Welcome to the next chapter!
FinalFantasygamer2794; Thank you!
joharasbel; Thanks!
H Mara Jade; Thank you very much!
Morregen; I'm glad you liked it! Yeah, they had quite the clash, so we'll see where that goes in the future. Yeah, Kisame and Ryouta will clash again in the future. Yeah, that woman isn't pleased, so we'll see how it goes with them here~ Maybe they could be introduced during that time, would shake things up quite a bit. Yeah, Pain's arc would be very interesting to do, I do have some ideas for it in the meantime. Thanks very much!
ShadowUzumaki55; Thanks! Ryouta did yeah, he tried his hardest. Mikoto and Itachi did yeah, we'll see how it goes with them as the story goes on. Izumi's Mangekyou abilities shall be shown, at least some will be quite soon. Ooh yeah, we'll be seeing a return of her in this chapter, and what she might be capable of doing pretty soon~ That would be quite interesting to see.
Silver crow; Yeah, quite the cliffhanger huh. Izumi's is yeah. A rose coloured one for Izumi's. Satsuki did yeah. Kisame surely did. Maybe she will do yeah. Ryouta has to play it smart, if he rushed in by himself he'd be dealing with four very deadly Ninja. Kisame also thought about doing it in canon too haha. Kisame did yeah, he seems very determined to have a battle with Ryouta. Ameyuri told everyone about her, and Kushimaru, not about Zabuza so Kisame wouldn't know about it. Izumi did yeah. Satsuki did her best. Konan and Ryouta will have sometime together in the future. Jiraiya did recognize her right away, he wanted it confirmed before saying anything. Mikoto and Itachi did yeah. Ryouta's gotten stronger with his control over that sword for sure. Izumi's Susanoo is still Susanoo and she's pretty strong so he couldn't do it that easily. We'll see what she does here. Happy New Year. No, Tsunade wont be in this chapter, she'll be appearing very soon. They wont be around all chapter. Mikoto can't stick around, she's got other duties to do for Konoha. When they meet again, Ryouta and Orochimaru have something's to talk about. Ryouta's hair isn't pure silver, his bangs are. We'll see how it goes with Kabuto and the others. Thanks for the harem suggestions.
Skull Flame; Guy seems to be huh~?
Guest 1; Glad you liked the stuff between Kisame and Ryouta~ Kisame does yeah, we'll see how their relationship builds as the story goes on. Yeah, with Kisame now as his rival, it is going to be even more difficult for him. Yeah, the Transformation Jutsu is so useful, I am surprised it isn't used more in the series. And yeah, it was pretty cool when Naurto did that in canon. Hmm, we'll see what happens with Ryouta and the Rasengan~ Yeah, maybe Itachi was ready to do that~ He doesn't really want to kill Ryouta, but he does wish to help Satsuki in his own way. Yeah, he's made quite a mistake by using Tsukuyomi on Ryouta now. I've thought of having it be a rose coloured Susanno, I think that would fit Izumi very well. Thanks for the harem suggestions!
TheGreatGodzilla; Yeah, I remember it. Yeah, we'll see how it goes. Maybe he could help Konan like that. They're being spies for Hiruzen and others like that. I can't say what might happen with Jiraiya in the future, maybe he will have that, maybe he'll have some other fate. Thanks for the harem suggestions. I've got some ideas for when that arc is going to come up. I'm not sure about that. Merry belated Christmas, and a Happy New Year!
Guest 2; She could be, thanks very much!
Guest 3; Thanks for the harem suggestions, yeah Ryouta's going to be sticking around.
Guest 4; Maybe another time.
War Sage; Thanks. Thanks for the harem suggestions.
Hinata fan; Kisame is content somewhat yeah~ They wont, they've got some stuff going on. Tsunade and Shizune shall appear very soon, not this chapter. Thanks for the harem suggestions. Yeah, she'll be doing it in her own way.
Guest 5; Tsunade very soon, and yeah it could do.
With those reviews out of the way, it's time to start the chapter!
Ryouta and Satsuki's resolve!
When Ryouta next realized what had happened, he found himself in a new world designed by Itachi. Recalling what happened when he was a child, Ryouta knew that he was trapped within the Tsukuyomi right now.
He found himself in a house, one he remembered from his childhood.
Even he was in the form of a child, the same one that he was when around the time Shisui died. He looked in a mirror to see his young self, Ryouta began to understand what was truly happening here, and what Itachi was going to do to accomplish his goals.
"Great, he's going to try and torture me with Shi-chan again. Remember, this isn't real, Itachi will try everything to break you, but you wont break...still, I'm shocked he hasn't come out with the full torture yet, I haven't seen anything out of the ordinary...maybe he's building up suspense...that would make sense to me..."
Ryouta thought and mentally spoke to keep himself going, as he began looking around.
He recognized the couch in the living room, the pictures on the wall. The images of Shisui, his Mother, and Father filled his mind. The image of him and Shisui together, him and Satsuki together with Mikoto, the image of Izumi and him together as well.
Ryouta found it perplexing however, that Itachi wasn't torturing him, at least not yet.
Nothing had jumped out at him.
He wasn't even meeting anyone at all.
"Come out Itachi, you wanna go with Genjutsu like this? I have Mangekyou, I know that it is a power that can fight your Tsukuyomi, so lets get this over with!"
Ryouta called out, his voice being the same as when he was a kid.
However, what he came to understand was that something was different.
This wasn't like last time.
"Something isn't right here. He isn't coming out, I'm not bound, and I can't even feel his presence. When I was a kid and he did this, I felt him somewhere, but now...I don't feel him anywhere...Itachi, what is your angle?"
Ryouta pushed on, and exited the house.
Stepping outside, he saw the streets covered in bodies.
Ryouta knew this was the Uchiha Massacre. He recognized different Uchiha that had been killed.
Steeling his will, he kept reminding himself that he had seen this before. That he had lived through this and that he was strong enough to deal with it again, so he ventured on, looking at the different deceased bodies that were littered around.
As Ryouta kept going, one Uchiha rushed towards him, and screamed "Help me!" before a hand phased through the man's head, before a kunai appeared, stabbing the man's face, the blood splattered all over Ryouta's face.
He pulled back, and saw someone he didn't care to see…
"So even you will be used to mentally torture me huh."
Ryouta saw Tobi stood there, his hand extended towards him.
"Hello there, Ryou-kun. I'm happy to see you, I've been waiting for you. This day, is the final day that you'll be in Konoha, now be a good boy and come with me. It's time to get going."
Ryouta pulled back, his child like legs pulled out a kunai, and launched said kunai towards Tobi.
But the kunai phased through his head, with Tobi showing excitement as he danced forward.
"Now, now. You know weapons like that aren't going to work with me."
"Back off Genjutsu Tobi..."
Reminding himself of that, Ryouta was able to stay calm, moving his hand towards the man again and again. He could feel that he was just as strong as he was back when he was a kid, he had to give Itachi that Tsukuyomi was strong enough to make many things possible.
"You'd want me to be a Genjutsu, wouldn't you? Something that isn't a reality. But this is reality for you, you shall be coming with me."
Ryouta knew better, he wouldn't fall for the obvious trick before him. Though with Tsukuyomi, he knew that this could truly be devastating, that this kind of technique could finish him if he wasn't careful, so he had to be just that, very careful. Make sure he didn't make a single mistake, or it could spell the end for him.
"Yeah, right. I wont be going with you, whether that's here or in the real world, now get lost!"
Ryouta placed his hands together, and used his chakra to form a giant flaming sphere that exploded around Tobi.
Even though he phased through them, Ryouta thought it was good enough, so he turned and began running away.
He wouldn't allow Itachi to get a hold of him.
"I don't get it...is this him toying with me? Taunting me with Tobi, and the night of the Uchiha deaths... Though it doesn't feel like Itachi to do such things, he's someone that gets to the point quickly, even when I was a child he did the same thing, but now he's not even bothering to appear...what the hell is going on here…?"
Ryouta wondered, and kept moving forward.
It seemed Tobi had vanished for the time being, so he walked through the area.
As that was going on, Itachi himself stood at his old house.
A place he hadn't expected to go towards.
"I didn't create this with Tsukuyomi, so why is it like this now? It couldn't be Ryou's doing either, I'd know if he had somehow warped the Genjutsu to his own benefit...no, something else has gone wrong here...I can't even undo it either."
He looked left and right, his eyes focused in on the fact that the body of his Father laid at his feet. He found this very odd, he had intended, once seeing Ryouta take the hit of Tsukuyomi, to envision something, but this isn't what he had in mind at all.
He didn't want to go back to the Uchiha Massacre, not even subconsciously did he think that he'd ever be there.
So he pulled forward, and thought about where Ryouta was.
"This isn't my Tsukuyomi..."
"No, I've taken over now."
As if hearing his thoughts, a new voice interrupted his thought patterns, and caused him to hear the voice as if it was echoing both within his mind and within the outside world as well, it was a very odd sensation to say the least.
"Who's there…?"
Itachi asked, shifting his eyes left and right.
But he couldn't see anything.
While looking around, a disembodied hand began to come out of the darkness.
Cold fingertips laid on Itachi's throat. Like ice, the room became so cold Itachi could see his breath.
The hand of coldness wrapped around Itachi's neck firmly, Itachi looked down immediately…
But it was gone.
The hand disappeared completely.
"What the..."
Itachi didn't get it.
It wasn't Ryouta turning the Genjutsu on him, he'd have the sense to figure that out.
This was something else.
Something more powerful than he could even realize.
"Show yourself."
Itachi demanded, only to receive a heavy blow to his abdomen, forcing him down to the ground, coughing up bile as a result.
"No one orders me."
Itachi looked before him to see long white flowing hair.
But his vision was blurred from the extreme pain he felt for a few moments.
When his eyes adjusted, he didn't see anything before him.
"Something's here. Something powerful, but where is it...?"
He pulled himself to his feet, only to be smacked right back down into the ground.
His body smashed deep into the wooden panels below his feet. The wood shattered, as did part of the house they were in. Even though it was a world of supposed to be Itachi's design, Itachi felt pain transmitting through his entire being.
"So, this one is called Tsukuyomi is it?"
Itachi winced, looking up once more to see the white flowing hair.
When he finally adjusted his eyes, this time he saw the full figure.
A woman with horns, near white eyes, and long flowing hair that looked beautiful and dangerous at the same time.
Itachi tried to pull away, but the woman's hand reached out, and grabbed Itachi's neck.
"This is my home, I don't recall inviting you inside."
She growled, with Itachi suddenly being suspended up in the air. Her long hair began wrapping around his body, his arms, legs, so he couldn't escape. He tried to move, to breathe even, but the woman began putting pressure on his body, making him unable to move fully.
"You...were here last time..."
Itachi recalled.
He never saw her fully.
But he remembered the presence of her, and her cold stare.
"I'm always here, and I don't like your presence here. Did you think, I would stay silent this time?"
Itachi watched as the woman's hand extended further and further.
Her cold fingers cupped Itachi's face, his eyes and hers met one another.
Itachi felt something that he hadn't in a while.
The way this woman felt, it was powerful.
It was terrifying.
Even to someone like Itachi who rarely felt such things, the mammoth kind of power before him, was something that felt suffocating, like he was choking and he couldn't even draw in breath.
Itachi didn't know why, but at the moment he looked towards her, he felt like she was going to end his life…
As that went on, Ryouta travelled through the bloodied streets, the corpses filled his eyes. The smell of blood filled his senses. He felt disturbed by seeing them, but he lived through it once, and he wasn't going to back down.
He wouldn't allow Itachi to win.
But that was something that Ryouta didn't get.
Itachi still hadn't appeared.
It had been over ten minutes inside of the Genjutsu, he knew outside of it, was only like a second of their time, so he knew that everything outside was still the same.
Ryouta kept going, hugging his upper body.
"If this is just to frighten me, then it isn't going to work. I'm not scared of you, Itachi. You might as well knock this off, because it isn't working."
Ryouta called out.
But he didn't get a response.
Another five minutes of searching, and still nothing.
It seemed Tobi hadn't bothered coming back.
Whatever was going on with him, he had been vanquished.
"Itachi isn't playing now, this is...something's gone wrong. Did he...no, he couldn't have lost control of the Genjutsu, I haven't done anything. And I am very sure that if he didn't have the chakra, then he wouldn't have bothered using Tsukuyomi. So he had the chakra, which only leaves one plausible explanation. That woman...she's back."
Ryouta ruled out all of the other explanations.
Because of that, he knew that it had to be her.
The same woman he met when a child.
The same one back at the Forest of Death.
Ryouta picked up the pace, and began running through the streets.
Seeing nothing at all, apart from the illusion of the dead, he looked hastily around.
"Hey, you! Eeh...woman with white hair…! Come out! I know this is you! Have you come to try and take me over again?! Because I wont..." As he yelled, he saw flashing lights coming from the old home of Satsuki, and her family. "...let you..."
Ryouta was drawn to over there, the lights were like a beacon for Ryouta perhaps.
Or even Itachi.
He didn't know about Itachi right now, so he thought it was plausible.
So he hop footed it towards that location, the closer he got, the more he heard. Heavy breathing, like someone was in pain. The voice didn't cry out, but it was evident that whoever it was, felt a good deal of pain.
When he got to the house, he opened the door, and revealed what was inside.
It was Itachi, bound by long hair.
He couldn't even move at all, it was all around him like a tightly wrapped cocoon.
Stood beside him, was the same woman who had been with him for so long.
"You...stopped Itachi."
Ryouta looked at Itachi, seeing that his eyes were on both him and the woman.
It seemed that he didn't understand what was going on.
The fact that she could subdue Itachi so easily, in his Tsukuyomi, it was amazing, and terrifying at the same time.
"I sensed his disturbance once more. When we met first, he came here, and now he's come again. He wanted to stop you with this Tsukuyomi." The woman spoke, as she moved closer towards Ryouta, who stood his ground. "It seems, we have met once more. In this fake world, a world that wasn't going to be our design."
"...This is the night of the Uchiha Massacre, did Itachi bring us here?"
The woman shook her head a single time.
"His intention was for something else. When I felt the Genjutsu forming, I wasn't pleased. So, I made it something else."
Ryouta was now perplexed.
She made it the night of the massacre, not Itachi.
"But why the massacre? Why bring us here?"
"It was the night, that you first used your Mangekyou Sharingan in a battle, fighting off this human. The night we first met. I brought us to a place that we met, a place that is all our own. A place, only we know now."
Ryouta did think in its own way, she made sense.
The night they first met, thanks to Itachi, was the same place she'd want to visit again after they were put under Tsukuyomi once more.
"Why was Tobi here? If you made this place...why bring him here?"
Ryouta asked, his feelings about this being all over the place.
He didn't get her agenda.
Each time they met, it seemed to be different.
One time she observed him, one time she actively attacked him, another time she drains his chakra so he couldn't fight and resist her. This time, it seemed like a mixture of support and torture to bring him to one of the worse nights of his life. Though he was thankful that he didn't have to relive the night of Shisui's death again.
"He was here to simply distract you for a few moments, as I confronted this human. It seems that he has strong chakra, but he cannot defy me here." Her eyes went towards Itachi, who struggled but couldn't escape her hair. "Shall I kill him for you? This would be over if he died, wouldn't it?"
Ryouta looked towards Itachi.
Seeing him in this state, unable to fight back.
It was shocking.
He knew that this woman was powerful.
But to subdue someone like Itachi without much problem, even taking over his Tsukuyomi and making it a world of her own design. It seemed that her power was something beyond what he thought it would be.
Something that would reach heights that no other he had come across before could do.
Itachi was stronger than Orochimaru.
But this woman, was stronger than Itachi by leaps and bounds.
"I don't understand...do you care if he dies?"
"I do not."
She answered very cold.
She didn't even seem to have any feelings about this at all, which in its own way was very scary.
"Then, why offer me such a thing? Do you care what I want? Because like last time, I wont be your willing Pawn, so it wont matter to me what you offer me, I will resist you until the end!"
Ryouta showed his resilience through his words, and body language, he didn't think he'd have to deal with her right now, but if he had to, then he would give it his all, he wasn't about to lose his body to this woman.
She didn't say anything for a few moments.
Instead, she kept her eyes on his form, before she began speaking up once more.
"I know, what you want to know. That answer, shall be shown through actions, rather than words."
The woman approached Ryouta, her hand stuck out towards him.
He tried to move away, when the hair came out, and wrapped around his small child body.
"No! Stop it!"
"I have to show you, the power that we can have together. I'll show you...how we can be together."
Ryouta watched as the woman approached her.
Moving quicker and quicker, his face was cupped by her hands.
Her eyes and his met one another, with the hair continuing to bind more and more of him.
Like he was beginning to be taken over by her...
Back in the real world, only a single second had passed by, due to the time difference within the Tsukuyomi. Konan, Izumi, and Kisame stood on one side, Jiraiya was still at the hotel, behind a wall of black flames, with Mikoto and Satsuki stood behind Ryouta, who was stationed right in front of Satsuki since he had taken the Tsukuyomi for her.
"Ryou!"
Satsuki panicked when she saw Ryouta having been locked within the Tsukuyomi, and went to move towards him, when she saw Itachi pulling away, his eye bleeding and he was experiencing pain.
"Ugh…"
Itachi hunched over, eye bleeding and having taken a good hit to his chakra thanks to casting Tsukuyomi.
More over, that woman's power, had made him feel sick.
Ryouta on the other hand stood there, unmoving.
Izumi looked at him, and saw that he wasn't unconscious at all, yet he didn't move even a single inch.
But then he turned towards Satsuki, and stared at her with curious eyes.
"...So, it's you this time, is it? With this boy...all we need is the other one..."
Satsuki was surprised to hear such a growl come from Ryouta's mouth, and his voice sounded different...this didn't feel like him at all.
He then turned back towards Itachi, who flinched under the gaze.
"You tried to use that Genjutsu on me." Ryouta's voice seemed to be a mix of his, and the woman's in the Genjutsu world, something Itachi recognized. "Did you think, you'd be able to get away with that? Before me...your power falls flat."
Itachi watched as Ryouta stepped forward.
His chakra began to leak out from all around him, denting the very earth to the point that it was breaking.
His eyes looked towards Itachi, before something changed around said eyes.
A dense chakra flowed from his eyes, and began affecting the surrounding area.
From his eyes, a shockwave rang out.
Itachi couldn't avoid it in time, smashing into Itachi's form and sent him flying across the battlefield, blood erupted from the wounds he received from the shockwave, surprising everyone that was around.
"That was awesome! Can all Sharingan users do that?! Or is it this boys power?"
Kisame yelled out, feeling the excitement of Samehada growing more and more within his hands.
Izumi gave Kisame a confused face, but Kisame was wrapped up in his own excitement that he didn't even notice.
Konan looked on, seeing something changing within Ryouta.
However, as she did, suddenly, Ryouta felt a pulse through him, and he came back to his senses.
He looked around, his eyes going towards the downed Itachi, seeing him pulling himself up, so he made a stance with his blade.
"Itachi Uchiha, your Genjutsu wont work on me!"
Itachi could hear Ryouta's voice again, it was clear as day.
Whatever that brief time was, it seems the woman had disappeared, and most seemed to accept that nothing happened, though for people like Itachi, it was clear something was going on inside of Ryouta, that even he didn't have a clue about at all.
Ryouta looked on strong, but in his mind, he felt dizzy. Due to being put under Tsukuyomi, and then breaking through the brief control of the woman, he found it difficult to keep his eyes open, but falling unconscious now would be something he couldn't think about doing. He felt his chakra reserves running low, but with Satsuki there, he wouldn't give up.
"A shockwave from your eyes...an interesting ability. I'll be sure to look out for that."
Itachi managed to get to his feet, when Ryouta came in close, swinging down the Kusanagi, only for Itachi to block the strike, parrying Ryouta's hand as the young man pulled back, only to see Satsuki rushing forward, throwing several bladed weapons towards him.
Itachi parried each of them with his kunai, as his vision became slightly blurry. Using Tsukuyomi, along with Amaterasu, in the same day, within only minutes apart, after having to fight Ryouta's Susanoo back in Konoha as well did take a toll on Itachi.
As he did that, Mikoto tried to intervene, only for Kisame to get in the way, and block with his own sword.
"Sorry, but you'll have to deal with me."
Mikoto grit her teeth, and came at Kisame with a variety of blade slashes. Kisame parried, noting the ability of Mikoto, who was able to press a casual Kisame a good deal, forcing Kisame to become serious as he swung his blade for her, each being capable of parrying the other before reaching them.
Ryouta and Satsuki on the other hand faced down Itachi, this time standing side by side.
"What's this? You're going to team up?"
"That's right, we'll team up to stop you!"
Satsuki yelled out, with Ryouta nodding his head in agreement.
"Right, lets finish this."
Itachi didn't have time to relax, as Satsuki came towards him, using her kunai and slashes towards Itachi. He quickly deflects the kunai in her hands, but her foot came up, and swung for his face relatively fast.
"You've gotten fast Satsuki, but not enough for me."
He dodges out of the way, but sees the foot coming in so close to his face that he felt the air change around his head, before he leapt back several paces, tossing a myriad of shuirkens towards Satsuki, only for Ryouta to do a single sweep with Kusanagi.
Itachi released a breath, as Ryouta flashed towards his right hand side, coming down with Kusanagi, the blade missing by mere inches, however it gave Satsuki enough time to come in from behind, Itachi watched as she came in to stab him, only for him to attempt to reach out and grab her hand to stop her.
But Ryouta stopped him by appearing above, and swinging down with Kusanagi, forcing him to pull his hand back, with then being forced to dodge, only to receive a cut across his face from Satsuki's blade, surprising both him and Satsuki.
He then leapt away, as Ryouta and Satsuki came together.
Itachi placed his hand on his bleeding wound, and thought "Tsukuyomi did slow me down, and that woman as well, whatever she did I feel weak right now, but these two have impeccable timing with one another. If they were a little stronger...then I would be in trouble. I need to end this now." with Ryouta and Satsuki coming together.
"Satsuki-chan, lets do it."
"Combine?"
"Yeah, it's our best chance."
Ryouta placed his hand out, and began gathering chakra.
What Ryouta formed, was dark purple Rasengan-like orb of chakra surrounded by a series of white rings of chakra that orbit the main sphere. These rings then align into one disc-like shape around the orb, causing the rings to resemble planetary rings.
At the same time, Satsuki creates a Chidori all on her own. Because this was the second one that she had used, she knew that she'd have to put her all into this Chidori, the lightning became more and more dense within her hand.
They then cupped their hands together, with the lightning spreading around the dark purple orb of chakra, amplifying both of them, Itachi looking on with intrigue.
Jiraiya looked on, and became shocked.
"What the...is that the Rasen...no, it seems different...it seems a bit stronger...?"
While he asked out loud his doubt, Itachi furrowed his brow.
"That's new."
"It isn't complete yet, but it still packs a punch. Developed it to finish off my enemies, can't always rely on my eyes, you know?"
Itachi was surprised, the output of the chakra and it wasn't even complete yet? It seemed surprising to Itachi, who looked on as he tightened his hand.
Using their chakras together, Itachi could see the lethal ability behind such an attack.
Itachi breathed out "If this is it, then I wont fall." and tried to dodge out of the way, only for Ryouta to create a Susanoo hand, and went for Itachi, who in turn created his own Susanoo hand, and blocked Ryouta's, grappling with the hand to the point that it pinned down Itachi.
"If nothing else, his Susanoo is very strong, he's got a very good grasp of his Susanoo's power."
But the chakra used to do so, hindered Itachi to the point that Satsuki and Ryouta came up close, leaving Itachi no choice, summoning Susanoo's ribcage to block.
The attacks collided together. Satsuki's Chidori empowering Ryouta's spiraling ring, creating a devastating attack to the point Itachi saw the ribcage breaking from such pressure.
Even Izumi was surprised by such a strong Jutsu.
Pulling away, Itachi saw the ribcage fully break apart, and the attacks kept coming for him.
Usually, it wouldn't be much of a deal for Itachi to dodge, but due to the events of the day, he felt his chakra take a large hit, and his vision blurred, slowing his movements enough for him to have a moments pause.
That moments pause caused him to receive the attack on his leg.
Itachi could feel the spiraling twist of the Jutsu, as well as the lightning through his leg, he was surprised by such a strong and powerful Jutsu, to the point that he had to have Susanoo's hand come out and stop the attacks, otherwise he'd have lost his leg.
He saw his leg badly injured from the attack, blood gushed down his leg, Satsuki looked surprised, but happy that she was able to cause some damage together with Ryouta.
"Haaah..."
Ryouta collapsed to his knees, the stress of the Jutsu's, and the Susanoo along with Mangekyou abilities and suppressing the woman's control over him had drained him a good deal.
Satsuki noticed that Itachi had trouble standing on the leg that received their attack, they managed to damage Itachi.
"You have grown Satsuki, Ryouta. It seems that your powers aren't to be underestimated. However, you still haven't reached my level of fighting. You cannot hope to come at me unless you have hatred in your-"
"Hatred leads to nothing but isolation!" Ryouta yells, his mind feeling more dizzy by the moment. "Satsuki-chan doesn't need hate to become strong...she's going to become strong with her determination, and so I will Itachi...you aren't invulnerable, you are human, your bleeding leg proves it..."
Internally, Itachi was pleased to hear Ryouta say that.
It was something he always thought if it was the right path, to lead Satsuki down, but with Ryouta and Mikoto by her side, he was confident one day that Satsuki would become incredibly powerful without hate.
In the middle of the fight, Konan felt this wasn't going their way, so she turned to Izumi.
"Izumi-chan, we have to leave..."
"Yes, you're right. Okay, it's time for me to use my powers." She grabbed Kisame in the middle of his battle with Mikoto, and quickly got back to the others. "Stay close, I'll warp us away."
Satsuki heard what she said, and turned her Sharingan onto them, pulling out her kunai.
"No, you can't leave! Not yet!"
Satsuki leapt forward, throwing a kunai at them, which was deflected by Konan, before Izumi activated her Mangekyou Sharingan, as Ryouta went to move forward, but collapsed onto the ground, feeling the draining effects of his chakra consuming techniques.
From one of her eyes, a barrier space began to form. The barrier space spread around her, and the others.
"Chidori!"
Satsuki weaved through some hand signs, and created the Chidori within her hand, the third time she had done so that day. The power erupted forward, as did Satsuki, shooting her hand towards the barrier space.
But what surprised her was that her Chidori was blocked as Izumi created her own Susanoo hand, the Chidori running across the flesh of Susanoo, but vanished from sight after a few moments, repelling her with enough force to fend her off, while also making sure that she didn't hurt Satsuki.
"Itachi! Don't you run away from me!"
Satsuki yelled, with Itachi's eyes going towards her, but said nothing.
She could only watch as Itachi, Kisame, and Konan were all sucked into the barrier space. Izumi was the last to go, her eyes went towards the unconscious Ryouta.
She then turned her sadden eyes down as she vanished from sight, leaving behind Ryouta and the others, all alone.
Satsuki clutched her hand tightly, panting hard from using the Chidori a third time that day, while Mikoto looked on.
"Itachi managed to get away. But I can see the pain in Satsuki's eyes. Satsuki, you aren't ready to fight Itachi yet, and Ryou-kun...you kept your word, you fought with every last ounce of strength in you, to protect my daughter. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart."
Mikoto silently sat as Satsuki fell down to her knees.
The quiet pain she didn't share with the others, not even her own Mother, couldn't be quelled so easily.
A small time later, Ryouta rested in bed within a hotel, with Satsuki sat beside him, not saying anything at all. Not since Itachi left, had she even spoke, it was something difficult for her, because of all the emotions she felt inside, it was difficult to discern what to even think at that moment in time.
Mikoto herself spoke with Jiraiya as Guy looked over Karin and Naruko, who was sat next door. They themselves were seated across the room from Satsuki and Ryouta, they could see what was going on, but they spoke so neither Satsuki or anyone would be able to hear them for the time being.
"...Even though this has happened, you're going to keep adventuring with Naruko? With the Akatsuki around? I know finding Tsunade-sama is important, and Naruko being prepared for what might eventually happen, but you're really...going to keep going with her now? Wouldn't it be better to have her go back to the village?"
Mikoto asks, surprised that Jiraiya had even said it.
"Yeah, that's right, I think it would be best if she kept with me. I know what happened was dangerous, but those guys wont be coming back again, at least for a while. That boy saw to that." Jiraiya glanced towards Satsuki and Ryouta. "By the way, you wouldn't mind if I take that Uchiha boy with me while searching for Tsunade, would you?"
Mikoto gave a surprised face.
"You want to take him with you? I don't have anything against it, but why do you want to…?"
Jiraiya showed a small smile on his face.
"Tell the old man that it's a mission, to protect Naruko. Like a guard or something, whatever you need to say to get this mission, even call it an A or S rank, I don't mind because it would be a difficult mission regardless."
"You're very determined."
"Well, he also has great combat skills so that's another reason, seeing his unique Rasengan like Jutsu that seemed to have some differences to it. If others do show up, like the Akatsuki, I can trust the Uchiha boy to get Naruko to safety at least."
Mikoto wondered if that was all there was to it.
She didn't doubt Jiraiya at all, but she knew there was more to it than what he was saying.
"So a mission to protect Naruko from the Akatsuki...I can see why you'd say something like that...yes, it does make sense..."
"You were also worried about that, right? With him around and myself, I'm sure that we could drive off those Akatsuki should they show their faces again. Even the old man would be satisfied, right?"
Mikoto didn't discount what Jiraiya had said, and thought that if Ryouta was with them, then they would have a good time with protecting Naruko.
"Well, it seems that you're determined, and if that's the case, then I don't have a problem with it myself."
"Great, then it's settled. Also, that Jutsu of his..."
Mikoto raised a finger to her chin.
"Well, Kakashi-kun knows the Rasengan, so I assume that he showed it Ryou-kun at some point since Kakashi-kun did teach Ryou-kun during the Chunin Exam before the finals happened. Ryou-kun did say he was working on a Jutsu all his own inspired by others. And as I know Ryou-kun, who's quite like his Mother who'd want to experiment with Jutsu's, he's probably put his own spin on it so to speak. Seems to have paid off for him hehe~"
"Still, that Jutsu felt strong and the raw chakra it produced as well. Wonder what he's called it?"
Mikoto shrugged.
"I actually don't know what he's called it if he has given it a name yet, but it seems very strong, and it broke through Itachi's Susanoo, combined very nicely with Satsuki's Chidori, together they could have caused immense damage if they were at full power."
Jiraiya mentally agreed, and wished to know more, recalling Ryouta saying it wasn't even complete yet.
"Yeah...however, speaking of, your son..."
Mikoto lowered her head.
She thought about Itachi and the wounds he suffered.
She also was glad that Satsuki didn't have to go through anything, and that despite being unconscious, that Ryouta was okay as well.
"Yes, he and the others escaped. It is...something that I'll have to have a discussion with Satsuki about. This is going to be very hard for her, I don't want her to suffer at all. Once everyone's rested, I'll take back Satsuki and Karin, there's some stuff that I'm sure Karin can do for the village, plus there's some stuff that I need her for as well. Satsuki also needs time to process this, I know my daughter...I'll have to speak to her about it, and make sure she's okay."
Jiraiya inclines his neck.
"That girl sensed Itachi and the rest, how about now?"
Mikoto shook her head.
"Nothing around us. She can sense a good distance away, she couldn't find a trace of them."
Mikoto replied, Jiraiya nodding a single time. They continued their discussion, with their eyes shifting towards Ryouta and Satsuki, seeing that nothing had happened yet, Mikoto hoping that Ryouta was fine and that Satsuki would be able to recover from this as well.
As that happened, Naruko, Guy and Karin sat within a room. Besides Naruko that was, as she was pacing up and down, Guy himself could see that she had agitation at being held within the room, while Karin rubbed her eyes underneath her glasses.
"Naruko, gonna stop pacing anytime soon?"
Naruko paused, and looked towards Karin who seemed to still be rubbing her eyes underneath her glasses.
"Ugh, I wanna go and see what's going on!"
"Nothing, is going on. I can sense it from here, I assure you that everything's fine."
Naruko threw her hands to her sides, as Karin raised an eyebrow.
"B-But, Itachi got Ryou, right?!"
"Almost, but no, he didn't. His chakras stable, I can sense from here that he is going to be fine. Promise."
Naruko hoped that would be the case.
"Really?"
Karin confirmed it with a nod of her head.
"Yes, he's fine, I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it. The others are with him now, I'm sure we'll go and see him soon enough. For now, just relax. You've been through a lot, with those people coming after you. Especially the likes of Itachi, it's amazing that we were able to repel them off as we did."
As Karin said it, she couldn't help but remember what she had sensed beforehand.
She felt something was different about the flow of chakra coming from Ryouta.
"Don't worry Naruko!" Guy yelled, gaining both of their attention. "I'm sure your boyfriend will be fine!"
Naruko almost did a spit take when she heard Guy say that.
She turned her extending finger towards him.
"D-Don't say that Bushier Brow-sensei!"
Guy laughed, placing this hands on his hips, and made a cool guy kind of pose, something Karin sweat dropped at.
"What's wrong? My Lee told me that you and this Uchiha-kun are going out~ My Lee has his sights set on the Uchiha girl, can you imagine if they got married?! Then it would be so sweet! My Lee would marry such a beautiful girl, ohh Lee! I'll help you! Aah, having such youthful energy, Lee would be so happy~"
Both Karin and Naruko looked on, seeing the wide grin on Guy's face.
They could believe that Guy would say something like that, it didn't mean it was any less shocking and surprising at the same time.
As that was going on, Satsuki kept silent and watched Ryouta sleeping. She held onto his hand, as her mind flashed through the events of what had transpired. How Ryouta protected her from Itachi by taking the Tsukuyomi from Itachi.
"If he hadn't of jumped before me, then I would have been hit by the Tsukuyomi, I would have been finished off. I'm not strong enough to fight Itachi, I'm not even close to able to fight against him yet...damn it. I was able to fight him with Ryou's power backing me up...but it proved today there's still a large gap between Itachi and myself..."
Satsuki thought about it, and the more she did, the more frustration came over her.
Seeing Ryouta now, being unconscious, hurt her inside.
She didn't want to see him be in pain.
However, the fact that he took Tsukuyomi for her, gave her mixed feelings.
She was happy because she saw how much he cared for her, risking his life for her own.
But also sad that she could've potentially lost someone that she cared for.
She also felt a deep anger for Itachi for even casting that on Ryouta in the first place, even trying to cast it on her.
"He also said that he'd come after Ryou again. This time, Ryou managed to repel him, but still, if he didn't have the power...if Itachi does kill Ryou...no, I don't want the power like that...I don't want to lose Ryou for such a power...I wont let him die..."
While deep within her thoughts, Ryouta began to stir, and he eventually opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was Satsuki, who looked relieved when seeing him.
"Ryou...you're okay..."
Satsuki couldn't express how relieved she was when she saw Ryouta waking up.
Ryouta groaned, rubbing his head as he began sitting up.
"My head hurts a bit...but, yeah, I'm okay..."
He replied, with Satsuki murmuring "I'm glad you're okay." with a tone that caught Ryouta's attention, since it seemed to be something different to how she usually was, something that he understood as Itachi had been involved.
His eyes went towards her once more, seeing the look in her eyes.
"...What's wrong? Rather...do you want to tell me, about what you're feeling...regarding Itachi?"
Ryouta asked immediately, he could tell something was wrong.
Satsuki didn't say anything for a few moments, instead she seemed to simply stare at the covers that were on Ryouta. She couldn't even meet his gaze, he knew why now, and pulled closer towards her, his hand placing itself on the back of her head, and lightly stroked her hair.
"Satsuki-chan, I know...about Itachi today...I'm sorry I couldn't stop him in the end...and he got away, right? I remember Izumi-chan going close to him...but I must have passed out after that. Tsukuyomi...all the fighting today...quite a chakra draining adventure..."
Satsuki nods her head, her hand clutching his own tightly.
"He did, but...it isn't something you should feel sorry about. He got away...he was still stronger than me, I didn't have the power to be able to face him down. My eyes, aren't where they can fight him yet Ryou..."
Ryouta squeezed her hand within his own, the young girl's face turned towards his.
"He is still very strong yes, but Itachi...the thing about him is that...how to say it...he spoke about hate, and how it makes people stronger. I don't think that's true, Itachi's wrong about that. The hate Itachi is talking about, doesn't make you stronger, Satsuki-chan. What hate does, is make you isolated from everyone, and leaves you with nothing in the end. Hate doesn't lead to anything great, what's the point of having power if you've got nothing else in your life?"
Satsuki believed his words.
If anyone, she could understand his views on it, since he also had very good reasons to hate, but chose to never give into such things.
"...I know. But also...Izumi took him and the others away, she also has the Mangekyou Sharingan."
Ryouta exhaled, not being surprised by that.
"Yes...I suspected that she would have when her Mother died, that only confirmed my thoughts on her. What kind of power did she have? Did you see?"
"She had some kind of barrier teleporting thing from her eyes. They seemed to have been sucked into whatever barrier space it is. She also has Susanoo, which makes sense...since she has both of her eyes. Still, the fact that he managed to get away..."
Ryouta could understand the feelings within Satsuki right now, how hard it was for her to think about the events.
"He's forcing her...he basically told me both back in the village, and expanded upon it here...he really is forcing her to do what he says or she'll...suffer even more. She is in a bad situation right now...she probably also has to worry about Tobi as well...I'm sure they're in the same organization. Even when he said he'd kill me...I'm not sure, but something tells me it was to enrage you..."
Ryouta replied honestly.
But as he did, he could see that Satsuki was feeling a mixture of things.
She felt angry at the situation.
What Itachi did, and how he did it.
What he could have done.
What could have happened if Ryouta didn't resist the Genjutsu, and wasn't able to come back from it as he did.
Ryouya looked at the young girl, seeing the worry that she had for him, so he did his best to assure her.
"Satsuki-chan, he isn't going to be able to kill me, he isn't going to be able to win, okay? I was able to push him back...and even without Mangekyou, I know that one day you'll be strong, strong enough to win against him. We'll do it together, train hard, and become stronger. Itachi won today yes, but he wont win forever, I promise."
Ryouta assured her.
He didn't want this encounter to be something that set her back, he didn't want Itachi's words to cause her great pain, he knew the last time he had met her, and nearly killed Ryouta, that Satsuki was deeply affected by what happened.
He didn't want Satsuki to have to feel anger, or rather, be consumed by such a feeling.
Satsuki looked into his eyes.
Though she did feel anger for what Itachi had done, the fact that Ryouta still lived, helped her not give into the anger she felt deep inside, that he was a grounding force for her, and that she would be able to grow even stronger, because she saw him protecting her, doing his best for her, so she would do the same, and giving into hate...no, she never would, she'd get strong, together with him by her side.
Just then, as they spoke, Mikoto came into the room, her eyes going towards Ryouta, and Satsuki.
"Ryou-kun, you okay?"
"Yes...I'm okay. Itachi...he's..."
"I'm sorry, he's gone. We've searched, but he's disappeared."
Ryouta did feel sorrow at that.
Because he wanted to rescue Izumi, he thought that if he could defeat Itachi, or at least enough to get her away...but now that possibility had gone, and that was his reality. Even if it was a cruel reality, that's what his reality was.
"I see…"
Ryouta didn't know what else to say.
However, Mikoto then spoke up.
"Ryou-kun, if you're okay with it, there's a mission that I want you to do, as I take the others back to Konoha."
"A mission? What is it?"
Ryouta wondered, so Mikoto explained.
"You see, it's to do with Naruko..."
Mikoto's explanation then went on, about how she wished for Ryouta to be there, and guard Naruko.
Going over the details as much as possible, he noticed how quiet Satsuki was. She naturally wasn't very talkative in the first place, but it was more notable this time than usual.
"So, will you do it?"
Ryouta didn't even have to think about it.
"Yes of course, I'll guard her with my life."
Mikoto looked relieved, and smiled softly.
While he thought he'd be able to get back Izumi, he didn't manage to this time.
However, he did receive a good deal from this event, and he was closer to reaching her. Itachi might still be very strong, but he was closing the gap, and it was only a matter of time before he'd be able to get to her.
But now, he had another mission, and that was to protect Naruko, something he was very much intent on doing.
As that went on, Izumi had managed to teleport them to a good distance away. Kisame whistled as he looked towards Izumi.
"Some power you've got there, quite useful for all sorts of things, even making hasty escapes."
Itachi glanced at Kisame who showed a small shark like smirk.
"Thanks Kisame-kun. So, did that fight satisfy you?"
Izumi asked with a small smile, hiding her inner thoughts for the time being.
"It did. Wish I had the time to fight a little longer...but damn that boys power! Did you see that spiral ring thing? That was powerful. His swordsmanship is also to be admired, with a little more training he could be a match for me in the future. And those Mangekyou eyes of his, hahaha, it seems you Uchiha's have all sorts of tricks."
As Kisame said it, Izumi bent down towards Itachi's leg, and began performing some medical Jutsu on him. Using it to heal, and soothe the damage that he had, the green chakra made him feel better by the moment. She could tell that the technique Ryouta used, along with Satsuki's, could have dome immense damage if Itachi didn't have Susanoo. And the damage it had done, was something that would be somewhat difficult to heal quickly, but Izumi was very skilled in her own right so she'd have him fixed up soon.
Konan on the other hand looked on towards Izumi, seeing her bright smile.
Izumi glanced at Konan, who in turn tilted her head.
"Is something wrong? With Jiraiya-"
"No, that is fine. It is an incident I predicted could happen. It went according to how I thought it would."
As she said it, Izumi noticed that Konan was acting a bit differently than to how she usually did.
Kisame yawned, and stretched his arms, muttering "I'm going to get us some food." before walking off. Konan also left, saying that she had something to do.
Izumi glanced at Itachi, then his leg, making sure that they were completely alone, before speaking up.
"You went through a lot today...I know how hard it is for you to be like that...to be so cold to Satsuki-chan, and Ryou-kun..."
As she spoke, Izumi saw Itachi's face, and understood the look that he had immediately.
He seemed proud, of what Satsuki and Ryouta managed to do that day.
"That Jutsu of his, it seems that using the Rasengan as a base, it's developed into something stronger...and he said it wasn't even complete. When it is...he'll be dangerous. And Satsuki as well, she has grown strong..."
"Yes...but Itachi-kun, the events of today, did it go how you wanted it to go?"
"If you mean in the sense of testing their current capabilities, then yes. Though there is something that I should make you aware of."
Izumi drew a blank.
"What's that?"
"It's about, a woman. Something...inside of Ryou, turned Tsukuyomi against me."
Izumi became perplexed.
"Excuse me...what?"
Izumi couldn't believe something had the power to do that, to turn such a powerful Genjutsu, onto Itachi like that.
Itachi then began explaining as Izumi finished off healing him.
"It happened all those years ago as well, albeit differently to this. She was there back then, I wasn't sure what she was, maybe some kind of subconscious protection Ryou made up...but today, it was unlike anything I've ever felt. A manifestation of pure chakra, a power that is something even I couldn't comprehend, and to be honest, I can't be sure what side she truly is on, after seeing how she went after Ryou as well. She seemed to want to be beside him, but beyond that, I don't know what she wants, but I do know, she's very powerful."
Izumi didn't like the sound of that.
Whatever it was, she was immensely worried for Ryouta.
She just hoped that he would be okay...
End chapter!
So this chapter dealt with the wrap up with the Akatsuki, for now. Going back into Tsukuyomi the second time for Ryouta, it seems Itachi had been ambushed by the white haired lady, who quickly put a stop to him and managed to break the Genjutsu relatively easily, while also trying a little to take over Ryouta. Though he forced her down, exhausting a lot of his chakra, he still fought with Satsuki to the bitter end, and even showed a new technique!
Izumi also showed one of her Mangekyou abilities, it isn't Kamui for those wondering, the full capabilities shall be shown at a later date as well as the name.
Then at the end, Jiraiya's asked for Ryouta to accompany them, partly because of what he saw in how Ryouta fought off Itachi , and partly because he's interested in the new Jutsu Ryouta created, and also wishing to keep Naruko safe as well, knowing he'd be able to help him do that.
Well, until next time, thanks for reading!
Ryouta; Satsuki, Sakura, Naruko, Hinata, Gaara (fem), Ino, Haku (fem), Kurotsuchi, Karin, Konan, Mei, Anko, Samui, Hanabi, Mabui, Temari, Pakura,