I do not own Naruto Shippuden or any of the characters.
Awoken
Ryuu watched The Hole in silence. Orochimaru had returned to it, he was sure of that. The Hole was absorbing all of the life from the world around it, which was why its waters had amplified his clone snakes' abilities. Orochimaru wasn't going to let something like that go so easily. He would want to find out what was causing it and take it. Ryuu looked down at the ground, seeing a few of the others watching him. He returned his eyes to the Hole. He had a guess were to find them. There was a treasure room underground in the center of the Hole, according to Yamato, Kabuto, and Tayuya, but it had been empty. Ryuu was sure that was where Orochimaru was keeping Naruto and Dokku.
He floated down to the ground, looking around at them, Hinata staring at him pleadingly. "I can't sense anyone, but if Orochimaru's holding him anywhere, it'll be in the treasure room at the center of the Hole. Something in the Hole is absorbing the life energy from the world around it, and that something would have to be at the center. Whatever Orochimaru wants, it's there."
Kakashi nodded. "Then let's get moving. Ryuu, Sasuke, Itachi, you three will have to deal with Orochimaru, and maybe that Nine-tails clone."
"I'll handle the clone," Fu said.
"No you won't," Ryuu said flatly. "We still don't know that using your Tailed Beast Cloak won't affect our child."
"Allow us to handle it then," Guy said he and Lee jabbing their thumbs into their chests. "We'll take it down if it shows up."
"Okay," Ryuu nodded.
"I'll help," Utakata said. "I think I can get the Six-tails to fight the clone if it attacks me."
"Be careful about it," Ryuu said.
"I will be," Utakata nodded.
"Ryuu," Fu frowned. "I'm not defenseless."
"I know," Ryuu said. "But like I said, right now, it's not just your safety I'm worried about. I know you can defend yourself. I'm more worried about our child."
Fu sighed and nodded. "Okay. I'll help with the reanimated shinobi he'll definitely send after us."
Ryuu nodded. "Kakashi, were you warned about who I fought the first time?"
"I was," Kakashi nodded. "If my father's summoned, I'll deal with him personally."
The others all nodded.
"Hold on," Neji said. "I see Orochimaru. He's in Tonika village. Or, more likely, a clone is."
"The children are there too," Hinata said.
"What!?" Shiseru gasped. "No! Why!?"
"Leo's got something in his hand," Hinata said. "They look like metal rods."
"It's what Orochimaru's after," Ryuu guessed. "They're trying to trade them for Dokku and Naruto."
"Orochimaru will never actually give up Naruto," Kabuto said. "It's possible he'll give them Dokku, but not Naruto."
"That doesn't matter," Ryuu said. "Since he's at the village, we know I was right. We need to move quickly but cautiously. Itachi, Sasuke, and I will move in first."
"Be careful," Kakashi said.
Ryuu nodded and the three Uchiha all sank into the ground. Ryuu took the lead, streaking through the ground toward the village, using his senses to monitor what was happening. However, he stopped about halfway there as a massive amount of power began to rise from under the ground. The three of them rose from the ground in time to watch a massive, black, metal tower break free of the ground, growing red lines running over it, turning now and then in right angles. Ryuu could feel the monstrous amount of power in the pillar even without trying, and he could sense Naruto on top of it.
"We're too late," Sasuke said.
"Not yet," Itachi said. "Just because it's active doesn't mean he's gotten what he wanted."
Ryuu nodded in agreement. They took off, landing behind Orochimaru and Disonasu, the village chief who had hired Orochimaru to steal the control rods for whatever activated the pillar. Disonasu spun toward him instantly, only for Orochimaru to rest a hand on his shoulder.
"Too much ambition will destroy you," Itachi said. "This isn't the kind of power anyone should use."
"You sound like Kakashi," Orochimaru smiled, his Sharingan and Ketsuryugan both glaring into Itachi's Sharingan.
"I looked you up in an old wanted criminals report," Kakashi said, landing beside Ryuu as Disonasu smirked. "It was believed you died in a scuffle with the Akatsuki. You specialized in the Summoning Jutsu. You were known as a homicidal maniac who claimed thousands of victims."
Disonasu looked around as all of the others landed around them.
"And together with Orochimaru, You researched the forbidden Reanimation Jutsu," Kakashi finished.
Disonasu grinned widely and laughed.
"Surrender, Disonasu!" Kakashi ordered.
Orochimaru smirked and clapped his hands, several dozen coffins bursting from the ground, followed by a pair of massive snakes. One of them spat out the Nine-tails clone, whose arms were bound behind his back. It crashed to the ground, then managed to work its way up onto its knees and roared, vibrating the ground. Ryuu glared at Orochimaru and drew his tanto and trench knife as Fu handed her own tanto to Kakashi.
"You'll need this," Fu said as the other snake spat out Hidan.
"Orochimaru is mine," Itachi said, a pair of kunai dropping out of his sleeves.
"Be careful," Ryuu said as the other coffins began to fade, leaving their reincarnated shinobi behind.
Kakashi tugged his forehead protector up the moment he spotted his father, and Ryuu and Sasuke both activated their Sharingan as Inabi Uchiha activated his and Kakuzu extended several cords beside him.
"You take Inabi," Ryuu said. "Kakuzu's mine."
"Be careful," Hinata said. "Most of them have Deidara's clay wrapped around them."
"Of course they do," Fu growled, forming a Water Sword in her free hand. "Thanks for the heads up."
Hinata nodded, forming herself the Lightning-style blade she used like a Vacuum Blade with a kunai as a base. Just as she did, the Nine-tails Clone finally managed to break free of the ropes binding it, roaring and glaring at Hinata.
"Hey!" Naruto shouted from the top of the pillar. "Leave that one to me!"
They all looked up, seeing him standing at the top of the pillar with his Sage Mode's pigmentation around his eyes.
"Naruto!" Hinata gasped, smiling, then dropped her eyes back to the reincarnated Shinobi, activating her Byakugan.
"He's all yours, Naruto," Ryuu said. "We'll have our hands full anyway."
The Nine-tails Clone roared and took off, leaping to the pillar, then sprinting up the side of it rapidly. At the same time, Deidara hurled a few dozen tiny clay spheres which exploded and formed a massive cloud of smoke around everyone. Then, the fight began. Instantly, the sounds of Itachi and Orochimaru clashing, and Kakashi and Sakumo, who had no clay on him, began to ring out rapidly, seeming to sound as a starting bell for everyone else. Within seconds, Hinata was fending off Hayate alongside Sakura, and and Fu was streaking through the air after Deidara, avoiding his clay creations and striking at him when she could, forcing him to switch from one clay bird to the next rapidly, but allowing him to detonate what remained of them among the battles below. As the others all began to fight, Kakuzu started the fight full-bore, sending a massive blast of all four of his masks' chakra natures at Ryuu, only for Ryuu to appear behind him, smashing the four masks before slamming a roundhouse kick into Kakuzu's side, sending him exploding into Hidan in time to stop him slashing both Choji and Ino.
Then, suddenly, all of the reincarnated shinobi with clay on them began to glow. Ryuu instantly raced around, grabbing all of his friends and dragging them away from the explosions, except for Kakashi and Itachi, who were both safe. As the explosions went off, Ryuu appeared behind Deidara, who was leaping backward from Fu, preparing to detonate the clay owl he'd been on before. Ryuu drilled a punch into the top of Deidara's head, sending him exploding down on top of Sakumo, then exhaled a bolt of electricity into the clay owl, blasting it apart and nullifying it.
"Thank you," Fu smiled, flying over and kissing him.
"I've said it before, and I'll say it again," Ryuu smiled. "No one is hurting you, or our child so long as I still live."
Fu smiled and nodded, then looked down, frowning. "They're not regenerating."
Ryuu looked and nodded. "Orochimaru escaped in the explosion, as well."
They both landed beside Itachi and Sasuke, who were looking around in confusion.
"I guess...they were just sacrificial pawns," Guy said.
"They were meant to delay us, but never to defeat us," Itachi nodded. "Where is Disonasu?"
"Yamato has him," Kakashi said.
Suddenly, the ground began to shake. Ryuu looked up at the pillar and his gut dropped. A section in the center was rising rapidly, and the lights were growing brighter. A second section began to rise around the center, making the pillar now a three-tiered tower reaching hundreds of meters into the air. The black panels along the sides of the middle tier began to extend outward from the tower, revealing the shining red core, and the power Ryuu could sense from it began to resonate and grow rapidly. Then, the panels began to turn in alternating rows. Then, suddenly, there was an explosion of power inside of it before a massive beam of shining red chakra began to explode out of the top of the tower. The initial burst sent out a shockwave that hurled everyone away from the tower. Once the blast had passed, Ryuu looked up, staring at the crimson clouds now swirling above the tower, centered around the chakra still exploding up into them. Blood red lightning began to flash between the clouds, and Ryu felt his hair stand on end all over his body from the overwhelming feeling of the chakra the tower was putting out. He looked around as lightning began to strike the ground, both inside of the Hole and all around it, the storm spreading outward rapidly.
"That thing needs to be taken down," Ryuu said, standing.
"How do we do that?" Sasuke asked.
"We could try breaking it," Ryuu suggested. "Our three Susanoo might be able to destroy it."
"If we can find Disonasu, we can use our Sharingan to force him to deactivate it," Itachi said.
"Good idea," Ryuu said, looking to the tower. "And speak of the devil. Man, that guy climbs fast."
"Where is he?" Itachi asked, looking to the tower and squinting, seeing Disonasu climbing the side of the tower on his hands and feet. "How can you see him so easily?"
"My eyes have always been sharper than yours," Ryuu said. "I'll go get him and bring him back."
Itachi nodded and Ryuu took off, flying toward the tower and up the highest tier, where Disonasu was. As he neared the tower, Naruto appeared in front of Disonasu, stopping him, only to turn as something at the top of the tower roared. Ryuu stopped short as well, staring at the top of the tower as something long and thin flailed inside of it. Then, a massive, black, slimy-looking hand reached out of the chakra, gripping the edge of the tower. Then, the Nine-tails Clone emerged. It had changed drastically. Its entire body now looked black a thick black mucus, and was making wet squelching sounds as the clone's seven draconic heads waved around from the back of its body in place of tails. As its body emerged, its eighth head, which was where it was supposed to be and was shaped like the Nine-tails' head, roared deafeningly. Ryuu's blood went cold instantly before he took a slow breath, steeling himself to help Naruto fight it.
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