I do not own Naruto Shippuden or any of the characters.
One Thing After Another
Ryuu stared blankly at Kaori, who stared right back, except a lot more sternly. Naruto he could understand. Naruto's right arm had been broken in several places from using the Rasenshuriken, and then in addition to that, the Rasenshuriken's real power, the microscopic chakra blades, had damaged his chakra network. Not much, but enough that Tsunade had forbade him from using it anymore. Enough that continued use would leave him unable to use chakra at all. And Naruto wasn't the only one who's situation made it a reasonable request. Shikamaru was beaten all to hell as well. However, Ryuu was fine. His medical ninjutsu had completely healed them before they were even back to the village. but even so, Kaori was demanding that he stay in the hospital for the night just in case.
"Fine," Ryuu finally groaned. "One night. After that, I'm out. I have places to be and people to spend time with."
"Fair enough," Kaori nodded. "But for tonight, you're stuck here. Consider it house arrest."
She turned and walked away and Ryuu sighed. After a few minutes, Tsunade walked into the room, holding the mangled, melted, completely unusable remains of the chakra blade he had brought back with him. He wasn't sure exactly when it had been ruined, but it didn't really surprise him given what he had been up against.
"You know, when I asked you to test it, I didn't mean what it would take to ruin it," Tsunade said.
"It worked well," Ryuu smirked. "It's a decent weapon, and it's one that I would suggest making standard issue for all shinobi. Of course, that also means they'll need some kenjutsu training, and to be taught how chakra blades work. As for it being destroyed, I was fighting three of the stronger Akatsuki members at once, so I'm satisfied with it being in one piece at all."
Tsunade sighed. "I'll have it reforged for you."
"Pass," Ryuu said. "I have my own chakra blade, and my tanto. I really don't need that thing."
Tsunade smirked. "That's too bad because it's now standard issue."
Ryuu rolled his eyes. "Fine. Have them fix up my toy."
Tsunade smirked and walked away, Fu walking in a few moments later.
"Kaori told me you're under house arrest," Fu said.
"Yeah, by Kaori's orders," Ryuu said.
"Yeah, that's what she said," Fu smiled. "I'm fine with this. That means we have all day to do nothing."
"An excellent point," Ryuu smiled. "Shall we get to it?"
"Yes!" Fu grinned.
Both climbed into the bed and within a few minutes they'd both gone back to sleep. Not because they were particularly tired, just because they didn't get to sleep all day often, so they were more than happy to do so when given the opportunity.
"An ANBU Black Ops sent this message," Tsunade said, handing Ryuu the paper.
Ryuu scanned it with his Sharingan to speed read it and handed it back, nodding. "Understood. Should I assemble a team?"
"Yes," Tsunade said. "I want you to send a report every day once you're there. I want to know exactly what's going on. And I need you to be ready to be reassigned. I'm sending Team Eight, with Kakashi filling in for Kurenai, to investigate another ANBU's report about coming under attack while nearing Orochimaru's hideout. You should be ready to reinforce them as necessary."
Ryuu nodded. "Understood. I'll be taking Fu, Tayuya, and Kabuto. I'll also be taking Tobi, for the usual reason."
Tsunade nodded. "Permission granted. I hope you and Fu enjoyed your day off, because if this report is accurate, it's shaping up to be a very taxing mission."
"Agreed," Ryuu nodded. "I'll be using reverse summoning to send Yomo to you." he placed a seal on the corner of the desk. "He'll show up here."
Tsunade nodded and Ryuu left, heading first to the hospital for Kabuto, and sent him to speak with Tsunade regarding what he knew about the area Team Eight was heading. Then, he headed home, finding Fu and Tayuya sitting in the back of the house. Both looked over at him and smiled. Tayuya was practicing her flute and Fu was practicing with her Wind Style chakra by tossing around a sphere of it.
"We have another mission," Ryuu said, Fu sighing and letting her sphere fade. "You too, Tayuya. We're heading out to investigate an ANBU's report about something happening at the base where we killed Mhao."
Both grew serious instantly and nodded just as Kabuto landed beside them.
"Tsunade filled me in," Kabuto said. "I don't know what he was doing in that base before you killed him, but it can't be good."
"Agreed," Ryuu said. "Tobi!"
Tobi grew out of the ground, already wearing his cloak. "Tobi is here."
"You're coming too," Ryuu said. "Is everyone ready?"
Everyone nodded.
"Good," Ryuu said. "Let's go."
He picked up Kabuto and Fu picked up Tayuya, both of them flying away from the village, Tobi travelling through the ground below them. they all travelled silently for a while before Tayuya spoke up.
"So, why are we heading back to that base?" Tayuya asked after more than an hour.
"An ANBU Black Ops was killed near there and the note he sent back was almost completely gibberish," Ryuu said. "It mentioned hearing the monster drawing closer, but it also talked about something it called the Whisperers, and something called the Statues, and something called the Unseen. We could barely make sense of it, but we decided it was worth looking into since there was blood all over the bird and note both."
"So we're hunting monsters?" Tayuya asked.
"Possibly," Ryuu nodded.
"Well, it'll be a nice change from fighting Akatsuki," Fu said.
"Agreed," Ryuu nodded. "So long as it's not some horribly dangerous monster that stands ten feet tall and rivals a Tailed Beast for destructive potential."
"Christ, Mhao better not have made a new Tailed Beast," Fu said.
"Oh God, please don't wish that on us," Ryuu said, shaking his head. "That fucker himself was annoying enough. I don't want to deal with a false Tailed Beast because of him too."
"Didn't he mention some other experiment we set loose when we were fighting him?" Fu asked.
Ryuu thought back and nodded slowly. "Yeah. He claimed that poison he used on us was fatal to it instantaneously."
"It might have mutated to resist it without him noticing," Fu said. "Or our fight may have allowed it to escape to somewhere without the poison in time to survive."
"Great," Ryuu sighed. "So it's probably our fault then."
Everyone fell silent and they made the rest of the trip that way before landing at the destroyed field where they had all fought, looking around. It was destroyed, just as Ryuu remembered. The collapsed hideout. The scorch marks from Ryuu's Purgatory Reclamation. Mhao's skeleton. It was all as Ryuu remembered. Everything, except for the trail of destroyed trees leading away from the hideout. Ryuu narrowed his eyes. That wasn't good. The trail was probably a hundred feet across. Whatever it was, it was enormous. They followed the trail in silence, all of them watching their surroundings quietly. After about three hours, they reached a village that looked like it was destroyed. Buildings were collapsed. Some had burned. And there was blood everywhere. However, as they searched it, they didn't find a single body.
"Alright, I'll say it," Kabuto said. "We're hunting monsters."
"What the hell could do this?" Ryuu asked. "If the monster left that trail in the trees, it would have done a lot more damage than this. And the buildings were damaged by jutsus."
"Maybe it was that ANBU that sent the message," Fu suggested.
"Maybe," Ryuu mused, extending his wings. "I'll be right back."
He shot into the air, flying until he could see for miles before stopping, looking around. Nothing. The village was the end of the trail. But, that couldn't be right. Something big enough to make a hundred-foot-wide trail through the woods didn't just disappear. And it didn't burn down villages. it would crush them. And then, where were the bodies? he didn't like it. He dropped, landing lightly beside Fu and activating his Sharingan, looking around slowly. He was missing something. He had to be missing something.
"This doesn't make any sense," Ryuu said. "The trail ends here. But there's nothing!"
"Maybe it could fly," Kabuto suggested. "It could have crawled, or walked, here because it was recovering from the poison, then flown away after."
"And the bodies?" Ryuu asked.
"I'd guess probably food," Kabuto said.
Ryuu nodded. "We'll have to find neighboring villages. Tobi."
"Yes?" Tobi asked, rising from the ground.
"Head west and see if there are any villages, destroyed or otherwise," Ryuu said. "If you find one and it's not destroyed, begin to make your way clockwise to the north, using this village as the center. if you find any destroyed villages, return to us and guide us there. That will give us our trail. We'll be heading east, then circling south."
Tobi nodded and sank into the ground. Ryuu picked up Kabuto again, and Fu picked up Tayuya. Then, they left, heading East. They spread out a few miles to search more area, where as Tobi could travel fast enough through the ground to search his entire area in about the same time. After they had made an entire half-circuit, however, they returned tot he village, landing just as Tobi rose from the ground.
"Nothing," Tobi said.
"Us either," Ryuu said. "The thing just disappeared."
"What now?" Tayuya asked.
Ryuu was silent for a long while. "I'm going to send Yomo to give Lady Tsunade an update and request further orders. After that, we'll see."
The others nodded and Ryuu reverse summoned Yomo, as he had done when they were first following the trail through the trees. Then, they waited. After a few minutes, Yomo reappeared and Ryuu removed a scroll from his leg, reading it, then burning it, as per the instructions on the note.
"She said to search a wider area," Ryuu said. "However, if I deem the trail has gone cold, we're to return to the Hidden Leaf."
The others nodded and Ryuu pulled out a map, marking the Land of Ogres, and the nations around it, into three sections. They divvied up the responsibilities, then left, Ryuu once again with Kabuto and Fu once again with Tayuya. However, as they searched, they found nothing but intact towns, and when they stopped to ask around, no one had seen anything flying around. They searched for several days before all meeting back up in the middle again. Ryuu sighed, sending a final report to Tsunade before they all started back to the village. Ryuu sighed. This was going to get really bad, really fast. He could feel it. Now if only he could feel where the monster was so he could kill it, his powers of foresight would actually be worth something.
"So what now?" Kabuto asked. "Are we really letting that thing roam around free?"
"I don't like it," Ryuu said. "But until it shows up, we can't do anything about it."
"So yes, then," Tayuya said, then sighed. "I hate failing missions."
"No kidding," Ryuu nodded. "And this one's almost literally going to come back to bite us in the ass."
"I hope not," Kabuto said. "I hope whatever it is dies."
"Really now, Kabuto," Fu said. "You should learn to keep your hopes reasonable."
"Everyone has to reach once in a while," Kabuto shrugged.
"So, Kabuto," Ryuu said. "That other place where an ANBU died. What can you tell me about it?"
"Orochimaru had a very specific experiment going on there," Kabuto said. "One he meant to use to disrupt the Akatsuki's plans."
"How so?" Ryuu asked.
"He's discovered the Three-tails, free and without a Jinchuriki," Kabuto said.
"And you're just telling us this now!?" Ryuu snapped, stopping.
"Lady Tsunade agreed that it was best to leave the Three-tails in peace for the time being, rather than either angering it and causing it to go on a rampage, or worse, alerting the Akatsuki to its presence," Kabuto said.
Ryuu sighed, nodding. "Fair enough. However, I expect that someone getting close to it may accelerate Orochimaru's plans."
"I believe you're right," Kabuto nodded. "There was a boy Orochimaru was holding who has the ability to summon, and possibly control, the Three-tails. We need to rescue him first. After that, we can deal with the Three-tails as needed."
"And Orochimaru," Ryuu said.
"No," Kabuto said. "Orochimaru is a separate matter. He will not be at that hideout."
"Okay," Ryuu nodded. "Any idea who took over for you?"
"A few, yes," Kabuto nodded. "None of the options very important for us. At best they'll simply be medical ninja, and will probably not be as well informed as I was."
Ryuu nodded. "Let's get back to the village quickly. I have a feeling Kakashi will need our help dealing with the Three-tails."
The others all nodded and he and Fu sped up, heading back to the village at just below their top speed.
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