I do not own Naruto Shippuden or any of the characters.
Found
Ryuu opened his eyes as someone knocked on his door. He groaned, pulling Fu tighter and tried to force himself back to sleep, only for the knock to sound again. When he again ignored it, whoever it was began to pound on the door continuously. Finally Ryuu groaned.
"Alright already!" he shouted. "Give me a fucking minute!" He lay there for another two seconds and the pounding began again. "They're dead."
"Just go," Fu sighed. "They won't go away."
Ryuu sighed and climbed out of bed, pulling on a black shirt and shorts, walking down the stairs and opening the door, giving the ANBU standing there a death glare. "What the fuck do you want? I'm on vacation."
"Lady Hokage sent me," the ANBU said. "Kabuto found the Homunculus facility."
"Mhao," Ryuu growled, sighing. "I see. Thank you for telling me. Tell Tsunade we'll be there soon."
The ANBU nodded and left and Ryuu turned, heading back up to his and Fu's room, finding her already dressed and lifting her scroll onto her back. He pulled on his tanto's harness, then his ninja tool pouch and his kunai pouch. Once he'd finished, he sighed heavily.
"I...don't want to do this," Ryuu said.
"We have to," Fu said. "He's a threat that needs to be dealt with finally. We can't let him become a threat again."
Ryuu sighed, nodding. "You're right. As usual."
Fu smiled and slipped her hand into his. "I'll be right there beside you."
Ryuu nodded and they walked out of the house and headed to Tsunade's office. Ryuu knocked on the door, and after several seconds, it opened, Kabuto nodding to them as they stepped inside.
"There you are," Tsunade said. "I'm sorry for interrupting your vacation."
"It's alright," Ryuu sighed. "I was expecting it. Where it is?"
"It's in the Land of Ogres," Tsunade said. "Deep in the forest."
"I see," Ryuu nodded. "Who am I taking?"
"Who do you need?" Tsunade asked.
"My team," Ryuu said. "Minus Yugao. I'm not forcing her into a fight. I'll also need Kabuto, Suigetsu, Karin, and anyone you've got who's excellent at genjutsu."
"I've got just the one," Tsunade smiled. "You remember Yakumo Kurama?"
"Yeah," Ryuu said. "The girl with the terrifyingly strong Genjutsu powers."
"She's been cleared as a genjutsu now, after having trained under Might Guy and Rock Lee," Tsunade said.
"Really?" Ryuu asked, eyebrows rising. "Impressive. I'll take her."
Tsunade nodded, adding the names Ryuu had chosen to a scroll in front of her and handed it to him, allowing him to scan it with his Sharingan before passing it to Fu.
"And take Tobi with you," Tsunade said. "I don't want that thing in the village unattended to."
Ryuu nodded and left the room with Fu and Kabuto, all of them scattering to gather the others, Ryuu also getting Yomo. Then, they all gathered up at the front gate, waiting for everyone to arrive. Somehow, Yakumo was the first. She had grown over the years, her breasts developing to C-cups, her body filling out into an hourglass, and her outfit had changed to a short purple dress with a thick cloth around her abdomen and tied into a bow n her back, a short left sleeve and a long right one, and the hair framing the left side of her face in a braid that hung down in front of her shoulder.
The next to show up was Karin, who wore the same outfit as always, with Suigetsu just behind her, Zabuza's sword on his back. Then, came Tayuya, who had been in the hot spring when Ryuu had come to collect her.
"You took your time," Ryuu grumbled.
"I had to make sure my things were ready for this fucker," Tayuya said. "I assume our vacation being cut short means that it's Mhao, finally."
"That's right," Ryuu nodded. "For those of you who don't know, Mhao is an artificial being created by Orochimaru who recreates himself every time he's formed, making himself stronger and better every time. He's been hounding me for years, but recently he stopped attacking. Either he's been working on an exceptionally powerful version of himself, or he's been working on multiple of himself. Either way, our job is to find his base and destroy it, that way he can never be a threat again."
Everyone nodded.
"Expect a very difficult and dangerous fight," Fu said. "Especially you, Suigetsu. He's a fire type."
"Lovely," Suigetsu sighed. "Anything else we should know?"
"He knows the Fire Style Uroboros," Ryuu said, Kabuto and Suigetsu staring at him in surprise.
"What's that?" Yakumo asked.
"It's a Fire Style Jutsu that takes the form of a massive fire snake that grows stronger the more it consumes, and it can consume anything, including itself. It's also self-sustaining, even in the event of the user's death, making it essentially alive."
"How do we stop something like that?" Tayuya asked.
"Very painfully," Ryuu said. "If it comes to it, I'll deal with it, but try not to give him the chance to use it."
The others nodded and Ryuu sighed. Then, he checked his gear one last time before leaving, the others all following, Yomo flying along above them. They travelled in silence, no one speaking and everyone watching for anyone, or anything, to try and interfere. However, as timed passed, they found nothing. Finally, they crossed the border of the Land of Ogres and Kabuto took the lead. Ryuu extended his senses and began to search for any sign of Mhao. However, try as he might, he could sense nothing. Finally, Kabuto stopped high in a tree, the others landing around him.
"It's there," Kabuto said quietly, pointing to a crack in a cliff. "We don't know what's inside, but we have to expect the worst."
"Agreed," Ryuu nodded. "I'll go in first with Fu. Then Kabuto and Tayuya, then Suigetsu and Karin. Suigetsu, I'm stressing that this is a stealth mission for now. Don't get caught."
"I won't," Suigetsu said.
"What about me?" Yakumo asked.
"And me?" Tobi asked.
"Tobi, you'll be doing what you do best," Ryuu said. "You'll keep an eye on things and pass messages as needed. You're not to reveal your presence or attack. Yakumo, you'll be going with Karin and Suigetsu, since their team is the most vulnerable in this situation."
"Understood," Yakumo nodded.
Ryuu nodded and turned back to the front, activating his transparency jutsu, Fu doing the same beside him. They slipped into the hideout and silently began to explore, sticking together as they did. The first floor had rows upon rows of stasis tanks, all standing empty and dark. The room was about six three hundred yards by three hundred yards, and was absolutely filled with tanks. However, Ryuu didn't sense anything in the room, and as they walked through the room, they found nothing.
"Tobi," Ryuu whispered.
"Yes?" Tobi's voice whispered back.
"Tell Kabuto to search this room when he comes in," Ryuu said.
Tobi agreed and his face sank back into the floor. Ryuu and Fu continued, walking on in silence until they reached a staircase. The hideout was built the same way as one of Orochimaru's, except instead of a scaled pattern, all of the walls were decorated with blue in a flame pattern. It made Ryuu extremely uncomfortable, because he kept having to remind himself that he wasn't actually being attacked by Mhao's flames. Yet.
The next floor down was an arena identical to the one Ryuu had been imprisoned in. He grit his teeth and clenched his fists as he saw it, stopping and having to fight to suppress his memories. Fu's hand closed around his and she cupped his face, pressing her lips to his.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yeah," Ryuu said. "Just brought back a lot of unpleasant memories."
Fu nodded, giving his hand a light squeeze and he uncurled his fist, slipping his fingers between hers as they quickly crossed the arena and out the other side, finding themselves in a passageway. They walked through it in silence, soon finding themselves at a fork. Ryuu extended his senses as he looked around, but there was no sign of anything nearby. They turned left, walking along the path for abut three minutes before stopping at a door decorated with a massive flaming snake. Ryuu passed into the door, looking around on the far side before stepping out of it and pulling it open for Fu. The room was empty and was decorated with medicine, chemicals, specimens in jars, and a large stasis tank with something growing inside of it. It was a huge mass of white flesh, but Ryuu was getting a bad feeling about it.
"What is this?" Fu whispered.
"Something that's about to die," Ryuu said, resting a hand on the glass.
Seal script began to flow from his hand, sinking into the tank before floating to the mass, then wrapped around it before flashing red and fading, the thing separating anywhere the seal script had been, the water quickly staining red with blood, growing too murky to see through. Ryuu and Fu turned, quickly leaving the room, closing the door behind them, and followed the hallway again, reaching the fork again and following it down the other hallway. After about another fifteen minutes, they reached a winding stairway. They followed it down, walking around and around in circles for minutes. Finally, the stairway opened up on the ground floor of a massive chamber with pillars spaced throughout it, the ceiling too high to see, torches spread seemingly at random among the pillars, leaving some in shadow, and a throne at the far end. Seated in the throne was Mhao, just as young as ever. His sword rested across his lap, but he seemed to be sleeping.
"You're too early," a male voice said from all around them.
"We won't let you harm the Master," a female one said.
Suddenly, four more homunculus landed in front of Mhao. One was female, wearing a light blue kimono with her snow white hair swept forward over her left shoulder, her blood red eyes glaring at them, and a khakkhara in her hands. Another was male with his hair reaching almost to his feet and with a set of bracelets that had three double-edged blades reaching past his fists. Each bracelet seemed to have a handle for him to hold onto. The other two males were identical. Both were hulking behemoths with snow-colored skin, bald heads, blood red eyes, and a pair of enormous weapons. One held a Warhammer almost as big as his gigantic body, and the other held a greatsword that was longer than he was tall and as broad as Ryuu's entire torso.
"This might be a problem," Ryuu said as he and Fu became visible again.
Just then, Tobi rose out of the ground with all of the others.
"I searched the rest of the hideout, and it's empty," Tobi said. "This is everyone."
"And that first room was completely empty, except for a research log that had been abandoned," Kabuto said. "It seems that your old friend there is trying to gain access to a very ancient and dangerous power. We need to stop him right now."
"Understood," Ryuu nodded. "Suigetsu and I will handle the big ones. Fu, Kabuto, the other two. Karin, you're keeping an eye out for reinforcements, Akatsuki, or Zetsu. Yakumo, reinforce as needed."
The others all nodded and they charged, Ryuu drawing his tanto as Suigetsu drew his sword. Suigetsu charged at the one wielding the sword, so Ryuu exhaled a Vacuum Blade onto his sword and headed for the one with the hammer. Ryuu dropped, sliding as the hammer flashed over him then stood and slashed, splitting the guy's torso open, only for the guy to leap backward, healing almost instantly. A moment later, the one with the sword sent Suigetsu bouncing across the floor, his own sword through his gut, though his body around it was water.
Ryuu spun, blocking the larger one's greatsword and the ground below him cratered, his arms screaming in protest as he fought to hold back the massive homunculus's blade. Finally, he shoved it to the side, allowing it to crash to the ground and crater it more as he jumped, drilling his right knee into the homunculus's chin, sending him staggering backward. He landed on his feet and spun, blocking a backhanded slash by the one with claws, able to hold this one back relatively easily. He looked past the homunculus, seeing Kabuto kneeling on the ground, healing his side. Ryuu heard a very large land behind himself and shoved the claws away, using the Body Flicker Technique to vanish, reappearing beside Kabuto, seeing that he was hurt pretty bad.
"He's crafty," Kabuto said. "I believe I may have underestimated him."
"It's fine," Ryuu said, twirling his tanto once. "I'll take them both!" Then, he shot forward, beginning to flicker as three more stepped out of him.
They reached the one with claws instantly and he slashed at one, his claws passing through Ryuu before he spun, claws deflecting two slashes, then two more. He jumped as one of the Ryuus slashed at his legs, then flipped and spun, slashing through all four harmlessly. One of the Ryuus spun while he was in the air and slammed a windmill kick into his gut, sending him blasting into the hammer homunculus, both crashing into the wall behind them. Then, Ryuu spun, bracing his Vacuum Blade with his free hand just as the greatsword crashed into it. He sailed across the room, crashing into the wall just before Suigetsu bisected that homunculus across the torso. Then, the Homunculus's halves sprouted strands of white goo that instantly stitched it back together before he spun, slashing at Suigetsu. Suigetsu moved to block the strike, but the greatsword exploded straight through Suigetsu's splitting him in half.
Ryuu charged, ducking under a slash from the greatsword, only to vanish as the homunculus's torso exploded and the clawed homunculus burst out of it, slashing through where Ryuu had been a moment before. Ryuu, now behind the pair, spun, forming hand seals rapidly.
"Fire Style, Dragon Flame Bomb!" He exhaled a wall of flames into the pair, both of whom screamed in pain and collapsed, the flames engulfing them.
Ryuu caught his tanto and turned just in time for Fu to appear in front of him, slamming the female into the hammer's head with enough force to deflect a swipe from it, saving Ryuu while also turning the female homunculus's head into paste. She tossed the body aside, then leapt into the air at the same time as Ryuu, the greatsword passing under them.
"Jesus," Ryuu growled, both hovering in the air with their wings and watching as the female stood, head reforming. "What are they, immortal?"
"This is going to be a problem," Fu said.
"Ninja Art, Chains of Fantasia!" Tayuya said, beginning to play her flute.
All four of the enemies suddenly went rigid and Ryuu and Fu dropped to the ground, quickly moving in. Ryuu placed a gravity seal at ten times their weight on each, along with a paralysis seal, then jumped back and Tayuya let her music end, keeping the flute ready.
"Not bad," the woman said. "But still not good enough. Ban, Khan."
Both of the stronger Homunculus began to grow even more, both roaring in pain and anger. Then, the paralysis seals burst off of them and they shot forward. Ryuu cursed, leaping backward while deactivating their gravity seals so that they couldn't use the higher weight for stronger attacks. Instead, they vanished, reappearing behind Tayuya and slashing downward. Tayuya gasped, raising her arms to shield herself, and a barrier appeared, deflecting both strikes. The barrier glowed violet, and Yakumo walked over with her hand extended. She lowered her hand and the barrier faded. Then, she swung another hand and the ground below the two erupted, lava coating them.
"This won't last long," Yakumo said. "Kill Mhao before he waked up and helps them!"
Ryuu turned, taking a step forward, only for the remaining two to appear in front of him, slashing. He blocked their weapons as Fu shot past him, drawing her own tanto as she neared Mhao. However, as she slashed, his hand rose, catching hers. She planted her feet, trying to leap away, but his grip wouldn't budge.
"You're too late," the female grinned. "He has risen."
"You four," Mhao said. "You did well."
Fu drew her silver kunai and severed Mhao's arm, leaping away and tossing it aside, the hand having left a dark purple handprint. However, white goo flowed from Mhao's stump and reformed into his hand as he stood slowly, the other four Homunculus landing in sets f two n either side of him, all kneeling, the two larger ones with their burns finishing sealing. Ryuu glanced back at Yakumo and saw that she was breathing hard and had a gash in one shoulder, a kunai in each hand, but she was otherwise unharmed. And Kabuto had finished healing himself, turning to quickly heal Yakumo's shoulder.
"Kabuto, what power was Mhao after?" Ryuu asked.
"Why bother asking the traitor?" Mhao asked. "I'll show you myself."
He lifted his sword and blue flames began to roll along the blade instantly. Ryuu swallowed, letting his Vacuum Blade fade and drawing his trench knife. However, as he did, the large one with the greatsword shot forward. He flipped over the blade, using his trench knife to deflect it downward before flipping, driving his tanto down into the homunculus's head in reverse grip. He formed the seal of confrontation with his left hand and the homunculus began to swell, choking and eyes bulging for a moment before his body began to glow orange. Ryuu vanished and the others all scattered less than a second before the homunculus exploded, white paste splattering over the room. Then, the goo all shot through the air, spiraling back into the homunculus once again. Ryuu growled in annoyance.
"What the hell is going on here?" Ryuu snarled.
"Something must be keeping them functioning," Kabuto said. "My guess is Mhao."
Ryuu nodded in agreement just as Tobi rose out of the ground, face turned toward the five homunculus.
"What is it Tobi?" Ryuu asked.
"I had to detach from the ground for a bit," Tobi said. "Zetsu was starting to notice me."
"Okay," Ryuu nodded. "Any idea what to do in this situation?"
Tobi shook his head. Ryuu glanced at the others, all of them also shaking their head.
"Great," Ryuu sighed. "Karin, Tayuya, hang back since taijutsu isn't your best skill. Kabuto and Yakumo, stay with them. Tobi, I want you to deal with the one with claws. Suigetsu, the one with the sword. Fu, the female."
"You can't take both the one with the hammer and Mhao," Fu said.
"Probably not," Ryuu agreed. "But I'm the one with the best chance of it."
Fu hesitated before nodding. "Okay. Just be careful."
"I will," Ryuu nodded, sliding his foot to the side slightly. "Let's go!"
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