Chapter 12: getting acquainted in konoha part 2
The rider is walking down the streets minding his own business until a ninja was in front of him "Ryu, you are needed at the office" after that the ninja disappeared 'someone must really need to see me' and he rushed to the Hokage's office in a quick pace leaving a trail of dust behind him.
Ryu was now in the office with Lady Tsunade who was doing everyone's hated enemy… paperwork "um, you wanted to see me?" Tsunade looked up to see Ryu "yes I do. There was an invitation for you to go at the Hyuuga estate and have a talk with Hiashi."
That was a surprise… no one outside the Hyuuga name other than the Hokage has ever gone inside the estate… ever. Tsunade took out an envelope and gave it to Ryu "here, this is an invitation for you to enter their estate"
Ryu took the envelope "thank you" he bowed "before I go, I noticed that your office filled with paper" Tsunade nodded "you're a ninja right? So why don't you just use clones to make the work easier" Tsunade was speechless before changing it into a smile "Thank you Ryu, you can go now"
Ryu bowed and he exited through the door, and once he was out of the building. Ryu heard loud screams saying baka over and over coming from the office. 'Nobody's perfect' Ryu sighed, it seems that even the greatest of people can have flaws within progress.
Ryu walked down the road seeing everyone relaxing and having fun with friends, the rider was making his way to the Hyuuga household with the envelope in his pocket 'I wonder if those two are able to get along now' Ryu put his thoughts away and saw the estate, 'wow… this place is big enough to make a small district'
The rider was about to go through until he heard a familiar voice, "Ryu?" He turned to see Neji looking back at him
"What are you doing here?" He asked
"I'm here because Hiashi invited me and seemed important" Ryu answered while showing the invitation to Neji
"Really? That's a surprise" Neji wasn't sure if Ryu was warned that the Hyuuga household had can be quite strict with their rules.
"Well, let us go in and have you as our friend" Neji escorted Ryu inside the Hyuuga estate and into the main house
"Here you go" Neji gestured at the door 'hope that you will be fine' then he walked away to attend some errands.
Ryu opened the door and saw Hiashi himself with the elders around him, "Ah Ryu, come… take a seat"
The rider walked in and took a seat "I take it that this meeting has something to do with me beating your nephew" he asked
"Yes" Hiashi nodded "I just want to thank you for saving Neji from his misjudgment, and also my daughter Hinata sometimes talks about you"
'That girl just needed some help' Ryu chuckled "that's nice of her"
"Now back to serious matters" Hiashi coughed "I heard from my daughter and nephew that you are a strong fighter"
"That's right" Ryu nodded "I have the ability to use cards as weapons, which is why I don't use handsigns"
"I see" Hiashi nodded
"But more importantly" Ryu coughed "I have to ask, why is it that side branch f the Hyuuga clan must be branded with the caged-bird seal?"
The Hyuuga elders were surprised to hear someone ask about the seal, which is clearly forbidden to speak within the clan
Hiashi sighed, he knew that somebody would ask that but seeing that the rider was able to free Neji from his everlasting hatred upon his relative in the chunin exams. Hiashi explained the secrets of the clan to Ryu and told him that that the side branch of the family must be branded to know their place.
Ryu was struck speechless at Hiashi's story, it's just… so disturbing 'to force your own family member into the clan's cursed fate is something to fear, but hearing Neji's side of the story it seems to me that the boy's father defied fate and chose to be free from the curse'
"I see" Ryu nodded 'this is really a serious case within the clan… after hearing Neji's story, his father/ Hiashi's brother chose to die so he can be free from the fate in the Hyuuga clan'
"By branding the side branch of the Hyuuga family, you were able to keep everything in order" Ryu spoke
"That's right" Hiashi nodded "the seal was branded on for them to know their place"
"It does prove its usefulness" Ryu spoke "however…"
The Hyuuga's held their breath to hear what the rider will say about their clan
"To me, having to brand your own family member is a sign of betrayal and in my eyes it makes me think that the main family of this clan is well… weak"
That one word has set the changes within the entire Hyuuga clan
Earlier
Neji was watching Hinata train with her gentle fist techniques, after taking a near fatal blow to her heart she tried to gain her confidence through harsh training that her father had given her, but since she was still recovering from her injuries. She took a lot of breaks to not strain her body and end up in the hospital again.
"I see that you decided to work harder than before" Neji smiled at Hinata
"Hai" Hinata nodded while she sat down on the wooden floor taking a cup of tea into her mouth, after Neji learned the truth about his father in the Hyuuga incident and some sensible beating from Ryu, he started to be kinder to his cousins.
"Onee-chan" A voice shouted
The two turned to see a small girl wearing a Hyuuga training uniform; she had shoulder-length brown hair and a pair of lavender eyes. She was running toward Hinata with a smile on her face "It's nice to see you here again onee-chan" she said while sitting next to Hinata
"That's nice of you Hanabi" Hinata smiled "I just wish tou-san would feel the same" She sighed
"Don't worry Hinata" Neji interjected "I'm sure that Hiashi-sama will turn around soon"
The three of them relaxed under the nice breeze of their home… that is until they heard something loud
"WHAAAAT!"
The three Hyuuga's stood up in surprise of the loud noise
"What in the world was that?" Neji asked
"It sounded like tou-san" Hinata answered
"Let's go see check it out" Hanabi suggested
And the three of them went off to the source
Now
After Ryu said the truth of the clan Hiashi and the elders were blazing mad
"You dare mock the Hyuuga name!" Hiashi shouted
"Not really, I mean you branded your own family for idiotic reasons and made them into slaves under your command"
"HOW DARE YOU!" The Hyuuga elders shouted
"I'm sorry… was I talking to you guys, no? Then shut up so I can talk to Hiashi" Ryu spat
The elders growled but they stayed quiet until this meeting is over
Ryu looked back at the main branch leader "if you really want to prove me wrong then let us settle it in battle"
Hiashi thought about it, sure it would likely risk his pride but it would be the only chance to see the rider's power. "Agreed we will prepare the arena" Hiashi nodded
"When and where?" Ryu asked
"Right here, in 2 days" Hiashi answered
"Then this meeting is over" Ryu nodded
The Hyuuga's stood up and left to discuss about the oncoming battle between Hiashi and the rider, but they didn't notice that Neji, Hinata and Hanabi heard the whole thing from the door and they were stupefied to hear that Ryu declared the challenge himself.
Ryu walked out of the room to see a slack-jawed Neji, a fainted Hinata, and a speechless Hanabi. "You heard everything didn't you?"
Neji answered with a slow nod
"Good" Ryu smiled "if an audience were to watch, then they'll see that to not underestimate an outsider"
Ryu walked out the Hyuga estate and will report to the Hokage about what happened today, when he entered the office to see a well relaxed Tsunade and a clean desk. "I see you wasted no time in fixing the mess that has been piling up in this room" he smiled
"That's right" Tsunade nodded "it's thanks to you that I was able to take care that cursed paperwork"
"That's good to hear" Ryu smiled "although the next words coming out of my mouth will probably make you scream loudly"
"Now what would make you say that?" Tsunade questioned
"Remember that the invitation that was given to me earlier?"
Tsunade started to have a bad feeling about this
"After meeting with Hiashi… I kind of issued a challenge to fight him"
3…2…1
"YOU DID WHAAAAAT!"
The shout was so loud that the entire village got scared for a minute before going back to the usual events of the day. Back in the office Tsunade was breathing heavily after her loud shout at Ryu. While the boy tried to get rid the ringing sound in his ears.
"I know what you're gonna say" Ryu spoke finally getting the ability to hear again
"And that would be?" Tsunade asked as she recovered
"I can't believe that you would do something reckless, stupid and an unbelievable act" Ryu answered
"That seems about right" Tsunade nodded "now what would be the cause of challenging the leader of the Hyuuga clan?"
"I just pointed out some flaws on the caged-bird seal in their family, and he pretty much took it as an insult"
Tsunade heard about that kind of seal when she became Hokage, but since the beginning of her job she has been too busy with paperwork until Ryu told her the secret to defeat it.
"Okay now that you explained to me the reason, I'll give you permission to do battle with him."
"Thank you for your cooperation" Ryu bowed before leaving Tsunade with a bit of a headache after finally getting rid of the paperwork.
"Sometimes I wish that this kind trouble won't come often" she sighed while rubbing her temples.
With the hokage's permission of acceptance Ryu just needs to wait for the time to fight the strongest Hyuuga in the clan.
The rider is now walking down the road wondering how Neji, Hinata and Hanabi were handling it. Ryu's thoughts were cut off when he heard a familiar voice.
"RYU!" a voice shouted
The rider turned to see Tenten, Rock Lee and Might Gai panting with worried looks on their faces
"I take it that Neji told you three about the challenge?" Ryu asked
"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!" Tenten yelled nearly making a new record for breaking the sound barrier.
"I know…. I know" Ryu sighed while once again trying to get rid of the ringing in his ears.
"That aside, would you mind explaining why Hiashi would challenge you to a fight" Gai asked
Ryu explained about his encounter with the clan leader about the caged-bird seal giving flaws and risks in their clan etc. Gai nodded at that, there is bound to be something wrong when the time came.
"Well since you made the challenge" Gai placed his hand on Ryu's shoulder "I can only hope for your safety and give you my support that you will survive"
Ryu nodded "don't worry, I'll be fine. And remember that I have the 'flames of youth' burning inside me"
Gai and Lee started to gain tears in their eyes, they had found another friend that shared the same 'youthful' feeling they felt, before long the two taijutsu specialists hugged Ryu tightly and cried waterfall-like tears on their faces.
Tenten found it strange at first but then she started to giggle at seeing Ryu try to calm the two down from their tears of happiness
"Okay… okay, calm down you two. There's no need to be dramatic here" Ryu sweat dropped at seeing two of his friends cry in such an exaggerating manner.
"Sorry Ryu, it's just that… we haven't had another person have the flames of youth inside them" Gai sniffed With Lee nodding with his statement.
"I'm just glad that I have them, if I didn't… then I can't even think what will happen" Ryu sighed
"That aside, I just hope that you can still be in one piece… you may be able to beat our teammate Neji but I don't think that you can beat his uncle" Tenten shivered
"Don't worry, I'll be fine" Ryu smiled "I just need to prepare myself for the upcoming battle"
-2 days later-
The fight between Hiashi and the rider came and the rumor about it spread like wildfire. Inside the Hyuuga household a large audience was seen mostly made of the main and side branches of the Hyuuga clan, other clans; the Nara, Akamichi, Yamanaka, Aburame, Inuzaki and Sarutobi were there to watch out of curiosity or interest.
"I can't see the logic of why I'm here… this so troublesome" Shikaku leader of the Nara clan sighed
"Come on Shikaku, can't you be excited for battle at least once" Inoichi leader of the Yamanaka clan spoke
"I know I am! I can't wait to see how good he is" Tsume leader of the Inuzaki clan smiled
"This young man sure has wits to stand up to one of the clans in this village" Choza leader of the Akamichi clan spoke
Hiruzen Sarutobi; former Hokage stayed quiet in the whole conversation. He was thinking back of the invasion and seeing the rider fight his former student proved his worth of being a true shinobi.
"Hey Hiruzen" Choza spoke making him cut his thoughts "you have seen the rider's power firsthand, what was it like?"
The other clan leaders stopped and listened in, they were just as curious to know how strong the rider is
"I just couldn't believe the strength he carried… all I can say is that his power is enough to surpass an entire ninja army"
That statement surprised them… the rider is so powerful that he can fend off an entire platoon of ninjas. They shivered just by thinking of the damage the rider could do in the field of battle.
While the adults are talking, the younger ninjas sat by each other some of them talking about their fellow ninja and friend in the upcoming fight.
"Man this is so exciting!" Kiba felt like he was in a candy store
"I have to agree there" Shino spoke "it was most likely that Ryu was expecting this"
"Ryu-san" Hinata pleaded "please be okay"
"Relax Hinata" Neji smiled "Ryu will be fine"
Hinata felt a bit of relief when her cousin said that, after all Ryu was new here and already he's proving his strength to face the impossible.
Hanabi was curious about Ryu, hey… she may have seen the rider fight in the chunin exams but now she can get a good view of his skill and power right here
The others were in a debate of whether Ryu will win or survive.
Sasuke on the other hand was too focused on seeing the rider fight, at first he thought Ryu was just making himself a big shot. But after hearing from Naruto that he became chunin during the invasion in the village, he was practically seething that the rider was starting to get a reputation that would be remembered in a long time.
In the arena Hiashi and Ryu were looking at each other like rivals ready to risk their lives in one battle
'Ryu, you will regret facing me' Hiashi huffed ready to humiliate the boy
'Hiashi… you are a strong leader, but if you continue to follow this kind of rules then what hope is there for the rest of the clan?' Ryu sighed
Tsunade was in between them acting as the referee for this battle "now the rules are simple, the one who can subdue the other wins… is that clear?"
"Agreed" Hiashi smiled
"Same here" Ryu nodded
Tsunade jumped back and landed on the roof, she raised her arm up "ready?"
The two combatants stayed still
"BEGIN!"
Hiashi immediately made the first strike delivering a palm strike at Ryu's head, but he dodged it and pushed Hiashi back giving him enough time to place his Decadriver on his waist.
"You can be full of yourself" Ryu took out his card "henshin" Kamen Ride Decade and he transformed into his rider form. Ryu took out another card and placed it in his buckle Attack Ride Slash he held his rider book and it changed into sword form, Ryu dashed forward swinging his sword with multiple copies of the blade.
Hiashi dodged every attack but he had some tears on his clothes "you have skill boy" he smiled finding someone at finally someone worthy to do battle, Hiashi activated his Byakugan and he was surprised that Ryu's chakra network has more power than an ordinary ninja.
He dashed forward giving a palm strike to Ryu's chest making the boy fly back hitting the wall. Hinata flinched seeing her friend get hurt by her father, Neji tried to assure his cousin that Ryu is a strong ninja and he will be fine. Ryu staggered to stay up using his sword as support.
"I see that you are strong enough to withstand my attack boy, but can you survive my next one?"
"Listen Hiashi" Ryu breathed "I've fought people who are much stronger if not equal to you"
"So you say" Hiashi took up his gentle fist stance "but can you keep your claim?"
"Why don't I… show you" Ryu took out a rider card with Agito's picture "henshin" Kamen Ride Agito bright yellow light covered his body, blinding everyone in sight as the light died down Ryu changed into Agito.
Hiashi wasted no time delivering another strike, but when it came close Ryu grabbed Hiashi's hand surprising everyone.
"It seems that you haven't trained often" Ryu smiled and delivered a hard punch to Hiashi's face, the Hyuuga flew back and he hit the ground face first.
"Don't tell me that's all you got" Ryu spoke "come on, you can do better than that"
Hiashi stood up and took up his stance again "come on boy, show me your strength"
Ryu ran to Hiashi head on, he threw a barrage of punches But Hiashi parried all of them and made a double palm strike to Ryu's body making him skid backwards. "Do you really think that you can defeat me boy?"
"I don't need to answer that" Ryu took out a card and placed it in his belt Form Ride Agito Flame Ryu was covered in red light changing his chest armor and right arm into bright red. In his hand was the flame saber. Ryu dashed forward and attacked Hiashi giving a few swings of his blade.
Back at the audience they were both surprised and impressed at the same time. They have heard that the rider was strong but seeing it before their eyes is just… remarkable, at first they thought it was just for show but in truth it was actually used to make him stronger.
Ryu was able to give a scratch on Hiashi's face making the Hyuuga step back "it seems that you were able to a good hit" Hiashi smiled "but can you do better?"
He made a quick strike to Ryu's face making the boy fly back, but Ryu flipped upwards and he used his saber stabbing it to the ground and stopped himself from going farther. "Do you need to ask that" Ryu placed another card in his belt Form Ride Agito Storm blue light covered his body changing it again and this time the chest armor and left arm turned blue and in his hand was the storm halberd.
Ryu dashed forward and attacked his opponent, Hiashi dodged the first assault but with a quick motion from the rider he was struck in the left shoulder. After that hit Hiashi was wide open, Ryu made another move hitting Hiashi's right leg.
Ryu changed back to his original Agito form and he is ready to finish this fight "wanna give up now?"
"I'm… not done… yet" Hiashi struggled to stay up but the damage he took from the last attack was too much and he could barely stand up
"Well if you want it that way" Ryu took out a gold card with Agito's logo "I'll gladly give you a warrior's mark"
Final Attack Ride A-A-A-Agito Ryu's horns multiplied giving the signal to deliver the final attack. He jumped up to the air and made a kick towards Hiashi. An explosion was made covering the entire area in smoke, when the smoke cleared it showed Ryu still standing and Hiashi on the ground… beaten
It was proof that the rider is strong enough to handle himself even someone from a clan leader; Gai, Lee and Naruto were cheering for Ryu's victory, while everyone else were speechless to see that the rider as the victor in this battle.
"Way to go Ryu-nii!" Naruto cheered loudly to his friend
"Now that' what I call the power of youth right there!" Gai smiled at his fellow ninja
"Good work Ryu!" Lee cheered for to his friend
"I-I can't believe it" Hinata sputtered "he defeated tou-san"
"I know…" Neji nodded "I can't believe it either"
Hanabi just stayed quiet during the whole battle, she was surprised… shocked really, to see her father being defeated by an underdog.
Tsunade quickly brought her medical kit and was relieved he was still alive and breathing, "thank goodness that you are still breathing" she sighed before turning to Ryu "I just hope that you won't battle the rest of the clans"
"Don't worry" Ryu smiled "I'm pretty sure that they got the hint after seeing me in action"
"That boy has more power than any of us" Inoichi spoke feeling a bit shaken seeing the rider's victory over Hiashi
"And he has a lot of heart to use it too" Choza smiled
"Man, I wish I was the one who gets to fight him" Tsume huffed feeling a bit sad that she didn't get the chance
"Be careful of what you wish for" Shikaku interjected "you might lose your teeth because of that"
"Are you making fun of me" she growled
"No, I'm just speaking logic here" he yawned "wake me up if something interesting comes up"
With the young ninjas of the audience they were really glad that Ryu won, they didn't know why but they were just glad that Ryu is safe.
Sasuke on the other hand couldn't take it anymore. He jumped out of the crowd and into arena surprising everyone.
"Sasuke!" Tsunade shouted "What are you doing!"
"I will not let myself sit by and let the rider go do what he wants" Sasuke growled "I wall take those cards myself, one way or another!"
Tsunade was about to say something but she was cut off by Ryu's words
"Interesting" the rider hummed "very well, I was curious how one boy became so important"
Tsunade carried Hiashi and jumped back to finish healing Hiashi
"I will defeat you and take those cards after I crush you!" Sasuke activated his Sharingan and prepared himself
"Since you're so sure about that, I'll let you take the first attack" Ryu spoke calmly
Sasuke dashed forward and he wasted no time bringing another blow after the first one, after a barrage of attacks the Uchiha held Ryu by the neck and pushed him against the wall. Sasuke smirked already feeling his victory getting close.
"It seems that you lost after facing me" he smiled with overconfidence
"I haven't even started yet" Ryu placed a card in his belt Attack Ride Illusion and Ryu started to multiply, Sasuke was caught in surprise making him let go of the rider and he was surrounded by nine riders in a circle.
Even though the Sharingan can predict the next move, it didn't say that it can see another one in an instant. Inside the circle Sasuke couldn't see the next attack for he was getting hit simultaneously, blow after blow Sasuke could barely see what's in front of him now.
The Uchiha was now thrown a good distance away giving the rider some time to recover.
"Come on Sasuke… you say that you are an Uchiha" Ryu spoke "why don't you show me what you're really made of"
Sasuke stood up and made some hand signs making his firstly made jutsu "fire style: great fireball jutsu" he took a deep breath and blew out a giant fireball to his target.
The audience was pretty devastated that Sasuke wouldn't show mercy to his fellow ninja, some of them were about to jump in but they stopped upon hearing a familiar sound.
Kamen Ride Hibiki a small but noticeable purple flame was seen in the fire and with a wave of single hand, the flames dispersed showing Ryu in his Hibiki form "is that all an Uchiha can do?"
Sasuke growled at seeing his opponent without a scratch, he made another set of hand signs and spoke "fire style: phoenix flower jutsu" Sasuke blew a small barrage of fireballs in different directions aiming at the same target
"You made an effective way of using fire like that" Ryu looked at incoming attack "but it's pointless" he placed another card in his belt Attack Ride Ongekkibo Rekka Ryu reached into the back of his belt and he pulled his weapon and it ignited in small but intense flame.
With a single wave of Ryu's weapon, a barrage of fireballs flew out hitting the flames that were aimed at him were put out. A few of them hit Sasuke on both his shoulders and midsection, Sasuke screamed in agony at the intense flame touching his body.
Ryu was now ready to finish this fight "it seems that the great Sasuke Uchiha is starting to lose"
Sasuke struggled to get up but with the pain he got earlier, Sasuke could barely stand up
"So you're letting the pride of the clan blind your thoughts" Ryu took out a gold card with Hibiki's logo "then let me finish this"
Ryu placed the card in his belt Final Attack Rde H-H-H-Hibiki a large version of Hibiki's logo spun on Sasuke's body entrapping the Uchiha like a statue
The rider was now in front of Sasuke "now taste defeat, Sasuke Uchiha" he placed his weapon in position and shouted "sound style: flaming serial beats!"
Music started to cover the area and Ryu started his attack in a rapid pace. The strikes started Sasuke felt his body a powerful force hitting him, Ryu continued his assault making Sasuke feel more pain for his selfishness. Ryu raised his arms in the air and delivered the final blow, Sasuke stepped back before being blown up.
The Uchiha flew back and crashed on the ground out cold. Ryu removed his armor and looked down at Sasuke "you are a sorry excuse to be the big-shot of a long forgotten and respect clan" he walked away from Sasuke leaving Tsunade to her work.
"Now that's just scary" Inoichi shivered at the fight he saw
"I couldn't agree more" Tsume felt a bad feeling at seeing thu young Uchiha challenge the rider
"Now that the rider showed us his reason and skill, I should say that all of should get home from a long day" Hiruzen suggested to which everyone agreed
Ryu and Naruto were back at the apartment and the blond-whiskered ninja went to bed, while Ryu went to the kitchen for a little snack. He went to Naruto's bed and saw the boy toss and turn feeling scared like something is ready to get him.
Ryu went to the boy's side "don't worry Naruto, nii-san is here. I won't let anyone hurt you"
After that, Naruto calmed down feeling much safer now. Ryu quietly stepped out and lied down on the sofa 'oh Naruto, I wish I could know a bit of your past' that was his final thought before dozing off.
Ryu opened his eyes to see a dim tunnel "okay this weird" he looked down to see water covering his feet "eww, that's nasty" Ryu was about to complain more about this place until a loud booming voice echoed in the tunnel.
Come
Ryu was surprised to hear such a voice in the tunnels and then it came again
Come
Ryu followed the voice and once there he saw a giant barred door with a seal at the center
Finally the loud voice came from the other side of the door I was starting to get frustrated that you wouldn't make it
Ryu saw a pair of giant red eyes looking down on him and then it smiled showing its large teeth "okay, now that I know who or what I'm talking to. Could you mind where I am?"
You're in the brat's mind the face answered
"Wait, you're saying that I'm in Naruto's head?" Ryu asked
That's right
The rider was surprised that he was in Naruto mind but he shook it off "okay that answer's where I am, now who are you?"
I am the feared beast in the entire village. I can destroy an entire mountain with a single flick of my tails and make typhoons with another… I am the nine-tailed fox!
The beast showed itself to the rider he was a large orange fox with a heavy lust for bloodshed and destruction.
"So the tales of the tailed beasts are true" Ryu looked at the giant fox "tell me, if you're here in the boy's mind. You probably seen Naruto's life ever since you have been in here"
The fox just stayed quiet as if he felt pity for its vessel
"Come on tell me" Ryu spoke "I need to know his past, I just have to know"
The beast sighed in defeat all right, but you won't like it one bit
"I'll manage"
The fox flared his chakra and Ryu covered his eyes from the blinding light, Ryu opened his eyes to see the streets of konoha with the sun setting above the mountain
"Where am I?" he looked around to see people "excuse me" when he placed his hand on the person it passed through, Ryu jumped back in surprise "that was unexpected" but then he heard crying.
Ryu ran through the crowd and saw a younger Naruto crying "Naruto?" The rider looked down and he saw a shadow of the giant nine-tailed fox "no" he then heard the people behind him whispering to each other.
"You see that boy there, he's dangerous" a female villager whispered
"Yeah I heard that he could become that... that monster at any moment" a male villager talked balk
"SHHH…! Keep it down you two, the Hokage made a rule not to talk about it or it will be our necks!" A random villager spoke.
The rider was starting to get mad at the people around him, he could feel the hate of everyone in the area all going to the boy
"How stupid" Ryu growled "they couldn't see that it was a child in front of them"
Light flashed around again Ryu covered his eyes and opened them to see the ninja academy, "okay… what am I doing here?"
Ryu saw another crowd of people at the entrance seeing their children become ninjas
"Look over there" a villager spoke
Ryu turned to see Naruto alone again… the boy sat on a swing looking very sad
"People say that he failed the exams again"
"That's good, the village would be in trouble if he was to become a ninja"
Naruto stood up and walked away not needing another heart-breaking torment. Ryu followed him down to the streets and saw everyone still giving him the cold shoulder treatment, he was about to go home until Iruka showed up.
"I've heard from Naruto that this man was a brother-figure before he met me" Ryu spoke
The chunin felt really badly for Naruto's failure, to make it up Iruka took the boy for a treat to the ramen stand, Iruka gave words of encouragement to Naruto that he will be a splendid ninja.
It was now night-time and Ryu was in the forest, he saw Naruto reading a giant scroll trying to learn a jutsu that's best suited for him. Iruka showed up with worry, the chunin asked what the reason of stealing the scroll is.
Naruto answered that he was given a special test from a man named Mizuki that if he can perform a jutsu from the scroll then the boy will become a ninja.
Just then Mizuki showed with a giant shuriken in hand, he then told Naruto about why everyone was afraid of him. And that he was the nine-tailed fox who the village completely feared.
Naruto just stood there with a look of shock and he couldn't move, Mizuki took the chance and threw his weapon and aimed it towards Naruto. Iruka jumped in and protected Naruto from harm, he said that he would hate the fox that took his parents but that doesn't mean he won't protect his students.
After that the chunin passed out, in a fit of anger Naruto made a handsign and shouted "SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" a large puff of smoke appeared and when it was gone. A large number of Naruto's were everywhere and all of them pummeled at Mizuki leaving no opportunity for the man to move.
At sunrise Iruka has a gift for Naruto and it was the leaf forehead protector, Iruka congratulated Naruto for performing the jutsu and now the boy became an honorary ninja.
And that was how Naruto became a ninja.
Ryu was back at the sewers and the fox was looking at him.
So, How was seeing the brat's miserable past? The giant fox asked
"It was… unbelievable" Ryu spoke feeling his anger rising again "I can't understand why they could not see that it was a little boy in front of them"
Are you going to get them back for not seeing through their mistake? The fox questioned
"No" Ryu answered
The fox was surprised to hear that kind of answer and what makes you say that?
"I know that I can't forgive the people on what they did to Naruto's childhood" Ryu spoke "but that knucklehead already proved it himself throughout the years… besides if I were to get my anger on the villagers, I will be just like them"
The tailed-beast just stayed quiet at the rider's answer, he hasn't heard that kind of talk since… he was created in this world
"I'm not sure why but I get the feeling that you, the feared nine-tails feel alone throughout the years before you were sealed into Naruto"
The fox just stayed quiet remembering that in his life, the beast never felt freedom since he was sealed by that accursed clan.
"Even though I am not your vessel, I somehow can feel something that you feel sad during your time being contained most of your life"
The fox growled at being insulted like that
"But I'm sure that in time you and Naruto will start to get along well" Ryu smiled "only then will you two be friends and somehow you fox… will be lead down the right path"
Ryu started to fade from the tunnels with the smile still there until he disappeared, the fox felt surprised in hearing the rider's revelation. Even though the fox was feared upon the lands, it still has a heart… while Ryu faded away, the fox saw another person with the same compassionate heart.
Only one word escaped the fox's lips
Sage
Back in the real world Ryu woke up with a bit of sweat dripping on his face "so that legend is true" Ryu remembered reading something in the library about a single man creating the ninja world after fighting a monster that threatened to destroy the land and wished to create peace for everyone.
Ryu stretched from his bed and have some breakfast he looked at Naruto who was still sleeping in his bed. The rider quietly walked out the door and let Naruto get a bit more of sleep.
Outside in the streets Ryu was thinking about the Hyuuga clan 'maybe I should go there to see if nothing bad happens'
Ryu went to the Hyuuga estate and he was welcomed easily as he was escorted to the training grounds of the place. He saw Hiashi training Hinata in the gentle fist technique.
After the battle with the rider, the Hyuuga clan head started to properly teach his daughter the hyuuga fighting style of the gentle fist. After a long period in practice, HIahi called off today's session and walked off.
Hinata took deep breaths at the serious training she took, she look up to see Ryu smiling at her
"Ah! Ryu-san" She waved "it's good to you here"
"I see that the shy Hinata starts to become a bit braver" Ryu smiled "did your dad have a change after the battle"
"Hai" Hinata nodded "tou-san became gentle and he isn't strict like before and he even said that he will teach Neji too"
"Wow, that's some change" Ryu whistled "is he being a good father too?"
"Hai" the girl smiled "he also told me that when I meet you again, I have to give you this" she took out a scroll in her pocket and presented it to her friend
"For me…?" Ryu took the scroll "I wonder what it says"
The rider opened the scroll and read it. The rider was expecting some discouraging words in the scroll, but instead it showed just the opposite of that
It said that during Hiashi's loss the man was thinking of his actions and it was a bad omen that the man became cold-hearted, and he remembered that his twin brother Hizashi… and that the rider was somehow similar to him. At the end of the message it said a thank you at the end and that he was grateful at his defeat.
"That's good" Ryu smiled "I guess that settles that"
"What does it say?" Hinata asked curiously
"It's just a thank you for giving him a worthy battle" the rider chuckled "I should get going now"
Hinata nodded "it s good having you around Ryu-san" The rider waved goodbye and left the Hyuuga estate
Ryu walked down the streets the streets thinking 'now what am I going to do now?' his thoughts stopped upon hearing a familiar voice.
"Hey Ryu!"
The rider turned to see Asumu and his team passing by
"Hi there" Ryu greeted "are you guys going somewhere?"
"Yeah, were heading to eat" Chouji smiled "wanna come?"
And just mentioning a place where food is, the rider's stomach grumbled. The rider clutched his gut and laughed "that would be a yes"
The five of them went to a restaurant called Yakiniku Q which is a two story building with a sign of the name above the front door
Inside Chouji was already gobbling down a big plate of beef strips and a hill-sized bowl of rice in his hand. Ryu was awestruck at the way the young Akamichi finished his food in seconds…
"Does he always eat like that?" Ryu asked
"Sadly yes" Shikamaru answered "suffice to say he goes overboard when he eats here"
"Well I'm not letting his appetite stop me from eating my meals" the rider took out his chopsticks and dove in for a piece of meat, but Chouji grabbed the other end.
"Hey Ryu" Chouji called "this is my piece"
"Maybe so" the rider replied "but I'm hungry too"
The two of them had a stare down while trying to take the meat in their grasp.
"Uh… shouldn't we stop them or something?" Ino asked
"I'd rather sit back and see what happens next" Asuma answered
"Me too" Shikamaru yawned "besides it would be a drag to bother people"
As if fate decided to give a chance, the beef strip tore in two pieces, giving Chouji and Ryu an equal half
"Well, this getting out of hand" Ryu spoke out "I propose a contest"
"What kind of contest?" The young Akamichi asked
Another plate of meat joined the table for the two
"We each eat a number of pieces of meat and the one who eats the last piece of meat in this table wins" the rider proclaims
"That sounds like my kind of game, but are there any bets to this contest?" Chouji asked
"If I win this contest, you will only eat 4 plates in this place" Ryu spoke
"But if I win?" Chouji spoke
"If you win, then you can eat as much as you want until you are satisfied" the rider replied
Chouji liked that idea while his teammates and jonin leader are sweating madly, that only happened when Asuma almost said the word 'fat' before Shikamaru lied about him getting more meals than usual. They just hoped that incident won't happen again.
"Ready?" Ryu asked preparing for the next plate
Chouji was practically drooling about his wining bet that he ate the first row of beef in one sweep
"That's something I don't see everyday" Ryu took about only five meat strips into his pile "but I'm not out yet"
These two continued to take turns eating each share of their food until the last piece of meat on the plate was in Chouji's hands, much to everyone's dismay. The Akamichi smiled at his victory.
"It seems like I win" Chouji smiled
"Not quite" Ryu spoke while taking the last beef strip from another plate
"But you said the last piece on the plate" Chouji spoke
"What I said was the last piece on the table" Ryu corrected "that includes leftovers"
Chouji felt a bit sad on losing, he lost the chance to eat until satisfaction.
"Oh don't be sad about losing Chouji "Ryu chided "you can still eat here and I'm sure that your sensei will give exceptions from time to time"
"Uh… that's right, I'm sure that in time you will get rewards" Asuma laughed nervously
"Now that all this tension let's get back to eating" Ryu said while ordering another meal
"Yeah" Chouji smiled "I could do that" and he went back to eating his food
-5 minutes later-
The five of them were now outside feeling content after a hearty meal.
"Man, I never thought that you would be that hungry" Asuma laughed
"I guess being with Naruto made me forget that there are other kinds of food out there" Ryu sighed
"And thanks for clearing my debt back there, I Thought I would never pay that amount" the jonin sighed
"Don't worry" Ryu smiled "I'm making friends here, so there's no need for tension in a nice day"
Ryu stood up and waved goodbye to team 10 and went on his way
'Now what should I do next?' Ryu thought
While the rider was thinking, there were 2 ANBU ninjas watching him.
"Do you really think that this is a good idea?" One them spoke
"I know this is wrong… but the Hokage ordered us to watch him" the other replied
"Did you forget that he was the one who stopped the invasion and prevented the sacrifice of our wise and respected leader before lady Tsunade took his mantle?"
That is true… Ryu was the one who protected Saurtobi from his death during the invasion and defeated the missing-nin, Orochimaru.
"I'm telling you, I have a bad feeling that we are watching a beast…" the first ANBU called "if he finds out about us, he will surely go rouge"
"Don't worry" the second ANBU assured "the Hokage told us to watch him only for today. We'll report that the rider wasn't doing anything suspicious after watching him"
After the conversation ended, the two of them continued to watch the rider until day's end with no suspicion at all.
"Hey, do you think that Lady Hokage was unsure about the rider?" The First ANBU asked
"Not at all" The second ANBU answered "I think the council was feeling iffy on the rider and forced Lady Tsunade to do it"
"What a bunch of jerks" The first ANBU muttered
Ryu went into the apartment after a nice day and that means the ANBU will report that nothing bad happened today
Another day passed by and Ryu woke up from his sleep and saw an empty bed, an eaten ramen cup and old clothes on the floor
"It seems Naruto left in a hurry" Ryu laughed "he must be trying to get a mission from lady Hokage"
The rider cleaned up the mess and he went for a little walk, Ryu smiled at seeing the kids play around the streets and seeing his fellow ninja enjoy their days off by spending time with their friends and family.
Before Ryu could go off he heard a familiar voice
"Um… Ryu"
The rider turned to see Shizune with Tonton in her arms… her face was filled with worry
"Oh Shizune" Ryu spoke "is there something wrong?"
The medic-nin nodded, she told Ryu that there will be a meeting in the Hokage's office and he will be a part of it.
"Okay, I'll go to the meeting" Ryu nodded 'I have some questions that needs to be answered by them'
The two set off to the Hokage's office for the council meeting, once there Tsunade looked very serious in her chair.
"I'm glad that you could make it" Tsunade spoke "the meeting is about to start"
The Hokage led Ryu to a room filled with the Ninja clans on one side and a majority of civilians on the other.
'I'm guessing that this is where the council discussed their own arguments about the village'
"Now that the rider is here we can start the meeting" Hiruzen spoke
"Then the discussion of the fight between the rider and Uchiha Sasuke begins" A random person in civilian side spoke
The discussion went on for a while trying to not get a tense atmosphere in the room, the civilian side said that the rider's tools should be confiscated for hurting the last Uchiha
'Man, are they that one-sided' Ryu grumbled
However… the ninja council protested at that, they said by confiscating the rider's tools then they were pretty much insulting their own ninjas in the village
'Wow… I really made an impression on them' Ryu smiled at seeing the ninja council giving support to him
After the long dispute everyone decided that they have come at a stalemate and will do nothing and let it go. Much to the civilian council's displeasure
"It seems that this meeting is pointless" Tsunade smiled
"Not quite yet" Ryu interrupted "I have some questions that can only be answered in this room"
"It's about Uzumaki Naruto… and his life"
Everyone became silent… talking about Naruto's life and his secret is a big taboo
"I know that you are concerned for Naruto but there was a rule to not talk of it in public" the former old Hokage reasoned
"That maybe a fact but that rule didn't say talking about it in private" the rider replied
Following what Ryu said, the civilian side of the council started to bicker about Naruto saying that he isn't worth to be a ninja and they said that he isn't fit to be in this village.
Needless to everyone else was disgusted at seeing them think that they can do whatever they wished
"So that's how it is" Ryu growled
Suddenly the room started to get a cold atmosphere, everyone started to shiver feeling the temperature drop
"What is this feeling?" Choza felt the cold sensation going up his back
"I don't know, but I don't like this feeling" Inoichi replied
While the councilmen shivered at the cold atmosphere in the room, Tsunade and Hiruzen felt surprised that Ryu was giving the cold temperature.
"If this is all what the meeting is about, then I'm leaving" Ryu turned away and reached for the door but someone decided to stop him
"You're not going anywhere until" fortunately his sentence wasn't finished for he was almost shot… courtesy of the rider himself
Everyone was dumbstruck that someone would try to threat the council member
"HOW DARE YOU HIT A COUNCILMAN!" another civilian member shouted
"Shut it!" Ryu growled forcing the civilian member to be scared-quiet
"All I here are a bunch of idiots babbling about their own little Uchiha brat to be the pride of this village, which literally give issues to their village and the result is being stupid" Ryu declared "if you people are not going to think seriously then this meeting is pointless!"
The rider turned to Tsunade "Lady Hokage, you're the one giving the commands here. You'd better get some replacements and fast"
After that Ryu left the room leaving a stunned audience behind him.
"Well that was complete waste" Ryu grumbled
The rider was back at the streets in konoha thinking about what he did earlier 'maybe a quick bite of ramen could cheer me up' and he went to the ramen shop. When he got there Ryu saw Naruto eating his favorite dish.
"Hey there Naruto" Ryu greeted his roommate
"Oh hi Ryu-nii" Naruto spoke "what are you doing here?"
"I just took a walk around and decided to have a little snack" Ryu replied
The two sat side-by-side had some food, they talked about today, made some jokes and shared laughter
"Oh Ryu-nii" Naruto laughed "I would be bored all night"
"Don't worry Naruto, I'm not going to leave you"
The two ninjas walked back to their apartment for a nice rest
Chapter End
Author's note:
Hi there this the author, you're probably asking why Decade is being used more often than Diend; well it's obvious that Decade has more jutsus while transforming into the rider
While Diend only summons them no matter how riders in his possession and personally I was saving this rider for the Shippuden version of the story for the Akatsuki and the fourth Shinobi world war
I'm planning to get a few chapters for Diend so that he could have a share in this part of the story
Author out.
