The Fourth
Part 7
By Mieren
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#flashback#
"You're not my pupil anymore," Jiraiya sighed.
"I can't win this and you know it!"
"What about your own students?" the older man asked.
"They'll be fine. Kakashi is a genius. He can hold out and protect the others." A blond head hung low, his chin resting against his chest.
"Then what do you suggest?" the sannin demanded.
"Train me again," the blond panted. "Abuse me."
"NO! I will not hurt you!" Jiraiya yelled.
"Kyuubi will destroy Konaha," the young man begged. "I'm not human. You know that. He knows that. If he knows what I am, he may side with me and then I can kill him."
Jiraiya floundered. "And you?"
"I can hold him, but you must find a way to kill an immortal."
"NO!"
"We don't have a choice! One life for an entire village." Stated so simply, the choice seemed simple that it hurt to hear. "No ninja would do less."
"This still seems wrong," Jiraiya whispered.
"I'm the only one that can do this!"
Eyes watering in loathing of what he was about to do, Jiraiya reluctantly shot forward, beating the life out of the blond man who made no move to defend himself. Only upon sensing that the man was almost dead did he back down. Blackened but grateful eyes looked up.
Golden wings sprouted from the blonde's back, ripping his shirt. He flapped them once to make sure that they still worked. A single tear slipped down his tanned complexion.
"Thank you," he said honestly.
Unfurling the massive golden wings, the blond took to the air, vanishing instantly. The sannin watched him go, his heart breaking. His most promising student had gone to battle innocuously with the Kyuubi. And it would cost him his life. Jiraiya sank to the ground and covered his eyes with his hands, trying to hide the fact that he was crying.
---
"You," Kyuubi called, sensing the incoming form. The winged man landed harshly on purpose, lying in the dirt.
"They… they know what I am," he gasped. "They tried to kill me."
"Can you run to help?" the fox asked. The blond before him was no human and he held no grudges against other beings of the supernatural.
"My sensei… I may be able to go to him," the blond rasped. The sannin had not gone easy on his ribs and he was certain that a few were broken. The fox rubbed his cheek against the winged blond.
"Try again, little one," he entreated. "I don't know if I could help you. The village hates me and I fear that showing myself would lose us both."
"I'll keep trying," the winged man promised. "But if they still betray me, if it keeps going wrong, will you help me?"
"Of course, little phoenix. We are brothers, you and I," Kyuubi soothed. "How could I turn my back on you when you were so desperate?"
"Thank you," the blond breathed.
---
Jiraiya sobbed as he beat the golden creature into the ground a seventh time, grateful blue eyes fixed on him the entire time. It was bad enough that he was beating his cherished student that he would soon send to his death. What was worse was knowing that he was the one that would kill him. He had studied diligently while the blond was gone the first time. He knew how to kill an immortal and it almost killed him as well. He stepped back when the poor man was nearing death a seventh time.
"Have you found a way?" the blond rasped out of a bludgeoned throat.
"Yes," Jiraiya answered, voice cracking. "Is this the only answer?"
"No ninja can beat him," the man answered, sprouting his wings. "I can control him. When it's time, kill him."
"Please, there must be another way!" Jiraiya pleaded.
"I'm sorry…"
---
"Hold still!" a harsh voice commanded. Kyuubi had one paw pinning down the winged man.
"This hurts!" a soft voice complained. Red eyes saddened and Kyuubi lifted some of his weight off of the injured man.
"I know and I'm sorry. But that man is coming and I don't know what I'll do." Kyuubi had sworn to abide by the phoenix's requests. The winged man had made him promise not to kill his sensei.
"I know…" the blond whispered.
"I'm so sorry. You never should have had to come to me in the first place…" the fox whispered in sorrow.
"You didn't have to take me in," the phoenix moaned. His cheek was nuzzled gently letting him know that the fox didn't mind.
"Yes, I did. That man had no right, even if he is your elder," the demon murmured. The golden immortal had returned far too many times in horrible condition because of his so-called sensei.
"This is my fault…""It was never your fault. Not yours and not even mine. I knew what I was getting into when I took you in," Kyuubi rumbled sympathetically. No man had the right to terrorize an innocent, especially not a human-like creature that meant them no harm.
"They're going to kill you because of me," the blond groaned, cerulean eyes downcast.
"No, I'm going to kill them because of you. He had no right," Kyuubi growled. A noble ninja and a mighty warrior had no reason to be killed for protecting what he loved. His village. His home.
"Will this work?" a weak voice asked, terrified.
"I don't know," the deeper voice admitted. "They're coming for both of us." The fox nuzzled the man again. He didn't want the man to die.
"No," the soft man admitted. "They don't know about me." They didn't know he was going to throw his life away to kill a demon.
"They will. Are you sure you're willing to do this?" Kyuubi asked gently. It would be a great sacrifice for both of them.
"Yes." Let me end your reign of terror, monster.
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To Be Continued…
Things are just about to get worse for poor Naruto. R&R! I love it and it makes me want to write more.