I do not own Naruto Shippuden or any of the characters.


Making Friends

Ryuu waited patiently as the ship sat docked at the little island. They had just been stopping for the night but Naruto, being as lucky as he was, had gotten mixed up in all kinds of nonsense with a Hidden Mist shinobi who refused to accept the the Shinobi Alliance for a betrayal by the Hidden Stone Village that got the woman he loved and his best friend both killed and nearly got him killed too. As it turned out, the two body guards that had accompanied the Tsuchikage were scheduled to meet the younger of the Mizukage's bodyguards, who apparently was the last member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist, wielding the sword Hiramekarei, the Twinsword, named for the two handles. It had two holes near the top of the blade that released chakra stored in the blade and formed various chakra weapons around the blade such as a hammer or a very long blade. The bandages unraveled when the blade's chakra was released so Ryuu suspected it may be a seal of some kind.

"Why are you still on the ship?" Yamato asked stepping up behind Ryuu who was leaning on the railing.

"Because this ship is more comfortable to me than a tiny island," Ryuu stated. "I prefer being able to go anywhere I need to when I need to. In a hotel room, there's only so many ways for me to go."

Yamato nodded but didn't leave.

"It sounds like you expect a fight you can't win," Yamato stated.

"Perhaps," Ryuu shrugged. "I won't say I'm invincible just because I have Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. But if we do meet someone I can't beat, it won't be a good day. Especially for me."

Yamato nodded and finally left. Ryuu stayed put for a moment then dropped off the ship, deciding to stretch his legs. He walked through the town, mind filled with images of Fu. He was glad he hadn't had to fight the replica of her he knew he had seen. He would have died if he had. He stopped walking when he saw Chojuro ahead of him.

"Chojuro!" He called out and Chojuro turned toward him smiling.

"Hello again Ryuu," Chojuro smiled. "I heard Danzo was killed."

"I heard the same," Ryuu nodded. "Any idea how?"

"According to the Raikage, his death was due to a faulty Reverse Tetragram Seal that killed him," Chojuro grinned. "Completely unforeseeable accident."

"Shame," Ryuu snorted. "He was such a good guy too."

Chojuro snorted in amusement and Ryuu grinned, glancing at Chojuro's sword.

"You know, I have a friend that would love to get his hands on that sword if he knew you had it," Ryuu smirked. "Suigetsu Hozuki."

"Mangetsu's younger brother?" Chojuro blinked. "He was meant to be Hiramekari's wielder until he disappeared."

"He was kidnapped by Orochimaru," Ryuu stated. "He wants to recreate the Seven Ninja Swordsmen with himself as leader. I don't think he knows you exist."

"I see," Chojuro sighed staring at the ground. "He would need the swords for that."

"He has Kubikiribocho," Ryuu stated. "Aside from that, I don't even know what the other swords are."

"Well, there's Samehada, or Sharkskin," Chojuro stated. "It was being used by Kisame Hoshigaki last I knew."

"Then he's still got it," Ryuu stated. "Wait, didn't Killer B and the Raikage fight and kill Kisame?"

"Oh, that's right," Chojuro nodded. "Wonder what happened to the sword."

"Knowing B, he probably kept it," Ryuu stated.

Chojuro looked like he wanted to say something but didn't. He opened his mouth to speak again just as his sword disappeared in a cloud of smoke and he froze. He reached back, feeling for it but finding nothing.

"What just happened?" Ryuu asked.

"Someone summoned my sword," Chojuro breathed. "That could only be one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen capable of wielding it."

"So who would that be?" Ryuu asked.

"No one, they're all dead," Chojuro stated. "That's the tradition. You die before you lose your sword."

"I see," Ryuu nodded jumping to a rooftop and looking around with his Mangekyo Sharingan. "I see a short guy with moused up hair holding your sword out to sea. He's got...oh. He's reanimated."

"How can you tell?" Chojuro asked jumping up next to him and looking at the person, barely able to see him.

"He's wearing a sleeve on his right arm that has blades sticking out of it," Ryuu stated. "I can't see him very well from here but my Sharingan have better vision than your eyes. Anyway, the sleeve has been worn by several shinobi I've fought when they were reanimated to fight me again."

"Is the sleeve blue?" Chojuro asked. "With short sword-type blades?"

"Yeah," Ryuu asked. "Why?"

"I've heard of it," Chojuro stated. "I'll ask Lady Mizukage again but I think it was a Kiri Nin that designed it."

Ryuu nodded as Chojuro drew a knife.

"Let's go," Chojuro said but Ryuu caught his arm.

"I'll go get the sword and beat this guy," Ryuu stated. "You do whatever it is you were here to do. I'll get the sword to you before we leave."

Chojuro watched him for a moment before nodding. Ryuu smiled and switched to normal Sharingan, leaping out of the village and off the island then sprinting across the water toward the short man. When he arrived, the man charged instantly, Hiramekarei freed from its bandages but without a chakra weapon around it. The man slashed at Ryuu and Ryuu leapt over it, drawing his Trench Knife and blocking the man's sleeve as the man spun, slashing Hiramekarei vertically at Ryuu. Ryuu switched his trench knife to the other hand and drew his tanto, blocking the massive sword with the tanto, barely holding it back. After a minute, he shoved the sword up and stepped aside as it crashed down and the man threw a sidekick at him. Ryuu blocked it with a push kick of his own, throwing the man away. The man landed on his feet and sleeved hand and narrowed his makeup lined eyes at Ryuu.

"Fine," he growled balancing Hiramekari on his sleeved forearm as his other hand made the Seal of Confrontation in front of himself. "Ninja Art, Hidden Mist Jutsu!"

A thick fog began to form around them and Ryuu's eyes widened. He had seen the jutsu one other time, while imprisoned by Orochimaru, so he knew about it and about the Silent Killing Technique. He also knew, from Sasuke's memories of his fight with Haku and Zabuza, that the only way to get around the Silent Killing Technique, was to use the Silent Killing Technique. Unfortunately, he had been unable to copy it the last time he had seen it due to losing the fight too fast.

He sighed and activated his Mangekyo again, knowing full well that he had come to rely on them far too much. Regardless, he used the left eye to create the best user of the Silent Killing Technique he knew. Zabuza Momochi formed in front of Ryuu, looking around before looking back at Ryuu.

"Make all kinds of sound after you find him," Ryuu suggested and Zabuza grinned behind the bandages over his mouth.

"With pleasure," Zabuza growled before drawing a kunai and vanishing.

Zabuza sprinted silently through the fog, his mastery of the technique exceeding his predecessor's and allowing him to pinpoint him quickly. When he appeared behind him, the Swordsman spun, slashing at Zabuza. Zabuza blocked it with his kunai and the Swordsman staggered away as he stared at Zabuza.

"Z...Zabuza...Momochi," the Swordsman blinked. "You were...but then...But...you died! My master said you died!"

"Died?" Zabuza scoffed. "You think I'm incapable of faking my own death? It was child's play!"

"But, your sword," the Swordsman said, still backing away.

"An oversized chunk of metal," Zabuza stated. "I don't need it, I don't even need my arms. I killed over a dozen enemies with a kunai held in my mouth. Wanna see?"

"No!" the Swordsman shouted as Zabuza put the knife in his mouth after unwrapping his face then sprinted forward, spinning and slashing at the Swordsman.

The Swordsman blocked the knife with Hiramekari and with his sleeve as much as he could but Zabuza's skills so far exceeded his own that for every time he blocked an attack, a gash split open on his body somewhere. Zabuza completely ignored the gashes the sleeve put in his face and finally jumped back, drawing two more kunai, holding them in reverse grip and grinning around the one in his mouth as the Swordsman slowly regenerated.

"You're a monster," the Swordsman decided, turning to run only for Ryuu to appear in front of him and remove his left arm at the elbow, taking Hiramekari and jumping back, putting his trench knife and tanto away and holding the sword instead.

"What?" the Swordsman blinked looking back to see Zabuza was gone. "It was...a Genjutsu?"

"In a way," Ryuu grinned, his Level Three Sharingan glowing lightly.

"What...what's with your Sharingan?" the Swordsman demanded. "What are you?"

"I'm your worst nightmare," Ryuu grinned sprinting forward.

The Swordsman vanished, using the Silent Killing Technique to attack Ryuu from behind. Ryuu spun, Hiramekari sparking against the sleeve before Ryuu slashed the ninja across the stomach. The fog faded and the Swordsman regenerated, backing away from Ryuu.

"You couldn't have," the ninja muttered. "It's impossible!"

"Is it?" Ryuu asked holding a hand over his necklace. "Let's continue shall we?"

He spun, hurling the sword back to the island before drawing his tanto and trench knife. At the same time, the ninja grinned, a cloud of smoke appearing in his hand and then blowing away to reveal the Dragon Scale Sword Ryuu had destroyed.

"Bet you didn't expect to see this again," the ninja grinned. "The master had me find the pieces for a very simple reason, this sword can reform itself simply by touching the pieces together. Observe."

He bit the blade and snapped the blade off then touched it back into place and the blade disassembled into scales and then reformed, intact. The ninja grinned and sprinted forward, slashing at Ryuu who streamed his Wind Chakra along his trench knife and blocked the sword. The swordsman grinned as he streamed Wind Chakra of his own along the blade and the ninjato instantly cut the trench knife blade in half. Ryuu leapt away, cursing and looking down at it. The blade was gone but the knuckle guards were still bladed making for a painful punch. Ryuu formed a Vacuum Blade over his tanto and sprinted forward. he slashed with the Vacuum Blade and the ninjato blocked it, the Wind Chakra unable to cut through the glowing white Vacuum Blade. After a moment, Ryuu shoved the sword sideways and threw a left handed punch at the ninja. The Swordsman blocked the punch with his sleeve and Ryuu jumped over him, slashing at him with his Vacuum Blade again. He blocked it with his ninjato then spun, swiping at Ryuu with his sleeve. Ryuu ducked under it and stepped forward, Vacuum Blade knocking the ninjato aside as he threw a punch at the ninja. The ninja jumped back and slashed downward at Ryuu. Ryuu blocked it but this time, his Vacuum Blade shattered and the ninjato descended at his face.

Shit, Ryuu thought.

At the last second, Hiramekari knocked the blade aside and Chojuro grabbed Ryuu, jumping away as the Swordsman spun, slashing at them both with his sleeve, very nearly hitting them. Ryuu thanked Chojuro, looking down at his ruined trench knife again and throwing it aside as he formed another Vacuum Blade. A moment later, another Kiri Nin, the one that had tried to attack the Tsuchikage's bodyguards, landed beside Ryuu, holding a large thin cleaver sword ready.

"A ninja swordsman?" the man asked. "This won't end well."

"Nope," Ryuu grinned. "I think my Mangekyo Sharingan my be necessary."

He activated his Mangekyo but the moment he did, a seal spread over his body from the bottom of his foot where he had blocked the other Ninja's kick.

"Finally," the ninja snickered. "It's over now."

Chojuro and the other ninja both charged forward but the Swordsman slashed the ninjato and sent both flying from a blast of wind. He began to leisurely walk forward to kill Ryuu and Ryuu struggled to gain any control over his own chakra. The seal apparently paralyzed him and stopped his chakra control both. The Swordsman raised his Ninjato and Ryuu watched it rise then begin to descend. Before it could reach him, Yamato finally arrived, his arm turning into a tree, binding the ninja in place and keeping him from killing Ryuu. Aoba appeared beside Ryuu breaking the seal and allowing Ryuu to jump back just as the ninja broke free and slashed at him and Aoba, who also jumped away.

"Let's try this again," Ryuu smirked activating his Mangekyo Sharingan and forming his Susanoo.

His Susanoo drove its drill lance at the ninja but the Ninja slashed the ninjato through the drill and then jumped at the Susanoo, decapitating it. Ryuu stared in shock as the Susanoo faded and blood ran out of his eyes. He wiped it away, switching back to regular Sharingan and growled in annoyance.

"That fucking sword needs to go away," Ryuu growled.

Aoba nodded in agreement and Chojuro formed a large chakra blade around Hiramekarei.

"This many and you can't beat me," the ninja laughed.

"Rasengan!" Naruto shouted, blasting the ninja in the back and jumping to Ryuu. "That solves that...oh."

The ninja stood, his paper and ash body reforming as he growled in frustration.

"Anyone know how to seal a person?" Ryuu asked. "I have one method but it would require him to be compliant or out cold."

"Good luck with that," Yamato snorted.

"Yeah," Ryuu nodded. "Naruto, we'll be needing some clones."

"Good," Naruto grinned. "Distraction?"

"Obliteration," Ryuu stated. "Hopefully we can waste his chakra so I can seal him."

Naruto nodded and sprinted forward, forming a hundred clones who surrounded the ninja and attacked. Instead of fight with the sword like a normal person, the ninja spun, a ring of wind forming around himself before shooting toward him, bisecting him then inverting and flying outward through the clones. Everyone jumped over it as the ninja reformed and laughed.

"Nice try," the ninja snorted.

"Fine," Ryuu growled. "Block this."

Ryuu extended several wooden spikes from his shoulder and broke them off, hurling them at the ninja. He slashed two out of the air and blocked the third at the same time as Ryuu, now behind the ninja, drove one into his back. Then, he leapt away and formed the Ram Seal. wooden spikes sprouted from the ninja, skewering him. His body fell away and then began to reform beside the ball of wood now sinking into the water. Ryuu sprinted forward and grabbed the ninjato then skidded to a stop beside Naruto and watched as the ninja finished reforming and glared at Ryuu.

"Give me my sword," the ninja ordered.

"No," Ryuu growled pulling out a scroll and sealing the sword into it. "Tell your master to suck it."

"Looks like our time's up," the ninja sighed relaxing and standing straight up. "My master will be in touch Ryuu. Before I go, he wants me to tell you, you're going to burn for killing his favorite son."

And with that, a coffin shot up, enclosed around him, and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Why the fuck are people after me!" Ryuu complained. "And who the fuck's son did I kill?"

"He might have meant Aeron's father," Yamato stated, having been briefed about the rogue ninja brothers that had captured Ryuu. "He implied there were multiple sons."

"Well I wish he'd just show himself so I could kill him already," Ryuu grumbled.

"Careful what you wish for," Aoba warned. "You never know how strong he is."

"I could handle it," Ryuu stated. "Aeron wasn't anything special."

"Yeah?" Yamato asked. "And what if his father is several leagues beyond Aeron? More often than naught, the children are weaker than the parents."

"Not true," Ryuu stated. "Look at me and Sasuke. Look at Kakashi. There are so many examples of people that have exceeded their parents. You can't tell me that the father's stronger if he has to send reanimated shinobi to fight for him."

"Maybe he's being kind," Yamato suggested. "Either way, we need to move on. We're already behind schedule."

Ryuu nodded and said goodbye to Chojuro and the other Kiri Nin before they returned to their ship and set sail again, this time keeping watch for any coffins or reanimated shinobi.


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