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Concealment

Ryuu knelt on a branch in front of the village wearing his fox mask and his winter cloak with Yugao standing beside him and several Root ANBU standing on the branches around them.

"What do you all want?" Ryuu asked.

"Lord Danzo would like you tested," one stated. "We intend to follow through with his order."

"I just want you all to know, you're very far from a challenge to me," Ryuu stated. "You might be strong enough to challenge Yugao but I have a summon that would easily kill you all. It's the ultimate summon."

"We'll see," one of the shinobi stated. "Do it."

One of the shinobi stepped forward and Ryuu drew his trench knife and a kunai but waited. The shinobi held out one hand as the other rested by his side in a fist. The extended hand was a sideways knife hand and Ryuu could tell there was a purpose to it, though he wasn't sure what. He hurled the kunai at the shinobi, drawing one of Fu's in its place as the Shinobi caught the kunai blade between two of his fingers. Ryuu lowered his hands, looking around. All of the other shinobi look completely calm and made no move to attack. Ryuu sighed and leapt at the ANBU. Just as he neared him, the ANBU drew a sword from his back and slashed at Ryuu. Ryuu blocked it and slashed at him. The shinobi leapt backward, landing on the tree then leapt forward again, slashing at Ryuu.

Ryuu slashed the sword aside then slashed at the shinobi. At the same time as the kunai blade was about to hit, the shinobi vanished, appearing behind Ryuu. Then, Ryuu was behind the shinobi, the shinobi's blood flying into the air. the shinobi fell, crashing down on the ground below, wounded and disabled but alive. Ryuu turned toward the others and one of them stepped forward, holding up a scroll.

"Fight me all at once," Ryuu suggested. "It's the only way you'll test me. After all, I fought against Itachi Uchiha. And now I'm stronger."

"No need," the one with the scroll stated letting it unravel as a dozen puppets, all armed with anything from kunai, to swords, to one with a scythe.

They all had chakra threads attached to them then to the seal they had come from. The back of the scroll had chakra threads extending fro it, one for each seal, and connected to the shinobi's fingers and palms. The scroll hovered in the air in front of him as the puppets shot forward.

"Wood Style, Giant Forest Jutsu," Ryuu sighed, his fingers each growing into a square, extending spear with points at least a foot long alone, leaving them extremely sharp.

The five spears impaled five of the puppets before more spikes grew off the sides, like a slower Wood Style Cutting Sprigs Jutsu. Ryuu pulled his hand back, fingers separating from the wooden spikes, which all fell to the ground below with the destroyed puppets. He then knelt, placing a hand down as the branch he was on suddenly grew several new branches of its own, all of them reaching out and wrapping around a puppet, binding them all.

"Last chance, attack together," Ryuu advised.

"We don't need to," the puppeteer stated as his puppets all broke free, the puppets flying over and pinning him to the tree without hurting him.

"Very well," Ryuu sighed, twisting his right hand and gripping the Chakra Threads.

Instantly, the threads he was holding flared, the puppeteer's chakra flowing out of him, through the threads, and into Ryuu. Ryuu stopped as the puppeteer neared running out. The ninja fell and the others stared at Ryuu in shock.

"I told you," Ryuu stated. "I'm much, much stronger than you. There are only six left. That won't be enough."

The last six all looked at each other as Ryuu drew his tanto and slashed the puppets, destroying them. Then, he put it back, readying his knives. The last six all drew swords and appeared around Ryuu. At the same time as they appeared, blood sprayed out of gashes that were suddenly on their chests. They all began to fall backward and Ryuu sighed, putting his knives away.

"You even fall slowly," Ryuu stated. "Guess you all failed. Come on Yugao. We have a mission to do."

Yugao nodded and the two of them left. Just as they got a fair distance from the village, a small army of ANBU from Root appeared before them.

"Out of the way," Ryuu ordered.

"We have been ordered to make you disappear," one of the ANBU stated. "After all, one person with Wood Style is bad enough. Two would cause an uproar."

"You would think wouldn't you?" Ryuu asked extending a wooden spike from his elbow and breaking it off. "But then, no one's going to know about me."

"Is that so?" the ANBU asked.

"You still have those body destruction orders?" Ryuu grinned hurling the spike.

Just before it hit the shinobi, the shinobi drew his sword and slashed downward at it. The spike connected with his sword just as Ryuu formed the Ram seal and spikes shot out of it. The ball of spikes fell to the ground and Ryuu extended and hurled several more spikes, similar things happening with them until there were five balls of spikes lying on the ground, evenly spaced along the front line. Ryuu set his hand on the ground and grinned.

"Goodbye," Ryuu grinned.

Instantly, a Wood Dragon shot out of each ball of wood spikes, all flipping over and opening their mouths. Wood spikes began to spray out of them, raining down on the ANBU. Ryuu formed the Ram Seal again and spikes began erupting everywhere while the dragons stopped firing and fell apart. Finally it stopped with just around ten shinobi left unscathed.

"You know," Ryuu growled. "I'm supposed to be avoiding killing."

He bowed his head, praying for the people he had killed, as the last ten charged. Ryuu opened his eyes, which were starting to glass over, as they had when he had lost control against Sasuke.

"Don't Ryuu," Yugao spoke up. "I'll take it from here."

"No," Ryuu said stepping past her. "I need to get past it eventually."

"No, you don't," Yugao stated, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Let me. Partners look out for each other."

"Partners trust each other," Ryuu stated.

"Then trust me," Yugao said.

"You've got enough blood on your hands," Ryuu stated holding his arm out. "Multiple Striking Shadow Snakes!"

Ten snakes hot out of his sleeves, each biting a shinobi. The shinobi all stopped, tensing and looking around before panicking.

"Allow me to introduce my own personal Genjutsu," Ryuu stated. "In some ways crueler than killing, but in others, more merciful. They'll live, but their minds will be reduced to mush, more or less."

Yugao watched him for a moment before looking back to the shinobi as the snakes all melted into goo, Ryuu lowering his arm as the shinobi collapsed, curling into fetal positions and muttering to themselves.

"They'll recover, eventually," Ryuu stated. "For now, we need to finish our mission."

Yugao nodded and they continued on their way.


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