Nyoko

"Before I allow for you to meet Itachi, I have but one request to make of you two," Madara said. I have a terrible feeling about this all. This man has a dark, ominous aura about him. Even his voice sounds evil.

"You see," he continued, "my organization, the Akatsuki, we have to keep the lights on somehow. So, we often will accept requests from those who promise to pay us handsomely. This was the case with the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers." I have a hard time picturing someone holding as much prestige as a Daimyo enlisting the help of someone this smarmy. The pit in my stomach grows ever more prominent with each passing second.

"The only problem is, it was several weeks ago that we held up our end of the bargain, and he has yet to do so. That…" he paused. I've known this man for but a few mere moments and I already hate it when he pauses. "... is where you two will come in."

"You want us to steal the Daimyo's money?" I asked. Ryuji stared daggers at me.

"Now, now, is it really stealing if it is money I was already owed? I would prefer to call it… reclaiming what is rightfully mine."

Ryuji chimes in, "What is it you wish for us to do, exactly?"

"I like your enthusiasm, Ryuji!" Madara exclaims. "I have it on good authority that the Daimyo keeps his riches in the lower level of his estate in the Land of Rivers. I would like for you two to retrieve my money from the estate, by any means necessary."

"Any means necessary?" I said, nervously.

"Any. Means. Necessary." Madara's tone of voice sent chills down my spine. I can't believe what Ryuji and I have gotten ourselves into. I want no part of this man, or his organization. I look at Ryuji, but he is solely focused on Madara. Is he really ok with this?

To my shock and dismay, Ryuji extends his hand to Madara. "You have yourself a deal," my brother says. Madara grasps Ryuji's hand firmly, sealing their deal.

"I knew you would be on board." Even if he had a mask, I could tell Madara was beaming. "Once you retrieve the money, head directly south of the estate. I will be waiting for you. Goodbye, and good luck." I don't like the way he said 'good luck'.

As if I couldn't be more unnerved by this man already, after bidding us a farewell, he sweeps his arm in a circular motion and his body disappears behind it. Just like that, Madara was nowhere to be seen.

"Ryuji," I gasp, "are you sure about this?! Madara has bad intentions written all over him! Just his voice is enough to make my soul cry for help!"

My brother doesn't even make eye contact with me. "If this is what is going to get us a meeting with Itachi, then I am willing to do it." His voice was emotionless as usual. "Trust me, I understand your aversion, but this is something I feel we have to do." He now looks at me. "Afterall, you're the one who so desperately wanted to find our family."

If his agreement to do as Madara wished were the knife in my back, those words were him twisting it.

For the three days it took for us to make it to the Land of Rivers, we did not speak much. I still do not want to go through with this. I finally broke the silence to ask a question I had on my mind since meeting Madara.

"If Itachi supposedly slaughtered the entire clan, then how did Madara survive?"

"You ask me that as if I would have the answer," Ryuji retorts. "It doesn't matter, we will get more information when we meet Itachi."

"I still don't feel good about this, Ryuji. We shouldn't be stealing just to learn more about our heritage. Something just feels… off." I have to try my hardest to not let out my pent-up frustration.

"I agree that this is strange. However, we have to do this. I just know we do. Besides, it's been three days since we agreed to help Madara, and we've already made it all the way to the Land of Rivers. It's too late to turn back at this point." I hate that he's right.

"I didn't think that learning more about our family would involve partaking in a heist," I say.

"I didn't either, but we have to get this done."

We finally arrive at the estate early that evening. Madara called it an estate, but actually, it would be more appropriate to refer to it as a palace. The home was gargantuan, it looked to be bigger than all of the buildings in the Hidden Grass combined. A gravel path wove its way about the property, going around and behind trees, as well as a beautiful pond behind the house. Ryuji and I hid in the treeline surrounding the property.

"There are lots of guards," Ryuji observes. "We may have better luck if we try to enter through the back"

"I agree."

We make our way around, being sure to stay hidden in the treeline. We eventually find a decent vantage point, and begin to discuss our plan.

"There's no way we get out of this without taking out a few guards," I say, admittedly disappointed. If we have to do this, I would rather not hurt anyone.

"We're going to have to do it stealthily. We can't risk alerting more of them, at least not this early," he adds.

From where we sat in the woods, the back of the house and the pond were clearly visible. It seemed that only two guards stood in our way if we entered through here. "What's the plan, Ryuji?" I ask.

He detailed his plan to me, and we decided it would be best to wait until nightfall before we act. We remain hidden by the trees until the sun finally sets. Once it does, Ryuji gives me the signal. I throw the paper bomb behind me, deep into the woods, and we jump up into the trees. As we stand on the branches, I see the two guards make their way in our direction. Once they are below us, we jump down and strike the backs of their necks, putting them out cold.

I look on towards the estate, and I turn around to see Ryuji tying the men up. "Is that really necessary?!" I snapped at my brother.

"We can't risk them waking up and alerting the other guards before we're done here. I am not taking any chances." He retorts.

He finishes tying the men up, and we make our way to the back wall of the estate. Luckily, the trees surrounding the pond in the yard obscured the view of other guards, giving us a nook of safety. It is now time for the next phase of our plan.

Ryuji grabs onto my shoulders before telling me, "Go!" I begin weaving my hand seals before placing my palms to the ground. "Earth Style: Tunneling Mole Jutsu!" Just like that, a tunnel opened in the earth, allowing us to drop down. I further burrow until we meet the wall of the estate's basement.

Time for phase three. "Are you ready, Ryuji?" I ask in a hushed tone, as to not alert anyone inside.

"We will have to act quickly now," he says while weaving hand seals. "If there are any sensor-types in the building, they likely know we are here by now." He weaves his last seal. "Fire Style: Heated Palm." He digs his hands into the wall, hoping to be able to burn through the material using his Fire Style Jutsu. Unfortunately, he seems to struggle to make it through the wall fast enough.

"It's not as efficient as I had hoped it would be," Ryuji says. "We're going to have to do this the hard way."
"Are you sure?" I ask.

"Yes, we can't afford to waste any more time or else we risk getting caught anyway. We're going to have to just try to make this quick." He reaches into his pouch and takes out a paper bomb. "Alright, get back," he says. He places the bomb on the wall and quickly retreats to the other end of our tunnel. The bomb detonates in a flash of white light, and we rush in.

Luckily for us, no guards were in the basement already, giving us a chance to locate the money before we get caught up fighting. Ryuji and I both scour the room, and I am the first one to spot the iron safe on the far side of the room.

"Ryuji!" I call for his attention, "Over here!" We rush towards the safe. When we reach halfway, two guards appear in front of our destination. Ryuji does not even hesitate to start his attack. He weaves signs with impressive speed, "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!". Before I knew it, the two guards were swallowed up by the amalgamation of orange and yellow flame.

We reach the safe before any other guards can get to us. "Cover me!" Ryuji cries. I turn my back to the safe in order to keep watch. Behind me I hear Ryuji exclaim, "Heated Palm!". He has more success with the safe than he did the wall, able to get through it relatively quickly this time. Ryuji runs past me. "Come on! Let's get out of here before more show up!"

I sprint with him towards the hole we made in the wall. We make our way through the tunnel and arrive back in the yard, meeting the night's cool air with a breath of relief.

The relief would not last, however. Just as we resurface, we are met with another guard, this one with a shinobi headband. I look at Ryuji, his face bearing a look of worry.

"As the Daimyo's Ninja Guardian, I cannot allow you to go any further," the man says.

Ryuji turns his head to me. The look of concern has been replaced by his normal, calm expression. He hands me the sack containing the Daimyo's money. "Take this Nyoko, and head south."

"But… what about you?" I ask him.

"I'm going to take care of this guy," he says, without even a hint of fear in his voice. How is this possible, after appearing overcome with fear just a moment ago?

"But Ryuji, I can help you take him on!" I cry.

"If we both stick around, we run the risk of more showing up before we can get the money to Madara. If you go on ahead, I can buy you time to get this to him."

"Brother… are you sure?"

He looks towards me again, with a gleam in his eye. He smiles. "Go. I'll catch up." He turns back to his adversary, and his smile is gone. He is serious now.

"Ryuji…" I say, softy, "... don't you dare die."

I throw a smoke bomb to the floor and flee towards the south.

Brother… hurry…