The Scarlet Arrow

Chapter 7

Holding Out

Itsuki analyzed the situation as he saw the incoming groups. Sure enough there were eighteen. Death squads operated in squads consisting of twenty-one. The squads were made up of five fire teams working effectively on their own. Each fire team was four mean strong headed by a fire team leader who was a master of kenjutsu and taijustu. The members consisted of a ninjutsu master, a taijutsu master, and a support shinobi who specialized in fueling his teammates with power able to keep them at one hundred percent combat efficiency. Istuki would need to target those support members in order to take out the fire teams. The fire team members would devoutly protect the support shinobi making it nearly impossible though. However the squad would be headed by a squad leader who was a master with a kekkai genkai. If Itsuki could cut the head of the squad off the fire teams would still be able to operate at eighty percent efficiency, but killing him might still mean the difference in buying enough time.

The death squad closed to one hundred meters. Itsuki's hail hassling them the whole way in. Itsuki hoped his shinobi had properly prepared their traps. Sure enough as the squads closed to fifty meters thousands of explosive notes were triggered causing massive explosions in that ringer the gate in a forty to sixty meter radius enveloping the fire teams. The squads glowed blue as they were infused with power to help boost their reserves from the support members. Tayuya summoned her Doki and had them take up positions to block entry into the gate. They would stop any who got too close. Tayuya sat down crossed leg closing her eyes and letting the war hymn flow.

The squads closed to twenty meters and the ninjutsu specialists and support shinobi stopped unleashing a barrage of different jutsu toward Itsuki. Itsuki summoned a momentary wall of ice that stopped the incoming barrages. None of the enemy jutsu's made it through the wall of ice and the team leaders and closed to ten meters. Itsuki nodded to Buster and they pulled back through the gate to funnel the ranged members in closer the high walls of ice blocking their line of sight on the battle. Tayuya sat twenty meters within the gate still playing her flute as her Doki prepared to hassle the enemies approaching. As the enemies flowed into the gate her Doki slammed and slashed all who tried to make it by. The enemies proved to be most powerful indeed and several simply slipped right passed her Doki but she was determined to hold back as many as possible. If there was one thing Tayuya knew it was fighting. The enemies stopped ten meters within the gate to await their support who would be showing up shortly after them.

The enemies battled Tayuya's Doki but her Doki being demons held their own unaffected by the enemy blades. Still she had scored no kills on the death squad as they efficiently distracted her Doki enough for the support members to attempt slipping in. Tayuya concentrated her Doki on the rest that were pouring in the gate. Tayuya's Doki shoved past the enemy close range experts shouldering through them with ease receiving blows left and right. The Doki all converged on a single support nin and cut the man down before turning their sights on another. They were stopped from killing this one by powerful ninjutsu abilities being focused on her Doki as elements slammed into her Doki. The Doki changed their target to one of the nearby ninjustu specialist and cut him down as well. Tayuya felt her shadows thoughts telling her to pull her Doki back to ten meters within the gate and hold back the full brunt of the squad.

Tayuya did not question it and pulled her Doki back and had them engage the closed range specialists who had made their way inside. The Doki swung their heavy weapons in wide arcs preventing the enemies from advancing further. Itsuki stood next to her forming what seemed like hundreds of hand signs at a nearly impossible speed. His hair rose and stuck up forming icicles as be formed his hand signs.

"NOW!" Itsuki yelled. Buster roared a deafening roar momentarily interrupting Tayuya's war hymn. The roar seemed to stun the squad. The statues lining the road just outside the village gate sprung to life and stormed in the gate behind the squad catching them by surprise as they slowly shook of the stunning roar. The statues numbered ten and were able to beat down a couple more enemies as they charged in the gate. Tayuya's Doki responded again pushing the enemies back into the Doki catching them inside a circle of death as the statues and Doki swung wildly attempting to score any hits they possible could. The fireteam leaders pulled out scrolls and summoned from them massive hammers which they all concentrated on one statue. The hammers collided with the statue causing it to shatter. Ice clattered against the ground and shadows flowed from the statues dispersing in all directions before vanishing. The squad was able to hold back the efforts of the defenders but not advance any more.

The scene at the gate was one of chaos as for ten minutes the attackers and defenders were locked in an incredible display of power. There were only fourteen of the squad left but the squad seemed to be operating at full strength still thanks to the support nin. The squad had formed a protective barrier around them the nucleus of the circle being the support nin. The ring outside of the nucleus was made of the ninjutsu specilists who were assisting the last ring which consisted of the melee members of the squad who were fighting off the statues. The squad operated in perfect union scoring blows on the defenders while able to keep even a single blow from leaking through. Still they seemed unable to break through the defenders ring of death as the imposing statues and Doki swung wildly keeping the attackers in their place.

"There! On the wall!" Buster shouted. On the wall a single man stood forming hand signs. The man muttered something a a massive fire ball slammed into her Doki knocking them from their feet. The Taijutsu masters poured through the gap charging at Tayuya. Her Doki scrambled to their feet tripping one of the Taijutsu masters and stabbing him viciously. They would be unable to save Tayuya though and a fist slammed into her knocking her onto her back. They viciously attacked her knowing she controlled the Doki. As they did her Doki faltered unable to fight without the Hymn. The defenders faltered and the attackers shattered two more statues sending shadows in all directions. Itsuki charge into the fray by Tayuya cutting one of the Taijutsu masters down. Itsuki was forced back as one of the team leaders engaged him with the massive hammer forcing Itsuki back with sheer power while the last two taijutsu specialists aimed for a killing blow on Tayuya.

Kai scrambled to his feet letting loose a mighty yell. "BUSTERRR! Release it!" The bull dog stared at him in disbelief. He couldn't possibly mean that... "DO IT!" Kai yelled again. Buster knew better than to deny him. Kai knew his own abilities well enough that maybe this was the edge they needed even if the cost was too high.

"Don't!" Itsuki yelled but it was too late. Buster barked and Kai ripped his blouse from his body leaving his torso naked. A seal around the curse mark shattered sending more of the tattoo around his body. The tattoo detached from his body forming solid metal barbed wire which wrapped around his body. Power surged the area at the release from the curse mark. Kai slammed into the taijutsu specialists knocking them away from Tayuya and pricking them with the barbed wire. The Taijutsu users struck back slamming fists into Kai but each blow they threw met the metal barbed wire which still wrapper around more of Kai's body. The Taijutsu users grunted in pain as their fists and legs were slashed by the wire with every hit they through. Kai held his hands out and barbed wire unwrapped from his arms enveloping the two remaining Taijutsu users and constricting around them cutting and crushing them. The Taijutsu specialists screamed bloody murder and lasted longer then they should have thanks to the support shinobi. Another two statues were felled causing shadows to block sight momentarily again. Kai was able to kill the Taijutsu specialists in the confusion.

Itsuki shook off the fire team leader engaging him and fled from him charging the man who had appeared on the wall. Itsuki formed several hand signs causing a spike of ice to shoot up from where the man was standing on the wall. The squad leader did a forward somersault entering the village and avoiding the spike of ice. The squad leader formed several hand signs summoning a blade of fire. Itsuki and the squad leader clashed. Balls of ice and fire shot between the two as their swords clashed and they were locked in intense combat.

Tayuya stared up at Kai who was completely covered in barbed wire now. All's she could see was his eyes. They were completely black but the pupil was a red laser. Kai looked at Tayuya momentarily before focusing his attention on the circle that were still being held by the statues. Tayuya was unable to refocus her hymn her own chakra reserves being sapped by injury and weakness. She was worthless without her curse mark and was unable to summon power from it having been cut off from Orochimaru. Tayuya scolded herself at relying on the thing for power for so long that she had neglected training her own chakra reserves.

Kai held his bow and pulled a scarlet arrow from thin air notching it and pulling the string to his ear pointing his bow at the circle. The arrow pulsed red and a laser was cast from Kai's eye focusing on the nucleus of the circle. Kai released the arrow into the group. The laser followed the laser cast from his eyes perfectly. A fire team leader kicked the arrow into the air as it tried to pass him. The arrow flew high into the sky before turning around suddenly and homing in on the laser. Kai released three more arrows in the time and the team leader oblivious to the arrow in the sky deflected these ones into the sky as well. The arrows dropped into the circle from the sky. The laser from Kai's eyes flashed from ninjutsu user to ninjutsu user. The arrows sunk into each target catching them unaware of Kai's kekkai genkai. The ninjutus users were quickly defeated. By the surprise attack bringing the total number of attackers down to nine. Ten if you include the squad leader still locked in fierce combat with Itsuki.

The statues sensing the sudden weakness in the group charged through the kenjutsu users allowing the blows to glance off their ice. Three more statues were felled leaving only two statues left. The two statues made it into the nucleus of the group and swung violently slamming the support shinobi's with their staffs. They ignored the team leaders with the hammers as they slayed the last of the support-nin bringing the attacker count to six including the squad leader. The two remaining statues were shattered by the team leaders. It was up to Kai and Itsuki to hold them back now. Kai pulled fistfuls of arrows from the air shooting an arc of arrows at the five team leaders who they had been unable to score kills on. The team leaders blocked the arrows with their hammers. The team leaders paused in between volleys forming multiple hand signs. The top of their hammers fell off and into their left hands. The hammer tops transformed into metal shield while the staff of the hammers formed short katanas. The team leaders advanced on Kai as the arrows glanced harmlessly off their shields. The team leaders quickly met Kai in melee combat slashing at him with their swords.

Kai roared in fury dropping hi bow and swinging his arms at the team leaders. The team leaders were nimble and far superior to him in melee combat and scored many more blows that all glanced off Kai's barbed skin. Itsuki was caught in the chest by the fire ball and knocked from his feet. The squad leader kicked the ice sword from Itsuki's hand and held the flaming sword to his neck. Itsuki had grown to exhausted from his extensive use of chakra controlling the statues and the previous hail storms. Still nothing had gone to waste. Without the hail they would have been engaging an impetuous death squad. The hail had sapped a majority of their fresh strength and the explosive tags another good part. It just wasn't enough and Itsuki could feel the flames licking his throat. The five team leaders were able to knock Kai from his feet and stood over him pressing him down with their shields.

It was over. The defenders were beaten...

"KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!" A voice roared from behind. Suddenly hundreds of blood haired leaf-nin wearing orange jumpsuits converged on the team leaders. The squad leader looked up stunned at the number of enemies they were suddenly facing. He quickly jabbed with his sword eager to eliminate Itsuki. The sword was ripped from his hand by a long tongue which was attached to a toad armed with a katana. The toad rushed into his team leaders after disarming the squad leader. The squad leader suddenly felt an extremely powerful presence directly to his left. As his eyes glanced at the figure the squad leader sighed in defeat. It was Jiraiya the legendary toad sage. A swirling ball of chakra slammed his chest and the squad leader was sent swirling in agonizing pain high into the air. The squad leader died as he hit the ground. The team leaders swung viciously felling the blonde leaf-nin by tens. The leaf-nin exploded into smoke as they were cut proving to be shadow clones.

"Uzimaki Barrage!" The shadow clones roared after surrounding the kenjutsu users. The clones executed the attack launching each team leader into the air. They were all caught in the air and slammed back down with a mighty drop kick.

One of the clones held a rasengan in his hand and slammed it into one of the team leaders as he hit the ground killing him. The toad stabbed another dropping the death squad to three members. Jiraiya eliminated another with a rasengan and the death squad's fate's were sealed as they were overwhelmed, exhausted, and beaten down by the newcomers. When it was all said and done bodies, and ice littered the ground. Blood formed puddles in the streets. Jiraiya helped Itsuki to his feet.

"Looks like I got here just in time huh?" The pervy sage chuckled as Itsuki took his hand and stood up. Itsuki too was completely exhausted.

"Jiraiya I need you too look after my two friends," Itsuki requested pointing towards Kai and Tayuya. Tayuya laid watching the fight still too weak to get up. Kai writhed on the ground in agony as the barbed wire began constricting him as he lost his momentary control over it. Kai blacked out. Tayuya saw the blonde haired leaf-nin looking down at her.

"Hey! I know you!" The kid said causing Tayuya to groan in frustration. The kid extended a hand and Tayuya reluctantly took it standing on wobbly legs. The leaf-nin put her arm across his shoulders allowing her to lean on him for support. "Weren't you the sound-nin defending Sasuke!"

"I was until your team left me in the woods to die," Tayuya grew angry, "If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have failed my mission." Tayuya tried to strangle Naruto in her anger but the leaf-nin merely adjusted her arm.

"I take it you don't know then," Naruto said morbidly.

"Know what idiot?" Tayuya asked.

"We were unable to bring Sasuke back to the village... I was kind of hoping you might know where he would be. You're not with Orochimaru anymore?" Naruto asked but was answered by Jiraiya.

"Itsuki would not keep the company of Orochimaru's agents. Orochimaru is quick to cast aside anyone he deems useless," Jiraiya knelt of Kai and formed some hand seals placing his hands on Kai's hip. The barbed wire melted into Kai's flesh becoming a normal tattoo but still stretched all over his body. "This curse mark is very unstable. I am going to need more time to seal it."

"He will live though?" Buster asked walking up next to Jiraiya.

"I don't know..." Jiraiya said picking up Kai who was still writhing in agony. "The curse mark is sucking the life right out of Kai. In a few more minutes he will have nothing left. I don't have time to seal it." Tayuya shoved Naruto away and ran over to Kai experiencing extreme pain as she did so. She wrapped her arms around Kai even though Jiraiya was holding him as well and tears flowed from her eyes.

"Kai! Hold on!" Tayuya pleaded suddenly Kai glanced into her eyes briefly before writhing again.

"To my palace then. There I can slow time. It may be just long enough," Itsuki responded.

Two Days Later:

Kai awoke suddenly glancing around the room. He recognized the interior of Itsuki's palace. Kai tried to remember what had happened and how he got there. All her could remember was Tayuya being hurt and he sat up quickly groaning in pain. His body was wracked with pain and his face felt numb. Sweat poured from his body. Kai looked down and on his hip he saw his curse mark. It had been resealed. There were five different extremely intricate seals surrounding the curse mark. Kai struggled against the pain trying to get out of the bed but he was pressed back down.

Kai looked up and saw Tayuya's deep brown eyes. They were puffy and red as if she had been crying a lot. She climbed into bed on top of him and grabbed him on both sides of his face. She took him into a deep kiss and the pain was forgotten. When they broke the kiss Tayuya smiled. Then she slapped him.

"You will never scare me like that again you asshole!" She yelled at him before kissing him again. When she was done she simply rested on top of him laying her head on his chest. She had been doing this a lot over the past few days never once leaving his side. His heartbeat was finally steady now that he was awake. Kai saw another man appear from the surrounding terrain and walk up. He was followed by a blonde shinobi. They walked up beside the bed.

"You're awake. You might just make it after all. That seal released a potent dose of poison into your body attempting to kill you. I was able to stall it's effects and seal the mark indefinitely but the poison is still trying to kill you. I am not experienced enough in medical jutsu to kill such a poison," Jiraiya said explaining Kai's situation.

"So I am still doomed to death?" Kai asked.

"Not necessarily. I have been able to stall it enough and secured a caravan that happens to be heading to a place where I know someone who could easily stop the poison and likely heal your girlfriend's legs. You would be indebted however..." Jiraiya said. Kai and Tayuya both blushed when he said girlfriend but neither wanted to deny the remark.

"Where?" Kai asked.

"Konoha," Jiraiya responded, Tsunade is "Hokage now and her medical ninjutsu is nearly limitless. The fact is we helped you already and can fully heal you both. In return we have but two simple requests."

"Join Konoha as it's shinobi and help us find Orochimaru!" Naruto blurted out becoming over excited, "I can't wait to get my hands on that snake's neck. I will wring the life out of him for what he did to Sasuke!" Kai and Tayuya exchanged glances with each other. Naruto had hinted as it to her for the past two days but hearing him outright say it shocked Tayuya.

"We will have to think about this," Kai responded.

"You will die in one week if the poison is not cured. The caravan will take four days to reach Konoha. Think while you are on the caravan. It is leaving shortly," Jiraiya said. Kai stood up and nodded.

"It seems I have no choice then..." Kai thought about the request. He had trouble even standing and was quite dizzy. He could feel Tayuya helping him stand. When Kai's vision cleared he was standing at the shadow door to the mansion. Jiraiya and Naruto were gone left behind. Itsuki was standing in front of him.

"They will send more death squads. They will not stop until they find and kill you. You know too much," Itsuki explained, "I will be unable to protect you but a village such as Konoha would have no trouble. Besides, the balance of the world has been set off balance by numerous events across the land. Konoha will need both of you if they are to survive the events that are inevitable. Without Konoha, the great land of shinobi will never be the same."

"What are you babbling about man? You always say the weirdest shit at the worse times. I fucking swear you are insane," Kai shot back. Itsuki merely pushed the couple out the shadow door and it shut behind them.

"Good bye friend," came Itsuki's voice from nearly every direction. Kai saw a couple ice shinobi standing nearby as well as Buster who was directly in front of him.

"Do you know what he means Buster?" Kai asked.

"I have no idea... He has been speaking with the shadow often. I don't know what he speaks of but I fear he may be right," Buster replied. Buster was a good judge of information and Kai shuddered. One thing at a time. Buster grew large enough for Tayuya and Kai to climb on top of him. Tayuya helped Kai on first before climbing on as well. Kai sat directly behind Tayuya pressed firmly up against her back.

"Thank you for staying by me Tayuya," Kai said wrapping his arms around her and kissing her neck gently.

"No, it's you I should thank Kai-kun," Tayuya replied. Snuggling back up against him. Kai gasped a little as Tayuya pressed up against his most sensitive spot with her butt and she giggled at the reaction. The two ice-nin approached them.

"Itsuki placed us under your command," they were both genin, "We are providing security to the caravan on its way to Konoha."

"Very well, take us to the caravan then." Kai was used to commanding small teams. They would be safe in his care even in his current state. It would be a while before Orochimaru could recall another death squad and send them after him and Kai predicted the ride to Konoha would be uneventful. Kai's life had already changed drastically since he met Tayuya and he could feel it changing ever more as realization crept in of his new obligation.

A/N: Please leave me a review. I love reading them. Nothing is more inspiring and helps me with my story more than a good review.