I do not own Naruto Shippuden or any of the characters.

Extraction

Ryuu sighed, watching Kankuro carefully. Kankuro was restrained by numerous sealing jutsus, straps, ropes, and also by Fu's webs. He wasn't moving. Ryuu looked to Fu, who nodded, both going through the hand seals.

"Medical Water Style, Water Mosquito," both said, a swarm forming from the water basin between them, using all of the water.

The swarm flew up over Kankuro and Tayuya pulled his shirt up, exposing his navel. The swarm began to spiral, flying down to his navel before burrowing into him, Kankuro shrieking in agony instantly.

"You're hurting him!" Matsuri gasped.

"Yup, sure are," Ryuu said, sweat already running down his face, eyes squeezed shut and teeth clenched in strain, Fu only slightly better off.

"This jutsu causes excruciating pain, but without Sakura here for who knows how long, it's the only way to save him," Tayuya explained. "Just make sure the bowl's ready for the poison."

Matsuri nodded, looking to the side where several large bowls were waiting for the poison. After several minutes of Kankuro screaming and trying to thrash, dark purple mosquitoes began to break out of his navel again, flying to the bowls before collapsing, rapidly filling them. However, just as the last bowl was halfway filled, the mosquitoes stopped, the rest of them falling back into the basin again. Ryuu sighed, beginning to heal the damage the mosquitoes had done, Fu helping, just as Sakura walked in. Ryuu glanced up at her before returning his attention to the task at hand.

"He was poisoned by a member of the Akatsuki," Ryuu said. "The poison's in those bowls. Make an antidote."

Sakura nodded, hurrying over and having a shinobi lead her to all of the medicinal herbs the village had. After a few moments, Ryuu and Fu finished healing Kankuro and stepped back, both panting, and allowed his jutsu restraints and Fu's webbing to disappear, Temari rushing over and removing the rest, checking him for injuries, finding no sign of them on the surface.

"Is he healed?" Temari asked.

"Mostly," Ryuu said. "He'll still be weak from the poison, and he'll need rest. Plenty of it. But yeah. He's healed."

Temari smiled, tears filling her eyes. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"Don't thank me yet," Ryuu said. "Even if we hadn't done that, Sakura would have. We have to go and save Gaara now."

"Not yet," Baki said. "You're both too exhausted to fight the Akatsuki. Rest here for tonight. We need to find a way to track them anyway."

"I could have my hounds try," Kakashi said.

Just then, Kankuro groaned, eyes slowly open before he turned his head, staring at Ryuu.

"Butcher," Kankuro groaned. "I caught...part of...Sasori's mask. It's in...Crow's hand."

Ryuu looked off to the side where Kankuro's broken puppets had been piled, and Kankuro passed back out. Ryuu walked over to he puppet parts, picking up the only hand curled into a fist and pulled the fingers out, pulling out a piece of fabric and walking back to the others, handing it to Kakashi.

"How soon can you know where they are?" Ryuu asked.

"Tomorrow at the latest," Kakashi said.

"Okay," Ryuu nodded. "Baki, is there a place we can stay?"

"Yes," Baki nodded. "There's a hotel back near the gate. Don't worry about the rooms. We'll take care of it."

"Fuck that!" Naruto snapped. "We're going to go and save Gaara now!"

Ryuu caught him by the back of the collar and spun him, slamming him up against the wall by the throat. "You're not going anywhere, Naruto. Especially alone." As he spoke, he unzipped his flak and shrugged it off of his right arm. "Maybe you didn't notice, but I'm stronger than you. So is Fu. And when the two of us fought against two Akatsuki members, this is the result!" He had pulled his arm out of his sleeve and lifted the shirt up onto his shoulder, several people gasping.

"What...is that?" Naruto asked.

"It's a replacement body," Ryuu said. "Fu and I fought two Akatsuki members, and I lost half of my body! If that happened when me and Fu together were fighting two of them, what the fuck do you think wold happen to you if you went off half-cocked alone?"

Naruto stared at Ryuu's snow-white side and Ryuu set him on his feet, sighing and pulling his shirt and flak back on.

"I'm sorry, Naruto, but you're going to wait with the rest of us," Ryuu said. "I know he's your friend, I know you want to save him, and I know you don't want to wait. But you would be slaughtered if you fought even a single one of the Akatsuki members as you are now. If you just charge after them alone, you'll be captured and then we'd have to save you and Gaara both. Is that what you want?"

"No," Naruto said. "I...I'm sorry."

Ryuu sighed and nodded. "Thank you for allowing us to stay in the village Baki. We won't cause any trouble."

Baki nodded and Ryuu turned, waking out of the building. Within seconds of him having stepped outside, Fu grabbed him from behind, flying into the air then stopping, turning him to face her.

"What's wrong?" Fu asked.

"Noth-"

"No!" Fu snapped. "Don't give me that shit! Tell me what's wrong!"

"I'm scared!" Ryuu shouted. "Happy? I'm absolutely terrified. The last time we fought an Akatsuki team, I almost died, and I almost lost you. We have no idea how many there will be this time. All nine could be here. Maybe ten."

"What do you mean 'maybe ten?'" Fu asked. "There are only nine."

"Tobi told me that the current leader is only the second in command in reality," Ryuu sighed. "Behind the scenes, the real leader is an Uchiha with the same prosthetics as me, who took the name Madara Uchiha after being chosen by the real Madara as his successor, the real Madara somehow apparently having survived his fight with Hashirama. So, in reality, there are ten members. And we legitimately might have to fight all ten of them. So I'm afraid. I'm terrified that I'll lose you. I'm terrified that I'll lose friends. I'm even afraid that Hidan and Kakuzu will be here, and I'll completely snap again, like I did when I killed Ishidate."

"You won't," Fu said, cupping his face. "You won't lose friends, you will never lose me, and you won't snap. And even if we do have to fight them all, we'll just take Gaara and run. We're not foolish enough to fight the entire Akatsuki at once."

"We wouldn't have a choice," Ryuu said. "If they're all there, we won't be able to escape."

"Yes we will," Fu smiled. "Trust me. I don't carry this big scroll on my back for nothing."

Ryuu tilted his head to the side, staring at the object on her back. He had never actually asked what it was, and he had never seen her use it. Actually, this was the first time in a long time that he'd actually seen her carrying it.

"You usually don't carry that thing," Ryuu pointed out.

Fu smiled. "Okay, fine. I didn't bring this big scroll on my back for nothing. Happy?"

"A little," Ryuu mused, leaning in. "Could be happier."

"Oh really?" Fu smiled, kissing him. "Well...we'll just have to...fix that."

Ryuu smiled, holding Fu against him as he slipped his tongue into her mouth. Her own began to dance with his and she pressed herself against him. After several seconds, he pulled away, and sighed. Fu blinked, staring at him.

"Sorry," Ryuu said. "We're not exactly hidden here."

"So let's go to the hotel," Fu said.

Ryuu chuckled, kissing her. "I can't."

Fu gave him a concerned look.

"I'm sorry," Ryuu sighed. "I just...I don't want to be able to say that it was because I was scared. I just...After. Okay? After we all survive this mission."

Fu smiled and nodded, kissing him for a moment before beginning to descend. "We're taking a vacation soon. A real one, not just because you're hurt again. I want to be able to actually enjoy my boyfriend."

"That sounds like an excellent idea," Ryuu smiled.

Fu smiled as they touched down and they walked to the hotel, getting a room and heading up to it, both climbing into bed instantly and going to sleep.

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