Chapter 8: Decisions to Make

"We were waiting on a chance to catch him!" the other Anbu said, facing Takahiro. "He's a rouge ninja from the Hidden Cloud who was working with Orochimaru!" The Anbu accused, shocking Ryuunosuke.

"Is what he just said true, Takahiro?" Ryuunosuke asked, turning to him.

Takahiro took a moment to respond. "Yea, it's true." He admitted, not trying to hide it or sound ashamed at all, which actually surprised Ryuunosuke even more then the simple fact it was true.

"You see? Anbu from the Hidden Cloud Village have been after him for years! If you don't release us you'll be making yourself an accomplice and an enemy of the Cloud." The Anbu warned Ryuunosuke.

"Takahiro," Ryuunosuke began. "Is there anything you would like to say in your defense?"

Takahiro waited before responding. "It is entirely true that I am a traitor of the Hidden Cloud who served Orochimaru." Takahiro said. "But I am no longer Orochimaru's servant. No, really I was just his tool the whole time, he really is nothing but a dirty snake."

"If you have really turned against Orochimaru, then turn yourself in to us." One of the Anbu's suggested. "You could prove your allegiance back to the Hidden Cloud by providing us with Intel about Orochimaru and his hideouts."

"Unfortunately, I cannot do that." Takahiro said.

"Why not?" The second Anbu asked.

"I promised myself when I left Orochimaru that I would personally kill that guy with my own hands. I am sorry, but I will not return to the Hidden Cloud until I accomplish this task."

"Interesting story, but we can't take your word on it!" The Anbu said. "You're coming with us whether you want to or/" The Anbu started, but then Ryuunosuke knocked him unconscious and let him fall.

"What are you doing!" The other Anbu member asked Ryuunosuke.

"This is my choice, I don't believe Takahiro is lying, so I will trust him for now, and help him reach his goal." Ryuunosuke said.

"He could still be lying to you though." The Anbu said.

"If it comes to that... I will personally take Takahiro back to the Hidden Cloud Village myself, by force if necessary." Ryuunosuke told the Anbu.

"You would accept such a burden?" The Anbu asked.

"Yes, I would."

"I see, if that is the case then any other person would let you go." The Anbu said. "Although since I am an Anbu Black Op, I am not permitted to overlook this, if you want to get out of here without a fight, you'd best knock me out as well."

"Very well, we will do so." Ryuunosuke told him, and Takahiro proceeded to knocking him unconscious, and the two of them ran off into the forest.

They continued running until the Hidden Grass Village was out of view, then stopped to catch their breathe. "Thanks, Ryuunosuke." Takahiro said.

"Don't thank me just yet. Like I said I don't believe you were lying to the Anbu, but I want to put any doubt I have behind right now."

"How do you intend to do that?"

"With my First Release." Ryuunosuke said, activate Kashi-ka. "My first release has one more power I haven't told you about yet. If I examine someone's chakra like this while their talking, I can actually tell whether or not their telling the truth. So I'll ask you a question and you better not even think about lying, because I'll know and take you back to the Hidden Cloud like I told the Anbu I would." Ryuunosuke explained, and Takahiro looked a bit nervous.

"Fine, ask away." Takahiro told Ryuunosuke.

"Have you really cut all your ties to Orochimaru, and no longer have any wish to do what he bids?" Ryuunosuke asked.

Takahiro grinned. "Since you'll be able to tell if I lie, I will speak the honest truth. I have but one tie to Orochimaru left." He admitted. "It's a tie that I am unable to get rid of, and the one I wish I could be rid of most of all. The curse mark he gave me is the only thing on me that ties me to him, and I have absolutely no desire to go back to him, I wish him dead just like anyone else that has ever met him." Takahiro finished.

"I'm glad to hear that, the fact you gave me the information you do still have a tie to him means you truely were honest." Ryuunosuke said as he de-activated his Kekkai Genkai.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Takahiro asked, not understanding why Ryuunosuke needed something else to confirm he was telling the truth.

"Because I was lying when I told you I would be able to tell if you were lying." Ryuunosuke confessed. "My Kekkai Genkai holds no such power to determine what is a true of false statement, the idea is simply ridiculous."

Takahiro was surprised, and in that surprise he couldn't help but laugh. "That's a clever ploy though. Maybe you should have hung on to that lie yourself a while." He said.

"That would serve no purpose, sooner or later you would have learned I didn't have the power." Ryuunosuke said, also grinning at his own lie. "Might as well tell you now."

"I suppose that's true." Takahiro replied. "Now we should probably get out of here before those Anbu wake up and start chasing us again."

"Right," Ryuunosuke agreed and they started off again.

"Hey, wake up." The Anbu that let the two of them go woke the first Anbu.

"Where are they?" The Anbu asked hurriedly as he woke up.

"Their gone already, ran off into the forest." The second Anbu told the first. "In any case, we should probably report this to the Raikage."

"Yeah, you're probably right." The other Anbu agreed, and they headed off.

After they were sure the Anbu wouldn't be able to find them, Ryuunosuke and Takahiro stopped to make camp for the night. "So, Ryuunosuke," Takahiro began. "What's the real reason you helped me out with those Anbu?" He asked, and the question surprised Ryuunosuke.

"What do you mean? I said back there that I didn't think you were lying." Ryuunosuke replied.

"True, but just because you believed my words wasn't enough of a reason to help me make an escape, let alone risk turning yourself into an enemy of the Hidden Cloud. Trusting someone in itself is not enough of a reason to do that much, so you must have had another motive." Takahiro explained.

Ryuunosuke sighed before replying. "I guess... it's because when I met you, I thought I was finally starting to learn about my Kekkai Genkai. I didn't want to let the chance to learn slip away from me." Ryuunosuke said.

"I see, I guess when you put it like that, anyone would have done what you did." Takahiro thought.

"Yeah, now we just need to figure out where to go next, can't just sit around here if those Anbu are after you." Ryuunosuke noted.

"That's true, but where do we go exactly?" Takahiro wondered.

"I guess we'll just have to wander a bit. Not much else to do in this case." Ryuunosuke replied. "We can start working on your fire nature tomorrow morning, for now let's just get some sleep."

"Good idea, a little shut eye would do us both a lot of good at this point." Takahiro agreed, and the two of them layed down to sleep.