I do not own Naruto Shippuden or any of the characters.
Protection
It was sunset the next day when Ryuu and the others reached the village. Ryuu remained invisible, though he did land and walk along with the others. However, as they walked through the village, no one came out to greet them. After they'd passed building, faces appeared in windows, or from cracked doors, glaring at Hotaru.
"Look sharp," Ryuu breathed, Sai and Naruto both nodding.
"I don't like this," Naruto muttered. "It reminds me of..."
"I know," Ryuu replied, equally quietly. "Stay calm. The head of the village should be in the big building up ahead."
Naruto nodded. After a couple of minutes, they reached the building where the village head should be and Naruto knocked on the door. After a moment, it opened and a man stepped out, Ryuu's eyes instantly memorizing his straight black hair hanging to his chin, tear troughs that would rival Itachi's, a black short-sleeved shirt under a dark red sleeveless cloak, black forearm warmers that reached from just below his elbow to just past his wrists, loose dark green pants, and sandals. The man's eyes looked to each of their faces in turn, including Ryuu's, though only for the briefest of flashes, and Ryuu's eyes narrowed slightly. He was good if he could so easily notice Ryuu. Probably a sensory type, and obviously trained as a shinobi.
"Ah, Hotaru," the man smiled pleasantly.
"Uncle," Hotaru said, not sounding exceptionally relieved.
"Thank you for bringing her here," the man said. "Lord En no Gyoja instructed me on what to do if Hotaru were to come here. Your job is done. You can leave the rest to us."
Ryuu tapped Sai and Naruto's backs.
"Very well, then we'll be on our way," Sai said, smiling politely and bowing, Naruto also bowing, though his face remained emotionless.
"Stay a moment, if you would," the man smiled. "We haven't had a chance to thank you properly."
"We appreciate your thoughtfulness," Sai smiled. "But we need to go and pickup our equipment from Mount Katsuragi."
"Very well, although that is unfortunate," the man bowed.
"Come on, Naruto," Sai said. "We should make sure someone doesn't steal our gear."
"Oh, okay," Naruto nodded.
They turned to leave, but Hotaru turned after them, hesitating before speaking.
"Naruto?" Hotaru said, Naruto turning back to her, seeing the conflicted, and afraid, expression she was wearing. "I..."
Naruto set a hand on her shoulder. "You'll be fine."
Hotaru forced a smile, which trembled for a moment, before she forced it to steady itself. "Thank you."
Naruto nodded and they left the village, heading into the trees for a ways before Ryuu released his Transparency Jutsu and stopped. The sun had set already, and he scanned the shadows carefully before speaking.
"I'm sending Yomo to Mount Katsuragi to let the others know we'll be delayed," Ryuu said. "We're going to keep an eye on Hotaru."
"Right," Sai nodded.
Ryuu raised a hand and Yomo landed on it, Ryuu quickly writing a message to Fu and the others before passing it to the bird. Yomo took off instantly and Ryuu turned back to the others. They nodded and Ryuu gave them both the usual communications seal before they spread out around the village. Once in position, Ryuu whistled, a small brown bird flying down to his shoulder.
"You know who Hotaru is, right?" Ryuu asked. "Let me know if she leaves the village, okay?"
The bird chirped and flew off again. Then, Ryuu settled in to wait. Then, within five minutes, a bird began to squawk in the distance, signaling that it had found her. Ryuu raised his hand to his ear.
"Follow the bird!" Ryuu said, glancing at a pair of birds, who both instantly took off to lead Naruto and Sai.
Ryuu sped after Hotaru, gaining on her quickly, but sensing the four thieves as well. Then, just as he appeared over Hotaru, kicking two of them in the head and launching them away, a pair of small lead balls crashed into the other two's foreheads, knocking them out of the tree they were standing in. Ryuu helped Hotaru up and they turned, Ryuu smirking as they found Utakata leaning against a tree.
"What is all this racket?" Utakata asked. "Can't a guy even get a nap around here?"
"Utakata!" Hotaru breathed.
"He's back?" one of the two Ryuu had kicked asked. "I can't believe you're still alive. I thought we killed you."
Ryuu snorted, giving the thieves a once over. The guy who had spoken was bulky, had brown hair combed back, a brown shirt under a black vest, pants, and sandals. The other one Ryuu had kicked was a very effeminate male with long dark hair, two pieces of hair died pink framing his face, and dark clothes. The weakest one in the group had a double-chin so bad it looked like his chin was a pair of spikes, a skinny, borderline emaciated body, ratty brown clothes, and a giant shuriken on his back. The last one was big, powerfully built, and had brown hair in a messy ponytail. None were overly powerful.
Utakata scratched his head. "Well I really am sorry to disappoint you." He yawned. "Look, it's not like I'm particularly eager to fight the four of you, but she and I have a little unfinished business to take care of."
Ryuu grinned, he and Hotaru vanishing and reappearing behind Utakata before anyone had even realized they move, including Utakata and Hotaru.
"You really are fast," Utakata mused. "I suppose that seal might come in handy if I need you after all."
Ryuu smirked. "As I said, the offer stands."
"I'll still pass," Utakata said.
"I knew you'd come," Hotaru smiled. "I just knew you'd come to save me."
"Well, that isn't quite the situation," Utakata said, ignoring Ryuu's raised eyebrow and disbelieving smirk. "But now that I'm here, I guess I'd better do something. Unless you'd like to, Three?"
"Ryuu," Ryuu smiled. "But by all means, have at it."
"What's with this guy?" the girly one asked. "I was completely sure we'd taken him out with our jutsu earlier."
"What're you playing at?" the one with the shuriken asked. "You think you can steal our treasure from us?"
"Not on my watch," the big one said, falling away into mud.
"Oh, that's a neat trick," Ryuu grinned, watching the mud speed across the ground at Utakata.
"Acid Flower," Utakata said, blowing bubbles through his pipe that began to dissolve the leaves they hit, heading for the big guy.
"Nango, get back!" the apparent leader warned, only for the big guy to form his upper body, the bubbles beginning to reach him and starting to burn him.
He dropped into mud again as Utakata fled with Hotaru. Ryuu rolled his eyes and sighed, uncrossing his arms.
"After them!" the leader said.
The girly boy and the one with the shuriken both leapt after them, only for a pair of Afterimage Clones to leap out of Ryuu and kick them both, sending them both crashing into the ground again before the clones vanished and Ryuu smirked.
"Benten!" the leader gasped, looking to the girly boy, then to the other one. "Chushin!"
"You wanna try it next, tough guy?" Ryuu grinned.
"Kill him, Akaboshi!" Benten groaned.
"Be careful," Nango warned. "I don't think he's a normal kid."
"Damn straight," Ryuu grinned, then vanished, reappearing beside Utakata.
"Did you kill them?" Utakata asked.
"No, but they won't be catching up for a minute, since they lost track of you and couldn't follow me," Ryuu said.
Utakata nodded just as the three of them stopped, Naruto and Sai landing in front of them.
"Now what?" Naruto asked.
"Let's head back to the fort," Ryuu said. "We can rest there and figure out our next course of action." He looked to Utakata, who nodded.
"Alright, that's a good idea," Utakata said. "Let's go."
"Right," Ryuu nodded. "Naruto, plan twelve."
Naruto nodded, transforming into Hotaru and climbing onto Ryuu's back.
"Keep her safe on the way back, alright?" Ryuu asked, looking to Utakata.
"Wait, what?" Hotaru asked.
"Oh I see," Utakata nodded. "Very well. We'll meet you all at the fort. Take care of Hotaru."
Ryuu nodded and turned, spreading his wings and flying away, Sai following on an ink bird. Hotaru looked to Utakata in confusion. Utakata merely smiled, forming a bubble around them and lifting them into the air.
"Rest now, Hotaru," Utakata said. "I'll wake you when we arrive, get someplace to rest for a moment."
"But...aren't we going to Mount Katsuragi?" Hotaru asked.
"You're already on the way there," Utakata said. "Which means that we're free to find someplace else to rest, then rejoin them later."
Hotaru's eyes widened and she stared after them. "So they're bait?"
"That's right," Utakata nodded. "Don't worry, this bubble will hide us from view from the outside."
Hotaru nodded, then smiled. "You really are amazing."
"Rest, Hotaru," Utakata said. "It's late and you need your sleep."
Hotaru nodded and lay down against the side of the bubble, closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.
Utakata glared at the Kirigakure ANBU holding the kunai to Hotaru by the throat, gritting his teeth against the pain of the lightning racing through his body from the Water Whips binding him. He focused, eyes flicking to his right hand just as the seal flashed and let out a split-second pulse of chakra.
"What was that?" the ANBU demanded.
"That was me," Ryuu said, suddenly behind the ANBU.
The ANBU began to turn, and Ryuu stripped the kunai from his hand, hurling it at the ground. However, in the split second it was airborne, Ryuu was suddenly beside Utakata, Hotaru on her knees beside him suddenly, and Ryuu holding all three of the Water Whips wrapped around his right arm.
"How the hell!?" the ANBU gaped.
"Let's try this out," Ryuu said, pulling the three ANBUs chakra out of them rapidly through the Water Whips, rapidly draining them until they all fell to their knees, the whips falling away, only the ANBU leader remaining on his feet, since he hadn't been using a Water Whip.
"Who are you?" the ANBU demanded.
"I'm not your enemy," Ryuu said. "My name is Ryuu Uchiha. I'm a Jonin of the Hidden Leaf Village, here on a mission. Both Hotaru and Utakata are under our protection. I'm sure you're dead set on getting your hands on Utakata, but we have orders from our Hokage."
"And we have orders from our Mizukage," the ANBU said. "Utakata comes with us."
"If you try to press the issue, we'll be forced to resort to violence," Ryuu warned.
"We?" the ANBU asked, just as Naruto and Sai stepped out of the trees behind the ANBU and off to either side, forming a triangle around all four. "I see. You came prepared."
"As you've already seen, I'm much faster than you," Ryuu said. "If I had wanted, I could have killed all four of you before you even realized I had moved. Do not make the mistake of thinking you can win this fight. Our orders are clear. We are to protect Hotaru and Utakata. I sincerely urge you all to take your leave before this ends up causing a diplomatic issue between the Hidden Mist and the Hidden Leaf."
The ANBU stared at him for a moment before reaching for his kunai pouch slowly.
"If you draw that kunai, you lose that hand," Ryuu warned, one hand on his tanto. "This is your last warning. You have three seconds to surrender and leave."
"Stand down!" a new voice ordered, a fifth ANBU appearing off to the side in a momentary shower of rain, this one wearing a dark blue flak instead of the brown ones the others wore. He wore a Kiri ANBU mask with three curved red triangles from the top left toward the bottom right, all three reaching about the middle of the mask, and he had long black hair. "Men of the Hidden Leaf, I am the commander of this unit. Talk to me."
"You already heard my terms," Ryuu said. "These two are under our protection by order of the Hokage. We will fight you if we must, but we would prefer not to."
"I'm Tsurugi, head of the Hidden Mist ANBU Black Ops," the ANBU said. "It is certainly not our desire to escalate this impasse into a full-scale war between our nations. Perhaps it is still possible to negotiate?"
"It is," Ryuu said. "You and your men leave, now, and the matter is settled. If you stay, we'll kill you."
"Why does the Hokage care about the safety of a Rogue Ninja from the Hidden Mist?" Tsurugi asked.
"For the same reason that you're all trying to capture him, except that we are doing protecting him for his own sake, rather than that of the village," Ryuu said. "We want nothing from him, except to deny the Akatsuki another victim."
"I know you," Utakata breathed, stepping up beside Ryuu.
"I see," Tsurugi nodded. "Let us meet alone. Just the leaders of our two teams. And Utakata as well."
Ryuu was silent for a long while before nodding and forming a Shadow Clone. "Just so you know, if your men try anything, my clone will kill them."
"My men will not take any action until I return," Tsurugi promised.
"I hope you're right," Ryuu said. "Let's go, Utakata."
Utakata nodded and the three of them walked away from the others. After a bit, they stopped, Ryuu watching Tsurugi silently.
"It's obvious that you know what Utakata is," Tsurugi said. "How did the Hidden Leaf find out?"
"The Seven-tails Jinchuriki, who was transferred to the Hidden Leaf by the leader of the Hidden Waterfall Village, was able to sense his Tailed Beast and led us to him," Ryuu said. "We knew that your Jinchuriki deserted, and we knew that he would be an easy target for the Akatsuki, so we came after him."
"What is the Akatsuki?" Utakata asked.
"It's an organization that's been hunting down Jinchuriki," Ryuu said. "They're far stronger than you are."
Utakata narrowed his eyes.
"As I was saying, in an effort to deny the Akatsuki another Tailed Beast, we were sent to locate and protect Utakata," Ryuu said. "We also picked up a mission to defend Hotaru. As such, both will be coming with us. We'll be taking Utakata back to the Leaf Village with us. If, at that time, the Hokage decides to return him to the Hidden Mist, we will do so. However, I promise nothing."
"I have no intention of going to the Hidden Leaf," Utakata said.
"I cannot allow you to take Utakata to the Hidden Leaf without permission from our Mizukage," Tsurugi said.
Just then, Yomo cawed above them, flying down and landing on Ryuu's shoulder.
"We're in luck," Ryuu said. "We may be able to solve this right now."
Tsurugi raised an eyebrow as Ryuu wrote down a note, explaining the situation for Tsunade, then tired it to Yomo's leg, sending him to Tsunade's desk, explaining what he was doing to Tsurugi. After a moment, Yomo reappeared. Ryuu pulled Tsunade's note off of Yomo's leg and scratched his stomach for a moment as he read it.
"Lady Tsunade has refused to allow you to take him at this time," Ryuu said. "However, she has given me a bit of...leeway to deal with the situation at my discretion. For now, I'd like you to postpone your attempts to capture Utakata while we deal with the situation involving Hotaru's safety. Once that can be resolved, we can discuss how to deal with our current situation in more depth, and can get the Hokage and can discuss matters with the Mizukage to see what she would like to do."
Tsurugi was silent for a long while before nodding. "Alright. I can agree to that."
"Good," Ryuu said, quickly writing out a message to the Mizukage, explaining why he is preventing Utakata's capture, and asking permission to take him to the Hidden Leaf for the time being, for his own safety, then ending the letter with a pre-staged long-distance communication seal, which would allow her to talk to him directly when activated. "Send this to the Mizukage. The seal at the end is a long-distance communication seal, it'll allow me to talk to them directly, rather than relying on messenger hawks."
Tsurugi nodded. "Very well. And I thank you for not killing my team when you had the chance."
"I appreciate you being smart enough to listen to reason," Ryuu said.
"If you would allow it, I'd like to speak with Utakata alone for a moment," Tsurugi said.
"Very well, I'll wait with the others," Ryuu said.
Tsurugi nodded and led Utakata away a short distance, Ryuu returning to the others.
"What happened?" Naruto asked.
"How'd it go?" Sai asked.
"It's been settled, for now," Ryuu said. "He's speaking with Utakata at the moment. Then he'll be back."
Both of the others nodded and Hotaru watched him pleadingly.
"Don't worry, Hotaru," Ryuu smiled. "He's not going anywhere."
Hotaru nodded, smiling in relief, eyes watering slightly, though she forced the tears back.
"He's more than just a master to you, isn't he?" Ryuu asked.
Hotaru blushed slightly. "I don't know what you mean."
Just then, Utakata and Tsurugi walked out of the trees off to the side, Hotaru's entire face lighting up instantly.
"You're alright!" Hotaru beamed.
"We're leaving," Tsurugi said. "Until the Hidden Leaf has completed their mission, we'll be postponing ours."
"Yes sir," the second-in-command, the one who had been holding Hotaru hostage, nodded.
Ryuu reabsorbed his clone as Utakata walked over to them, Hotaru throwing her arms around him instantly.
"Oh Master!" Hotaru said happily, only for Utakata to shove her away.
"That's enough!" Utakata snapped. "I told you never to call me that!"
Hotaru stared at him for a moment before her gaze fell to the ground.
"Do you understand?" Utakata asked quietly.
"Men of the Hidden Leaf, bear in mind, we will continue to watch you to make sure you honor our pact," Tsurugi said.
"Don't worry about that," Ryuu said. "I will honor our agreement. However, bear in mind that I made no promise to give him to you. Only to discuss what to do about our conflicting missions later."
Tsurugi watched him in silence for a moment before nodding. Then, he and the other ANBU left.
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