I do not own Naruto Shippuden or any of the characters.
Back in Action
Tsunade stood, looking around at the ruins that had been the Hidden Leaf less than a minute ago. All that was left was a ring of destroyed buildings around a massive crater. Nothing was left. But Katsuyu had managed to protect everyone that was still alive. Just as Tsunade turned toward Pein again, the woman landed behind him, summoning the other male Akatsuki members.
"You were able to save them," Pein noted. "Impressive. But futile."
He took a step forward and Yugao landed in front of Tsunade, right arm broken and hanging limply at her side as her left held her sword shakily.
"You will not harm Lady Tsunade as long as I am alive," Yugao snarled.
"So you survived did you?" Pein mused. "Shame I cannot say the same for your student."
"Ryuu?" Yugao gasped. "You bastard!"
Pein smirked as the bald man behind him shot forward, flames flying out of thrusters in his legs. He reached Yugao and drove his fist into her abdomen, the fist sprouting from her back before she flew away from the impact. Just as she bounced off the ground, Ryuu appeared, fully healed, and caught her, setting her down and checking for a pulse.
"You're alive?" Pein asked seeming amused more than anything. "I'll admit, I didn't expect you to be alive."
"Throughout my imprisonment, first by Aeron and then by Orochimaru, I learned Medical Ninjutsu for three reasons," Ryuu stated, setting Yugao down and standing. "First, so that in the event that someone I care about is hurt, I can save their life. Second, when fighting someone vastly stronger than myself, I can negate any damage they do to me, making it a war of attrition. And third, and this is really the most important at the moment, so that this ability will not kill me, before I can kill the enemy who is vastly stronger than myself."
Before he could do anything, the bald man shot toward him. Before it was halfway there, a Ryuu clone exploded out of the ground with paper bombs wrapped around him. He latched onto the man and the bombs exploded, blasting the man wide open, killing him. Ryuu turned toward the others, chakra exploding off of his body and a green aura forming around him.
"That's the Fifth Gate of Closing," Pein stated. "You copied it? But that's not possible for a Sharingan. Ah, but you're not a normal Uchiha are you?"
"What do you mean?" Ryuu growled.
"You're half Hyuga," Pein stated. "Your Sharingan are special."
"If you say so," Ryuu shrugged. "In any event, I'm done talking. Now you die."
Pein readied himself just as Ryuu appeared over him, fist already blurring toward him. A massive explosion of dust shot into the air when his fist connected, bits and pieces of the victim of his punch flying in every direction. When the dust settled, all that was left was a single metal plate with a few nuts and bolts stuck in the ground around it. Ryuu growled in frustration, turning toward Pein. At the last second, he had used the destroyed body of his fallen comrade as a substitution, escaping death by a millimeter.
"You're fast," Pein admitted. "You almost got me."
Ryuu winced, arm going limp as blood dripped from his destroyed hand.
"The power granted by the Fifth Gate is something to be feared," Pein stated as Ryuu's injured hand began to glow with green chakra, mending itself. "It hurts doesn't it? However, there are things that hurt much more."
"Don't preach to me you bastard," Ryuu snarled. "I was tricked into killing a man I once considered a brother. I was forced to kill dozens of friends. And then there's what others have done. I watched the man I considered a brother kill my true brother. I saw my parents dead. You killed the closest thing to a mother I have had since. And yet all of that pales in comparison to the one thing I will never forgive. You killed the love of my life, the Jinchuriki of the Seven-tailed Beast."
"Ah yes, Fu," Pein nodded seeing that Ryuu's arm was fully healed.
"You knew her name," Ryuu growled drawing his tanto. "I'm impressed."
"You know, I know of a man that can return life to the dead," Pein stated. "I could have her returned to you."
"I know a man with that ability as well," Ryuu growled. "His name is Kabuto Yakushi. And he's forced her to try to kill me several times. I'm going to kill him. And then I'm going to allow Fu to rest. But first, I'm going to kill you!"
He charged forward, slashing at Pein who leapt back, the front of his robe splitting open. Ryuu followed, slashing again. Pein extended a pointed black rod from his sleeve and blocked the tanto, shoving the blade away and stabbing at Ryuu. Ryuu spun past it slashing at Pein. Pein ducked under it just before the bald man, newly restored, smashed both feet into Ryuu, launching him backward. Ryuu shouted in rage, charging and slashing at the bald man, who barely avoided it, before extending the same blades he had used before and throwing a punch at Ryuu. Ryuu swept the arm aside, moving to slash the man. Before he could, Pein stepped up beside him and stabbed at Ryuu. Ryuu spun under it and slashed at Pein. Pein spun, extending a second rod and smashing Ryuu's tanto blade between them before driving one of the rods through Ryuu's abdomen, piercing his diaphragm and severing half of Ryuu's spinal cord. Ryuu coughed, blood splattering onto the ground.
"Damn," Ryuu growled, his chakra fading as the Fifth Gate closed. "I liked that tanto. My brother gave me it."
"Goodbye Ryuu," Pein growled, spinning and throwing him.
Just as Ryuu began to drop, a massive cloud of smoke shot into the air. Naruto appeared in Ryuu's path, catching hum and setting him down. Ryuu coughed blood up again and looked at Pein.
"I'll kill him for you Ryuu," Naruto promised.
"Don't change for me," Ryuu growled, voice barely audible. "Stay true to you. They're puppets. The real one should be nearby."
Naruto nodded just as one of Pein's two black rods streaked through the air at him. Before he could dodge it, Ryuu stood, the rod burying itself in his chest, through his heart. Then, Ryuu collapsed and everything became dark.
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