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Thank you KibaInuzukaLover145 and LuvleeCookieChan for favouriting the story!
And everyone who continues to read of course! :D
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Chapter Twenty-One:
Relief
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"Hey, what have you been up to?" Ryou poked Yume's stomach, and she cringed, slapping his hand away. "Aw come on, we've got places to go today!" He stuck a pink rose in her hair before smiling. "You certainly look healthier."
She smiled, rubbing her hand over the flower, "Just anything but stomach poking, you know I'm ticklish."
"Oh yeah!" He smirked, wagging his fingers in the air with the threat of tickling her. To which she jumped back in surprise. "I suggest you run!"
"I swear Ryou I will- Eeep!" She began to run away the moment Ryou began to laugh like a stereotypical evil villain.
Ino laughed when she saw Ryou chasing Yume, though the tides eventually turned when Yume pulled out a stick of her red lipstick and threatened to put it on him, he ran away screaming like a young child watching their first horror movie.
Yume sat down to catch her breath while laughing, which was a pretty funny sight, though her lungs were steadily getting better. Ryou sat down in front of her as soon as she was done with her vicious effeminate attack. He reached into the bag that he was carrying and pulled out a koto to show it to Yume, who was curious by ut. "I made the strings myself." He smiled bashfully, being able to create meta came in handy in more than just combat.
While the two younger shinobi were laughing and carrying on, plucking the koto, Shikamaru sat down beside Ino, "Have you heard?" He was quite worried about the situation in the west, near the hidden sand.
"The Akatsuki being wiped out? Yeah, it's crazy. No one knows who's behind it, but I hear there aren't that many left." Many were already killed, and news about the situation was traveling very slowly. "It's strange how they're being returned to their land, there are guards everywhere at every hidden village that has someone in the Akatsuki. Yet every time a body appears, no one's there."
"You would think that whoever is doing it would keep the bodies to learn more about their jutsu."
"Maybe they already know it… Or are strong enough already. You would already have to be strong to wipe out almost the entire organization." Ino sighed, the situation was making her nervous. If someone was that strong, they could be trouble to handle.
Yume began to sputter and cough out of no where, leaning on Ryou, who rubbed her back, it had been weeks since her last coughing fit. Though when she didn't stop he picked Yume up, she needed to be inside.
Shikamaru took Yume from Ryou's arms, and noticed how pale she was, something wasn't right.
Ino and Ryou blinked when Shikamaru ran off, this was just another one of er usual fits, not a serious one. Ryou exchanged a glance with Ino, both asking the other if they were wrong, before running off after Shikamaru.
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The Hokage ran down the corridors of the hospital, spinning into the emergency room, "Is there blood?!" She questioned as soon as she swung the door open.
Shizune nodded, "Yes Lady Tsunade! It filled up her lungs this time instead of water! We're draining it as we speak."
Tsunade looked at the monitors. Yume had the disease so much worse than her parents did. She probably had so many cuts in her lungs from all of her coughing. For that much blood to get into her lungs, "Put her into a coma, now!"
Shizune was confused by that request, but did so, increasing the amount of anesthetics Yume was receiving.
The Hokage looked out the door, where Ino, Shikamaru, and Ryou were, all looking extremely worried about Tsunade's yelling inside. "Keep her stable." She urged Shizune, "We may have a chance at this, I'll be back!" She ran out the door, straight for the Western gate, the sun was setting quickly behind her, but she had to be faster. I'm getting a gut feeling, and I'm betting I'm right!
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Hikari was done setting up the genjutsu on the guards, everything would be normal for them, only they wouldn't be able to see or hear their group. "Diro, how's your arm?" She looked at her younger brother, Kisame had nearly killed him. In fact, he would have had Itachi not rushed in to save him.
"Fine, and yours?" He remembered all the cuts Konan gave her when she accused her of using her genjutsu on Itachi, which was stupid, no one can use genjutsu on Itachi, even if he was asleep. All the vulgar words she had thrown at Itachi when she realized he was doing everything of his own volition were hilarious.
"I'm fine." She smiled and patted his back, true her every movement hurt, but she was alive, so she wasn't going to complain.
That was when Itachi undid the barrier jutsu surrounding the leaf village, to his surprise, the formula was still the same, even after the third's death. "We are going to just walk in and meet the Hokage?"
"Yeah pretty much." Diro shrugged, "We never actually came up with a plan, I never thought I would make it this far and she probably assumed I wouldn't live." Truth be told, he had almost died a plethora of times during his journey, Sasuke and Kisame just being two occasions. He was still a child when he left, with very little knowledge and experience. Actually, the last time he left the village as also the embarking of his very first actual mission. To think he actually lived.
"Should I just knock everyone out?" Hikari looked towards Itachi, it was a risk to entre the leaf village in their condition, just having finished of the last of the Akatsuki.
"Well, if your genjutsu is as good as when we first met, we'll be fine."
Diro rolled his eyes as the two began to subtly flirt, "Let's just go, after all, I'm dead according to everyone." He stood up, brushing of his knees, they were caked with blood from the fight earlier, they were threatening to give out on him, though he couldn't rest yet, he was almost there.
The group entered Konoha, the eyes of bystanders going blank as they can into view, Hikari had hold of Itachi's wrist, as she had her eyes closed and was concentrating on her jutsu. Diro couldn't help but admire his older sister, having survived so long on her own, and developed jutsu so far without the aid of a teacher. How she could have been just as lonely as he was all these years.
It wasn't long before they strolled right in to the Hokage's mansion, for some reason it was so easy, though Hikari was running out of chakra rapidly, casting such a high level genjutsu on so many people at once was quite taxing. "Itachi… I'm almost done here…"
"It's alright, just a little more." He looked at Diro, had this boy really convinced him to return to Konoha so easily? Or was it… That he had a family again?
As they passed the next door, Hikari's chakra was completely gone, she would have collapsed had the others not been there to support her, each holding one of her arms their shoulders.
"Thanks… Guys…" They could already hear footsteps stampeding up the hallway, directly towards them, apparently when the jutsu had been released, the memories of what they had really been seeing was restored as well.
Diro sighed, letting Itachi take over the burden of carrying Hikari, "I'll figure something out, the fact I'm alive should be shock enough to stall them." He stopped, heading towards the sounds. "You talk to the Hokage, hopefully it's still the fifth otherwise things will get very complicated."
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"So you're Itachi? Good to see you finally made it." Tsunade sat on her desk, "Sorry there's no time fo greetings, leave Hikari here. She'll be fine, but Yume, the girl Diro set out to retrieve you in order to save, isn't dead yet, but he will be soon if we don't hurry. How is your chakra?"
Itachi hesitantly set Hikari down where Tsunade pointed, a tad worried that something would happen while he was gone. "Nothing a food pill couldn't fix, though I'm out." In fact, he had been overdosing on them this last month, and he hoped he wouldn't take too much of a toll on his body. "Who will guard her? I'm sure you understand my paranoia, after all, this could be a trap to finally get rid of us both."
"I assure you it's no trap, but Neji Hyuga, a shinobi I trust, will be here shortly, along with Sakura Haruno, my student, they will tend to her wounds as well." Tsunade swung the door open, to see Kakashi holding a knife to Diro's throat, accusing him of being an imposter. "Calm down Kakashi, he's the real thing."
"Lady Hokage-" He paused and let go of Diro's collar, who fell to the ground, and stared blankly at Itachi. Ready to attack him instead if he made any sudden moves against the Hokage.
"Hello Kakashi."
"Itachi."
"Kakashi, I will tell you later, but be aware that Itachi and his traveling party are on our side, and always have been." Tsunade started speed walking down the hallway, Itachi in tow, she suddenly stopped, "Diro, you are not to come, you're being alive would cause commotion, let alone send Yume into shock when she awakes if we're successful. You had perfect timing by the way, so I'll send Ryou in to see you."
Diro stood up, re-adjusting his choker around his neck. "I understand Lady Hokage, and thank you."
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Neji activated his Byakugan to watch for Sakura, and monitor the strange woman's chakra, although he didn't look too closely, as her chakra was almost completely depleted, and that wasn't his job, it was Sakura's.
Diro and Kakashi were seated at opposite ends of the room from each other. Kakashi didn't want to believe that Itachi was really on Konoha's side, how could he?
Diro was close to passing out from exhaustion. He was in an actual room at night, for the first time in a long while. He could actually rest without the fear of being attacked while sleeping. But he couldn't, he would be seeing his friend again soon.
Sakura burst through the door and saw Hikari, wo needed help badly, covered in copious wounds just like Tsunade had briefly described while running with Itachi, which unnerved her, though she had learned not to question her teacher. She looked around more to see Diro, and gasped. "Lady Tsunade didn't say anything about you! You're alive! Wait till Ino and Yume find out… And Ryou!"
Diro rubbed his temples, he forgot that having to deal with people meant getting headaches on occasion. "Please help Hikari." He didn't waste any more time talking.
Kakashi noticed Diro's bluntness, and how much he looked like the injured girl, and Itachi the more he thought about it. Maybe a bit like Sasuke too.
"Sure." Sakura knelt down beside Hikari, getting her chakra ready about the girl's abdomen.
"Wait! Don't do that!" Neji thrust Sakura's hands aside, looking at Hikari once more, this time taking details of her chakra into account. There was more than one, two other's among her own.
"What is it Neji?" Sakura was concerned with the Hyuga's behaviour, she hadn't forgotten anything hadn't she? No… she hadn't, so why was Neji bothered by the standard procedure for healing shinobi? She looked Hikari over one more time, not seeing what Neji was so worked up over.
"You can't treat her normally." He decided to be blunt, despite the others' presence. So he leaned down to whisper to Sakura, "You shouldn't tamper with the chakra of the unborn."
Sakura's eyes widened, and she became thankful that Neji had been there to stop her. "Ah, I see. Thank you."
Neji nodded, so this girl was involved with Itachi, in more than just a traveling companion sense. Though he doubted she was aware of her predicament, carrying two Uchiha heirs. Itachi probably didn't know either.
It was then they heard a knock on the door, and Ryou peeked his head in. At first all her saw were a bunch of jonin gathered around, but then he saw what he was meant to, "Di… ro." He took a stumbling step forward, before tackling his team mate at a seemingly impossible speed. "You're alive! How- I mean, it's been years! Like dude! I'm so happy you're alive, but where the hell have you been!? Yume hasn't stopped missing you, I mean, neither have I, but still!" Ryou ran out of breath, finally giving Diro a chance to explain himself.
"Perhaps… We should go for a walk… Or the roof, given I'm not allowed to leave the building yet."
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Shikamaru and Ino were kicked out of the waiting room by the Hokage herself when she told Ryou to go to her office. She didn't want them to hear Yume's screams, the operation Itachi was describing sounded so painful that it might just wake Yume from her comatose state. She hoped that wouldn't happen, as screams could possibly damage her lungs on top of her relentless coughing. "Success rate and the possibility she could continue as shinobi?"
"Given the current situation…" He referred to how depleted his chakra was and his physical state, and the little preparation time he had, "Eighty Percent, if successful she could certainly continue being a shinobi, though she'll need to stay clear of getting sick or putting long term stress on her body."
"Long term?"
"For her sake, she shouldn't have kids. From pregnancy, childbirth, to waking up and midnight to infantile wailing… She could get out of breath and faint easily, though it won't kill her." Boy he was glad he wasn't a female, all the terrible situations it could lead to. "You have isolated the strand of DNA that contains her kekkei genkai?" He swallowed a pill, hating the feeling as it forced its way down his dry throat.
"I see… she'll be disappointed, I think she wants a family." She handed Itachi a glass of water, "No we have not, it seems the gene is a bit complicated like most other visual jutsu, are you ready?"
"Better now than never, you might want to put in earplugs, I have a feeling that this won't go over smoothly."
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Diro leaned over the railing, observing Konoha's city's sighed, feeling tension release from his shoulders. "So now that I've told you everything, how have you been all these years?"
"Wow, might I say that my struggles equate in no way whatsoever to yours." He leaned against the railing with his back to look at Diro's face. He looked sharper than he remembered. "I'm a jonin now, and Yume is too, though we don't get to go on missions much… Given she's always sick, though I've gone on a few here and there with Naruto and Sakura, she's been teaching me medical ninjutsu, though I'm still no good at it."
"I'm… Happy she's still alive… And she'll get better now. We can be a team again… Hopefully, if I don't get transferred to ANBU." He sighed again, except this time feeling his eyes water. This was relief. He was home.
Ryou looked concerned and tilted Diro's face towards him, who blushed, "Hey don't cry- You're blushing?" Seeing his team mate blush made him as well, and now that he thought of it, the position of his hand under Diro's chin was rather misleading…
"Hey Ryou… What are you-?"
"Can we just…" Ryou leaned in for a kiss, and Diro did too, but immediately upon contact both were quizzical about it, then made a face and broke apart in sync. "Sorry, that was gross." He spat out, horrified.
"Agreed, we never speak of this again." Diro sat horrified that he had actually kissed another male, let alone Ryou.
"Speak about what?"
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Yume awoke in a scream, to the sharingan eyes above her, which made her scream even louder, she had seen those yes in her nightmares so many times.
"Calm down Yume! Everything is fine!" The hokage ran beside her, taking her hand, "Relax."
Her breathing slowed down, the she was still in a panic. Who was this man She had felt like she had seen him before… "Diro?" She immediately regretted saying that, Diro was dead, and speaking his name just opened up the wound in her heart. Let alone Diro didn't have the sharingan, and his hair was much darker than this man's.
"I am not Diro, but congratulations Yume Mikyogame.. with rest your lungs will be completely healed." He smiled, and Yume carefully sat up in disbelief, and regretted doing so when she felt a sharp pain in her chest.
She looked at the mans eyes as they transitioned to black with the release of the infamous visual jutsu. "It's over…? No more worrying my parents or Ryou? No more being a burden? It's really over?"
"Sh, don't talk too much, you need rest. You should be asleep." And so should we. "It's almost sunrise." They had operated overnight, and he felt ready to collapse. Medical jutsu use up so much chakra. "We'll let your family in to say goodnight, they've been waiting."
"Even though I totally ordered them to leave." Tsunade rolled her eyes and opened the door quietly, to see Ino and Shikamaru waiting there patiently, they had heard Yume scream, and her voice after, which meant that she was okay, but they couldn't wait to see her. They both knew in their hearts that Yume would have died had Itachi not arrived. "Come on in."
Both were out of their seats immediately, and Ino felt tears well up in her eyes. She saw Yume sitting up in the bed, having no trouble breathing, and the thought of her daughter no longer in pain made her burst into tears. "Yume!" She cried, and was about to wrap her arms around her, but shifted to Shikamaru when she realized she shouldn't put an unnecessary burden on her.
Shikamaru was tearing up, but managed to maintain more composure than Ino, "Thank goodness you're okay." He said to her, completely relieved.
Both parents seemed completely oblivious to Itachi's presence, which was fine with him, and probably normal given their current emotional state. He was about to return to Hikari and Diro when the Hokage stopped him, saying they had to talk, which concerned him.
Yume was all smiles, even more relieved than her teachers, that she wouldn't have to make them worry any more. "Wait, where's Ryou?" He would've been sent home, but knowing him, he would have been far too stubborn to leave.
Itachi blinked, looking back towards the life he had just saved. In his exhaustion, he blurted out what was supposed to be a secret, "Oh he's with Diro."
"WHAT?!"
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Well, longest chapter! And boy did I enjoy writing it!
Also, I would like to clarify something I made a mistake on in previous chapters.
I stated several times that Hikari planned the ninetales attack with Obito…
That should have been Madara. XD
See, I've been rewatching Naruto after my year-long hiatus, and I realized I was wrong! XD
See I remembered the mask, then equated that with Tobi, which I somehow then equated that with Obito? I dun' know! Sorry for any confusion I might have caused!
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Oh, the poll is still up by the way, please take it! ^^
And let me know what you felt about this chapter! :D
~Scepidilionz~