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Payback

Ryuu stepped into the field and flexed his right hand again. He had decided against having his right arm completely uncovered since he still felt a bit self-conscious about it. His old outfits had been far too small when he went back to his house so he had gotten rid of them and traded them for outfits consisting of black Tee-shirts, black pants, black sandals, and a pair of finger-less black gloves reaching just past his elbows with a dark red leather strap wrapped around each forearm and across his palm once with metal studs along it.

Yugao stepped out of the trees opposite him and tossed him a box. He caught it and set it down then opened it and looked inside. There were several letters that he sorted through, deciding to read later, before coming to a fairly heavy yellow package with a letter taped to the outside. His name was written on the front in the neatest cursive he had ever seen. He opened the letter and saw that the handwriting inside was just as neat. He also didn't need to look at the signature to know who it was.

"I'm sorry Ryuu. I never meant to hurt you, and I know that what I did to you was unforgivable. I truly meant you no harm. By the time you read this, either I will be dead or you will be hunting you. Allow me to explain. I went to Orochimaru in order to find protection from the Akatsuki, a group of shinobi hunting Jinchuriki like me. I had already been working with Aeron. He ordered me to lure you into a trap so that you could be captured and your eyes taken. However, i found that I couldn't stand the thought of you being hurt, so I killed the others when they came after you. When I did, Orochimaru ordered me to bring you to him or else he would no longer protect me. It's been almost two years since then. I can't leave you there any longer. It was a mistake for me to take you to him and I will get you out. Before I do, however, I'm sending this to your house in Konoha. Enclosed are a few things that belong to you. I kept them away from Orochimaru for you. If i didn't save you, it was because Orochimaru told the Akatsuki where I am. Kabuto knows how I feel about you and will deliver this to the Hidden Leaf for me. If nothing else, he makes a good delivery man. But he's also going to tell Orochimaru. Hopefully I can get to you before he does. If not, then I'm sorry. Please forgive me.

All my love,

Fu."

Ryuu set the letter down, tears sliding down his cheeks and picked up the package, opening it and pulling out his necklace. He stared at it as it spun slowly on the chain. He smiled after a moment and pulled it on then pulled out his tanto, complete with the harness and his trench knife. He put the trench knife in its usual place and put the harness on, drawing his tanto and inspecting it. She had kept it cleaner than he had, leaving it in perfect condition.

"She returned your things," Yugao smiled. "I thought you looked funny without that tanto of yours."

"I agree," Ryuu nodded. "So, want to see how much better I've gotten since I left?"

"Sure," Yugao nodded drawing her sword. "Remember how to use that thing?"

Ryuu smirked and motioned for her to attack. She darted forward, slashing at it and he blocked it, sparks flying from the blade. Instantly, an image of blocking Sasori's tail flashed into his mind and he staggered backward, dropping the tanto and clutching his head, tears flooding from his eyes. He fell to his knees, images of Fu being impaled running through his head on loop. Finally, he forced the images away, finding himself in the fetal position with Yugao kneeling beside him, giving him a terrified and worried look, Tenten on his other side and Lee beside her. Ryuu pushed himself up, wrapping his arms around himself and staring at his tanto which was beside Yugao's sword.

"Are you okay?" Yugao asked.

"No," Ryuu stated, voice weak. "I need an Akatsuki. I wish Sasori and Deidara were alive."

"I can understand that," Lee nodded. "Don't worry. I'm sure one will turn up."

"He'd better," Ryuu growled standing and retrieving his tanto.

Just as he stood again, a hawk landed on his shoulder. He noticed a message on its leg and removed it opening it.

"Orochimaru is dead. It's time. Uchiha Hideout. Be careful, Akatsuki plans to stop us both."

Ryuu tore the message into shreds and shrugged, sending the hawk skyward. Then, Ryuu grinned and turned Northward.

"I'm out of here," Ryuu grinned, clenching his fists in excitement. "I've got some assholes to repay."

"You're going after Itachi," Neji guessed. "Don't you want to see anyone else first?"

"Tell them I said hey," Ryuu grinned then left with the Body Flicker Technique.

He blurred through the trees, leg aching for a moment before it adjusted and got used to the technique. He slowed to a normal speed after a bit and sped along with a very large smile on his face. After nearly an hour, he was halfway there when the branch below him exploded. He landed in a clearing and grinned, turning to his right and seeing Deidara step out of the trees. At the same time, Madara stepped out beside him.

"Deidara~!" Madara shouted, sounding and acting more like the thing he had left in charge of Ryuu's rehabilitation. "Can I take him? Please? Please please please? Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseple-"

"Alright already!" Deidara snapped. "Just fucking kill him Tobi!"

"Hooray!" Madara shouted running forward and stopping in a sloppy defensive position.

"Tobi huh?" Ryuu growled. "Suit yourself."

Ryuu sprinted forward, leaping and throwing a kick. Madara ducked under it and Ryuu rolled in mid air, his other heel slamming into Madara's head and launching him away from Ryuu and into the trees, leaving Ryuu staring after him in shock.

"Useless," Deidara growled, pulling Ryuu's attention back to him. "It's good to see you again kid. I was hoping you were alive."

"I knew they wouldn't kill you so easily," Ryuu smirked. "That honor is mine."

"We'll see," Deidara smirked both hands digging into his clay before coughing up two Clay Minions each.

Both charged forward but before they reached Ryuu, he had run past them with the Body Flicker Technique and slashed Deidara across the chest as he passed, not slowing in the slightest. Deidara staggered back a step and looked back to see Ryuu standing there.

"You're not as strong as you think Deidara," Ryuu growled. "I'd have killed you last time if you hadn't been with Sasori."

"Right," Deidara growled. "Let's try this again."

More cords branched off of the originals and connected to the two minions, tearing them into pieces before all of the pieces swung around at Ryuu.

"No," Ryuu growled exhaling a Pressure Damage at Deidara and blasting the minion pieces into dust.

Deidara sailed through the air and crashed into a tree as Ryuu grinned, drawing his tanto and exhaling a Vacuum Blade onto it. Deidara dropped to the ground and his hands began eating clay. After several seconds, he leapt into the air and they regurgitated it as a clay dragon the size of a small dog. Deidara made the Seal of Confrontation and the statue expanded into a full-size clay dragon like the one that had incapacitated Fu. Ryuu instantly had more images of Fu being impaled in his head and dropped his tanto, forming hand seals as the dragon regurgitated dozens of clay balls the side of Ryuu's torso.

"What are you doing?" Deidara shouted.

"Fire Style, Dragon Flame Caterwaul!" Ryuu shouted, firing the jutsu at Deidara.

Deidara began to laugh until he realized what Ryuu actually had planned. He leapt off his dragon just as the blasts hit an the dragon exploded, blasting Deidara back to the ground. Ryuu leapt on him smashing his fists into Deidara as hard and fast as he could but before he could do very much, Deidara managed to form a clay spider which latched onto his face, making him stumble away. Ryuu ripped the spider off, hurling it at Deidara who allowed it to pass him. Ryuu walked back to his tanto, picking it up just as Madara popped out of a hole in the ground.

"I finished with the mines!" Madara reported, still acting like the white thing.

"Good," Deidara smirked. "Alright Ryuu. Come get me."

Deidara formed a clay bird and jumped onto it, taking off and Ryuu looked around. There were no signs of Deidara's mines but his Sharingan saw chakra as color, allowing him to see exactly where they were.

"Sure," Ryuu grinned sprinting forward, careful to dart between the mines.

He leapt into the air finally, landing behind Deidara who twisted around to look at him as Ryuu's tanto descended. Instead of slashing Deidara, he removed one of the bird's wings. Deidara formed another bird in mid air and landed on it, Ryuu landing on the other bird just as it hit the ground, the ground below it sinking.

"Die!" Deidara shouted as the clearing exploded into flames. "Hah! There mother fucker! How's that feel?"

"If that's the best you've got I'm in no danger," Ryuu snorted appearing behind Deidara, having escaped with the Body Flicker Technique. "Now then, is it my turn?"

He stabbed Deidara and Deidara turned white, melting around Ryuu's hand before solidifying again, trapping him.

"Kai!" Deidara shouted, forming the Seal of Confrontation.

The bird and Deidara cone both exploded, a ball of flames filling the sky. Ryuu fell out of the flames, crashing down below it, shirt practically ruined and torso badly burned. He reached under himself, beginning to heal his torso but kept his hand hidden from Deidara's view.

"Hah!" Deidara laughed. "You're pathetic you little brat! You thought you could beat me? Hah! You were even weaker than that Jinchuriki bitch! At least she was fun! Oh, the things I would have liked to do to her."

"Shut your FUCKING MOUTH!" Ryuu seethed pushing himself up, medical work done and rage boiling over, images of his time with Fu and then of what the two Akatsuki member had done to her flashing through his head.

Ryuu meant to speak, meant to voice his rage. But instead of words, the only thing that came out was a roar of rage and pain, followed by wooden spikes erupting from his right shoulder. He wasn't sure how, but he instinctively knew one ability that he could now use with the wooden stakes and broke one off, hurling it at Deidara in a blur. Deidara created a clay bird and the stake hit it in the chest before Ryuu formed the Ram Seal. The bird suddenly had several wooden spikes jutting out of it, one of them only narrowly missing Deidara's face. He leapt sideways away from the bird and Ryuu saw madara standing in the trees, Sharingan watching Ryuu closely.

"I don't know what the hell this new power is, but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth until that bastard is dead," Ryuu growled breaking off another and hurling it into the ground at Deidara's feet.

He formed the Ram Seal again and wooden spikes sprouted below Deidara, impaling him and lifting him into the air. After a moment, he turned white and exploded, sending pieces of wood flying in every direction. Ryuu turned around and saw Deidara on a clay dragon behind him.

"You bastard," Deidara spat. "What are you?"

Ryuu ripped the tattered remains of his shirt free and Deidara stared at his arm in shock. Ryuu broke off another, much larger spike and pulled his arm back. Before he could throw it, the clay dragon spit up another as its tail lost a segment. The new one was short, fat, and with a pig's face. The smaller dragon flew at Ryuu and he hurled the wooden stake which elongated as it flew. It impaled the dragon, taking it with it and then tacked it to the original dragon. Rather than making it extend spikes again, Ryuu simply created a Flame Sword and extended it to the wood, lighting it on fire. Deidara's eyes widened and a moment later, both dragons exploded into massive fireballs. Deidara was the one to fall out of the ball of fire this time, falling much further than Ryuu and landing hard, still smoking. Ryuu broke off a wooden spike and began to walk forward. As he approached, Deidara began to scramble to try to escape.

"Die, mother fuck-" before Ryuu could finish, a second wooden spike hit his own, knocking it out of his hand and Ryuu turned, looking back to see Madara standing just outside of the trees with wooden spikes protruding from his own white shoulder.

"There's a reason I was able to return your arm and leg to you," Madara stated.

"Tobi?" Deidara asked.

"Don't worry Deidara~!" Madara called out, back to his idiot act. "I'll handle him from here~"

Ryuu sprinted forward grabbing his tanto as he passed it and put it away, breaking off a wooden spike about the same length. Madara broke off one of his own and when they reached each other, they both swung, the wooden clubs hitting with a loud thud before Ryuu spun, smashing it into Madara's side, slamming him into a tree. He spun grabbing Ryuu by the throat and lifting him off the ground. Just as he did, Ryuu swung the club upward at his elbow. Just as it was about ti hit, Ryuu began to fall, passing through Madara's hand and the club passed through his arm harmlessly. Ryuu landed on his feet and spun, successfully tripping Madara and kicking him into the trees.

"Let me beat you huh?" Ryuu growled. "Alright then."

Ryuu turned back to Deidara, raising the club and Deidara stood, turning to run. Ryuu pulled his hand back and hurled it, grinning as it drove itself through Deidara's right calf. He formed the Ram Seal and the wood sprouted spike that left Deidara's entire right leg useless and one spike managed to go through his right forearm as well. Deidara crashed to the ground, rolling over and breaking his right arm free, ripping his shirt off and revealing a stitched gash in the left side of his chest over his heart that looked like it had the latitude and longitude of a globe around it. He reached up, puling the stitches out and the gash burst open into a mouth with pointed teeth and a long tongue. He began to shove clay into it as Ryuu broke of another wooden spike.

"Don't waste your energy," Deidara laughed as the mouth began to chew, his skin turning translucent slowly as black veins spread over his body. "This is my ultimate Technique, C0. By feeding this mouth, I turn my entire body into the ultimate art."

"And Art is an explosion, right?" Ryuu growled raising the spike.

"Exactly," Deidara grinned as his skin started to fade.

Ryuu hurled the spike and it hit Deidara in the face before the new spikes shot out of it, skewering his body but shattering against the black sphere that was starting to form with a pair of glowing white eyes.

"Good riddance," Ryuu growled before turning and leaving with his brother's signature jutsu.

Seconds after he left, the sphere cracked and then exploded into a massive blue chakra spire explosion with two more branching off of it diagonally toward the sky.


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