT CHAPTER: Down to business. Ekyt and Ryofu pair off and finish their brawl. Itachi and Kisame deal with the rest of the Akatsuki. But they’ll hardly be alone, now that Ekyt and co are being followed!

Please note: So far, this has been mostly about 'Ekyt' rebuilding his life. There will be more of the REAL story next chapter.

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