Chapter 22 - ArcIIiii: Saving Grace- Chapter 3

Ryouko finished putting his seal on the rock’s special barrier tag. His ‘Five Elements Seal’ glowed on his fingertips for a moment, then faded.

That’ll have tripped an alarm or two. Now to bait the trap…Shadow Clone Jutsu!

Three clones appeared next to Ryouko. The four moved as one; Ryouko himself in the center.

I may have to kill my way in here…Can I deal with that?
No time to wonder. I’ll have to. Lady Tsunade is in here. I know she is. And I know the Foundation is no damn good. If I’m lucky, I’ll only need to bloody my hands on one person- Elder Danzou.

Ryouko and the clones ran inside. Their feet clanged on some kind of metal grate, occasionally hitting wooden planks thrown down. Every few feet, they were hit with a genjutsu. The clones released them automatically; with trap genjutsu, they were ‘blanket’ genjutsu- meant to snare all intruders. With the clones around to dispel the traps, Ryouko didn’t need to stop moving. He could sense his clones, and they could sense him. That was the perfect teamwork.

A sword slashed out of nowhere. One of the Ryouko clones used a replacement jutsu as he dove in the way. The sword strike still hit Ryouko, but it was far from a critical hit. The same clone that had used the replacement jutsu to put the log in between Ryouko and the enemy knocked this enemy unconscious with an elbow to the head.

“Take the mask and clothes and scout ahead. I’ll deal with the enemy.”

The clone did just that. Ryouko reached down and grabbed the unconscious man’s face. He trapped the man in a looping genjutsu in which the man would be brutally dismembered in a variety of ways. If he was conscious, he would have been screaming at the top of his lungs.
--

The clone that took the ANBU agent’s gear slipped into the room where he felt the most powerful chakras. He had stumbled onto the very place his original needed to be. He waited a few moments, until the original was close by to take advantage of the diversion he was going to cause.

Out of nowhere, the clone attacked one of Danzou’s aids. He incapacitated him, but was destroyed by Danzou’s sword.

“A clone?! Everyone, defend-!”

BOOM!

A long staff with a golden tip extended into the room. Out of the end popped two clawed hands that grabbed Danzou and held him to the wall.

“Good! Please hold him, Lord Enma!”

Ryouko came flying down the staff, two kunai drawn as he ran. Four agents jumped him; two on each side. Without hesitation, Ryouko cut them down. He didn’t stop running until he reached Danzou. He plunged the kunai into both Danzou’s arms, high up at the shoulder.

“Don’t kill him!” Tsunade yelled, trying feebly to get up.

Ryouko had produced a third kunai and was an inch away from Danzou’s throat.

“…We’ve been at war, M’lady. For a full day with his men. We thought the worst…with you dead, we’d have no chance of recovery. I just killed four men…my first kills. They’re terrorists. Tell me why I shouldn’t end this horrid life!”

Ryouko twisted the kunai in Danzou’s shoulders, his teeth barred in a snarl.

“That’s not Danzou. The rat bastard ran for it as soon as you came in. This is some brainwashed idiot- one who might have information.”

After a tense moment, Ryouko withdrew the kunai.
“Adamanitum Prison Jutsu!”

Enma fashioned himself into a prison, containing the new capture. Ryouko made a shadow clone to lead the way out while he himself propped himself under Tsunade’s arm.

“…I’m sorry. I should have come here first…”

Tsunade didn’t say anything right away. She just let herself think. But she knew she couldn’t ignore Ryouko.
“No…protecting the village comes before protecting the Hokage. Especially the Hokage who got jumped and should have known better.”

Ryouko tensed up suddenly.
“My clone just got killed. My Lady, did they poison you or anything?”

“Huh? No, they just sealed my chakra…”

“Good. Then please hold on. I wanted to get out of here carefully, but whoever got my clone killed that option…”

“Wait a moment…” Tsunade was more steady on her feet now and went to check on the four agents.
“You didn’t kill them. They’ll live. As I suspect you intended…”

“…” Ryouko didn’t meet Tsunade’s eyes. “I…I’m no killer. This time, I meant to kill them. I guess my muscle memory had other ideas.”

With that, Ryouko grabbed Tsunade and used the body flicker technique, putting all his chakra into it. If he aimed right, he and Tsunade would appear right inside his cottage.
--

Naruto and Sakura dodged in patterns that made allowed Kisame to follow them. He knew he was being led- but why?

These kids are too full of themselves. Time to end this chase!

“Water Style: Water Shark Bombs!”

The powerful water attack struck Naruto and Sakura hard in their backs, knocking them out of the trees they had been scampering across.

Bwoof Bwoof

“Clones?! Then where-!”

“OODAMA RASENGAN!”

Naruto plowed into Kisame from behind. A swirl of blue chakra, larger then four Kisame’s, blasted into Kisame. The sound of his yell was drowned out by the powerful sound of the chakra’s rotation.

The second the Naruto clone helping guide the attack disappeared, Sakura fell from above, her fist extending toward the downed Kisame.

KA-BLAM!
The ground shook horribly; it cracked and fissured at her touch. Trees uprooted and fell.

Naruto landed next to the still-crouched Sakura.
“Did that do it?”

Sakura reached down and felt Kisame’s neck.
“He’s alive. But I think he’s a fake. He went down too easy. He should have been able to dodge us. And this amount of chakra is a fraction of his normal amount.”

Naruto didn’t like the thought of having just blasted some potentially innocent person into oblivion, but there hadn’t been a choice. This man had been a very real threat just seconds earlier.

“Then we’d better capture him and bring him to ANBU or something. He might be able to answer some questions.”

Sakura took out a length of rope and began to tie the man up. But she saw Naruto grin a little out of the corner of her eye. She wondered what he found so interesting. Not another perverted fantasy, she hoped.

“What’re you grinning about over there?”

Naruto kept his grin in place. “Nothin’ much. Just…remember what a hard time we had with those fakes last time, chasing after Gaara? And this time, we beat them like nothing.”
Naruto clenched his fist, staring at it for a second.
“We’re getting stronger…way stronger!”
--

Jiraiya let himself fall into Itachi’s genjutsu. But it wasn’t what he expected. It wasn’t the nightmare realm of Tsukuyomi. Instead, it was a normal genjutsu. No, not even that- it was Itachi standing across from Jiraiya.

“…You gonna tell me what’s going on here, Itachi? Or should I say the person who‘s impersonating Itachi.”

Itachi closed his eyes. “Very good, Master Jiraiya. I’m speaking through a vessel right now. I feel the need to warn you- the Akatsuki will not stay in the shadows forever. Nor will I be able to pass on information forever. The Akatsuki will make a move soon. It’s in your best interests to prepare any and all weapons you have for war…”

“You mean Naruto, don’t you? Get to the point. Why are you helping me?”

Itachi met Jiraiya’s eyes. “Don’t leave Naruto in the care of that boy any longer. He can’t teach Naruto anything more.”

“His job isn’t purely to teach. It’s to see to Naruto’s needs. And he’s done an excellent job of that.”

“Have you told Ryouko that he’s nothing more than a sacrificial piece if the Akatsuki attack?”

“I’ll tell him no such thing! It’s not true!” Jiraiya snarled.

“If he dies, the avenue for the Akatsuki’s attack becomes wider. As long as he possesses a Jutsu that could kill almost all of us, he’s a threat. But he’s merely a torch you’re waving at us, as if warding off a snake. You’re guilty of overestimating him.”

“And you’re guilty of underestimating him,” Jiraiya replied, smiling a little. “They’re ALL grown, Itachi. Naruto and Sakura more rapidly and obviously, but Ryouko…loyal almost to a fault, not afraid to get his hands dirty, and yet he’s compassionate…I couldn’t have asked for a better caretaker for those two kids. None of them will die easily.”

Itachi just stared for a moment, pausing his speech. Apparently, he was appraising the situation somehow.
“…Very well. I won’t underestimate a sannin’s judgment. But by the same token…think what I’ve said over, and be honest with yourself: If he is the last line of defense for those two, is he enough? His presence as a torch will diminish, and sooner than you think…”
--

Jiraiya found himself standing alone. Itachi had left in the time it took Jiraiya to rouse himself from the genjutsu.

He’s still amazing. All the more reason I need to really think over what he said…
--

POOF!

Ryouko landed first, with Tsunade holding tight. They landed on Ryouko’s makeshift bed in the corner- right where he’d aimed.

“Are you alright, Lady Tsunade?”

Tsunade got up on all fours- just as Jiraiya, Sakura, and Naruto came in to see what the commotion was about.

“MY LADY!” (Sakura)
“Noooo!” (Jiraiya)
“Whoa! Way to go, Ryouko!” (Naruto)

Tsunade was still on top of Ryouko. In his bed. This looked bad.
THWACK!

“Ow! Why’d you hit me?!” Ryouko whined, holding his head.

“You didn’t deny their accusations!”

“Give me two seconds to answer next time!”

“Answer faster, idiot! You’re slandering my good name!”

“WHAT good name?! Legendary Sucker?! OWWW! Sorry! It slipped out! OWW!”

Three good lumps on Ryouko’s head later, Tsunade was still ticked.
“Stop saying things that sound bad, you idiot! Now just lie there quietly!”

Lying down like that, Tsunade noticed something- a big blood stain on Ryouko’s vest. She could tell by a glance it was fresh.
“Hey, when did that happen?!”

“…Down there. They got me when I first went in. One of my shadow clones used a replacement jutsu to put a log in the way. Otherwise I would’ve been cut in half. It actually didn’t hurt until you mentioned it.”

Sakura went to the area and began to heal it, while Tsunade continued her verbal barrage.

“Your clones are more sentient than you? I’ve never heard of a clone being smarter than the original.”

“You’re welcome, M’lady,” Ryouko said brightly, eliciting a chuckle from the small crowd that was in my cottage. “You know. For saving your bacon and all.”

Another good chuckle. But this time, Master Jiraiya moved quietly outside.

What Itachi said bothers me. I trust Ryouko- I’d trust him with my own life- but is there a weak spot on him that the Akatsuki don’t know about? The best way to find out is to just test him. Sorry, Ryouko, but we’re going to have to fight a bit. I know you’d understand- those two come first, and need to be protected.

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