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Ryuu watched as Natsuhi and Akahoshi spoke. Akahoshi was demanding the star. Natsuhi was demanding Sumaru. It would go nowhere. Finally, Akahoshi declared that he would take it by force, Natsuhi laughing.
"You think you finished the Star Training all on your own?" Natsuhi laughed.
"I think you'll find that I'm more than a match for you, Lady Natsuhi!" Akahoshi said, forming the usual Star Chakra hand sign. "Ninja Art, Kujaku! Beast!"
Natsuhi formed her own, hers more than five times the size of Akahoshi's. Natsuhi's roared, then lunged, biting down on Akahoshi's and dragging it back into itself, absorbing the chakra as Akahoshi flew backward, struggling to stand. Akahoshi pushed himself up and shouted for reinforcements, two more shinobi appearing on either side of him. Then, he told them to go, both scattering into the trees. Ryuu turned, walking out of the trees calmly.
"Akahoshi," Ryuu said, Akahoshi spinning, staring at him. "Need a hand?"
"Perfect timing," Akahoshi said. "I just sent two of my best men to get your help."
"I bet you did," Ryuu said, watching him out of the corner of his eye. "After all, Natsuhi is far stronger than you are."
"Yes she...how do you know that name?" Akahoshi stared at him and Ryuu smirked.
"Well, firstly from Sumaru, who Neji rescued from your attic this morning after I healed his lungs," Ryuu said. "Secondly because you just called her it while demanding she hand over the star before you give up her son." He turned, smirking at Akahoshi. "Really now, Akahoshi. How stupid are you?"
"I hired you!" Akahoshi snarled as Ryuu drew his trench knife.
"That you did," Ryuu agreed. "And now, I'm going to get my ass chewed for turning on the man that hired me. I might even get locked up in prison. However, I will be fine, because at least I know you're not dooming dozens of children to death for it."
Just then, Neji and the two Hidden Star Village shinobi from a moment ago arrived, Neji looking between Akahoshi and Ryuu.
"Ryuu, what are you doing?" Neji demanded.
"Protecting children," Ryuu said. "If the village still wants the star once I'm finished with Akahoshi and have allowed Natsuhi to explain its side effect, then I'll happily break the fucking thing and give it to them. But first, I'm going to kill Akahoshi."
"Will you now?" Akahoshi grinned. "We'll see."
Suddenly, a massive pillar of Star Chakra burst out of the ground, smashing into Ryuu from the side and hurling him at Natsuhi. Just as she caught him out of instinct, the pillar crashed into the ground at the base of the precipice she stood on, dropping both. She formed a pair of wings, beginning to fly away, only for Akahoshi's chakra to latch onto them, absorbing them. As Ryuu fell, Neji suddenly followed them over the edge. Ryuu flipped, landing on his feet, struggling to keep Wind Chakra flowing through his lungs and out his mouth and nose, blocking the poison. He caught Neji, placing a hand over his nose and mouth before turning and sprinting along through the bottom of the trench, following Natsuhi. After a matter of seconds, she picked them up, flying them out of the gas and away from the village. She landed at the mouth of a cave that was hidden by bushes. He followed her in, setting Neji on the floor and beginning to heal the damage, using Wind Chakra to suck the poison out. Finally, Neji's eyes creaked open and he stared at Ryuu as Ryuu worked.
"Where are Lee, Tenten, and Sumaru?" Ryuu asked.
"Safe," Neji croaked. "Hidden."
Then, he passed out again. Ryuu finished treating him and sighed, checking his own lungs for any damage, finding himself blessedly clear of it.
"Thank you for saving us," Ryuu said.
"You're welcome," Natsuhi smiled.
"Allow me to treat you," Ryuu said. "From the Star Chakra, I mean. I helped one of the children in the village a couple days ago, maybe I can extend your life as well. I'm sure it must be tearing you apart inside."
Natsuhi considered for a moment before nodding, turning away from him and pulling her flak off, leaving her in a tight blue shirt. Ryuu knelt behind her once she was seated and closed his eyes, focusing. He found the damage easily. It was bad. He was amazed she wasn't as sick as Mizura. He went to work trying to treat it, making slow progress. However, after a while, he had finally healed as much as he could, roughly half the damage. He sat back, Natsuhi pulling her flak back on, and then looked over at Neji.
"So, I've heard Akahoshi's side of the story," Ryuu said. "Mind telling me your side?"
Natsuhi smiled, nodding.
Ryuu hurled a shuriken, the shuriken hitting one of the shinobi in the calf, making him shout in pain, falling and driving the other side of the point into his butt as his leg gave out and he landed on it. Akahoshi and the other ninja both turned toward him, glaring.
"That Star's going nowhere," Ryuu said. "I don't care how badly you want it."
"That star is what you were hired to protect," Akahoshi said.
"And I am," Ryuu said. "From you. After all, you knocked me and Neji into the canyon. Clearly that makes you the thief, right?"
"That's correct," Neji said, stepping out of the trees. "We're perfectly justified now. It's self defense."
"You brats!" Akahoshi snarled. "You're both fools, just like that stupid old man the Third Hoshikage. He refused to understand that star training is essential to keep our village strong and prosperous! He said it was monstrous! Monstrous! That old fool! That's why we killed him, the three of us."
"I see," Neji nodded. "Very well. Then we'll make sure not to underestimate you, since you're clearly unhinged enough to kill your own leader."
"Is that right?" Akahoshi snarled. "Alright, try me!"
Ryuu darted forward, slashing at him only for Akahoshi to leap over the strike. Ryuu spun, forming hand seals before exhaling a stream of flame at him. Akahoshi flipped, landing on his feet and forming his star chakra, the chakra swinging in a circle as a massive tendril, smashing both Ryuu and Neji away from him. Ryuu flipped, landing on his feet and activating his Sharingan, slamming his hands into the ground. Stone spikes erupted out of the ground around Akahoshi, only for his chakra to form a sphere around him, blocking the jutsu. Then, it unravelled, extending as a dozen spikes and almost instantly clearing the distance between him and Ryuu, impaling the Uchiha through multiple spots, including his heart. He pulled Ryuu to him, grinning, just as Ryuu began to expand.
"What the-"
Ryuu exploded into a ball of fire, launching Akahoshi backward until Ryuu caught him with a foot, sliding the foot to his neck and beginning to press downward.
"You lose, Akahoshi," Ryuu said.
"Ryuu, watch out!" Neji shouted.
Ryuu flipped into the air, barely avoiding the other shinobi's star chakra. Akahoshi stood as Ryuu was landing, forming his own Star Chakra into a wolf, only for Natsuhi's chakra to devour both of the others'. Both turned to her, leaping away from the three enemies they were presented with. Ryuu walked over to their wounded comrade, who was struggling to stand, and swept his good leg out from under him, dropping him to the ground before placing a paralysis seal on him. Then, he turned back to Akahoshi.
"It's over, Akahoshi," Ryuu said.
"Ryuu, Neji, this is my fight," Natsuhi said, stepping past them and forming a chakra wolf, Akahoshi and his remaining subordinate doing the same.
Then, Akahoshi ate the subordinate's, growing massively for it. Then, the two beasts clashed. They wrestled about in the air for several moments, however, unlike the day before, Natsuhi's chakra wasn't as massively overpowering this time. Ryuu's brain instantly put two and two together. The more damage the star chakra did, the more powerful it was. Suddenly, Ryuu's head snapped around to the side as Sumaru landed at the edge of the clearing with Lee, Tenten, and several of the other children.
"They're alive!" Tenten gasped.
"What are you doing here!?" Neji demanded. "I told you to hide!"
"We thought you were dead," Lee said. "We came to make Akahoshi pay!"
Suddenly, star chakra burst out of the ground, wrapping around Sumaru, beginning to drain his own. Natsuhi shrieked in rage, but her focus was broken. Akahoshi's beast latched on and in seconds, Natsuhi had been drained, collapsing. Akahoshi's chakra beast was massive, as Natsuhi's had been before. Ryuu leapt at him, but the beast flashed around, smashing him into Neji, then both into Tenten and Lee. To his credit, though, Ryuu did manage to channel chakra into his trench knife and cut through the star chakra binding Sumaru, allowing him to stagger backward and fall on his ass. Ryuu pushed himself up as Akahoshi blasted the massive rock formation beside them, obliterating it and pulling the star out of the remains of the coffin that had been there. Then, he turned to the children, grinning widely.
"Now then, Leaf Village Ninja, as the star has been returned to me, I shall overlook everything else that has transpired today," Akahoshi smirked. "Your mission is complete. Leave. As for those of you from the Hidden Star Village, all of you who would dedicate your lives to the village, follow me."
"But sir, what about Sumaru?" Hokuto asked. "He's hurt."
"Leave him," Akahoshi said. "He's nothing but the son of a traitor. Now go, all of you!"
"Right," the children said, all leaving except for Hokuto, who was kneeling beside the unconscious Sumaru.
"Hokuto, you too," Akahoshi said.
"I won't leave Sumaru," Hokuto said. "Not even for the village."
"Then you are a traitor as well," Akahoshi said.
He turned, leaving and Ryuu sighed, turning to Hokuto, smiling. "You've got guts. He's important to you, isn't he?"
Hokuto blushed but nodded.
Ryuu knelt, his hands glowing green as he slowly scanned Sumaru. "He's going to be fine. He's just exhausted. Now, I need to heal Natsuhi again. Then we'll find someplace to rest while we decide what to do next."
The others nodded and he began to heal Natsuhi, working faster than before, despite there being a lot more damage than before after her chakra was forcefully ripped out of her. After an hour and a half, he let the jutsu fade and lifted her onto his back, he and Neji leading the others back to Natsuhi's cave. once there, they lay both on a blanket, draping a sheet over them and resting their heads on pillows.
"Now what?" Ryuu asked. "The mission's over, but we can't illegally attack to try and destroy or steal the star for no reason."
"No, we can't," Neji said. "We can't do anything outside of the mission."
"Well, what if we hired you to destroy or steal the star?" Hokuto asked.
"What?" Ryuu blinked.
"Could we do that?" Hokuto asked. "And while you're at it, make our village see Akahoshi for what he is?"
"I think so," Ryuu nodded. "But we'd be facing shinobi, that'd be B or A rank."
"That's pretty expensive," Lee nodded.
"Can't you guys cut her a deal since you all want to do it anyway?" Tenten asked.
"No, we can't," Neji said. "We would need the full payment."
"I'll pay whatever it takes," Hokuto said.
"Alright," Ryuu said, grinning. "Then in that case, we're charging you all the kunai and paper bombs you have on you, and one kiss for Sumaru once he wakes up."
Lee nodded and Neji, Tenten, and Hokuto stared at him in shock and confusion.
"You're joking," Neji said.
"Oh no, I'm very serious," Ryuu said. "A rank missions are expensive."
Hokuto burst into a fit of laughter, holding out her ninja tool pouch before struggling to calm herself. As she finally settled down, Sumaru stirred, pushing himself up slowly, groaning. Ryuu grinned as Hokuto's face turned crimson.
"What's so funny?" Sumaru groaned. "Did we win?"
"Not exactly," Ryuu said. "But we'll get him next time."
Sumaru nodded as Hokuto knelt beside him. Then, just as he turned to look at her, she leaned in, kissing him quickly before pulling back, blushing scarlet, him doing the same.
"I-I'm glad you're okay," Hokuto stammered.
Sumaru stared at her for another minute before dropping back to the pillow. Ryuu snorted but held it in, Neji, Lee, and Tenten all pretending to have been busy with their gear.
"Shut up!" Hokuto wailed. "It's not funny!"
"Relax," Ryuu chuckled. "Him fainting is a good sign, but if you would prefer, you can play it off as him having been dreaming when he wakes up."
Hokuto didn't answer and Ryuu opened her pouch, pulling out three kunai and twelve explosive tags.
"That'll work," Ryuu smiled, taking the explosives. "I'll buy you some more once we've dealt with Akahoshi."
Hokuto nodded and Ryuu stood, stretching his back. Then, he stood, looking to Lee, Tenten, and Neji, who also stood and nodded. Ryuu handed the paper bombs and kunai, as well as all of his, to Tenten, keeping only his tanto and trench knife.
"Neji, Lee, you too," Ryuu said. "Tenten, when we reach the village, you're in charge of the distraction. Don't get caught, and don't use all of them. Just get Akahoshi and the rest of the jonin away from the star long enough for us to reach it. After that, I'll be able to handle Akahoshi."
"And the rest of the bombs?" Tenten asked.
"Any surprise visits from an...old friend of mine," Sado said. "He's pale white and carries a sword with a blue demon-themed hilt. I want you to blow him into a thousand pieces if he shoes up."
"Um...okay?" Tenten said.
"Let's go," Ryuu said.
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