Nyoko
I take a few steps back after Ryuji turns towards me. Brimming with rage, I stare intensely at my brother as he staggers to his feet. He stands about fifteen feet away from me, with about twenty between him and Akihiro as the doctor clutches his son tightly in his grasp. I need to give them the chance to get out of here before Ryuji can do anything to harm them. I can feel a new sensation in my eyes, similar to when I first had awoken my Sharingan. Perhaps it has finally evolved into its fully matured form. Madara had said that it evolves with emotional distress. What could be more emotionally distressing than this exact situation I find myself in: my brother, my own flesh and blood, going down a dark path. A path of coldness, so much so that he would be willing to eliminate an innocent man and his child at the behest of a psychopath in an orange mask. Yes, quite distressing indeed.
Ryuji stares blankly at me. His expression grows into one of great confusion. He opens his mouth as if to speak, but no words come out. I feel tears begin to well up in my eyes, but I fight to keep them from finding their way out. I can't stand this...
"Nyoko…" he groans. He still hasn't fully recovered from the blow to the back of his head. It shall take him a few more minutes to fully regain his wits. "W-Why? What are you doing?"
I breathe deeply. "I can't do this anymore, Ryuji. This has gone too far. You have gone too far. The path you are dragging me down, I can't follow it anymore. I can't let you follow it anymore. I am putting an end to this, here and now! I won't follow the orders of Madara anymore!" I can no longer contain my rage. The look of shock only grows more intense on Ryuji's face as the words reach him.
"I… I don't understand. Madara has given us everything we wanted. You wanted to find our family, and he delivered. We never would have met Itachi without Madara's help. We owe him everything!"
"I owe that man nothing! He has made me do things I couldn't do in my worst nightmares! We've stolen for him, we are forced to live by his beck and call! Ryuji, you've murdered a man for him! And you are willing to murder for him again! It's true, it was me who wanted to learn more about our family, and meet our long lost relatives… but… the things we have had to go through, all because of Madara… they make me wish we had never left the Hidden Grass, and that I never found out I was an Uchiha!" I grow louder with each word spoken until I speak in a painful scream. I can see Akihiro against the back wall, still clutching his son. He stares at me intently, a look of awe coming about once I utter the name of Uchiha. That name has meaning to him. No matter, I still need to find a way to get him out of here safely. With each passing moment, Ryuji is recovering, and he is still a danger to the pair. "Akihiro, take your son and run, get somewhere safe!"
Ryuji's look of shock turns into one of anger. "THEY ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" Still not fully recovered, he stumbles to turn around and try to reach Akihiro.
I quickly weave signs, "Earth Style: Rock Wall!" Between Ryuji and Akihiro arises a wall of earth that fully sections off the back portion of the room, Akihiro and his son disappearing behind it. So long as they exit out of a window and run, I can hold Ryuji off long enough for them to escape. That's one less thing for me to worry about.
Ryuji halts before the wall of stone and turns to me, the anger bubbling within him reaches its boiling point, and is now white-hot rage. "WE HAVE A MISSION, NYOKO! WE ARE NOT LEAVING WITHOUT AKIHIRO'S HEAD!"
"Ryuji, if you want to kill Akihiro…" Ryuji's rage does not waver, he bears a look in his eyes more intense than anything I have ever seen from my brother. "... you'll have to kill me too."
The murderous intent in his eyes drains, and his rage-filled face now appears to be one of anguish. It appears that my words have resonated with him. "Nyoko… don't do this…"
Tears fill my eyes once again. "I'm sorry, Ryuji. But I refuse to follow you down this path anymore. If you want to continue this way, then I no longer have a brother." With those last words, I'm not able to hold back my tears. Ryuji closes his eyes tightly. I wonder if he's trying to hold back his own tears. Have my words been enough to bring him to the light? Ryuji drops his kunai on the ground. A feeling of relief begins to fill me.
"Nyoko…" he utters, painfully. "I'm sorry." He opens his eyes to reveal his activated Sharingan, now with three tomoe present. It's fully matured.
Ryuji charges towards me, and every ounce of relief that I felt mere moments ago is gone in the blink of an eye. He throws a straight punch directly at my head. Unusual that he would use such a direct, powerful strike from the start. I slip to my left and hear the air whizz by my ear and his arm flies past my head. I drive my right fist into his gut, staggering him. I take a few steps back before delivering a turning side kick directly to his solar plexus. The force is enough to send him flying backwards into the stone wall in the middle of the room. He lets out a loud cough, and looks me in the eye. The intensity is back in full effect.
"Stop this Nyoko! Have you lost your mind!" He cries, still not back to his feet.
"It's you who has lost their mind, Ryuji! Look at yourself! You wish to kill an innocent man and his child, you are willing to attack your own sister, all because of a mad man in a mask and cloak!" Months worth of frustration and agony are pouring out of me all at once, it feels like a weight is being lifted from my shoulders.
"Madara is a good man. He has given us all we wanted. We owe him!"
Now I truly know where my brother's heart lies, and it is no longer with me. "I owe him nothing, Ryuji. I will not be his pawn anymore, I won't commit any more crimes on his behalf!" I hope those two got away safely. This could get ugly.
"With or without you, Nyoko, I will find Akihiro, and I will kill him!"
"I've already told you. If you want to kill him, you'll have to kill me first." I know by this point that my words are not enough to stop him, but that doesn't stop my heart from hoping that they will. I don't want to have to strike my brother down, but I may have to try.
Ryuji gets back to his feet and we lock eyes. In that moment, it feels as if we can read each other's minds. We both understand what is going to happen now. I take one more deep breath before engaging in this showdown with my own twin brother. I jump backwards several times in order to get out of the hut. I know that the events that are soon to come will need more space. Our eye contact never breaks.
Ryuji charges at me, and I hesitate a moment before charging in as well. Kicks and punches are thrown from both of us, but just as we normally would in sparring, we neutralize each other's attacks due to the perception of the Sharingan. I begin to wonder why all of our spars started like this. We both know that neither will gain the upper hand. Perhaps it is just a silly tradition that we both enjoyed. Even now that it is no longer a spar between twins, but a battle between foes, we still cling to that very tradition. We continue engaging, both only achieving glancing blows with nothing even close to a critical hit coming to fruition. As I throw a looping hook at Ryuji's head, he jumps backwards, ending the stalemate. He begins weaving hand signs that I don't recognize. This can't be… does he have a jutsu that I've never seen before?
"Ninja Art: Flaming Fist!"
Before my eyes, Ryuji's hands begin to glow a bright orange, small wisps of flames licking the air around them. Ryuji charges in once again, throwing wild strikes at my head and torso alike. I try to dodge as many as I can, but I am forced to block a punch with my arms. An intense burning sensation spreads throughout my forearm. Even his glancing blows are going to do me in now. This is bad. I try to hide the pain. I throw a punch aimed directly at Ryuji's nose with my left hand. He catches the punch, engulfing my fist in a sea of bright orange flame. The pain is so intense that I can no longer hide it. "AAUUUGGHHHHH!" I let out a guttural cry. I quickly and forcefully kick Ryuji in the gut in order to get him away and break his grip. I jump backwards to create more distance between us.
"When did you learn this!? We trained only together for our entire lives, I've never seen this before!"
A wicked grin spreads across his face. "Madara saw potential in my Heated Palm Jutsu and suggested that I develop it further. That's when I had the idea to further hone it and utilize it in combat. The Flaming Fist technique augments my existing Taijutsu techniques by burning my opponent with each strike that lands. With this, even a scratch will hurt like hell."
This is really bad. Even in sparring he tended to get the best of me, and that was without this ace up his sleeve. I draw a kunai from my pouch. I look at my brother, standing across the field. I need to think of a plan. How can I keep him at a distance so he can't use that Flaming Fist, while still dealing enough damage from mid to long range to secure this battle? This is far from my strong suit. Ryuji has always been a better analyst than I.
Before I can put together a sufficient gameplan, Ryuji charges in once again. Okay, don't worry about trying to get your own hits in, just focus on slipping and dodging. I can't win this fight at close range. I can feel the heat from each punch that flies past my head. I dart around the field like a rabbit, desperately trying to evade Ryuji's punches. I lean back to avoid a hook aimed at my head, and thrust my kunai towards Ryuji's chest. He catches the kunai in his palm, and the blade melts in his hand. There goes that idea. Time for something else. I use the momentary pause in the action to deliver a knee to Ryuji's stomach. He doubles over, and I waste no time beginning to weave hand seals.
"Earth Style: Hidden Mole Jutsu!" I see Ryuji try to grab onto my head before I disappear into the ground, but he isn't fast enough. I burrow into the earth, buying myself enough time to create distance and think of a plan. Ryuji has always been a Fire Style user, he certainly hasn't become proficient enough in Earth Style to be able to follow me well enough to catch me down here. I can't waste time though. If he deems it fit, he could very well disregard me and start hunting for Akihiro again. I can't risk that, I need to give Akihiro more time to get himself and his son as far away as possible.
I travel underground far enough to know that I have created sufficient distance between myself and Ryuji upon resurfacing. When I finally return above ground, Ryuji is unaware of my location. He stands about fifty yards away from me. Perfect. I begin weaving hand seals.
"Earth Style: Mud River!"
Ryuji, now aware of my location, turns towards me and sees the current of thick mud rushing towards him. He leaps to the side with great haste in order to not be swept up.
"The same cheap tricks won't work on me twice, Nyoko!" He begins to weave signs of his own.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Before the conglomeration of flame can leave his mouth, I weave more signs of my own. "Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bombs!" From the mouth of the mud river emerges the head of a dragon. The dragon head turns to face Ryuji, opens its mouth, and fires balls of earth directly at him.
The fireball makes its way towards me, and I quickly get out of the way, just as Ryuji did with the mud river. However, the earth bombs pass through Ryuji's fireball, causing them to ignite. Ryuji fails to realize this, failing to see the earth bombs through the shroud of bright orange flame. The earth bombs reduce in size due to incineration, but are still large enough to do damage. Upon discovering the danger he is in, Ryuji desperately tries to evade, but cannot completely get out of the way. He dodges several of the flaming bombs before one strikes him in the leg.
Ryuji clutches his leg and falls to the ground, writhing in pain. My Sharingan deactivates and I fall to my hands and knees due to exhausting too much of my chakra. In the distance I see Ryuji attempting to stand back up, but failing to do so. "Okay Nyoko! I must admit it! You got me! Congratulations for evolving for once!" He breaks out into a maniacal cackle. His laughter rings throughout the field. I get back to my feet and make my way towards him, still lying on the ground in pain.
"You aren't the only one... with tricks up your sleeve... Ryuji." I pant heavily between my words. I've never been this exhausted from a battle before. I hope he stays down.
Ryuji slowly struggles back to his feet. He looks me in the eyes before deactivating his Flaming Fist. He must be conserving chakra in order to keep his Sharingan active. This battle is not yet over. Despite my fatigue, I charge in with all my might. I throw a punch that Ryuji easily dodges, causing me to soar past him. I plant my foot on the ground and use my other foot to sweep his injured leg, causing him to collapse to the ground once again. I raise the same foot to attempt to stomp his stomach, but he rolls out of the way.
Ryuji reaches into his pouch as I stagger towards him. I'm exhausted. I need to finish this now. Before I can make any other moves, he throws ninja wire at my leg, wrapping it around my ankle and tripping me. I reach into my own pouch as Ryuji stands up. I throw two shuriken: one at his head, and one at the wire he holds in his hand. I successfully sever the wire, as well as open a deep cut on Ryuji's cheek.
Ryuji feels the blood pouring out of the cut, all the way down to his chin. "How… How have we gotten this far, Nyoko?" he says, his voice clearly shaking.
"I can't either," I admit. "It isn't too late for you, Ryuji. You can still leave Madara's grasp."
Ryuji closes his eyes tightly. "Madara has done too much for us, I can't just abandon him. I want to pay him back for all he has done to help us. I want to help him fulfill his ambitions!" His eyes open, tears streaming down his cheeks, diluting the blood that still pours from his laceration.
I stand back up. "I refuse to sit by and watch you descend into darkness, Ryuji. If I have to defeat you here, I will."
"My mind has been made up… and I can tell that yours has too. Perhaps we should just call it quits, and go our separate ways… sister."
I begin to cry even more. I can feel my heart breaking in my chest. "I'm not just going to part ways and let this be the end. I am going to try to bring you to the light until the very last moment."
Ryuji takes in a deep breath, and releases it slowly. He opens his mouth, but pauses for a moment before saying anything.
Finally, he speaks: "So be it."
We walk each other down, once again throwing strikes, our fatigue making them far more sloppy than they usually would be. I know I am now safe at close range since he no longer has his Flaming Fist active. I throw a punch targeted at the cut on his cheek, and I connect perfectly, further opening the wound. He winces in pain. We continue to throw strikes, neither of us connecting with anything significant. I may collapse at any moment. I can't go on much longer. But I have to keep fighting. At least long enough to outlast you… my brother.
He throws a straight punch and I slip to my right in order to evade it. He catches me with a head kick as I lean into it. The same kick he defeated me with in our sparring match all that time ago. Dammit… he got me again. My vision goes black, my body trying to force itself to shut down. No… this can't be the end. I have to stop him… but…
I feel my body hitting the floor, even though the rest of my senses have left me now. Is this it? Have I simply lost again?
I have so little energy, I feel as if I go to sleep I may never awaken again. I don't want to believe what has happened. This must all be a horrible nightmare. It must be...
No. This is reality. I can't let this end here. I have to save my brother from the darkness. I will make him see the light.
I shake my head until the light returns to my eyes. I see a flash of white before my vision focuses once again. I look up and see Ryuji, sitting on the ground, panting heavily. He makes eye contact with me, a look of awe on his face.
I struggle to get on all fours, and Ryuji stands back up. He looks down at me as I continue to struggle. He walks towards me, stopping in front of my face. I grab at his knee, trying to use it for some stability to get back up. I have to stop you… I can't let this be the end.
I look up at his face, and his awe has turned to frustration. "Why… Why are you still conscious? I should have beaten you several times over by now."
I try to speak but can barely find the strength for it. "I… I… I ha-have… to…"
Before I can come close to finishing my sentence, he grabs me by the throat and lifts me to my feet. I try to pry his hands from my neck.
"Stop struggling, Nyoko. I have won." He deactivates his Sharingan. Suddenly, a searing pain spreads across my neck and my hands where I hold his grasp on me. I look down and see the bright orange glow of the Flaming Fist. The pain is more intense than anything I have ever felt. I can smell my flesh burning.
"H-H-" I struggle to speak even more than before.
"Don't speak sister. It'll only hurt more if you do. The moment we locked eyes after you damaged my leg with the Earth Dragon Bombs, I placed you under a genjutsu using the Sharingan."
Genjutsu…?
"You'd normally be immune to genjutsu as a result of having the Sharingan. Which is why I had to wait until yours deactivated. I knew that yours would deactivate before mine. You have stamina issues, always have. It was only a matter of time before I was able to trap you. You thought that I had deactivated the Flaming Fist, but that was merely an illusion of yours. I used genjutsu to completely change your perception of my attacks. You couldn't see the flames glow, feel their heat, hear your skin sizzle, or smell your flesh burn."
I start to black out again. Am I really… going to die here?
"You made me do this to you, Nyoko. You may have helped Akihiro get away, but that will be the last time you squander Madara's plans. I've won, again."
Ryuji releases me from his grasp and I crumple to the ground.
no… ryuji...
My consciousness fades away.
Author's note:
This is by far the longest and most important chapter I have written for this story, and I hope you enjoyed it. I struggle with writing fight scenes, I have a hard time keeping it interesting while letting it flow normally. As a result, I had previous fights end rather quickly, and I didn't want this battle to wind up the same way. This is the conclusion of the first arc of the story. I hope that those of you who have read each chapter up to this point are enjoying my work. Fear not, I have big, big plans for where the story is going to go from here. Any and all feedback is always welcome. Let me know what you like, what you don't like, what I could be doing better, etc. This is the first fic I have really committed to, and I want it to be as good as it can be. Thank you again for everyone who has read it up to this point, and if you are looking forward to what's next, I hope I don't disappoint you.
